Name: Pervis Taylor, III Profession: Life/Identity Coach, Author, Speaker and Mentor Age: 35 I have put my passion to purpose by: helping people of all ages understand their right to be whole emotionally and to understand the power that comes along with knowing who they are authentically. Life coach, author, mentor and speaker Pervis Taylor III has dedicated his life to one mission: change the world one principle at a time. More specifically one Pervis Principle at a time. 11 years ago Taylor experienced the most challenging time of his life. The passing of his father left him with a seemingly unfillable void, but Taylor never lost faith. In his fathers passing there was life. "Before he passed my father prophesied that I'd be doing the work that I'm doing now," Taylor tells BE Modern Man. "The moment that it really made sense was after I gave a workshop to a group of young men of color on emotional intelligence and processing. Afterwards a young man came up to me, collapsed in my arms and began crying. This was the first time he'd ever gotten an opportunity to be emotional or confront his emotions. I'd been doing this for years, but it was that moment that changed the game for me." A leader in his field, Taylor is also enriched by those he serves. He says, "My inspiration is my mentees. I want them to be a better man than me. I'm inspired by God's love and the human spirits resilience to hardship." Taylor's passion and belief in our ability to transform drives him forward. Transformation is what Taylor's life work is about and seeing his clients make these changes pushes him to achieve more. "Seeing a young lady who used to cut herself to deal with the pain of being abused to now living in the truth and power of who she is authentically is what my work is all about," Taylor tells BE Modern Man. Turning his passion into purpose and profiting from it was indeed self-transformation for the life coach and author. "First you got to believe against all odds that you can do this or whatever your passion is for a living," says Taylor. With belief in himself Taylor put the wheels in motion. For two years he began speaking and coaching for free in order to hone his skills. "This improved my approach and allowed me to figure out how I fit in the market place. I became certain about my vision and then got a think-tank going on how the business' branding messaging should be." Read more on page 2... Authenticity and transparency is a big part of the Pervis Taylor III brand messaging and he takes pride in being who he says he is, even when no one is looking. "I'm honest about my struggles and mistakes, but I own and know for certain who I am," says Taylor. Growing up in the hyper-masculine South, Taylor stuck out like a sore thumb. "My manhood and sexuality were questioned daily. I didn't' think there was a place for me in the world, however I was willing to stay in the fight and look what happened. Against all hope I believed God had a purpose for me. Now the tools that kept me in the fight I now share with others." What he shares has helped a lot of men process through their brokenness and helped them heal. His honest narrative to many men and young men has shifted their definition of manhood and being a man of color. He effused, "Whether we realize it or not we are being fed messaging about black men on the daily. Showcasing men of color who are shifting and defying the cultural stereotypes on how black men are being portrayed in the media is critical as we move forward. I truly love helping people and especially young men of color become great." Taking his passion to the next level, Taylor says, "being a BE Modern Man means to be a world-changer and culture shifter focused on leaving a legacy for others to take hold of." The BlackEnterprise.com team congratulates Pervis Taylor III for living out his passion and in turn helping so many find their purpose. We look forward to seeing the impact Taylor has on our young BE Modern Man hopefuls and the lives he touches on a daily basis. It's our normal to be extraordinary. Follow @blackenterprise and join the BE Modern Man conversation using #BEModernMan.