Taylor J. Banks (LMSW, MDiv), affectionately known as “Taylor Made” and the “Purpose Pusher” positions women for holistic success as a speaker, author, mentor, and therapist. Taylor began her pursuit of wholeness and freedom when she went beyond the usual comforts of family and her home church and attended Boston College.

On the floor of her college dormitory, she began pursuing the heart of God. What started as a journey that focused on her spiritual healing and success has transformed into the pursuit of success in every area of life: spiritual, financial, relational, womanhood, and mental and physical health, etc.

Taylor has recently published Becoming a Woman in Pursuit, which is a devotional and tool that will take readers on a 30-day journey to pursuing God in every area of their life. It’s for both the woman unsure of how (or is just beginning) to pursue God and the woman who’s ready to go deeper in her relationship with God. In addition to her work with women, Taylor desires to open a private practice and community center to provide comprehensive services to families.

Taylor believes that she is chosen to specifically make “mental health” a priority in the church and the black community.

PWH: Taylor Made “The Purpose Pusher”, compelling title, tell me what does it mean to be a purpose pusher? How do you push someone into their purpose?

TM: A “Purpose Pusher” is someone that assists in getting you from being stuck in the past or present into the future of who God has called you to be. It’s likened to the role of a midwife or coach. Many of us need someone to see the true potential and promise beneath the layers of pain, insecurities, traumas, etc. of life. I push you by walking you through the process of healing, deliverance, and transformation. Once you have gotten to a place of clarity of who you are, you can get equipped with the skills and strategy that will allow you to walk in and execute your purpose. As a therapist, coach, author, and speaker, my goals are always to position people but especially women, to walk in freedom, live out the purpose and be whole.

PWH: Here at pretty women hustle we believe faith and Business can coincide, how do you balance your faith and Business in today’s world?

TM: I believe that doing Business without my faith would be tiresome. Faith gives us the advantage in Business when we keep God at the forefront of our plans. God’s insight as to what is needed in the market, when it’s needed, and who it’s needed goes beyond what we can do as humans. In my journey as an entrepreneur, there have been times I tried to launch something I thought was needed for people that I struggled to pinpoint and then miscalculated when to provide. It was frustrating. I felt like a failure. Truth is I didn’t allow Him to be my CEO. With Him as CEO, I stand to make fewer mistakes and lose less money. My advice is, before executing any plan or product, submit the proposal to the ultimate CEO and then take heed to His instruction, whether it makes sense or is convenient for you.

PWH: You just wrapped up a series on Facebook entitled: “I am Challenge” detoxing your thought life, tell me about that series?

TM: The I am Challenge was five days of getting rid of the toxic thoughts that have stopped us living a life of freedom and purpose. Everything we are and do is the result of a thought. And every thought we have has a root, or origin. For five days, we intentionally and intensely: (1)identified toxic thoughts, (2) traced the thoughts back to their root, (3) denounced/renounced these thoughts, and (4) established a new thought pattern. The I Am Challenge was also about sisterhood as 456 women decided to do the challenge together. The enemy has convinced all of us at one point or another that we are alone, but the Challenge proved to us that not only are we not alone, but we are everything God says. It was the start for many women of being healed in their minds and gaining a clear perspective of their identity. Already just days after the challenge, women are picking back up their dreams and walking into their bright futures.

PWH: What does it mean to be a woman of pursuit?

TM: First, To be a woman in pursuit is to decide that in every area of your life, you will pursue God’s healing. So often we focus on our spiritual healing but neglect our finances, relationships, mental health, and physical health. I believe that God wants access to all of who you are which means I must submit all of who I am to him. Second, to be a woman in pursuit is to come to a resolution that no matter what I will grow forward. You will never come to a point where growth is done. As long as you are living, you will be improving to BECOME God’s best version of yourself. The only direction you have to go is FORWARD. So heads up, heels on – be in pursuit!

PWH: When you think of a pretty woman who hustles what crosses your mind?

TM: A pretty woman who hustles is a woman who lives by, “faith without works is dead.” She has a vision, and she has a promise, and she is not waiting for it to come to her. She is working the vision until she sees it manifest. She’s a woman who is strategic, takes risks, and has decided that she’ll do it scared rather than not at all.

To learn more about Taylor and support her ministry visit www.taylormadem.com