We are back with our #MPlocal series and the first one of 2020! We are so excited for this year and to feature so many new local hustlinnnn' women. It truly does motivate and inspire us to see our community grow.
Today's feature is a special one because it's someone we now consider a friend - and we met through IG, how cool is that?! Emma is the founder of Chaos + Joy and is absolutely amazing. She is constantly looking at ways to bring the community together, shed light on mental health and help others around her. Her business has grown from a passion project to taking on clients and helping them through this crazy thing called 'life'.
We won't spill too much, so without further ado - meet Emma!
Name: Emma Roy
Your title: Founder & Lead Coach at Chaos + Joy
Your elevator pitch:
I’m a mental health and wellness coach, meaning that I work alongside people who are looking to strengthen their mental health, find support, and live their life to its most epic proportions. I focus on helping people put into place preventative measures to keep strength their mental wellness, and I’m an advocate for taking proactive steps to keep ourselves happy and healthy.
One word to describe yourself:
Side-kick
Why did you choose that word?
I love being people’s side-kicks and I’ve always loved the role of the sidekick in movies and books. I think they’re some of the most complex and important characters in our stories. Most heroes wouldn’t succeed, reach their goals, defeat evil and rise above without the help of their sidekicks. Anna and Elsa from Frozen wouldn’t have saved Ariendale without Olaf, Sven or Kristoff. Harry Potter wouldn’t have beat Voldemort without Hermione and Ron. Snow White would have died if the seven dwarves hadn’t stepped in.
I like being people's sidekick, the person they can go to for advice, for support, for guidance and to not feel alone. I like helping others succeed, overcome obstacles and believe in themselves.
Why did you start the business that you did and what was the inspiration or reasoning of how it came it life?
When I finished my Bachelor of Social Work degree, I wasn’t sure that social work was something that I wanted to pursue as a long-term career. I found my BSW year quite tricky for some personal reasons, so I decided to take a step away and work in a few different fields. However, since (I think), 2016, I’ve had a YouTube channel where I chat about all things mental health. I offer tips and tricks for dealing with situations, advice, life chats, all sorts of things. Just trying to raise awareness and shine some light on what can be a taboo subject.
Well, from that channel and blog, I wanted to do more. I liked the idea of being my own boss and running something on my terms and being able to offer services and support - the kind of support I needed a few years ago and had difficulty finding. I was also feeling really lost, and I wanted to take my passion to the next level.
First thought when you officially became your own boss:
I think it wasn’t so much of a thought but I did feel a mixture of excitement and fear. I was actually doing this, I made business cards, I registered myself as a social worker, I registered my business with the government. I was taking active steps to making Chaos + Joy happen in real life and it was scary and exciting.
I’m not sure the whole “being my own boss” thing has fully hit, simply because I’m not doing Chaos + Joy full-time yet but when it does happen (because I’m feeling confident today) I think that will be a holy sh*t thought moment.
When you’re not hustling, what do you do in your free time?
Chaos + Joy (recently rebranded from EPICALLY) has been a part of my life for a little while now, or at least the soul of it has been. I run a personal blog and YouTube that Chaos + Joy was born from on the side called Emma, Et Cetera. It’s a bit of a passion hobby, something that I can work on in my free time and allows me to work the other creative parts of my brain.
I also read a lot and enjoy spending time outside, hiking and camping. At the beginning of the year I also started getting into rock climbing so I try and do that from time to time.
Describe a day in your life:
I normally wake up around 6:00 am at which point I’ll be on the couch and do a bit of writing, whether for the blog, business, creative or personal - really depends on the mood. Afterwards, I’ll get ready for the day, eat some breakfast and whatnot. Fun Fact: I’m not a coffee drinker so warm lemon water is what wakes me up and gets me ready for the day.
Once I’m done getting ready, I’ll usually spend the last hour to 45 minutes before I have to leave getting things done for Chaos + Joy. Whether that’s answering emails, working on getting a workshop/event setup, writing, or engaging on socials.
I head out the door around 8:00 AM for my regular 9-5. I work during the day at Vidyard, a tech company in downtown Kitchener in their sales development department. I really enjoy the work and the atmosphere, and the people of the company, plus it’s close to home and allows me the flexibility to work on Chaos + Joy.
After work is normally down time or meeting with clients in the area. It changes day to day depending on what my goals are for the week. Most evenings are spent on the couch with my fiance either binging something on Netflix or again working on Chaos + Joy or another passion.
What is your biggest accomplishment?
At this point in my life, graduating from my Bachelor of Social Work is likely my biggest accomplishment, however I’m more proud of the fact that years later I’m still dedicated to providing social work-like assistance to those in the community. My BSW year was a difficult one and I’m really proud that I haven’t let that deter me from pursuing my passion.
What are your top 3 bucket list items?
1. To have Chaos + Joy be my full-time job.
2. Become a published author
3. Be happy, everyday, in whatever I’m doing and wherever I am
What or who inspires you to keep doing what you’re doing?
What really inspires me is not only the people I have the pleasure of working with but the idea and the energy I get from working in this field and from doing something that I love. That feeling of being complete and secure in what you’re doing, like there’s no question that this is what you’re supposed to be doing. I chase that feeling so that’s what keeps me going.
What animal do you relate with and why?
Moose.
Honestly, when I was in university I was the residence advisor for a floor called Moose Crossing. Ever since then I’ve had a bit of inclination towards them. Apparently (according to the Google search I did), a moose spirit animal symbolizes the following: Gentle, Strong, Brave, Dominating, Powerful, Courageous, Fast, Enduring, Agile, Communal, Graceful, Adaptive.
I like to think that I’m a gentle, strong and brave. I’m not sure I’m dominating or powerful but I do try to be communal and adaptive to situations.
Plus, my mom’s favourite animal is an elephant and I like to think of moose as the elephants of the northern forest. It also reminds me of my past, since the symbol of the moose has been around since I started my university and post-university life. My fiance actually adopted a moose on my behalf for my birthday and I usually get a moose related item for holidays or birthdays.
What is your daily mantra?
What if?
What if it all works out? What if it’s everything you dreamed of? What if it’s exactly what you’re meant to do?
What are some tips and tricks you use to stay motivated?
- Write down your goals/dreams and put them somewhere where you see them everyday!
- Tell people about it, friends, family the world (it will hold you more accountable).
- Watch, read, and listen to inspiring content. Read a blog post, book, or magazine. Watch a TED talk, YouTube video, movie. Listen to upbeat music or a positive podcast!
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learnt along the way?
It takes time. When I first started ESPECIALLY I had some really really unrealistic ideas of where I would be six months to a year into to. When I reached the six month mark and I still had not booked as many clients as I wanted or I was working it full-time it was a difficult pill to swallow. Good things can take time and hard work.
With that being said, jealousy can be a player. When we’re expecting to see results but we don’t see them in ourselves but we see them in others it can be really defeating. So I have to remind myself from time to time that while we’re all driving down the same road we’re all in different cars, we all drive differently (some faster, others slower). We’ll all get to our destinations but we need to focus on ourselves and less on the other drivers in order to not crash and arrive safely.
What’s next for you?
Work Related:
Just going to keep working hard at growing Chaos + Joy and our client base.
Putting on more stress less in the community
Personal:
I’ve got a wedding coming up in the summer of 2020 that I should plan (haha).
How can our readers find you?
I’m a bit all over the place with the many things I do/like to do:
Chaos + Joy Website: www.chaosandjoy.com
Chaos + Joy instagram: www.instagram.com/chaosandjoycoaching
Emma, Et Cetera Blog: www.emmaetcetera.com
Personal Instagram: www.instagram.com/e.m.roy
We can't wait to see where this year brings Emma and her newly rebranded business Chaos + Joy in 2020 is going to be big! If you are ever wanting to make a new friend, chat about life or just pick her brain - Emma is your girl. Shameless plug for our girl - she is one of the panelist at an upcoming Ladies who Launch event on January 23: 2020 Goals, Planning and Succeeding in Failing - you can buy your ticket here!
We are constantly looking to promote local businesses and freelancers in the community, so if you are interested in sharing a bit about your life and your journey, send us a DM or email us at hello@mintandpoppy.com.
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