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Logan Taylor
Author, Community Advocate & Founder of Y.B.Normal?
Logan Taylor
Author, Community Advocate & Founder of Y.B.Normal?
Biography
“Having it easy” is never a phrase you would use to describe Logan Taylor’s childhood. Raised by his grandmother in low-income housing and with an absentee father and barely-there mother, Taylor struggled as a child and young adult. Add to these issues, sexual abuse, drug addiction, a horrible car wreck, multiple suicide attempts and crippling anxiety and it’s hard to imagine how he ever made it. And yet, he not only persevered but has also used the memory and pain of these experiences to help other at-risk kids and poverty-stricken families.
Today, Taylor is an author of educational journals for students, entrepreneur and popular speaker who has made it his life's work to help students and teachers maximize their potential. “Never accept the life given to you…If you want to change it, you can actually change it,” he says.
Taylor has spoken to thousands upon thousands of people worldwide inspiring them to be great and find their purpose in life. Through the magic of YouTube, he’s motivated even more students and adults, with more than 6 million views of his videos. Taylor is also the founder of Y.B.Normal?, a non-profit organization that helps struggling youth in schools and implements curriculum and journal writing that focuses on social-emotional development. In addition, he leads community outreach events. One that he is particularly proud of is called Cut the Hate and Share the Love. This annual outreach initiative provides haircuts, clothing and shoes, and hot meals for the homeless community and people less fortunate.
Leaving an environment better than the way he found it is Taylor’s goal. He is certified in Social Emotional Learning from the University of Colorado, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) and has a Youth Mental Health Certification from National Council For Mental Wellbeing as well. Dr. Martin Luther King said, “Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve and I am honored to be able to do my part." Logan Taylor has proven this to be true. He lives his life by the mantra of Y.B.Normal?, when you can be extraordinary.
Speaker Videos
You Matter
Refuse to Give Up
Fight For Love
Speech Topics
A Secret Weapon for Success
As an educator, you have to take care of YOU to ensure that you are in the best position possible to teach and help others. In this highly motivational talk, Logan Taylor, an author, educational speaker and founder of Y.B.Normal?, shares why it’s critical for every educator — from the novice to the veteran to the teachers in between — to realize the importance of establishing and maintaining positive mental health, self-care and self-advocacy. After the impact of COVID-19, it’s even more imperative for teachers to recognize their feelings of insecurity, anxiety and uncertainty just as much as they embrace the feelings of gratitude and relief for overcoming major obstacles. Taylor’s message is best captured by Dr. Seuss, who wrote, “It’s OK to not be OK but it’s not OK to stay that way.” As an educator, you’ll leave this talk empowered and ready to create a safe space in schools for this type of vulnerability.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
In this presentation, Logan Taylor, author, youth mentor and founder of Y.B.Normal?, emphasizes the importance of creating a culture of respect between teachers and students, teachers and teachers, and students and students. You can expect what you inspect, which means there has to be mutual respect among all. Each person holds himself accountable first. This talk also addresses the issues of bullying. Bullying of any type (cyber, physical, prejudicial, or the like) is unacceptable, Taylor says. However, attacking this issue focusing on the importance of self-respect and self-worth is another way to support Anti-Bullying.
Don’t Be a Dropout
This POWERFUL presentation by Logan Taylor, author, educational speaker and founder of Y.B.Normal?, encourages and empowers students to finish school. His message reinforces the value of believing in oneself and envisioning what’s possible. Using his own compelling story of all the obstacles and opposition he faced and what worked for him, he gives students the tools to succeed.
PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions & Support)
When it comes to high school graduation, students who live in poverty are five times more likely to fail, according to a recent study by Educationdata.org. And with the disruption of normalcy because of COVID-19 at schools across the country, failure rates are expected to be even higher. In this talk, Logan Taylor, author, educational speaker and founder of Y.B.Normal?, offers solutions to change these stats. The success, he says, of our schools lies in the ability to teach students the power of positive behavior. Taylor shares the PBIS framework of principles, which can be used in schools to increase the desired level of important social and learning outcomes. PBIS is an evidence-based three-tiered framework for improving and integrating all of the data, systems and practices affecting student outcomes every day. It also helps students focus on choices that promote academic success and social competence. If you want your students to get fired up about school and to envision better futures, this presentation gives you the tools to get started.
Making the Best Decisions
Every day, students find themselves in trouble for the decisions they make. And even worse, these choices can negatively affect the rest of their lives. So how can we get them to choose the best options? In this talk, Logan Taylor, author, educational speaker and founder of Y.B.Normal?, helps kids choose a better course of action. It involves four phases to help students identify ownership and determine reality. This program is customizable based on the client’s identified needs.
Continuing the Legacies
In this moving and inspiring keynote, Logan Taylor, author, educational speaker and founder of Y.B.Normal?, shares the stories of Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X — from the battles they fought to the sacrifices they made in their quests for equality and justice. Through these accounts, students learn how they, too, can be great and that the struggles they are experiencing are what will help them create legacies of their own.
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