From coach to contender: How Mrs World UAE Taylor Elizabeth taught herself to win

It wasn’t fear of public speaking that gave Dubai-based Dr. Taylor Elizabeth pause when she was approached as a potential contender for the title of Mrs. World UAE; it was unease about the unknown. But even as she mulled over what that moment of hesitation — that ache of discomfort — meant, she realised that she needed to push herself out of her comfort zone.

It wasn't wariness over public speaking. Elizabeth, a Swiss American expat who moved to the UAE nine years ago, is used to addressing large gatherings as part of her work as an emotional intelligence and etiquette coach. She has addressed gatherings at events held at EXPO 2020 Dubai Cartier Women's Pavillion, Expo 2020 Dubai USA Pavillion, and Filipino Academy, and participated in panels worldwide. She has been a runway model before and has mentored and judged beauty competitions. What she was unsure about taking on the new beast of beauty pageantry. "Modelling and pageantry are two very different things," she tells Gulf News.

So, she did what anyone with a scientific temperament would do — she set out to research the gig. “This pageant has been in existence since 1984, so it's over 40 years old,” she says. And it’s a platform that empowers women. It especially resonated because if she won — spoiler alert: she did — she would be representing her beloved UAE on an international stage come January 2026. “In the UAE, it’s not just words. It is really a way of thinking, woman empowerment. It is part of everything you know.”

When she began to read up on her predecessors, she knew she had to do it. “You want to put yourself in a room where you feel inspired — and I was by those who came before and those who were taking part in the show,” she adds.

It may have been her first pageant as a contender — “I have been a coach for them, and I have judged them, but haven’t competed before” — but she was ready to learn.

Walking the talk

She admits it wasn’t all smooth sailing, but also when things got tough, she would use the advice she had given others over the years to guide herself. “Anxiety is very human. It's very natural. When I went into this, it was definitely not my comfort zone. I had moments of self-doubt… it is a very physical, mental and emotional process. In pageantry, you have to be very aware of your body position, of your poses, of your face. There are so many different elements of it, and it is really a mind game."

“There have been parts of this process where I have been my worst enemy, because I have doubted myself. And then, I've also been my best supporter, in the sense of putting into practice all of the things that I've been trying to coach other people,” she adds.

A daily reminder

Elizabeth is no stranger to stress and multi-tasking – she’s a mom and a stepmom, and she runs her own consulting business. “I have three dogs and a cat,” she adds, laughing.

She says what grounded her when things became overwhelming was remembering to take a break, to remind herself of her value. She tells us about photographs that stand beside her as she speaks to us; they are of her as a child at three and at eight or nine. “I look at these photos of this little girl, and I remind myself that she's me, I'm her. So, if I'm talking to myself poorly, I remind myself that I'm actually talking to this little girl. And would I ever say these things to her? I never would. So then, why am I saying that to myself now? I look at these photos on a daily basis when I feel like I'm not being kind to myself, I would never talk to anybody else, and I would never talk to this version of me like this.”

A love for UAE

Elizabeth is effusive in her love for the UAE. “I feel like I'm in like, what a future society is going to look like, both in the cosmopolitan nature of it and the mindset of it.”

She adds that it was UAE that made even her participation possible. “It's a situation in which there is a lot of help. We also, I have this wonderful woman that's been working with us for six years. She is family as far as I’m concerned, and when I made this choice, I decided to sit her down and tell her.”

She wanted to discuss the practical aspects of the competition and raising her nine-year-old daughter. But the enthusiasm of her helper — “she loves pageants” — gave her a another boost of confidence.

As for her young one, she explains: “I have to say she's a pretty exceptional human being — we have very healthy communication, and she's very strong in her ability to express what she feels in her way. She checks me a lot too.”

By involving her in the process — checking out dress design, having her present during online coaching sessions — Elizabeth tries to maximise her time with her daughter while she readies for all things stage. ”That's how we're navigating it so far,” she says.

An exercise of mind and body

To compete for a title like Mrs World UAE, it’s important to have the right head space, sure. But it’s just as important for a person to put time and energy into their physicality. Elizabeth, who suffers from the autoimmune disease Hashimoto's thyroiditis, has learned over the years how to manage her symptoms through lifestyle changes. “I'm very into Pilates and yoga. I usually walk about 45 minutes- one hour. What I had not been doing is strength training, which I began to do for this show, to keep my endurance up. (Your feet and your legs, they get really, really tired, and the heels, it's not the easiest.) I'm doing I'm doing resistance and strength training,” she adds.

Where diet is concerned, she adds, she’s on a more protein-rich diet and a diet that supports muscle development and strength.

“I’m lucky my condition is very well managed,” she tells us.

A platform for empowerment

Looking ahead, Mrs World UAE is focused on creating awareness about how self-care impacts emotional health.

“I want people to actually understand what's going on within them, so that you realise, you have a huge ability to… if you don't like a behaviour of your own, if you don't like an outcome, if you don't like a feeling, if there's some something you want to change that is 1,000% within your own power to do. It just takes being more aware of what's going on, and that is a very practical thing.

“I want to talk about consciousness and choice. It is a huge tool towards being at peace within yourself. Because if you're at peace within yourself, everything flows wonderfully from that. I'm also really excited to bring forward something that I've been coaching for quite some time, which is strength and femininity — and the fact that one doesn’t have to be aggressive to get themselves heard.”

For now though, the beauty queen is coming to terms with her new designation as Mrs World UAE. “I’m so honoured. I think the most present feeling that I have now is this feeling of wholeness. Since the crowning, which was on the 14th, it’s been feeling a little surreal. I have just started to tell my friends and everything else. But today, I feel very much present with it. I feel very much empowered by it, and I feel really overjoyed.”