Releasing the Shoulds and Owning What Fits: A Conversation With Taylor Elyse Morrison

There’s a moment in every year when reflection feels unavoidable. The calendar shifts, expectations creep in, and we quietly ask ourselves what worked — and what didn’t. In this episode of Speaking of Phenomenal, my conversation with Taylor Elyse Morrison landed squarely in that space between looking back and choosing what comes next.

Taylor describes herself as a portfolio careerist, someone whose work lives across multiple lanes at once. Coaching. Facilitating. Research. Higher education. Community building. For a long time, she admits, she believed all of that was temporary — that eventually she would arrive at the “one thing” she was supposed to become. Instead, she realized something far more freeing: this was the work. Not a placeholder. Not a problem to solve. A feature, not a bug.

That realization is familiar to many women, especially those who are deeply curious, deeply capable, and deeply committed to the work they do. We are often told to streamline, simplify, and specialize — to make ourselves easier to explain. Taylor challenges that idea gently but firmly. Owning a portfolio career, she says, starts with releasing the pressure to conform to someone else’s definition of success and listening instead to what actually fits your life, your values, and your energy.

That same theme carries through our conversation about self-care and burnout. Taylor offers a definition of self-care that feels both practical and compassionate: listening within and responding in the most loving way possible. Not what’s trending. Not what looks impressive. Not what costs the most. What you actually need — in that moment.

Burnout, she reminds us, often comes not from indifference but from caring too much. From loving the work so deeply that we forget to eat, to rest, to pause. Taylor speaks candidly about catching herself in that space, especially while balancing her PhD work with everything else she holds. Her approach to burnout prevention centers on self-awareness — recognizing early signals before they turn into full stops. A missed meal. A short temper. A sense of withdrawal. These are not failures, but information.

Higher education has added another layer to Taylor’s growth, particularly around unlearning the need to always be right. She talks about the tension of forming strong opinions while staying open to change — a skill that feels increasingly vital in a world where certainty is often rewarded more than curiosity. The work, she says, isn’t about becoming more rigid in what you believe, but more thoughtful in how you hold it.

One of the most resonant parts of our conversation centers on Taylor’s Fresh Eyes Sessions — single-session coaching designed for people who feel stuck despite doing “all the right things.” Journaling. Talking it through. Thinking it over. Sometimes, she notes, what’s missing isn’t effort, but perspective. An outside voice. A question you haven’t asked yourself yet. It’s a reminder that support doesn’t always have to be long-term to be meaningful.

Community plays a central role in Taylor’s work, particularly through Women Facilitating, a space she co-founded to support women who lead rooms, conversations, and change. Facilitation, she notes, can be lonely work. You’re surrounded by people, yet holding the experience alone. Building community among women doing this work isn’t just professional development — it’s sustenance.

When I asked Taylor what it means to be phenomenal, her answer was simple and layered at once: being yourself, fully — and helping others do the same. Not shrinking. Not performing. Not editing yourself into something more palatable. Phenomenal, in her view, lives at the intersection of authenticity and generosity.

As we close out one year and look ahead to the next, this conversation feels like an invitation — to release the “shoulds,” to trust what fits, and to build lives and careers that make room for both care and ambition.

-Amy