Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor Watts.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
In my 20s, I experienced medical issue after medical issue. I kept going to doctors, getting more diagnoses, and being put on more medication. There was never an attempt to solve the root, just to mask symptoms.
Eventually I ended up in an oncologist’s office (cancer doc) who told me I need to stop looking for answers in the medical system unless I wanted to end up with cancer. This experience led me to look outside of western medicine.
From there, I used my knowledge of the scientific process, and ability to interpret recent medical and scientific literature (I am a published research scientist, albiet in an unrelated dicipline) to devise a n=1 experiment on myself, trying different hypothesis and alternative treatments until I got my symptoms for POTS and Chronic Pain down to zero. Now I’m a wellness expert in Austin, teaching local yoga classes and events, sharing my story of beating chronic illness. There’s a large mindset component to all of this, and I share that in any of the spaces I speak at or occupy.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Absolutely not! I spent several weeks on bedrest, tried things that didn’t work (some that even made me feel worse) felt at times like there was no hope.
I had to make lifestyle changes that alienated me from friends, I had to pretty change the way I saw the world, interacted with it, and made decisions.
This is not easy for anyone.
But my story isn’t about the hard things and challenges, because it would have been much more challenging and difficult to stay where I was at.
The person I needed to be to no longer have chronic illness needed me to go through each and every one of those obstacles and I’m grateful for every one of them.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m incredibly proud of the community I’ve built since 2018. I receive dms often about how sharing my story inspired someone, how the mindset practices I share when I teach are just what people needed.
Now, everyone is talking about POTS and chronic pain, but back when I started this wasn’t a thing. I’m proud to have been a forefront of the movement showing people that POTS isn’t a sentance (I mean I was literally told by my diagnosing doctor that I would be in a wheelchair within 5 years of my diagnosis, and on disability in 7) it’s an opportunity to change, grow, and step into a version of you that never would have existed otherwise.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I do consider myself as a risk taker, I don’t think anyone decides to disregard their doctors, question everything, and go on the journey I have, if they aren’t.
Existing is one big risk.
Contact Info:
- Website: taylorteachesyoga.com and seewattsididthere.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/seewattsididthere/
