Karin Taylor Of Mandalay Farms: Second Chapters; How I Reinvented Myself In The Second Chapter Of My Life

An Interview With Jake Frankel

… Let people know they are appreciated every day. Yes, it’s their job but people still need and want to hear that you see their efforts and appreciate them. We need every single person on the team to do what we do and I make sure I let them know that.

Many successful people reinvented themselves in a later period in their lives. Jeff Bezos worked in Wall Street before he reinvented himself and started Amazon. Sara Blakely sold office supplies before she started Spanx. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was a WWE wrestler before he became a successful actor and filmmaker. Arnold Schwarzenegger went from a bodybuilder, to an actor to a Governor. McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc was a milkshake-device salesman before starting the McDonalds franchise in his 50's.

How does one reinvent themselves? What hurdles have to be overcome to take life in a new direction? How do you overcome those challenges? How do you ignore the naysayers? How do you push through the paralyzing fear?

In this series called “Second Chapters; How I Reinvented Myself In The Second Chapter Of My Life “ we are interviewing successful people who reinvented themselves in a second chapter in life, to share their story and help empower others.

As a part of this interview series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Karin Taylor.

Mandalay Farms founder Karin Taylor is often referred to as the female Dr. Doolittle because of her unique bond with the animal ambassadors at her 20-acre property in Jupiter Farms, Fla. Mandalay Farms is home to a Noah’s Ark like menagerie of over 70 animals including horses, donkeys, pigs, kangaroos, goats, emus, otters, a variety of exotic birds, a plethora of chickens and turkeys, and an assortment of reptiles. Through Taylor’s non-profit, Mandalay Farms offers a sensory petting zoo that has been created to serve children on the autism spectrum. Interacting with animals encourages sensory regulation, provides lessons in behavior and…