Taylor Elizabeth, Emotional Intelligence, Etiquette Expert, Founder and CEO, The Elegance Advisor

Some people teach etiquette. Others teach confidence. Taylor Elizabeth has built a remarkable global career helping people understand that the two are deeply connected through one powerful skill: emotional intelligence.

As the Founder and CEO of The Elegance Advisor, Taylor Elizabeth has spent more than 13 years working across 22 markets and five continents, helping individuals cultivate self-awareness, confidence, meaningful communication, and stronger human connections. A licensed Life Coach, Emotional Intelligence Coach, and NLP Practitioner, she is a respected voice on the intersection of modern etiquette, emotional wellbeing, and conscious living.

What makes Taylor’s perspective particularly relevant today is her belief that true elegance is not about appearances, social rules, or polished manners. It is about empathy, emotional resilience, self-respect, and the ability to make others feel valued. In an age where screens often dominate conversations and validation is increasingly sought online, her work serves as a timely reminder that the strongest relationships are still built through genuine human connection.

Having spoken at prestigious global platforms, including the esteemed Cartier Women’s Pavilion and USA Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, Taylor has engaged audiences on subjects ranging from identity and communication to emotional intelligence and leadership. Across cultures, generations, and industries, she has observed a common truth: people may remember what you said, but they never forget how you made them feel.

Here, in an exclusive interview with Sumita Chakraborty, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, TheGlitz, Taylor Elizabeth shares her thoughtful perspectives on parenting, confidence, emotional resilience, communication, modern etiquette, and the growing importance of human connection. Her insights offer a powerful reminder that while the world may be changing rapidly, empathy, awareness, and emotional intelligence remain the foundations of a meaningful life.

Over To Taylor Elizabeth, Emotional Intelligence, Etiquette Expert and founder and CEO, The Elegance Advisor

In today’s hyper-digital world, where attention spans are shrinking and communication is becoming increasingly transactional, how important is it to consciously nurture emotional intelligence at home?

I don’t think we can afford to ignore it any longer. The most important skill of this era is emotional intelligence.

In the modern world, we are raising children in a way that is not conducive to deep-thinking. It is primarily focused on quickly rewarding and stimulating them, causing emotional disconnection in many households. People are engaged in a higher volume of communication, yet empathy and understanding are lacking.

The home is the first-place emotional intelligence should be prioritized because the children develop emotional behavior by observation before they develop the emotional vocabulary. They soak in how stress is handled, how people speak to one another, and how love is expressed.

It is concerning that so many people are in the same house, yet treating each other as if they were worlds apart. Everyone is multitasking, speed-walking, and in work mode. Emotional intelligence is the opposite.

This current generation of children should not be expected to excel in academics, but should be encouraged to be emotionally resilient and able to communicate, relate, and respond to the world and people around them with mindfulness and awareness. All of this starts from the little things we do at home every day.

You often speak about the intersection of emotional intelligence, confidence, and modern etiquette. How do you believe a mother’s emotional behaviour shapes a child’s future relationships and self-worth?

A mother’s emotional behavior influences a child’s understanding of love, communication, safety, and sense of self.

Mothers often have their children’s full attention, meaning that children are always ahead of the game in emotional observation. They pay attention to how their mother addresses herself, handles stressful scenarios, and responds to other people. They learn whether their mother stands up for herself, expresses appreciative consideration, and believes in her self-worth and value.

Those observations will be permanent.

A child surrounded by unpredictable emotional behavior could become alert and attuned to the behavior of others. Adults who feel the need to please others struggle with self-worth. Children who learn about effective communication and emotional management feel more emotionally secure and enrich their future relationships.

Emotional foundations of confidence are often overlooked. Building confidence means creating emotional foundations, encouraging communication, and ensuring a person feels appreciated and understood.

This links with today’s formal and informal social interaction. Perfection, self-presentation, and display of great organizational social skills do not define great social skills; they stem from consideration and awareness and respect of how social interactions affect others. Children learn social skills by imitation rather than education.

Many parents today are raising children in high-pressure, fast-paced environments. What are some everyday habits or rituals mothers can adopt to help children become more emotionally aware and resilient?

The first is slowing down both emotionally and mentally, even when life remains hectic.

Children are busy and their schedules are full. What they need is emotional healing. The most effective things are often simple.

Things like rituals matter:

Having dinners with no devices

Teaching to explain feelings and not what they did

Learning to explain feelings

Reflecting instead of feeling a need to react

Calm bed times

Letting out feelings without judgment

I believe emotional regulation for mothers is very important because with them out of control, children will be out of control with the things they learn more of without words, but with what they see.

One of the things that builds up is not feeling something hard, but the ability to control the feelings and not shelter them.

Expecting the feeling of nothing hard is not the goal. The goal is for children to feel and be aware.

As someone who works across cultures and global markets, have you noticed differences in how emotional intelligence is nurtured in children across different parts of the world?

Emotional Intelligence is impacted by customs, ways of communicating, structures of families, and social standards.

Cultures differ on how expressive people are allowed to be with their emotions. In some cultures, being emotionally reserved is a trait that identifies a person as strong and respectable, or even as disciplined. In some societies, children are raised to be self-expressive with an emphasis on individuality, while in other societies children are raised to be socially responsible with an emphasis on family and social integration.

Each of the extremes have their faults and benefits.

However, what I have noticed is that families in all parts of the world are now dealing with exactly the same modern day pressures. Electronic distractions, comparison culture, emotionally burned out, and disconnected with the world despite how connected we all are.

Parents today understand the value of emotional intelligence and that is what separates the good leaders and great people from the rest. Parents realize that emotional intelligence affects one’s self-discipline, emotional well-being, and how successful a person is in the long run.

When it comes to emotional intelligence, children who feel protected, heard, and connected to their families are emotionally secure.

You’ve said that modern etiquette is deeply connected to empathy and self-awareness rather than just social rules. How can mothers model this kind of conscious communication for the next generation?

Experiencing communication is the best way for a child to learn.

Growing up having a conversation where you are the only one being interrupted means you will not listen. Criticism will lead to internalized shame. Constant emotional reactivity will lead to the normalization of conflict-centered communication.

With consciousness, communication starts with an awareness of all elements that comprise a message. It is not as simple as the words. It is the subtext. Body language. Emotional stability. Intent.

Even in stressful and emotional moments

Using no-shame disciplinary strategies

Responding only after fully listening

When needed, making amends verbally.

Being a source of calm-inbound aggression

Removing the fear from the honesty-policy.

The best form of modern etiquette is actively being emotionally intelligent. It is being willing to practice empathy and to make others feel not only safe, but also emotionally protected.

In many ways, the future generation will not remember every lesson they were taught, but they will remember how communication made them feel.

In an era of social media validation and constant comparison, how can mothers help children build authentic confidence and emotional security from within?

One of the biggest issues for this generation is emotional regulation.

Many kids have begun growing in a world where they attach their worth to visibility and external validation. The problem here is that when self-worth is determined by external factors, then emotional regulation is at risk of growing very unstable.

Confidence that is rooted in performance is not the same as true confidence.

Real confidence comes from identity, self-trust, emotional resilience, values, communication skills, and knowing who you are beyond how people respond to you.

Mothers can help by being very conscious about what is celebrated at home. Is the child only praised for achievement and appearance, or also for kindness, effort, courage, emotional awareness, integrity, and growth?

I also believe children need more opportunities to experience life away from constant digital stimulation. Human connection, creativity, conversation, nature, reflection, boredom, and real-world interaction are essential for emotional development.

Most importantly, mothers must be mindful of comparison within themselves as well. Children absorb how adults relate to appearance, success, aging, validation, and self-worth.

Confidence cannot simply be taught verbally. It is energetically modeled.

Through your journey as Founder of The Elegance Advisor and your work on global platforms like Expo 2020 Dubai, what has been your biggest learning about human connection, and why does it matter now more than ever?

What I’ve learned most is that regardless of status, success, titles, culture, and background, all people, deep down, want to be recognized, understood, respected,  feel safe, appreciated, and connected.

I have interacted with people of many different cultures, ethnicities, and social standings, from students and family members to business leaders, public figures, and politicians. Something that has also been apparent is that, aside from many other things, emotional intelligence and the ability to connect with other people really determines ultimate success, as much in your personal life as in your professional life.

People will always remember how they feel after you contact them.

In a world moving increasingly toward automation, where things move fast and people will have less contact with one another. Therefore, the ability to connect with people in a meaningful way, emotionally and personally will become more valuable.

The future will require the ability to emotionally regulate oneself and be present in the moment in order to communicate and create relationships emotionally. Therefore, in my opinion, emotional intelligence and the ability to communicate, as well as empathy, will become foundational life skills.

And ultimately, that is what my work through The Elegance Advisor has always been about: helping people understand that elegance is not simply how you look. It is how you think, communicate, behave, connect, and make others feel.

TheGlitz Verdict

In a time when likes, follows, and endless notifications often compete for our attention, Emotional Intelligence, Etiquette Expert, founder and CEO, The Elegance Advisor, Taylor Elizabeth’s message feels both refreshing and necessary. Her belief that emotional intelligence is the true foundation of confidence, communication, and meaningful relationships resonates deeply in today’s fast-moving world.

At TheGlitz, we believe her insights go beyond parenting advice… they are life lessons for anyone seeking stronger connections, greater self-awareness, and a more compassionate way of living. Taylor reminds us that elegance isn’t about perfection or appearances; it’s about empathy, presence, and the lasting impact we leave on others. And perhaps that’s the most powerful lesson of all: people may forget what we said, but they will always remember how we made them feel.