Robert V. Taylor

Robert V. Taylor has gone from facing prison, overcoming failed surgeries and being a groundbreaking gay leader to being a noted author, sought after speaker, commentator and activist for the disenfranchised.

Meet Robert V. Taylor:

Robert is a thought leader, speaker, author and teacher. A protégé of Desmond Tutu, Robert invites audiences to live into our full, authentic humanity. The risks, choice and fears he has responded to make his speaking and writing compellingly authentic.

A native of Cape Town, South Africa, Taylor was sent to the U.S. by Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu, in 1980 to avoid imprisonment for refusing to serve in the South African military.

There, Robert served in the New York City area as a clergy leader revitalizing a dying congregation, building a community service center and being at the forefront of responses to HIV/AIDS and homelessness.

Nineteen years later, he was elected to be Dean of the Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle, making him the first openly gay dean in the world. There he forged alliances with the corporate, not-for-profit and social service sectors as founding Chair of the Committee to End Homelessness in King County, Washington. He was referred to as the Buddhist Episcopalian because of his expansive inter-spiritual leadership.

Today, Robert is a speaker for corporate and professional groups. His university talks - on leadership and how to get along with your political foes -include MIT, UNC Chapel Hill, USF Tampa, The Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Leadership, Seattle University and Stanford.

As a media commentator Robert's work is featured online at CNN, Huffington Post and Fox News. Print publications include the Washington Post, LA Weekly and more. He has appeared on national NPR programs and local radio stations nationwide. TV appearances include the nationally syndicated Daytime TV and local affiliates in LA, Boston, Dallas, Seattle, Chicago, Phoenix and more.

He is Chair of the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation in New York City.

He is a graduate of Rhodes University, South Africa and Union Theological Seminary, New York. Robert lives in Seattle and on a farm in rural Eastern Washington.

Highlights

* A recent TEDx speaker, Robert discussed "positive disruption", saying disillusionment should be welcomed as an incubator of new thinking, renewed purpose and personal growth.

* Alongside Bill Ayer, CEO of Alaska Air Group, he worked with the Young Presidents Organization on the power of story to integrate their professional and personal lives.

* At Stanford University he spoke on how to cultivate compassion in our everyday lives as part of a series that included Eckhart Tolle and Thich Nhat Hanh.

* At master classes in LA for leaders in the high tech, social media and advertising sectors Robert engaged them on how extreme success comes from overcoming extreme fears and challenges.

* He has hosted His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu in discussion about compassion.

* At MIT he spoke on how to lead in the midst of conflict and adversity.

A New Way to Be Human by Robert V. Taylor

Like his mentor, Desmond Tutu, Robert is no stranger to heartrending fear. But in his new book, A New Way to be Human: 7 Spiritual Pathways to Becoming Fully Alive, he shares how his choices allow him to move from fear into a life of enormous compassion and impact.

Part self-help and spiritual guidebook and part remarkable life story, A New Way to Be Human is divided into seven chapters or pathways ("Risky Invitations", "Hairpin Curves of Life" "At Home in Your Heart" etc.) with practical tools to guide the reader's journey. In addition to life-changing stories from Robert's life and those of others, readers learn to dig into the wisdom revealed in their own lives, break through personal difficulties and live as active participants in their life and the world.

A New Way to Be Human is a timely, generous and life-changing book that will resonate with fans of Deepak Chopra, Pema Chodron, Thich Nhat Hanh, the Dalai Lama and Eckhart Tolle. It beckons those who are ready to explore a new way to be human to live lives of well-being, compassion and greater connectedness.

Learn more at robertvtaylor.com.

Follow Robert at www.facebook.com/RVTAuthorSpeaker and on Twitter @robertvtaylor

Watch Robert's videos and talks on YouTube - RobertVTaylor1 Channel