Taylor Hui “find your passion for your purpose” do something you love as it will better yourself and those around you”

 Founder of BeaYOUtiful and the Roster

Towards the end of September, I reached out to Taylor in the hopes to interview her for this upcoming series of inspiring youth who are overcoming obstacles. She was the first person I interviewed and I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to hear about her story and how her experiences have changed her life.

This post encompasses more than our interview; I hope to share Taylor’s advice and her experiences in a way that you can connect with them.

Taylor is a leader. Growing up in high school, I saw her run events through student council and always admired her positivity and how great of a role model she was for other students. Among being a leader and a role model for many young people, she is the Founder of BeaYOUtiful, a program dedicated to empowering girls to discover their inner beauty and develop confidence, and The Roster, a clothing brand that builds self-respect among men and women.

Behind each person is a story and for Taylor, her story speaks volumes of the work she has done and continues to do. When Taylor was younger, she was bullied going into high school. More specifically, she was cyber bullied by people she had trusted. At the time, it definitely wasn’t easy to get through the negativity especially by herself. Taylor shared three main things that helped her get through that period of difficulty in her life. First and foremost, she emphasized the importance of having a strong peer support group who she could turn to and trust with anything. She tells me how fortunate she was to have roots in her family and some great friends. Her mom is her greatest supporter and would constantly remind Taylor of her values and what she could do to empower people. These small reminders helped her with self-reflection, which she believes is another crucial aspect of getting through obstacles. Through reflecting on her life, she came to understand more about her priorities such as the people and things that really mattered to her in her life. This reflection also prompted her to realize the third aspect of moving forward, which was detaching herself from the struggle and knowing that things always happened for a reason.

And there was a reason. Though being bullied was an obstacle at the time, in hindsight Taylor knew it was also a stepping stone in her journey to finding her passions. She tells me that it’s inevitable that social and cultural norms influence us to believe certain ideals or to act in different ways. Especially for girls who, as they grow, are bombarded with these standards through media. Her experience made her realize that she could use her experience to help others and that was what catalyzed the beginnings of her organization BeaYOUtiful. Through this program, many young girls develop their self-esteem and learn to find their own passions. What makes this story so beautiful is that Taylor also had similar feelings as the girls who go through programming. Because of this she is able to connect with these girls and truly make an even bigger impact in their lives.

Building self-esteem takes time and is never easy. For anyone who has had the experience of being bullied or has lost confidence in themselves, it can be confusing where to start. Taylor shared some great advice on how to feel good about yourself. First, find your passion! By discovering and building on your hobbies, it brings motivation. Then use your passions as a forms of self-expression or to help others and you’ll be able to develop self- worth. Second, find the courage to share your experiences and give yourself recognition for it! Third, use your talents to help others. Let helping become an extension of your talents.

She tells me that it’s easy to get focused on the problems in our life and feel hurt through the things we go through, but that there is so much more waiting in our lives; There are countless opportunities to help others. Focusing on those opportunities such as joining great organizations she says helps so much as it’s a way to meet other helpful and passionate people. She found her purpose through her struggles because it was through the gray times of her life that was able to appreciate everything a lot more. Through travelling and also acknowledging privilege, she is grateful for every moment and person in her life. As we end the interview, she leaves me with this “Connection, communication, vulnerability and acceptance of yourself are some of the most important things in our life” and I can’t agree more. Life is a journey full of learning and opportunities for growth, all the best on yours xx