Taydam Knowles on her troubled upbringing by parents on meth: ‘It was tough … but I had support’

Teen parents addicted to drugs, a father in and out of prison and having to play “mum” to her young brothers, Taydam Knowles has seen first hand how meth rips families apart.

Instagram guru Taydam Knowles never played with Lego while growing up.

Her brothers did, but she was busy being the “glue” holding her family together, while also laying the foundations for her future social media empire.

“My dad was 15 and my mum was 17 when they knew I was on the way, so they were kids having kids,” Taydam says.

“Looking back at it now, as an adult, I have empathy and I can understand how crazy that would be. They were going through their own challenges when I was born …”

Taydam Knowles as a child. Picture: Supplied

Taydam Knowles has raised funds for Variety. Picture: Supplied

FORCED TO GROW UP FAST

Three years later Taydam had a younger brother John, after which another two brothers, Nathan and Blayte, came along.

“My dad didn’t really know how to provide, be the man of the house like he should be,” Taydam recalls, adding: “It was ‘how do I make money fast?’ and so he got into (methamphetamine) substance abuse, misuse – that was what my life was like.”

Taydam’s mother made up her name, which is derived from Tatum. It also has a connection to her background, which on her father’s side is Indigenous-Australian and English and Scottish on her mother’s.

“The longest river in Scotland is the River Tay and what stops a river? A dam,” Taydam explains.

“My mum was a mum. She had those motherly instincts.”

Things changed when Taydam turned 12 and her father was incarcerated for possession.

“My dad went to jail and my mum became a single mum, because dad was no longer in the house, which made things even more difficult,” Taydam says. “My mum kind of went off the rails … when I was in year six-seven, that’s when my mum started using (methamphetamine) … but we had incredible grandparents, on both sides, for support.”

Taydam Knowles with two of her younger brothers. Picture: Supplied

With her grandparents helping out with necessities such as clothes, food and school fees, Taydam had already developed coping mechanisms.

“At five years old I was having adult conversations … I had developed these survival capabilities and was developing strategies,” she says.

“I had three little brothers and they kept me busy. I became a mum and a dad. I became very aware and protective, so that parental instinct kicked in.”

A ROLE MODEL

Taydam, who would one day, at 21, represent the state in Miss World Australia and raise thousands of dollars for children’s charity Variety, was also conscious of being a good role model for her brothers.

“Whatever I was doing, I had to do it well,” she says. “(I was the) big older sister watching over the little ones, being there for them where I could see it wasn’t coming (from our parents).”

“I was very strategic very young and I am very grateful for having that gift. (I would say) ‘wait this picture’s not right, these beautiful baby boys need to come first’.”

Taydam understands her mother and father had both suffered from anxiety and depression and recalls “wanting to know everything”.

“It was methamphetamine – no other drugs,” she says, adding of her upbringing: “It was tough, it was mostly unpleasant, but I had support from members of my family and friends – a lot of kids I grew up with didn’t.

“I’m very glad that me and my three younger brothers all made it and are all incredible positions today. The odds of that are very slim.”

Taydam Knowles in North Adelaide. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt

Attending a number of primary schools as her family moved around, Taydam, who played guitar, received a music scholarship to Marryatville High School.

There, she continued the Indigenous studies that connected her to her culture, but journalism, which was to become her No. 1 passion, was also among her year 12 subjects.

After taking a gap year to travel overseas, Taydam enrolled in Bachelor of Journalism and Film at Uni SA.

“I turned 20 in 2020, in April, and I started my degree,” she says. “I had two normal weeks of university and then everything went online.”

Covid-19 also put an end to her job at Argo at Norwood, which like so many other businesses was forced to cut back on staff.

“I was basically hitting my head against the wall because I have to be busy otherwise I go insane,” Taydam says. “I walked into (community radio station) Fresh 92.7 and became the news writer and announcer. That kept me sane during my first year (of uni).”

MEETING HER MENTOR

Not long after landing that gig – which was an impressive achievement for a first-year journalism student – Taydam was approached by online youth platform The Adelaide Set’s founder George-Alexander Mamalis and worked on its radio show: “I was learning how to interview politicians, musicians, live on Greek radio Doriforos once a week, and that’s where I started to get some confidence as an independent journalist … working for this incredible platform.”

Taydam was “thrown in the deep end” by George and they were soon making Instagram reels – “two videos a day uploaded at night for seven months straight” – for small businesses. Taydam was the talent – even presenting while skydiving for a client – and George was her camera operator. Four months into their working partnership, they become a couple.

Taydam Knowles is general manager of The Adelaide Set. Picture: Supplied

Taydam Knowles was a finalist in the SA Woman Awards. Picture: Supplied

“George is a big mentor for me … he was that person. (He said) ‘I am going to show you how I see you, you’ve got this, you can do anything’ … he was that guy for me,” she says, adding: “I became general manager very quickly, with a team of 15.

“Social media presenting gave me the confidence to communicate my story (and say) ‘look, I’m not the perfect older sister anymore’ … at 20 I learnt how to finally crack that and communicate my story so I could move on and shape and transform into the woman I am today and what I am doing now.

“When I talk about the past, what’s happened. It’s not me. It’s not who I am now.

“It’s interesting to tell your own narrative, because you don’t want to shackle yourself but you also want to tell the truth and go deep into that – give people the workable side of it, what you did to overcome it.”

LEARNING TO LET GO

Through her work Taydam met people from all walks of life who also had family members with addictions and it helped her free herself of the past.

“You can do anything and you can create your own version of success, you don’t have to come from that perfect family,’ she says. “Three years ago I forgave and forgot and moved on. I thanked (my parents) for being the best they could be.”

While she does not have a close relationship with her mother of father – who was released from prison earlier this year, but is now back inside – she is at peace with it.

“(Dad’s) a beautiful person, who wouldn’t hurt a fly, but he suffers with this addiction,” she says, adding of her parents: “They’re still kind of growing in their own way … I am very happy and satisfied in terms of the relationship that I do have with them, it’s very workable, it’s good.”

Taydam Knowles at The Flying Fig in North Adelaide. Picture: Anna Vlach

Taydam Knowles’s latte. Picture: Anna Vlach

THE FUTURE’S SO BRIGHT

Having launched an ebook Be Your Own Social Media Presenter to teach people how to get the most out of Instagram, Taydam also offered coaching clinics over Zoom, which she has developed into an online course.

Next month she will begin work as a tutor at WEA, where she will teach a shorter version of it to adult students: “That product itself is my baby,” she says of Be Your Own Social Media Presenter.

Taydam, who does the speaking circuit at schools, is also keen to give credit to her other mentors. They include Adelaide City councillor Henry Davis and Adelaide MP Lucy Hood, who recommended her for a role as a business support officer with Prospect Council.

With her UniSA degree also close to completion – “I’m poster girl of journalism there” – Taydam is keen to tick another box. “TV, but I don’t want to be wrapped in it. I would rather create something and sell it,” she says, adding she has been busy writing her first pilot show.

Asked what she does in her downtime, Taydam has one word: “Lego”.

She elaborates: “I didn’t play with it as a child, my brothers did. It took me 23 years to fall in love with it … I wanted something where I could just sit and it’s worked. I’m a very big Lego fan. I love it, because I get to build …”