Talkin' Tennessee with Yvonnca
Talkin' Tennessee with Yvonnca
Grit and Grace feat. Emily Houston, Owner of Emily Houston Aesthetics and Makeup Artistry
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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Check us out to hear the latest on life in the volunteer state. Yvonca and her guests discuss everything from life, love and business with a Tennessee flair. It's a Tennessee thing, always relatable, always relevant and always a good time. This is Talkin' Tennessee, and now your host, yvonca.
Speaker 2:This episode is brought to you by the Landis team, your go-to real estate family in East Tennessee. If you are looking to buy or sell, we are the ones you should call. Give us a call at 865-660-1186 or check out our website at YvoncaSellsRealEstatecom. That's YonneCa Y-V-O-N-N-C-A SalesRealEstatecom.
Speaker 3:Welcome back to Talking Tennessee with Yvonne. I am your host and I am here with Emily Houston. Welcome to Talking Tennessee. Thank you for having me. So who are you with Emily?
Speaker 4:I own my own business. I own Emily Houston Aesthetics Do you.
Speaker 3:Well, let me say this, viewers she has her own business. She is a woman-owned business from East Tennessee, but there's so much more about Emily and we're going to get into it, so tell me who is Emily Houston?
Speaker 4:So tell me, who is Emily Houston? Well, emily Houston is a lot of things. I would say I am an East Tennessee native Christian wife, mom, I am a business owner and I love giving back to my community.
Speaker 3:That right there is a good one to my community. That right there is a good one. Okay, because the biggest thing is when it comes to women, to me is you know, we wear a lot of hats, a lot of hats, and we have to remember our community. Even though we're wearing a lot of hats, you have to give back to your community. And I will say this viewers, I have watched Emily at different events and I've always seen her with a smile on her face. And what stuck out to me when I read your story was is I see this person and she always has a smile on her face. She doesn't look like what she's been through. I will tell you, when I was reading your story and researching you, it brought me to tears Because I could relate to some of the things that you've been through. So let's go back and let's talk about you know your journey as a woman, as a wife, a mother and just being you. You know what, what makes you? What would you say makes Emily?
Speaker 4:Well, I wore this shirt today for a reason it's grit and grace. That's one of my favorite just quotes, lines, whatever you want to call it. And it means so much to me because I think, as a woman, if you have those two things, that is going to put get you through life a lot better than any other thing. I even have a tattoo with my mom's handwriting. Like it means so much to me, those two words grits and grace. Grit and grace, yeah, and just being strong because you have to be, because we're going to go through things, no matter who, you are always going to go through things. And then having grace, because people are going to make mistakes, you're going to make mistakes, people are going to make mistakes, so you need that grace to get you through every day. I agree.
Speaker 3:I think the biggest thing that men and women need to understand making a mistake. All that is is telling you what direction 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 made this mistake, that's the direction God does not want me to go. He wants me to go a different direction, and I'm learning the older that I get is that mistakes are really needed, because if you did everything right, god would not be able to use you. You have to be able to make mistakes so God can get the glory out of your life.
Speaker 3:So I think the biggest thing with the grit and grace is okay, grit, you have to grit and bear it. You have to sit and do some things that you may not be all happy about, but God gives you grace. Oh, absolutely. And then there's times that you can make those mistakes and when everybody else thinks that thinks the worst about you is when God comes in, gives that grace and he turns that around. And so let's talk about the elephant in the room PCOS.
Speaker 4:Absolutely.
Speaker 3:I will. I will tell you the first thing that I heard about PCOS was from my daughter. She was diagnosed with PCOS four years ago and I'll never forget. When she came home, emily, she told me what she said. I was diagnosed with PCOS and as a mom, I'm like what is that? So I literally had to Google it, and she was at a time that Adrienne wasn't. I don't think she was mature enough to realize how serious PCOS is, and so I had to challenge her. Adrienne, if you have a condition, you need to know about it, you need to read about it, and I never forget Googling about it and I'm like I've never heard anybody talk about it. You need to read about it and I'll never forget Googling about it and I'm like I've never heard anybody talk about it. So please tell me what is your journey been with PCOS? How was you diagnosed, you know, and where are you at now?
Speaker 4:Okay, so PCOS, like we talked about, has come a long way and I think there's a better understanding. When I was originally diagnosed, I was in college and had had a lot of unexplained weight gain. Just, I had pretty much been thin my whole like high school career. I exercised, I ate, right, and of course when you get in college you get a little freedom. You do a little this and that and you maybe don't eat the best when you get in college, you get a little freedom.
Speaker 3:You do a little, that's true.
Speaker 4:This and that and um, you maybe don't eat things yeah, you don't eat the best, um, so I uh had had a lot of weight gain between my freshman and sophomore year in college and just could not. My mom was, like what's going on? Are you okay? Like, yes, you know, vanity is, women is a thing you know. We can't deny that.
Speaker 4:So she, you know, pushed me to go to the doctor and kind of get some things checked out because I was just very sluggish, I was very tired, I was sick a lot and just overall not feeling very well at all. So I went to just a primary care doctor and they were like exercise and eat, right.
Speaker 3:I'm like okay, well, no, duh, you know yeah, like I do exercise, I do, and I was walking at at that time as a student because I was at UT, I was walking probably three miles a day easy oh yeah, just going to class, like just doing my regular things. Ut's campus is if you want to walk a lot, go to UT and it's not just a flat surface it's hills it's stairs, it's all that.
Speaker 4: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 they did the ultrasound, formally diagnosed me and at the time I was 20.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 4:I wasn't wanting to have children then, but they they did tell me um. Along with PCOS, I had um endometriosis too, so I kind of got the gauntlet of reproductive.
Speaker 1:You got too big.
Speaker 4:Reproductive disorders yes, and that explained like the PC between the PCOS and the endometriosis explained a lot of my very painful periods Like, yes, my menstrual cycle was the worst, sometimes to where I would vomit like just could not get out of bed. That was me, yeah, so, um, they then put me on birth control and metformin, um, so it was a lot, a lot.
Speaker 3:It was a lot for a 20 year old to go on, I'll say this metform. I understand that that is a medicine that was made to help a lot of people in different conditions, but I know I have two family members one that's on it now, one that is not and both of them have told me that metformin makes you feel horrible.
Speaker 4: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 was not a good mix, so I had to choose one or the other because I knew my body really just could not take both. So I stayed on. The birth control came off. The metformin continued to struggle with my weight, despite all my efforts of eating better and exercising like it just continued. Um. So I did eventually see a specialist and um got some better answers, but still I mean there's just still not a lot of help for women that are going through it.
Speaker 3:Yes. So you had endometriosis at 20 years old and PCOS and you touched on you know pregnancy, that at the time you weren't looking for kids. But, viewers, what I really want people to understand is PCOS has so many layers to it and one of it is one of the biggest layers is infertility. I'll never forget our doctor telling me I came in for my checkup and I asked Peggy about PCOS and how can I help my daughter, that type thing, and Peggy told me she had PCOS and she explained to me. She said it is an uphill battle. She said it's not it I can't say it's a battle that you can't win, but it's winning on trying to get it under control. She said it's not something that you win and then it goes away. You know that type thing. And she said you can have children on it, and I know they say that it can be difficult to have children. Did you go through that at all when you decided to you and your husband to have a child?
Speaker 4:Yes, definitely we, um, we got married pretty young, right out of college. Um, so you, you know, children were 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, you know, googled, I guess at the time I don't know. Whatever I did then, um, yeah, I googled it and found fertility doctors in Knoxville and did my own research, and that's where I found Dr Michael Doody.
Speaker 3:I went to Michael Doody.
Speaker 4: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, you know, and I feel like he he did, and so that made me very comfortable with him. So, yes, he helped us conceive our son. How old is your son? He is 12 and a half, okay, and he is a man child.
Speaker 4:He's almost six foot tall, so okay he's a big boy, and then he helped us conceive our second baby, which was our angel baby that we lost, and so he was, you know, a godsend and definitely helped to manage a lot of the symptoms of PCOS too, and alongside getting pregnant.
Speaker 3:So did the PCOS once you got pregnant. Did it affect you during the pregnancy? Tell us about that.
Speaker 4:You know, I don't know if they really tell you that once you are pregnant, that some things. I mean I was very sick with my son, very, very sick, to the point where I couldn't even drink water without having nausea. So, and you know, they just never said, oh, this is because of PCOS. But I did have that. You just had a hard time, had a very difficult pregnancy with my son. I actually had to be put on bed rest. He tried to come early. They never told me if that was a thing with PCOS either, I'm not certain, but he tried to come at 22 weeks I had to have emergency surgery. Oh, wow, was on bed rest for to come at 22 weeks, I had to have emergency surgery. I was on bed rest for about six to eight weeks. So, yeah, oh my goodness.
Speaker 3:So how is your PCOS now? And and I know that, uh, after you had your angel baby and that baby passed, what did? How was that? How did that?
Speaker 4:affect you. That was probably the biggest struggle of my life. We went five years off and on doing fertility treatments. Originally I'd gotten pregnant with Clomid very low-dose Clomid and then I had to try Femora, and that did not work. We did IUI, which did not work either.
Speaker 3:We did.
Speaker 4:IUI, yeah, so we did everything aside from IVF, spent thousands and thousands of dollars, lots of years, you know, and it just affects your mentality, you know, and it just affects your mentality. And then at that time it was a struggle for me because so many people around me were. That was when, like every friend, I felt like was getting pregnant, like I felt like I had a 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.
Speaker 4:it got to the point where it was very difficult for me to go and see other people pregnant.
Speaker 3:Well, I know, when I went through it, my doctor told me he said you know, Yvonca, he goes. You're really, you know, most women resent, but resent other women because they're they're being able to have a child when you can't. And he was like I never had that feeling, Did I have the feeling of God? When is it going to be my time? I did have that feeling, you know. But he said a lot of women go through a deep depression with infertility and especially because it does feel like when you're going through it, everybody and their mother is pregnant. It's kind of like the girl that's single, you know, she sees everybody married but her. You know what I'm saying and I think it's just you notice those things more.
Speaker 3:I've learned that because when I was going through my miscarriages and all of that, I thought I was the only one. Then, later down the line, I realized I wasn't the only one. When I was a single girl and I thought everybody was married but me, you know, I realized once I got married it wasn't just me. You know that type, that type thing. But it does make you feel, um, like something's wrong with you, you know. And then, your friends, I went through. You didn't go through as many miscarriages, but I went through 10, and so it it got to a point that people didn't know to be happy or not, because I kept miscarrying. And so I felt like God, how are you allowing me to keep miscarrying? You know the humiliation of that, 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 truly hard. So tell me this how did you and your husband cope with that in your marriage?
Speaker 1:Well, it's very it was a very big struggle.
Speaker 4: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 things wrong with me, like I felt like I wasn't a good wife because I can'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 felt like why am I not grateful I had this beautiful baby boy that I've always wanted? Like it would make me feel like I'm not being grateful for what God had given me. Like it would make me feel like I'm not being grateful for what God had given me. But at the same time I was so I was struggling very, very badly between the ages. I would say 28 to 32 was really hard.
Speaker 3:We're very, very hard. What pulled you out of it?
Speaker 4:God for sure is the biggest thing. Um, I, god for sure is the biggest thing, and I think I just kind of came to the realization 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, I am so thankful because my son is um, you know, healthy, he's thriving, we're able to do things for him that we probably couldn't do for two children.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 4:And so now I look back on it and it's been a journey of gratitude where at the time it was just a struggle.
Speaker 3:But so you turned a bad situation into something positive and you showed gratitude for what God had already given you.
Speaker 4:Yes, absolutely. And I got off the fertility medicine, you know, and I said Because, it's brutal. It's very brutal and I would tell any woman if I could look at them in the face and just grab their little face and say you know, give yourself a break, Because it can kill you.
Speaker 1:I agree.
Speaker 4:Mentally it can kill you.
Speaker 1:And physically it does a lot of things as well, I mean physically it was.
Speaker 4:It was tearing my body apart um, so tell me this.
Speaker 3:So you went through the pcos and you went through the miscarriages, the infertility, you had a child, you're happy, everything is better, and then the car wreck came. Yes, tell us about it.
Speaker 4:Oh gosh, yeah. So it was August 29th of 2017. I was driving my son to school he was in kindergarten at our church and I got hit almost head on. Oh my goodness, but I was T-boned at the intersection there at Gallahar and Gleason. That intersection still gives me PTSD it always will. But we got hit. I'd had some health struggles, obviously up until then, and then those kind of just magnified after the car wreck.
Speaker 3:Got you. So how long did it take you to get back to the new well, I guess the new normal after your car wreck?
Speaker 4:Well, I went through physical therapy, I went through um steroid injections to try to get my back back in order. It was mainly back pain that I was dealing with, and like my left leg pain, and I tried like conservative therapy and nothing was working. So I ended up having to have surgery.
Speaker 3:Okay, so once you had that surgery and everything. So now is that that part of your life better?
Speaker 4:yes, um, but I'm after the surgery. That's when I um was in the hospital for 10 days with a blood infection, so I was septic after the surgery, so I had to really like pretty much learn to walk again and she still smiles everybody. It was other than the infertility and which, I will say, like the infertility, was a long struggle. That struggle was I mean mentally and physically the hardest time I've ever had in my life.
Speaker 3:Really.
Speaker 4:And I was, I guess, 30. I was still in the middle of fertility treatments at the time too.
Speaker 3:Oh no, no, I guess I was 29 at the time Okay, and that's young, you'll be going through that. You know you're freshly married, you know you have a child, you have a car accident, you know you're trying to figure out life and the biggest thing is that you didn't give up. And that's a great thing that you didn't give up, and that's a that's a great thing that you didn't give up, and you said that God helped you get through that. Won't you tell me what? What was your lighting moment?
Speaker 4:Um, just being in Park West hospital, and I just said, god, if, if I have to live like this, please just let me, let me go Like I was ready, if I have to live like this, please just let me go Like I was ready. And I even told my husband and it'll make me choke up, You're fine. I told him. I was like, if I have to live like this, I don't want to be here, I don't want to be dependent on somebody else, you know. So I said God, if you're ready to take me, I'm ready to go. Wow, god, if you're ready to take me, I'm ready to go. And that was when I, you know honestly, the next day, started feeling somewhat better. I could actually get. I think the next day was the first time I got out of the bed in probably six days.
Speaker 4:Yes, so, yeah, so I started turning a corner then, even though it was a very long struggle after that too.
Speaker 3:So what made you start your business? Oh gosh, let's go back some, so tell everybody what you do for a living.
Speaker 4:I am an esthetician and a certified makeup artist, so I love to make women feel beautiful for a living. Okay, that's my passion.
Speaker 3:So you fought back and now you make women feel beautiful and, even with your struggles, you help people get through their struggles because you enhance their beauty. Yeah, yeah, so you basically turn pain into purpose, right, okay? So tell us about your business well, I just started.
Speaker 4:I have um a suite in hard valley, hard valley suites, and I do a host of facials um derma planing waxing, okay, spray tanning, makeup, lash lifts, all kinds of I mean it's oh really okay, it's fun every day.
Speaker 3:It's fun every day and so I will say this the owners of that suite, uh, I love both of them and I think they're amazing. I don't think you could have picked a better place to be, you know. Um, I don't know one of the owners as well as I know terry. Terry smile. I can honestly say, from the moment I met that person, she has been such a godsend to my family. She always lends a hand, you know, but even her other partners, sweet as gold. So I think them together you are around two strong women that can help you.
Speaker 3:You, you know, see past some of your pain in your past, and the biggest thing I want the viewers to see is that, even though you went through infertility, you went. You're still going through PCOS because that's a condition that will always be. But you, you know, in the endometriosis and then you know, dealing with the things in your marriage of what infertility did you know, you still walk around with a smile. You still try your best to give back 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 blood drive and do that for your blood drive. That's a giving person and I want everybody on my podcast to understand is that you want people that sees past their pain and they bring it to purpose.
Speaker 3:And that's not always easy. I don't want my viewers to think that it's easy, but I will say that your story is going to help so many people because you're saying, hey look, I went through all of this and I'm still going through some things, but I'm living. Because I can't imagine landing in a bed saying, god, I got to live like this. I don't want to live. And look at you now, look at what you've done. When did you start your business?
Speaker 4:um. I went to Tennessee School of Beauty uh January through August and got officially licensed uh September 3rd and um started October 1st so that's my officially my official, official start date yeah, okay, october 1st of what year?
Speaker 3:This year, of this year? Yeah, so do y'all hear her? October 1st. She's already got her business in an executive suite and she does all kinds of services and I highly recommend you reach out to him. How can people get in touch with you?
Speaker 4:They can get with me on Instagram. It's get glam with him, get glam with M.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so is there a number that you want to give? Oh, yeah, my phone number, yeah, it's 865-679-1279.
Speaker 3:And your suites are called Harden Valley Suites. Harden Valley Suites. Emily Houston is still living, thriving, belly sweets. Emily Houston is still living, thriving and doing it well with a smile on her face. So I highly recommend you try her out and always understand that, no matter what, even when you see a woman smiling, you don't know what they've been through, have compassion, been through you know. Have compassion, have empathy and help a woman be more confident in them. Is there anything last that?
Speaker 4:you would like to say Emily, that was great. Y'all are wonderful, by the way. Just, you know, always believe in yourself and stay positive, Like if you can. If you can see the good in a situation, even when it's the worst situation, it will serve you so so much, so much, greater everything.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think a lot of times, you know, on my social media I tell people that I live a positive life, and when I say that it doesn't mean that I don'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 said when I was a kid Emily is going things positive nine times out of 10, when you come out of it it'll be positive. But if you go in things negative, no matter what you're dealing with marriage, children, you know business, you know whatever, you have to have a positive outlook and you can't give up, no matter what you're going through, Absolutely, and don't dim someone else's light.
Speaker 3:That's the biggest thing is don't dim someone else's light and know that Emily's right here in Knoxville, tennessee, that she has a business, that you want to go out and try. Tell them again one more time how to get in touch with you.
Speaker 4:It's Emily Houston Aesthetics and it's at get glam with M on Instagram and my phone number is 865-679-1279.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much for being here. Thank you for having me Tune in every Friday to Talk in Tennessee with Yvonca. I am your host and I am here to bring the most empowering stories and to inspire you to be your. All Bye, guys.
Speaker 1:Thanks for listening to Talk in Tennessee with Yvonca. Watch out for our weekly episodes from the first family of real estate and check us out on the web wwwyvoncasalesrealestatecom. See our videos on yavonca's youtube channel or find us on facebook under yavonca landis and twitter at yavonca landis, and don't forget to tell a friend about us. Until next time. Yavonca signing off.