Jun 14, 2021
Shea Taylor’s instinct to protect others and, as he puts it, to “beat up bad guys” comes in part from having been bullied himself. Growing up in Eastern Kentucky, he had a lot of health problems; as a high school freshman, he was 5 feet tall and weighed just 88 pounds.
“My dad was a high school janitor,” Shea says. “We weren't financially rich by any stretch of the imagination. I grew up on a dairy farm in a two bedroom house with five brothers.”
He remembers being picked on a lot, and working hard: “You had to grind for everything.” But when, toward the end of high school, he shot up to over 6 feet, put on weight and started excelling in baseball, that was when “everything clicked.” Which is why, after breaking his leg playing baseball and later damaging — then losing — that same leg in a motorcycle accident, Shea had to contend with what limited mobility meant for his identity and for his self-confidence. Spoiler alert: He’d go onto become one of the first amputees to fight in the MMA.
On this episode of True North Man, Paul and Shea talk about perseverance and letting your faith help shape your resilience.
What You’ll Learn
Favorite Quote:
“I would much rather have tried something and failed it than to have thought about doing something and it eat at me and not try it for five plus years, then go back on it, miss my opportunity and have regret. Because regret will absolutely eat your soul… it’s always ‘if it had been different’ or ‘if it had been this.’ Screw that.”
— Shea Taylor
Connect With Shea:
How To Get Involved:
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