We recently connected with Tai Emery and have shared our conversation below.

TAI, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I took the risk of leaving my 10-year trade as a qualified electrical fitter mechanic (Electrician). After becoming a licensed Electrical Contractor, I applied this knowledge as a thermographer. I was a blue-collar worker and one of the few women leading the way in the electrical and thermography field.

I left the comfort of a stable salary, set work hours, and my home country of Australia to pursue a career in the Legends Football League in America, where I became an All-Star defensive player. This, in turn, led me to risk it all again, starting from the bottom as a fighter.

I began as an amateur MMA fighter and later moved to Thailand, where I became a professional Muay Thai fighter. This was during the COVID years when I was isolated in Thailand, living in a tin shed Muay Thai gym, surrounded only by locals, and fully immersed in learning how to fight.

You could say comfort never feels comfortable for me—taking risks and growing is something I’ve always embraced, even when fear was present.

During my time in Muay Thai, I transitioned into Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC), now owned by none other than Conor McGregor. It became my new home, allowing me to apply my athletic skills from football and Muay Thai. It was an incredible risk that required extreme discipline and hard work.

I am now also an athlete for Dana White in the newly developed sport of Power Slap, where I risked losing a potential world title belt if I didn’t win. BKFC and Power Slap have given me a platform on the world stage—all because I took the risk to give something my all.”

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a small-town girl from Gladstone, QLD, Australia. I grew up as a Girl Guide, served as Primary School Captain, High School Captain in Year 10, and was on the Student Executive in Year 12. I captained every football team I played for and have always been someone my peers could turn to—probably why I naturally stepped into leadership roles throughout my life.

Gladstone is an industrial town, home to the largest port in the Southern Hemisphere, with major industries like an aluminum refinery, a coal gas pipeline, and Queensland Rail. Heavy industry shaped the environment I grew up in.

Life wasn’t easy for me as a kid, and getting to where I am today took the help of many people—those who gave me a place to sleep, something to eat, helped me get to training, or simply offered words of encouragement. Every one of them played a part in my journey from a struggling child to the athlete I am today.

Gladstone was also where I was fortunate enough to secure my electrical apprenticeship, setting me on a path to break barriers for the girls growing up behind me.

I’m currently a multifaceted fighter, competing in BKFC, Power Slap, and Misfits Boxing. Fighting is my art form—an expression of discipline, resilience, and a commitment to a healthy lifestyle.

What sets me apart is my discipline and relentless, no-quit mindset (though being a little charismatic with high energy certainly helps too). Coming from a football and trade background, I’m still new to the fight world, but I’ve already made my mark.

I’m proud of myself for never giving up and staying true to my dreams—no matter the obstacles. I’ve faced rejection, misfortune, poverty, homelessness, abuse, and even ridicule, but the good has always outweighed the bad. I truly believe that God favors the brave and those who know who they are and where they’re going.

Now, I get to be a character in these promotions, shining as my true self. For that, I have Miesha Tate to thank. She was the UFC 135-pound World Champion at the time, a woman anyone could respect and admire. I was still playing in the LFL when she and Robert Follis ran a women’s development group. Tate took me to my first UFC event, where I watched Mark Hunt on the main card. I remember her sitting me down and telling me, “You’re not a football player—you’re a fighter. You’ll find a love in this sport that you’ve been missing.”

Her words hit me hard. To have someone of her caliber see that in me was powerful.

Fighting is becoming more mainstream but still trails behind sports like the NFL, MLB, and NBA. To be part of the front wave helping build this sport is a dream come true.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I traveled to Thailand for a private job as a yoga teacher, with plans to head to Bali afterward as a guest speaker at a meditation retreat.

Then COVID hit, and the world shut down.

My home country couldn’t fly me back—I was stranded.

I was at the airport as flights were being grounded, with no flight path and no way home. So, I got back in a taxi and returned to the Thai fighters I had been training with in a tin shed, hoping to find a roof over my head and wait out the global pandemic.

Instead of letting the situation break me, I used it to keep training and perfect my craft. We had no electricity, no running water, and food became scarce. But looking back, it was actually a peaceful time.

That period of my life taught me patience—something that would become essential in my fight career. BKFC didn’t come directly after Muay Thai; it took a few years. And after my BKFC debut, I had only three fights over a three-to-four-year period.

But I never stopped training—NEVER.

I stayed the course, preparing myself for the moment my time would come. No matter how little I had, I always found a way to make it work.

Creativity, imagination, and relentless discipline are what have allowed me to be ready—so now, as the biggest promotions in the world put my name on their list, I’m here, prepared, and unstoppable.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Becoming a World Champion and the best of the best in anything I take on—that’s my mindset.

But at the heart of it, my passion comes from showing people with troubled beginnings that they can choose a different path. It comes from sisterhood, from helping our youth, from uplifting humanity to believe in themselves and create a happier world.

Pain can shape a person, leaving scars that never fully fade. But when people see someone with nothing but scars shining brightly, it’s inspiring.

I love filling people with positive energy, making them feel seen, heard, and empowered.

It’s crazy when you realize that just by being yourself, you’re already inspiring others—without even trying.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @tai_emery
• Linkedin: https://linktr.ee/tai_emery
• Twitter: @tai_emery

Image Credits

Power Slap, BKFC, Kain Gray (glamor shots)