Meet Lindsay Taylor Dellinger

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lindsay Taylor Dellinger a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Lindsay Taylor, thanks for sitting with us today to chat about topics that are relevant to so many. One of those topics is communication skills, because we live in an age where our ability to communicate effectively can be like a superpower. Can you share how you developed your ability to communicate well?
I was fortunate enough to grow up right before Smartphones, streaming services, and social media took over. Thankfully, I never forgot the joy and enlightenment that comes from what we now call the “disconnect.” In my youth, we just called it being outside, playing, or using our imaginations.

I don’t want this to come off like I’m saying all technology is evil – it’s not. It definitely has its advantages. However, this notion that we were disconnected before every mother, father, and child had an iPhone is simply inaccurate. In fact, I think we are more disconnected now than we were before pound signs became hashtags and before we knew what a tweet, a “story,” and a Snapchat even were!

I developed my ability to communicate effectively despite being raised in a family that didn’t prioritize communication and because I never relinquished my ability to, quite literally, speak my mind in favor of the latest app. I developed it by investing time and energy into my mental health, establishing an often uncomfortable self-awareness. As a result, my compassion and empathy evolved – both components of effective communication.

I recognize the profound connections behind our Smartphone screens, when the television is turned off, when I’m outside with my bare feet planted firmly in the grass, and when I’m sitting across from someone making unfailing eye contact. All of these things lead to effective, meaningful communication. And I had all these things before I had an Android.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m a former fashion industry, Art Director. I quit my job in September 2021 to pursue my true passion for writing and published my first book, Swipe Write, a few months later. I recently recorded the audiobook version, which was just released Thursday, July 6th, 2023!

There are many more books and audiobooks to be read/listened to in the future. In fact, I think I’ll let you know that my next book, which I’m currently working on, is titled: Things My Therapist Knows. Stay tuned!

I write content for mental health and substance abuse treatment; it is the most rewarding work I have ever done. As an ardent advocate for mental health and self-care, I’m fortunate to work in a field that educates and helps people struggling with mental and behavioral health conditions. For the first time in my life, I wake up genuinely looking forward to doing my work, which has inspired me to further my education.

In addition to writing, my partner and I transformed a 1992 International school bus into a tiny home on wheels in less than two years. It’s an all-electric (aside from the diesel gas that powers the bus), solar-powered beauty, complete with a bathroom, kitchen, dining, living/sleeping area, + bonus rooftop deck. We affectionately call it the “Wow Wagon.”

Finally, we are leaving for three months for Europe (primarily Italy and Spain), and I hope to scout out a future home base while there.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
It’s funny – I was just thinking about these things recently, saying, “I wish someone had told me this when I was X years old.”

1. Invest in your mental health and find yourself a good therapist – screw the stigma and the closed-minded opinions of others. It will be one of the single best things you have control over and can do for yourself. And don’t give up if you have to go through a few different therapists before you find the right fit.

2. Your closest “inner circle” of friends and loved ones should be a reflection of how and who you want to be. Of course, this can evolve and change, but your closest confidantes should be uplifting, positive, driven, encouraging, supportive, and more. There’s quite a bit of truth in Jim Rohn’s “We are the average of the five people we spend the most time with.”

3. Thankfully, this one was instilled in me early on by my dear, deceased mother, who was also my best friend: Don’t rely on anyone else to take care of you. Always ensure you can take care of yourself. And this means taking care of yourself in all aspects: financially, emotionally, mentally, etc.

This shouldn’t be construed as advice to reject others’ help or support. Of course, if you need help, asking for it is a strength, and if someone is willing to help, even better. This is more about taking care of ourselves in the most complete and total way possible so that when we’re feeling some type of way, be it lonely, sad, or lost – at the end of the day, we still got our own backs, whether that be logistically, spiritually, or practically.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

I read it in my early twenties, and it significantly impacted my life and development. It’s written so simply yet so profoundly, and applying the agreements to one’s life is not as easy as it sounds. It has indeed been a work in progress that I’m fortunate to have begun at such an early age.

The Four Agreements are as follows:

1. Be Impeccable With Your Word.
2. Don’t Take Anything Personally.
3. Don’t Make Assumptions.
4. Always Do Your Best.

1 and 4 are more straightforward for me, but 2 and 3 have been the most challenging. I love leveling up (what I now call getting older) because, at 38, I think I’m finally beginning to grasp #2. There are just certain things that come with aging, and greater wisdom is one of those things.

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Lindsay Taylor Dellinger

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