Inside Tay Lautner’s Lemon-Scented World of Mental Health, Authenticity, and The Squeeze
Photography by @sofziman, photo assistance by @izzzybrown, styling by @soniayoungstyle for @theonly.agency, hair by @stylebymaciel, makeup by @kellytull_, shot at @visionstudiola for @oureramag
Shirt and skort by Alice + Olivia, shoes by Stuart Weitzman, earrings by V. Chapman.
When Tay Lautner logs on from her home studio, the first thing you notice isn’t the fact she’s in her podcast studio—it’s the lemon tree sitting quietly in the corner behind her. A small, living emblem of everything she built. It’s poetic, really. In a world that often zests people down to nothing, Tay has made it her mission to help others turn their lemons into something healing.
“I feel like I work-dream,” she tells me, leaning in with the kind of warmth that makes you want to stay a little longer. “I woke up one day and rolled over and just said to Taylor, ‘I think I need to start a mental health podcast.’ And he was like, ‘Cool.’ And I was like, ‘No, you’re going to do it with me.’”
Look by LoveShackFancy, shoes by Schutz.
That spontaneous dream bloomed into The Squeeze, Tay Lautner’s refreshingly raw, guest-heavy podcast that’s grown into a full-fledged platform for emotional honesty and mental health storytelling. She launched it during a moment of post-pandemic clarity, buying gear off Amazon, hitting record in her home studio and deciding to talk—really talk—with people.
“I never even listened to podcasts before,” she laughs. “But I just knew I had to do this.”
Tay’s grounding presence and intuitive listening style didn’t come from a production studio or media training. It came from the hospital. As a registered nurse who worked through the chaos of COVID, Tay witnessed the cracks in a system that too often pushed people out the door before they were truly healed. She didn’t enter the field to rush recovery. She entered to care. To listen. To advocate.
“Working through COVID made me realize how important advocacy is—not just for patients, but for ourselves. That’s when I started finding my own voice.”
Now, instead of discharge paperwork and oxygen monitors, she holds space for emotionally charged stories. And the same sense of responsibility remains.
From her nonprofit, The Lemons Foundation to her lifestyle platform Lemons by Tay, Tay’s approach to mental health is radically accessible. Forget 12-step wellness plans or $100 yoga mats. She’s about what actually helps: “Going outside. Sitting in the sun. Breathing.”
“We launched Lemons to simplify things,” she says. “Mental health tools shouldn’t be behind paywalls. If I found a breathing technique that helped me sleep, I will share that.”
Celebrating its third year, The Lemons Foundation continues to build a digital community around mental health awareness and practical support—with no pressure to be perfect, and no cost to show up.
Despite being a recognizable voice and face online, Tay has remained defiantly grounded. “I don’t put value into views,” she says. “I do it because I love it.”
Jeans by MOTHER, tank by Donni.
That ethos fuels her openness about anxiety, self-worth, and everything in between. From the candid episode on male body image to interviews with survivors, activists, and creators, The Squeeze makes space for messiness, for not knowing, for trying anyway.
Some moments still shake her—prepping for emotional interviews, holding someone’s trauma with care. “I research for hours,” she says. “I feel responsible to ask the right questions and making people feel safe.”
And when the doubt creeps in? “Taylor always reminds me what I’ve built. He’s my biggest cheerleader.”
Shirt and skort by Alice + Olivia, shoes by Stuart Weitzman, earrings by V. Chapman.
If you follow Tay online, you already know what shines brightest is her belief in being exactly who you are—and letting that be enough. Her advice to young women struggling with self-worth is simple: “Be authentically you. And say it out loud. Just say it. It’s always less scary than it feels.”
And for those who can’t yet say it aloud? Tay offers an outstretched hand: “Write it down. Shake it out. Call or text 988. Just get it out of your body.”
Tay was recently honored with the Be Brave Award by NAMI and Maybelline—a full-circle moment for a former nurse turned full-time mental health advocate. “It was the first award I’ve ever won—and I won it on my own. It reminded me why I started.”
It now sits in her studio beside the lemon tree, reminding her that even in the digital chaos of algorithms and comments, her voice is helping others find theirs.
“People say the podcast saved their life,” she tells me. “And I think—okay. I can’t stop now.”
Look by LoveShackFancy, shoes by Schutz.
Tay Lautner is not just another creator with a mic. She’s a community builder, a quiet force, and a bright, grounded voice in the often noisy world of wellness. Like her lemon tree, she’s rooted, growing, and quietly reminding us that there’s strength in softness and healing in honesty.
