What happens when the world sees your success—but never sees the struggles happening behind the scenes?
In this powerful episode of Bent Not Broken, Coach Deborah sits down with singer, songwriter, author, and educator Machan Taylor, whose extraordinary career has included performing with legendary artists including Pink Floyd, Sting, Foreigner, Pat Benatar, and Aretha Franklin.
But behind the applause was a woman struggling to understand where she belonged.
Born in Japan to a Japanese mother and American military father, Machan moved to the United States at just four and a half years old. Growing up in New Jersey in the years following World War II, she experienced discrimination and struggled with identity, belonging, and the emotional impact of leaving her extended family and culture behind.
Those early experiences were only one layer of what Machan calls her “layer cake of trauma.”
She later grew up in a dysfunctional home with an alcoholic father and carried many of those childhood wounds into adulthood—even while building a successful career and performing in front of enormous audiences.
Machan shares something particularly powerful: you can appear confident and successful on the outside while questioning your worth on the inside.
At the height of her career, she sometimes stood in front of hundreds of thousands of people while battling imposter syndrome and wondering whether she truly belonged.
Her personal life eventually brought another painful chapter. Machan opens up about leaving an abusive and controlling marriage, hitting what she describes as rock bottom, and spending years rebuilding her life and rediscovering herself.
Today, at 70, Machan's perspective couldn't be more different.
Rather than believing her best years are behind her, she's writing, creating, exploring speaking opportunities, working on a possible screenplay, and looking forward to what's next.
Her message is simple and powerful:
Whatever your goals are, whatever your dreams are—go after them. It doesn't matter what anybody else thinks.
In This Episode, You'll Hear About:
- Moving from Japan to America as a young child and struggling to belong
- The lasting effects of childhood trauma and family dysfunction
- Building an extraordinary music career despite deep insecurity
- Performing with Pink Floyd and other legendary artists
- Experiencing imposter syndrome even at the height of success
- How our childhood experiences can influence our adult relationships
- Leaving an abusive and controlling marriage
- Hitting rock bottom and rebuilding your life
- Breaking unhealthy relationship patterns
- The role of forgiveness and acceptance in healing
- Why writing her memoir, Naked Out Loud, became part of Machan's healing journey
- Finding your voice personally—not just professionally
- Reinventing yourself and starting over later in life
- Why turning 70 has left Machan feeling energized, hopeful, and ready for more
A Powerful Reminder
Machan's story reminds us that healing doesn't require erasing our past. We can understand where our wounds came from, learn from them, and choose what happens next.
Sometimes becoming who we were meant to be means finally believing something very simple:
You are enough.
And whether you're 40, 50, 60, 70, or beyond, it's never too late to reclaim your voice, rebuild your life, and begin your next chapter.
Learn more about Machan, her music, her story, and her memoir Naked Out Loud at MachanTaylor.com.
Her book is available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble, with an audiobook also in development
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Disclaimer: The commentary and opinions available on this podcast are for informational and entertainment purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal or psychological advice. You should contact an attorney, coach, or therapist in your state to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.
