Hey there.
I’m Emily, and there are three things that bring me great joy:
Bringing great people together.
Helping people (fullstop).
But specifically, helping others get clear on who they are, what they want to spend their time on and what they don’t - and how to make it happen.Making lists (joking… or am I?).
professionally
Initially studied Fine Art (yes, really).
Went on to do a Law degree a couple of years later.
Became a litigation lawyer for a hot minute, but left private practice early on to go in-house - the law firm environment and people just weren’t for me.
Joined a startup as their first legal hire, and never looked back.
I’ve spent the last 10+ years building, scaling and leading businesses/teams across multiple industries - first as GC, later as COO, board member and company director.
I now focus my time and energy on the three things that give me the most joy, through a combination of 1:1 Executive Coaching, Leadership Team Workshops, Founder Bootcamps, organising Executive Yoga Retreats, and writing.
If I had to choose one word to describe my approach to life and work, it would be: Intentional.
personally
I grew up in Germany and Singapore in a British-Filipino household. I speak German.
I have never known what to say when people ask me where ‘home’ is - so over time, I made a handful of wonderful people my home. Where they are, I am home. And they’re all over the place. How lucky I am, to have so many places to call home.
I grew up in Germany and Singapore in a British-Filipino household. I speak German.
I have never known what to say when people ask me where ‘home’ is - so over time, I made a handful of wonderful people my home. Where they are, I am home. And they’re all over the place. How lucky I am, to have so many places to call home.
I am the type of person who unpacks on holiday, arranges her closet by colour, and owns an old-school label maker (yes, the embossed stamp variety).
I am also the type of person who uses the label maker to write ‘Brrr..’ on the fridge, ‘Calculator’ on my calculator, and suggests we book flights for tomorrow morning on a whim, because they’re £17 right now (lies. I’ve already booked them, and now you have to come).
I am both of those people, in differing measures, depending on the day.
I’m not a horoscopes or crystals person, but I don’t mind if you are. I will text you when the full moon is out (#chargingtime).
I like exercise, but love food even more.
I like to put healthy food in my face, but you’ll never find me on a diet. If you ask if I want a biscuit, the answer is always yes.
I love silliness, and really believe that being serious about achieving the things you want doesn’t have to feel so serious all the time.
why host good retreats?
I’m not a yoga teacher, and I have no business to promote by running retreats. Hosting retreats is high effort, low profit. So why am I doing it?
Because I know what it’s like to move fast, to take on a lot (too much?), to always be on. I’ve spent over a decade building and leading companies, having the longest to do list, achieving a lot, learning even more - and for the most part, loving it.
But at some point, I looked up and realised I was running hard at something, without ever asking myself if it was the right race. Without asking myself if this was actually how I wanted to be spending my time.
I lacked agency over my own decisions, and I was being a passenger in a super cool car, on a really fun journey - but a passenger nevertheless. I don’t know if I’d have still chosen the same path had I been more intentional; I might have. But I still wish I had known earlier on how to make space for myself to make that choice deliberately. I now do, and I am passionate about making sure others have those tools too.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the last decade, it’s that what we now call burnout isn’t about how much you’re doing - it’s about what you’re doing and why.
Burnout, exhaustion, lack of motivation - whatever you want to call it - happens when:
The way you’re spending your time doesn’t align with what actually matters to you
When you lack agency over the things that should be yours to shape
More rest alone won’t fix that. More intention will.
I have been to a fair few retreats these past few years. And none really met that need I felt - to connect with great people on my wavelength, who want to figure out how to be more intentional about their life and work, rather than seek temporary relief before going ‘back to the grind’. I’ve always felt a gap between the retreat environment and my day to day reality - and I didn’t feel I could bridge it, and incorporate them.
And if you can’t find what you’re looking for… create it. So this Executive Yoga Retreat isn’t about wellness as an escape. It’s about stepping back to breathe just long enough to make sure the life you’re living - this one precious life we get - is actually one you chose. On purpose. With intention. Then stepping back into it, integrating that intention.
Retreats can be a part of life, not a relief from it.
I believe in practical, sustainable ways to do that—not in grand overhauls or quick fixes. As a recovering over-achiever, I have learned how to help smart, ambitious people to slow down, reflect, and get clarity, before running at their goals again, full force.
I’ve also learned that it’s important that work be done without it feeling self-indulgent or abstract. Thinking is good. Doing is better.
That’s why I’m doing this.
I hope you’ll join me.