Welcome to Curiosity Rising… where we believe:
There's no shortage of advice about how to live your life. What to do. Who to be. Which direction to take.
But somewhere beneath everyone else's opinions, expectations,
and well-intentioned advice, there's a voice that deserves your attention, too.
As seen in
A little less of this. A whole lot more of that.
The thread I kept finding
During my 13+ years as a trauma therapist, people came to me struggling with boundaries, relationships, people-pleasing, healing past experiences, and difficult decisions.
Beneath those different concerns, I kept finding something familiar:
As we built that trust, I watched their decisions, relationships, and sense of possibility change.
That discovery became the foundation of my work because…
Not because life gets easier. But because you change how you meet it.
Self-Trust is a relationship with yourself strong enough to hold fear, doubt, and uncertainty… without letting them make every decision.
You don’t have to know exactly what comes next to trust yourself with the next step.
The foundation of the work
“Just trust yourself!” sounds lovely. But how?
Turns out, for most of us, it’s not that easy. I spent years noticing what helped people build Self-Trust…
and refining the practices that made a difference.
At its heart is The Self-Trust Compass:
Four Directions to help you put that work into practice.
Tell yourself the truth.
About where you are. What you feel. What you want. And what you may have known for a while but haven’t been ready to admit.
Honesty gives you a starting point. You can meet yourself there with kindness.
Give yourself reasons to trust you.
Small commitments. Consistent follow-through. Actions that show you’re listening to what matters.
And sometimes, a closer look at the promise itself. Did you choose it? Or did “Should” choose it for you?
Include your body in the conversation.
It’s really hard to trust your intuition when your nervous system is dysregulated.
Caring for your nervous system helps create more room to notice what you feel, stay curious, and respond with greater choice.
Get curious about the person you’re becoming.
Your needs. Your values. Your desires. The parts of you that want to leap forward and the parts that are afraid.
Make space to discover what’s true for you—and to let that truth evolve.
Four directions to return to throughout your life.
Each offers a way to reconnect with yourself and choose your next step.
The real measure of the work
The most meaningful part of this work isn't what someone says about their experience with me.
It's what they discover about themselves along the way.
Imagine feeling…
“I'm feeling SIGNIFICANTLY more confident in myself.”
A book to curl up with. A conversation for your morning walk. Space in the mountains to hear yourself again. Or a new perspective to bring into your community or professional practice.
There are different ways to explore this work. Follow the one that makes you most curious.
Stories, questions, and tools for the relationship with yourself.
In Can People Really Change?, I share thirteen lessons from thirteen years as a therapist—about change, being human, and what becomes possible when we begin to trust ourselves.
You Can Trust Yourself takes that exploration further, introducing The Self-Trust Model™ and Compass through personal stories, reflections, and practices you can bring into your own life.
Explore the Books →
Turn down the noise.
Get curious about what’s within.
Grab a mug of tea and join me for conversations about the messy, beautiful, sometimes wildly uncomfortable experience of being human.
Personal stories, thoughtful guests, science, spirituality, and the everyday practice of trusting yourself.
Listen to the Podcast →
Space to hear yourself.
Support to explore what’s next.
Intimate experiences at the intersection of deep inner work, nature, and luxury.
For women navigating the thresholds of life, these gatherings offer room to slow down, reconnect with themselves, and explore what’s calling them forward.
Explore the Retreats →
Bringing Self-Trust into the room… and into your work.
Talks, workshops, and practitioner trainings exploring how we build Self-Trust and navigate change.
Drawing on 13+ years as a trauma therapist and her development of The Self-Trust Model™, Emily brings stories, practical tools, and experiential learning to groups, organizations, and practitioners.
Explore Speaking & Training →Your guide someone familiar with the terrain
Your guide someone familiar with the terrain
Former trauma therapist. Two-time author. Creator of The Self-Trust Model™. Podcast host. Retreat facilitator. Endlessly curious human.
For 16+ years (including 13+ as a trauma therapist) I’ve explored how we change and what becomes possible when we trust ourselves.
Today, I share that work through books, The Self-Trust Podcast, speaking, practitioner education, retreats, and Private Immersions.
I’m also a mother, a “Maddy,” mountain wanderer, tea enthusiast, and lover of deep friendships.
If you’re curious about a retreat or Private Immersion, we can begin with a conversation.
A free, 30-minute discovery call is a chance to share where you are, explore what you’re looking for, and see whether working together feels like a fit.
