Meet Emily

Little Emily put a cereal bowl over her head and cut her hair off to look like her big brother. Like most young children, she was unbothered by cultural expectations and was unafraid of living intuitively and from her heart.

At 10 years old, Little Emily became Pretty Emily when her friend locked her in the bathroom at a sleepover and demanded, “Let me weigh you.” That’s the first time she knew she was different–bigger–than the other girls. From here, she would begin chasing “pretty.”

At 26, Pretty Emily became Brave Emily after she risked her life as a plus-size model with breast implants and full-body liposuction (even plus-size models get their bodies sculpted to perfection). She decided that there was so much more to live for than the constant worry about the small, outward details of her Earth Suit.

At 30, Brave Emily had a breast explant and finished the Paris Marathon as a celebration of her natural Earth Suit, becoming Full Emily—the fullest, happiest, most radically self-accepting version of herself. You would think. But, I actually relapsed and experienced Red-S (undernourishing and over-exercising) and went through two years of infertility due to my lack of self-compassion and trust. It’s important to note that healing and self-acceptance are not linear or black and white.

Being a caregiver and food allergy mama has given me so much empathy and compassion for others. I’m fascinated by bravery, and how women can use it to become a better version of themselves.

Brave Emily discovered that no conscious parent has the same linear and “perfect” journey. I created the Brave Talks podcast in an effort to amplify honest voices, normalize truth, and connect with people through storytelling. 

Mapping out my personal timeline as the many versions of Emily has allowed me to gather more understanding about certain times in my life. These distinctions have helped me find forgiveness and permission to change when the cloaks of Emily no longer felt authentic.