Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Taylor Street. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Taylor, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

September 11th, 2021, I found myself standing in the middle of my new, empty Philly apartment. No plan. A decreasing savings account. No job. But this space was mine, and I was ready for new memories. A month prior, I’d decided to walk away from an unfulfilling job that provided me with housing, meals, and good benefits. Despite its perceived safety, I was unhappy and stagnant, and although I couldn’t paint a picture of my dreams, I knew a fresh start was necessary. A month later, I discovered a community of people who focused on healing and self-discovery. There, I could dream again and reconnect with my most authentic self and where Stranger Worth Knowing was born.

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 background and context?

Stranger Worth Knowing is a community that centers self-discovery. This space was birthed my desire to connect deeper to the different aspects of myself, such as my inner child, ego, and highest self, which can sometimes feel like connecting to a stranger. Doing my own shadow work and navigating my mental health made me realize I was a stranger worth knowing. I decided that I wanted to share my journey with others to encourage them to connect or reconnect with their strangers within. So far, this has looked like a growing Instagram community and podcast and a “Feel x Reflect x Affirm” mindfulness product line. This line includes a mindfulness kit, a customizable emotions wheel and affirmation card, customizable aromatherapy affirmation sachets, emotion wheel tote bags, and affirmation jars. This line invokes introspection, healing, and thoughtfulness when naming emotions. Stranger Worth Knowing is about creatively exploring mindfulness and spiritual health, asking hard questions, doing internal work, and creating an enjoyable life because we know life can be a lot. SWK also offers DIY Flower Crown Kits through another project called Brownn Child Flower Crowns, which promotes introspection, intentionality, and creativity. There are also made-to-order flower crowns available to order for special moments, such as weddings, baby showers, birthday parties, etc. I am also currently training to be a Doula and Mindfulness Coach.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson that I had to unlearn was taking things personally. I’ve grown to realize that we are individuals with our own backgrounds, stories, and even traumas that shape the complexities of who we all are. This realization came from delving within to forgive myself for moments when I let others down when I wasn’t in the best place mentally. Forgiving and understanding myself helps me to afford the same to others. We’re all doing our best.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I would say “After the Rain,” by Alex Elle, “Nobody’s Darling,” by Alice Walker and “Celestine Prophecy” by James Redfield are a few writings that have impacted my philosophy of life and shaped the foundation of Stranger Worth Knowing.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.strangerworthknowing.com
• Instagram: @taylor__street & @strangerworthknowing

Image Credits
Portrait: Jytaia Johnson @jyseye Product Pictures: Taylor Street Flower Crown Picture: Chazz Patterson, @sniperpdidit