Jeff Yalden, America’s Favorite Life Coach & Teen Motivational Speaker
Please visit Jeff’s Motivational Speaking website at #1 Teen Motivational Speaker in North America
Who is Jeff Yalden? Jeff Yalden overcame incredible odds to become the man he is today. As a teenager, he lost interest in life, in school, in himself. He took the SATs twice and received very low scores. Worse, Jeff suffered from a stutter, a facial tic, bad acne, and a learning disability. His self-esteem in the gutter, Jeff graduated high school 128th in a class of 133.
Although he was accepted by 3 of the 19 colleges to which he applied, Jeff’s sense of inadequacy was so overpowering, he was afraid to attend. A turning point came one month after high school, when Jeff won the title of “Mr. New Hampshire Male America” and later Male America’s “Mr. Personality.” Further progress came when Jeff, answering the call of his country, enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. Learning the virtues of self-reliance and teamwork, Jeff became a two-time “Marine of the Year” and played for the All-Marine-Corps basketball team.
Unfortunately, a failed relationship sent Jeff spiraling back to his old ways, and soon he found himself hospitalized with depression and suicidal tendencies. Upon being honorably discharged from the Marines, Jeff was left to face the $64,000 question: “Who am I, and what do I want out of life?” Jeff realized that his destiny was in his own hands. He could either sulk and feel sorry himself as he had done in the past, or he could make a new decision. He could reach within and make powerful, life-transforming choices. Something clicked. And the healing began.
Today, Jeff draws on the grace of that darkest hour to help today’s youth transform their own lives. He has become the most in-demand youth speaker in America, having captured the imagination of more than 3,500 audiences around the world. Jeff is a Certified Speaking Professional, the highest designation by the National Speakers Association and a distinction earned by fewer than 10% of all speakers.
Jeff has presented for SADD, FBLA, STUCO, FCCLA, FHA, The National PRIDE World Drug-Free Conference, National Speakers Association, National Student Council, and more. Along with his youth programs, Jeff speaks to teachers, parents, and adult audiences.
Jeff appears routinely in print, a subject for newspapers and magazines across the country. He is the author of They Call Me Coach, Keep It Simple, 20 Ways To Keep It Simple, and Traits of a Leader. Jeff coauthored Lead Now or Step Aside and contributed to The New York Times bestseller, A Cup of Chicken Soup for the Soul. Jeff believes that success comes down to our worldview, and our relationships with others. He believes that success in life – fulfillment and service – depends on the attitude we take from the moment we step out of bed. “People treat us how we train them to treat us,” says Jeff. “When we unleash the best that is inside us, the world always mirrors it back. The goal is to radiate love and kindness at the same time we radiate our own self-respect.” Jeff is living proof of these miracles in transformation.
Jeff has addressed audiences in all 50 states, 48 countries, and every Province in Canada. He’s addressed thousands of middle schools, high schools, leadership/youth conferences, colleges and universities. Seventy million viewers know him as “Life Coach” on MTV’s longest-running reality show, MADE.
When Jeff visits a school, he leaves the students thinking – about themselves, about the world, about how things could be different. He inspires them to consider what is possible when they take charge of their heart and mind. Students listen to Jeff because he meets them on their playing field, speaking a language they understand, addressing issues that concern them. “Life isn’t complicated,” says Jeff. “That’s just the ego run amok. As the saying goes, ‘The mind is a wonderful servant and a horrible master.’”
Jeff’s charm and enthusiasm are so infectious that parents and teachers find themselves rethinking their own lives in new and exciting ways. Jeff’s program tackles the issues that involve all of us – worldview, self-respect, education, and the “curriculum of life.” Jeff’s message shines through his funny and uplifting true stories. Jeff himself is testimony to the transformation that awaits us all would we but allow it. In his own life Jeff has been, by his own account, a grade-A loser who only discovered his true self, his latent possibilities, only once he grew sick of being sick and finally took up residence in his own life.
“I would simply like to say that you and your words have affected the life of one of your listeners beyond the high school (or even college) arena. The messages you share have real-world applications, and your audience carries that with them. Thank you for sharing a part of yourself with me and with all of your listeners. Although we have not spoken in some time, you have continued to play a role in the way I shape my thoughts and goals.” – Rachel A. Baker
