Meet Emily Chavez

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Emily Chavez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Emily, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

Finding my purpose didn’t happen overnight it was living and doing the next thing and along the way realizing what brings me joy and where I am passionate. I grew up with a deep faith in God, thanks to my parents. They had a strong and healthy marriage of 46 years, until my mom passed away in 2020. Even as a child I knew that part of my purpose was to be a mother and wife and raise a family. I also knew that I was called to something even beyond that.
Seeking out my purpose according to God’s will is undeniably what has led me to the work I’ve done and do now. I remember being an older teenager and knowing that I loved people, I loved friends, I was a listener most of the time and seeing people hurt, made me sad. I’ve also had a deep sense of justice and to help the brokenhearted. I learned from a young age to pray about the purpose God had on my life as He has created everyone with a purpose.
I started off in college as a psychology major but quickly realized that it might pigeon hole me to work solely with individuals and even a specific type of individual. I changed my major to Social Work which not only was broader and I felt would provide me with more opportunity but it also seemed to fit who I was, someone who loved people and wanted to help in some way. At this stage in my life I knew, on some level, that my purpose was to be a helper and try to make tangible and life changing differences in peoples lives. However, I had no clue what that looked like and honestly I didn’t even make big plans for how I wanted my future to look. I just kept following the next door that opened for me and the next thing I felt was best and right for me.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I am a wife to my husband of 17 years, we met in college. We have two daughters ages 13 and 10.
I am the Program Director at Valiant Hearts, a non-profit that exists to heal, restore and empower s*xually exploited women through compassionate and customized care. We offer support group, counseling, mentoring, financial coaching, career counseling, case management, and life coaching. We also go into 12 strip clubs in DFW every month to let the women know they are seen, loved, and there are services for them that are all focused on healing from trauma. I have a business as a Certified Life Coach, outside of my work at Valiant Hearts. My focus is working with women to help them find their identity, worth, and purpose and to walk out their calling in life, with freedom and joy.

My parents were the type of couple that unfortunately we don’t see as often anymore. They loved each other deeply and were each others best friend. They set a great example for me and my older brother. We were raised in a home with a deep faith in God which truly set me up for the rest of my life in how I try to live and make decisions.

I remember as a teenager realizing how much I loved serving others through mission trips and other opportunities. I loved people and I liked listening to them. I was drawn to the brokenhearted. These passions set me up for my future decisions to attend college and major in Social Work, although I had no idea what I would do with this degree. In all honesty, I wasn’t the type that had great ambitions to “move up the ladder” it wasn’t that I didn’t want to, I just never really thought about it. I generally was just looking for the next open door and I was pretty open to anything. It’s interesting to think about now, how I never aspired to be, x,y,z but in hindsight I think that’s what left my heart and mind open to a journey that I didn’t specifically plan.

Right out of college, around 22 years old, I began working as a family specialist for a foster and adoption agency. I was there for several years before I moved into the next non-profit in working with youth aging out of the foster care system. Again, several years later I was introduced to Valiant Hearts as I was searching to find my own training to learn more about human s*x trafficking and s*xual exploitation. I was seeing more and more that the youth I was working with were caught in this lifestyle and I needed to understand it better. I began volunteering with Valiant Hearts in the spring of 2016, mainly because I loved what they did and their approach with victims and I wanted to support them how I could. When a position opened I applied that fall and was hired as the case manager. I then moved up over the years as Program Director. Again, it wasn’t something I was trying to become, I just allowed God to work in my life. Most of the time I didn’t know what I was doing. I’ve had to keep myself humble, teachable, and for me, ask for God’s guidance every step of the way. I give all of this context to talk about where I’m at now.

As I stated earlier, I was raised in a home that had a deep faith in God, it was a stable and healthy upbringing, which I’ve learned over the years I sadly fall into the minority. I had very little context of what abuse and neglect looked like and the effects of that trauma. When I began working at Valiant Hearts, although I knew without a doubt it was where I was supposed to be, I struggled with thoughts of “how do I know what they’ve been through? I can’t relate. I don’t know how to help. What am I even doing here?” These thoughts and doubts plagued me for a while but as I went back to my faith, I was reminded that not everyone has to have the same story or even similar to still be relatable. What I knew and what I found confidence in, was that I was a woman, like these ladies. I was a woman who loved deeply and wanted to fulfill the purpose in my life. I want to be loved and want to love, I want to be seen and heard. I want to have peace and internal joy. These are the same common core desires as any of these ladies I was working with. I was also reminded that my story of safety, security, love, and stability, actually can speak into others lives. When maybe they don’t know what a safe person looks like or what it would feel to be loved just for who you are, I could tell them that it is real and possible and then walk alongside them as they begin to heal. I also quickly learned that all of my experience and work in the foster care system was 100% on purpose (even though it wasn’t my passion) because it allowed me to see abuse and neglect in the most horrific ways and understand how trauma effects people. It can destroy their identity. I quickly became passionate about my work and that passion has continued consistently for 8 years. What I love most about my job at Valiant Hearts is watching women leave their exploitative situations and start to discover their purpose and identity.
I’ve overcome many things in this job that to some would seem minor but for me it was a testing of my willingness, my vulnerability, my true desire to grow, and has built my confidence exponentially.

I received my certification in life coaching in 2020 as I was dealing with the death of my mother, my very best friend. This was something else that I never really planned to do but as I continued to walk with my hands and heart open to the next thing, this was an opportunity that presented itself. It seemed like a perfect fit. I could take, basically what I had been doing for years but with a different title, and start working with people outside of a specific population. What I love about this role are the “lightbulb” moments someone has as they make decisions, both big and small, about their future.

All I truly desire and what I believe my purpose is, is for others to experience unconditional love, know their identity, and know that there is a loving God who created them with a purpose. I found my purpose, I want others to discover theirs and then walk boldly in that.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1. Keep your heart and hands open to opportunities that may even seem outside of the scope of possibility or different than you thought, knowing that if it is what you have been called to, God will equip you for that role.

2. Be teachable. We never “arrive,” we are never completely “healed,” we are always on a journey and it should always involve personal growth.

3. Love people where they are without judgment. This has allowed me to be more understanding, forgiving, and patient.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

My parents provided me with a healthy and stable upbringing. My dad worked hard and provided for our family and I’ve been able to watch him grow his faith in God and guide our family that way. My mother was a servant. She loved serving and loving others, she never met a stranger, everyone became her friend. They taught me how to be independent and advocate for myself while also depending on God to guide and direct me. They also taught me how to love others. They are both two of the most giving people I have ever known. They give quietly and humbly because they know that what they have to give is not theirs anyway. They’ve always had the mindset that God is who blessed them and for them to be a blessing to others is just part of life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.valianthearts.org
• Other: For individual Life Coaching inquiries I can be contacted at [email protected]