From Hearing Loss To Hope: Desiree Taylor On Faith, Advocacy, And Resilience

What if the most exhausting part of your faith wasn’t doubt, but the checklist you thought God required? We sit down with author and mentor Desiree Taylor to explore how progressive hearing loss, social hurdles, and a lifetime in church led her from rule-keeping to a relationship marked by grace, courage, and advocacy. Desiree opens up about growing up deaf, navigating school with hearing aids and later cochlear implants, and how lip-reading sharpened her attention to people’s hearts. She also shares the emotional weight of genetics, the ache of passing hearing loss to a child, and the honest “why me?” questions that became her doorway to deeper trust.

The conversation moves into the gap many feel between religion and a living encounter with God. Desiree describes years of shame and perfectionism, the pressure to perform spiritually, and the moment she finally brought her grief to God and discovered a gentler truth. From there, Scripture came alive, identity took root, and the lie of “I’m always failing” lost its power. We tie those insights to church life today, naming practical ways communities can include people with disabilities—clear communication, intentional eye contact, planned accessibility—and why culture change means more than a one-time fix.

Desiree’s new book, Created to Relate: Living Beyond Religion, blends memoir and reflection with questions that help readers examine what they believe about God, themselves, and others. She talks about the long writing journey, the choice to mentor young adults, and the vision behind her website that features disability stories and resources. Whether you’re navigating hearing loss, advocating for inclusion, or longing for faith that feels personal and free, you’ll find honest guidance and grounded hope. If this resonates, share it with a friend, subscribe for future episodes, and leave a review to help more people find the show.

Chapters

• 0:44 Welcome And Guest Introduction
• 2:26 Childhood Curiosity And Hearing Loss
• 3:53 Early Faith And Salvation
• 4:53 Genetics, Deafness, And Identity
• 7:32 Wrestling With Why And Passing It On
• 8:33 Everyday Advocacy And Education
• 11:32 Church Inclusion And Social Gaps
• 13:51 From Religion To Relationship
• 17:32 Writing The Book And Its Message
• 20:15 Legacy, Mentoring, And What’s Next
• 22:18 Encouragement And Where To Find The Book
• 23:09 Closing And Listener Support

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:30

Hello everyone, thank you again for joining me on another episode of the Dorsus show presented by the Odori Audio Group which inspires an uplift for discussions, testimonies, and teachings equipping listeners for meaningful conversations. Today we have a special guest with us. Her name is Desiree Taylor. She is a first-time author, speaker, and mentor. She is a wife and mother of two young adult men. Desiree is deaf and bilateral copy implants and a pack about advocating for those with disabilities. She is here to discuss her new book Created Too Late Living Beyond Religion. Desire, thank you so much for coming on the show today.

SPEAKER_01: 1:31

Oh, thank you for having me. I'm happy to be here.

SPEAKER_00: 1:33

Absolutely. I want to start off with, you know, a word of prayer before we get going here. Father God, we can thank you for the time and for this conversation we're about to have with Desiree and God allow your will and your Holy Spirit to lead guide this conversation, guiding the play. As I always like to open up with a icebreaker question, today's icebreaker question is what's your f favorite funny story to tell?

SPEAKER_01: 2:05

Oh my favorite funny story to tell. Oh goodness. I'm not good at these things. You know, I don't know. I gotta think about that. I don't know. My brain is not working very well today. So I'm a little slower with these. I don't know. Okay. I'll probably think of it in the middle of session. Right. What were you like as a child? What was I like as a child? Well, that's kind of interesting. I think I was very curious. I was very aware of myself, my feelings, and I was a very deep thinker, thought a lot. I kind of went off into my own world a little bit. I thought deeply about a lot of things. I was an observer. I think with my hearing loss, because I didn't have I I couldn't understand things around me. When I was lost in conversation and things, I would just kind of wander. So I would think I would be very much an observer of everyone around me. So I've always kind of been like that. I think I'm still like that today, really.

SPEAKER_00: 3:31

Can you share with us your story? How you came to faith in Christ?

SPEAKER_01: 3:38

Well, when I first met Jesus, I had always gone to church. My mom took me to church. So I grew up in the church. And I think it was around, you know, around eight or nine or so. I started um I was in a Baptist church, and I had a lot of friends around me who went to the Catholic church. So we would talk about things, and I just saw and listened to the things that people were talking about who God was. So a lot of things didn't line up. So I just started asking God who he was, and he started to show me that I got and I got I was saved around nine and got baptized when I was ten. So it was around that age that I at least I accepted Christ as my savior, you know, and received him. I don't know that I really understood that about the relationship part with him so much, you know.

SPEAKER_00: 4:39

What happened with your hearing loss? Like what caused it? Was it some type of, you know, human human thing? Or was it a, you know, chronic hearing loss? Or, you know, how do how does that how did that your hearing loss play into your your life?

SPEAKER_01: 4:59

Well, I was my mom was deaf. She had that progressive nerve deafness. They didn't know that it was genetic, but I think they started seeing something in me, like maybe around three or four, and was watching it a little bit. I got my first hearing need when I was nine. So it was genetic, and it was a progressive loss. So I started, you know, with a little bit of a loss, and then it just progressed into full deafness. So how did that play in my life? Well, it's played, it's played a big piece in my life, socially and even in the church, I think, and in my relationship with Jesus. But socially, I think, well, you know, I was young, I was nine years old, and I have this hearing aid now, and the kids were they weren't very nice. You know, I've had to break through learning about who I am as a person, you know, that God values me as a person. That just because I have the hearing loss, that that doesn't make me broken or damaged or anything like that. But that's been part of my journey with um learning who God is too and how he's created me and who he sees me to be. Um so it's affected all those aspects of life in general and in my relationship with Jesus, really.

SPEAKER_00: 6:29

Did you ever feel like you blamed God for, you know, your disability or, you know, anything of that? How did that affect you, you know, mentally and emotionally, even?

SPEAKER_01: 6:44

I love that. That's a great question, actually. I think there's been a lot of points in life where I asked why. I had two other sisters and they didn't have any issues with it. Also with mine, because I was the one that had the hearing loss. I was able to pass it on to my children, and one of my children did get the hearing loss as well, whereas my siblings didn't. So that does cause a lot of emotional struggles. I wondered why was it that you allowed it for me and not them? You know, why did I have to get all these things that felt like such, I don't know, limitations, all these limitations, and um it's not an easy life. It's a hard life. It really is. And people don't understand, and they're not very kind sometimes. And just I questioned his reasoning and allowing it, I think. I don't think that I blame him, but I do think I asked a lot of questions, you know. Right.

SPEAKER_00: 7:56

Yeah, someone, you know, we both have, you know, disabilities, and I think we can both relate to the fact that, you know, people are not always the nicest when it comes to those with, you know, disabilities and being made fun of and being teased and being mocked, and you know, those types of things that we that we deal with and that we face in life. What type of disability advocacy have you done for those with uh disabilities?

SPEAKER_01: 8:32

Well, it ends up being a lot of like in life stuff. I worked in the school system for a while at a special ed paraprofessional. So I was able to use it a lot there when I worked there, helping other kids understand someone who has a disability to help them, you know, learn how to socialize with them and to have a relationship with them. I think a lot of people, they're just afraid of what they don't know. I like to help people understand. I didn't really understand how to advocate for myself for a while, but I had a mom of one of the boys that I worked with at the school, and she he really helped me in understanding how to advocate. Um I I've learned along the way that I don't have to be treated like that. And sometimes people they do things, they're not trying to be mean either. They just don't know what to do. They don't know how to, they don't know how to interact. So I really try to, in my everyday life, help people, whether it's if I see someone who has a hearing loss, which I don't see a lot, but you know, I've been able to sign to people or help people, or I've been able to help people understand me better and the disability better, so that when they meet someone else, they can treat them better. I think that's the key is helping people know and understand. And I have a section on my website where I share other people's stories about their lives with their disabilities. And I think the more that we help educate people and help them understand that we're just people, same as them. But we just have different limitations, different needs. We have tools that we need to help us to be successful, you know. But I think that the more that people understand who we are and about the disabilities, the less they're not so nice. I mean, some people just aren't nice, and that's just so I have to learn how to deal with that too. You know, if I see someone being treated poorly with a disability, I have no problem stepping in and helping in those situations too. I'm learning about different ways that I can be more active on different levels, but right now it's more like everyday life and just helping educating others about people with disabilities.

SPEAKER_00: 11:05

Yeah. What challenges did you feel did you face within the community that you grew up in or that you go to?

SPEAKER_01: 11:18

Well, the one that I grew up in, I mean, my mom was there, so they understood a little bit, but I don't think they understand the like for deaf people, for those with hearing loss, there's a big gap because when you miss things that are said, you miss the whole message sometimes. We did have a lady in the church I grew up with who did sign language. So when I was young and I went to church with my mom, she interpreted for my mom. So there was some understanding there, not fully, but I didn't get too much negative, you know, in the church I grew up with. As far as my hearing loss and deafness went, they were good to my mom too. So the church I'm in now, I love, I love the people, but I do very well with the cochlear implants. So I have and I've learned how to, I've learned how I like I lip read. I learned how to lip read, you know, could I threw my hearing aid in the locker, so I learned how to lip read in school because I had to, but it's been a good skill for me. But if I didn't have that, I would be a little lost. I think the biggest thing is people just don't understand. And in social situations, it's easy to feel left out because everyone's bouncing around talking, and I don't always understand, can't socialize the same way. So I think those things are hard.

SPEAKER_00: 12:55

Yeah. Well, to tell my audience, before a show, we um Decre and I were having a little technical difficulties with with sound and and being able to hear one another. And, you know, when I was speaking to you or trying to tell you, hey, I can't hear you, I was like, okay, now what do I do? You know, how do I handle this? But then, you know, I could hear you when you responded, and you said you can't hear me. So I was like, okay, she's probably, you know, lip reading or you know, seeing what I'm saying by lip reading.

SPEAKER_01: 13:31

It comes in handy. Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_00: 13:37

Now you said you said earlier, you mentioned earlier about how you didn't fully understand about the relationship with Christ aspect of it. How did you go from a w relationship with Christ?

SPEAKER_01: 13:55

That one that was a process, but I remember I hit one moment. I just was feeling like something was missing. You know, I was doing all these things and checking off the list, and I mean, I lived with a lot of shame and condemnation for a long time. So that was it took me a while to just really receive God's forgiveness. So that hindered me a little bit. Um, but the big thing was that just everything was kind of a checklist, uh, you know, needing to be perfect or do everything just right. You know, there was if you didn't do things this way or follow the rules this way, um, there's just a lot of condemnation that comes with things. You just always felt like you were failing. And I'm like, I can't live like this anymore. I'm like, this has to be different. And I had a moment one day with the Lord, and I just cried and I just let him out. I let that out and shared that with him. Like, there has to be more to this because I can't live like this anymore. And he really, he really met me there. And he started showing me more of who he is, you know, helping me understand who I am in him. And I just think that we have to really know who God is, and we have to really know his heart. And I think sometimes we don't we don't really know that. He's not this judge up there trying to squish us all the time. You know, he he he loves us and he wants us to live healed and and freed. And I think it took me a long time to to really walk through that process, but he's been showing me more in his words, you know, like the things that I grew up learning, even in his word, that I didn't really I didn't really see the truth in that, I guess. So he had to really renew my mind about things that I had believed. Some things, you know, I had just believed the lie that the enemy had told me, or that listened to what other people said about me. Those things became more important than what God was saying. And there was just a lot of things to work through. But he's been so personal to me in his interactions, you know, that he wants I he showed me how much he wanted that relationship with me. And but he wants that with everybody. And I don't think that I don't think that we always know that. Like we're just always just I don't know, checking off the list, or we went to church today, or we read our Bible today, or we prayed today, and there's nothing personal about that, really, you know what I mean, unless we're trying to get to know God. You know, a lot of people I think they know about God, but they don't know him. And that's what he showed me is that I had just been kind of going through the motions, so to speak, and he helped me find him.

SPEAKER_00: 17:10

Yeah. What made you write your book created to relate?

SPEAKER_01: 17:18

Well, I had my kids had kind of grown up, and I was thinking about what was next in life, you know, and I always loved writing. Writing has always been a therapeutic thing for me, especially with and it's been something with my hearing loss and my deafness that that doesn't affect anything. Like I can write whether I have a bad hearing day or not. So it's always been kind of special to me. I journaled a lot when I was a kid. And so I got back into that and started blogging, and and then I felt like God kind of put that dream on my heart about writing a book. And I I said, wow, can could I really do that? And he said, Yeah, let's go. So it took me about eight to ten years to write this one, but there was a lot of personal, it was a very personal journey for me with this book. But that's where it started. I started blogging and I just started writing, and you know, he it changed as I went along and then just became what is out today.

SPEAKER_00: 18:20

What is it about and what can people learn from it?

SPEAKER_01: 18:26

Well, it's about um that transition from that life of religion to a relationship with Jesus. I think there's a lot of us that have grown up in the church and we've just, you know, we've followed the rules or we've, you know, gone through the motions, but we haven't really, really found that relationship with Jesus. And I share my journey in it, so that's part of it. And then the other part is, you know, I ask a lot of questions because sometimes we don't even know that we're stuck in these places until we read someone's testimony or we hear something on a podcast or something, and then I want people to take away and be able to apply it to their own lives. Um, so that's really the hope that I have with the book.

SPEAKER_00: 19:20

Yeah. What's the impact Ugani has had on your children?

SPEAKER_01: 19:26

No, my children. Well I think the biggest thing is that they saw me then and they see me now. And I think that no matter where our children are spiritually, they can I I pray that my children see the journey that I've taken. They've seen and they see how God changes me. And the only the only way that I can be where I am today is because of what God has done in me. So that's what I'm praying that my children take away. You know, when I leave, that's what I want to be my legacy, is that Jesus is the one who changed my life and brought me to where I am at the end, you know. Right.

SPEAKER_00: 20:16

What do you think is next for Degare and and Hugo would be writing books to a more, you know, arrogancey for di people with abilities?

SPEAKER_01: 20:28

Yeah, well, I do imagine. To that. I mean, on my website, you know, I blog once a week, have a newsletter once a month, and then I love having other people share their stories about their lives with disabilities. I do some book reviews. I do a lot of mentoring. My husband is an elder at the church that we attend. And I do a lot of mentoring and discipling with the young adult girls. That's my favorite. That's my favorite place, I think. Um so I'm doing all of that, but I have another book that I'm writing. I have some devotional books that I have planned and a study guide coming for this book. So I'm going to keep on writing and I would like to do some speaking. I'm loving being on the podcast. They're fun and just see where God takes it one step at a time. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 21:24

What if a word of encouragement that you would be able to share with my audience?

SPEAKER_01: 21:32

Oh. I encourage you to ask the questions and to really find out who God is. And I want people to know that God loves them and um that he wants a relationship with them. So encourage people to seek him out. You know, ask the questions, research and do all those things. Because I know when people seek him, they'll find him.

SPEAKER_00: 22:02

And then where can people find your book?

SPEAKER_01: 22:08

My website is at www.arenewedcreation.com. There is a place on there to buy my book. You can also go to Amazon. Amazon has my audiobook on there too, because I did do the audiobook was was exciting for me, especially being a deaf person. I wouldn't have been able to do that before. So but my audiobook is Amazon, and there's a Kindle version as well. Okay.

SPEAKER_00: 22:38

Well, definitely, we thank you again for coming on the show and sharing your story. We greatly appreciate having you.

SPEAKER_01: 22:47

Thank you for having me. It's been great.

SPEAKER_00: 22:50

Well, guys and girls, thank you so much for continuing to follow me. And please go and follow Orduri Audio Group on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Please like, please uh share review and reach out to them at info atori audio oduriaudiogroup.org. And please go and check out my podcast as well on Spotify and Apple and everywhere podcasts that are listened to. And and until next time, go and check out Desiree's website as well. God bless. Bye bye.