Born creative, Emily found her passion for dance at the young age of two, in small town rural Illinois. Overcoming physical limitations at a young age, she realized the fruits of her labor and the truth that hard work, applied consistently over a period of time, fosters massive improvement. The work ethic learned in the dance studio is the same work ethic that has helped her and her husband Brian build a family of companies including their multi-location performing arts center, real estate investment company, and wholesale retail company. She has committed her life to serving others by passing on her philosophy that personal growth and accountability are the greatest gifts we can give to ourselves and our world. As a pioneer of change herself, Emily has taken her experiences to intentionally influence leaders, entrepreneurs, families, and students from a variety of backgrounds and in locations around the world. Emily gives credit to her mom, Jackie, for teaching her that you can do anything you put your mind to and that every person you meet matters. She gives credit to the arts for the great impact it has had on her life and credit to God for saving hers. Because of these influences, Emily works to pay it forward with their family mission to give every child access to the arts. If Emily is not at the studio, she can be found in one of her two favorite places in the world-sitting on the porch listening to her husband Brian sing with their four children: Nikki- Their passionate pursuer, Brinlee- Their intuitive strategist, Haven- Their creative artist, Gevyn- Their busy builder. The other is sharing life in Cite Soleil, Haiti. Emily believes we are given this life to share it and is thankful for each and every opportunity given to her to do so.