We were lucky to catch up with Taayoo Murray recently and have shared our conversation below.

Taayoo, appreciate you joining us today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

I had the best parents. They were not perfect, but they did the very best they could with the skills and resources they had. My father taught me accountability. Actions have consequences. One Christmas holiday as a teen, I was going out to meet friends. We lived in rural Jamaica, so public transportation wasn’t guaranteed to be operational on a public holiday. My dad looked me in the eye and said, “Taayoo, if you get stuck out there, I will not be coming for you.” I had to make the decision that if I went out, there was the distinct possibility of being stranded. My dad was all about accountability, so as an adult I always consider the consequences of my actions.

My mom taught me how to be determined and resilient. Being consistently successful requires determination and resilience. When I started college, my mother could only afford about thirty-five percent of my tuition. She gave me the cash and told me to go to school. She took a flight to visit her aging mother, and it did not occur to her that I would not be registered for school upon her return. My university had no payment plan at the time. I spent an entire day talking my way into finance offices, speaking with vice presidents to get permission to enroll with a part payment. I left the campus as an enrolled student and had a terrible migraine. That is just one of the many instances where the direction from my mom and her faith in me, helped me hone the skill sets I needed to succeed in life.

Taayoo, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a freelance writer based in New York City. I primarily do service journalism focused on health and wellness, family and lifestyle. My service journalism pieces tend to be health explainers, with first-hand accounts from real persons. I have a knack for storytelling, finding credible medical experts, and persons who have experienced what I’m writing about. I always try to put a face to my stories. I have also developed a niche writing market about racial inequity in healthcare. I have covered topics about cancer, opioid addiction, Black maternal mortality, vaccine access, Medicaid, Medicare, mental health, and much more. My articles have been published in the New York Times, Essence Magazine, Mayo Clinic Press, Parents Magazine, Yahoo, Healthline, VeryWell Family, HuffPost, Business Insider and many others. I am especially proud of an investigative piece that I did for Amsterdam News about COVID-19 orphans, that won the 2023 New York Association of Black Journalists Ed Bradley Award for Excellence in Investigative Reporting.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I often tell people that I write when I feel like it. To non-creatives, this may seem inefficient and somewhat lazy. The truth is that a creative’s work is usually emotive in some shape or form. That emotion comes directly from the creator. It’s part of the process. How we feel daily does impact our work, and can be both positive and negative. I need to be well-rested and emotionally well to produce my best work. For this reason, I’m diligent about my sleep and exercise routine to make sure I am in the best frame of mind most of the time.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

The quality of my work speaks for me. In the publishing world, the quality of your writing is your only currency. It helps when major publications like New York Times, Mayo Clinic and Essence Magazine publish my writing, but it’s a catch-22. My writing had to be excellent before these publications assigned me pieces, but being published by them definitely boosts my reputation and brand.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://muckrack.com/taayoo-murray-1
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taayoomurraymba-545455b5?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_app