Motherhood Identity Series with Taylor Dilk, CEO & Co-Founder of Vitality Clothing

This mom is on a mission to create maternity wear for every body—and every stage of motherhood.

If you’ve ever been pregnant, you know the struggle to find comfortable, supportive maternity clothes. Add in an active lifestyle, and the search becomes even tougher. 

If you’re able to keep moving during those 40 (very long) weeks, you want athletic wear that helps you absorb sweat and keep the bump (mostly) in place. As two pregnant runners ourselves, we were thrilled when we tried Vitality—and knew instantly the line had to be created by a mom. 

We were right: Taylor Dilk, the CEO and co-founder of Vitality has been helping expecting and postpartum women since 2018. Taylor’s athletic brand has been more than just a business—it's a community dedicated to celebrating every type of body and empowering women to be confident in their own skin. 

Since its inception, Vitality as grown from zero in sales to $30 million. 

When Taylor became a mother to her son Dallas, she had to change how she ran everything. But it turned out to be one of the best things to happen to her business. After experiencing pregnancy and the fourth trimester, she found ways to design clothes specifically for pregnant women and new mothers who are adjusting to a changing, healing body. 

Balancing her growing business and her family is nothing short of challenging, but her approach to it is inspiring.

Here, she chatted with us for this week’s Motherhood Identity Series.

Tell us about the birth of your business.

I was in my senior year of the dietetics program at Purdue University and started sharing my fitness journey on Instagram while simultaneously starting and building my personal training online business. 

After graduating, instead of going the traditional Registered Dietitian route, I decided to keep building my online community through my Instagram and YouTube, as well as building my personal training business. I did that full time right up until we started Vitality.

How has becoming a mother changed your sense of identity, both personally and professionally?

Becoming a mother has made me more patient and compassionate overall—almost a gentler version of myself. In my role as the CEO, I have had to harden myself at times over the years but my son, Dallas has given me my softness back in a sense. A more feminine “me” and it feels very natural and good for the soul.

What have been some of the biggest challenges you've faced balancing your role as a mother with your responsibilities as a business owner?

I have had to really shift my entire mindset when it comes to balancing work and Dallas. For instance, I have found it best when I work from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., spend uninterrupted time with him from 3 to 7p.m., then pick back work up until I go to bed. 

In the past, I would have never given myself a break like that but these days, I prioritize being in the moment with him as much as possible. When I lay my head down at night, it’s really hard to not let the thoughts creep in that I either A) crushed it as a business owner or B) crushed it as a mom. Not both. 

All of us moms can feel this weight every single day but if we remind ourselves that we can do both and do both very well. It helps shift perspective into all of the amazing things we are doing. I don’t think we give ourselves enough credit— and I hope whoever is reading this gets a good reminder.

In what ways has motherhood influenced your approach to running Vitality and its mission?

Being a mother has helped me relate to an entire demographic of women. Our mission has always been “for everyBODY”—but experiencing pregnancy, postpartum and motherhood myself has helped us create some specialized products to help mothers feel even more empowered and beautiful in their own skin. 

For example, our Maternity Pant and Short are the best on the market because I was able to hand-craft exactly what I had wanted personally in a legging when going through pregnancy. It is so cool seeing other new mamas feel just as empowered in our pants through their journey as well.

How do you manage to find time for self-care and maintain your fitness routine while raising a toddler and running a business?

Self-care is so important to me. When I don’t take care of myself, I operate in a low-vibration state that ultimately is not my best self. When I work out, go on walks, do my skincare, stretch, dry brush, eat my nutrients—it's almost like I am a more vibrant me. That translates to my entire life like being a mother, wife, friend, business owner and all of the other roles we play as women. 

Can you talk about any changes or shifts in your relationships and friendships since becoming a mother?

I know a lot of people feel like they no longer relate to their friends with no kids, but I have found that true friendships in life are super hard to come by. And if we are in different seasons of life, that is ok! We still try and make “baby-less” time for each other. It honestly has made my life even more fulfilling because I have kept close to all my friendships, plus have another addition—my son—who is the light of my world.

How has your definition of success evolved since welcoming Dallas into your life?

Success to me has changed tremendously. I used to really chase accomplishments but now, all I want is to do what I love with a strong passion and be present with my family. I try to squeeze every ounce out of every day. 

As someone who has been active on social media for years, how do you navigate sharing your personal journey of motherhood with your audience?

I like to be as transparent as possible with whatever journey I am going through with my audience. I wish I would have known someone who was honest about motherhood in the past when I was going through my own journey. I feel lucky that I now have the opportunity to help mothers feel less alone in their own experiences, which is a beautiful thing to me. It gives me a lot of purpose. 

What’s next for you and Vitality? Are there any new projects or goals you're excited about as you continue to grow your business and family?

My sister, Chloe designs everything from scratch and what we have in the works is truly remarkable. Chloe and I like to be comfy in whatever we wear, so you will notice all Vitality pieces are super comfortable, the best quality, and also the most flattering on your body. 

We take a lot of pride in making women feel their absolute best when wearing Vitality. We always like to be the innovators of the athletic wear industry and we will continue to do that with each product we launch! The growth has come super quickly (still feels like we are drinking out of a firehose to this day) which we are beyond grateful for—and we truly wouldn’t be here without the support of our Vitality community.