Advertise on podcast: Life Happens with Ema Dantas

Sometimes we hit the highest peaks of our lives and still feel lost at sea level. In today’s episode, I open up about what happened after Everest, why success didn’t fill the void, and how one small comment at a recent event made me re-evaluate everything. This is my raw and honest reflection on identity, faith, and rediscovering purpose. Ema Dantas

My guest today is Francesca Rea. She is redefining what it means to be a wealth advisor by integrating mindset into traditional wealth management. As a leader in her field, Francesca's holistic approach empowers her clients to achieve confidence in building their net worth.  Her innovative methods, which go beyond conventional wealth advice, have produced phenomenal results.  From being a debt-ridden student, to a proud homeowner, business owner and single mother of two children, Francesca has experienced many of the financial curveball's life can come your way.   As a result, she takes the time to understand your financial situation and determine the best ways to move forward with personalized solutions and comprehensive plans that work for you and your family.

On May 13th 2022, Ema stood on top of the world—Mount Everest. That moment marked the end of one journey, and the beginning of something much deeper. As the first Portuguese person to summit the Seven Summits, she learned that climbing mountains is a lot like navigating business, life, dealing with failures, success—and our faith. Let’s Talk with Ema , her YouTube Channel—dives  into the raw stories behind the highlight reels of our lives. Talks about entrepreneurship, relationships, politics,  the mental battles behind the smiles, finding stillness with God within chaos— Ema shares is sharing it all. No masks. Just life. Subscribe now.  https://youtu.be/ho5iEVmlh4g

For all those that have read my book, Mental Mountains, they may have an idea, how Ema  finally turned to Jesus, independent of religion.  On April 7 2009 when she found herself on the floor of her bedroom curled - up in the fetal position, somehow death was not an option, like it had been an easy out when she was 14 and then at 20. People sometime say how strong she is, or look at what she has accomplished, both as an entrepreneur and as a mountaineer. How strong she is.  Hear the answer of her faith.

We have a tendancy to see failure as a  negative, but in reality it is not. As Albert Einstein cites it – Failure is an accomplishment in progress. Steadiness and challenging work are the critical resources to make progress. Trust yourself and continue to pursue your enthusiasm. Everything that you do today has an impact on your future. Keep going because everything counts. Ema shares her thoughts on what she thinks about 'failure'.

If someone had told Ema she would run marathons or become a mountaineer 12 years ago, after turning 40, she would have told that person they were nuts. But when your self esteem gets crushed,  and  sometimes you don't even feel reason to live - however you have no choice, you can accomplish allot.  You can even become the first Portuguese woman to climb and summit Carstensz Pyramid.   Listen to Ema's journey from laying  on the floor of her bedroom in a fetal position to becoming a mountaineer.

Your life is your story. Write it well. Edit often. Three sentences Ema has chosen as in introductory for an upcoming 3 part podcast series about her story. In this introduction, she shares how she spent 12 years of her life, being unable to change anything. Feeling less than human.

Ema talks  Melanie Miller, the founder of Altitude Athletics, in downtown Toronto. Ms Miller  is not just the owner of "another" gym. She is the visionary of wanting to offer the general public the opportunity to train at high altitude, just like many athletes do. She had a dream, a vision and as most entrepreneurs, she set her goals to create it. Little did she know that just when she was ready to open her doors for the first time, COVID would make an appearance. Listen to Melanie explain her goals, her idea, what the gym is, how it's designed and how she stuck by, during our lockdowns.   Melanie Miller is a perfect example of how women entrepreneurs just don't give up.  Have a listen and be inspired.

In this special episode, Ema talks to Scott Cutlan, the founder of New Reach Foundation, a Non-Profit Organization focused on organizing and executing global projects and the man  behind Climb 4 Community. "Changing the world requires a multistep process and requires effective global relationships. Climb4Community is supporting organizations world wide to help support and sustain local businesses, help provide and meet local needs, help educate and empower locals, and help provide local health initiatives." I had the privilege of talking to Scott about our mutual faith and reasons why we are both climbing the 7 Summits. Have a listen. Visit https://newreachfoundation.org/   and donate for one if his many projects.  The one called @peaksforchange is a favourite of mine!  :) Hopefully we inspired you a little. 

When your life gets derailed from the path you had set it on, it can be crippling. Ema shares us her personal experience and outlook on moving forward.

It was ok, even maybe fun to stay home and have meetings, across town, the country and even the globe, in your living room. But after all most a year, Ema explains why she is over it. Are you?

With all the lockdowns, that do not work and the continued imposed self-isolation, our mental health is suffering. The fact that the majority of people still have a stigma on mental health is concerning, especially when without our mental health, we have no health. It's a fact and we all know it. We just have to admit it.

In this episode, Ema talks about the raising of her anxiety,  in the face of the constant COVID message,  that we are in this together, or its for our own good. Stating that she feels like a character in George Orwell's, 1984. She shares with us the importance of God's message in 2 Corinthians, 12,  “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.", in giving her some reassurance of the current state of affairs.

Evidence shows that being outdoors in the presence of nature is very beneficial. In Covid-19 times, when we are told to self isolate, Ema talks about the benefits of just going outdoors and being around nature.

Ema shares her feelings on the stigma on Mental Health and how we reference to each other, and how we speak continues to feed the stigma on Mental Health . Its time we re-think Mental Health.