Meet Emma Fox

We recently connected with Emma Fox and have shared our conversation below.

Emma, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

My resilience comes from my commitment to gratitude as a core life principle. I’ve learned that when challenges arise—whether in business, health, or life—the fastest way I can re-center myself is through shifting my focus to what I’m grateful for. When I pause and focus through this lens, I’m reminded of the people, experiences, and opportunities that give my life meaning. That paradigm shift grounds me and transforms challenges into opportunities for growth. Gratitude reminds me that even in the hardest seasons there is still beauty, support, and possibility to be found.

This perspective was tested significantly during my recent spinal injury and subsequent reconstructive surgery. This injury occurred at the tail end of a six-year period of providing care for multiple family members through cancer diagnosis, neck fractures, and a traumatic brain injury, all while keeping my small business afloat through a global pandemic. During this chapter of life my own health and self-care was always my last priority; I’m certain this is what led my injury- my body kept score and could not endure anymore of what I was putting in through.

This injury, months of bedrest, corrective surgery, and subsequent recovery was an uphill battle. It was, without a doubt, the most difficult season I’ve faced—personally and professionally. My business had to pause and I was forced to reschedule my clients with other vendors. For someone who pours as much heart into their work as I do, that was painful and incredibly difficult. My recovery process through this wasn’t just about physical healing, though strength training and rebuilding my body were a big part of it. It required patience, massive humility, painful amounts of vulnerability, and discipline to trust the process, even when my progress felt slow (or non-existent).

What carried me through was focusing on small victories and simple moments of gratitude. On the hardest days, I leaned into thankfulness for my support system, for my body’s ability to heal, and the hope that this pause would eventually allow me to return to my life and my business with a deeper sense of purpose. Gratitude gave me perspective: It reminded me that even though I wasn’t moving at the pace I wanted, I was still moving forward. It helped shift my perspective from “why did this injury happen to me?” to “this injury happened for me.” It showed me that as much as I love showing up for others, I needed to learn how to show up for myself, first and foremost.

This “attitude of gratitude” is also at the heart of my photography company, Let’s Go Sig. The ethos of my brand is that inspiration doesn’t always have to come from chasing something extraordinary ‘out there.’ True inspiration is found when we slow down to notice the lives we’ve worked hard to create—the relationships we cherish, the homes we’ve built, the serendipitous moments of life that light us up. For me, gratitude is what makes those moments visible, and it’s what transforms them into sources of strength and resilience.

Resilience grows when you choose gratitude, even when it’s difficult. Gratitude doesn’t erase challenges, but it can reframe them. It keeps you moving forward, not from a place of fear or frustration, but from a place of hope, perspective, and inspiration.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Right now, my biggest professional (and personal) focus revolves around my health. Undergoing spinal surgery helped me realize my physical wellbeing (my spine and strength), my mental wellbeing (my energy and presence), and my emotional wellbeing (my internal peace), isn’t just important for me personally—it’s the very foundation of my work as a photographer. My photography work is deeply physical: it requires long days, carrying gear, hiking to remote locations, and holding space for my clients in meaningful, emotional, and vulnerable moments. To do that well, I have to show up as my strongest self: physically, mentally, and emotionally. So in this season, I’m balancing my photography work part-time while prioritizing the healing, training, and strength that will support my life and my art in the long run.

Through Let’s Go Sig, my photography business and brand, the heart of what I do is about empowering clients to truly celebrate the life they’ve built for themselves. For me, photography isn’t just about documenting what something looked like—it’s about capturing how it felt, and transforming those feelings into artwork that empowers my clients on their journey. I want my clients to look upon their photos and see not only their story, but also their strength, joy, and individuality reflected back at them. My work is about holding space for those stories and delivering images that are a celebration of their lives.

While I photograph a variety of moments and milestones, I specialize in wildly unique wedding adventures, which are particularly meaningful to me. I believe a wedding day should be a remarkable reflection of who you are—both as individuals and as a couple stepping into a new chapter together. Traditional weddings are beautiful, and while I do love to photograph large wedding celebrations, they don’t always leave room for the kind of individuality or freedom that some couples need and deserve to affirm the commitment they’re making. Supporting my couples to embark on a wildly unique wedding celebration allows them to throw the rule book out the window and create something deeply personal and authentic. Whether that means exchanging vows on a mountaintop at sunrise, hiking into a wild landscape to say “I do,” or curating an intimate multi-day experience that reflects their passions and values, I love helping my Sig couples design experiences that are truly their own.

One of the most rewarding parts of my work is watching the transformation that happens when a couple realizes they have an opportunity to do things differently. For many, the idea of an adventure elopement or nontraditional wedding is something they’ve never considered—or something they didn’t feel they were “allowed” to do. Empowering them to embark on a wildly unique path while advocating for them through the process of designing their day is an honor I take very seriously.

What makes Let’s Go Sig special isn’t just the photography itself—it’s the philosophy behind it. My brand was born out of a belief that deeply authentic inspiration comes from embracing the present moment and finding meaning in the lives we’ve worked hard to create—the homes we’ve built, the people we love, the moments that move us. This philosophy is deeply connected to my own journey with resilience. My recovery has shown me that when we embrace gratitude and focus on the beauty of what’s right in front of us, we not only heal but also discover strength, fortitude, and inspiration we didn’t know we had.

For me, photography is a way of translating that philosophy into art. It’s about creating something that feels alive, timeless, and deeply personal. When my clients hold their photographs, I want them to feel proud of their journey, inspired by their story, and empowered to continue writing it in their own way. That’s the heartbeat of my work, and it’s what makes this path so fulfilling.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Looking back, three qualities that have been significantly impactful in my journey so far:

1. My ability to empower others.
At the core of who I am, I love helping people see their unique worth and celebrate their story. This shows up not only in my photography, but in how I connect with clients and encourage them to embrace their individuality—whether that’s in raw real life or on their wedding day. Empowering others creates trust; when people feel seen and valued they show up vulnerably and embrace who they are. My advice to someone earlier in their small business journey is to focus on how you can serve others from a place of genuine care. Ask yourself: How can I help someone feel more confident, seen, or understood today? The ripple effect of that mindset is enormous.

2. My flexibility and the willingness to pivot.
Small business is trial and error, and often feels like trial by fire. There’s no one-size-fits-all roadmap. You try an idea, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t—and that’s okay. The important thing is not getting stuck in the mud. Being flexible, adaptable, and willing to keep generating new ideas has allowed me to move forward even in the hardest seasons—like when a pandemic hit—seemingly dooming small businesses everywhere, and especially while healing through my spinal injury and surgical recovery. For those just starting out, my advice is this: don’t wait until everything feels perfect. Start, learn, adjust, and keep going. Perfection is an illusion, and by the time you think you’ve perfected something, life will hand you a curveball that forces you to adapt anyway.

3. My deep understanding of my clients.
One of the biggest advantages I have in my niche is truly understanding what my clients want—because I feel it too. I’ve never enjoyed being the center of attention, and the idea of a traditional wedding day always felt personally overwhelming to me. My experience working in the wedding industry and my personal perspective on just how valuable wildly unique wedding experiences are helps me connect with my Sig family who feel the same way and are craving permission to do things differently. My advice here is to spend time really listening to your clients. Get curious about what your clients want—not just on the surface, but what they truly value at the core of their being—and then build your services honoring those needs.

If I could sum it all up, I’d say this: the only constant is change. Your business, your clients, and you as a person will evolve over time. If you embrace flexibility, lead with empathy, and keep focusing on serving others, you’ll not only grow, but you’ll build something that feels deeply fulfilling.

Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?

My biggest area of growth in the last 12 months has been learning to be vulnerable, personally and professionally. For most of my life, I’ve struggled deeply to ask for help or rely on others. Part of me wants to be fiercely independent, while another part of me has been conditioned to believe I can’t depend on other people. I’ve always trusted a little too easily—which often leads to getting burned. Some might call that naïve, but I’d rather believe in and look for good in other people, even if it means getting hurt.

After my surgery, I was faced with a reality I couldn’t avoid: I needed help. A LOT of help. Friends, family, my wedding vendor community, and my Sig Family (yes, my clients!) showed up for me in ways I didn’t even know how to ask for, and that experience shifted my perspective. A close friend even started a book club with me during my recovery, and together we read Daring Greatly by Brené Brown. That book helped me realize I carried tremendous shame around vulnerability—believing I had to present a polished and capable version of myself, especially in an era of social media where there’s constant pressure to be the “best of the best” while producing accessible and free content nonstop.

The truth is, vulnerability is where real connection lives. It’s how we empower each other, how we collaborate effectively, and how we find support. I still don’t feel comfortable showing up vulnerably on the internet—it feels terribly invasive if I’m being honest—but I’ve learned that allowing myself to be vulnerable with the people who have earned my trust opens the door to deeper relationships and meaningful growth.

It hasn’t been easy—honestly, it’s painfully heavy lifting—but it’s been worth it. Vulnerability has allowed me to share my perspective more authentically, to learn from others, to grow in ways I didn’t realize I was capable of, and to connect in ways more fulfilling than I ever expected. That lesson has been one of the most important shifts in both my personal life and my work, and it continues to shape how I move forward.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://letsgosig.com/
• Instagram: @letsgosig

Image Credits

Studio images by Sara Welch Photography