Emily spent her life enjoying the outdoors in the Bay Area and in the San Juan Islands, but a few things that had happened in her life made her vulnerable to the grooming of her high school teacher. Emily found herself at a young age trapped in the relationship with her teacher, which ultimately led to body image trauma and years of disordered eating.
Eventually, Emily found her voice, academic and career success, and a way out of all her pain. Through psychedelic journeys and a legal battle, she took her power back and was able to access compassion for herself and others.
Emily was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area where she grew up loving sports and the outdoors. She also spent a lot of her childhood in the San Juan Islands, Washington, where her father lived, enjoying sailing and more outdoors. As a teenager in the early ’90’s she became a leader and a role model in her quiet suburban community when she came out at the age of 15 and started the first gay-straight alliance at her high school. She went on to become a veterinarian, and currently lives in Portland, Oregon. She has a love for science, writing, exploration of the mind, and spending as much time in the woods as possible.
Emily was very gracious to share her story with us in such a vulnerable way. We decided to remove names from the story to make this container a little more safe for her to share.
Emily: When Teachers Harm