Kween Krush alert!! This is where we celebrate everyday women for being complete badass Wonder Women.
Emmylou, we have a freaking yuuuuge crush on you! We’ve seen you absolutely explode on Instagram over the last few months and currently are addicted to your Insta-stories and Insta-lives. We’re also infatuated with your day-to-day grind and how you show us the many ups and downs of your gorgeous life. We too admire and respect the community you’ve created of like-minded, courageous, funny and lovable humans. It’s fair to acknowledge that everyone loves a bit of Emmylou Loves at the moment.
First things first, you and I happen to be from the same town: Bunbury, Western Australia (our mothers miraculously living across the road from each other). Is this the chronicle of a ‘small town gal does good’? How did you end up to be this powerhouse living in Melbourne with your beautiful kids?
Thank you so much for taking an interest in me and allowing the time to get to know me a little better. Yes, I’m Emmylou, I’m 39 and I’m originally from Bunbury. For the last fifteen years though, I’ve been living in Melbourne. I moved there initially to pursue a career in skydiving (can you believe!?) but my background has always been in musical theatre and performing arts; I did a lot of that stuff as a teenager. In my twenties, I moved into beauty therapy and make-up artistry but growing up I always wanted to have a career in media; I just didn’t have the discipline or the focus and to be honest, I also really didn’t understand what it took to get into industry.
📸: @nextjencreative
So what was the light bulb moment for you (sorry to sound like a bloody Italian Oprah Winfrey)?
Well, I found myself in Melbourne, with three kids (I had just had my third baby) and doing a fashion/styling course. As soon as I completed the course, I decided to produce a fashion/styling video (which I had never done before in my life) and once I had done that, it completely changed my mind-set and put a bee in my bonnet. The whole process came so naturally to me and it reminded me of what I wanted to do in this life: be a TV presenter. I just never had done anything about it.
From there I thought ‘what the hell am I doing?’ So I wrote down the goal ‘Logies 2018’ and it was like this massive stake in the ground that stated ‘I am going to get to the Logies in 2018’. Now whether that was serving the drinks or polishing the statue, it didn’t matter (never did it mean presenting or accepting an award); it was just a realistic goal that would demand everything from me over the next few years if I wanted to build a media career in presenting. And now, it’s no longer a dream or just a hashtag, it’s a reality, my reality.
Holy shit, yaasss! We saw you rocking that TV Week Logies red carpet babe, bravo! Your interview with Gold Logie winner Grant Denyer was amazing.
Let’s rewind the clock to two years ago when that goal kicked off. You wrote #Logies2018 on the back of a piece of paper but what happened next?
At that time I had been auditioning and applying for a lot of reality TV shows and was getting knocked back a lot (which was super hard, like, really hard) but I would always pick myself back up again (which is super important to mention and something to be proud of as well). I was also doing social media management at the time too and Insta-stories had just come onto the scene. I found Insta-stories to be a perfect way to practice being comfortable on camera and to hone in on my TV presenting skills.
I made a pact with myself that I would always present things in one-take (as if it was live), I also promised that I was going to do these Insta-stories in public and cover as much of my life as possible. That’s how naïve I was at the time! I thought that if I could do all of this that would be enough to get me over the line. Little did I know that I would have to build up a profile, get experience and so many other things!
WOW, so you really are someone who in the face of rejection has then shaped and paved their own path to success! You’ve created your own voice and your own platform in order to do what you want to do.
In the last few months we’ve also watched you celebrate your Birthday and hold a 15K follower party (which you surpassed by the time of the event). Let’s get into the nitty-gritty of your hustle because this is something you’ve definitely mastered. Is the hustle as exhausting, but inspiring as it looks?
The hustle is definitely real! Sometimes I think the word ‘hustle’ gets lost in translation and we’re constantly thinking ‘we gotta hustle’ meaning ‘we gotta push’ but what hustle really means to me is being resourceful. Being resourceful is the part that can get super tiring and look so messy because it’s about having a gazillion balls in the air but maintaining focus on the end prize. It’s also about understanding to grab those balls when they’re lying in front of you.
My 15K party was really daunting because I didn’t have any money behind me. What many people won’t know is: I don’t monetize my Instagram account. Yep, nothing is sponsored; there are no paid-posts, product endorsements etc. my focus is purely on becoming a TV presenter. So getting a major restaurant to book their entire space out on a Saturday night (which costs $15,000), I had to hustle!
A lot of people asked in the lead up to the party “Why are you doing this?” Why? Because I can! Because I now have a profile that can get big brands and companies to invest in me (even those that I haven’t worked with before). Once I paid the deposit to the restaurant, I really needed ticket sales and within 6 hours of the release, we had sold 100 (which gave me the indication that this could happen, so the hustle was on!). When it comes to hustling, the way I see it is: I’m adding value to not just my project but to other peoples’ projects too. I’d never ask for something that I didn’t think I could bring value to. I also really want to give back to my fans as well. I trust in my community enough to come down and celebrate with me but I also want them to experience a press-wall, a black carpet and to experience each other too (that was key).
So if the hustle is real, does that also mean a day-in-the-life of Emmylou is just as chaotic as what’s going on in your Insta-stories? By the way, that’s not the only thing I see, I also get: working Mum, an influential woman creating an empire and a loyal, loving mother, partner, sister, daughter and friend.
Yes, my days are really busy and really chaotic. It’s all about utilising my street-smarts (and trust me, I have a lot of those, I’ve been out of home since I was 14). The driving force behind my day is always giving back to my community and of course, following my dream. The dream was the beginning part and now the community is the props that you get for pursuing it. I can get up to 200-300 DMs a day and it hurts the hell out of my thumb to answer everyone back but I do it. Emmylou Loves is totally a two-way street. Yes, it can be draining but I also have no qualms saying/admitting to my community when I’m tired. I never feel like I have to turn-it-on for my fans. There’s no guilt or obligation. What you see, is really who I am.
You sister are actual #goals! Your attitude is such a testament to your accomplishments!! Where does this confidence come from?
I try to lead by example when it comes to ‘confidence is contagious’. The biggest thing you can do with your daily quest to get more confident, is to be completely honest about where you’re at. If you are not confident or if you are struggling with your confidence then you need to sit in that for a bit and be completely ok with it. As soon as you’re aware of where you’re at, you can move forward.
📸: @emmaperryphoto
I believe the thing that had me gravitate towards you initially was your authenticity and how you presented all facets of your life. It’s not always glamour photo shoots, llama videos and movie premieres.What stood out was something that happened during one of your Insta-lives. You were putting hotdogs in a thermos and talking about how you were offered to take your family to a water park that day and that you were so over-whelmed because this was something you couldn’t normally afford to do with your family. The life-hacks of packing an easy cheap lunch was just one way you had learnt to be able to provide for them. It was touching to watch because it showed that this is a woman who ‘doesn’t have it all’ but is ‘doing it all’.
There is so much of your life that you show us which is so f**king relatable (you even cover your anxiety and depression), is there anything you won’t share with us?
Thank you so much! That actually just made me really emotional.
When it comes to my social presence: nothing is off limits but I am known not to share a lot to do with my kids. Even though they’re in my stories/lives/posts, I don’t purposely take footage of them: I’m not a ‘Mummy blogger’. Fucking kids are kids, they run my life already and I get enough of them. Ha! I don’t think we need to see more of them on social media. Lol! Of course, I love them and when they’re around, they always get involved (whether they’re on my case or breaking my balls; just standard mum life). I also don’t share all my down days but I definitely talk about them when I can.
It might be hard for people to get their heads around my Insta-stories but it really is as genuine process. If I have something to say: I pick up my phone, say it, record it and put it up. If I’m in the thick of it: I record it, chuck my phone back in my bag and put it up later. The process is also quick. I try not to edit due to the amount of content I push out (which is a lot, right?). I cannot sustain that and a normal life if I’m always looking over it or second-guessing it; which goes back to the original plan of doing everything in one-take.
I don’t like to intrude or waste anyone’s time too. If my Instagram profile is going to light up at the top of your feed, I want it to be something that will add worth to your life/day. It always has to benefit you.
Do you think the ‘oversharing’ is a part of the reason your community is growing on a daily basis and women are a magnet to you?
Yes, which is a pinch myself moment! I’m lucky to be surrounded by so many people (women and men). I’m not just about empowering women. I’m about empowering humans. We can all do with some empowerment.
My only agenda is to be a better TV presenter, a better mother and a better person. That’s relatable because we all want to be better versions of ourselves. Yes, we all have our bad days, we’ve all had moments where we haven’t been proud of ourselves, we’ve all experienced loss (whether it’s a loved one or a relationship) but we’ve all had days where we’ve been triumphant too.
I’m no different from anyone else. I’m just a good storyteller. Anything that I’m showing or doing is possible and you can bring that into your own life. There is something for everybody in my Insta-stories.
I don’t just have over 20,000 followers, I have over 20,000 followers with open hearts that truly see me and in return see themselves. Goodness I think I’m going to cry, it’s just such a beautiful thing. I’m so extremely blessed to experience this feeling and I don’t want this feeling to change as my profile gets bigger.
So now that #Logies2018 has actually happened!! What else can we expect from Emmylou in 2018? It seems like there is a lot up your sleeve!
My TV show ‘Dot Com Social’ will be changing its name to Emmylou Loves. It will go on-air in September on the community station here in Melbourne and on Facebook. Pre-production will kick off sooner and I’m so excited to put my producer hat back on. I’m even more pumped to see what I can do now with the extra support behind me (when I started the show, I only had 2,000 followers).
I love live television and that’s what I want to be known for. The show has a late-night feel to it and that really is the end game: to have my own live late-night TV show. I believe I have the chops to host my own show and to showcase a new type of personality on commercial television. I really hope this year’s season sets me up to go to a commercial network the following year and say “This is who I am, this is my show, this is my fan base, these are the people that believe in me and are backing me all the way, take us all on”.
Considering the force you are today, what would you say to the younger Emmylou if you had the chance?
When I was 10-12 years old, my parents were going through a divorce and it was really tough. I thought I knew better than them because they weren’t showing me their best selves. So I would probably say: let your parents go through their own shit and allow to yourself to be supported because that was something that I really cut off. I just wanted to go out and do it on my own. I felt at the time that was best because I was disappointed in what I was seeing or what I was faced with. My parents (despite what they were going through) did know better, they were adults and they supported me regardless. I would say: allow yourself to be a kid, allow yourself to be loved.
So, The Fairy Tales Lied... 