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Jay Shetty Podcast

Victoria's Secret Model Taylor Hill Reveals The True Behind-the-Scenes Life Of A VS Angel

Today, let's welcome supermodel, content creator, actor, and philanthropist Taylor Hill.

Taylor HillguestJay Shettyhost

Jun 17, 20242h 25mWatch on YouTube

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CHAPTERS

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Chapter summaries

Cold open and why Taylor still can’t believe she booked the VS show
The episode opens with Taylor recalling auditioning for the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and her shock at booking it. Jay frames her impact in fashion and tees up later themes of grief and loss.
- •Taylor says she auditioned for the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and was shocked when she booked it
- •Jay introduces Taylor as a Victoria’s Secret Angel
- •Jay previews a later conversation about grief and losing a friend
Subscribe message and setting up the conversation
Jay briefly interrupts with a channel subscription message framed around building habits. The episode then returns to Taylor and Jay greeting each other before starting the interview.
- •Jay shares audience subscription stats and asks viewers to subscribe
- •He frames subscribing as making learning easier to access as a habit
- •Taylor and Jay exchange brief greetings before the first question
Earliest childhood memory: the blown-out Barbie candle and being “very emotional”
Taylor shares her earliest memory: her third birthday, a Barbie cake, and a friend blowing out her candle before she could. She connects the moment to her emotional sensitivity and her confusion when people do unkind things.
- •Taylor describes her third birthday party in Chicago and the pink Barbie cake
- •A friend blows out her candle first; she feels heartbroken that he “took my wish”
- •She says the story reflects that she’s very emotional and struggles to understand meanness
- •Jay asks whether she still knows the friend; Taylor says she does
Sports, discipline, and being scouted at 14
Taylor explains how sports shaped her drive: gymnastics, ballet, and snowboarding gave her structure and a mindset of striving to improve. She ties that athletic discipline to her long modeling career and love for work.
- •Taylor says sports—gymnastics, ballet, snowboarding—helped define her
- •She describes gymnastics as demanding and centered on striving to be better
- •She connects that mentality to her modeling career and passion for working
- •Jay and Taylor briefly revisit the “Barbie” connection and childhood playfulness
Working at 14: global travel, family support, and learning independence early
Taylor describes signing with IMG at 14 and traveling internationally while her mom accompanied her to keep her safe. She credits her mom, grandpa, and later her older sister for supporting her through an unusual teenage life.
- •Taylor says she signed with IMG at 14 and began traveling widely for work
- •Her mom traveled with her to provide supervision and safety
- •Her grandpa helped by traveling and living with her at times
- •Taylor says her siblings accepted it as her new normal and didn’t treat her differently
Dropping out, getting a GED, and feeling like modeling was her path
Taylor explains that school was difficult for her and that balancing work with education became unmanageable. She ultimately left high school at 15, got her GED, and began modeling full time, describing it as a better fit for how she learns.
- •Taylor says she struggled with school and felt distracted and uninterested
- •She tried homeschooling but found it difficult with time zones and workload
- •She says Colorado lacked structure for combining school with heavy work travel
- •Taylor dropped out at 15, earned a GED, and describes learning through “school of life”
From runway to Victoria’s Secret: why it mattered and what booking felt like
Taylor reflects on Victoria’s Secret as a major mainstream milestone at the time and why she wanted to try. She describes auditioning at 18, being surprised she booked on her first attempt, and feeling both gratitude and fear once it became real.
- •Taylor says Victoria’s Secret was seen as a major, mainstream step for many models
- •She describes moving from teen-focused work into “adult modeling” around 18
- •She auditioned because it was a big goal and says she was shocked to book on her first try
- •She attributes confidence in the room partly to having walked runways since 14
Inside the VS casting room and feeling safe on set
Taylor breaks down the casting steps: pre-casting with a familiar casting director, then a main casting at headquarters with a large panel and cameras. She also discusses why she generally felt comfortable, emphasizing the importance of a safe team and environment.
- •Taylor explains a pre-casting: walking, being filmed, answering questions, and photos
- •She describes the main casting room with multiple decision-makers, cameras, and repeated walks
- •She booked the show while traveling for work and recalls the timing of the call
- •Taylor says she felt comfortable and safe in many settings due to familiar teams and excitement
Training, diet, and the complicated conversation about beauty standards
Taylor explains how her preparation evolved with age, including HIIT-style workouts, weight training, and dietary changes before the show. She repeatedly emphasizes she tried to be healthy and doesn’t want her experience to be misread as a prescription for others, while Jay explores the difference between athletic standards and beauty pressure.
- •Taylor says early on she didn’t have to train as intensely, but later stepped it up for the show
- •She describes her workouts (intervals, planks, sprints, weightlifting) and why she enjoys fitness for mental health
- •She outlines her approach to food leading up to the show, including being gluten-free and avoiding alcohol for a period
- •Taylor acknowledges Victoria’s Secret wasn’t inclusive and says unrealistic standards affected society
- •Jay and Taylor discuss how “bubbles” can shape norms and how two truths can coexist (personal joy and collective harm)
VS shift, labeling burnout, and finding words for what you felt later
Taylor shares relief that Victoria’s Secret is returning with a different lens and says being older changes what she wants from the experience. The conversation expands into how people often can’t name experiences like burnout or anxiety until language and cultural awareness catch up.
- •Taylor says she’s glad the show is coming back differently and appreciates being asked what she wants
- •She hopes the new version keeps glamour while centering women’s comfort and agency
- •Taylor explains how she later understood concepts like burnout—sometimes you don’t have a word for what you’re feeling
- •Jay shares a parallel example of later recognizing anxiety and panic attacks from earlier experiences
Meeting Tate: nine years of companionship and a “soul dog” bond
Taylor describes getting Tate at 18 during a formative period and how he became her best friend through major life changes. She talks about unconditional love, responsibility, and how Tate motivated her to be better, while also acknowledging that some people dismiss pet grief.
- •Taylor says Tate entered her life at 18 and stayed with her through major transitions
- •She describes the unconditional love of animals and how it shaped her emotionally
- •Taylor explains why losing a pet can be devastating and rejects the idea of “moving on” quickly
- •She shares how public support after Tate’s death helped her feel less alone
Tate’s diagnosis, the scramble for care, and the wedding he made it to
Taylor recounts Tate’s symptoms, diagnosis with T-cell lymphoma, and the urgency of finding oncology care. She describes his ICU stay, starting treatment, and a dramatic improvement that allowed him to attend her wedding days later.
- •Taylor names the diagnosis: T-cell lymphoma and describes early symptoms (excess thirst, vomiting, incontinence)
- •She describes delays in getting oncology appointments and the escalation to emergency ICU care
- •Doctors find the cancer throughout his body; Taylor rushes back to be with him
- •Tate starts treatment and improves quickly, ultimately attending her wedding where loved ones could see him
Saying goodbye at home and turning loss into a cause-driven mission
Taylor explains how the cancer adapted and began attacking Tate’s kidneys, leading to the decision to let him go. She describes choosing at-home euthanasia for comfort, and how the experience shaped her commitment to supporting others through cancer-related pet care costs and resources.
- •Taylor says the treatment stopped working as the cancer adapted and began affecting Tate’s kidneys
- •She describes choosing in-home euthanasia to avoid the stress of returning to the hospital
- •Taylor emphasizes wanting Tate’s final moments to be calm, pain-free, and surrounded by love
- •She explains donating proceeds to the Buddy Fund at the Animal Medical Center to help cover pet chemotherapy costs
- •Taylor says Tate & Taylor’s purpose shifted after his death toward helping others facing similar decisions
How to grieve a pet and how to support someone who’s grieving
Jay asks Taylor what she wants grieving pet owners—and their loved ones—to understand about the process. Taylor describes grief as ocean-like, stresses patience and self-care, and emphasizes that healing is different from “getting over it.”
- •Taylor says grief can feel like an ocean with changing intensity and waves
- •She distinguishes healing from “moving on” and says grief deserves time and space
- •Taylor encourages finding ways to process—talking to someone, journaling, or starting small with questions
- •Jay shares an analogy of grief as a stone that stays the same while you grow stronger and it feels lighter
A miscarriage she hadn’t shared publicly: shock, loneliness, and mixed emotions
Taylor reveals she had a miscarriage about three years earlier and explains why she’s sharing it now in the context of grief and Tate’s support. She describes becoming pregnant with an IUD during COVID while separated from her partner, the emotional whiplash of acceptance and loss, and the confusing coexistence of relief and devastation.
- •Taylor says she became pregnant while having an IUD and was shocked and scared
- •She describes being separated from her husband during COVID and attending appointments alone
- •She recounts milestones like hearing a heartbeat, then spotting that progressed into a miscarriage
- •Taylor explains the emotional complexity: fear, sadness, relief, guilt, anger, and confusion can all exist together
- •She says it later helped to learn many women experience miscarriage, though that idea can feel invalidating at first
Needing solitude, leaning on a partner, and building community through Tate & Taylor (plus Final Five)
Taylor explains that early on she needed to be alone and wasn’t ready for people to “fix” her feelings, while close friends supported her mostly by quietly being present. She then describes how communication with her husband helped them navigate grief at different paces, before sharing how her modeling career experiences informed building Tate & Taylor as a community-oriented, cause-driven pet brand; the episode closes with Jay’s “Final Five.”
- •Taylor says she initially needed solitude and didn’t want people to say the “right” things—she wanted presence, not solutions
- •She describes supportive friendships: being held, allowed to cry, and having emotions mirrored without being rushed
- •Taylor highlights partner communication: naming hard weeks, being seen in triggering moments, and checking in over time
- •She explains how experiences from modeling (teams, production, relationships) helped her build Tate & Taylor with intention
- •Taylor describes Tate & Taylor’s goals: curated products, supporting founders, building community, and cause-driven giving (including rescue)
- •Jay and Taylor do the “Final Five,” including advice she received from her dad and her emphasis on growth and change

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