Musician Gail Taylor explains how addiction forced her to re-prioritize her life in Episode 078

Today I will be speaking with a woman from Alberta, Canada, who understands how life throws curveballs at people. In fact, she has had to contend with several rather significant issues that actually derailed her sense of purpose.

Gail Taylor is a songwriter by nature. So, when she published her second book, appropriately titled “Curveballs,” she combined her love for writing with her love for music by adding a QR code at the end of each chapter. Readers can scan the code, which opens up a webpage for people to watch a music video of a song as well as read the lyrics.

She calls in the first book with a soundtrack, and she might be right.

The first curveball came at the age of 12 when her father passed away. Because he was a miner living in a company-supplied house, Gail’s mom had to pack up the six children and find a new place to live a few months later.

But, moving to the city proved to be a living hell for Gail who started experimenting with drugs and alcohol to mask the pain of her father’s death.

Ten years later, Gail woke up one day hungover and in a real mess. That’s when she decided to pursue personal growth and peak performance. She became a successful financial advisor for 25 years, but never really dealt with her addiction. She would work long hours and party just as long into the night while babysitters raised her son.

Because of the example Gail set for her son, he followed down the same path of addiction before he was a teenager himself. That really got her attention and forced Gail to get help for herself and her son.

Her life changed again when Gail was 58 years old and started taking piano lessons. Within a few years, she had left her finance job, started her own music company and became a public speaker.

Because Gail has been down the road, both as an addict and as a mother caring for a child who was an addict himself, she has a real soft spot in her heart for the families of addicts.

Not only did Gail have to deal with the guilt associated with watching her son fall into addiction, she had to learn about things like setting boundaries, understanding enabling and the role codependency plays in dealing with the problem. She came to understand that addiction is truly a family disease.

Gail also discovered how important music is to people by giving them a buffer from the information overload that plagues the world today.

When she decided to become a keynote speaker, Gail was encouraged to write a book. So, she picked a topic she knew very well. Her first book was titled, “Introduction to Financial Markets.”

Yet, Gail still felt a tug on her heart to help people and their families who are recovering from addiction. So, she chronicled her own experiences in her new book, “Curveballs,” which will be released Nov. 1.

The book conveys the message that if Gail can overcome the curveballs life threw at her, so can anyone else. She also addressed the need to live with passion and purpose.

Above all, Gail encourages seasoned citizens to not settle for a so-so life. Rather, they need to actively pursue things that give them life instead of sabotaging their dreams.

People struggling with a sense of purpose often need to change their self-talk to get a game-changing boost in self-confidence, self-belief and self-esteem.

People can connect with Gail by visiting her website at www.gailtaylormusic.com, where they can watch and listen to some of her music videos. Gail is also active of Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and, of course, her own YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@GailTaylorMusic.

Her “Curveballs” book is available for pre-order now and will be released Nov. 1.

That’s all I have for this week’s show. If you’d like help in identifying a purpose for your life or to get help planning your next steps, I’m offering a complimentary brainstorming session to members of the Forward From 50 Facebook community. For details, connect with me on Facebook or visit www.forwardfrom50.com.

If you purchase Gail’s book from one of the links above, Forward From 50 may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.