Mental Health Motivational Speaker Teen Mental Health Speaker

Mental Health Motivational Speaker & Mental Health Speaker Jeff Yalden

The OFFICIAL SITE to Americas #1 Youth Motivational Speaker!


Call (800) 948-9289

  • About
    • Jeff’s Bio
      • Message from Jeff
      • Jeff & Yoga
    • Testimonials
      • Videos
      • Administrators – Teachers
      • Students
      • Community
    • Meet Betty . . . National Coordinator
    • Meet Staff
  • About Phoenix
    • Teen Mental Health Support for School Counselors
    • Teen Life Coach
  • Speaking
    • Virtual
    • Bring Jeff to your School Community
      • Parents & Community Speaker
        • An Evening Program for Parents & Community
      • Two Days with Jeff in your School Community
    • High School Motivational Speaker
      • Defining Moments in High School Assemblies
    • Middle School Motivational Speaker
    • Peer Support Professionals in Schools
    • Teachers & Staff – Teen Suicide Prevention for Teachers & Staff
    • Mental Health College Campus
      • College Mental Health Speaker
    • Student Leadership Keynote Speaker
  • Mental Health/Suicide Prevention
    • Mental Health Speaker
      • Virtual
      • Mental Health Training Workshops
      • Mental Health Adult Conferences
      • Mental Health Keynote Speaker
    • Teen Suicide Prevention Speaker
      • My Theory: Teen Suicide Today’s Epidemic
      • Yoga In Schools
      • Ethics & Moral Compass Teaching
    • Suicide Prevention Instructor / Trainer Online Course Certification
    • Resources
      • BOOM! Best Seller!
      • Teen Suicide
        • Book – Teen Mental Health & Suicide Prevention
        • TEDx Talk – Teen Suicide
          • Youth Suicide
          • Why Teens Self-Harm
          • Teen Depression / Suicide
          • Teen Suicide Behaviors & Responding in Crisis
          • Suicide Prevention Training & Workshops
          • Suicide, Prevention, and Crisis Intervention
          • Teen Suicide Facts & Statistics
          • Myths & Facts
          • Risk Factors
          • Warning Signs
          • “Say Something: Teen Suicide and a Friend’s Responsibility
          • Teen Mental Health Talk . . . Understanding Today’s Youth
          • 13 Reasons Why . . . My Take
      • Live Prevention Training
      • [On Demand] Suicide Prevention Course
  • Contact
  • Blog
You are here: Home / Archives for Roger Yale

Roger Yale, Journalist/Blogger

CORONAVIRUS: Managing Stress and Anxiety

March 31, 2020 by Roger Yale

In the above VIDEO, renowned mental health speaker and Amazon bestselling author Jeff Yalden lays out some important pointers to keep you present and centered in the midst of the global COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.

How is your heart?

Are you feeling OK in this time of uncertainty?

How are you doing with your emotions and your triggers?

Jeff says we can’t control COVID-19 or the future. We can’t can’t control people, places or things either, but we can control what we take in. We can control what we ingest.

And he’s not just talking about what we eat or drink.

We can control how much of the news we choose to ingest, for example – or limit the time we spend on things that don’t serve us.

Did you know that feeling overwhelmed is a common symptom of anxiety? The entire world is feeling anxious over the novel coronavirus.

You can choose to limit the noise in your life. Let’s turn down the noise and focus on our self-care.

THE GRATITUDE JOURNAL AND MORE

How about keeping a gratitude journal? This daily practice will help to keep you centered. And even in the most trying times, there is always something to be grateful for.

Even with this COVID-19 situation, we can still be thankful.

As you progress in your gratitude journal, you will start to appreciate things you never really thought about. You might notice a beautiful little tree in your backyard that you never even looked at before – or the way your dog’s eyebrows and ears move when you talk to him.

There are so many things to do every day that can enrich you.

You could write a real letter to a friend. Yes – a snail-mail letter. You can start on that book you always wanted to write.

How about listening to music or catching up on your podcast queue? You can get into a fitness routine. (Yes – you can still go outside. Into the sunshine. By now, we all know about social distancing.)

You can go for a walk or a bike ride, spend time video chatting with family and friends or take a drive.

CREATIVITY, YOGA, MUSIC

De-clutter. Try painting, coloring or drawing. Shoot a video. Set up that YouTube channel you have been thinking about.

Read uplifting books. Get your blog going. Have you ever thought about starting a podcast? It’s quick and easy to get set up.

You can come out the other side of this pandemic as a guitar player.

Jeff practices yoga daily, and he highly recommends that everybody try it. Stretch. Breathe.

The point is this: Downtime because of COVID-19 can become an exercise in personal development.

Watch the above VIDEO for more from Jeff.

THE FAMILY: SHARE YOUR FEELINGS

In the VIDEO, Jeff talks about Dr. Murray Bowen and his Family Systems Theory, which details the family dynamic and mental health. It’s all about how different family members cope with what they are going through in life.

According to Jeff, if we’re not communicating and sharing our thoughts and feelings within the family, we start going outside of it, and that’s where separation happens.

Bullying often comes from our children having to suppress what life throws at them. This can cause them to take their anger and frustration out on others.

Jeff discusses an important point made by his friend, Dr. Alex Crosby at the CDC: The number one statistic for suicide is white males between the ages of 35-50.

According to Jeff, many of these young men were taught not to share their feelings and to “suck it up,” “be tough” or “grind through it.”

“This isn’t healthy,” says Jeff. “When our responsibilities become bigger or our obligations are greater, you have no coping or problem-solving skills.”

It’s critical that we tell our kids that it’s OK to talk about their feelings. The old-school approach is dangerous and simply doesn’t work.

Talk to your children about COVID-19 and pay attention to their concerns.

WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS

COVID-19 is scary. Do what the experts tell you to do. We will get through this.

Make sure to share your feelings with your circle. Communicate. Laugh. Love.

“Find things that you can do that take you away from the stress and bring you closer to what’s beneficial for your overall well-being,” said Jeff.

Resources

ORDER Jeff’s new book, Teen Suicide: The “Why” Behind America’s Suicide Epidemic.

CLICK HERE for Jeff’s online suicide prevention course.

To book Jeff for your school or event, call 800-948-9289

Filed Under: Anxiety, Mental Health, Self-Care Tagged With: Amazon Bestselling Author, Anxiety, CDC, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Dr. Alex Crosby, Dr. Murray Bowen, Jeff Yalden, Mental Health Speaker, Self-Care, Stress

SCREEN TIME AND MENTAL HEALTH

February 26, 2020 by Roger Yale

Yalden - Speaking in School Office - Close Shot.jpg

Jeff Yalden

Too much screen time can hurt your child’s mental health.

It’s not unusual to see little kids with smartphones or tablets. If you went to the grocery store right now, you might see a toddler sitting in a shopping cart, scrolling through an iPhone while a parent is busy shopping. It’s the new normal.

As technology has progressed, parents have let their kids have access to devices at younger and younger ages. By 2012, roughly 50 percent of our youth had access to a smartphone. By 2015, that number was close to 73 percent. In 2018, according to Pew Research Center, 95 percent of our youth in America have access to smartphones and the features that come with them – the Internet, social media platforms, YouTube, group texting and the like.

WHY NOT JUST TALK?

Jeff realized that this ability to instantaneously access information was going to be an issue a few years ago when his daughter texted him a question. Yes, texting is a useful way to communicate, and there’s nothing wrong with that – but she was sitting a couple of feet away from him.

When he asked her why she just didn’t ask the question the old-fashioned way, she told him is was easier for her to text. Really?

The smartphone has become so ubiquitous that it is difficult to imagine what we ever did before its arrival. If used responsibly, it can make our lives easier in so many ways. But if we don’t monitor usage by our teens or teach them balance and boundaries, this device can adversely impact their lives and put them at risk.

Research shows that teens’ over-dependence on their smartphones and other devices affects their mental and physical well-being.

According to US News and World Report, too much online time has been linked to mental and physical problems such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, sleep deprivation and obesity. Findings published in the journal Emotion showed adolescent self-esteem, life satisfaction and happiness decreased the more hours teens spent per week on their devices.

SCREEN TIME AND TEEN SUICIDE

More alarming still is what researchers from San Diego State University and Florida State University discovered: Roughly 50 percent of teens who spent five or more hours at a screen each day reported experiencing thoughts of suicide and experienced prolonged periods of hopelessness or sadness in comparison to those who did not spend as much time online.

Add to this the obesity risk because many kids are staying indoors without getting out for some exercise – and the sleep deprivation factor because they are falling short of the recommended eight to 10 hours for teens.

Many sleep experts recommend shutting off devices an hour or two before bed. When it comes to your teens – good luck with that.

Yalden - Teen Suicide - Cover.jpg

HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH?

Right now, the research is too unsubstantiated to give us a clear-cut answer about how much online time is too much – but one thing is certain: As parents, we need to use our best judgment. If you think your child is spending too much time online, you’re probably right. Establish boundaries and hold them accountable.

Try having your kids keep a daily and weekly log of their screen time, including the apps used and the purpose for the online time. This will also serve as a lesson in time management – and they can see where to cut back.

Family time is important. Make it a rule that no devices should be used at mealtimes – and nobody should be looking at their phones when their undivided attention is required. That’s just rude.

Obviously – no devices while driving.

Set clear priorities and make sure your teen knows that it’s all about responsibilities and obligations before rights and privileges. Reward them for a job well done – and practice what you preach.

For some kids, the smartphone has become more important than real-life interaction with their peers. Smartphone interaction raises the dopamine levels of the user, resulting in a euphoric state. This “dopamine effect” says “I want more…I want more…I want more.”

Simply put, too much screen time hurts your child’s mental health. An increase in real-life social interaction benefits their mental health. Real-world interaction helps your child to develop coping and problem-solving skills and the ability to communicate properly.

Interacting with others is important to your child’s self-esteem.

Proper smartphone use by teens and children is a parent’s responsibility. The devices belong to you. If your child can’t learn to use a device responsibility, then it’s time for you to step in.

Above content is Part four in a series based on Jeff’s new book, Teen Suicide: The “Why” Behind America’s Suicide Epidemic. Click link to order now. CLICK HERE for Jeff’s online suicide prevention course. To book Jeff for your school or event, call 800-948-9289

Filed Under: Depression, Mental Health, Teen Depression / Suicide Tagged With: Amazon Bestselling Author, Devices, Jeff Yalden, Mental Health Speaker, Screen Time, Smartphone, Teen Mental Health, Teen Suicide

Jeff Yalden: Positivity in Coastal Virginia

June 26, 2018 by Roger Yale

On April 19, youth motivational speaker and Amazon bestselling author Jeff Yalden visited Mathews, Virginia – a community in the Chesapeake Bay region of the state. Yalden was invited by the Mathews County Sheriff’s Office to speak to high school and middle school students about life choices, mental health, behavior, and attitude. He also presented to more than 100 parents and community members that night. Investigator April Edwards from the Sheriff’s Office organized Yalden’s visit. It’s fitting that after some due diligence about Yalden himself, she knew that he would be the ideal candidate to instill a sense of purpose, hope and direction to kids who might otherwise be tempted to go down the rabbit hole of risky behaviors and compromise their self-respect. “Jeff Yalden came and took our schools by storm,” said Edwards. “He captured the attention of our students as well as the attention of faculty, administration, law enforcement, parents and many other vested adults from our community.” She added that the kids developed trust in Yalden within two hours and then poured their hearts out to him. “Jeff has a gift, and he has helped many of our children through a very difficult time in their young lives,” she said. “Many of these kids will never forget the day that a motivational speaker captured their attention, their hearts and their minds.” Yalden was grateful to Edwards for going to bat for him. “Thank you for organizing and fighting to make it happen. We made a difference today,” he said. In his more than 25 years working with young people and school communities, he said he has met many awesome teachers, administrators, coaches and counselors, but he cited then-interim and now permanent Mathews High School principal Alexis Foster as one of a kind. “Today’s teens are growing up differently and need trusted adult who can find the perfect balance of understanding, discipline and encouragement, while providing inspiration and hope – an individual who shows beyond any doubt that they truly care about the students that walk through their doors,” Yalden said. “Mr. Foster is the embodiment of empathy and compassion, yet he held the kids accountable in a way that they felt empowered and hopeful – that their needs were being met and that they had solid futures to look forward to.” Foster himself was more than pleased with the result of Edwards’ work to bring Yalden in for the day. “As a school administrator, it’s very difficult to always find the time to say the right things or to do things to motivate your kids – but if you have the time and really care about kids, you need to invite Jeff Yalden to your school,” he said. “Just spending the day with him today, I saw lives changed, kids’ attitudes changed – and parents are now thinking about things that maybe they never thought about before.” What Yalden most wanted to instill in the young people in attendance was the fact that the world owes them nothing. “You get out of it what you put into it,” he said. For more information about Jeff Yalden, go HERE. Learn all about The Jeff Yalden Foundation HERE. To book Jeff now, call (800) 948-9289.

Filed Under: For Parents, High Schools, Mental Health, Motivation, Personal Development, Youth Programs Tagged With: Alexis Foster, Amazon Bestselling Author, April Edwards, Chesapeake Bay, High School Speaker, Jeff Yalden, Mathews County, Mathews County Sheriff’s Office, Mathews High School, Mental Health Speaker, Middle School Speaker, School Assemblies, Self-Esteem, Suicide Prevention, Youth Motivational Speaker

Jeff Yalden: Touching Hearts, Changing Lives in Washington State

June 13, 2018 by Roger Yale

Cle Elum, Washington is a small community 90 minutes from Seattle, boasting only 1,872 residents as of the 2010 census. In April, the community lost a freshman from Cle Elum-Roslyn High School when he made the forever decision to take his own life. Youth motivational speaker and crisis intervention expert Jeff Yalden spent a full two days in the community last month, presenting to high school students, middle school students, and parents – and simply being available for those wanting him to lend an ear. “I can’t even begin to tell you the amazing stories and conversations we’ve had,” he said. “You can’t even imagine – and through the toughest discussions and the tears, I looked at some of these kids and fell in love with them.” He said he also loved to see how committed the staff members were to the welfare and well-being of the kids. First, Yalden spent two hours with roughly 250 high school students. From conversations with the young man’s friends, it became apparent that he told some of them what he intended to do, but the feeling was that he would not go through with it. “And so here we are – talking about a young man who told people, and followed through,” he said. We have to take all signs seriously, according to Yalden. “Don’t put yourself in the position where you are going to make that decision whether [or not] they are just saying it. No. Young people are probably the most important people in saving one of their peer’s lives – whether it’s direct verbal clues, indirect verbal clues, behavioral clues or situational clues. You are the ones that hear about it first.” Remember: See something, say something. Know something, do something. “You have a responsibility to do the right thing,” he said. “suicide is the most preventable kind of death.” Yalden hosted a parent program on the first evening of his visit, and although speaking to the parents in attendance and having conversations with them is always productive, there is always the sense that the ones that show up are not the ones Yalden needs to reach. The parents who show up are usually engaged and involved in their children’s lives already. On day two of his visit, Yalden had an early-morning follow-up session with students and staff at Cle Elum-Roslyn High School before heading Walter Strom Middle School, where many of the students knew the young man. “There was a lot of crisis going on at the middle school – a lot of hearts to touch, lives to change, hope to restore – and give these kids direction as they move forward,” he said. For Yalden, it’s not just about speaking at assemblies and making presentations. “When you hear about some of these obstacles and challenges that these kids are having and you can meet one-on-one – that’s when you do the work,” he said. “That’s when you challenge the kids to think deeper, to do better, to make decisions that they know they need to make – and be able to hold them accountable.”  

Filed Under: For Parents, High Schools, Mental Health, Teen Depression / Suicide Tagged With: Cle Elum, Cle Elum-Roslyn High School, Crisis Intervention, Jeff Yalden, Mental Health Speaker, Suicide Prevention, Teen Suicide, Walter Strom Middle School, Youth Motivational Speaker

Roseanne Barr: Was Mental Illness to Blame?

June 5, 2018 by Roger Yale

Jeff Yalden is a man who proudly lives with mental illness every day. Diagnosed with PTSD, bipolar type II and major depression, the mental health speaker and Amazon bestselling author is a staunch advocate for therapy and medication where appropriate. After celebrity Roseanne Barr crashed and burned as a result of her now infamous racist tweet last week about former Obama senior advisor Valerie Jarrett– resulting in the cancellation of what was to be her comeback Roseanne show on ABC – Yalden felt compelled to go on record with his thoughts in the above video. “Two months ago, from after having faded off the face of the earth, Roseanne Barr became a star again – but did the egotistical, multiple-personality, I-don’t-care comedian of her inner being come out too much,” he asked. If Barr was trying to be funny, Yalden noted that this was at the expense of others. This, he said, was going too far – so far that it cost not only her career, but seriously impacted the livelihoods of everybody working on the new show. “You were the star, and being the star comes with incredible responsibility for far more than being funny,” he said, adding that Barr apologized, but it was too late. ABC had to do the right thing, and it did. And blaming this event on the sedative Ambien after this irresponsible and racist behavior is just not going to fly, according to Yalden. “You reacted when you should have owned it. I challenge you to own it right away and stay off social media.” Yalden noted that Barr has been on record about her mental health issues, and she revealed her multiple personality disorder as far back as 1994, but he was quick to point out that mental illness is not an excuse for behavior and actions. Barr’s decidedly irresponsible and inappropriate behavior is cause for concern. “Perhaps you should go back to your therapist and ask for help again,” Yalden said in a direct appeal to Roseanne Barr. “If the sitcom didn’t end from this, it was certainly to end because your behavior would have caused something else.” He suggested a media tour, with Barr owning up to her mistake and advocating for mental health and living with mental illness. “We who live with mental illness and are passionate about it would love someone like you – who also lives with it – to be a great advocate for mental health,” he said. But the issue of racism goes far beyond mental health issues – and Yalden said that Barr didn’t make an ape reference about Valerie Jarrett or do a photo shoot dressed like Hitler because of her mental health issues or Ambien. “Mental illness does not give a person a free pass for bad behavior, and I speak for all of us that live every day with mental illnesses. The same is said for people that suffer daily because of racism.” Yalden cited a 2012 interview with Piers Morgan where Barr said she was in the “best place” that she had ever been in, when it came to mental health – and this was due in large part to the fact that she had done the work. “I think the work is every day,” Yalden said. “You need to go back and check in – and reassess where you are. Clearly, Ms. Roseanne, more work needs to be done.” For more information about Jeff Yalden, go HERE.

Filed Under: Mental Health Tagged With: ABC, Amazon, Ambien, Bestselling Author, Jeff Yalden, Mental Health, Mental Health Speaker, Piers Morgan, Racism. Mental Illness, Roseanne, Roseanne Barr, Valerie Jarrett

JEFF YALDEN REACHES OUT TO THE BROOKFIELD, MISSOURI SCHOOL COMMUNITY

May 18, 2018 by Roger Yale

Jeff Yalden’s heart sank when he heard the news of two completed suicides and one suicide attempt last month in Brookfield, Missouri. Two more young lives cut short by what he calls the “forever decision” in an area that has suffered too much loss already. Yalden is a teen mental health and youth motivational speaker. He is also a teen suicide and crisis intervention expert. For more than 25 years, he has worked in the trenches of communities hit hard by suicide contagion, and has proven to be effective in preventing further suicides and bringing hope to communities that have lost hope. Yalden visited the Brookfield school community a year ago, and remains friends with Angie Smith Wallace, a STUCO advisor and teacher at Brookfield High School. Wallace also founded the Taylor Gilpin Wallace Foundation for Suicide Prevention on behalf of her son after her son made the forever decision to take his own life. In the above video, Yalden reached out because several people in the community reached out to him. “Words can’t adequately describe the pain I feel in my heart when I hear of the death of a young person, or in your case the many losses your community has felt over the past year,” he said. “I can tell you now that you might not be done, but you have to do something immediately.” In the video, Yalden laid out the two questions that young people need to have answered by the trusted adults in their lives: Can I trust you? Do you care about me? He also talked about the fact that most young people don’t want adults to fix their problems. “They want to feel validated that what they are thinking and feeling is normal. Growing up and understanding is on their terms, and today’s teens are growing up differently than their parents did.” For more about this, check out Yalden’s TEDx talk HERE. The factors contributing to suicide, put forth by Dr. Thomas Joiner at Florida State University, are three-fold: “I am alone.” “I am a burden.” “I have the desire for suicide.” “Teens don’t want to die,” said Yalden. “They live in the here-and-now, and see solutions to their problems as so far out there that they can’t solve in the now, so the pain of ‘I am alone’ and ‘I am a burden’ carries on day after day, week after week – and they get discouraged with never being happy.” Yalden said that leads to a persistent form of depression called dysthymia, which could lead to the desire for suicide. “Teens need relationships. They need trusted adults that are patient, giving of their time, understanding, supportive, and love them unconditionally,” he said, adding that it is imperative that we teach them coping skills and problem-solving skills and instill in them the importance of balance and boundaries, especially when it comes to social media, the Internet and YouTube. Too much exposure to social media, as Yalden explains in this video, can also cause depression and other mental health issues in our teens. Mental illness threatens to become the biggest public health crisis in America, and this is no longer a family issue, according to Yalden. This is an economic issue. He said that mental illness and depression factor into 90 percent of suicides – and many suicides are preceded by factors that we don’t even notice. “Why should we notice it when we weren’t even looking for it,” he said. “The individuals that are on the schools’ radars aren’t necessarily the ones we need to look out for. A lot of school communities have said to me, ‘Jeff, we didn’t even know there was a problem. There were no signs. This is the last person we would have suspected.’” As a man who proudly lives with mental illness every day, Yalden is all about crushing the stigma attached to it. “It’s OK to ask for help!” Yalden can’t overemphasize the importance of a healthy self-esteem. “I promise – on the other side of fear is self-esteem. Don’t let anyone take that from you. You have to do the work, though,” he said. He said that this very sad time affects us all – and this is a time that will shape us. “This will either expose wounds or build muscles. It’s your choice how you respond. Allow yourself to grieve on your terms. I am so sorry and thinking of you all,” he said. For more information, go HERE. Check out Jeff’s new nonprofit HERE. To book Jeff now, call (800) 948-9289.

Filed Under: Depression, For Parents, High Schools, Loss, Mental Health, Teen Depression / Suicide Tagged With: Brookfield High School, Crisis Intervention, Jeff Yalden, Jeff Yalden Foundation, Mental Health Speaker, Suicide, Suicide Prevention Expert, Taylor Gilpin Wallace Foundation for Suicide Prevention, TEDx, Teen Suicide, Thomas Joiner, Youth Motivational Speaker

South Carolina High School Hosts Teen Mental Health Speaker Jeff Yalden

January 31, 2018 by Roger Yale

Photo: Jamin Ortiz/JDO Designs

In early November, a young man in Myrtle Beach, SC, made the final decision to end his life, no doubt leaving a void of unspeakable loss in the hearts of his family, friends and the Carolina Forest High School community, where he was a ninth grader. Through the grapevine, word about this heartbreaking incident made its way to youth motivational speaker, author and mental health advocate Jeff Yalden, who was then in Minnesota for a college presentation. Yalden, who lives in Murrells Inlet, speaks more than 200 times a year at high schools, colleges and other venues across the country. Over 25 years, he has presented to more than 4000 live audiences across the globe. But when tragedy strikes so close to home, the ripples through the community are palpable. Yalden reached out to Carolina Forest High School, offering to help in any way he could with the counselors and crisis intervention experts. Instead, Carolina Forest High School invited him to do one of his signature presentations. On Wednesday, November 21, Yalden delivered a hard-hitting and uplifting youth motivational talk in the school auditorium – a variation of his renowned “about life” presentations – covering such subjects as attitude, choices, self-respect and more.

Photo: Jamin Ortiz/JDO Designs

“This was not an assembly reflecting on the loss of the student who took his life. This assembly was about who we are, where we are and where we are going,” Yalden said. Yalden said he proudly lives with mental illness every day. Diagnosed with major depression, bipolar II disorder, and PTSD [he served as a U.S. Marine during the Gulf War], he is transparent and authentic in his personal journey with self-care, therapy, and medication. He was featured as a celebrity teen and family life coach on MTV’s long-running reality show, MADE. Yalden is also a suicide prevention expert and crisis intervention specialist. A priority in his messages is to assure young people that it’s OK to ask for help. His presentation Tuesday was meant to inspire and encourage the students – most of whom were ninth graders – as they prepared to leave for Thanksgiving break. “They lost a ninth grader. They didn’t want me to focus on that, which I understand,” he said. “Every school community is different and handles it in their own way.” Yalden covered three points in his presentation that he feels are very important: Self-value, attitude and choices – a trifecta that plays into his “take time to think” mantra. “In the end, I think the kids appreciated the truth and the humor in a message that they were not really expecting,” he said. Yalden said that mental illness is quickly becoming the biggest public health crisis in this country. “Mental illness is becoming just so prevalent in schools, and teen suicide is a national epidemic. I am honored to have been able to speak in our community. I feel good that schools are opening their hearts and saying that we need to address this with our kids.” Carolina Forest High School counselor Tammy Goodman said that although she wasn’t sure a lot of the students knew what to expect, she felt a different energy from the students following Yalden’s presentation. “They were very excited about the books that he had to offer, and I do think the students received it positively.”

Photo: Jamin Ortiz/JDO Designs

Yalden handed out copies of his Amazon bestseller, BOOM! One Word to Inspire Action, Deliver Rewards, and Positively Affect Your Life Every Day – as well as motivational t-shirts. Students rushed to the front of the stage to snap them up. Goodman noted that the auditorium was full of students from all walks of life and from different grade levels. She explained the motivation behind Yalden’s talk. “I think the main thing was to kind of let students know that regardless of what they are dealing with – whether it’s at home, academics here at school, or socially – we can pick up where we are and go from here,” she said. “The message for them really is that there is always hope – that no matter what they are dealing with, there is always somebody that they can go to for help.” For more about Jeff Yalden, visit www.jeffyalden.com. Check out Yalden’s new nonprofit at www.jeffyaldenfoundation.com.

Filed Under: Depression, For Parents, High Schools, Loss, Mental Health, Teen Depression / Suicide Tagged With: Grieving, Jeff Yalden, Loss, Loss of a Child, Teen Mental Health Awareness, Teen Suicide

The Peanut Incident: Why It’s Better to Ask than to Assume

January 3, 2018 by Roger Yale

Most of us have heard the old adage, “If you assume, you make an ASS out of YOU and ME.” It’s a staple in journalism school, but more importantly, the wrong assumption can send your mental state into a downward spiral – sometimes resulting in anger or resentment – or both.
Mental health speaker and Amazon bestselling author Jeff Yalden says that the ability to walk away from a situation without letting it trigger a negative emotion like anger is key to living your BOOM life. Recently, Jeff was on a plane from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Kansas City. He had a Gatorade with him, and when the flight attendant asked him if he wanted anything while in-flight, he thanked her and said he was all set. But then the warm peanuts came around, Jeff wasn’t offered any. As he mentioned in episode 61 of The BOOM Podcast, he knows this sounds almost like a non-issue, but it didn’t seem like a non-issue at the time. “When you have bipolar and anxiety, triggers like this really hit you – and by the way I love those warm peanuts you get on the plane,” he said. Even though the flight attendant also offered everyone in first class warm towel, including Jeff (which he declined), it felt weird that everybody got the warm peanuts but him. He decided not to say anything because he didn’t want to seem like a ten-year-old who didn’t get his candy – but somewhere in his emotions was the inkling that he might have done something wrong – as if the peanut exclusion was some sort of punishment. Jeff is a man who lives with mental illness every day, and he was grateful to keep his emotions in check by repeatedly telling himself to let it go, and this was not a big deal. But for something that isn’t a big deal, this perceived exclusion happens to many of us, especially on social media. Let’s say you see a post from a friend who is having a great time at an event with other friends, some of whom you know. The first thought might be that you have been excluded for some reason. You weren’t tagged, and you certainly weren’t out with them. Did you do or say something to hurt this person’s feelings? “There are little things in everyday life that can affect you, and you start wondering if you did something. My friends, sometimes we just need to let it go,” he said. To the flight attendant’s credit, maybe she took to heart what Jeff said in his first encounter with her – that he was all set. She offered him a chocolate chip cookie when the flight was about to land, but he politely declined. “Getting off the plane, she was like, ‘have a great day, sir.’” Let it go. “Don’t compare one situation to another situation,” he said. “Don’t compare your life to someone else’s life. I think sometimes when we do that, we raise our anxiety and stress us out more than we need to. If you haven’t heard from someone for a couple of hours, it’s no big deal. “We are all busy. We are all trying to work hard – but if you think that maybe you have hurt someone’s feelings – ask them.” More times than not, you will come to know that it’s not about you. To listen to this episode of The BOOM Podcast, go HERE. Find out why Jeff Yalden is North America’s Number One Youth Motivational Speaker. Go HERE. Check out Jeff’s new nonprofit, THE JEFF YALDEN FOUNDATION. Jeff’s speaking calendar fills up fast. To book him now for your event, organization or school now, call 800-948-9289. For a limited time, you can own Jeff’s new book, Your Life Matters, for only $0.99 on KINDLE. SUBSCRIBE to The BOOM Podcast. JOIN the BOOM Nation Facebook Group and share your BOOM moments with us.

Filed Under: BOOM, Gratitude, Mental Health, Personal Development, Podcasts Tagged With: Amazon, Amazon Bestseller, Appreciation, Author, BOOM Podcast, Gratitude, Jeff Yalden, Jeff Yalden Foundation, Keynote Speaker, Mental Health Advocate, Mental Health Speaker, Personal Development, Self-Care, Service, Suicide Prevention, Teen Coach, Your Life Matters, Youth Motivational Speaker

Attitude of Gratitude: Day 14

January 1, 2018 by Roger Yale

In Episode 60 of The BOOM Podcast, mental health speaker and Amazon bestselling author Jeff Yalden encourages you to bring the BOOM into your life – whether it’s a factor or an effect – but if you can align that BOOM with a purpose, and that purpose makes you happy every day, even better.
Day 14 of the “Attitude of Gratitude” series is all about purpose and fulfillment. “If you knew me when I was younger, and you would have ever thought then that I’d be doing what I’m doing now – there’s no stinkin’ way,” he said, but he added that he is proud of the work he does because it’s fulfilling, meaningful and very rewarding. Jeff said being happy personally is not the same as being happy professionally, but if you are not happy professionally, you will have a tough time feeling fulfilled. “You have got to determine whether you are happy or not, and one of the ways for happiness to be fulfilling is to do something in life that is bigger than you. Serve this world or your community or your family in a way that, every single day, you feel like you are not stressed because you are living a purpose that is so big.” Find what you are grateful for, and this can serve as a roadmap to fulfillment. Jeff shares a couple of examples of this in his life where his purpose is bigger than himself. “Carolina Forest High School here in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, had a student make that forever decision about a week ago. I sent a message to the school and I offered my prayers and thoughts. I said I was sorry, and if there was anything I could do, please let me know.” Because he reached out, Jeff was able to do presentation at the school. “I feel very fulfilled in my heart that I got to do that,” he said. He also recently spent two days in Killingly, Connecticut, where the local community lost five people in the past year. “In those two days, I had some very meaningful conversations with the student body, the counselors and social workers and the administration – and I got to talk to some students one-on-one.” He also participated in a home visit for a person whose roommate overdosed and died that very day. “We got to go to the house to just let this person know – ‘we care about you and we just want to make sure that you are OK as you go through this process over the next couple of days.’” He finished up his time in Killingly by watching the local high school continue to go undefeated against a rival team from Hartford that had three Division 1 athletes on the team. “It was cold, but it was beautiful to watch those kids of character and, resilience and perseverance,” he said. What can you do that is bigger than you? “When you find something to do that gives you a beautiful purpose, your life is going to change,” he said. Find out why Jeff Yalden is North America’s Number One Youth Motivational Speaker. Go HERE. Check out Jeff’s new nonprofit, THE JEFF YALDEN FOUNDATION. Jeff’s speaking calendar fills up fast. To book him now for your event, organization or school now, call 800-948-9289. For a limited time, you can own Jeff’s new book, Your Life Matters, for only $0.99 on KINDLE. SUBSCRIBE to The BOOM Podcast. JOIN the BOOM Nation Facebook Group and share your BOOM moments with us.

Filed Under: BOOM, Gratitude, Mental Health, Motivation, Personal Development, Podcasts, Self-Care Tagged With: Amazon, Amazon Bestseller, Appreciation, Author, BOOM Podcast, Gratitude, Jeff Yalden, Jeff Yalden Foundation, Keynote Speaker, Mental Health Advocate, Mental Health Speaker, Personal Development, Self-Care, Service, Suicide Prevention, Teen Coach, Your Life Matters, Youth Motivational Speaker

Attitude of Gratitude: Day 13

December 31, 2017 by Roger Yale

Years ago, Amazon bestselling author Jeff Yalden was walking toward his gate at Pittsburgh International Airport when he caught sight of Bill Cowher, then the head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Jeff’s first inclination was to go up and shake Cowher’s hand, but he wavered for a moment because he thought most everybody wanted Cowher’s time and he likely didn’t want to be bothered. But he decided to approach Cowher anyway. The iconic coach was with his wife, Kaye Cowher, who died in 2010. “I will never forget that moment,” he said. “Bill Cowher stopped and turned toward me, and his wife engaged in the conversation. They probably gave me 20 seconds, and 20 seconds is a long time. I introduced myself and told him I was a big fan. He looked me in the eye. His wife smiled, but I remember him smiling and saying, ‘thank you.’” Day 13 of the “Attitude of Gratitude” series is all about exposing the truth, and how the little things will hold you accountable. Jeff recorded this episode of The BOOM Podcast in Reno, where he was the keynote speaker for one of the regional Student Council (STUCO) conferences in Nevada. He arrived early at the hosting high school, got set up for the event, and met the principal. “I went to shake his hand,” he said. “It was a good handshake, but he gave me that ‘looking away’ handshake.” This moment turned into a later defining conversation between Jeff and the principal. “I asked the principal if there was anything he wanted me to share in my message, and he was telling me about social media and first impressions.” Obviously, the door was wide-open for Jeff to bring up his earlier first-impression – that handshake. “I took a great risk, but I tried to be tactful,” he said. “I explained the handshake we had, and I explained to him exactly what he did. He didn’t realize he had done that.” The point is this: ‘I know you’re busy. I’m busy too. I know we’re grinding so hard every single day and that sometimes we need stop and be present.” Jeff recalled a similar moment when a young man bought one of his books after a school presentation a while back. “Apparently, I didn’t acknowledge him – and I remember getting an email from him, just blasting me. I reached out to the school and to the advisor of this young student. I tried to do everything I could. I sent books, t-shirts, posters, pictures. That young man wanted nothing to do with me because of that one moment.” According to Jeff, sometimes that first impression is a lasting impression. Always remember that a little kindness and common courtesy go a long way. “My moment of gratitude today is recognizing that it’s the little things every single day.” Find out why Jeff Yalden is North America’s Number One Youth Motivational Speaker. Go HERE. Check out Jeff’s new nonprofit, THE JEFF YALDEN FOUNDATION. Jeff’s speaking calendar fills up fast. To book him now for your event, organization or school now, call 800-948-9289. For a limited time, you can own Jeff’s new book, Your Life Matters, for only $0.99 on KINDLE. SUBSCRIBE to The BOOM Podcast. JOIN the BOOM Nation Facebook Group and share your BOOM moments with us.  

Filed Under: BOOM, Gratitude, Mental Health, Personal Development, Podcasts Tagged With: Amazon, Amazon Bestseller, Appreciation, Author, Bill Cowher, BOOM Podcast, Gratitude, Jeff Yalden, Jeff Yalden Foundation, Keynote Speaker, Mental Health Advocate, Mental Health Speaker, Personal Development, Pittsburgh Steelers, Self-Care, Service, STUCO, Suicide Prevention, Teen Coach, Your Life Matters, Youth Motivational Speaker

Next Page »

Blog Posts

Categories

  • Anxiety
  • BOOM
  • BOOM 28-Day Boot Camp
  • College & Universities
  • Depression
  • For Parents
  • Gratitude
  • High Schools
  • Inspiring Conversations
  • Leadership
  • Life
  • Loss
  • Mental Health
  • Motivation
  • Motivational Minutes
  • Personal Development
  • Podcasts
  • Power Jams
  • Purpose
  • Reverend
  • Self-Care
  • Success
  • Teachers and Staff
  • Teen Depression / Suicide
  • Uncategorized
  • Youth Programs

Facebook

Posts by Jeff


Call (800) 948-9289

Subscribe & Stay Connected

Tweets by @JeffYalden
Share Tweet

Copyright Mental Health Motivational Speaker Teen Mental Health Speaker Jeff Yalden Teen Motivational Speaker and Teen Coach [HOME] • SWS

 

Loading Comments...