Today we’d like to introduce you to Shantrael Taylor.
Hi Shantrael, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I have always had a passion for speaking, advocating, and helping others. In 2015, my heart son suffered a traumatic brain injury, and life as we knew it changed. We were thrust into a world of medicine and diagnosis. From a situation of extreme heartache and pain, I dug deep, did the healing work, and elevated my knowledge of what my son needed, how to advocate for him, and create a path where I can still be fulfilled. Fast forward to 2020 and the world was in utter chaos and I was entering a new phase in my life; what was supposed to be a routine birthing experience was one of the most traumatic events in my life. Birth Trauma. Brain injury. I was in the fight of my life to save my son’s life. I fought hard for healing and understanding.
I did a lot of work, during that time God Said No, LLC was born. It’s a lifestyle brand, blog, and YouTube channel that inspires, motivates, and has real conversations about how to handle life when it’s not the picture-perfect fairytale that was envisioned. Yes, bad things happen often but because of grace that is sufficient and mercy that endures forever, we have the tools and support to continue to thrive. I have had to learn to advocate for myself and my children to receive a fair chance at survival and that is no small task. I needed tools and support and there was none available for my particular situation. I had reached a level of burnout and grief that I didn’t believe was possible. I asked myself are people really out here living life in crisis mode every day? The answer was yes and Elevation of Care was born. I had transitioned so fluidly and have been able to pivot with heavy loads of life in real-time.
There are people who need my help; my journey is to be a beacon of hope in dark times, a resource and educator as a Transition Coach. I help medically fragile and complex care family units transition from hospital to home. There is an extensive gap in the medical field of getting people prepared and equipped with adequate understanding and knowledge of how to support and care for children in the NICU, Traumatic Brain Injury, and even complex care of the Aging community. Being a caregiver requires an elevated care status and I want the communities I serve (special needs, new diagnosis, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit parents, hospice care, grieving parents, caregivers, complex care) to be empowered, knowledgeable, and confident in providing an elevated level of care while nurturing themselves throughout the process. I guide families, care teams, and medical professionals through the successful transition of care from medical facility to home.
As well as, families with individuals with disabilities that are needing help due to being overwhelmed and not having the community and support to be as successful as they would like. I have created a care planner and provided tools, strategies, and guided support in the form of workbooks, videos, webinars, and a personal playbook I created. By using the narrative medicine approach, I transformed the life of my 2-year-old who requires complex medical care, and my recently deceased superhero son who was 11 years old. I created the help I needed and I am so excited to answer the call of a community that is often overlooked, hidden, and tired. Elevation of Care is a partnership between myself and others as we transform the quality of care across the board.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Absolutely NOT! And I mean that! Standing in the gap as an advocate and choosing to fight and remain hopeful is hard. Having two children with complex medical needs and disability is a struggle and that’s putting it lightly. Going to doctors’ appointments 5-6 times a week, excessive hospitalizations, and surgeries are hard. I had to choose between being what my family needed and my career at a time when the world was in shambles. Doing the work to heal and operate at a high level in the midst of trauma is difficult, to say the least; however, losing a son at a young age is almost debilitating. In the most tragic season of my life, I was given the task to help and create a program of hope and support.
My program and book work because I’m not telling you what I heard or even witness; I’m teaching you from actual personal experience! I felt robbed of who I was as a person because of life circumstances, I lost a child, I lost myself, and I struggled with grieving a child who is still alive because the life we anticipated for him died. For quite some time I spent more time at a hospital than at home! My relationships struggled because I could not be present in the way that I was known for. Putting your real life out in the world in the hope of helping even just one person is a struggle.
Being vulnerable is a struggle.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Elevation of Care, God Said No LLC?
God Said No is a true warrior experience, it’s about never giving up no matter what life looks like or what is thrown at you. God said No, in the essence is always choosing love and that’s even when that’s a difficult choice. Elevation of Care is a platform where I coach others as well as give the everyday playbook of surviving I specialize in empowerment, Coaching others through life transitions, and coming out of that transformed with tools to help all succeed. I am most known for motivating and inspiring others through my book Elevation of care, my YouTube channel God said No.
What sets me apart is that this is from real-life experiences of being vulnerable and transparent and doing the work.
I’m not telling you what I heard and am telling you what I know. Brand wise I am most proud of being light, uplifting, and motivating. Being real and leading by example. Visit www.godsaidnollc.com and www.elevationofcare.com to buy apparel, merchandise, my care planner/journal, sign up for coaching services, book speaking engagements, and more. Subscribe to our YouTube channel as well God Said No LLC.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Narrative Medicine is a big shift in the medical field; creating an inclusive environment for parents/caregivers to collaborate with professionals to achieve maximum success. Prioritizing self-care and elevating care is not a trend it is a necessity to continue to offer only the best quality of life for ourselves and others.
We are no longer hiding in the shadows of an unseen community (special needs community) we are thriving in the light in whatever manner we can. We are choosing to be inclusive and happy despite the circumstances and that will be a forever trend!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.elevationofcare.com, www.godsaidnollc.com
- Instagram: @godsaidno_, @Elevationofcare, @happinessichoose
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GodSaidNoLLC
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7Zz5xC9yVZmi6BVjnIsEoA
