Building AWE: An Authentic Wellness Transformation — Not Just a Trend

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it really takes to build something meaningful. Something lasting. Something honest.

Authentic Wellness & Empowerment (AWE) was never meant to be just a brand. It's not a buzzword. It's a calling.

And like most callings, it didn’t arrive all at once — and I sure didn’t have all the answers when it did.

But here’s what I did have:

• A vision strong enough to survive doubt

• A commitment deep enough to survive delay

• And persistence strong enough to outlast every voice that told me to settle
  

⏳ Seven Years Ago, I Didn’t Even Have a Foot in the Door

In 2018, I wasn’t enrolled in a counseling program. I wasn’t licensed. I wasn’t in grad school.

I wasn’t even accepted yet.

I was just beginning to apply.

And that spring? On the surface, it looked like I had it made:

• I was in Las Vegas

• Then Hawaii

• Then New York City

• I was 175 pounds of twisted steel and (let’s be honest) sex appeal

• 12% body fat, managing a portfolio of 6 duplexes and 3 single-family homes

• Working about forty minutes a week and living the definition of “financially free”
  

It was a picture-perfect "best life" moment — the kind that racks up likes and admiration. But I knew, deep down, that it wasn’t the whole story. That I was meant to build something real. Something that didn’t just look good from the outside — but actually changed lives from the inside.

💥 The All-In Decision

So I made the decision to go all in.

I sold the entire portfolio — 6 duplexes and 3 houses — to open one very important door: The door to the Authentic Wellness & Empowerment office.

I didn’t just bet on myself. I bet on the people I hadn’t even met yet. On the clients who would one day walk through that door. On the lives I hadn’t touched yet — but knew I was meant to serve.

I cashed in the properties. Paid off seven years of private Catholic education in student loans. And used the rest as seed money to launch AWE from the ground up.

🧗‍♂️ The Climb Since Then

• Passed the NCE (National Counselor Exam)

• Completed my Master’s in Counseling

• Was accepted into and completed a PhD program

• Earned my professional license

• Taught college courses

• Defended my dissertation

• Founded Authentic Wellness & Empowerment, a nonprofit

• Built a steady caseload serving dozens each week — and growing

• Transitioned from “just me” to a mission much bigger than me
  

This wasn’t overnight. This was decades of groundwork, followed by seven years of focused action.

And now? I'm running a thriving solo counseling practice, launching group services, and establishing a nonprofit built on evidence-based, compassion-driven care.

🚫 Not “Wellness™” — Wellness That Works

You know what gets under my skin? The way the word “wellness” gets tossed around like a marketing buzzword.

Wellness candles. Wellness lollipops. Wellness-branded anxiety.

In Canada, they don’t even let Muscle Milk call itself milk — it’s Muscle MLK. Because it’s not milk.

I wish we had more of that same honesty here.

Because if your “wellness” is just a sticker on a bottle or a slogan on a yoga mat? That’s not empowerment — that’s mislabeling.

What AWE is building isn’t fluff. It's not a trend. It's not a vibe.

It’s hard-earned, evidence-based, experience-driven, soul-anchored work.

🧠 Why Authentic Wellness Transformation Matters Now

In a culture flooded with wellness trends and self-care slogans, it’s easy to lose sight of what truly helps people heal. An authentic wellness transformation isn’t about buzzwords or surface-level fixes — it’s about deep, intentional change. That’s what we’re building at AWE: a movement grounded in compassion, clinical skill, and a refusal to settle for anything less than real, lasting impact.

💡 What I Want You To Know

If you’re building something — or thinking about building something — hear this:

You don’t have to know everything. You don’t have to get it all right the first time. You don’t have to be perfect. Authentic Wellness & Empowerment wasn’t born from a marketing plan — it was the result of an authentic wellness transformation rooted in purpose.

You need:

• A reason.

• A rhythm.

• And a refusal to quit.

I didn’t build this by being brilliant. I built this by being relentless.

🌠 AWE Forward

This is about more than a business. It's about building a movement.

A movement where wellness is earned, not packaged. Where people are empowered, not just branded. Where healing isn’t for sale — but shared freely, fully, and authentically.

Thank you for being part of this story. Thank you for believing in what's possible.

We’re just getting started — and we’re building it authentically.

Ready to join the movement? Whether as a client, counselor, supporter, or soul on the journey — we’re here. And we’re building something real.

—Dr. Curtis Taylor Founder & Executive Director

Spring of 2018 — a snapshot from the ‘best life’ chapter. Ski dates, snowy adventures, and the freedom that came with a 40-minute workweek. What this picture doesn’t show is the deeper shift already underway — the quiet call to trade comfort for purpose.