Taylor Emery takes on her riskiest role yet

What sets your soul on fire?

When you wake up in the morning, what gets you excitedly bouncing out of bed?

For Taylor Emery, it’s a combination of things.

Originally born in Bremerton, Washington, Taylor has big dreams of becoming a veterinarian. The thought of serving others (particularly people experiencing homelessness and their pets) is the driving force behind her decision to pursue veterinary medicine as a career.

But before this, she lived a very different life…

In fact, this CEO & Founder of MerakiTay was once a “Former Pro Hooper.” 

AKA, a professional basketball player!

Vet Candy is beyond thrilled to have had the opportunity to speak with sports legend Taylor Emery recently. Today, she explains why retiring from basketball was the hardest – but also best – career decision, explains some helpful advice she received, plus tells us about her goal of one day opening a MerakiTay Center for vulnerable families and their animals. 

From Basketball Court to Vet Clinic: Slam Dunking for Pets

Changing careers can be stressful even under ideal circumstances. 

After all, you’re letting go of an “old” version of yourself. Maybe one you have been comfortable with for years – even decades. Yet to grow emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, occasionally a job switch is necessary. 

Taylor Emery can relate. 

“Retiring from basketball was probably the hardest and best career decision I ever made,” she admits. “I played ball since I was 5 years old. Retiring was scary because it felt like I was losing a piece of myself and even somewhat losing my own identity in a sense. I got annoyed with the politics and my journey with ball seemed as if it was a continuous uphill trek. So, I dove right into the deep end and retired at a time that nobody expected as I was in my prime skill wise.”

Turns out, this was the right call.

Before long, Taylor started a business with the money she made overseas. 

Veterinary school was the next logical step. 

Now Taylor says, “My soul has been fulfilled. I’ve been able to help so many people with the clothes I make and been able to help so many animals. It’s been everything I’ve wanted and so much more.”

Vet Candy loves to hear that!  

Check out her “paw-some” clothing brand on Instagram @merakitay_

According to Taylor, “I take great pride in introducing MerakiTay as a business owned by a black woman and a member of the LGBT community. The name "Meraki" originates from Greek, symbolizing the act of pouring your passion and dedication into everything you do, leaving a lasting impression. "Tay" represents my nickname. At MerakiTay, we are committed to creating gender-neutral clothing options, including mid-thigh length cargo shorts and retro basketball shorts. Moreover, we offer modified boxer briefs designed for pad application, catering to individuals who experience a menstrual cycle. We are currently in the process of patenting our innovative boxer briefs.”

What Makes You Happy?

When asked about career advice, Taylor Emery didn’t need to think long. And her answer was spot on.

“Not to chase the money,” she says.

Indeed, research shows that money doesn’t always equal happiness. 

“When you chase money and how much you can make, your happiness dramatically declines because when do you decide you’ve made enough money?” Taylor explains. “Most times you don’t. You just keep going until you die. I chase what makes me happy and feeds my soul instead. By doing that, I’ve made more money than I did when I was actually chasing money. After hearing this, my life changed along with my life path. I made decisions for me and my happiness. I have never felt this good in life.”

Therefore, to any vet med professional feeling stuck or in a rut, just remember…

Money comes and goes but happiness is priceless!

Rethinking How We Address Homelessness 

According to The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), approximately 582,000 Americans are homeless. 

To Taylor Emery, these aren’t just numbers. During her senior year in college, Taylor’s own sister and her six children became homeless themselves. 

Taylor recalls:

“It was going to be extremely difficult for them to travel as a family to homeless shelters, so I took her 4 pre-teen boys for the summer so she could get back on her feet with only two babies to feed. I realized that these homeless shelters don’t keep families together. Men and women can’t stay together. A lot of people can’t keep their pets either.”

Thus, MerakiTay Centers were born.

The vision is this: a homeless shelter attached to an animal shelter.

Taylor sees it as apartment style living for families. Of course, people who come into the MerakiTay Center with pets have “fur family members” that would be welcome to stay too. By providing professional resources to obtain jobs and things needed to sustain life outside of a MerakiTay facility, Emery’s hope is to become a shelter veterinarian and positively impact as many lives as possible.

It's an incredible goal.

One that Vet Candy is sure will be a winning swish, if Taylor Emery is involved!