ABOUT ME

MEET EMMA

I'm Emma Smillie,

I AM: Optimistic, playful, pragmatic, deeply intuitive, observant and instinctual.

I AM ALSO: An overthinker, over sharer and recovering people pleaser who, after battling many internal demons, surrendered to life and leaned into my strengths as a compassionate, cheerleading and challenging Somatic Coach.

Pleased to meet you!

Life has dealt me its share of pain and loss, compelling me to confront my inner turmoil and embrace every facet of my being.

From these trials emerged a wellspring of inner resources. Strength, resilience, humility and compassion that I draw upon every day of life.

After a decade of personal growth and therapy to support me with resolving my physical and mental health challenges, I turned to Somatic therapeutic work to support my healing in a new way. After two years I decided to train in Somatic Coaching, as it felt natural and intuitive to me.

I knew it in my bones, because I knew the power of it and I haven't looked back.

The work is never done, there are always so many layers but now it doesn't feel so lonely, draining or painful.

I'm now connected to all parts of me and I'm proud of all I've achieved and overcome, allowing me to guide the way for others to do the same.

Find Out More About Somatic Coaching

Emma Smillie Coaching

“Working with Emma was an absolutely gracious delight, with warmth compassion and nurturing.

I felt truly seen, heard and understood in such an enlightening way that pierced my soul and gave me such a gift of experience I had yearned for in other coaching sessions. So much skill involved in reaching this point, with calm wisdom and direction I felt I was in good hands! Thank you so much for bringing me this experience it has profoundly changed my life for the better!”

Denine Nielson

New Zealand

Emma Smillie Coaching

“Working with Emma will give you a safe space to explore where you hold emotions in your body, teach you how to access and start to release them.

This was different from any talking therapy I have done in the past which can be draining. Emma helped me tap into a way of being able to access a different energy. Not trying to force letting go of the heavy stuff by working through it until its 'better', but accepting its existing along side other things. It's helped me reconnect with a part of myself I didn't realise I was neglecting. I'm feeling more aligned with myself the more I practice.”

Kirsty

Scotland

Emma Smillie Coaching

“Super special session (as always) with Emma. I feel so privileged to be on this journey with Emma and I am finding it transformational in all parts of my life.

Emma provides such a warm, safe, and open space that I feel encourages curiosity, bravery, and determination to understand myself and the lenses through which I see. The inspiration I get from each session carries me through to the next and I just can't say enough how wonderful this opportunity to journey with Emma is.”

Anonymous

Do Nation

My Story:

Caring for Others: I've always had a natural inclination towards caring for others. I grew up in a household where one of the parents was chronically ill.

I became very aware of other people needs and naturally developed an instinct for others peoples wellbeing.

I became extremely sensitive and I developed an unconscious need to soothe, comfort and even entertain other people, to make them feel better because I was feeling and absorbing so much of their pain and discomfort.

The body lets you down: I became acutely aware of how the body can let you down when I was very small.

Seeing my mums health deteriorate to a disease doctors didn't really understand and couldn't fix broke my heart. I couldn't make sense of it.

I was angry at god and life, it didn't seem fair and I grew up very aware of mortality and developed a fear of illness and distrust of the medical system.

People Pleasing: I went through life pleasing, soothing, supporting and problem solving for my friends and family. Convinced I was strong, fiercely independent and needless, I did everything to extremes, working all the time, partying hard, over exercising and crash dieting.

Ignoring my body's screams to tell me the work I was doing, who I was hanging out with or how I was living was causing me harm.

When My Body said No: The first time my body said No was when Dermatitis required me to quit my beloved career as a chef. A lot of anger and frustration surfaced and I felt victimised by life.

I wanted to be strong and independent and this made me feel weak and like I didn't deserve to do what I loved. I felt like I was being punished for all the bad stuff I had done as a teen.

I swallowed the frustration and went back to college to retrain.

Moving abroad triggered so much insecurity in me: Moving abroad was the most exciting thing to ever happen to me and something I had consciously asked the universe for, the opportunity to see the world.

Yet, I had no idea how it would trigger so much insecurity in me. It changed me beyond recognition and forced me to stop, surrender and face the pain and discomfort my body was feeling.

Then my body screamed NO! Mystery illnesses and injuries out of nowhere became the norm, culminating in a collection of diagnoses; Allergic reactions, Hashimoto's Autoimmune disease, Panic attacks, CPTSD and ADHD.

It was time for me to open Pandoras box inside and face the pain of the unresolved traumas I had shoved and held down for decades.

For 5 years I was locked into cycles of trying all sorts of traditional and holistic healing therapies with varying results, some near miraculous but nothing I was able to sustain long term.

There was always some kind of breakdown or self sabotage that brought me back to square one, or another diagnosis.

First experience of Somatic Work: My first experience of working Somatically was with Dance therapy. I was blown away by what could be felt, expressed and resolved without words and without having to dig up all the old stuff and tell another person all about my painful past.

I remember the session so clearly where we talked about the nervous system and stress responses. Taking us through an exercise where we recalled times in our lives where we felt so afraid and had to fight, or when we had to run away. Or when we couldn't fight anymore and froze in fear.

How often do you feel like your in a stress response? I couldn't remember a time when I hadn't been fighting against life or running away when my problem felt too great for me.

I had always felt afraid and alone. Like an alarm was going off internally in my being, waiting for the next disaster or emergency.

Chronic illness forced me to surrender and collapse into a state of freeze for 2 years. It was excruciating knowing what I needed to do for my business but completely incapable of doing so.

Realising I had lived my whole life in a stress response was so upsetting. I didn't know who I was without stress and I grieved the life I had missed and the person I thought I was..

This awareness alone was a game changer and set me on my path towards self discovery, trauma resolution and healing that repaired the connection to my body and feeling safe.

Repairing the Connection to my Body: Lasting change starts in the body and is felt in the body. But if you are completely disconnected from your body, how can you create lasting change?

Sure you can change your thoughts, your beliefs and your attitude to things but none of that is tangible, it doesn't exist anywhere other than your mind.

Your body is your home, it exists to feel, guide, inform, feedback, warn and best of all experience pleasure.

Joy, happiness, excitement, love, fear, all of it is meant to be felt.

And yet so many of us have lost this connection and as a result we feel lost, adrift, alone, fearful, anxious and full of doubt.

Improvements in my life since I began my Somatic journey: Connection to Self, improved energy, better choices, self love and respect, deepened self awareness, the courage to say no and step out of toxic dynamics.

I now have an awareness of my own toxic and destructive habits and ways of being.

I have found the courage to step out of people pleasing and allow others to help me and have clarity about why I'm here and what I'm here to do.

Dads little helper: I remember growing up around my Dad, a joine0r, always building things, making things better.

I was fascinated when by his side helping. I observed him so closely, following what he needed, so I could help him. I'd blow away the sawdust as he cut a piece of wood. Hand him the next piece of pasted wallpaper or the next screw fitting.

I became very good at joining dots, following and guessing what people needed next, the next tool, the next step and my brain leapt into action every time he made a mistake or hit a problem.

I often felt frustrated that I knew the steps of how to do something but that I couldn't actually do it myself, this caused a lot of doubt in my abilities until I became a trainer and Master Workshop Facilitator

I now know that I don't actually need to know how to do everything, I just need to know the process and steps to take, to facilitate people to find their own answers.

Want to know more about my journey to Somatic Coaching? Check out my articles on my Substack "Glimmers of Grief & Grace". Substack.

Check out my writing on Substack