The Start of Something Unfiltered
After years of second-guessing herself, Emily Hayes finally decided to stop shrinking and start writing again. This is the beginning of Unfiltered Emily, where honesty, humor, and motherhood collide.
I’ve been sitting on this idea for a long time, the blog, the brand, the “someday I’ll finally start writing again” feeling that’s been following me around like a puppy with separation anxiety.
I’ve started it in my head at least fifty times.
Usually in the shower.
Sometimes while unloading the dishwasher.
Once while hiding in my car because motherhood got a little too loud that day.
And every time, the same thought stops me: Who do you think you are?
That’s the thing about imposter syndrome, it doesn’t care how hard you’ve worked or how much you’ve overcome. It just whispers at the worst possible moments.
But lately, something in me has been louder than the doubt. Maybe it’s growth. Maybe it’s exhaustion. Maybe it’s just finally being over my own bullshit.
“Shrinking never makes you easier to love. It just makes you disappear.”
I’ve spent years playing small, editing myself down to be easier to digest. Softer words, quieter opinions, smaller dreams. But it never made me happier. It just made me forget who I was.
This blog is my way back.
It’s where I’m giving myself permission to be too much, to say the quiet things out loud, and to find the humor in the mess.
You won’t find perfect answers here. You’ll find stories. Chaos. Heart.
And hopefully, pieces of yourself too.
Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this, we’re all figuring it out. And it’s a hell of a lot easier when we can laugh about it together.
If this hit home…stick around!
