PR Expert and Certified Yoga Instructor Karen Taylor Bass Shares Her Journey to Healing and Her Global Wellness Brand
by Gwendolyn Quinn
In addition to her esteemed career as a seasoned public relations expert and media coach, Karen Taylor Bass is also a successful certified yoga instructor and meditation coach who is building a unique global brand around wellness. Living on purpose, Karen Taylor Bass has rediscovered herself and her passion.
Best known during her years as a top PR music and entertainment strategist, Karen Taylor Bass has worked with an award-winning roster of music talent, from jazz to hip-hop to reggae to R&B and soul, including Herbie Hancock, Dianne Reeves, Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, D’Angelo, Jill Scott, Najee, Boy George of Culture Club, Keith Elam (publicly known as Guru of Gang Starr), Ray Chew, Digable Planets, Maxi Priest, Musiq Soulchild, Shabba Ranks, Mad Cobra, Patra, and Richie Stephens. She also represented NBA legends Ray Allen and Chris Webber. Her corporate clients included the NBA, Coca-Cola, the Apollo Theater Foundation, Sony Music, and Hidden Beach Recordings, among others. Taylor Bass is the author of the Amazon bestselling book, You Want Caviar But Have Money for Chitlins: A Smart Do-It-Yourself PR Guide for Those on a Budget, published on her imprint, TaylorMade Books.
In recent years, you may have seen Taylor Bass sharing her story on healing and wellness on broadcast and print media, including The Dr. Oz Show, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, AARP, WABC-TV’s Here and Now with Sandra Bookman, and SiriusXM, among others.
The Early Years
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Karen Taylor Bass spent her formative years on the Caribbean island while her mother, Rosemarie Williams, had moved to the United States to prepare for a better life for her and her daughter. Though she eventually moved to Queens, the largest borough in New York City, when she was six years old, Taylor Bass enjoyed life on the island and has fond memories of living there with one of her favorite relatives, affectionately known as Aunt Peaches, and her late grandparents, Lurlene and Walton Garrick, who were successful entrepreneurs. At a young age, Karen had an opportunity to be an eyewitness to entrepreneurship. Her grandparents had a canteen truck, which is known in America as a food truck. During the weekdays, the Garricks would park their canteen truck where employees took their lunch hours. The Garricks, along with their staff, sold a variety of home-cooked meals including Jamaican buns and cheese, curry goat, and jerk chicken. “Growing up in Jamaica was amazing,” she says. “My grandparents molded me and left an indelible mark on me and my development. I learned on-the-job training and about entrepreneurship at an early age.”
Young Karen remembers going to the beach on Fridays and spending time with extended family on Sundays, where they feasted on jerk barbecue and other homeland dishes. Some of her most memorable experiences were going to Caribe, a drive-in movie theater where she saw Black films and movies starring Black people. During those years, she also looked through the pages of LIFE and EBONY magazines, where she saw larger-than-life images of people such as Diana Ross and her family on the cover. She recalls hearing the music and watching the grownups groove to the global Black anthems of the 1960s, including James Brown’s “Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud.” The love of her people and culture were some of her most memorable moments growing up in Kingston. Taylor Bass also reminisced about the time spent with her cousin-in-law, Neville Garrick, Bob Marley’s photographer and later his publicist, who now runs the Bob Marley Museum.
“As a young kid in Jamaica, I always remember going to Mr. Marley’s house on Sundays, not every Sunday, but often on Sundays, and the kids would hang out and have fun,” she shares. “I didn’t even know what that opportunity meant back then. Sometimes, we saw Mr. Marley play soccer.”
Coming to America
Karen’s biological father, Lloyd Taylor, remained in Kingston, Jamaica. Now retired, he was a financial executive for the Jamaican government. Karen had promised her Dad that she would always keep Taylor as her last name.
When young Karen arrived in America at the age of six, she joined another big family. Her mother, who had become a bride for the first time, married Trevor Williams, who had two young children, Nyla and Christopher Williams. The blended family resided in the Cambria Heights neighborhood of Queens, New York.
While Karen was getting adapted to her new family, she was also adjusting after her move from the Caribbean to America, where she was able to view multiple TV channels compared to the one channel back in Jamaica. Transitioning in school was a challenge as well, as the kids often poked fun at her Jamaican accent.
“My blended and extended family was always so loving towards me. I am a big sister to my siblings. My childhood was always filled with lots of cousins and a big family. I remember always being surrounded by family at large gatherings. To this day, I love gatherings because that was part of my upbringing,” she explains.
Taylor Bass attended St. John’s University, a private institution in New York, where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Communications with a minor in Business.
Act 1: The Music and Entertainment Industries
Taylor Bass’ first job out of college was as a fundraiser with the United Way of New York City and the United Negro College Fund. The United Way had a program titled Loaned Executives, which hired recent college graduates and placed them at corporations to help train them to become successful fundraisers. Though she was hired by the United Way, she was loaned out as an executive to the United Negro College Fund, which was headquartered in Manhattan.
“That’s how I learned to become a fundraiser; that’s how I learned to become a publicist,” says Taylor Bass. “As a fundraiser, you have to write the campaign, you have to talk in front of people. I had to prepare the presentations and plan events. I was a top loaned executive.”
Through this program, The United Way hired Taylor Bass exclusively to work for the Health and Hospital Corporation, where she was recognized as the company’s top fundraiser.
After 17 successful months at the United Way, Taylor Bass left to take a job as a waitress at the world-renowned Sylvia’s Restaurant in Harlem, specifically to meet celebrities and influencers. During that time in the 1980s, Sylvia’s was the hub for Black people of note. She met journalist and book author Nelson George, who was an alumnus of St. John’s University and would often talk with her and give her sound advice on how to get into the music industry. She also met other noted writers, with who, she later worked with throughout her career. She also became friends with Lindsey Williams, who was a top A&R executive at EMI Records, who signed the groundbreaking group Arrested Development, and the grandson of Sylvia Woods, the founder of Sylvia’s Restaurant who was dubbed “The Queen of Soul Food.” Lindsey was also loyal to his family and his grandmother. He worked at the restaurant as a maître d while maintaining a full-time job at EMI. Taylor Bass learned some important lessons on how to interface and navigate relationships with the influential and powerful.
Getting Her Shot
Taylor Bass started her career in the music and recording industries as an intern working closely with the late, great music giant Bruce Lundvall at the jazz label, Blue Note Records in New York City. It was an invaluable first start, but there were no viable career options at the legendary label, so she left to pursue after opportunities.
After Blue Note, Taylor Bass secured an internship at Double XXposure Media Relations, a Black-owned independent public relations firm. When she interviewed with the firm’s founder, Angelo Ellerbee, he said that she would be shadowing Tracie Isaac, who was then the head of the PR department at the firm.
When Taylor Bass reported to work on that Tuesday, Tracie Isaac never returned to the office. She then became the head of the PR department with no experience or on-the-job training. With her overnight promotion, she needed some media tools. She called another music publicist and friend, Stacey Murray, who at the time was employed at Capitol Records, and asked her to forward a press list, which she faxed over to her immediately.
Taylor Bass recalls her first PR music event that she planned on behalf of Double XXposure, which she claims was a disaster but where she learned a few valuable lessons. She organized a party for reggae recording artist Mikey Dread and only four people showed up. From that experience, she learned how to cultivate relationships and follow through and follow up.
After Double XXposure, Taylor Bass secured her first official label job at EMI Records in the pop music PR department. She came to EMI Records with so much pride, she recalls since she had learned a great deal about publicity working at the feet of Angelo Ellerbee. “I got a chance to watch his magic in action. One of the most important things that I learned from Angelo was understanding the importance of the Black press. Angelo drilled that inside of me every day that no matter where you go, take the Black press along with you.”
While enjoying a successful run at EMI Records during the height of the popularity for D’Angelo’s debut album, Brown Sugar, Taylor Bass was lured away from EMI Records by top music executive Sylvia Rhone and marketing executive Karen Mason to become a product manager at East West Records.
Like many other Black publicists, Taylor Bass has been uncredited for her stellar work as a top-tier public relations and communications expert. Though she has not always been given the recognition that she rightfully deserves, she is revered by many in the industry.
“I first worked with Karen Taylor Bass when she hired me to do media coaching with D’Angelo in 1995,” says Dyana Williams, celebrity strategist and CEO of Influence Entertainment. “I found her to be thorough, conscientious, and simply a joy to connect with. Karen has impressively elevated the careers of numerous individuals. Karen Taylor Bass is most deserving of greater recognition for her ‘can do’ spirit, and for being a radiant human being.”
TaylorMade Media
After six months at East West Records, Taylor Bass resigned and formed her PR firm, TaylorMade Media, LLC, and signed Maxi Priest as her first client. Taylor Bass has always been wise beyond her years and an independent thinker who is determined to exceed against the odds, or by any means necessary. As the captain of her own ship, she began to develop strategic partnerships with other entrepreneurs to expand her company and business in other areas besides music and entertainment. One of the partnerships she formed is with Sheila Eldridge, CEO and President of Miles Ahead Entertainment and Broadcasting.
Taylor Bass and Eldridge worked well together and were interested in securing NBA legend Ray Allen. One evening, Taylor Bass was invited to attend a basketball game with her friend, Andrew Scott, who was a mailman by day and photographer by night. During this time, Allen was a star player with the Milwaukee Bucks, who was playing a game with the New Jersey Nets at the Meadowlands Arena in Rutherford, New Jersey. They were seated next to Ray Allen’s mother, now Flora Allen-Hopson. She asked Allen’s mother if she could take a picture of Ray Allen for The Source magazine.
Taylor Bass knew that Ray Allen wanted to be an NBA All-Star, and he wanted to be in The Source magazine, like Allen Iverson. During this time, Allen was not a ten-time NBA All-Star player. After the game, Flora Allen-Hopson introduced her son to her, and Taylor Bass then introduced Ray to Andrew, who was standing by to take photos of Ray Allen. The next day, Taylor Bass called Chris Wilder, a journalist who was working for The Source at the time, and asked Wilder if he would place the photograph of Ray Allen. Wilder said, “Yes,” and that was the entrée for her and Eldridge to secure the account with Ray Allen.
Through their respective companies, Taylor Bass and Eldridge have forged other key partnerships with corporations and celebrities. Years later, in 2017, Eldridge’s Café Mocha Radio named Taylor Bass as the Mocha Maven Honoree. “I have the utmost respect for Karen Bass Taylor, both personally and professionally,” said Eldridge. “She’s a creative marketer that I’ve worked with and watched grow. She reinvented herself, and always stay true to her passion with excellence.”
Creativity is a huge part of Taylor Bass’ brand. When she wanted to secure the public relations account with singer-songwriter Jill Scott, her determination and desire to work with the new artist knew no bounds. One evening Scott was performing in concert with The Roots at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom. In her effort to meet with her while Scott was in town, she asked the bouncers at the club if they would introduce her to Jill Scott. And of course, they said no, because she wasn’t on the VIP list.
Shortly thereafter, Taylor Bass spotted actor Laurence Fishburne, who was making his way into the VIP room while she was still standing outside the club. She said, “Hey, Laurence,” and he proceeded to use some choice words to her because she didn’t address him as “Sir Laurence,” who the known thespian had requested during that time in his career. Embarrassed but not deterred, Taylor Bass started shaking her head as if they were engaged in a friendly conversation. The bouncers thought that she knew Fishburne and came over to her and said, “We’re so sorry; we didn’t know you knew Mr. Fishburne.” And they escorted her to the VIP room. When Scott came off stage, they introduced her to Taylor Bass. And during that conversation, Jill said, “If you come to Philly on your dime and we hit it off, you can have the account.”
Not only did they hit it off, but Taylor Bass singlehandedly also led one of the most successful modern-day PR campaigns for a new artist. Her professional association with Scott and her reputation as one of the industry’s most in-demand publicists had increased tenfold.
But often with the extraordinary highs, there sometimes comes extraordinary lows. Taylor Bass shared one of the most racist incidents that she had ever experienced in her professional career. In 2001, while Jill Scott was enjoying the success of her debut album, Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1, released by Hidden Beach Recordings and distributed by Epic Records/Sony Music. She pitched and received an offer for Scott to appear in the music issue of Condé Nast’s Vanity Fair. According to Taylor Bass, the white female editor didn’t want to work with her because she was Black. Condé Nast wanted to work with the white publicist from Epic Records, who was then the head of the PR department, but not assigned as Scott’s label publicist nor had she been involved with her PR.
The explanation the Vanity Fair editor gave Taylor Bass over the phone about why she couldn’t work with her after she had given her the green light to move forward with the interview was because Vanity Fair doesn’t work with independent publicists.
Taylor Bass said to the Vanity Fair staffer that “Jill has only one publicist.” The editor then called the publicist at Epic Records, who later approached her and said, “Karen, I could just do it. I’ll do it for you. You don’t want to lose the booking.” Karen responded, “Well, I’ve already consulted with my client, Jill, and she doesn’t want anyone else to do it but me. I’m the one that pitched it, and I’m the one that secured it. They have to come to me.”
A short time later, Taylor Bass was with Jill Scott in Los Angeles for a concert and she saw one of her favorite photographers, the late Herb Ritts, who attended the concert and later came backstage with Ellen DeGeneres and others to meet Scott. Taylor Bass went over to introduce herself to Ritts, with who, she later became close friends. Ritts said, “I would love to shoot Jill.” She responded, “I got a proposal for you. How about you shoot Jill for Vanity Fair, but only work with me to do it.” And he said, “Okay.”
Ritts went back to the same editor at Vanity Fair, who declined to work with Taylor Bass, and informed her that he wanted to shoot Jill and that he would work directly with Taylor Bass. Ritts photographed Jill for the Vanity Fair music issue. “When people give you roadblocks or they try to block you, the universe and God is higher,” Taylor Bass attests. “The right person will always be your messenger. And he was my messenger.”
From Post-Partum Depression to Healing
Taylor Bass’ journey to wellness started 13 years ago when she experienced post-partum depression after giving birth to her daughter, Sofia, at 40. She also suffered from anxiety and didn’t want to take medication. Taylor Bass had a complicated pregnancy and delivery, developing placenta previa during the last trimester of her pregnancy. In laymen’s terms, it’s when the umbilical cord is wrapped around the cervix. She was ordered immediately on bed rest. Her diagnosis was potentially dangerous and life-threatening and meant that she could not have a vaginal birth. She had to have a C-section four weeks earlier than her due date so as not to compromise her health or the health of her daughter.
After Taylor Bass’ C-section, she was recovering and still under anesthesia. She recalls, “I woke up, and said to the nurse, ‘I’m hemorrhaging.’ The nurse didn’t catch it; I was the one that had to call the medical staff’s attention to it. The nurse said, ‘No, everybody hemorrhages after a C-section.’ I said, “No, no, no, I’m hemorrhaging out.” When she lifted the sheet, she realized I was hemorrhaging, so they whisked me back to the operating room. During the surgery, I had to have two blood transfusions and the doctor had to manually remove the blood clots. The medical team had to monitor me that night because they weren’t sure if I was going to make it.”
During that scary time, Taylor Bass’ daughter was fine and remained in the hospital’s maternity ward. Her medical emergency taught her another lesson about how everyone must take responsibility and be their own advocate when it comes to dealing with their health issues. Complicating things was the fact that Taylor Bass grew up as a Jehovah’s Witness. “Having two transfusions was one thing; I had a ‘do not give blood transfusion’ order on my sheet,” she says. “In my dire health, thankfully I was able to override and get the transfusion so that I can make it. In my faith, that’s not something that we do; I had to make a critical choice to save my life.”
Due to Taylor Bass’ physical weakness, she wasn’t able to breastfeed her daughter for the first week. “Once I arrived home, she latched on to me, prayerfully. I breastfed her for a year and a half. Even though I had postpartum depression, I breastfed for so long, we had a bond.”
According to Taylor Bass, her postpartum depression was raging out of control. When she wasn’t breastfeeding or engaged in other mommy duties, she just wasn’t herself. “I was out to lunch. I didn’t want to leave the house. I didn’t want to get dressed. I had no energy, and my now ex-husband said, ‘You’re not well. You’re not doing well. You have to go to the doctor and get checked out.’”
Taylor Bass said it took six months after the birth of her daughter before she would go outside for a walk. She no longer had an interest or desire to do any of the things that she loved to do. However, Taylor Bass’ lifelong goal to be a mommy was the only thing that she was able to manage and be tuned into during that dark period in her life. “I felt my maternal side, but when it came to the Karen side, I had no desire to do anything for myself.”
The first step to Taylor Bass’ healing was when she started therapy. She joined Mocha Moms, a support group for Black mothers who have gone through similar experiences. She heard stories of other moms and shared her story. It was during those moments that Taylor Bass felt that she wanted to get dressed and be there. She wanted to participate in activities; she wanted to interact with people again.
“Mocha Moms saved my life, because hearing other peoples’ stories, who look like me, made me want to get better,” she shares. “I didn’t work the first two years after I had my daughter because I had no desire to, and that jeopardized my marriage; it jeopardized everything, and I wasn’t making no money.”
Taylor Bass continued therapy and healing work with support groups as she became stronger. She was introduced to Bikram Yoga as a way to stay present and in the moment, and a way to deal with her postpartum depression and anxiety. Over time, she realized that it helped her cope and the Bikram method made a significant difference.
Act 2: Certified Yoga Instructor and Meditation Coach
Practicing the Bikram method led Taylor Bass to other principles of yoga, including the Hatha and Vinyasa methods, and meditation. Before she turned 50, Taylor Bass had committed herself to becoming a certified yoga instructor and meditation coach. She studied for 11 years and when the opportunity presents itself at the age of 52, she became certified.
“The reason I said, ‘When the opportunity presented itself’ is because oftentimes in yoga, as a Black person, we’re not seen the same as other people. Yoga is not Euro-centric, but Europeans have adopted it. So, there’s a lot of Caucasian people doing it, and sometimes there’s not many of us [Black people] in the class,” Taylor Bass explains. “Because our bodies are different and because we are more curvaceous and voluptuous, oftentimes we are intimidated to be in a room mixed with someone who is a size two. We may not be that size, and maybe we are, but our bodies are constructed differently.”
Taylor Bass waited to practice yoga until she found a Black teacher. Eventually, she found the right instructor and coach in Syntyché Francella, the founder of Dehya Yoga Studios and Dehya Yoga School, an online school and wholeness center. Taylor Bass wanted her teachings to be immersed in Indian culture, African culture, and Caribbean culture, with some Western culture sprinkled in, and that’s what she learned from her mentor.
Taylor Bass is the founder of International Soulful Yoga Day, which had its inaugural event on June 21, 2020. Next year’s annual event will be held on June 19, 2021. She and the team had only six weeks to plan and they were determined to organize and present the event during the coronavirus pandemic. Taylor Bass wanted to incorporate different styles of yoga including Hatha yoga, Passion yoga, and Twerking Yoga for the inaugural virtual event. From Brooklyn to London, there were more than 120 people who registered. Taylor Bass secured the United States Tennis Association as a title sponsor, who have already agreed to return in 2021. The Wellness Center became the mental health advocacy group and was also a sponsor.
“International Soulful Yoga Day was a virtual wellness party for people to feel good, but also for people to exhale and feel that they’re not by themselves,” explains Taylor Bass. “I wanted to give people a whole health and wellness experience, but in a place that’s loving and kind, and a place that we can celebrate, but at the same time understand that our health comes first and wellness matters.”
Like many other Americans, Taylor Bass had to adapt her previous business model to a virtual experience. Pre-COVID, her yoga workshop varied from 15 to 100 students per session with people from all walks of life including top chef and TV personality Carla Hall, who says, “Soulful Yoga is a vibe; liberating, heartfelt, in your solar plexus, and a deep connection with one’s African ancestor and it feels as if the ancestors are with you during the class. Karen’s class is amazing.”
Taylor Bass also had a large constituent of men who practice yoga regularly. She adds, “Men need to release too, and having them in my class with their wives or girlfriends was an incredible experience because I felt the movement shift in the atmosphere.”
The yoga virtual experience had its challenges, but interestingly the pandemic has increased her business and has left little to no time for PR projects. Corporate clients now hire Taylor Bass to teach yoga to their employees, especially during the stay-at-home order. She works with essential workers, private groups, sisters’ groups, church groups, and children.
“International Soulful Yoga Day prepared me to do it virtually,” Taylor Bass continues. “Now, I’m on Zoom, Google Classroom, and GoToMeeting, wherever they tell me to go is where I go. The pandemic allowed me to level up and get more contracts with corporations.”
Taylor Bass said she likes to make the wellness experience fun. She offers pop-up yoga classes on Zoom, as well as meditation and wine-tasting classes. She has a group of students that meet in the park during the summer. She also works with people who are going through various health crises including chemotherapy and autoimmune diseases.
“I’m able to offer a wide range of wellness classes,” says Taylor Bass. “When you become a certified yoga instructor, a big part of our training is understanding the anatomy, and how that works.”
Yoga, A Healing Balm
According to various studies, Black people suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in many forms. Taylor Bass talks about the misconception that many people have about PTSD and often only reference PTSD that’s associated with combat veterans and people coming home from war, which is a primary and critical form of the disease. In an article posted on PsychologyToday.com, Monnica T. Williams Ph.D. addresses the various forms of PTSD and its impact on Black people, including racism-related experiences ranging from ambiguous “microaggressions” to blatant hate crimes and physical assault.
Taylor Bass said there are different ways to treat the person and not just the symptoms because every symptom is different. As a certified yoga instructor, she has learned how PTSD manifests in different ways. She knows the impact that PTSD has on her mainly Black clientele and understands the connection of yoga and trauma and its power to heal.
“Everybody has some trauma that they’re carrying,” Taylor Bass explains. “I studied trauma-informed yoga, which is what I teach. It could be the perennial pain in your back or ankle or the discomfort in the stomach. Oftentimes, people are prescribed medications for PTSD, but science tells us that it’s not just the medication. People need a human touch. People need to be able to communicate or verbalize what they’ve gone through. People need movement to treat PTSD and that could be dancing, yoga, Tai Chi, Shi Gao, meditating, walking, or journaling.”
Divorced now more than one year, Taylor Bass was married for 16 years to Andrew Bass. She says the day she decided to become a certified yoga instructor was the day she asked for a divorce. Yoga had empowered her in many ways that she never thought she would be empowered.
“When you go through a divorce, it is like a death, because you are mourning the loss of a loved one,” she says. “We grew apart. We no longer were on the same page. It was a decision we both made, it was amicable. We valued our children more than we valued staying together and ruining their lives, us being together wasn’t working any longer. We decided we had too much to give as people to be together and not be happy, and that life was way too short.”
Andrew, who was previously married, has a son named Sebastian, who Karen first met when he was four years old. Karen helped to raise Sebastian, who is now 21 years old. Sebastian lost his mother, Felicia, during the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001. Though she never met Felicia, she considers him her “bonus” son. She said Sebastian taught her how to become a mother by on-the-job training.
Taylor Bass believes that yoga is particularly important to people of color because yoga allows us the gift of breath. “When George Floyd said, ‘I can’t breathe,’ the only thing that separates us from the non-living is breath. Yoga allows us the gift of breath.”
Gwendolyn Quinn is an award-winning communications strategist and consultant with a career spanning more than 25 years. She is the Chief Content Officer of the Global Communicator. As a contributor, she has penned stories for NBCNews.com, Black Enterprise, Essence.com, Huff Post, and EURWEB.com.
Karen Taylor Bass made musical selections to the December Global Communicator Playlist, which is sequenced by music curator and producer Brennan Williams. To listen click on YouTube, Apple Music, and Spotify. Enjoy!
