Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Thomas.
Emily, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Where to begin! Almost everything in my life, as seemingly unrelated as it all looks on the surface, has led me to where I am today. I started Olympic-style weightlifting in college and trained, competed, and coached in the sport for nearly a decade. I used to train around and track my emotional/physical symptoms around my menstrual cycle. I had a wonderful fluency with my body and knew what I could ask of it in order to get the most out of training sessions, physically, emotionally, and psychologically. Having studied reproductive physiology (in animal science) for my undergrad and masters, I understood my cycle from both an intuitive and scientific perspective, and I was deeply passionate about it!
When an injury moved me into bikini bodybuilding, I lost nearly 40 pounds and, ultimately, my cycle. I was without my menstrual cycle and disconnected from my body for nearly three and a half years. I worked with a team of coaches and health professionals to gain enough weight and work on some psychological blocks that eventually allowed me to get back my menstrual cycle, but not without a cost.
Fast forward a few years of coaching through a more lifestyle lens, I discovered rock climbing and was instantly reminded of weightlifting and the mindful, present, and precise movement both sports require to be successful. I was hooked.
An accident while bouldering outside (climbing a rock without a rope, with pads as protection) caused me to slip and fall 17 feet and break my L2 vertebrae in my spine. I was hospitalized for 7 days and used a walker for the first month and a half of my recovery.
Now, I strongly suspect my injury was related to the loss of my menstrual cycle, which causes a host of issues in the body when it disappears or is highly irregular, including decreased bone density. Through another series of events too long for this already long intro (!!) I found myself reignited by my passion for the menstrual cycle and the female body’s natural intuition and shifted my coaching practice to focus on women in the outdoors.
Over the course of the last year and a half, I researched and wrote a book on the menstrual cycle, nutrition, and fitness for women in the outdoors called: Dirty Girls Nutrition and Training – Performance on your Period for Girls on the Go.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Writing the book was incredibly challenging. I had to confront a significant amount of imposter syndrome and insecurity-fueled procrastination I’d battled for most of my academic career. Furthermore, I had to examine my own path and missteps that led me to the point of writing the book. In my “story,” there were things I needed to heal from, such as shame and fear. Working through these emotions allowed me to incorporate strategies into the book’s practical section to allow readers to move through fear and anxiety in the outdoors and connect to their bodies more deeply to move through transient feelings of shame or discomfort.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an author and a women’s health and wellness coach for all outdoor pursuits. My mission is to empower women to nourish their bodies wholly and holistically, move freely, trust their intuition deeply, and create the life of their dreams. I have my RYT 200hr (registered yoga teacher) in trauma-informed yoga, I hold numerous fitness-related certifications, I have mentored under evidence-based nutrition coaches, am currently completing my Precision Nutrition level 1 course, and am interested in the whole-person when coaching and designing lifestyle habits for my clients.
I am known for being a menstrual cycle fanatic and what sets me apart from others is my background in scientific research (in reproductive physiology) coupled with a deep understanding and appreciation for individual differences and the intuitive power of the body and mind. Every person is unique, and a one-size-fits-all approach or analysis of the menstrual cycle, nutrition, and fitness doesn’t work. I help clients uncover and decipher the feedback their body is giving them to take them to new heights and goals with their health and wellness.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
It has taken a village and the shoulders of giants to get me to where I am today. My original weightlifting coaches in Blacksburg, Virginia. My mentor and animal reproductive physiology professor, Dr. James Knight, deserves an overwhelming amount of credit for his constant support in all my wild pursuits. My coaches in Scotland, Virginia, and California, where I trained and competed. My parents who have always supported me and instilled the values of curiosity, hard work, and “getting back on the horse” in me. More recently, my partner, Jessy, for inspiring me to write the book and supporting me in the process. My editor, Kit Fitzgerald for her tireless work editing the book. The rock-climbing community for sharing the self-published eBook far and wide. Kelly Fields of Athena Rock Climbing in Joshua Tree for allowing me to give talks on the book and inspiring a book tour once it gets formally published. The list truly could go on and on. I am so grateful for all the support every single person at any point in my life has given me. It has all led to this point in some way or another!
Pricing:
- The Dirty Girls ebook is priced on a sliding scale beginning at $8
- My coaching pricing varies by level of athletic investment (lifestyle, hobby, or athlete training)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.goldenjac.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/emmmmmt_
Image Credits
Aquirante Media
Eric Fallecker Photography
