PHOTO BY DON DENTON
SECRETS & LIVES BY KATE LAUTENS
TAYLOR CONROY, 31
with
FOUNDER OF CHANGE HEROES
Who are you, Taylor Conroy? I moved to Victoria when I was 20 to be a professional firefighter, and picked up real estate on the side. I had a real estate company for about six years. Then I went to Africa and had a really impactful trip. In 2010, I came up with the idea of Change Heroes, which is 33 people, giving $3.33 per day for three months, which adds up to $10,000 and funds a schoolhouse.
You’ve been to 33 countries — where’s next? I’m less interested in the country count than experiencing different cultures. You could go to three countries and experience the same culture, or you could go to one country and experience 50 different cultures. That’s what I love about travelling — immersing in something totally different.
If you could possess a supernatural ability, what would it be? To somehow let everyone know the absolute power they have to impact the 54
world in a meaningful way — telepathic communication, not to their brain but to their heart.
What are you most afraid of? Not fulfilling my life’s purpose or living up to the potential that I’ve been given.
Your most compulsive habit? I put my fingernail between my two front teeth and blow air out of it when I’m nervous.
If you could have a conversation with anyone, living or dead, who would you choose? Ghandi. He, to me, represents a really strong outer purpose and a really strong inner purpose. He was about inner peace, yet really getting tons of stuff done.
Who is your mentor? Shigenori — he’s my spiritual coach. I meet with him to stay centred.
Share a significant childhood memory. I was six years old; someone had a video
camera and I was really embarrassed in front of it. That’s my first memory of being really shy. Speaking in public used to be my biggest fear, yet I knew I needed to learn how because that’s one of the best ways to spread a message.
If you could change one historical event, what would it be? I wouldn’t, because that would be insinuating that I know better than what made these events happen.
What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do? Build a relationship with a three-year-old whom I now call my daughter.
What are you most looking forward to this year? Waking up every day knowing that I’m doing what I should be doing, because everything else flows from there. This interview has been condensed and edited.