November 8, 2024 • 28 mins
This week you will hear the heartwarming journey of Emily Houston, a remarkable East Tennessee native, and how her personal mantra of "grit and grace" shapes her life. In this episode of Talkin' Tennessee, Emily opens up about wearing many hats—Christian wife, mother, and business owner—while passionately serving her community. Her story inspires us to embrace life's challenges with resilience, recognizing mistakes as essential stepping stones toward growth and fulfillment. Emily's infectious positivity and commitment to living authentically are a testament to her strength and perseverance.
Follow her business, Emily Houston Aesthetics and Makeup Artistry.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Check us out to hear the latest on life in the
volunteer state.
Yvonca and her guests discusseverything from life, love and
business with a Tennessee flair.
It's a Tennessee thing, alwaysrelatable, always relevant and
always a good time.
This is Talkin' Tennessee, andnow your host, yvonca.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
This episode is brought to you by the Landis
team, your go-to real estatefamily in East Tennessee.
If you are looking to buy orsell, we are the ones you should
call.
Give us a call at 865-660-1186or check out our website at
YvoncaSellsRealEstatecom.
That's YonneCa Y-V-O-N-N-C-ASalesRealEstatecom.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Welcome back to Talking Tennessee with Yvonne.
I am your host and I am herewith Emily Houston.
Welcome to Talking Tennessee.
Thank you for having me.
So who are you with Emily?
Speaker 4 (01:01):
I own my own business .
I own Emily Houston AestheticsDo you.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Well, let me say this , viewers she has her own
business.
She is a woman-owned businessfrom East Tennessee, but there's
so much more about Emily andwe're going to get into it, so
tell me who is Emily Houston?
Speaker 4 (01:22):
So tell me, who is Emily Houston?
Well, emily Houston is a lot ofthings.
I would say I am an EastTennessee native Christian wife,
mom, I am a business owner andI love giving back to my
community.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
That right there is a good one to my community.
That right there is a good one.
Okay, because the biggest thingis when it comes to women, to
me is you know, we wear a lot ofhats, a lot of hats, and we
have to remember our community.
Even though we're wearing a lotof hats, you have to give back
to your community.
And I will say this viewers, Ihave watched Emily at different
events and I've always seen herwith a smile on her face.
(02:05):
And what stuck out to me when Iread your story was is I see
this person and she always has asmile on her face.
She doesn't look like whatshe's been through.
I will tell you, when I wasreading your story and
researching you, it brought meto tears Because I could relate
to some of the things thatyou've been through.
(02:27):
So let's go back and let's talkabout you know your journey as
a woman, as a wife, a mother andjust being you.
You know what, what makes you?
What would you say makes Emily?
Speaker 4 (02:44):
Well, I wore this shirt today for a reason it's
grit and grace.
That's one of my favorite justquotes, lines, whatever you want
to call it.
And it means so much to mebecause I think, as a woman, if
you have those two things, thatis going to put get you through
life a lot better than any otherthing.
(03:05):
I even have a tattoo with mymom's handwriting.
Like it means so much to me,those two words grits and grace.
Grit and grace, yeah, and justbeing strong because you have to
be, because we're going to gothrough things, no matter who,
you are always going to gothrough things.
And then having grace, becausepeople are going to make
mistakes, you're going to makemistakes, people are going to
(03:25):
make mistakes, so you need thatgrace to get you through every
day.
I agree.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
I think the biggest thing that men and women need to
understand making a mistake.
All that is is telling you whatdirection you don't want to go.
If you really think about it,it's like that light that went
off in your head Okay, I madethis mistake, that's the
direction God does not want meto go.
He wants me to go a differentdirection, and I'm learning the
(03:54):
older that I get is thatmistakes are really needed,
because if you did everythingright, god would not be able to
use you.
You have to be able to makemistakes so God can get the
glory out of your life.
So I think the biggest thingwith the grit and grace is okay,
grit, you have to grit and bearit.
(04:16):
You have to sit and do somethings that you may not be all
happy about, but God gives yougrace.
Oh, absolutely.
And then there's times that youcan make those mistakes and
when everybody else thinks thatthinks the worst about you is
when God comes in, gives thatgrace and he turns that around.
(04:36):
And so let's talk about theelephant in the room PCOS.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
I will.
I will tell you the first thingthat I heard about PCOS was
from my daughter.
She was diagnosed with PCOSfour years ago and I'll never
forget.
When she came home, emily, shetold me what she said.
I was diagnosed with PCOS andas a mom, I'm like what is that?
So I literally had to Google it, and she was at a time that
(05:07):
Adrienne wasn't.
I don't think she was matureenough to realize how serious
PCOS is, and so I had tochallenge her.
Adrienne, if you have acondition, you need to know
about it, you need to read aboutit, and I never forget Googling
about it and I'm like I'venever heard anybody talk about
it.
You need to read about it andI'll never forget Googling about
(05:27):
it and I'm like I've neverheard anybody talk about it.
So please tell me what is yourjourney been with PCOS?
How was you diagnosed, you know, and where are you at now?
Speaker 4 (05:35):
Okay, so PCOS, like we talked about, has come a long
way and I think there's abetter understanding.
When I was originally diagnosed, I was in college and had had a
lot of unexplained weight gain.
Just, I had pretty much beenthin my whole like high school
career.
(05:55):
I exercised, I ate, right, andof course when you get in
college you get a little freedom.
You do a little this and thatand you maybe don't eat the best
when you get in college, youget a little freedom.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
You do a little, that's true.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
This and that and um, you maybe don't eat things yeah
, you don't eat the best, um, soI uh had had a lot of weight
gain between my freshman andsophomore year in college and
just could not.
My mom was, like what's goingon?
Are you okay?
Like, yes, you know, vanity is,women is a thing you know.
(06:26):
We can't deny that.
So she, you know, pushed me togo to the doctor and kind of get
some things checked out becauseI was just very sluggish, I was
very tired, I was sick a lotand just overall not feeling
very well at all.
So I went to just a primarycare doctor and they were like
(06:50):
exercise and eat, right.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
I'm like okay, well, no, duh, you know yeah, like I
do exercise, I do, and I waswalking at at that time as a
student because I was at UT, Iwas walking probably three miles
a day easy oh yeah, just goingto class, like just doing my
regular things.
Ut's campus is if you want towalk a lot, go to UT and it's
(07:14):
not just a flat surface it'shills it's stairs, it's all that
.
Speaker 4 (07:18):
so, and I was doing that and I um, so I didn't like
that answer and I was like, okay, well, let's go a little bit.
So I went to an OBGYN and theydid the ultrasound, formally
diagnosed me and at the time Iwas 20.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (07:34):
I wasn't wanting to have children then, but they
they did tell me um.
Along with PCOS, I had umendometriosis too, so I kind of
got the gauntlet of reproductive.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
You got too big.
Speaker 4 (07:47):
Reproductive disorders yes, and that
explained like the PC betweenthe PCOS and the endometriosis
explained a lot of my verypainful periods Like, yes, my
menstrual cycle was the worst,sometimes to where I would vomit
like just could not get out ofbed.
That was me, yeah, so, um, theythen put me on birth control
(08:13):
and metformin, um, so it was alot, a lot.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
It was a lot for a 20 year old to go on, I'll say
this metform.
I understand that that is amedicine that was made to help a
lot of people in differentconditions, but I know I have
two family members one that's onit now, one that is not and
both of them have told me thatmetformin makes you feel
(08:39):
horrible.
Speaker 4 (08:41):
Yes, and at that time it made me extremely nauseous
and then with the birth control,kind of doing hormonal things
you know in your body just wasnot a good mix, so I had to
choose one or the other becauseI knew my body really just could
not take both.
So I stayed on.
The birth control came off.
The metformin continued tostruggle with my weight, despite
(09:03):
all my efforts of eating betterand exercising like it just
continued.
Um.
So I did eventually see aspecialist and um got some
better answers, but still I meanthere's just still not a lot of
help for women that are goingthrough it.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
Yes.
So you had endometriosis at 20years old and PCOS and you
touched on you know pregnancy,that at the time you weren't
looking for kids.
But, viewers, what I reallywant people to understand is
PCOS has so many layers to itand one of it is one of the
(09:43):
biggest layers is infertility.
I'll never forget our doctortelling me I came in for my
checkup and I asked Peggy aboutPCOS and how can I help my
daughter, that type thing, andPeggy told me she had PCOS and
she explained to me.
(10:04):
She said it is an uphill battle.
She said it's not it I can'tsay it's a battle that you can't
win, but it's winning on tryingto get it under control.
She said it's not somethingthat you win and then it goes
away.
You know that type thing.
And she said you can havechildren on it, and I know they
say that it can be difficult tohave children.
(10:28):
Did you go through that at allwhen you decided to you and your
husband to have a child?
Speaker 4 (10:35):
Yes, definitely we, um, we got married pretty young,
right out of college.
Um, so you, you know, childrenwere not on our radar at first.
And then, when we were ready,um, we had tried for like a year
on our own and then I had, youknow, googled, I guess at the
(10:57):
time I don't know.
Whatever I did then, um, yeah,I googled it and found fertility
doctors in Knoxville and did myown research, and that's where
I found Dr Michael Doody.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
I went to Michael Doody.
Speaker 4 (11:13):
He is a godsend, he's an amazing man, such a caring,
compassionate man.
Very and two on top of it,because I think a lot of doctors
don't really understand it, youknow, and I feel like he he did
, and so that made me verycomfortable with him.
(11:33):
So, yes, he helped us conceiveour son.
How old is your son?
He is 12 and a half, okay, andhe is a man child.
He's almost six foot tall, sookay he's a big boy, and then he
helped us conceive our secondbaby, which was our angel baby
that we lost, and so he was, youknow, a godsend and definitely
(11:58):
helped to manage a lot of thesymptoms of PCOS too, and
alongside getting pregnant.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
So did the PCOS once you got pregnant.
Did it affect you during thepregnancy?
Tell us about that.
Speaker 4 (12:12):
You know, I don't know if they really tell you
that once you are pregnant, thatsome things.
I mean I was very sick with myson, very, very sick, to the
point where I couldn't evendrink water without having
nausea.
So, and you know, they justnever said, oh, this is because
of PCOS.
But I did have that.
(12:32):
You just had a hard time, had avery difficult pregnancy with
my son.
I actually had to be put on bedrest.
He tried to come early.
They never told me if that wasa thing with PCOS either, I'm
not certain, but he tried tocome at 22 weeks I had to have
emergency surgery.
Oh, wow, was on bed rest for tocome at 22 weeks, I had to have
(12:52):
emergency surgery.
I was on bed rest for about sixto eight weeks.
So, yeah, oh my goodness.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
So how is your PCOS now?
And and I know that, uh, afteryou had your angel baby and that
baby passed, what did?
How was that?
How did that?
Speaker 4 (13:11):
affect you.
That was probably the biggeststruggle of my life.
We went five years off and ondoing fertility treatments.
Originally I'd gotten pregnantwith Clomid very low-dose Clomid
and then I had to try Femora,and that did not work.
(13:32):
We did IUI, which did not workeither.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
We did.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
IUI, yeah, so we did everything aside from IVF, spent
thousands and thousands ofdollars, lots of years, you know
, and it just affects yourmentality, you know, and it just
affects your mentality.
And then at that time it was astruggle for me because so many
(13:57):
people around me were.
That was when, like everyfriend, I felt like was getting
pregnant, like I felt like I hada baby shower invitation every
other week and I'm like I agree,and it I mean not that I don't
want to celebrate people,because I do, but it was.
it got to the point where it wasvery difficult for me to go and
see other people pregnant.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
Well, I know, when I went through it, my doctor told
me he said you know, Yvonca, hegoes.
You're really, you know, mostwomen resent, but resent other
women because they're they'rebeing able to have a child when
you can't.
And he was like I never hadthat feeling, Did I have the
(14:41):
feeling of God?
When is it going to be my time?
I did have that feeling, youknow.
But he said a lot of women gothrough a deep depression with
infertility and especiallybecause it does feel like when
you're going through it,everybody and their mother is
pregnant.
It's kind of like the girlthat's single, you know, she
(15:02):
sees everybody married but her.
You know what I'm saying and Ithink it's just you notice those
things more.
I've learned that because when Iwas going through my
miscarriages and all of that, Ithought I was the only one.
Then, later down the line, Irealized I wasn't the only one.
When I was a single girl and Ithought everybody was married
(15:24):
but me, you know, I realizedonce I got married it wasn't
just me.
You know that type, that typething.
But it does make you feel, um,like something's wrong with you,
you know.
And then, your friends, I wentthrough.
You didn't go through as manymiscarriages, but I went through
10, and so it it got to a pointthat people didn't know to be
(15:47):
happy or not, because I keptmiscarrying.
And so I felt like God, how areyou allowing me to keep
miscarrying?
You know the humiliation ofthat, the public humiliation,
but God be the glory.
I adopted my son and it's great, but it's still.
Your mental is hard, it's trulyhard.
(16:09):
So tell me this how did you andyour husband cope with that in
your marriage?
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Well, it's very it was a very big struggle.
Speaker 4 (16:19):
Yeah, I mean, I won't lie about it, it was a huge
struggle.
I mean financially.
It was tough.
It was tough on our marriage.
I felt like there was thingswrong with me, like I felt like
I wasn't a good wife because Ican't give him another child and
he never.
I mean he was very supportive,very loving throughout the whole
journey.
Um, and at the same time I feltlike why am I not grateful I
(16:44):
had this beautiful baby boy thatI've always wanted?
Like it would make me feel likeI'm not being grateful for what
God had given me.
Like it would make me feel likeI'm not being grateful for what
God had given me.
But at the same time I was so Iwas struggling very, very badly
between the ages.
I would say 28 to 32 was reallyhard.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
We're very, very hard .
What pulled you out of it?
Speaker 4 (17:08):
God for sure is the biggest thing.
Um, I, god for sure is thebiggest thing, and I think I
just kind of came to therealization that, you know, I
was where God wanted me to be,whether I could see it then or
not.
And now, looking back on it, Iam so thankful because my son is
um, you know, healthy, he'sthriving, we're able to do
(17:31):
things for him that we probablycouldn't do for two children.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (17:35):
And so now I look back on it and it's been a
journey of gratitude where atthe time it was just a struggle.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
But so you turned a bad situation into something
positive and you showedgratitude for what God had
already given you.
Speaker 4 (17:50):
Yes, absolutely.
And I got off the fertilitymedicine, you know, and I said
Because, it's brutal.
It's very brutal and I wouldtell any woman if I could look
at them in the face and justgrab their little face and say
you know, give yourself a break,Because it can kill you.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
I agree.
Speaker 4 (18:10):
Mentally it can kill you.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
And physically it does a lot of things as well, I
mean physically it was.
Speaker 4 (18:16):
It was tearing my body apart um, so tell me this.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
So you went through the pcos and you went through
the miscarriages, theinfertility, you had a child,
you're happy, everything isbetter, and then the car wreck
came.
Yes, tell us about it.
Speaker 4 (18:36):
Oh gosh, yeah.
So it was August 29th of 2017.
I was driving my son to schoolhe was in kindergarten at our
church and I got hit almost headon.
Oh my goodness, but I wasT-boned at the intersection
there at Gallahar and Gleason.
(18:59):
That intersection still givesme PTSD it always will.
But we got hit.
I'd had some health struggles,obviously up until then, and
then those kind of justmagnified after the car wreck.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
Got you.
So how long did it take you toget back to the new well, I
guess the new normal after yourcar wreck?
Speaker 4 (19:25):
Well, I went through physical therapy, I went through
um steroid injections to try toget my back back in order.
It was mainly back pain that Iwas dealing with, and like my
left leg pain, and I tried likeconservative therapy and nothing
was working.
So I ended up having to havesurgery.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
Okay, so once you had that surgery and everything.
So now is that that part ofyour life better?
Speaker 4 (19:53):
yes, um, but I'm after the surgery.
That's when I um was in thehospital for 10 days with a
blood infection, so I was septicafter the surgery, so I had to
really like pretty much learn towalk again and she still smiles
everybody.
It was other than theinfertility and which, I will
(20:16):
say, like the infertility, was along struggle.
That struggle was I meanmentally and physically the
hardest time I've ever had in mylife.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
Really.
Speaker 4 (20:27):
And I was, I guess, 30.
I was still in the middle offertility treatments at the time
too.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
Oh no, no, I guess I was 29 at the time Okay, and
that's young, you'll be goingthrough that.
You know you're freshly married, you know you have a child, you
have a car accident, you knowyou're trying to figure out life
and the biggest thing is thatyou didn't give up.
(20:55):
And that's a great thing thatyou didn't give up, and that's a
that's a great thing that youdidn't give up, and you said
that God helped you get throughthat.
Won't you tell me what?
What was your lighting moment?
Speaker 4 (21:06):
Um, just being in Park West hospital, and I just
said, god, if, if I have to livelike this, please just let me,
let me go Like I was ready, if Ihave to live like this, please
just let me go Like I was ready.
And I even told my husband andit'll make me choke up, You're
fine.
I told him.
I was like, if I have to livelike this, I don't want to be
here, I don't want to bedependent on somebody else, you
(21:28):
know.
So I said God, if you're readyto take me, I'm ready to go.
Wow, god, if you're ready totake me, I'm ready to go.
And that was when I, you knowhonestly, the next day, started
feeling somewhat better.
I could actually get.
I think the next day was thefirst time I got out of the bed
in probably six days.
(21:49):
Yes, so, yeah, so I startedturning a corner then, even
though it was a very longstruggle after that too.
Speaker 3 (21:58):
So what made you start your business?
Oh gosh, let's go back some, sotell everybody what you do for
a living.
Speaker 4 (22:07):
I am an esthetician and a certified makeup artist,
so I love to make women feelbeautiful for a living.
Okay, that's my passion.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
So you fought back and now you make women feel
beautiful and, even with yourstruggles, you help people get
through their struggles becauseyou enhance their beauty.
Yeah, yeah, so you basicallyturn pain into purpose, right,
okay?
So tell us about your businesswell, I just started.
Speaker 4 (22:39):
I have um a suite in hard valley, hard valley suites,
and I do a host of facials umderma planing waxing, okay,
spray tanning, makeup, lashlifts, all kinds of I mean it's
oh really okay, it's fun everyday.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
It's fun every day and so I will say this the
owners of that suite, uh, I loveboth of them and I think
they're amazing.
I don't think you could havepicked a better place to be, you
know.
Um, I don't know one of theowners as well as I know terry.
Terry smile.
I can honestly say, from themoment I met that person, she
(23:19):
has been such a godsend to myfamily.
She always lends a hand, youknow, but even her other
partners, sweet as gold.
So I think them together youare around two strong women that
can help you.
You, you know, see past some ofyour pain in your past, and the
(23:40):
biggest thing I want the viewersto see is that, even though you
went through infertility, youwent.
You're still going through PCOSbecause that's a condition that
will always be.
But you, you know, in theendometriosis and then you know,
dealing with the things in yourmarriage of what infertility
did you know, you still walkaround with a smile.
(24:03):
You still try your best to giveback to your community,
everybody.
She's over here.
Before we even get on here,she's already saying you know,
oh, I'll do this for your blooddrive and do that for your blood
drive.
That's a giving person and Iwant everybody on my podcast to
understand is that you wantpeople that sees past their pain
(24:25):
and they bring it to purpose.
And that's not always easy.
I don't want my viewers tothink that it's easy, but I will
say that your story is going tohelp so many people because
you're saying, hey look, I wentthrough all of this and I'm
still going through some things,but I'm living.
(24:45):
Because I can't imagine landingin a bed saying, god, I got to
live like this.
I don't want to live.
And look at you now, look atwhat you've done.
When did you start yourbusiness?
Speaker 4 (24:58):
um.
I went to Tennessee School ofBeauty uh January through August
and got officially licensed uhSeptember 3rd and um started
October 1st so that's myofficially my official, official
start date yeah, okay, october1st of what year?
Speaker 3 (25:15):
This year, of this year?
Yeah, so do y'all hear her?
October 1st.
She's already got her businessin an executive suite and she
does all kinds of services and Ihighly recommend you reach out
to him.
How can people get in touchwith you?
Speaker 4 (25:32):
They can get with me on Instagram.
It's get glam with him, getglam with M.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
Yeah, so is there a number that you want to give?
Oh, yeah, my phone number, yeah, it's 865-679-1279.
And your suites are calledHarden Valley Suites.
Harden Valley Suites.
Emily Houston is still living,thriving, belly sweets.
(26:00):
Emily Houston is still living,thriving and doing it well with
a smile on her face.
So I highly recommend you tryher out and always understand
that, no matter what, even whenyou see a woman smiling, you
don't know what they've beenthrough, have compassion, been
through you know.
Have compassion, have empathyand help a woman be more
(26:20):
confident in them.
Is there anything last that?
Speaker 4 (26:22):
you would like to say Emily, that was great.
Y'all are wonderful, by the way.
Just, you know, always believein yourself and stay positive,
Like if you can.
If you can see the good in asituation, even when it's the
worst situation, it will serveyou so so much, so much, greater
everything.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Yeah, I think a lot of times, you know, on my social
media I tell people that I livea positive life, and when I say
that it doesn't mean that Idon't go through things.
I just tried my best to,whatever I'm going through, to
find some kind of positive in it.
Because my mother always saidwhen I was a kid Emily is going
(27:01):
things positive nine times outof 10, when you come out of it
it'll be positive.
But if you go in thingsnegative, no matter what you're
dealing with marriage, children,you know business, you know
whatever, you have to have apositive outlook and you can't
give up, no matter what you'regoing through, Absolutely, and
(27:22):
don't dim someone else's light.
That's the biggest thing isdon't dim someone else's light
and know that Emily's right herein Knoxville, tennessee, that
she has a business, that youwant to go out and try.
Tell them again one more timehow to get in touch with you.
Speaker 4 (27:39):
It's Emily Houston Aesthetics and it's at get glam
with M on Instagram and my phonenumber is 865-679-1279.
Speaker 3 (27:48):
Thank you so much for being here.
Thank you for having me Tune inevery Friday to Talk in
Tennessee with Yvonca.
I am your host and I am here tobring the most empowering
stories and to inspire you to beyour.
All Bye, guys.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
Thanks for listening to Talk in Tennessee with Yvonca
.
Watch out for our weeklyepisodes from the first family
of real estate and check us outon the web
wwwyvoncasalesrealestatecom.
See our videos on yavonca'syoutube channel or find us on
facebook under yavonca landisand twitter at yavonca landis,
(28:28):
and don't forget to tell afriend about us.
Until next time.
Yavonca signing off.
Check us out to hear the latest on life in the
volunteer state.
Yvonca and her guests discusseverything from life, love and
business with a Tennessee flair.
It's a Tennessee thing, alwaysrelatable, always relevant and
always a good time.
This is Talkin' Tennessee, andnow your host, yvonca.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
This episode is brought to you by the Landis
team, your go-to real estatefamily in East Tennessee.
If you are looking to buy orsell, we are the ones you should
call.
Give us a call at 865-660-1186or check out our website at
YvoncaSellsRealEstatecom.
That's YonneCa Y-V-O-N-N-C-ASalesRealEstatecom.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Welcome back to Talking Tennessee with Yvonne.
I am your host and I am herewith Emily Houston.
Welcome to Talking Tennessee.
Thank you for having me.
So who are you with Emily?
Speaker 4 (01:01):
I own my own business .
I own Emily Houston AestheticsDo you.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Well, let me say this , viewers she has her own
business.
She is a woman-owned businessfrom East Tennessee, but there's
so much more about Emily andwe're going to get into it, so
tell me who is Emily Houston?
Speaker 4 (01:22):
So tell me, who is Emily Houston?
Well, emily Houston is a lot ofthings.
I would say I am an EastTennessee native Christian wife,
mom, I am a business owner andI love giving back to my
community.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
That right there is a good one to my community.
That right there is a good one.
Okay, because the biggest thingis when it comes to women, to
me is you know, we wear a lot ofhats, a lot of hats, and we
have to remember our community.
Even though we're wearing a lotof hats, you have to give back
to your community.
And I will say this viewers, Ihave watched Emily at different
events and I've always seen herwith a smile on her face.
(02:05):
And what stuck out to me when Iread your story was is I see
this person and she always has asmile on her face.
She doesn't look like whatshe's been through.
I will tell you, when I wasreading your story and
researching you, it brought meto tears Because I could relate
to some of the things thatyou've been through.
(02:27):
So let's go back and let's talkabout you know your journey as
a woman, as a wife, a mother andjust being you.
You know what, what makes you?
What would you say makes Emily?
Speaker 4 (02:44):
Well, I wore this shirt today for a reason it's
grit and grace.
That's one of my favorite justquotes, lines, whatever you want
to call it.
And it means so much to mebecause I think, as a woman, if
you have those two things, thatis going to put get you through
life a lot better than any otherthing.
(03:05):
I even have a tattoo with mymom's handwriting.
Like it means so much to me,those two words grits and grace.
Grit and grace, yeah, and justbeing strong because you have to
be, because we're going to gothrough things, no matter who,
you are always going to gothrough things.
And then having grace, becausepeople are going to make
mistakes, you're going to makemistakes, people are going to
(03:25):
make mistakes, so you need thatgrace to get you through every
day.
I agree.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
I think the biggest thing that men and women need to
understand making a mistake.
All that is is telling you whatdirection you don't want to go.
If you really think about it,it's like that light that went
off in your head Okay, I madethis mistake, that's the
direction God does not want meto go.
He wants me to go a differentdirection, and I'm learning the
(03:54):
older that I get is thatmistakes are really needed,
because if you did everythingright, god would not be able to
use you.
You have to be able to makemistakes so God can get the
glory out of your life.
So I think the biggest thingwith the grit and grace is okay,
grit, you have to grit and bearit.
(04:16):
You have to sit and do somethings that you may not be all
happy about, but God gives yougrace.
Oh, absolutely.
And then there's times that youcan make those mistakes and
when everybody else thinks thatthinks the worst about you is
when God comes in, gives thatgrace and he turns that around.
(04:36):
And so let's talk about theelephant in the room PCOS.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
I will.
I will tell you the first thingthat I heard about PCOS was
from my daughter.
She was diagnosed with PCOSfour years ago and I'll never
forget.
When she came home, emily, shetold me what she said.
I was diagnosed with PCOS andas a mom, I'm like what is that?
So I literally had to Google it, and she was at a time that
(05:07):
Adrienne wasn't.
I don't think she was matureenough to realize how serious
PCOS is, and so I had tochallenge her.
Adrienne, if you have acondition, you need to know
about it, you need to read aboutit, and I never forget Googling
about it and I'm like I'venever heard anybody talk about
it.
You need to read about it andI'll never forget Googling about
(05:27):
it and I'm like I've neverheard anybody talk about it.
So please tell me what is yourjourney been with PCOS?
How was you diagnosed, you know, and where are you at now?
Speaker 4 (05:35):
Okay, so PCOS, like we talked about, has come a long
way and I think there's abetter understanding.
When I was originally diagnosed, I was in college and had had a
lot of unexplained weight gain.
Just, I had pretty much beenthin my whole like high school
career.
(05:55):
I exercised, I ate, right, andof course when you get in
college you get a little freedom.
You do a little this and thatand you maybe don't eat the best
when you get in college, youget a little freedom.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
You do a little, that's true.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
This and that and um, you maybe don't eat things yeah
, you don't eat the best, um, soI uh had had a lot of weight
gain between my freshman andsophomore year in college and
just could not.
My mom was, like what's goingon?
Are you okay?
Like, yes, you know, vanity is,women is a thing you know.
(06:26):
We can't deny that.
So she, you know, pushed me togo to the doctor and kind of get
some things checked out becauseI was just very sluggish, I was
very tired, I was sick a lotand just overall not feeling
very well at all.
So I went to just a primarycare doctor and they were like
(06:50):
exercise and eat, right.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
I'm like okay, well, no, duh, you know yeah, like I
do exercise, I do, and I waswalking at at that time as a
student because I was at UT, Iwas walking probably three miles
a day easy oh yeah, just goingto class, like just doing my
regular things.
Ut's campus is if you want towalk a lot, go to UT and it's
(07:14):
not just a flat surface it'shills it's stairs, it's all that
.
Speaker 4 (07:18):
so, and I was doing that and I um, so I didn't like
that answer and I was like, okay, well, let's go a little bit.
So I went to an OBGYN and theydid the ultrasound, formally
diagnosed me and at the time Iwas 20.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (07:34):
I wasn't wanting to have children then, but they
they did tell me um.
Along with PCOS, I had umendometriosis too, so I kind of
got the gauntlet of reproductive.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
You got too big.
Speaker 4 (07:47):
Reproductive disorders yes, and that
explained like the PC betweenthe PCOS and the endometriosis
explained a lot of my verypainful periods Like, yes, my
menstrual cycle was the worst,sometimes to where I would vomit
like just could not get out ofbed.
That was me, yeah, so, um, theythen put me on birth control
(08:13):
and metformin, um, so it was alot, a lot.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
It was a lot for a 20 year old to go on, I'll say
this metform.
I understand that that is amedicine that was made to help a
lot of people in differentconditions, but I know I have
two family members one that's onit now, one that is not and
both of them have told me thatmetformin makes you feel
(08:39):
horrible.
Speaker 4 (08:41):
Yes, and at that time it made me extremely nauseous
and then with the birth control,kind of doing hormonal things
you know in your body just wasnot a good mix, so I had to
choose one or the other becauseI knew my body really just could
not take both.
So I stayed on.
The birth control came off.
The metformin continued tostruggle with my weight, despite
(09:03):
all my efforts of eating betterand exercising like it just
continued.
Um.
So I did eventually see aspecialist and um got some
better answers, but still I meanthere's just still not a lot of
help for women that are goingthrough it.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
Yes.
So you had endometriosis at 20years old and PCOS and you
touched on you know pregnancy,that at the time you weren't
looking for kids.
But, viewers, what I reallywant people to understand is
PCOS has so many layers to itand one of it is one of the
(09:43):
biggest layers is infertility.
I'll never forget our doctortelling me I came in for my
checkup and I asked Peggy aboutPCOS and how can I help my
daughter, that type thing, andPeggy told me she had PCOS and
she explained to me.
(10:04):
She said it is an uphill battle.
She said it's not it I can'tsay it's a battle that you can't
win, but it's winning on tryingto get it under control.
She said it's not somethingthat you win and then it goes
away.
You know that type thing.
And she said you can havechildren on it, and I know they
say that it can be difficult tohave children.
(10:28):
Did you go through that at allwhen you decided to you and your
husband to have a child?
Speaker 4 (10:35):
Yes, definitely we, um, we got married pretty young,
right out of college.
Um, so you, you know, childrenwere not on our radar at first.
And then, when we were ready,um, we had tried for like a year
on our own and then I had, youknow, googled, I guess at the
(10:57):
time I don't know.
Whatever I did then, um, yeah,I googled it and found fertility
doctors in Knoxville and did myown research, and that's where
I found Dr Michael Doody.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
I went to Michael Doody.
Speaker 4 (11:13):
He is a godsend, he's an amazing man, such a caring,
compassionate man.
Very and two on top of it,because I think a lot of doctors
don't really understand it, youknow, and I feel like he he did
, and so that made me verycomfortable with him.
(11:33):
So, yes, he helped us conceiveour son.
How old is your son?
He is 12 and a half, okay, andhe is a man child.
He's almost six foot tall, sookay he's a big boy, and then he
helped us conceive our secondbaby, which was our angel baby
that we lost, and so he was, youknow, a godsend and definitely
(11:58):
helped to manage a lot of thesymptoms of PCOS too, and
alongside getting pregnant.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
So did the PCOS once you got pregnant.
Did it affect you during thepregnancy?
Tell us about that.
Speaker 4 (12:12):
You know, I don't know if they really tell you
that once you are pregnant, thatsome things.
I mean I was very sick with myson, very, very sick, to the
point where I couldn't evendrink water without having
nausea.
So, and you know, they justnever said, oh, this is because
of PCOS.
But I did have that.
(12:32):
You just had a hard time, had avery difficult pregnancy with
my son.
I actually had to be put on bedrest.
He tried to come early.
They never told me if that wasa thing with PCOS either, I'm
not certain, but he tried tocome at 22 weeks I had to have
emergency surgery.
Oh, wow, was on bed rest for tocome at 22 weeks, I had to have
(12:52):
emergency surgery.
I was on bed rest for about sixto eight weeks.
So, yeah, oh my goodness.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
So how is your PCOS now?
And and I know that, uh, afteryou had your angel baby and that
baby passed, what did?
How was that?
How did that?
Speaker 4 (13:11):
affect you.
That was probably the biggeststruggle of my life.
We went five years off and ondoing fertility treatments.
Originally I'd gotten pregnantwith Clomid very low-dose Clomid
and then I had to try Femora,and that did not work.
(13:32):
We did IUI, which did not workeither.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
We did.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
IUI, yeah, so we did everything aside from IVF, spent
thousands and thousands ofdollars, lots of years, you know
, and it just affects yourmentality, you know, and it just
affects your mentality.
And then at that time it was astruggle for me because so many
(13:57):
people around me were.
That was when, like everyfriend, I felt like was getting
pregnant, like I felt like I hada baby shower invitation every
other week and I'm like I agree,and it I mean not that I don't
want to celebrate people,because I do, but it was.
it got to the point where it wasvery difficult for me to go and
see other people pregnant.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
Well, I know, when I went through it, my doctor told
me he said you know, Yvonca, hegoes.
You're really, you know, mostwomen resent, but resent other
women because they're they'rebeing able to have a child when
you can't.
And he was like I never hadthat feeling, Did I have the
(14:41):
feeling of God?
When is it going to be my time?
I did have that feeling, youknow.
But he said a lot of women gothrough a deep depression with
infertility and especiallybecause it does feel like when
you're going through it,everybody and their mother is
pregnant.
It's kind of like the girlthat's single, you know, she
(15:02):
sees everybody married but her.
You know what I'm saying and Ithink it's just you notice those
things more.
I've learned that because when Iwas going through my
miscarriages and all of that, Ithought I was the only one.
Then, later down the line, Irealized I wasn't the only one.
When I was a single girl and Ithought everybody was married
(15:24):
but me, you know, I realizedonce I got married it wasn't
just me.
You know that type, that typething.
But it does make you feel, um,like something's wrong with you,
you know.
And then, your friends, I wentthrough.
You didn't go through as manymiscarriages, but I went through
10, and so it it got to a pointthat people didn't know to be
(15:47):
happy or not, because I keptmiscarrying.
And so I felt like God, how areyou allowing me to keep
miscarrying?
You know the humiliation ofthat, the public humiliation,
but God be the glory.
I adopted my son and it's great, but it's still.
Your mental is hard, it's trulyhard.
(16:09):
So tell me this how did you andyour husband cope with that in
your marriage?
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Well, it's very it was a very big struggle.
Speaker 4 (16:19):
Yeah, I mean, I won't lie about it, it was a huge
struggle.
I mean financially.
It was tough.
It was tough on our marriage.
I felt like there was thingswrong with me, like I felt like
I wasn't a good wife because Ican't give him another child and
he never.
I mean he was very supportive,very loving throughout the whole
journey.
Um, and at the same time I feltlike why am I not grateful I
(16:44):
had this beautiful baby boy thatI've always wanted?
Like it would make me feel likeI'm not being grateful for what
God had given me.
Like it would make me feel likeI'm not being grateful for what
God had given me.
But at the same time I was so Iwas struggling very, very badly
between the ages.
I would say 28 to 32 was reallyhard.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
We're very, very hard .
What pulled you out of it?
Speaker 4 (17:08):
God for sure is the biggest thing.
Um, I, god for sure is thebiggest thing, and I think I
just kind of came to therealization that, you know, I
was where God wanted me to be,whether I could see it then or
not.
And now, looking back on it, Iam so thankful because my son is
um, you know, healthy, he'sthriving, we're able to do
(17:31):
things for him that we probablycouldn't do for two children.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (17:35):
And so now I look back on it and it's been a
journey of gratitude where atthe time it was just a struggle.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
But so you turned a bad situation into something
positive and you showedgratitude for what God had
already given you.
Speaker 4 (17:50):
Yes, absolutely.
And I got off the fertilitymedicine, you know, and I said
Because, it's brutal.
It's very brutal and I wouldtell any woman if I could look
at them in the face and justgrab their little face and say
you know, give yourself a break,Because it can kill you.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
I agree.
Speaker 4 (18:10):
Mentally it can kill you.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
And physically it does a lot of things as well, I
mean physically it was.
Speaker 4 (18:16):
It was tearing my body apart um, so tell me this.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
So you went through the pcos and you went through
the miscarriages, theinfertility, you had a child,
you're happy, everything isbetter, and then the car wreck
came.
Yes, tell us about it.
Speaker 4 (18:36):
Oh gosh, yeah.
So it was August 29th of 2017.
I was driving my son to schoolhe was in kindergarten at our
church and I got hit almost headon.
Oh my goodness, but I wasT-boned at the intersection
there at Gallahar and Gleason.
(18:59):
That intersection still givesme PTSD it always will.
But we got hit.
I'd had some health struggles,obviously up until then, and
then those kind of justmagnified after the car wreck.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
Got you.
So how long did it take you toget back to the new well, I
guess the new normal after yourcar wreck?
Speaker 4 (19:25):
Well, I went through physical therapy, I went through
um steroid injections to try toget my back back in order.
It was mainly back pain that Iwas dealing with, and like my
left leg pain, and I tried likeconservative therapy and nothing
was working.
So I ended up having to havesurgery.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
Okay, so once you had that surgery and everything.
So now is that that part ofyour life better?
Speaker 4 (19:53):
yes, um, but I'm after the surgery.
That's when I um was in thehospital for 10 days with a
blood infection, so I was septicafter the surgery, so I had to
really like pretty much learn towalk again and she still smiles
everybody.
It was other than theinfertility and which, I will
(20:16):
say, like the infertility, was along struggle.
That struggle was I meanmentally and physically the
hardest time I've ever had in mylife.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
Really.
Speaker 4 (20:27):
And I was, I guess, 30.
I was still in the middle offertility treatments at the time
too.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
Oh no, no, I guess I was 29 at the time Okay, and
that's young, you'll be goingthrough that.
You know you're freshly married, you know you have a child, you
have a car accident, you knowyou're trying to figure out life
and the biggest thing is thatyou didn't give up.
(20:55):
And that's a great thing thatyou didn't give up, and that's a
that's a great thing that youdidn't give up, and you said
that God helped you get throughthat.
Won't you tell me what?
What was your lighting moment?
Speaker 4 (21:06):
Um, just being in Park West hospital, and I just
said, god, if, if I have to livelike this, please just let me,
let me go Like I was ready, if Ihave to live like this, please
just let me go Like I was ready.
And I even told my husband andit'll make me choke up, You're
fine.
I told him.
I was like, if I have to livelike this, I don't want to be
here, I don't want to bedependent on somebody else, you
(21:28):
know.
So I said God, if you're readyto take me, I'm ready to go.
Wow, god, if you're ready totake me, I'm ready to go.
And that was when I, you knowhonestly, the next day, started
feeling somewhat better.
I could actually get.
I think the next day was thefirst time I got out of the bed
in probably six days.
(21:49):
Yes, so, yeah, so I startedturning a corner then, even
though it was a very longstruggle after that too.
Speaker 3 (21:58):
So what made you start your business?
Oh gosh, let's go back some, sotell everybody what you do for
a living.
Speaker 4 (22:07):
I am an esthetician and a certified makeup artist,
so I love to make women feelbeautiful for a living.
Okay, that's my passion.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
So you fought back and now you make women feel
beautiful and, even with yourstruggles, you help people get
through their struggles becauseyou enhance their beauty.
Yeah, yeah, so you basicallyturn pain into purpose, right,
okay?
So tell us about your businesswell, I just started.
Speaker 4 (22:39):
I have um a suite in hard valley, hard valley suites,
and I do a host of facials umderma planing waxing, okay,
spray tanning, makeup, lashlifts, all kinds of I mean it's
oh really okay, it's fun everyday.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
It's fun every day and so I will say this the
owners of that suite, uh, I loveboth of them and I think
they're amazing.
I don't think you could havepicked a better place to be, you
know.
Um, I don't know one of theowners as well as I know terry.
Terry smile.
I can honestly say, from themoment I met that person, she
(23:19):
has been such a godsend to myfamily.
She always lends a hand, youknow, but even her other
partners, sweet as gold.
So I think them together youare around two strong women that
can help you.
You, you know, see past some ofyour pain in your past, and the
(23:40):
biggest thing I want the viewersto see is that, even though you
went through infertility, youwent.
You're still going through PCOSbecause that's a condition that
will always be.
But you, you know, in theendometriosis and then you know,
dealing with the things in yourmarriage of what infertility
did you know, you still walkaround with a smile.
(24:03):
You still try your best to giveback to your community,
everybody.
She's over here.
Before we even get on here,she's already saying you know,
oh, I'll do this for your blooddrive and do that for your blood
drive.
That's a giving person and Iwant everybody on my podcast to
understand is that you wantpeople that sees past their pain
(24:25):
and they bring it to purpose.
And that's not always easy.
I don't want my viewers tothink that it's easy, but I will
say that your story is going tohelp so many people because
you're saying, hey look, I wentthrough all of this and I'm
still going through some things,but I'm living.
(24:45):
Because I can't imagine landingin a bed saying, god, I got to
live like this.
I don't want to live.
And look at you now, look atwhat you've done.
When did you start yourbusiness?
Speaker 4 (24:58):
um.
I went to Tennessee School ofBeauty uh January through August
and got officially licensed uhSeptember 3rd and um started
October 1st so that's myofficially my official, official
start date yeah, okay, october1st of what year?
Speaker 3 (25:15):
This year, of this year?
Yeah, so do y'all hear her?
October 1st.
She's already got her businessin an executive suite and she
does all kinds of services and Ihighly recommend you reach out
to him.
How can people get in touchwith you?
Speaker 4 (25:32):
They can get with me on Instagram.
It's get glam with him, getglam with M.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
Yeah, so is there a number that you want to give?
Oh, yeah, my phone number, yeah, it's 865-679-1279.
And your suites are calledHarden Valley Suites.
Harden Valley Suites.
Emily Houston is still living,thriving, belly sweets.
(26:00):
Emily Houston is still living,thriving and doing it well with
a smile on her face.
So I highly recommend you tryher out and always understand
that, no matter what, even whenyou see a woman smiling, you
don't know what they've beenthrough, have compassion, been
through you know.
Have compassion, have empathyand help a woman be more
(26:20):
confident in them.
Is there anything last that?
Speaker 4 (26:22):
you would like to say Emily, that was great.
Y'all are wonderful, by the way.
Just, you know, always believein yourself and stay positive,
Like if you can.
If you can see the good in asituation, even when it's the
worst situation, it will serveyou so so much, so much, greater
everything.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Yeah, I think a lot of times, you know, on my social
media I tell people that I livea positive life, and when I say
that it doesn't mean that Idon't go through things.
I just tried my best to,whatever I'm going through, to
find some kind of positive in it.
Because my mother always saidwhen I was a kid Emily is going
(27:01):
things positive nine times outof 10, when you come out of it
it'll be positive.
But if you go in thingsnegative, no matter what you're
dealing with marriage, children,you know business, you know
whatever, you have to have apositive outlook and you can't
give up, no matter what you'regoing through, Absolutely, and
(27:22):
don't dim someone else's light.
That's the biggest thing isdon't dim someone else's light
and know that Emily's right herein Knoxville, tennessee, that
she has a business, that youwant to go out and try.
Tell them again one more timehow to get in touch with you.
Speaker 4 (27:39):
It's Emily Houston Aesthetics and it's at get glam
with M on Instagram and my phonenumber is 865-679-1279.
Speaker 3 (27:48):
Thank you so much for being here.
Thank you for having me Tune inevery Friday to Talk in
Tennessee with Yvonca.
I am your host and I am here tobring the most empowering
stories and to inspire you to beyour.
All Bye, guys.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
Thanks for listening to Talk in Tennessee with Yvonca
.
Watch out for our weeklyepisodes from the first family
of real estate and check us outon the web
wwwyvoncasalesrealestatecom.
See our videos on yavonca'syoutube channel or find us on
facebook under yavonca landisand twitter at yavonca landis,
(28:28):
and don't forget to tell afriend about us.
Until next time.
Yavonca signing off.
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