Spending time with Taylor Mobley leaves no doubt as to why she has a successful broadcast journalism career. Her energy and personality absolutely shine, giving her a natural on-air presence, while her innate interest in others makes her terrific behind the scenes as well. But Mobley, Lifestyle Producer for the Daytime with Kimberly and Esteban morning show on KABB Fox 29 and host of Taylor’d for You, a monthly fashion segment on WOAI’s San Antonio Living, might not have found that path if it hadn’t been for someone who was scared of going on television alone.
As a student at Trinity, she majored in communication with a minor in theater, worked at Trinity’s Tiger TV and at the school’s admissions office. It was here that she received an urgent request to come see one of the admissions counselors. “I thought I was getting fired,” she explains. Instead, the counselor was scheduled to appear on San Antonio Living. “She was so nervous and didn’t want to go alone, so she asked me to come.”
“We did an interview promoting a career fair that was coming up. When I got back to campus, I emailed the station — a shot in the dark. ‘I had the best time today, if you ever have any internship, please let me know.’” The response encouraged her to apply for an internship. She landed a spot which ultimately led to a job which began 2 days after graduation. “My parents were thrilled,” she laughs.
Mobley’s parents fuel how she lives her life. “They’re perfect,“she gushes. “They are the most selfless and giving people that I’ve met. They are full of compassion and understanding. And I treat people the way I’ve seen them treat others.”
“I always like to make people feel their time and presence are both valuable. I want to make sure connections are meaningful and that no one feels like I’m overlooking or ignoring them,” she explains. “Everyone just wants to text and be on social media. But interactions and meaningful relationships are important, especially when it comes to my job, which is to showcase people in their best light.”
That concept helped create her Taylor’d for You segment. “I love fashion. I think it’s the greatest form of self-expression. But I realized relying on the media to see what the trends are, you didn’t always see how to wear them for your age and body type.”
The segment was a hit, but Mobley felt a need to do more. “I wanted to find a way to make it more impactful.” Taylor’d for You, an annual fashion show inspired by her television segment, not only makes fashion more accessible for men and women of all ages and body types, but also highlights different nonprofits in the San Antonio area. The show has raised more than $30,000 for the community in its first two years and won Fashion Event of the Year at the 2018 San Antonio Fashion Awards. The beneficiary of the 2019 show is San Antonio Threads, a nonprofit that gives new clothing to teams who are either homeless or in foster care.
Mobley’s long-term goal is to found a nonprofit or foundation that gives back to other nonprofits. “There are so many needs in our community for so many things. It just makes sense for whatever I’m doing to point back to at least one of those needs.”
How does a 24-year-old make all of this happen? She admits that being detail-oriented has helped and that she works well under pressure.
After she heard a speech about how you shouldn’t “Fake it ’til you make it,” but instead “Fake it until you become it,” Mobley was inspired. However, a conversation with her father created a stronger mantra. “I told him about it, and he said, ‘Well, I think you should just believe it until you become it. Because faking shows a lack of integrity. When people look to you, they want to see that you have credibility, but they also want to see that you have integrity. Faking it implies you’re not being truthful with your journey.’”
“So now my motto is ‘Believe it until you become it.’ What you do to affirm yourself and believe in what you can accomplish, all contribute to achieving the goals that you set for yourself.”
She urges other young women to have that confidence. “Say yes and figure it out later. Studies show a woman will not apply for a job they’re not qualified for. But a man who isn’t qualified will say he is. I think it’s our nature to want to be a perfectionist, overanalyze and be self-critical. But what’s worked for me is saying yes, then figuring out how to do it. If you don’t say yes, someone else is going to get that opportunity, and you will never know what could have been. Saying yes, figuring it out later and giving ourselves more credit goes further in the long run than saying we’re not ready for something.”
Based on all that Mobley’s accomplished so far, we’d say she’s ready for anything.
By Dawn Robinette
Photography by David Teran
