My Journey: From Struggle to Healing to Purpose
A message from Dr. Taylor
I never imagined that my deepest struggles would become the foundation for my greatest purpose. After years of struggling with my relationship with food and my body, this revelation would change everything about how I viewed health, healing, and my life's purpose.
The Early Years: When Life Felt Overwhelming
My struggles began when I was just eight years old. What started as challenges with body image and my relationship with food eventually developed into a full eating disorder that would consume my adolescent years. By age 13, I was in and out of multiple inpatient and outpatient treatment programs, desperately searching for help but unable to find the key to true healing.
For years, I felt trapped in my own body. I didn't understand the incredible power my body held or how my choices were affecting not just my present, but my entire future. Treatment after treatment seemed to fail, and eventually, I was told by several facilities that they could no longer help me. I had missed so many milestones, so many moments of simply being a kid.
At 15, when my parents were told there was no more hope—that no eating disorder clinic would take me back—we received a life-changing call from Mayo Clinic. The turning point wasn't just the treatment itself; it was the moment I realized I didn't want to miss out on life anymore. I was tired of being a passenger in my own story.
The Hidden Consequences: My Body Was Still Struggling
Even after getting my eating habits back on track, my body bore the invisible scars of those formative years. Every meal was still a conscious choice, and my relationship with my body remained complicated. What I didn't realize was how deeply I had affected my nervous system and gut health during those crucial developmental years.
Throughout my teens and into my twenties, I dealt with:
Severe constipation and bloating after every meal
Debilitating migraines
Irregular, painful periods (for which I was put on birth control)
Developing food intolerances
Ongoing mental health challenges
I had no idea these were all connected. I didn't understand that my nervous system had been in survival mode for so long that it was still affecting how my body functioned. I genuinely believed this was just how I would feel forever.
The First Glimpse of Hope: Discovering Chiropractic
At 19, while teaching yoga, I injured a rib and reluctantly visited a chiropractor. Like most people, I thought chiropractic was just for pain relief—a quick fix for my injury. But something unexpected happened when I started going regularly.
I began noticing changes I never thought possible:
The constant tension I carried in my body started to release
My periods became more regular
My mental health improved
Those daily aches and pains began to fade
Even my migraines became less frequent
For the first time in over a decade, I felt like my body was working with me instead of against me.
Finding My Purpose: The Path to Pediatric Chiropractic
I had always known I wanted to help people—specifically children who felt as hopeless as I once did. Initially, I planned to become a pediatric nurse, wanting to work with kids who didn't realize what their bodies could do for them. But after experiencing my own transformation through chiropractic care, my chiropractor asked me a question that changed everything: "Haven't you ever thought about becoming a chiropractor?"
In that moment, everything clicked. This was my path: becoming a pediatric and family chiropractor.
The Deeper Healing: Understanding the Nervous System
Entering chiropractic school opened my eyes to the incredible power of the nervous system and our body's innate capacity to heal. But more than that, it was during my final year of school that I experienced the deepest level of healing I'd ever known.
I began to understand that true healing isn't just about managing symptoms—it's about addressing the root cause and supporting the body's natural ability to repair and thrive. Through a combination of regular chiropractic adjustments, journaling, detoxification protocols, acupuncture, and bodywork, I started peeling away layers of stored trauma and dysfunction.
The results were remarkable:
I successfully transitioned off birth control after six years, and with proper nervous system support, the process was easier than I ever expected
My migraines decreased from multiple times a month to just once a month or none at all
My digestive system began to heal from years of damage
My mental health reached a stability I never thought possible
My Mission: Empowering the Next Generation
Today, I stand proud knowing that my struggles led me to my purpose. Having been dismissed by many in the medical world and told my recovery was hopeless, I know firsthand what it feels like to lose hope. That's exactly why I never want another child or family to experience that devastating feeling of being told there's nothing more that can be done.
Every day, I get to educate children and families about the incredible power their bodies hold. I teach kids from a young age what their nervous system does, how their body heals, and most importantly—that they are not powerless.
No child should ever feel the way I did—disconnected from their body, believing that dysfunction is just "normal," or thinking that healing isn't possible. Through chiropractic care and education about the pillars of health, we can help children's nervous systems develop optimally, preventing many of the struggles I experienced.
When I work with families, I'm not just adjusting spines—I'm helping to rewire the belief that our bodies are capable of incredible healing when given the right support. I'm teaching parents to trust their instincts and their children to trust their bodies.
The Power of Hope and Healing
If you're struggling with your health—whether it's digestive issues, sleep problems, anxiety, hormonal imbalances, or feeling disconnected from your body—please know that healing is possible. Your nervous system has an incredible capacity to adapt, repair, and thrive when given the proper support.
If you're a parent, know that the choices you make for your child's health today can impact their entire life. The earlier we support optimal nervous system function, the better equipped they'll be to handle whatever life brings their way.
My journey from struggle to healing to purpose has taught me that our greatest challenges often become our greatest gifts—not just for ourselves, but for everyone whose life we get to touch along the way.
Your body is not your enemy. It's been working tirelessly to keep you alive and help you heal. Sometimes, it just needs the right support to remember how powerful it truly is.
