Finding Strength in Faith, Fitness, and Radical Self-Care with Emily Savard
Show Notes
CortneyJo sits down with her dear friend and neighbor, Emily Savard, for a conversation on faith, health, and healing on this episode of the I am MUCH Woman podcast. Emily shares her journey from postpartum depression and feeling dismissed by doctors to reclaiming her wellness through small, consistent steps. With a background in public health and a passion for helping others, she now leads a vibrant women’s fitness community grounded in faith, accountability, and joy. Together, CortneyJo and Emily explore self-care, body image, and the power of showing up for yourself and for others with honesty, compassion, and intention.
Episode Highlights:
(2:58) Why Emily didn’t develop body image issues until after her first child
(11:18) How she got started on her health improvement journey
(18:40) How Emily was impacted by her first fitness challenge
(22:39) What her fitness routine and lifestyle look like today
(27:08) How working out brought Emily closer to God
(35:19) Why spiritual balance is so important for Emily’s journey
(37:36) What fitness has taught her about sisterhood and jealousy
(44:01) How being a MUCH Woman relates to health, fitness, and nutrition
(47:12) Emily’s encouragement for women struggling to get started
(53:10) Testimonials from women about how Emily has helped them
Links Referenced:
Emily’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alejandra.savard.1/
Emily’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilysavard90/
Emily’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-savard-512205142/
Emily’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@emilysavard90
Emily’s TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@emilysavard90
Transcript
Emily: Sometimes we may think that like, “Oh, I’m doing really good with my walk with God,” but like I said, you can’t always be better, you know. Which some people are like, “Oh, that sucks,” but no, it’s going to be okay. God will… how do you say, like, brighten up the way, or, like, show you when you’re ready.
CortneyJo: Welcome to the I am MUCH Woman podcast, where we inspire and guide women to deepen their personal relationship with God and grow in their understanding of His Word. Hello, MUCH Woman podcast, family. Welcome back to episode ten. I am so excited about today’s conversation because we are diving into a topic that touches on every part of our lives: it’s through health and fitness and nutrition. And I get to have this conversation not only with a woman of wisdom and strength, but also my neighbor. She is my sweetheart neighbor, and one of my really sweet friendgirls. Her name is Emily Savard, and she is here with us.
Like, when I say she’s my neighbor, y’all, what I’m saying is we literally live just, I think it’s just one house in between us. We live in the same cul-de-sac. Our kids play together every day. We get to do life together, and I couldn’t be more grateful to the Lord for allowing me to have such an incredible woman in my life, and I’m so honored to have her today.
So, Emily has a powerful story of transformation. She is originally from Costa Rica, and she’s walked a deeply personal journey of healing, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. And she’s here to share with us how God has used fitness and nutrition to draw her closer to him. Emily, thank you so much for being here. Thank you.
Emily: Thank you so much for asking me. It’s really an honor.
CortneyJo: Oh.
Emily: And, um, one thing that I was thinking about when you talked about us being neighbors, it reminded me when I told you that when I was moving from my little mountain, that’s like, what I was praying for was neighbors. You know, I wasn’t even worried about the house being built. I was just like, God, please send me good neighbors. So, you’ve been a blessing. Everyone in the cul-de-sac has been a blessing. So.
CortneyJo: Thank you, Emily. I remember when you shared that with me, before we were just standing outside, and I said, “Emily, this is so wonderful, this community we have here.” You say, “You know, I prayed for this.” And I think I probably gave you a big hug. Thank you for praying for this because we have it. We have beautiful neighbors. I call you all, like, my tribe [laugh].
Emily: Yes, I love it. We have a great little cul-de-sac.
CortneyJo: We do. We do, and I’m really grateful to God for that.
Emily: So, thank you so much for having me. It’s an honor.
CortneyJo: Thank you. Thank you for being here. You look beautiful, and I can’t wait to get into this. So, let’s just start from the beginning. As we prepared for this interview, Emily, you shared an incredible story with me just about your entire journey, but during that, you were sharing with me that you have always been naturally thin and didn’t struggle with weight or body image until after having your first child. Can you talk to us about, like, what shifted for you during that season of your life?
Emily: Yeah, so when you asked me that question, it’s just postpartum depression, I didn’t know what it was. It was my sister, the one whom, you know, told me… gave it a name. Like you said, you’ve talked oh so many times about, you know, when you did therapy and stuff, one thing that helped you was putting a name to what you had. So, I think that was, you know, really, where I started getting my weight. Because I was all belly during my pregnancy. You know, people were seeing me and be like, “Oh, you’re all belly,” you know, “That’s it.”
But after I had her, I don’t know, you just feel this sadness, this loneliness. I’m on a mountain. I’ve told you guys, everybody on the cul-de-sac, you know, it was very lonely. John was very sick, which I told you about, ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease. So, he was in a lot of pain, using the bathroom a lot.
And then we were also building during that time. So—and newlyweds, you know? I was 22 years old when I had Isabella, which, you know, it’s not 16, but I had one year left of the university, so I had to put that on pause. And then just being on the mountain alone. And you’re just eating, you know, and eating and eating and just feeling lonely. So, that’s where I gained on all my weight.
CortneyJo: Tell us a little bit more about the mountain because you lived on an actual mountain. Like, let’s talk about living on the mountain, and how that sometimes was isolating. Tell us a little bit—can you describe it for us a little bit so we can see it?
Emily: Yeah. It’s actually kind of interesting because—so I come from E—well, I say, ETSU—but I was living in the suburbs, living my life, you know, having fun. It’s all about me. And then, you know, I found out that I’m pregnant, and then my husband with his sickness, you know? Which I hadn’t married him quite yet, but that’s why I ended up moving to the mountain.
So, when I first got to the mountain, I hated it, right? Because I’m the city girl, and then you move me to the middle of nowhere. It still was a blessing. I’m sandwiched in between my mom and my mother-in-law, down at the bottom of the hill. I know some people are probably like, “Oh, my gosh, your mother-in-law?” But I was really blessed with my mother-in-law. She was really there for me. She was my right-hand man when Isabella was born.
But my mom was working during that time, and then sometimes my mother-in-law would come and take Isabella, so that’s why I say she was my right hand. So, she would take sometimes Isabella, but then I’m alone for real, for real. You know, my daughter’s gone for a few hours, and it’s just, like, all I have is to think about, like, I’m on this mountain. You hear the crickets and the birds, and it’s just lonely. And we’re living in a ten-by-ten room. He called it the shack, right?
So, it was only two rooms, our bedroom, we didn’t even have a kitchen. We didn’t have running water. I was going in an outhouse, okay? So, it was like legit Little House on the Prairie, like me, [laugh] you think [an outhouse 00:06:38], you know? And so, that’s another reason why I felt lonely, is because when John would come home from work, which is like, you know, five, six in the afternoon, then he would work on building.
Because I told him, I was like, “I can’t live like this.” Like, I need running water. You know, you’re a woman, just—and I need a shower. Like, I have pictures of us taking a shower outside, like, with the buckets and stuff. So, all that, on top of being a newlywed and, like, having a newborn that you don’t know, you know, I think I’ve told you this, too, is that one of the worst things I think, that you can tell a mom is, like, “You don’t know why your baby’s crying.”
Because, no you don’t. Like, that’s something you learn. And so, that’s kind of how I found out that what I had was postpartum, was because—so—and it’s so funny, I remember the story literally like it happened yesterday. Isabella is crying, and I’m like, “Why is she crying?” You know, just fed her, I bathed her, I fed her. I’m like, “Why is she crying?”
So, I’m like, I’m going to take her out on a walk, right? Walking, and it’s like, that’s making it worse. She’s crying. So, now I’m like, I’m crying because I’m like, I don’t know what’s going on with her. My mom is still not here. Then when my mom comes home from work, I’m still upset. So, she calls my middle sister because my mom doesn’t know what to do.
And I think that’s something I told you because telling my Hispanic mom, like, “Hey, I’m depressed,” she’s like, “Why are you depressed?” Like, there’s no such thing as postpartum depression. So, my mom called my middle sister, and she came and she was like, “What you have is postpartum depression.” Which my sister’s also a nurse, but not only that, she went through it herself. So, her daughter’s three months older than Isabella, so we were kind of together.
And I feel like God did that also because I’m a very nervous, like, person, and even though I’m the oldest of my sisters, a lot of times they’re more like the older sister, you know? So, she had hers first, so she had gone through it, and she’s like, “You’re explaining everything that I was going through.” She’s like, “You need to just do something for you.” And I was like, “Well, like, what do you mean? You know, what am I going to do on this mountain and stuff?”
And she’s like, “Just have John watch Isabella, and you need to have a date for you. I don’t care if you get your nails done, your hair, like, whatever it is, or call up a girlfriend and have a girl’s day.” And that’s kind of where the whole picture started coming to me how important it is to have a community of women behind you, you know? I mean, yeah, it’s just different. My husband, like, sometimes he’s like, you know, I feel what you’re feeling, and like, pat me on the back. But a woman knows. Like, I can feel if you are actually feeling what I’m feeling or not.
So, a little side note on that is, like, when my dad passed away, which I prayed to God many times, I said, “Please don’t take my daddy away.” And the reason—people are probably, like, “Why is she talking like that?” But my daddy—I was adopted, so my daddy was an older man. So, he was in his 80s when I was in college. So—and then in high school, he was 70s. So, I would always pray to God, like, especially when I lived alone with him in college, I was like, “God, please, please don’t take him away.”
You know, I’d go in there and check on him. But he was fine, and he—God is good and faithful, and he didn’t take my daddy away until I was married with John, and it was like four years after our marriage. But even then, I still didn’t feel that connection with John. Like, even though he was there for me and helped me with the girls and everything, I just couldn’t actually feel it. Until my good friend Dominique came, and she cried with me. And I’m like, it’s weird, but like that meant so much to me to know that somebody else, like, is feeling the same thing as me.
CortneyJo: Yeah. I love that.
Emily: So yes, community is very, very, very important in everything you do in life.
CortneyJo: I love you sharing that so much. And thank God for your friend Dominique that just cried with you. Like you said, she cried with you.
Emily: Yeah.
CortneyJo: Honey, that—we could just pause the conversation about health and fitness, which we’re going to get back to, and just talk about how important it is for our friends to sometimes just cry with us. They don’t have to have the answers, they don’t have to fix it. Just cry with us, and sometimes just be with us. I’m so glad you had that.
Emily: Yeah.
CortneyJo: You had all of these things happening, right? You have postpartum depression, your husband was dealing with his inflammatory bowel disease. You also had mentioned to me that you even had some intense knee pain. You were dealing with that as well. And you knew something—all together, you knew something wasn’t right, and you were telling your doctor that this—something’s not right with me. Something’s not okay, but your doctor kept saying to you, “Nope, you’re fine. You’re fine. You’re fine.” Can you tell us a little bit more about how that impacted you?
Emily: Yes. I was having a lot of, like, knee pain, and then also looking at myself in the mirror, and I was like, why is this belly not going down after having Isabella, you know? But mainly that knee pain. I’m like, okay… so I go to the doctor, and the only thing she gives me was, like, a topical cream, which that’s a lot of what people talk about is the problem with some of these doctors is that they don’t want to find the root cause of the problem; they’re just giving you something for your symptom, like, a Band-Aid, right? And it’s just like, well, we really need to get down to the cause.
So, I was like, I really think that maybe I’m just overweight, you know? But she’s like, “Your BMI is fine. Like, you’re fine. You are okay.” And I’m like, I literally—my belly is hanging out of my pants. Like, are you sure? And my knees are hurting and stuff, and just headaches, just, I mean, I just didn’t feel right, and I felt very tired, too.
But she’s like, “No, your iron is fine.” Just very lethargic and sleepy. So, I didn’t… I knew that there was something wrong, but I guess when your doctor tells you that everything’s okay, you’re like, well, my doctor said I’m fine, and my BMI is okay. But it wasn’t until I went to Costa Rica, okay? So, that’s why I tell a lot of people, I feel like everybody should leave the country because it’s just it’s a different experience, and you learn so much, and then you’re grateful for so much also.
But I go down and it was so embarrassing. Everyone was asking me if I was pregnant. And I was like, no, no, you know. And then I was like, it got to the point where the end of the trip, I was like, yeah, I’m pregnant. I’m like, six months [laugh], you know, the guy at the [foreign 00:13:41] again, was asking me. And I’m like, yeah, she’s almost two [laugh].
So, that’s when I came back home and I told my middle sister—because we had been trying to lose this baby weight before, but it was just like, nothing we did was working. And I just was like, I can’t work out for an hour. I think I’ve told you this before. I tried the Jillian Michaels because that was, like, a hit, a big thing right after we had given birth. But I was just like, I didn’t like her style of working out. It was hard, and it was for a whole hour, and then I had to come to her house to try to get motivated. It just wasn’t working. None of it was working.
And so, when I came back and I was like, okay, I have to do something because this is so embarrassing. And I just like, I’m not listening to my doctor. I think that I am just overweight, same with the knee pain and the tiredness and everything. Well, when I came back, it was actually when my sister, she had lost all this weight, she had gained quite a bit of weight. I think, if I’m not mistaken, and like, her whole journey, she’s lost over 100 pounds.
So, I was like, okay, what are you doing, you know? So, that’s when she told me about her program. So, the program she had been going through, it was, like, a nutrition program. It had the workouts, and she’s like, you can do them from home. You don’t even have to go to the gym.
And so, I was like, “Okay, well, if it worked for you, let me try it.” What I liked about the program, though, is that there’s many different programs, many different coaches. So, I went for something shorter, which is something else that I’ve learned is that everybody is different. Some people like to work out for an hour, two hours. I’m like, I like to get mine done in 30 minutes. And if it works, yeah [laugh].
So, that’s when I started my journey, was after I saw my sister’s… you know, her journey and how much weight she’s lost, I was like, “Okay, tell me what you’re doing.” And that’s how I got started. And it’s been what I think, seven years I told you?
CortneyJo: Oh, gosh.
Emily: Yeah, I think it’s been seven years.
CortneyJo: Seven years. I love that. So amazing, by the way. And thank you for just really giving us all of that, that your story, and just really kind of sharing, like, moment by moment, you know, what was happening for you. I also know that you’re educated in public health. You have your degree in public health, which I feel like makes your perspective even more layered. How would you say your background—because you had your degree before you had your baby girl—so how would you say that your background—public health—influenced the way that you approached your health concerns?
Emily: I think that’s why I knew deep down that there was something wrong. And that’s the problem with a lot of these—actually, was listening to Dr. Mark Hyman; he’s a really good doctor to follow—and I was listening to his podcast. And actually I also worked for a cardiologist in Newport. I was helping him there in the front desk, and he talks about it, too, that in medical school, you’re only taught so much about nutrition. Well, same thing with public health. They mainly want to do things like, you know, wash your hands and go get tested, you know, get your mammograms done, colonoscopy, stuff like that.
And then we did learn about longevity and, like, things that other places are doing, and I was like, okay, well, what about us, you know? And so, I knew a little bit. I’m also Seventh Day Adventist, which I told you. And most Seventh Day Adventists are vegetarians, you know? And they are one of the ones that lived the longest.
You know, I think in Netflix, they came out with, I think it’s called the Blue Zones. I have some notes. I forgot the name of the man who did it, but the information is still the same from when I had in college, and then the Netflix series that he did, which I think it’s called, the same about the Blue Zones, and he talked about how Loma Linda is one of the people that also ha—which is in California—have the longest septarians there. So, we touched on it, but again, they don’t tell you what to do. They’re just, like, you know, a plant-based diet, and that’s it.
And so, I knew that there was something wrong because of my background, but again—and this is something that I had told you—unless you’re really suffering every day, like, actual have some kind of pain, you’re going to be, like, it’s fine. My doctor says I’m fine. I feel okay. You know, I’m tired, but I’ll just go sit on the couch, so it’s fine. But it’s not okay.
CortneyJo: It’s not okay.
Emily: There is something there, and it will catch up with you, you know?
CortneyJo: That’s good. And I admire your courage and bravery, you know? Like, because it does take a lot of courage to, like, accept what may be there, and then the bravery to say, okay, I need to start making some steps going forward. So, you talked about your sister in the fitness program, and so your sister encouraged you to try—and this is, you know, from us talking about this—a 21-day fitness program, 30 minutes a day, six days a week. And that became the moment of breakthrough for you.
And so, what happened for you during that first challenge that lit a fire to just now, seven years later, here we are today. Oh gosh, and I look forward to just our listeners and everyone to just see Emily’s transformation. She’s going to share some pictures with us from the before and the after. So, what happened during that first challenge that lit a fire in you?
Emily: Well, I think what it was, before number one, you see someone that already did it. You’re like, okay, well, if she can do it, I can do it. And then it was literally that first week. When I committed to those first six days, on day seven—so in my bedroom, I had a closet door that slid, but the whole thing was a mirror. I’m like, why did I do that when I hated the way I looked, you know, but it did make the room look bigger.
Well, on that seventh day, which is the seventh day of rest, I was like, okay, look at my legs, you know? I passed through the mirror. And so, then I was like, wow, this for the first time me feeling good about myself, literally in the whole time. Because not just during pregnancy and postpartum, but the people who hurt you the most growing up is your family. You know, like, they would make fun of me. They make fun of me for my skin color [laugh]. They’re calling me chicken legs, you know? And then also hearing other people talk about your belly, right?
So, yes, the thing that lit me on fire was definitely seeing results. I mean, I’m not saying I was like Arnold Schwarzenegger on the, you know, on the mirror, but I did. I saw some definition on my leg, and I was like, if this is just seven days, I’m going to wait till 21 days. And one thing I always say is take before and after pictures, too, because sometimes the scale won’t go down, you know, but you’ll lose weight in certain different areas. Or—it’s called body composition, right? It goes to different areas.
So, after those 21 days were over, I was like, oh my gosh, that was amazing. What if—so I told you that the program came with a nutrition thing.
CortneyJo: Yeah.
Emily: Well, nutrition has always been the hardest part for me, so I wasn’t a hundred percent on that. So, I was like, okay, well, I’m going to do this again, and what if I do it with the nutrition? Let’s see what the results are going to be. And so, that’s why I keep coming, is just seeing results, seeing that change.
CortneyJo: That’s so good.
Emily: Yeah. Like, I have some friends—and that’s the same thing with debt. I think I’ve talked to you about Dave Ramsey. The reason his snowball effect works so well, which is, like, you know, when you stack your debt and you do the smallest debt to largest, it doesn’t matter on, like, what your what is it called, like, the interest rate, or, yeah, like, what the interest is on it. You do the smallest one. Why? Because, when you have—
CortneyJo: It builds a habit.
Emily: —yeah. And when you’re like, oh my gosh, I was able to pay that one, well, let’s keep going. And then the money for that one keeps piling up. And you know, so if it works for that, it works also for other areas of your life, you know?
CortneyJo: I love that. Yes, I love that. It also makes me think about Dr. JJ, who we interviewed on the podcast before, where she was just talking about making those difficult—making hard decisions. And she was like, if you can get past level one, you can get to level two, which it sounds like—
Emily: You’re giving yourself confidence, self-confidence. I can do this. Which, you know, we were talking about our some of the testimonies, yes. And you can, you’ll see that in the testimonies as well.
CortneyJo: I love that.
Emily: Yes.
CortneyJo: So, it’s seven years later, Emily, and you stay consistent. That’s amazing. So, what does your fitness and routine and lifestyle look like today?
Emily: Yes, so I pretty much do the same thing. And this is what I tell my team. You know, in the beginning, it was for vain. It was for—well, one, also trying to help with the knee pain, but two, I was like, I’m tired of seeing this belly in the mirror and stuff. But as you keep going, you learn new things about nutrition, too.
Like, why is brown rice better than white rice, you know? Or what is complex carbs and stuff. Like, you start to learn things about the nutrition and the diet and why it’s good for us and why it’s not. Yes. So basically, I still work out every single day, one to two days of rest. I get my hydration in. That’s another thing that I have a lot of hard time with, is like, making myself drink water.
Because one thing that sometimes we do is, like—and I did in the beginning—was like, well, I’m just going to cut out soda, juice, and all those things. But then it’s like, well, what are you drinking? Not drinking water [laugh]. Yeah, so my sister—oh my gosh, I love her so much. She really has been such a, you know—I don’t know, like, my right hand with this also.
And she’s like, I’d be like, working out with her. And I’m like, I feel a little dizzy. And she’s like, “Well, how much water have you had?” And I’m like, “Not a lot.” Like, and so John, you know, he would help me, too. And so, he’d be like, in the morning, drink your glass of water. And that’s all I would drink all day.
And so, that’s when—and, you know, we’ll talk about it later—I was like, okay, you know what? Let’s start doing challenges. I can do the workout now. I’m doing good on my nutrition. What’s the next thing I need to work on? Okay, water. So, I’d be like, let’s do a 21-day challenge, of getting your water intake in.
So, that’s kind of how I do it now, to keep myself motivated and my team, we do challenges every month. Because, yeah, I got to the point where I was like, wow, I don’t want to keep doing the same program again. What are we going to do? And that’s when I got the idea of, like, well, let’s just change it up, you know?
CortneyJo: Let’s change it up. I love it, that variety.So, you have mentioned your team a few times because you also lead a monthly health and fitness in your community. So, can you tell us more about what you’re doing now, how this has helped you build connection and accountability and just all that gorgeous stuff with your team?
Emily: Well, like, you’ve seen, community is very, very important, which we are also creatures, social creatures, you know? So, yes, I decided to start building a team. And because I’m like, I need this women, you know, I need these women in my life. Let’s help each other. And every woman has their strengths, right?
So, kind of like my pharmacist friend, you know, sometimes I, like, message her about medicine or stuff like that, and then I have another friend, and she’s—I think, she’s vegan?—I know she’s vegetarian. Yeah, she is vegan. And so, then sometimes I’ll reach out to her and I’m like, hey, I need help with new recipes or whatever. Yeah, so we have an amazing group of women.
And we do challenges, I say every month, but sometimes they might go longer. I think it was last year, we had a challenge. It was called Dig Deeper. So, it was lifting challenge, and that went on for three months. And that’s Karen—talks about that in her testimony.
So, sometimes they go a little bit longer. But yeah, no, for the most part, I think this month we’re doing a month of bingo. So, sometimes for the women that might be like, oh, is it all working out? No. I mean, that is essential, right? That’s our main thing, but I try to make it fun. So, this month with bingo, we did things like ten minutes of earthing, ten minutes of dancing, which is fun because things like that keeps it different. You’re not just like, oh, I’m either going to lift or do cardio or yoga. No, I mean, you’re doing different things, and it’s all healthy for us, you know? And things that you can involve the family with as well.
CortneyJo: I love that. Oh, this is amazing. So, let’s talk about how this has brought you closer to God. I know that it has brought you closer to community and being able to take care of yourself, like, completely. So, how has working out actually brought you closer to God, and can you tell us just how that’s happened?
Emily: Yeah. So, I would say I don’t know what it was that I was doing, but you know how we are like, you know, if you ask someone, “Are you a Christian?.” “Yeah.” Okay. Well, when was the last time you read your Bible? Sometimes, obviously, you have a good Christian, they’re like, you know, every single morning. Other times it’s like, well, you know, just that one last time at church. So, then sometimes only once a week, or whatever.
Okay, so the way that it helped me was I was like, I don’t know. I just was—I don’t know if I was cooking in the morning or what I was doing or a devotional. And I was just like, you know, I work out every single day. Like, that’s my me time. I don’t even let the girls bother me, okay? Like, Elizabeth is two, but I’m like, go, you know? Like, no teaching them now, you know, like, this is my me time.
So, I was like, I’m embarrassed, like, I don’t have me time with just me and God, every single day, right? I’m not saying that I never did it or anything, but actually be consistent. So, I was like, okay, [laugh] so let’s do a challenge. And actually, that’s where we also opened up, me and my team. We were like, okay, let’s do another open up another group, you know?
Because some people, I mean, most of the girls on my team, they’re Christians, you know. But there’s some where I’m like, you know, I don’t want to maybe do that right now. So, I’m like, okay, let’s just open a different group chat, and so that’s what we did. And I was like, okay, every single day, the first thing that I’m going to do is I’m going to read or listen to devotionals, something where it’s just me. Because if I can do it with working out, I have to do it in the Word as well.
CortneyJo: What I loved about what you just shared is that, you know, it’s especially as you related it to just building your Bible habit and getting back with, you know, having that daily time with the Lord, if anyone is, like, struggling with that, sometimes it doesn’t have to always start there. It may be able to start with another goal. Like you said, I had this goal for my health, and I’m mastering that. I’m doing really well, like, I’ve been putting this into practice, and now it’s become a permanent lifestyle for me. So, then it’s like, oh, when it comes to my personal relationship with the Lord and reading His Word and spending time with him, hey, since I’ve learned how to build a healthy habit over here, I can now build this healthy habit as well.
And so sometimes, like, you know—and one of the things I’m also loving about this conversation, Emily, is how real you are and authentic and how honest you are about, like, hey, you know, sometimes this and sometimes that, right? So, I love this, and it’s just really beautiful about your story, and I appreciate you sharing that, like, hey, for real, on the for real tip, I was not reading my Bible all the time, which is okay, but because I learned I could build a healthy habit, I’m doing it over here.
Emily: We got to be honest. Because, I mean, if you’re honest with yourself, we aren’t reading that all the time. You know what I’m saying? Like, I mean, there are—not for everybody, but most of us, just like most of us aren’t moving. Most of us aren’t drinking the water that we need or the nutrition that we need. So, you first have to be honest with yourself, you know, and just be, like, you know what? I am making a mess, or whatever it may be. And then just be, like, but I know that I can change.
CortneyJo: That part.
Emily: So.
CortneyJo: Come on now, friend. Come on, friend. I love that. Well, the women in your group are really blessed to have you as a leader—
Emily: And I’m blessed to have them.
CortneyJo: —in their world.
Emily: They’re amazing, amazing women.
CortneyJo: Oh, my God. But I love what you just said, Emily, so much is that you have to first be honest with yourself, and then also be honest about where you want to go. And I think that’s amazing.
Emily: Well, one thing I wanted to add when you were talking about, like, you know, once you’re good in one area of your life, then that’s when you can move on, and stuff. It just made me think of, like—so it’s actually kind of funny. You know, I follow a lot of different doctors and experts and stuff like that, and I don’t know who it was that said it, and somebody was talking about how, if you’re not getting in seven to ten, seven to 10,000 steps a day, it doesn’t matter if you work out, that it’s still not good for your health, you know?
Well, first of all, when I heard that, I was like, wait what? Because, you know, in the especially in the beginning part of my working out, I told you I love just the 30 minutes. So, after 30 minutes, I was like, okay, I’m going to go sit on the couch and play with the baby or whatever. So then, after seeing that, I was just, like, oh my gosh, I’m working out, I’m working on my diet, my water, my this, my that, and I was like, and now I got to try and figure out how I’m going to add 10,000 steps? Like, this is crazy.
And then you’re telling me I’m not being healthy? Like, so—and I was talking to one of the women in my group, and she was the one that was like, okay, number one, calm down. You know? She was like, calm down. We are always going to find new things or something that were, I don’t know if it’s like, maybe not doing right, or maybe that we need to add into our life, right, it’s always about learning in life.
CortneyJo: Yeah, I love that.
Emily: And so, she was like, don’t freak out about it, and maybe don’t start out with 10k steps. Just be like, okay, so you did your workout. Well, how many steps have you done? You know, especially now working from home and living in the suburbs and stuff, right? In the country, it was a little bit easier because you have all that space. So, the only thing I wanted to say is that there you are going to find new things always coming up in your life, but if you just take it one step at a time, like you were saying, that’s all you got to worry about. And take one little step. Just—actually, John was is reading this book from James Clear, I think it’s called Atomic Habits.
CortneyJo: Yes. Yes. I [crosstalk 00:33:44]. I’ve listened to a couple chapters of it too.
Emily: It’s a really good book. Oh, my goodness, it’s an amazing book and he says, if you just get 1% better every day, you know, that’s compound. Instead of being stuck and being like, well, you know, “I weigh 300, 600 pounds. I’m never going to lose this weight. I can’t do it.” Or I have, “$200,000 in debt. Like, I can’t do it.” Yes, you can. You need to find your group of people, a friend or something, you know, they are going to lift you up on the days that you feel like you can’t you know?
CortneyJo: And I think another thing that’s coming to my mind—I love what you just shared there—is just that also we don’t need to ask permission before we start doing things. Because sometimes I think we feel like—and let me be clear, there’s a difference between permission and support. Having support is awesome, but sometimes we feel like we need permission to take care of ourselves, or do the things we need to do, or make a decision that is helpful for us, right? You know what I mean? Like, how do I honor myself in this today?
But if I do this for myself, what does this take away from somebody else, right? And so, feeling sometimes, like, you need permission to do that. You don’t need permission to do that. But support, yes, but not permission. So, like I said, I’ve loved what you’ve been sharing. And you often remind women in your group that while nutrition and fitness are important, you also, you know, talk to them about don’t forget to study your Bible. So, why is that spiritual balance so essential in your journey, Emily?
Emily: I would definitely say that is more my team who’s there. They keep me grounded. They’re the ones who… I don’t know, I might be having an off day, and then you get someone—I have one… well, I shouldn’t say one because every single one of them is a very—they’re very close to God. They have a wonderful relationship with the Lord. But I guess I have one friend on there, we’ve been friends for a while, and I’ve kind of always told everybody that she’s kind of been my spiritual leader.
Sometimes we may—I don’t know, sometimes we may think that, like, oh, I’m doing really good with my walk with God. But like I said, you can always be better, you know? Which some people are like, oh, that sucks, but no. It’s going to be okay. God will… how do you say, like, brighten up the way, or like, show you when you’re ready.
And so, one thing that she taught me, we do a lot of Zoom workouts, also. Like, once a week, I’ll be like, hey, what day do you guys want to do it, and what time? You know, coordinate with everybody, and we will do our workout. And then at the end, she’ll be like, is there anything I can pray for any of you? You know, like, before we get off here, let’s have a prayer.
It’s like, why have I never thought about doing that, you know? Like you think you’re doing so good and stuff, but you can always learn something. Which is another reason why I think community is so important, you know? So, we don’t know it all, so.
CortneyJo: We don’t know it all. And I love, like you said, community being able to rely on others and their gifts and all their good stuff, but they’re learning, too. Yeah.
Emily: Yeah, I think that’s the biggest thing in life—and that’s what I tell Isabella, my oldest daughter—number one, don’t think that you know it all. You know, it’s okay to ask questions and stuff, you know?
CortneyJo: Good mama. You are a good mother, instilling such a good, good value for her, and you’re absolutely right. You don’t have to know it all. That pressure, to know it all, to have it all—
Emily: Well, and I think that’s when you also start to fall when you think you know it all right. Because even human—Dave Ramsey and even these other coaches, they all had a mentor, right? We all need a mentor. So [laugh].
CortneyJo: We all need somebody. We need our people. I love this. So, you’ve said that you said that when you feel good about yourself, it becomes easier to celebrate other women instead of, like, comparing or judging. What has fitness taught you about sisterhood and even jealousy?
Emily: Yes.
CortneyJo: Because that can be a real thing, you know?
Emily: This is a good question, yes. I guess I’ll start with just saying, like, I guess I saw it first in myself, you know? I have been there where you look at another woman and you’re like, why does she have that? Or why is her body looking like that? Like, why doesn’t my body look like this? Well, the first thing is to realize, like, wait, you, like, stop a moment.
You know, she’s a woman who, even though to me, I’m like, oh, she looks perfect, she’s got her own battle that she’s dealing with, whether it’s spiritual, physical, mental. Also, every woman has problems with how they feel about themselves and their body, right? So, I was like, you need to stop. And why don’t you just start lifting other women? So, you know, kind of like the whole fake it till you make it.
I mean, I won’t—it’s not, like, really faking it, but maybe to yourself. Like, yes, I might be jealous. Like, oh my gosh, she looks so good in that red dress. Like, why didn’t I think about wearing re—no. Hold up. Stop. And then compliment the other woman.
So, maybe faking it in that aspect, like, you know, stop the madness or the jealousy, and then just lift the other woman up. I don’t remember when I also had this, like, revelation, or, you know what you whatever you want to call it, where I started seeing, oh, I guess it comes from, again, learning from me. I can be a very mean person, and, especially in the drive-through with these women who are just, like, throwing—or not just women, but men and women—just like throwing your food, or, like, here you go, or whatever, and I’m like, how can I compliment them? Or, you know, to lift them up? Because she looks very mad right now. Maybe if I tell her something…
I’ve done that at the gas station too. When I pump gas, I go in and the woman looks so mad. And I’m like, well, instead of me getting mad and being like, why she giving me attitude, I’m like, you know what? Your eyeshadow looks so good today. And then she smiles and starts talking. Sometimes she—who knows what bad day she was having, you know?
And so, I think that’s what it’s taught me, is that, like, I’m like, I know how hard I’ve worked, you know? I’ve had people look at me and be like, you work out. I’ve had family be like, you need to wear a—what is it called? Waist trainer—because you’re looking a little square.
CortneyJo: Oh.
Emily: I was like, “You watch me.” Because I do post my stuff on social media, for myself to be like, and I post my before and afters to remind myself where I’ve come from. Because, again, even though I feel better in my skin than when I did in the beginning, it’s like we women still, you know, fight through those feelings. I was like, you watch me every single day, and the hard work that I put in, my sweaty face and everything, and you’re telling me, like, I should get a waist trainer instead of, first, number one, somebody that never asked me how I’m doing, or talks to me, or have any kind of a relationship with me. You know, it’d be different, maybe someone from my team, like, hey, girl, let’s get trainers or whatever.
But yeah, no, she ju—I was just like… and this is also coming from someone who’s had multiple surgeries. And I was like, well, you know, I could throw that back in your face, but I’m just going to say, you know, no, thank you. I don’t want the hourglass shape. I was like, I’m trying to get abs to look like I can beat you up.
CortneyJo: Yes, okay.
Emily: You know, but—so that made me be like, oh my gosh, I should never, ever see another girl, and be like, well, she just has a mediocre body. Because, you don’t know, maybe she started at 600 pounds and it’s like, and she’s looking her best—
CortneyJo: Okay.
Emily: And she’s still on a journey, you know?
CortneyJo: And what’s wrong with square? A triangle? A circle? Or a rectangle?
Emily: Exactly.
CortneyJo: Like, everything.
Emily: I like being square, thank you [laugh].
CortneyJo: Thank you. Sometimes people can be interesting.
Emily: But why is she saying that? Are you jealous? Because this is someone that has told me, even though she’s done all her surgeries, she’s like, I still look in the mirror and I don’t like what I see. I’m like, are you serious?
CortneyJo: So basically, it’s the projection. Sometimes that when people say, you know—it happens a lot—you know, subconsciously, maybe people say negative things to you, and maybe just the projection of how they may feel about themselves, but it’s really important that you, as the individual, be comfortable and confident enough in who you are, so that doesn’t throw you off, right? That doesn’t throw you off when somebody else is projecting how they may feel or think about themselves onto you. You have to be able to kind of recognize that.
Emily: And I think that’s why it is good, you know, as a Christian, to, like, take back for a moment and maybe not try and fight the other person because sometimes the other person may not know, like, hey, maybe what I have is jealousy or whatever, you know?
CortneyJo: That’s true.
Emily: Yeah, they don’t know.
CortneyJo: That is true. Sometimes people aren’t aware of, you know, just how they can be feeling. Yeah, I like that. I like that there are deeper feelings. Sometimes people aren’t aware of their deeper feelings. It’s also, some people it’s scary to go deeper, and so we don’t. So, it’s easier to kind of stay on the surface.
And so, that can be another whole conversation, Emily, because we could talk about that some more. But thank you for sharing that and your journey through being able to recognize jealousy within yourself and how you’ve worked to overcome that. And you’re like, listen, I want to celebrate women. So, that takes us to a very special next part. You know, I’m always asking guests about MUCH Woman, you know, just the MUCH Woman lifestyle. So, let’s talk about being a MUCH Woman.
What are your thoughts about that? I mean, I know when you and I were chatting, we talked a little bit about how it reminds you of the Proverbs 31. You’ve talked about learning to be intentional with your time and stewarding your body well. Tell me a little bit about what you think about being a MUCH Woman, as it relates to health and fitness, nutrition?
Emily: Yeah, I actually do think that it fits in perfect with what we were just talking about. Because a lot of women, you get two versions. You can read P-31—Proverbs 31—and look at this woman like, wow, she’s amazing. Or you have the other group of women that is like, oh my gosh, like, she’s doing too much. Is she living in the 19—what 20s, I guess? [laugh]—you know? That century where women, like, the husband comes in and you’re taking off their [foreign 00:44:57], their shoes, right, taking off their shoes, putting on their… house shoes, I guess is the word.
So, you have two groups where you have the one that’s like, oh my gosh, she’s an amazing woman, and then you have this other group that’s like, no, she’s doing too much, or this and that, negative thoughts. Again, well, what is the deeper—why are you feeling like that? So, I have here the New Living Translation Proverbs, 31:17. It says, “She is energetic and strong, a hard worker.” Then 31:25, “She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.”
And then there’s and—I mean, it keeps going on where she, like, wakes up even before everybody else is awake and does breakfast. But then there’s a verse that talks about how she’s also delegating to her maid-servants, talking about the plan for the day, and all that. So, it’s like, I look at her and I’m like, I want my—because I have two girls, and I’m like, I want you guys to be a P-31, you know? This is a woman who she’s wise and she’s strong and—or you could be the other one and be like, jealous, but why? Like, stop and think, what is it?
There is something in that long list that she is doing that you’re like, you know, it’s too much for me. You know, I can read it and be like, well, that’s too much. Well, doesn’t God also talk about, like, take my yoke and my burden? It’s like, you know… so I think that was another podcast that I heard where she’s, like, if we do it with God, you know, there is nothing that you can do. So, instead of like, looking at her with this, like, jealousy eyes and stuff, no, we look at her and be like, oh my gosh, this is a strong and powerful woman, and she has learned that you can’t do it alone. That’s why she’s got her maids there, and we’re making a plan. So yes.
CortneyJo: I love that.
Emily: She’s a very powerful woman.
CortneyJo: She’s a powerful woman. And like, a MUCH Woman. You know, a MUCH Woman can be as much as she wants or—as she can do what she wants, as long as that MUCH Woman is being true to herself, right?
Emily: Yes, exactly.
CortneyJo: I love that. So, Emily, as we begin to wrap up in some final encouragement, for the woman who feels stuck or who says, “I don’t have time,” you know? Like, I just, I got so much to do. I don’t even know where I would fit this in. Like, Emily, this sounds good. I’m happy you figured that out for yourself, you know, but I don’t know how I would do that, what encouragement would you offer her today?
Emily: Yeah. I mean, I would say we’re all there, right? We all feel so busy. We’re doing all the things, especially moms, okay? Moms, I think, have it way harder than men. Sorry, guys [laugh]. But it’s just, like, because, especially in today’s society—and I’ve told my husband this—because I feel it sometimes, it’s like, if you’re work, you’re a bad mom. If you stay at home, you’re a bad mom, you know? And so, now you’re trying to do both, and you’re stretching thin, and it’s just, like, this is too much. And you’re like, I don’t need another thing in my plate.
But when I talk to you about the health and fitness and everything, and one thing that I just want everybody to know more than it’s about losing weight or anything like that, is that it is about longevity and having a good life, right? Because right now we may be feeling good, you know, 30s, 40s, you know, I’d say probably about after 40s in today’s society, people are now not starting to feel good. Feeling that draining, you know? Everybody’s having, like, stomach issues, right, colon issues and stuff like that. We’re seeing a lot of more people dying from colon cancer, young people.
So, I would say to just start small, right? Like we were talking about in that other book with the 1% talking about habits. You know, Dave Ramsey’s got the that snowball. And then so when it comes to health and fitness or nutrition, start small. I think it’s Dr. [Chatterjee 00:49:14]—I think I’m pronouncing his name correctly—he says that every morning, the first thing that he does—because a lot of us love our coffee, right—and so he says that while he’s making his coffee, which I guess takes him five minutes, he says, I take those five minutes to just do a little routine.
I don’t know what exactly it is that he does, but I know it’s—I think he says he lifts weights, if I’m not mistaken. Like squatting, and five minutes while your coffee is brewing.
CortneyJo: Yeah, just starts [unintelligible 00:49:43]—
Emily: You know? Or maybe you don’t want to work out, maybe go check a walk. But the thing is to commit to yourself, okay? You have to commit and say, maybe one day out of the week, two days, well, however many days, whether it’s five minutes while your coffee’s brewing, maybe you want to start walking with your friend before work, after work, whatever, whatever it is that you choose that you want to do, right? Could be dancing in your living room for five minutes.
I like to do that too. Like, in the morning, like, which, if you follow me, people know the first thing that I do is, like, I do a little bounce because I pour my energize and I’m just sitting there doing a little dance. Like it just makes me happy. So, whatever it is that you choose to do, commit to yourself to it. I would even write it down.
You have to. I tell people this all the time, whether you want to buy a house, right, if you want to buy a house, you need a plan. Like, how much are you going to save, and all this other thing. Write down a plan.
CortneyJo: Write it down.
Emily: You know? Write it down. What are you going to do, for how long, and maybe invite a friend with that. Do a little challenge. Do small—just 21 days, you know? Commit to something, whatever it is you want to do a walk or whatever, and commit to yourself. When you commit to yourself, you’re giving yourself self-confidence.
CortneyJo: I love that.
Emily: And that self-confidence will later turn into God confidence. You know the woman that you are in Christ. So [laugh].
CortneyJo: Come on now, Emily. Come on now.
Emily: You got to commit to yourself. Yes.
CortneyJo: I love that. I want to just highlight what you just said, that God confidence. You know the woman who you are and who you might be.
Emily: That’s what we want, right? And I learned that because with Isabella, I was like, I don’t want you to go up there being, like, oh, self-con—no. It’s going to turn to God confidence, okay [laugh]?
CortneyJo: I know that’s right.
Emily: That’s what we want.
CortneyJo: I love that. Well, before we wrap up, before we wrap up, for good, because of what all this great stuff that you’ve been doing, not only just for yourself, but having other women along the journey with you—also, for our listeners, just want you to know that we’re going to put all of Emily’s, her website, her YouTube link, all of her stuff in our [show notes 00:51:49], so that you are able to connect with Emily again and learn more from her and her journey. But I want to share a couple testimonials from a couple of the women—
Emily: Yeah, I was going to say, before you go on and read that, I wanted to give a statistic, which you probably know—
CortneyJo: Please, tell me.
Emily: So, the statistic that I wanted to give—because we’re talking about community—but some people might be like, well, I don’t need a community. Like, whatever.
CortneyJo: Tell us. Tell us.
Emily: So, it says college students who join a club or group, right? We know are more likely to graduate.
CortneyJo: Yep, yeah.
Emily: So, we need a community, we need a group. We need that support. But I just wanted to throw in that statistic because I was, like, a lot of people think that it’s not important to have a group, but we are in a very lonely society. People think that just scrolling and maybe a like or whatever, but that’s lonely. What’s a like going to do to me?
CortneyJo: Yeah, and I also think that—yeah, and that’s another podcast I’m going to be doing later this season to talk about just having community and having friends and stuff like that. Because sometimes it’s hard for people to make community, and so they have this pressure like, oh, I know I need community, but I don’t know how to start that. So, we’ll be talking about that a little bit later in another episode. But let’s talk about the community that you have, and how this community has not only strengthened you and helped you, but how it’s strengthened them. And so, these women have given us permission to not only share their names, but to also share their stories.
So, I’m going to just read two of them here. Whitney is a woman on your team. She says, from her experience, that, “Our team is so encouraging. We celebrate each other’s wins, and we throw some fun into the mix as well. Emily started a step in to spring challenge, and it really impacted and helped my fitness journey, and that challenge really helped me to be more consistent with working out and just getting up and moving a whole lot more than I was because it pushed me to do these things and finish the challenge, and even inspired me to get members of my family and friends to do our own step into spring challenge.
“And so, the sort of continuing on with that plan, it was good sense. I have good community, I have good accountability, but I also place no judgment.” So, she’s saying she has great accountability, but she also doesn’t place any judgment. The team, our team, she says, is great, and our leader, Emily is great. She is so positive and really celebrates wins with us.
And then I’m going to read Karen. So, Karen is another great friend of Emily’s, and she has a great story. So, she says, “My name is Karen, and I joined Body in August 2023 when I was looking to make some changes in my life. I remember seeing a post Emily made about group workouts, and I knew that was a community of like-minded women that I wanted to be a part of. So, I took a chance and I bought the program.
“I’ve always loved working out, loved home workouts, but being able to do them with others was even more fun. In January 2024, I committed to a 12-week program called Digging Deeper with [Shanti 00:55:12], consistently working out for 40 to 45 minutes a day changed my life. Shanti knows how to push you past your limits you never thought you could go. I also had the support of my wonderful team who did it with me.
“I felt physically and mentally strong during that journey, and it affected not only how I looked in the mirror, but also how I felt. My mood was better and I was able to focus more. During that time, I was struggling to pass my pharmacy board exam. After several failed attempts, I decided, let me just take a break, work on myself and then get back to it. Being consistent with workouts helped me stay consistent with other things like studying and ultimately helped me pass my exam. I’m finally a licensed pharmacist, and I know I couldn’t be here without the love and support of my team and surrounding myself with strong women who can do hard things.” Amen.
Emily: That just brings chills to me, you know? Like—
CortneyJo: Yes, yes, yes.
Emily: That’s the purpose of life is helping each other, helping, you know, our neighbors, our friends, our family, and God is good, all the time.
CortneyJo: He is good all the time, and he’s faithful. Emily, thank you so much for your honesty today, your strength and your wisdom. You’ve reminded us that stewardship of our health, it’s not about perfection, but it’s about faithfulness, intentionality, and walking with God in every areas of our lives. I’m so grateful for your story. Thank you.
Emily: Well, thank you for inviting me. It’s been such a pleasure.
CortneyJo: Thank you. It’s been a pleasure having you. And I’m sad is the episode’s over, but we can maybe do this again, have a part two.
Emily: And bring the—yes and bring the team.
CortneyJo: Yes. Oh, let’s do it. I would love that. That would be great. And to our listeners, thank you so much for joining us for episode ten. Whether you’re on day one or year seven of your health journey, we pray that this conversation has encouraged you to pursue wellness, body, mind and spirit. So, until next time you can check out this episode and any other episodes, the blogs, all things MUCH Woman at [muchwoman.com 00:57:42]. We’ll see you next time.