This week I interviewed the beautiful Emma Giacca (@emmaclaiir) someone that I have followed for only a short while now however, instantly feel in love with her message and online presence. Emma is raw, real and speaks right from the heart on all topics such as mental health, fitness and her life purpose. Keep reading to find out exactly what this life purpose entails.
Could you tell me a little summary of who you are, what you do and what you’re truly passionate about?
Of course, let’s start with I am a 24 year old girl who lives in Sydney. I have been many things in my life and gone between jobs to figure out what I love but I truly believe this has gotten me to where I am today! I am currently a blogger/youtuber who focuses on self-love/care, fitness, health and all things lifestyle… Oh and I can’t forget I am the organising and planning queen! I also do content creation and run the social media platforms for a clothing label called Zoo Clothing. Being creative is something I absolutely love hence why I am so drawn to jobs and projects that are more in the creative field. The one thing I am so passionate about in life is helping women and people live their best lives, love them selves and create balance! Being able to motivate and inspire people everyday is something I will be forever grateful for. I am also extremely passionate about mental health as it is something that is in my family quite severe and something I have dealt with time to time as well.
Having a purpose in life is pretty important and something that has really helped me figure out who I am and what I am doing. My purpose in life is to help people understand the importance of self worth and self love with in themselves to live and enjoy a life where they feel happy, confident and loved.
Why did you start your Instagram @emmaclaiir?
Originally EmmaClaiir was just my personal Instagram. I actually had no intention of becoming a blogger and having the page grow. I was just posting about my life and thing’s I loved. I then started to get a little bit of a response from people and it started to grow with out me even realising. I then got an email from the lovely team at Happy Way to become one of their ambassadors! At first I actually laughed and I remember telling my partner there must be a mistake. I ended up emailing back anyway and to my surprise it wasn’t a mistake and this is when I realised I was actually building something that I didn’t even know about. This kind of scared me and made me feel really anxious but I also knew it was a good thing! From there I took the time to sit down and figure out why people were enjoying my content and why they were listening to what I had to say. Figuring this out was honestly life changing not only for my instagram but also for me on a personal level! I all of a sudden had a purpose, a mission, priorities and goals. It was CRAZY! My instagram then became a very clear path for me and I knew exactly why I was doing what I was doing and what messages I wanted to get out in the world. SO WHY DO I HAVE MY INSTAGRAM YOU ASK? I want women to have a platform where there is no bullshit, a real life girl spreading real live vibes. As human we get so caught up in this unrealistic life from what we are fed on social media and to be honest it scares the crap out of me! We shouldn’t have to hide our emotions; anxiety & fears and we definitely shouldn’t be comparing ourselves to people who aren’t being true to themselves. I am open, real and authentic on my instagram and I truly believe that is why it has grown so quickly because people can actually connect on a real life level.
Tell us a little bit about your health and fitness journey. Where did your love for it begin?
I always grew up being quite active. I did gymnastic, little athletics and dancing. I started dancing professionally in 2013 but that doesn’t mean I was healthy. After a year of dancing professionally I realised that even though I was doing a lot of physical activity I was actually damaging my body massively from what I was eating. In 2014 I started to study my cert 3 and 4 in fitness and personal training and started my fitness and health journey. At this point in time I became obsessed with going to the gym and felt guilty if I didn’t go. I also became obsessed with food but in a bad way. I ate super healthy and clean but binged eat like there was no tomorrow. I thought my love for health and fitness at this point was amazing and I truly believed I was happy. It wasn’t until I gave up all the fad diets, personal training and calorie counting, that I started really living my fittest and healthiest life. Early 2018 I started to do my own research, listening to my own body and quit the gym. Homework outs became my new favourite type of training, I found a love for running and walking. My naturopath also helped me learn how to listen to my body and see how it reacted to different foods. I started to put my self in a healthy balanced routine and I found I was less stressed, seeing results a lot more and just had a different kind of love for fitness, health and even myself! At this point in time I am currently training 2-4 times per week plus 4-5 morning walks and I am eating a healthy balanced diet that includes all food groups and even some alcohol on the weekends. To me being fit and healthy isn’t about body composition or starting the next new diet… it is about feeling good, happy and energized J
You’ve just landed a new job – woohoo congratulations! Could you describe your role and how your past experiences led you here?
Thank you so much! It is honestly such an exciting time for me right now! I am currently working for a clothing company called Zoo Clothing. I run their social media, create content for them, run their photoshoot’s for new arrivals and do some of their PR and marketing work as well. This job is a dream come true for me because not only am I being creative but I am also working from home, have flexible hours and I am working for some one who really believes in me! This job was not luck though and I have definitely been through some tough roads to get here. I have been a Childcare worker, Dance teacher, Personal Trainer and in my previous job I was a café manager. All of these jobs taught me different things but lets talk about the Café Job! I worked in this job for almost three years and had some really good parts but also some really bad parts. I was extremely comfortable there and it was so close to home. A couple of months ago they forced me to resign with no reasoning which they actually can’t do but in saying that it really showed me what type of people I was working for and also taught me what type of people I want to work for. I was jobless for about a month, which was really hard on me as my anxiety and panic attacks decided to pay me a little visit. I felt like the universe did this to me for a reason because they knew my time there was up. I didn’t want to get just any job for the sake of having one so I decided to step out of my comfort zone and put my self out there by contacting Zoo Clothing and telling them what I could do for their business and what I could bring. This has been the best decision I have made in a very long time because I am now working for someone who appreciates my talent and hard work. Plus I also have time for my personal platforms as well!
If you could pin point one time in your working career where you were made to feel empowered for the work you were doing – what would it be?
The day I had my first meeting with the owner of Zoo Clothing. I felt so amazing and empowered afterwards. I remember ringing my partner with the biggest smile on my face saying… This is it! I finally have a job where I am appreciated for my personality, hard work and passion!
What’s your biggest tip to finding a job you truly enjoy? Figure who you are and what you love first! Don’t be scared to put yourself out there and just be confident! I have no experience in the job that I have now but what I do have is a lot of passion, motivation and confidence!
What are some daily rituals/thoughts you perform to promote happiness and wellness within your life?
Daily rituals are so important to me so I will list a few of mine below!
· Gratitude Journal – I write down three things I am grateful for every day.
· Plan – every morning I sip on my coffee whilst planning my day and writing a to-do list
· Move your body – This could mean work out, stretch, walk or swim. Find what works for you and try to move everyday!
· Communicate – My partner and I always eat dinner together and reflect on the day we had!
· Sleep – Start to create a good sleeping pattern. I go to bed at 9.30pm and wake up at 6am.
· Essential oils – These have become a massive part of my life. I focus on how I’m feeling through out the day to decide what oil I will be using.
What is your favourite quote?
Walk towards the scary feelings because that’s usually the right direction!
Everything happens for a reason!
Where can we find you #socials?
Instagram - @emmaclaiir
Blog – emmaclaiir.me
Youtube – Emma Claiir