For Taylor Henry, loss, healing and motherhood has shaped her desire to protect what matters most
When Westchester resident Taylor Henry talks about her life, she speaks with a quiet steadiness, the kind that comes from having weathered profound loss and discovering purpose on the other side. Her story begins far from the neighborhood she now calls home, yet the themes that run through it: family, healing, and intentional living, have shaped every chapter.
A Childhood of Love, Nature, and Connection
Taylor was adopted at birth and raised in Pacific Palisades in what she describes as a “deeply loving home.” She grew up alongside her older brother, who was also adopted, and the two spent their childhood outdoors, playing soccer, traveling, and developing a bond with nature and animals that would stay with her for life.
But when Taylor entered 10th grade, everything changed. Her brother, just 16, died in a car accident. The loss was shattering.
“High school is hard enough,” she reflects. “But losing my brother at that age defined me in ways I didn’t understand for years.”
The grief carved depth into her life, but it also planted the seeds of resilience, a quality that would become essential in the years ahead.
Searching for Direction After Loss
After high school, Taylor attended the University of Colorado Boulder, majoring in Fine Arts with a focus on landscape photography. Boulder’s wide-open spaces felt healing, but by graduation, a difficult experience with a professor left her disconnected from the art form she once loved. She returned home unsure of her path, helping with her family’s real estate properties while searching for something meaningful.
The turning point arrived unexpectedly: a suggestion to test her mercury levels after years of eating sushi. The results revealed mercury toxicity, launching her into a year-long detox involving monthly IV treatments.
“People don’t realize that the symptoms often show up during detox, not before,” she says. “It felt like being trapped in my own body.”
The experience forced her to rethink everything she consumed. She shifted to a plant-based diet and immersed herself in learning about food quality, sourcing, and ingredients. It was the beginning of a new chapter, one centered on wellness and, eventually, a new career.
A Love That Grew Naturally
Around this time, something else quietly transformative happened: Taylor reconnected with someone who had always been in her orbit. Her husband had long been part of her extended social circle, her best friend’s brother was his best friend, so their paths had crossed for years. After college, their friendship deepened naturally. What began with easy conversation and shared humor grew into something steadier and more intentional.
After seven years of dating, Taylor knew he was “the one” during what was supposed to be a simple weeklong family vacation to Cabo. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, that short trip unexpectedly stretched into three months, with Taylor, her now-husband, and her parents living together in Mexico. Navigating uncertainty, close quarters, and daily life in a foreign country became a defining moment. Any lingering doubts about their future disappeared.
Honoring Her Brother Through Global Service
Travel has continued to shape Taylor’s life and values. In the years since, she and her husband have visited destinations around the world, including the Democratic Republic of Congo. There, they spent time at The Congo Peace School in Mumosho, a school built by Taylor’s family in memory of her brother. The school teaches peace and nonviolence through the principles of Martin Luther King Jr. and provides daily meals to its students, many of whom are orphans. For some children, it is the only dependable meal they receive.
Taylor describes the work being done at the school as transformative. Beyond education, she says, it offers stability, dignity, and opportunity in a region where resources are scarce.
A Career Rooted in Clean Food and Conscious Living
Driven by her growing interest in nutrition, Taylor enrolled in a six-month culinary program. What she saw in professional kitchens–processed ingredients, low-quality oils and additives–only strengthened her desire to cook differently. She became a certified health coach and began interning with a private chef, preparing meals in clients’ homes using whole foods and clean ingredients.
“It felt like my dream job,” she says.
For five years, she built a thriving practice as a holistic chef.
Life shifted again when she became pregnant shortly after her wedding. Three months into her pregnancy, her father suddenly fell critically ill. One day he was golfing with her husband; the next, he was in the ICU. Limited in hospital exposure due to her pregnancy, Taylor navigated the heartbreak of watching her father decline from a distance. He passed away while she was expecting her son.
“Carrying new life while grieving such a profound loss was one of the hardest things I’ve ever experienced,” she says.
The experience deepened her understanding of the connection between emotional and physical health, a lesson that would later influence her work.
Finding Home and Purpose in Westchester
In 2025, Taylor and her family moved from Mar Vista to Westchester, drawn to its quiet streets and family-friendly feel. She loved being a stay-at-home mom to her son, Bodhi, but she also felt the pull to build something of her own again.
Motherhood brought a new wave of research: safe skincare, clean household products, non-toxic baby items, supplements and ingredients.
“The amount of information and misinformation is overwhelming for parents,” Taylor says.
Friends and clients had always asked her for healthier product swaps, and she realized she had a unique skill set: she genuinely loved researching formulations, testing products, and holding brands to high standards.
That’s when the idea for The Natural Edit came into focus.
Launched in January, The Natural Edit is Taylor’s carefully curated online store featuring non-toxic products and supplements she personally uses and trusts. From bath and body care to baby essentials to household cleaners, every item is vetted with meticulous attention to ingredients and sourcing.
“The Natural Edit is really the culmination of everything I’ve lived,” she says. “Loss, healing, motherhood, everything shaped my desire to protect what matters most.”
A Life Built on Intention
Today, Taylor’s son Bodhi is two-years-old: “brilliant, hilarious, thoughtful, and a giant ball of energy,” she says with a smile. He keeps her grounded and reminds her daily why her work matters.
Taylor balances multiple roles: full-time mother, business owner, and Board member for the Dillon Henry Foundation, established in honor of her brother. In her limited downtime she finds, she prioritizes staying physically active and dedicating focused time to brand and product research. Maintaining her health and refining her standards, she says, keeps her energized, disciplined, and aligned with the purpose behind her work.
For Taylor Henry, wellness isn’t a trend. It’s a life built from resilience, intention, and the belief that healing, in all its forms, is possible.
Check out her website at thenaturaledit.co.
By Sylvia Wilson. Photos by Sophie Saunders.