Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Emily Knauer. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Emily, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I took a major risk when I decided to walk away from financial stability and bet on myself 100%. I left a toxic relationship that felt safe to run my business full time and depend 100% on myself and my earnings. It was scary, but four years later I would never go back and don’t have a single regret. I’m proud of myself for leaving and taking that risk.

Emily, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Emily, the founder & CEO of Creativities Studio. I began my career in the fashion industry, but was never satisfied. I had the urge to start my own business, but had no idea where to start. I transitioned from fashion to marketing and was still unhappy. I took a break, went back to school for psychology, and nannied full time. Then Covid happened. I started offering virtual dance, art, and culinary classes on KidPass and my business took off. I taught 10-15 classes per day, (yes, I’m insane), but it was my way of simultaneously escaping my toxic relationship and earning an income. I built my website, marketed my classes, and ignored the negativity of friends, family, and obviously, my ex, doubting I could ever earn a substantial income from my business. I quickly outearned him and moved into a studio apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I never gave up and I never looked back. I finally found my confidence again and showing up for my students every day gave me a reason to keep going.

No day is easy, but all of the late nights and weekend work days are worth it to be my own boss. Fast forward four years and I’m a mom to a toddler & pregnant with baby #2 with a wonderful husband. Whenever I want to give up or listen to the negativity, I keep pushing forward for my family.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn that: 1) Obtaining a graduate degree is the only way to be successful and advance your career
2) Taking the safe job with great benefits is the better option than taking a risk

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I’ve pivoted many times in my life. My career began in fashion and I stayed for about 4 years. I went to a few different companies and was extremely unhappy. I transitioned to marketing and worked for a few different agencies. The last agency I worked for made promises they couldn’t keep, so I finally decided to make a real change. I researched careers I thought would interest me and landed on psychology. I completed a post-bacc in psychology in 2020 6 months after I started my business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.creativitiesstudio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creativities.studio
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CreativitiesStudio
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/creativities-studio/?viewAsMember=true