2023 A Year In The Life of A Safety Speaker
I just finished reviewing one of the best movies of the year! It was funny, suspenseful, sad, heartwarming, dramatic,..
We are Youngstrom Safety.
We share the experiences of a husband and wife living with paraplegia as the result of a careless workplace decision. We know that given the opportunity to listen to our story, at least one person in the audience will stop and think, instead of making a choice they can never take back.
Russ and Laurel travel around the world sharing their unique story. Gather your team for this dynamic in-person presentation, moving Safety from the Head to the Heart.
When your team is spread across multiple locations or gathering them all at the same time is a challenge, Russ and Laurel can share their message virtually.
When you invite us to speak to your organization, we show up in jeans, one of us on two feet, and one of us on four wheels with the sole mission to move safety from the Head to the Heart.
“Our aim is to make just one worker out of each audience think twice, instead of doing something unsafe.”
My name is Laurel. I am the wife of a work-related paraplegic, my husband Russ and I travel across the country, sharing our story with audiences from all industries. Our message is that a split-second decision can change not only a worker’s life, but also the lives of their families, forever. Russ explain his habits and the circumstances that led up to his accident, twenty-eight years ago, the accident itself, and the physical and emotional consequences of his split-second decision. I explain what it was like to receive “the phone call,” and how one careless act has affected every aspect of our lives.
“Russ and Laurel are great people with a touching personal story to tell. They are high on my list to motivate the workforce to be safe at all times.”
We do safety presentations, anywhere in the country, for any shift, in any industry. Unlike others who share our passion for safety, we will not review regulations and best practices, although the choice not to follow them is at the heart of our message and the life we have led for the past 28 years. What we will do is paint an unvarnished picture of what the future holds for workers who choose ease or ego over safety.
When your team is spread across multiple locations or gathering them all at the same time is a challenge, Russ and Laurel can share their message virtually.
“The first time that I saw their presentation up in Michigan, it touched my heart in so many ways and at that time I remember thinking “everyone in construction, manufacturing, general industry and even small businesses should hear and see this presentation”. Nobody thinks it will happen to them. When you hear how one disastrous decision can change an entire family, their hopes and dreams, everything they were looking forward to, and hear how it can be shattered in a single moment, you realize that you have to change what you do. How you manage your workers. Russ and Laurel’s unflinching honesty and often times brutal descriptions of how one bad decision has changed their lives in so many ways, is something that every worker should hear. “
I just finished reviewing one of the best movies of the year! It was funny, suspenseful, sad, heartwarming, dramatic,..
We had a quick, but busy and blessed trip to Escanaba, Michigan, to be their keynote speakers for the..
Several years ago, The Haskell Company flew a camera crew from Florida to Washington State to interview Russ and..
Hey, thanks for clicking! 😃 This is my first blog, and my first entry. I have never blogged before,..
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Asst. Project Manager at D.E. Harvey Builders
Russ and Laurel's presentation was definitely one to remember. Their presentation was about the life altering impact one safety "shortcut" can make and the repercussions from it. It gave over 500 workers a little glimpse of the personal hardships they go through on a daily basis, which really opened up the eyes of all the workers hearing the presentation. They also work very well with an interpreter and still managed to get the important safety message across to each person in the room. Russ and Laurel are genuine, honest people who share their story in order to help the future of others. It was a great pleasure to get to meet them and have them in Houston. We hope they come back soon!
Safety/Compliance Manager at Toyota Logistics Services, Inc.
Russ and Laurel made their presentation to our group of drivers this week, and you could have heard a pin drop during the presentation. Their story is one that hits home, especially when your associates deal with risks everyday, and sometimes incorporate "shortcuts" to save them a few minutes. Their story presents a "wake up call", to take Safety seriously, for yourself, and your co-workers. THANKS Russ & Laurel, for making us ALL think about our actions, everyday. It was great getting to know you!
President/CEO, LEED GA at Foushee & Associates, Inc.
Russ and Laurel delivered a very important message (worker safety & personal responsibility) in a very straight forward and authentic manner. For our group, (commercial general contractor) it hit the mark as succinctly and powerfully as we could have hoped for.
Vice President & Region Manager at Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Inc
Those of us working in the construction industry face risks to our health and safety each and every day. In most cases there are fantastic state of the art methods for mitigating the risks we all face except for one….our own personal decision to take an unnecessary risk. The reality of Russ’s injury coupled with his frank and open discussion about why his accident occurred and how it has affected him is trumped only when his Wife Laurel talks about how Russ’s injury has impacted their family. Russ and Laurel’s message is eye opening, humbling, shocking, powerful, and life changing. Everyone should hear their message and everyone should want to know why Russ say’s “you should immediately fire employees like me”. Thank you Russ and Laurel for having the courage to share your story. It is extremely powerful!!
It’s easy to let safety slip your mind. But when a slip up occurs, that’s all that’s on your mind. We understand how easy it is to forget to mention the importance of safety, so we’ve put together a dozen Safety Meeting Prompts that take less than 5 minutes!
Youngstrom Safety