We recently connected with Dawn Taylor and have shared our conversation below.

Dawn, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

Give a shit. We live in a disconnected world where everyone feels alone, lost, frustrated, isolated and through our actions (how are you… I’m fine, cell phones up the whole time, inviting everyone to join a party/dinner/coffee etc) we are not helping ourselves. I was a manager of a road building company and everytime the foreman or owner would be mad at the employees for whatever reason, I would go to site to talk to them. 9/10 times they needed someone to care. Someone to solve a problem, someone to listen, someone to hear them out. I became known as Dr Dawn and the biggest lesson from it was engage. Engage the waitress and give attention. Talk to the teller like you are their friend. Give people the time and focus that we are all craving and it would solve so many problems. Just GIVE. A. SHIT.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am the Ass Kicker Hope Giver of The Taylor Way. I do an interesting mix of personal/trauma/business coaching with clients typically in the age range of 32-50. I am authentic, real, unconventional and not scared of your shit. No you’re not too much. I’ve got you. I offer in person and online services and what sets me apart? You are not pushed into a box. Every single client has a different plan, a different package and different needs and we meet them where they are. This testimonial I recently received says it all. I LOVE my clients and my biggest goal is to disrupt the toxic positivity industry.

“I would give Dawn way more stars then 5. This woman is magic. She’s been working with me for the past year to help me work through the many experiences I’ve had growing up and the stories that I’ve attached to my experiences. I remember my first meeting with her and I didn’t think she would be able to help me in the way I needed. Meaning I felt she could only help with one part, but she helps with every part, I didn’t need to go seek other modalities of healing, as she was getting to the true core of things.

I was so broken, my postpartum had brought out so much anger towards everyone. I was also burnt out from my job as a teacher, and trying to be “enough” for everyone around me, but in turn, I suffered and resented my partner and many others. I had so much rage inside me. I couldn’t handle stress. I would react and be quick to anger. I thought I was going to go on stress leave because I felt like I hit rock bottom.

Every session I had with Dawn fed every part of my being including my belly, her cookies were something out of this world. Her one session would always last days after. I could feel the shift in me. Most importantly, everything around me started to shift, because I was doing the work, but I couldn’t haven done it without Dawn, she was there every step of the way.
My husband and I didn’t get any into many fights after, I didn’t feel triggered by him or others anymore. I started to actually fall in love with myself again.
She helped me heal my past traumatic experiences, she’s given me so many tools to help work through the ups and downs of life. She definitely has a different approach to coaching, and let me tell you it works beyond measure.

I’ve probably healed over 30 years plus generational trauma in one year. We’re always healing and I will always continue to get regular Doctor check ups from her. She is a doctor of true healing. Dawn has given me so many gifts and the biggest one for me is feeling calm and learning that the calm does live within me. I love you Dawn!!!!! – Puja Chakkalakal”

Have you ever had to pivot?

The big dream. I had dreamt for YEARS about opening a trauma healing center. Think rehab for your emotional/mental health. Through a very kind client I was given the opportunity to do this in the year 2000!! In the middle of the pandemic, I not only opened the center but had a one year wait list and was living my dream. 8 months into it I got incredibly sick. I was fighting for medical help as my body was shutting down faster and faster. 1 year to the day of opening we had to close the doors. I had gotten mold poisoning from the city we were living in (all that wet beautiful nature came at a cost!) and it had triggered a very rare thyroid disease (hyper and hypo thyroidism at the same time). From diagnosis to have to start treatment was 10 days. I had to go pack the entire property, move an 8 hour drive away to be near my husbands work and start a crazy healing journey with my health. 4 months in? We found out we had to move for my health treatments yet again and moved another 12 hours away from that home! In all of this I kept my company running. The pivots that had to happen in all areas of my life were enough to almost break me but the one thing that kept me going? My clients and the belief that I could handle hard things. 3 years later? My business is thriving, my health is better than ever and I am where I am supposed to be. Be fluid. I promise it is worth it

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

I have managed from 1-75 people in my career and the biggest lessons I have learned are:
1. Get out of the box. Don’t put people in a box as to who they are based on a quiz they took or a personality assessment.
2. Build the corporate culture. Ignore the company garbage (the values you put on the wall and ignore) and dig into what the behaviours of your staff are and how they will play into your service you offer. Ex. “Be it all” in my company means no toes. No toes are ever stepped on so you are allowed to have an opinion, step up and fix something, take over something and no one is ever upset. It also means that we constantly step up in all different ways to help clients.
3. Your staff need to be bought into why you are doing what you are doing. They will only ever be partially as excited as you are about your company so if you are not bought in? Neither will they be

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thetaylorway.ca/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetaylorwaynow/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetaylorway
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawn-taylor-ttw/

Image Credits

BRZ Photography