#95 - What’s In Style with Taylor Reed
Apr 27, 2025
This week Taylor Reed (@treedfl) is on to talk about becoming one of the biggest men’s style content creators and his start in the modeling industry after college. We go into body image, workout routines, what Taylor eats in a day, protein, bulking, style, skincare, what to wear, confidence, and so much more. This is an episode every young guy should hear, don’t miss this one!
From Pre-Med to Content Creator: Taylor Reed's Guide to Confidence, Style, and Building Your Own Path
How a biology major who planned to be a doctor found success in menswear, modeling, and building a career that prioritizes time and relationships
Taylor Reed's story isn't what you'd expect from someone who's now a successful content creator and model with major brand partnerships. At 25, he was supposed to be deep into medical school, following the traditional pre-med track he'd mapped out since college.
Instead, he's built a thriving career in menswear content, modeling, and brand consulting—all because he had the courage to pivot when his original path stopped feeling right. His journey offers powerful lessons about authenticity, building confidence, and creating success on your own terms.
The Honest Pivot: When Your Dream Doesn't Fit
Taylor studied biology and public health at Boston University with plans to become a doctor. But watching his surgeon mentors struggle with corporate healthcare and insurance bureaucracy made him question everything.
"My mentors were like, 'It's not like what it used to be. You're not serving patients as much. You're serving corporate interests,'" Taylor recalls.
He explored public health as an alternative but realized the systemic problems were even bigger than he'd thought. "You're fighting a crazy uphill battle in that field."
The Lesson: There's no shame in changing direction when you realize your chosen path doesn't align with your values or the impact you want to make.
The Accidental Career: How Outfit Videos Changed Everything
Taylor's entry into content creation happened by accident. Preparing for grad school, he decided he needed to "dress better to be professional enough." So he started posting outfit videos—mostly for fun and creative expression after spending so much time on pure science.
The first video blew up. Then the second. Brand deals started coming in.
What was supposed to be a gap year to save money for grad school turned into discovering a passion for the business side of content creation—negotiation, consulting, hosting events.
The Lesson: Sometimes your biggest opportunities come from side projects. Stay open to unexpected paths that light you up.
The Real Impact: Beyond the Surface
One of the most powerful moments in Taylor's journey came through messages from followers—particularly one from a trans person who said his content helped them feel confident during a difficult transition.
"It saved me from going down a dark mental route," the person wrote.
"If I can provide some comfort or inspiration that gives someone a little nugget of 'if that dude can wear that, I can wear that,' then I'm making an impact," Taylor explains.
The Lesson: Success isn't just about what you achieve—it's about the positive impact you have on others, even in unexpected ways.
Redefining Body Image and Confidence
Having gone through bodybuilding (which damaged his relationship with food and body image) to becoming a model, Taylor has a unique perspective on confidence and self-image.
His advice? Stop chasing qualitative goals and focus on quantitative metrics.
"If you're worried about self-image and you're checking yourself all the time against some qualitative goal that's entirely made up in your head, you're never gonna get there," he says.
Instead, he suggests goals like: "Can I run a 5K and feel good doing it? Can I walk around all day and have good energy?"
The Core Philosophy: "As long as you're healthy, as long as you're enjoying your life, you can look and feel however you want to, as long as you're not hurting anyone else."
The Fake It Till You Make It Framework
Taylor's approach to building confidence is refreshingly honest: "You just kind of have to fake it till you make it, really."
His basketball story illustrates this perfectly. After not scoring a single point all season, his mom told him: "The one thing you haven't tried is pretending you're good at basketball."
He still didn't score, but became the league leader in rebounds and defense, helping his team reach the championship.
The Application: "I just had to start convincing myself that I'm self-confident. And it actually works wonders. It's like a placebo effect."
Success Redefined: Time Over Money
For Taylor, success isn't primarily about money—it's about time and relationships.
"Time more than anything has been my biggest metric of success. Control over my time is critical because I want to be as busy as possible when I'm working, but I also want to be able to put everything away and be with the people I care about."
His ultimate goal? Having flexibility to show up for friends and family when they need him, and eventually having his parents live nearby as they age.
The Insight: "Time is the one resource that is truly finite and you can't make any more of it. So maximizing the time I have and spending it well, that's success to me."
Style Fundamentals for Every Guy
Taylor's approach to style is refreshingly practical. His essentials list for any guy:
Blue jeans and black leather shoes/loafers
White t-shirt and white button-up
One dark and one light jacket
Charcoal suit
Black leather belt
His Golden Rules:
Start slow: Add one new piece at a time rather than overhauling your entire wardrobe
Fit is everything: A well-fitting basic outfit beats expensive clothes that don't fit
Try before you buy: Go to stores, try things on, find brands that fit your body well
Stop caring what others think: As long as you're appropriately dressed and feel good, that's what matters
Practical Wellness That Actually Works
Taylor keeps his fitness and nutrition simple:
Fitness: Focus on movement, not just exercise. In NYC, he easily burns 1000 calories just walking around the city.
Nutrition: "Diet is 80%, training is 20%." He eats until he's 80% full and focuses on balance rather than extremes.
Supplements: Just three basics—protein powder for convenience, creatine for performance, and magnesium for sleep.
The Anti-Comparison Mindset
Despite working in an industry built on appearance and comparison, Taylor has developed a healthy perspective:
"I don't compare myself in a competitive sense to other people anymore. If I see someone doing incredible things, I'm like, 'What can I learn from this? How can I do it in my own way?'"
He even maintains friendships with other menswear creators in NYC, supporting each other rather than competing.
The Bottom Line
Taylor Reed's story isn't about finding the "perfect" path—it's about staying true to yourself when the conventional path stops working, building genuine confidence from the inside out, and defining success on your own terms.
His approach to career, style, and life is refreshingly authentic: try things, learn from them, focus on what you can control, and prioritize the relationships and experiences that matter most.
For guys in their twenties navigating uncertainty about careers, confidence, or style, Taylor's journey offers a roadmap that's both practical and inspiring. Sometimes the best thing you can do is trust yourself enough to change course when something better emerges.
As he puts it: "Fake it till you make it really, but also set goals you can actually measure and achieve. That proof to yourself never goes away."
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See you guys next Tuesday.
