Not a “school person” herself, Emily struggled with the intellectual approach and impractical nature with the way language is taught in the school system. Rote memorization, tests, reading antiquated texts and getting lost in large group classes is not ideal. She became frustrated with the significant gap between her “head knowledge” learned in school and her conversational abilities “in real life”. After graduating from Harding University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish and a license to teach, Emily D. was determined to bridge that gap for herself. She moved to Honduras for a year in 2008 to immerse herself in the language!

Between her higher education, experience of teaching English to 2nd graders at a bilingual school in Gracias Lempira, Honduras (who were the best Spanish teachers she has ever had), teaching herself incessantly in every spare hour and practicing with native speakers (which includes being laughed at), Emily became proficient and confident in her Spanish skills by the time she returned home to live in the United States.

Upon returning, Emily D. chose an unexpected alternative path for her career. Instead of teaching in a school, she bootstrapped her own business with the mission and passion to design a unique curriculum and creative program to teach people in a way that she wished she had been taught. With a knack and love for working with adults, Emily wholeheartedly believes and has witnessed that anyone can learn no matter their age or learning style. With a sense of humor, down to earth practical approach, her program is applicable, personal, effective, experiential and fun!

In 2018 to 2019, she took a major step back from her business to pursue other interests and passions. She began learning the guitar, the craft of songwriting and went on a 2 month cross country trip from Nashville to California and back with her husband in a 1963 Airstream that they fixed up together. After recovering from a lot of stress and a whole other backstory, Emily D. sold the business to a new owner. That company continues to run and thrive under a different name here in Nashville using her original curriculum, program and team of teachers. She learned a great deal and is proud of all that was built over many years and she wishes them all the best and lots of success!

Now, over a decade later, Emily D. has returned to her passion of teaching private Spanish lessons to a very limited handful of VIP students and manages a smaller team of highly experienced and teachers trained in her Spanish immersion style curriculum.

Emily D. is a firm believer that building skills, investing, growing and developing oneself is absolutely invaluable and leads to magical and unexpected things.