Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XY2_9qvuHhs&list=PLOQvdw7d0cd9RZZkd2lZy2hmrnJv-cfLI&index=12
Evan Snow: And welcome back to another episode of the Choose 954 podcast, episode 87, with our friend Emmy, aka the Mindful OT, behind YOT Holistic Wellness, who is our upcoming AAF Creative Zen speaker. If you didn’t know what any of that is, we’re going to tell you, but if you didn’t know about Choose 954, myself, Evan Snow, and my business partner, Mr. Andrew Martineau, started a social movement to cultivate culture and community here in my native Broward County in an effort to keep people in the know with all the great things that are going on, primarily within the arts, culture, and now yoga space, and make this a better place to live and not just a better place to vacation because we live here. But the point of the podcast is to connect you with interesting people like her that do important things in the community. She does quite a few important things in the community, which we’re excited and proud to share with you, so without much further ado, Emmy, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself at a high level here?
Emmy: All right, so hi, everyone. It’s really awesome to be here, Evan. Thank you so much for inviting me to be a part of this, of what you’re offering for the community. It really is an honor to be a part of this. My name is Emmy, also known as the Mindful OT, and I am the owner and creator of YOT Holistic Wellness, where we provide these multi-sensory experiences. Oops, sorry about that.
Evan Snow: Are you still there?
Emmy: I am still there.
Evan Snow: Okay, sorry. Let me just put this on silent. Do not disturb. Good call. We’ll, uh, we’ll, uh, review that one.
Emmy: Okay, should I start all over?
Evan Snow: Yeah.
Emmy: Okay, five, four, three, two, one, and you could tell us about yourself at a high level.
Emmy: So first of all, thank you so much for inviting me to be a part of this, a part of your community, and I just—it’s really awesome to see people doing things like this out in the community, bringing people together, and just also inspiring people through conversations. My name is Emmy, I’m the owner and creator of YOT Holistic Wellness, and what we do is we provide these multi-sensory experiences out in the community to promote an overall sense of well-being. We do this through a variety of offerings and modalities from mindfulness and meditation, sound healing, energy healing, yoga, breathwork, and also collaborating with different practitioners to really provide you with the ultimate experience. We have a variety of offerings from zero-cost offerings where you don’t pay anything to higher-ticketed items, but something that’s really important to me is to be able to provide these experiences and make them affordable, reasonable, and accessible.
Evan Snow: Amen, and that’s one of the reasons why I and everybody else love you. I’ve participated in some of these experiences that we’ll get to in a little bit, but before we get there, why don’t you tell us a little bit about how you got started on this journey in life here?
Emmy: I can take you back all the way to sixth grade, and that’s kind of where anxiety started to show its face for me in my life. I could honestly say that it was something that was very debilitating, and I’ll go more into detail about that when we have our talk on the 14th at NSU. But that was where I started to experience some panic attacks, and I had no idea that’s what I was going through. I had moments of that in sixth grade, seventh grade, and then it kind of faded, but it really showed its face again in graduate school when I was in my master’s program for occupational therapy over at Nova. Again, it was just very debilitating, and at the time, I felt like throughout my entire life I’ve always had something within me to seek resources, to seek help, and I landed in so many therapists' offices—clinical psychologists—just trying to find something that would support me. But what was really upsetting to me was that I kept getting prescribed medication immediately. Personally, I didn’t want to go that route.
Since I was really young, I’ve always had a journal, so I would journal, write things down, and I had some awareness. Eventually, I ended up in the hands of an incredible clinical psychologist here in Fort Lauderdale, Dr. Marla Reese, who was also the owner and creator of Zen Mindspace. She was the first therapist to tell me, “Emmy, you’re going to try everything and anything before you try medication.” That’s really where it started for me. She introduced me to acupuncture, and before that, I had no idea what acupuncture was. If you don’t know, acupuncture is Chinese medicine—they’ve been using it for so many years, working with meridians and the energy within us. So, I started with acupuncture, and then she suggested yoga.
Emmy: What’s interesting is that my first yoga experience was actually when I was in graduate school, and it was part of one of our courses—it was activity analysis. We were supposed to deconstruct this one-hour class that, for me at the time, felt like complete torture because it was like holding this pose for five minutes. At the time, I had severe anxiety, this “monkey mind” that we call it in yoga, where your mind just does not stop. I was very much into kickboxing, running, and spinning, so for me to be able to hold a pose and just sit with myself for five minutes was too much. I did not like it at all, and so I kind of tried to dismiss yoga, thinking it wasn’t for me. But I kept hearing, “Try it, try it out,” and I’m so happy that I tried it out again.
I ended up finding my teacher, Alina Flor, who is now a very good friend. I remember that first time I was on my yoga mat in shavasana towards the end of a yoga class, just laying there with tears in my eyes, feeling like, “Oh my God, I belong here. This is what I need to do.” I remember seeing a vision so vividly of me barefoot, with big pants, and a nose ring—at the time I didn’t have a nose ring—and my hair was big and curly, and I was teaching yoga. I thought, “This can’t be. I’m an occupational therapist, I’m in graduate school up to my eyeballs,” but I had this vision of being a yoga teacher, and that was just my second yoga class.
I remember feeling so moved, so touched, and connected. I had lived in my head for so many years with self-limiting beliefs and heavy thoughts, and for the first time, I experienced this shift within. Let’s say the class was 75 or 90 minutes, but I was able to shift my attention to my body, and it felt like home. That’s really where my journey with yoga started. 2012 was when I really dove into my practice, practicing on a regular basis. Yoga became therapy to me—it was so therapeutic. I learned so much about myself on my mat, and that’s why I do what I do. That’s why I ended up becoming a yoga teacher.
Not to say that medicine isn’t helpful—medicine can be so helpful—but personally, for me at the time, I didn’t want to go that route. I came across this tool that’s been used for so many years, and it’s so powerful. You have some people who might join a yoga class and think, “I just want to get into a tripod, I want to do whatever fun, crazy pose it is,” but it really goes beyond the mat. I remember learning so much about myself. For example, in graduate school, I couldn’t work—I don’t know how some people worked. I worked a total of six hours at a club at Hard Rock, and in that environment, you’re dancing, partying, drinking, and that was just part of the job. But as I started my yoga practice, I didn’t want to drink. I realized I didn’t like the hangover; I didn’t want to feel like crap the next day.
Evan Snow: Funny how it has that effect on people.
Emmy: Yeah, and another thing that stood out was I remember being in one of my classes—I had really bad anxiety to the point where I would intentionally sit myself next to the door in case I had a panic attack. I didn’t want anybody to see me; it was that debilitating. Public speaking was really hard. That was one thing I just hated—getting up there, having a presentation, and talking about whatever the subject was. That was really hard. I remember coming to one of my classes, standing up there, and thinking, “I went through this entire presentation,” and toward the end, I realized, “Oh my God, how did I get through that presentation?” I remember starting my presentation by grounding into my breath, and that alone was so powerful.
Evan Snow: And look at her now.
Emmy: Yeah, look at me now! The fact that I was able to get through that presentation and not have severe debilitating anxiety, it was amazing. There were so many students—I don’t know if you remember if you took a communications course—but there were some students where you couldn’t see them because you’re far away, but their voices would crack, and it’s really an experience to get up there and speak in front of a crowd of 60 to 100 students. So, that was a big win for me—recognizing that I’ve come a long way. It’s just through this simple practice of yoga that has such a tremendous impact. That’s why I do what I do. It’s the yoga, and then I came across sound healing. I will say, and I’m fully transparent, that I’m not a sound healer. I’m not certified in sound healing. I did not take a sound healing course, but I started to play with the bowls because it supported me in my meditative practice. I really enjoyed listening to the instruments and how soothing and calming they can be, so I slowly started sharing my bowl. I would bring my bowl to my yoga class, and the students really enjoyed it, so I continued to do that. I started getting more instruments, and my students liked that, so why not share?
At the end of the day, Evan, I’m just a normal human being. I’m just sharing the tools that have had such an incredible impact on my life. Let’s say 15 years ago, I was a totally different person. I wouldn’t have been able to do this—I don’t think I could have done this.
Evan Snow: But you’re doing it, and you are. I’m hearing it.
Emmy: Just because I’m doing it doesn’t mean I don’t have these fears anymore. Just because I’m doing this doesn’t mean I don’t get anxious. I’m human—I still get anxious. Even before this talk, I was like, “Oh, we have to do this podcast,” but you know what? Getting outside of your comfort zone, stretching yourself, and taking those leaps when it’s uncomfortable—that’s where you grow. I’m grateful for you bringing me on here. I’ve got so many friends and family that I’m so grateful for, who inspire me in big ways and push me to grow and expand. Sometimes it can be comfortable to just hang out in the safety zone, but it’s also so transformative to take those leaps and do things that are uncomfortable. They’re uncomfortable, but you know what? You grow so much from it.
Evan Snow: Amen. I think there’s a lot of relatability in your story. A lot of people have gone through anxiety, panic attacks, not knowing which way to go, not knowing which therapy or treatment or next step they should take. I appreciate you sharing transparently. If you weren’t aware, at AAF Creative Zen, we will be sharing her full story very transparently on Friday, April 14th, serendipitously at the Cotilla Gallery inside the Alvin Sherman Library on the campus of Nova Southeastern University on the second floor as part of our monthly breakfast lecture series, our mini Ted Talk that we host for free every second Friday morning for our community to connect, engage, and inspire each other one Friday morning a month and really help show that everybody is probably more similar and alike than they are different. We’re all on our journey; we’re all trying to take that next step in progress in life. Thankfully, you’ve found some tools and resources that have been able to help not only yourself but also in your work, in your purpose, and in your community.
If you would be so kind, for those who might not know, what does an occupational therapist do?
Emmy: The Lord’s work. We support our clients in living a fulfilled life, and that is through helping them develop the skills to engage in their day-to-day occupations. Occupational therapists can be found everywhere, in every setting. I’ve worked in inpatient rehab, acute care rehab, where, for example, if you have a patient who had a stroke, it’s about regaining those skills, like motor skills, or learning a different way, adapting how they do something so they can perform their daily occupations. In the hospital setting, it’s activities of daily living, like feeding, bathing, eating, going to the restroom, walking, or learning how to use a wheelchair. Now, I’ve also transitioned to pediatric occupational therapy. The occupation of a child is to be a child—to sit down, learn, socialize, and feed themselves in the cafeteria. We work on all those skills, like sensory processing and emotional regulation. I bring my instruments once in a while; the kids love the instruments. We also bring yoga into the school setting to help with gross motor skills, coordination, body awareness, and introspection—understanding what’s going on within their body.
Basically, it’s about supporting our clients in living their lives, whether it’s modifying their environment, regaining skills, or preventing illnesses and disease. That’s why I’m called the Mindful OT—I blend that with complementary alternative modalities that I love and feel passionate about. Occupational therapy actually started in mental health, when veterans were coming back from the war. They wanted to institutionalize them, but OTs said, “No, we need to engage them.” So, we use what is engaging to our clients as an occupation to get our veterans back out in the community.
Evan Snow: I did not know that, and I appreciate you sharing that with me. I have all the more respect for you than I already had because it really is invaluable work that you do, especially with the kids. I know that you’ve gone through a lot of schooling and training. You’ve been very fortunate to work with some beautiful human beings and teachers that you mentioned, and some of which you haven’t, but I’m sure we’ll get to that. What would you say is one of the best pieces of advice that you’ve ever received?
Emmy: One of our friends and mentors, Chloe, also known as the Gemini Rising, recently shared something with me. She reminded me that my mess is my message. That’s something I’ve read before, but I’m just going to quote Chloe on that. I don’t know who the originator of that quote is, but to me, it’s an important message. When I doubt what I’m doing, I take a look back and see how much I’ve grown. How do I not share this? How do I not share it? That’s something that’s really stuck with me since she shared that with me. I think it’s a really important message. Sometimes we just get stuck thinking, “I’m just going through this stuff, and I don’t like it.” But at the end of the day, when you get through it, you’re going to come out so much stronger, and then you get to share that.
Evan Snow: Beautiful. Chloe, a previous AAF Creative Zen speaker, previously on the podcast—you can find it in our archives. As some of you know, Chloe was the reason why I’m connected to Emmy. Chloe is the reason why I became a yogi—God bless her—so we’re forever grateful for Chloe Revell, aka The Gemini Rising. She’s one of the partners behind Creative Zen’s partner, Rising Nature Retreats, which Emmy’s also been a part of, including the recent retreat to the Dominican Republic. We’re very excited to be going to Greece in June for the next installment. Still a few spaces left. If you’d like to find out more about the retreat, feel free to contact myself, Chloe, Rising Nature Retreats, or me. I know you have a wealth of offerings throughout Broward County that are available in the community at some really interesting places. Could you tell us what some of YOT Holistic Wellness's current offerings are?
Emmy: Yeah, so we have every Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. We’re over in Plantation. I have a couple of instructors there that just hop around the parks—from Volunteer Park, Liberty Tree Park, Jim Ward Community Center—offering yoga at 9:00 a.m. Once a month, we also have sound healing with Mariana—she’s one of our YOT instructors.
Evan Snow: Completely free?
Emmy: Completely free. This is free for the community. You don’t have to be a resident of Plantation; you don’t have to be a resident of any community. It’s a completely open, wide community. What’s beautiful is we have families that come, kids that come, sometimes moms with strollers, and it’s so beautiful to witness the community come together. I started, I don’t remember what year—maybe 2017—with 16 students, and the most we’ve had is 75.
Evan Snow: Amazing.
Emmy: You’ve been there—you saw my last class. Not my last day, but the week before, I was crying because it was so awesome to witness that community grow. Now, I’m building that in my backyard, in my neighborhood, which is in Pompano. I have offerings in Pompano as well, at Pier Six Rooftop—I’m there Saturday mornings for yoga and sound healing. It’s an incredible view, and it’s a beautiful community that’s also been growing. I’m also regularly at the Beachcomber, another beautiful space—I’m there Tuesday evenings for meditation and Reiki, which is energy healing, and on Monday mornings as well for Mindful Mondays.
Evan Snow: Mindful Mondays yoga flow. You can find these on Eventbrite. I’ve recently begun linking them in the Choose 954 newsletter bi-weekly, or Culture Roundup—it’s in there under Local Offerings at the bottom. You could also find Emmy on Instagram. What’s the best page to connect with you on?
Emmy: The mindful OT—so, the_mindful_ot.
Evan Snow: I can’t believe that was available.
Emmy: I know.
Evan Snow: No imitators. Aside from Creative Zen, anything coming up next in the future that you might want to preview and share?
Emmy: There is something that’s in the works, that’s already happening, and I’m super excited about it. We’ll see if I share it on Friday the 14th.
Evan Snow: I will tell you, I’ve been fortunate enough to participate in some really great offerings that Emmy’s made available. She really—not only does she care about what she’s putting out into the community, into the universe, but also the people that she brings in truly do care. Between the teachers she mentioned—Mary and Jess—and even some of the sound healers she brings in, some absolutely beautiful human beings from TriOM who do sound baths and sound healing work. Even the way you curate your vendors for the markets that you integrate into some of the events—very thoughtful, done with love, done with the right intention. It’s really been amazing since we connected, I guess now in 2020, to see your offerings grow from Plantation initially to Pompano, to the Dominican Republic, and other places in between.
Evan Snow: We’re really glad to have you share a little bit more about your story, your work, your journey, your offerings on April 14th. The doors open at 8:30 in the morning, the talk starts at 9:00, and you’re out of there by 10:00. If you need something to tell your boss about why you might miss the first hour or hour and a half of work for the day, we have a long list of true reasons and excuses that you’re gaining insight and connection. These talks initially served as my aha moment that led me down this path of arts, culture, and community building, which is why I like to pay it back and pay it forward by continuing to host for free. I’m really glad to be hosting this one in April, the month before our five-year anniversary in May, where I’ll be sharing my story for the first time. I’m really grateful to have you join us on the podcast today and really grateful that you decided to make time to share with us next month.
Emmy: And this month.
Evan Snow: Oh, this next week, sorry. One last question that we do like to end with since this is the Choose 954 podcast—why do you choose the 954?
Emmy: Because of you, Evan.
Evan Snow: Hey, good answer!
Emmy: Because of the heart you put into everything that you do. It’s so intentional, and you bring people together. I’ve been to a couple of your talks, and I love it. Why not?
Evan Snow: Amen. I appreciate that. So grateful for you, so grateful for Chloe. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re all open books—@choose954 and @evansnow13. We really appreciate the support of the Alvin Sherman Library, Nova Southeastern University, Jim Hutchens, Chief Librarian and Head of Information Systems, the Circle of Friends nonprofit, and NSU Library, where my business partner Andrew is a board member. It’s really going to be cool to see it come full circle to have you come back to your alma mater. We look forward to having you join us—free event, coffee and breakfast included, free guided meditation and breathwork exercise by Chloe, who we mentioned previously. We hope you save the date for every second Friday morning of the month. We hope to continue doing this as long as we have interesting people in the community with stories to share. We look forward to seeing you at YOT Holistic Wellness offerings in the future. Cheers!
Emmy: Thank you!
Evan Snow: Thank you. See you Friday.
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