Meet Emily Smith

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Emily Smith. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Emily below.

Emily , so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

When I was thirty something, the Lord invited me to explore my lack of confidence in Him. Over time, He pointed me to a moment in my childhood where someone called me “worthless” and I came into agreement with the lie. That lie gave life to more lies and I lived my life believing I was worthless, insufficient and unworthy. It wasn’t a conscious awareness until the Lord revealed it. Once He did, I could see clearly the ripple impact of that lie and how it lead to me trying to control all my circumstances and outcomes in an effort to hide how I felt inside–insufficient. I had no self-esteem or confidence in myself, or God. As I walked through this messy journey with Jesus, He did a divine exchange in my heart and over time I came to the place where I no longer was dwelling in the lies, but rather in the faithfulness of my God and who He says I am–Beloved, Worthy, A Royal Priestess. I chose to believe what He said about me instead of what others said. Once I believed His truth, my perspective about myself transformed. I am still not confident in my own self, but I am confident in Him and I no longer believe that I am insufficient for the things He is calling me to.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

In 2015, the Lord called me out of my 19 year career to open a ministry with a store front called, Adored Boutique. Adored fights the cycle of poverty and exploitation in the garment industry by selling products made by people who are treated with dignity and respect, and paid a living wage for their work. To date, we have paid almost 9000 monthly salaries for people in vulnerable circumstances who otherwise would not have an opportunity to earn a fair wage. I believe this aligns with the Fathers heart for His children and that if we all paid attention to the stories behind the things we buy, we could change the world.
In 2018 I began teaching a class called Designed To Be. Classes focused on helping women establish an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus and come to confidently know the voice of God. In 2023, I focused on completing my book, “When Jesus Shows Up In Skinny Jeans”, and published in 2024. Skinny Jeans content aligns with the content I taught in class and seeks to accomplish the same objective for readers. Through Designed To Be Ministries, I speak publicly and operate an executive coaching service for business owners who desire to align their business decisions, and outcomes, with the heart of the Father.

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

– Deciding to surrender to what the Lord was saying to me instead of my emotions or feelings. This can be so hard to do, but always ends with a blessed outcome. Following my emotions always drew me deeper into a spiral of negativity.
– I had a business coach in my former career who told me, “You can’t save people from themselves.” From a ministry lens, this truth has resounded in my mind. I am committed to speak the whole truth of the gospel, knowing that it’s not my job to convict or change people, but to represent Gods truth to the best of my ability.
– Humility. Retail requires humility–we get it wrong a lot. It’s important to acknowledge mistakes quickly, do what needs to be done to do to move forward, and learn from our mistakes. We can move from failure to success, but we cannot move from blame to success.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

Since I opened Adored, I have struggled to find women who love Jesus and want to invest in His kingdom through the things they buy everyday. I have taken many efforts to try to reach women of faith and eight years in, it is still one of my biggest challenges. I would love to find women who love Jesus, love fashion and want to empower women to let their inner beauty shine by wearing clothes that complement it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://designedtobe.org
• Instagram: @designedtobeministries
• Facebook: @designedtobeministries
• Youtube: @designedtobeministries
• Other: adoredboutique.com and IG @adored.boutique