Taylor Aller on figuring out her multi-passionate career

Who is Taylor Aller?

Taylor Aller has been a butcher, a baker, a candlestick maker…

Not quite all that, but she has indeed worked in a bakery decorating cakes. She has worked in schools, been a professional hip hop dancer, been a relationship expert, pursued creative endeavors on Etsy and the list goes on.

Currently, when answering the question, “What do you do?”, she will reply and say that she is a mom, a wife, is a registered massage therapist, a business consultant, a speaker, and a summit founder and host.

Taylor identifies as a “multipotentialite”.

What is a multipotentialite?

Taylor defines the term as, “somebody who is passionate about more than one thing”.

She first came across the term ‘multipotentialite’ while she was experiencing serious burnout due to having so many different passions, projects and work endeavors.

Taylor was watching a video where Elizabeth Gilbert (author of Eat. Pray. Love) described two types of people: jackhammers and hummingbirds. A jackhammer describing someone who is more singularly focused, and a hummingbird who spreads their wings and cross-pollinates the world with their passions.

Taylor immediately proclaimed, “I’m a hummingbird!” And so began Taylor’s awakening to the world of being a multipotentialite, what that means, and how to thrive with multiple passions.

The challenges and benefits of being a multipotentialite.

Taylor expressed how she herself didn’t always embrace this important side of her; and before having a word to put to it, she didn’t always know how to work with this gift of hers.

She said that a multipotentialite, when not in their flow, can appear flaky, or all over the place. They themselves can feel like they are living different or separate lives, akin to wearing a mask.

When at their best, however, multipotentialites can find so many ways to succeed because of this lifestyle. We had a fascinating chat about how multipotentialites are quick learners and resilient, and many felt less of a hit in the pandemic because they had a diverse bag of tricks and/or revenue streams. Woah!

The multipotentialite parent.

Taylor and her husband became parents in the midst of the pandemic. She says that being a multipotentialite, with different streams of income, has allowed different aspects of her work up or down as the situation has required or allowed. She has taken a maternity leave to be with their daughter, and she has been able to ease back into work slowly and smoothly. As she put it, she was able to “click in” different income streams as it felt right to her, her body, her daughter and their family unit.

This conversation with Taylor was incredible and so inspiring. Whether you are a jackhammer or a full-fledged hummingbird, here are some of the key takeaways on how to juggle multiple passions, or even life as a multi-focused parent (read: working parent)!

Top tips from this episode with Taylor.

1. Embrace who you are.

Break free from the proverbial box and embrace who you are! Then get practical and work with the multiple areas of your life by testing out a few different scheduling systems for you and your family. Taylor says you need to meet your bottom line of both expenses and your 24-hour clock.

2. View life as an exciting puzzle.

Life is a puzzle that when you zoom out, you can see the full picture, and then when you zoom in, you can move the puzzle pieces around until they fit what you are trying to make. Taylor advises that this is a lot about trial and error. If the puzzle pieces don't fit right now, that’s okay, you can always find a place for it later.

3. Have a “not yet” list.

And per the above puzzle pieces, when something doesn’t fit right now, you can literally write a list of your “not yets” and come back to them when they feel right or you feel inspired. For me personally, I’m definitely going to do this with crafts and cooking projects!

4. “I can do anything that I want, I just can’t do it all at once, and I can’t do it by myself.”

Taylor credits her ability to fit it all in by recognizing that she can’t do everything on a Tuesday. It takes that strategy of moving around the puzzle pieces and being okay with putting things off into that “not yet” pile. She also says that community is extremely important; finding people or a group of people who understand what you’re after, who you are and who can cheer you on.

5. There are communities out there that support and celebrate multipotentialites.

Check out authors like Emily Wapnick who have communities centred around being a multipotentialite. Her bookHow to Be Everything: A Guide for Those Who (Still) Don't Know What They Want to Be When They Grow Up sounds fantastic; I’ll be checking it out!

6. Find your focus.

As a mom with a toddler who is also growing new life (she’s pregnant!) Taylor has laser focus. Another myth she busted for me. I thought that someone who is a multipotentialite would have a lot of focus areas all the time. But she said that right now, in this season, she is focused on being the best mom she can be, caring for herself, caring for her body and this growing baby. When she evaluates decisions or opportunities, she filters through if the opportunities will support that focus. Case closed. Everything else can move to the “not yet” list! How liberating!

7. You can plan for options, you can’t plan for outcomes.

Advice given to her in her pregnancy by a medical professional, this advice has stuck with Taylor in all areas of life. Explore the options, talk about the options, plan for the options, but in life, we just can’t “plan” for specific outcomes. How freeing does that sound? I’m going to be taking this sentiment into many different areas of my life.

8. Transitioning to embrace your multi-passionate self can start with just a few dedicated hours.

Taylor says that you can start to explore the different sides of yourself by carving out some space for them in your day. This might mean taking time from elsewhere, so come back to that overall puzzle of life and what you and your family need right now. She also said that the intention of exploring your passions doesn’t always have to result in work, some hobbies are okay to stay as just that: fun hobbies.

More from Taylor:

Listen to the full episode on: Apple Podcasts or Spotify!

Path to Parenthood: A Pregnancy, Infant, and Postpartum Virtual Conference - February 4 & 5, 2023: Come hear me speak at this incredible upcoming conference where leading experts in early parenthood will be in one spot to support and encourage you.

Watch Taylor’s TED Talk: “What if you have more than one passion?”

Taylor’s Website: Connect with Taylor via her website, and download her FREE 28-page “Make It Happen Planner”