Michael Taylor is a shining example of resilience and determination, having overcome immense personal challenges to become a renowned life coach, motivational speaker, and bestselling author. His unwavering commitment to empowering others has inspired countless individuals to pursue their dreams and live extraordinary lives.
A former high school dropout, Michael faced seemingly insurmountable obstacles, including divorce, bankruptcy, foreclosure, depression, and even homelessness. Yet, through sheer grit and an unshakable belief in himself, he emerged from these trials as a beacon of hope and inspiration.
With 15 published books under his belt (primarily dealing with the changing roles of manhood and masculinity), Michael’s words have touched the lives of readers worldwide, guiding them towards personal growth, self-discovery, and the realization of their full potential. As a certified life coach, he has dedicated his life to helping men and women break free from self-imposed limitations and embrace the extraordinary within themselves.
Michael’s journey has been a testament to the power of perseverance and the indomitable human spirit. As the president and CEO of Creation Publishing Group, he continues to champion the pursuit of dreams and the creation of a life filled with purpose and fulfillment.
With an infectious optimism and an unwavering passion for the impossible, Michael Taylor stands as a testament to the boundless potential that lies within each of us. He firmly believes that there has never been a better time to be alive on this planet, and his mission is to inspire others to embrace this belief and live their lives to the fullest.
SLM: You’ve been empowering both men and women through your work for years. What was the turning point in your life that led you to become a speaker and author, especially with a focus on personal growth and empowerment?
After going through divorce, bankruptcy, foreclosure, depression and homelessness, I was able to rebuild my life and become an entrepreneur, author, (15 books) motivational speaker, certified life coach, and podcaster. To do so, I began what I’ll call, “my journey of transformation” which began with me gaining the courage to go to therapy to unpack some emotional baggage from a pretty abusive childhood, and then submersing myself into books, workshops and audio programs dealing with personal growth and development. During this transformational journey I noticed there were very few people who looked like me engaged in the emotional, psychological, and spiritual personal growth field so I decided I wanted to share the lessons I learned with people of color and I decided to become an author, speaker and life coach.
SLM: Your summit, The Brotha to Sistah Empowerment Summit, is designed specifically for Black women. What inspired you to create a space for Black women to connect and elevate their lives?
As a certified life coach, I have come to believe men and woman basically both want the same things. We both want inner peace, dynamic health, great relationships, financial abundance, and a deep feeling of meaning and purpose in our lives. These are the things that make our lives extraordinary and they have nothing to do with gender. Although my primary focus has been on the changing roles of manhood and masculinity, I have worked with lots of women that are committed to building rewarding and fulfilling lives and the lessons I teach transcend gender.
SLM: You’re featuring interviews with ten powerful Black women in your online summit. What are some of the most inspiring insights you’ve gathered from these women, and how have they influenced your perspective?
I specifically chose women who would provide insights and wisdom to support Black women in building extraordinary lives. One of the themes throughout the interviews was the idea that too many Black women are trapped in the idea that they have to be “Superwomen”. In doing so, they put everyone’s needs in front of their own and they aren’t comfortable taking care of themselves. A lot of the women mentioned the importance of self-care and one of the sessions actually focused on self-love. I was deeply moved by their vulnerability and willingness to talk about how difficult it was for them to set boundaries and take care of their own emotional needs.
SLM: You’ve discussed on your website that the summit will address themes like healing from grief and trauma. What are some practical tools or strategies you think are essential for emotional well-being in these times?
One of the women shared how she lost two sons to suicide. It was a heartbreaking story and yet she shared how she was able to deal with those tragedies and actually became a family therapist to support others who were dealing with grief and loss. One of the most important strategies she mentioned was to be courageous enough to seek support and allow yourself to feel your grief in order to heal from it. Having a support network is crucial when dealing with grief and loss and women need to let go of the “Superwoman” mentality and be willing to seek emotional support when needed.
SLM: With the rise of entrepreneurship, especially for Black women, what do you think is the most significant obstacle keeping people from pursuing their passions?
I can sum this question up with one word; FEAR! Too many people are terrified of their own greatness, and unfortunately, most people don’t even know they’re afraid. Fear shows up as complacency, blame, victimhood, and procrastination. In order to move past fear it’s important to simply acknowledge it. Once you acknowledge it you can move through it. This is why participating in the Brotha To Sistah summit is so important. It can help you recognize some of the things you may be afraid of and the experts in the summit can provide insights on how to overcome that fear. One of my favorite quotes is: “Feel the fear and do it any way!” These are words to live by.
SLM: When you’re preparing for an event like The Brotha to Sistah Empowerment Summit, what’s your process for getting into the right mindset to deliver such transformative content?
I am extremely passionate about life coaching. I am convinced that each of us has the capacity to build extraordinary lives. I also believe we each have a unique and divine purpose and it is our responsibility to figure out what that purpose is. Teaching is a part of my unique purpose and it is something that I truly enjoy. Therefore, my mindset is always living in the question, “how can I become better” followed by, “how can I support others in becoming better”. Knowing that I am fulfilling my divine purpose is what keeps me with the mindset of constant and never ending improvement and therefore, its actually very easy for me to maintain the right attitude and mindset because I love coaching so much.
SLM: You’ve been married for 20+ years, which is no small feat. How do your experiences in marriage inform your teachings and advice on relationships?
I have come to believe that the most important aspect of our lives are relationships. Relationships are the glue that holds our lives together. I have been blissfully married for 23 years and I make my marriage a high priority in my life. In order to teach others about creating great relationships it’s obviously important for me to have one. The unconditional love and support I receive from my wife flows into everything I do. Her unwavering belief in me and the deep emotional bond that we have, really lays the foundation for what I teach about relationships. I’m living proof that it is possible for two people to create a loving, harmonious, joyful, partnership and whenever I speak about or teach others about relationships, it is authentic and real and provides others with the proof that great relationships are possible.
SLM: With your in round table discussion on “Healing Relationships Between Black Men and Black Women,” what do you see as the most critical steps needed to bridge the gaps between the sexes in the Black community?
I believe the key to resolving a lot of the social ills impacting the black community can be resolved by teaching men and women how to build great relationships. In order to build great relationships, we must begin by understanding that the most important relationship a person should have is the relationship with themselves. It is absolutely imperative that we become willing to look at things like the impact of childhood trauma and how to identify and express our emotions in a healthy manner. We must be open to things like therapy and life coaching to help us heal and grow. It’s important to understand the adage; ‘if you don’t go within, you will always go without.” In other words, we must be willing to stop looking at the external things like racism and discrimination, and focus on the internal things like dealing with our emotions and paying attention to what we think and how we feel. These things impact our ability to create great relationships so its imperative that we focus on the internals not the externals.
SLM: Yes, Black Men Do Love Black Women is your latest book, releasing in December. How did this project come to life, and what message are you hoping to send through it, especially in the context of love and relationships?
As mentioned, I have had several professional Black women ask me to put together something specifically for Black women after interviewing me or hearing me on a radio interview. Most importantly, my wife has been asking me to write a book for women for quite some time so of course I had to listen to her. This is actually my second book I’ve written specifically for Black women. One of the intentions I had for writing this book is to clarify the misconception that Black men don’t love, support and adore Black women. We definitely do, and this book provides some evidence of that. If you pay attention to mainstream media a lot of people accept the narrative that relationships between Black men and women are always filled with dysfunction and drama, I wanted to provide women with some tips and strategies to ensure they aren’t acting consistent with some of the negative stereotypes associated with Black women.
SLM: You’ve tackled some heavy topics in your past. How did those personal challenges shape your view on resilience and perseverance, particularly when writing for women?
One of the things I truly admire about Black women is their resilience. It begins with my mom. My mom overcame being a single mom with six kids back in the 60’s, and she also overcame being widowed twice. If there is something as a “resilience gene” I definitely inherited it from my mom. As I was dealing with the adversities in my own life, knowing how strong and resilient my mom was definitely helped me deal with the adversities in my life. A common theme throughout the summit was each of the women had dealt with seemingly insurmountable obstacles and each of them confirmed just how amazingly resilient Black women are.
SLM: In Yes, Black Men Do Love Black Women, you dive into intimacy, financial security, and spirituality. Why was it important for you to cover these specific areas, and how do they intersect with creating fulfilling relationships?
As mentioned at the beginning, I believe there are four pillars to building an extraordinary life. Inner peace, dynamic health, great relationships, and financial abundance. You cannot have these four things unless you are willing to look at all aspects of your life. Once again, it has to be an inside job. A person must be willing to examine what they believe, what they think, and how they feel to fully understand how they act. When you can get a person to understand these three things you can then help them change how they act. You cannot be relational if you’re unwilling to be emotional, so if you want to create great relationships, it’s imperative that you know exactly how you feel and what you believe about relationships.
SLM: As someone who’s published 15 books, how has your approach to writing evolved over time?
The primary difference for me is the confidence I have in writing books now. When I first began writing I struggled with imposter syndrome. Since I didn’t have any formal degrees, I was always worried that people would say I didn’t have the credentials to be a writer. I was also afraid of sharing some of the intimate details of my life because I thought I would be judged and attacked if I told the truth about some of the things that happened to me. When I write now, I no longer worry about what people will think. I simply share my truth and beliefs and if people disagree with them that’s okay. My intention for writing is simple, I want to make the world a better place by sharing my truth which hopefully inspires others to share theirs.
SLM: As a motivational speaker, you’ve been able to touch the lives of countless people. What do you find more challenging—writing a book or speaking to a live audience?
I absolutely love writing and speaking! It’s been said if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. For me, these are my passions and I never get stressed out or scared doing either of them. So I don’t necessarily see them as challenging, I see them as opportunities to fulfill my purpose and that simply brings me tons of joy.
SLM: You’ve said that adversity is a gift, and in your masterclass, Adversity Is Your Greatest Ally, you discuss how challenges can be transformative. How do you personally maintain this mindset when facing new challenges today?
I believe every adversity we experience, no matter how difficult, brings us a gift and a lesson if we’re willing to look deeply enough. As I look back over my life in retrospect, I can now see how everything I’ve been through actually shaped me into the man I am today. As difficult and as painful as my divorce was, I now know that it was the best thing that ever happened to me. If not for my divorce, I would have never become an entrepreneur, author, or speaker and I wouldn’t have been able to positively impact the lives of thousands of people. I mentioned that I believe everyone has a purpose and I would have never discovered mine if not for my divorce. As a former Atheist, there was a time when I didn’t believe in a power greater than myself, but now, it is my connection to my higher power that allows me to maintain a powerful and positive mindset about any challenge I have to deal with.
SLM: What are you most excited about? Whether it’s in your personal life, your career, or through your work in empowerment, what’s on the horizon for Coach Michael Taylor?
It is my fervent belief that there has never been a better time to be alive on the planet than right now. Contrary to mainstream media, I believe black people are actually thriving and experiencing unprecedented levels of success in the world today. I am extremely optimistic about the future, and I’m looking forward to empowering men and women around the globe to create extraordinary lives. If I had to sum up my reasons for optimism into two words, those words would be, information and technology. We now have access to any information and unlimited access to technology that can allow us to create unlimited opportunities, so the only thing that can keep us from succeeding is ourselves and I’m really looking forward to helping people recognize this.
Connect with Coach Michael Taylor
Entrepreneur-Author-Speaker-Certified Life Coach
Email: mtaylor@coachmichaeltaylor.com
Business website: www.coachmichaeltaylor.com