Thank you for your interest in presenting at the next Heartbeat International Annual Conference held in Birmingham, AL April 30 - May 2, 2025

Before completing the submission form below, please make sure you have reviewed the General Submission Guidelines.

For the first time in decades, the Supreme Court of the United States has the chance to be comprised primarily of Constitutionalists. As defined by Stanford University, "Constitutionalism is the idea, often associated with the political theories of John Locke and the founders of the American republic, that government can and should be legally limited in its powers, and that its authority or legitimacy depends on its observing these limitations."

“For such a time as this…” Esther 4:14

The nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett not only demonstrates to the Supreme Court faith in the vision and values put in writing by our nation's founders, but also provides our nation's youth with a role model which embodies the truth that we in the pregnancy help movement have known for years; Women do not need to choose between a career and a family.

"You shall appoint for yourself… which the LORD your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.” Deut. 16:18

Given the right tools and support, anyone can accomplish anything they set their minds to. This is the message of hope that our network of pregnancy help offers to women, families, and communities each and every day.

“Take heart…” John 16:33

Add your name below to sign on to a letter to Judge Amy Coney Barrett which lends our prayer, support, and encouragement to help shield her with God’s protection over this next season.

For the first time in decades, the Supreme Court of the United States has the chance to be comprised primarily of Constitutionalists. As defined by Stanford University, "Constitutionalism is the idea, often associated with the political theories of John Locke and the founders of the American republic, that government can and should be legally limited in its powers, and that its authority or legitimacy depends on its observing these limitations."

“For such a time as this…” Esther 4:14

The nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett not only demonstrates to the Supreme Court faith in the vision and values put in writing by our nation's founders but also provides our nation's youth with a role model which embodies the truth that we in the pregnancy help movement have known for years; Women do not need to choose between a career and a family.

"You shall appoint for yourself… which the LORD your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.” Deut. 16:18

Given the right tools and support, anyone can accomplish anything they set their minds to. This is the message of hope that our network of pregnancy help offers to women, families, and communities each and every day.

“Take heart…” John 16:33

Add your name below to sign on to a letter to Judge Amy Coney Barrett which lends our prayer, support, and encouragement to help shield her with God’s protection over this next season.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday | September 23, 2020
Contact: Andrea Trudden, Director of Communications and Marketing
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Heartbeat International prays for the Supreme Court 
What the open seat on the highest court means for the pro-life movement

Columbus, OH: With the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, whoever fills the seat in the Supreme Court will have a great influence on the culture of America. Heartbeat International, the largest pro-life association of pregnancy help in the world, marks Justice Ginsburg's passing with sadness and acknowledges her contributions to advancing women’s rights, along with her historic rise to the Supreme Court. 

Dr. Peggy Hartshorn, longtime Heartbeat International President, Board Chair and pro-life advocate, said:

"I pray for the repose of the soul of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and especially for her children and grandchildren who mourn her loss. For her family, her death is so personal. For me, it was personal too -- but on a very different level. On hearing the news, I was almost as stunned and 'glued to' the media as I was on January 22, 1973.”  

Hartshorn, with her invaluable experience and insight having the benefit of watching the High Court over the years over her years of pro-life advocacy, reflected:

“Filling her seat in the next few weeks is crucial to turning around the results of that fateful day 47 years ago. Four of the nine current Supreme Court Justices are on record as open to the overturn of Roe v. Wade, given the appropriate case. One more Justice nominated by our sitting president now and approved by our elected Senate will change the trajectory of legal abortion in the USA and influence abortion law and attitudes around the world. What a time for prayer!" 

Danielle M. White, General Counsel for Heartbeat International, remarked: 

“It can certainly be said that Ruth Bader Ginsburg contributed to an America where women are welcomed in higher education and valued in the workplace. Sadly, she was under the misimpression that women’s advancement couldn’t be accomplished without pitting women against their children, particularly their unborn children. While we in the pregnancy help community remember the positive contributions she made to society, we vow to work for an America where no woman feels that she must choose between her education or career and the life of her unborn child. We hope that the Justice to take her seat will recognize the rights of both the mother and her unborn child.” 

Jor-El Godsey, Heartbeat International President, added:

"Ginsburg's legacy will forever be one of a talented advocate and tenacious liberal. She helped anchor the liberal voting bloc for the better part of four decades, and despite her stated qualms with the weakness of the decision, reaffirmed Roe's grip in favor of abortion at every opportunity. Her successor needs to be equally as committed in bringing our highest court back toward its Constitutional strength, but more courageous to address flawed rulings of past courts."

To schedule an interview about Justice Ginsburg’s passing and the significance of the open Supreme Court seat for the pregnancy help community, call 614-885-7577.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 9/23/2020

Heartbeat International prays for the Supreme Court
What the open seat on the highest court means for the pro-life movement

Columbus, OH: With the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, whoever fills the seat in the Supreme Court will have a great influence on the culture of America. Heartbeat International, the largest pro-life association of pregnancy help in the world, marks Justice Ginsburg's passing with sadness and acknowledges her contributions to advancing women’s rights, along with her historic rise to the Supreme Court.

Dr. Peggy Hartshorn, longtime Heartbeat International President, Board Chair and pro-life advocate, said:

"I pray for the repose of the soul of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and especially for her children and grandchildren who mourn her loss. For her family, her death is so personal. For me, it was personal too -- but on a very different level. On hearing the news, I was almost as stunned and 'glued to' the media as I was on January 22, 1973.”

Hartshorn, with her invaluable experience and insight having the benefit of watching the High Court over the years over her years of pro-life advocacy, reflected:

“Filling her seat in the next few weeks is crucial to turning around the results of that fateful day 47 years ago. Four of the nine current Supreme Court Justices are on record as open to the overturn of Roe v. Wade, given the appropriate case. One more Justice nominated by our sitting president now and approved by our elected Senate will change the trajectory of legal abortion in the USA and influence abortion law and attitudes around the world. What a time for prayer!"

Danielle M. White, General Counsel for Heartbeat International, remarked:

“It can certainly be said that Ruth Bader Ginsburg contributed to an America where women are welcomed in higher education and valued in the workplace. Sadly, she was under the misimpression that women’s advancement couldn’t be accomplished without pitting women against their children, particularly their unborn children. While we in the pregnancy help community remember the positive contributions she made to society, we vow to work for an America where no woman feels that she must choose between her education or career and the life of her unborn child. We hope that the Justice to take her seat will recognize the rights of both the mother and her unborn child.”

Jor-El Godsey, Heartbeat International President, added:

"Ginsburg's legacy will forever be one of a talented advocate and tenacious liberal. She helped anchor the liberal voting bloc for the better part of four decades, and despite her stated qualms with the weakness of the decision, reaffirmed Roe's grip in favor of abortion at every opportunity. Her successor needs to be equally as committed in bringing our highest court back toward its Constitutional strength, but more courageous to address flawed rulings of past courts."

To schedule an interview about Justice Ginsburg’s passing and the significance of the open Supreme Court seat for the pregnancy help community, call 614-885-7577.

For more information on Heartbeat International go to HeartbeatInternational.org and find Heartbeat on Facebook and Twitter.

About Heartbeat International: Heartbeat International is the largest network of pro-life pregnancy help in the world, with over 2,800 affiliated locations in more than 60 countries. Heartbeat's mission is to Reach and Rescue as many lives as possible, around the world, through an effective network of life-affirming pregnancy help, to Renew communities for LIFE in order to achieve their vision of making abortion unwanted today and unthinkable for future generations.

 

When a media request comes into your organization's inbox, how do you respond? 

As an organization, you should have a media plan in place in order to guide you in both nurturing new media relationships and having a rapid response plan for times of negative press. Join Heartbeat International and Alliance Defending Freedom International as we discuss how to engage the media. 

Date: 22 October 2020
Time: 12:45-16:15 GMT+2
Where: At Your Computer (details will be sent upon registration)
Presented by: Heartbeat International and Alliance Defending Freedom International

This forum is exclusive for Heartbeat International affiliates. There is no cost to attend, but you must register as space is limited. 

If you are not a Heartbeat Affiliate and are interested in learning more about joining Heartbeat International's Pregnancy Help Network, click here.

European Forum - Presenters

Andreas Thonhauser serves as director of external relations for ADF International, where he is responsible for building the organization’s media presence, forming alliances with key influencers and supporters. He acts as communications liaison with ADF International’s distinguished team of allied attorneys and organizational partners, managing all aspects of public relations and development Thonhauser has spoken at institutions like the UN, the EU Parliament, and international conferences and provided comment on topics like the persecution of religious minorities, parental rights, and freedom of education for international media outlets, including both popular news publications as well as scholarly journals. He regularly provides trainings in communication strategy, leadership, reputation and social media management. Thonhauser earned an MBA from the WU Executive Academy and a Master’s degree in German Philology/Anglistics and Americanistics from the University of Vienna. Prior to joining ADF International in 2015, Thonhauser worked for a European publishing house where he focused on strategy and business development.

Pastor Woody was raised on a dairy farm in Brunswick, Maine as a Quaker. While stationed in Germany with the Air Force, he was introduced to the Gospel in a personal way, and trusted Christ in 1978. He has now pastored two churches; both of them in Germany, and both of them ministering primarily to the American military community.

Since 1997, he has been involved with the ministry of the Kaiserslautern Crisis Pregnancy Center as a board member. In order to minister to a wider community, the center was renamed Heartbeat Crisis Pregnancy Center and was moved to the city of Ramstein, where Pastor Woody has been privileged to serve as board chairman since 2008.

Ellen Foell, Esq. has been with Heartbeat International since 2012 serving first as legal counsel and now as the International Specialist. She supports the leadership team in providing research and advice on pro-life trends and issues affecting Heartbeat International and its affiliates. Her work also involves general business, organizational and nonprofit issues, as well as interfacing with other pro-life organizations and attorneys who desire to assist pro-life organizations.

Ellen is a 1982 graduate from Case Western Reserve University School of Law. She has lived overseas as a missionary in Thailand, has practiced as a law clerk, associate in a law firm, and as an associate corporate counsel. She left law firm practice to begin her work in the pro-life movement in 1989 as a defense attorney for pro-life activists. She and her husband, Phil, have four children, Deborah, Anna, Sam and Paul. Her passion is teaching the Bible and working with international students on the Ohio State campus.

Jor-El Godsey serves as President of Heartbeat International, the largest affiliation network of pregnancy help organizations in the world. Jor-El leads a staff dedicated to equipping, empowering, and encouraging the thousands of leaders serving in Heartbeat affiliated life-affirming pregnancy help centers, maternity homes, and adoption services, in the U.S. and on every inhabited continent. Jor-El oversees Heartbeat’s core mission to reach and rescue lives at-risk for abortion through far-reaching programs that include Option Line and Abortion Pill Rescue Network

From the very first call answered, Option Line consultants, caring women trained by Heartbeat International, have been able to speak hope into panicked moments of confusion. Four million calls later, our consultants continue to treat each and every point of contact with a caller with the compassionate care she deserves. To each woman calling in, this is the hardest moment she has ever had to face in her life.

Established in 2003, Option Line is the only fully staffed, bilingual pro-life contact center in the U.S. Since we first answered the call, we’ve reached over 4 million women and men, many who are desperate for answers in an unexpected pregnancy.

Every day, more than 1,100 people reach out to Option Line via phone call, live chat, texting and email for help. The number of women and men Option Line reaches continues to grow. As a result, more lives are rescued from abortion. Every call helps reduce the demand for abortion, making abortion unwanted and eventually unthinkable. 

Each call is a story...

2009 - 1 Million Calls

Even before we had live chat as a way to contact Option Line (chat launched in 2010), we served over 1 million people crying out for help through phone, a website, and email. We answered each call, we helped with any immediate pregnancy need she may have, and we connected her with a local pregnancy help organization. We know that the best alternative to an abortion is another person.

2014 - 2 Millionth Call

In the wee hours of the morning, a call came in to Option Line. On the other end of the phone was a young woman seeking abortion information. She was referred to our affiliated pregnancy help organization in Warren, Ohio that could offer her so much more than abortion and empower her to make positive choices for her future.

2018 - 3 Millionth Call

On a Thursday afternoon, Jennifer contacted Option Line through our live chat feature at OptionLine.org. She told the Option Line consultant that she was 19 years old and realized she was pregnant. Jennifer said she felt caught between what was “right” and what was “easy,” and she simply wanted the whole thing behind her. Our Option Line consultant assured her she was not alone and prayed with her. Our consultant helped to calm her fears and encouraged her to get help at a local pregnancy center near her in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

2020 - 4 Millionth Call

Early on a Monday morning, a seasoned consultant working for Option Line received a chat from a woman in India. Sorting through her concerns, the consultant worked with her to find a pregnancy help organization near her through Heartbeat’s Worldwide Directory of Pregnancy Help. This cry for help shows the global nature of the need for pregnancy help.

Our Work Continues & Expands...

As technology has improved through the years, we have embraced it and so that we can increase the number of people served through Option Line. Notice that the time period is reduced between each millionth call answered!

We continue to find and implement effective technology such as adding Live Chat options to connect and utilizing online advertising. This allows us to reach more women and better serve the movement.

As calls for help continue, we have expanded our services to answer the cries for help for not only women seeking pregnancy help, but also for the Safe Haven Alliance and the Abortion Pill Rescue Network. 

When women seek pregnancy help, we are equipped to answer their questions and serve them swiftly in real-time.

As our reach expands, people from all over the world are finding Option Line. The fact that we are able to serve a woman in India to help locate a pregnancy help organization in her area from our call center in Ohio is another miracle of technology.

While not everyone is available 24/7/365 to serve those in need, Heartbeat International's Option Line is! And we will continue to serve until abortion is unthinkable.

*Names have been changed within for privacy.

— Session Begins May 12, 2021 —

An exclusive opportunity to U.S. Heartbeat affiliates in good standing, Heartbeat International is partnering with WiLD Leaders to provide this professional training for pregnancy help leaders to advance their leadership skills. Working with WiLD Leaders, Heartbeat affiliates can delve deep to grow as individuals and lead intentionally. 

What is WiLD? 

WHOLE + iNTENTIONAL LEADER DEVELOPMENT (WiLD) is about seeing leaders as whole people, never shying away from the mistakes that create opportunities to learn, and intentionally crossing the superficial boundaries between our work as leaders in our families, workplaces, and communities. Leaders don’t always feel whole because they live so close to their insecurities and mistakes. Seeing leaders as whole people is not about erasing their past, minimizing their mistakes, or blindly elevating their successes, but about seeing and learning from it all. This is the focus of every tool, coaching conversation, and learning opportunity we offer – walking the line between resourcing and the heart, progress and process, and success and failure. Heartbeat has invested significantly into the development of existing and emerging leaders and this initiative serves as a next step to equip leaders in the movement who need intentional development to support and stretch them.

"I wasn't sure what to expect when I joined the WiLD Experience but WOW, the time was more than I could have even imagined!" - Carol L., a Pregnancy Help Director after going through the WiLD process.

The WiLD Toolkit: Leader Development Program + Research Insights

The WiLD Toolkit is a research-based online process built around 10 sequential developmental tools and personalized feedback reports. Unlike processes that oversimplify leadership into platitudes and one-dimensional categories of personality, skills, or behaviors, the WiLD Toolkit scaffolds the real and critical conversations regarding a leader’s experiences, successes and failures, learning, skills, purpose, conviction, character, and their investment in the learning of others.

Leader Development Program
This exclusive program for the Heartbeat community is built as a 10-week virtual course where participants can join from any geographic region. Each week, affiliates will:

1. Take an assessment tool in the WiLD Toolkit
2. Join an expert-led web session for insights and peer discussions on the assessments
3. Set goals in the WiLD Toolkit and share them with cohort members for accountability

The 10-Week Program - Starting January 27, 2021 
(Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT)

• Session 1: WiLD Kickoff Session – WiLD Tool: The WiLD Profile
• Session 2: Calling & Purpose – WiLD Tool: Calling & Purpose Inventory
• Session 3: Motivation & Goals – WiLD Tool: Purposeful Goals Assessment
• Session 4: Leading Under Pressure – WiLD Tool: Leading Under Pressure Inventory
• Session 5: Transformational Experiences – WiLD Tool: Transformational Experience Audit
• Session 6: Leadership Competence – WiLD Tool: Skills & Knowledge Inventory
• Session 7: Motivation & Learning – WiLD Tool: Motivation & Learning Inventory
• Session 8: Developing Others – WiLD Tool: People Investment Plan
• Session 9: Strategic Support – WiLD Tool: Strategic Networking Audit & Guide
• Session 10: WiLD Development Plan – WiLD Tool: The WiLD Plan

Registration

For Heartbeat-affiliated leaders, this exclusive leadership program will include 10 sessions as well as access to the WiLD Toolkit for a year for $299. Leaders who meet attendance requirements and complete all assessments will be eligible for 14 hours of credit toward their Life-Affirming Specialist Designation.

Cancellation Policy: Full refunds may be issued until 12:00 midnight EST January 20, 2021. A 50% refund is available from 12:01 AM EST January 20-January 24, 2021 11:59  EST. No refunds will be issued past 12:00 AM EST January 25, 2021. Method of payment may require additional transaction fees imposed by the credit card company. All cancellations will be subject to a $25 cancellation fee (per registration canceled) regardless of the situation. Should Heartbeat cancel the event for any reason, all monies minus a transaction fee will be returned automatically. If you do not cancel and do not attend the event, you are responsible for the full payment. Payments may not be applied toward future training or conferences. All refund requests must be submitted in writing to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Expert Team

Dr. Rob McKenna, CEO
Named one of the top 30 I-O Psychologists alive today, Dr. McKenna is passionate about developing leaders and about transforming the way we see the people in our organizations. As he will tell you, we have the tools at our fingertips to invest in our people in ways that are meaningful to them and will get the results we need. Thirty years of research has taught us much how people learn and grow on the job. We have what it takes to create rich learning environments for the people we lead, and all we have to do is begin to act on what we know.

Dr. McKenna brings a combination of approachability, authenticity, expert knowledge, and humor to his talks. Whether you are interested in character development, dealing with conflict, creating engaging learning cultures, or developing the next generation of leaders, his approach of getting real about what’s going on in your life and work brings people alongside him in a way that inspires change. The models he uses in his talks are based on decades of research on leadership, team functioning, organizational health, and individual development.

He is the founder of WiLD Leaders, Inc. and creator of the WiLD Toolkit, a whole and intentional leader development process and set of tools that one leader described as “A whole approach that blurs the line between who we are as ‘workers’ and ‘human beings.” He is also the Chair of Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Seattle Pacific University. His research and coaching with thousands of leaders across corporate, not-for-profit and university settings has given him insight into the real and gritty experience of leaders. His clients have included the Boeing Company, Microsoft, Heineken, Foster Farms, the United Way, Alaska Airlines and Children’s Hospital. He is the author of numerous articles and chapters on leadership character, calling, effectiveness, and leadership under pressure. His latest book, Composed: The Heart and Science of Leading Under Pressure, focuses the specific strategies leaders can use to stay true to themselves and connected to others when it matters most.

Dr. Daniel Hallak, CCO
Nothing gets Dr. Daniel Hallak more excited than the opportunity to build authentic relationships and intentionally develop leaders. As the Chief Commercial Officer at WiLD Leaders, Daniel drives strategic commercial initiatives, and other operations, product development, and marketing efforts that support the development of whole leaders. He is known for bringing energy and thoughtful research-based practices that actually make a difference.

Before WiLD, he spent over 12 years developing whole leaders in business, academic, and not-for-profit settings. He’s run his own coaching practice and has had experiences as a recruiter at Microsoft, a Career Management Consultant at Right Management Consultants, and in a leadership development role at Slalom, an award-winning consulting firm. He’s also served as a coach, professor, and advisor at three higher education institutions including Seattle Pacific University where he helped build a new graduate business program from the ground up.

Daniel has spoken at countless events, conferences, and professional associations. His research and writing focus on how to develop people and build authentic relationships founded on generosity. He earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Seattle Pacific University, his B.A. in Psychology from Northwest University and achieved Eagle Scout Rank with the Boy Scouts of America. He lives in Seattle with his wife, Kristin, and their three children. 

Megan Lawrence
Megan is the Events and Communications Lead at WiLD Leaders. Taking her entrepreneurial spirit and passion for communication and event planning into a company that focuses on the development of leaders is a combination of all her experiences into one role. Before WiLD, Megan was a wedding and event planner and florist in LA and has had a variety of roles in higher education, as well as managerial roles in small businesses. Megan has a Masters in Organizational Leadership from Azusa Pacific University, and cares deeply about women in leadership and helping small businesses become efficient and effective. She’s married to her husband Mark and they have a beautiful son, Silas, and an awesome dog named Truvy.

You’re Invited to Attend a Very Special Virtual Event!

Reserve your space today for this Invitation-Only Zoom Event.

Select your preferred time:

July 30 at 7:00 PM Eastern -or - July 31 at 1:00 PM Eastern 

Meet Peggy

Dr. Peggy Hartshorn discerned the 4 steps she calls The L.O.V.E. Approach through her own struggles to be a better Christian wife, mother, teacher, friend, peer counselor, and leader.  In writing this book, Peggy, a retired college Professor, joins her expertise in education and communications with her heart for strong relationships and unity, especially within the Body of Christ.

Peggy served as President of Heartbeat International for 23 years, where The L.O.V.E. Approach has proven its effectiveness as a relationship-building and problem-solving tool in pregnancy help organizations worldwide.  She hopes that these 4 powerful steps will now bless your relationships as they have hers.

We hope to see you there!  

Now in partnership with Heartbeat International, Loving & Caring materials - including the My Baby & Me series - is available for purchase through Heartbeat's online store, Heart Cart. Years of relationship and collaboration developed into this partnership as Heartbeat's vast library of resources for pregnancy help organizations was already reaching a global network of pregnancy resource centers, maternity homes, non-profit adoption agencies, and medical clinics. The natural next step was to include Loving & Caring's proven resources and brochures within in order to make abortion unwanted today and unthinkable for future generations.

Please complete the following survey for each session (workshop or In-Depth training) attended at the 2020 Heartbeat Annual conference.