Power of And

03/18/2026

I said "YES" within 5 minutes of talking with Juliana Uto about joining the Wealth Rebellion.

The Wealth Rebellion is a private online wealth series starting March 24th. It's a series of long-form capital conversations with women who are actively stewarding wealth — and willing to speak openly about how we think about assets, risk, private markets, and long-term agency. And it is free.

It's not a summit. It's not a training. It's not motivational content.

If you're earning well but want your capital working independently of your time…

If you're thinking beyond public markets…

If you care about sovereignty, stewardship, and structural wealth…

You may find these conversations worth your time.

I'll be sharing how, as an investor, I think about the emotional side of money and philanthropy, and the imprint of our money story on our decisions and relationships.

Register here: https://successfulfilled.krtra.com/t/HnpoekA9rdCp

10/08/2025

Days 11-14
Pontevedra-Armenteira-Vilanova de Arousa-AEscravitude
The Spiritual Variant
37 miles
After a rest day, we began the “final 4” days of our walk. There is an extension of the Portuguese Camino called The Spiritual Variant, which, by all accounts, is the most serene and idyllic of all the walks - 33 miles of walking and 17 miles by boat.

The extension lived up to its reputation.

I set aside all thoughts of the world’s massive problems, and of Emily Scott AND, to imagine and believe in an existence of peace and health/well-being for all. I thought of the wisdom that I have learned from others. I walked with emotion and spirit.

The landscape welcomed us with its fairy tale existence. The sounds of nature surrounding us... as a little girl and now as a grown woman, I have smiled at the sound of a “babbling brook” (my first “Emily” phrase!)... so very happy to hear it as constantly as I do now.

Our stay in a monastery one night was appropriate for this piece of our path. The Pilgrim’s blessing was in six languages, reminding us of the unity we have had for the past weeks. While we see many shrines filled with stones, photos, mementos, and shells, it is being in the room with others that gives you the sense of belonging.

We usually start the day off with other pilgrims. The group quickly spreads out, so often you walk alone. Seeing the others at Mass and on the boat is another reminder of our somewhat shared experience.

After a very cold boat ride, we are back on land, and the last stage before Santiago is before us.

The excitement builds.

09/25/2025

Ponte de Lima - Rubiaes - Tui
~25 miles~
“Adeus” Portugal, “Hola” Espana

JUDGEMENT

After a glorious rest day in the charming town of Ponte de Lima, we leave early to take advantage of our morning energy, and the cool weather for the hills ahead.

It is hard to describe the route without it sounding mundane - up/down hills, passing villages, farmland, vineyards, cobblestone streets, streams, dirt paths through the forest, etc. Yet with each piece of this journey, it has not felt routine at all. We wonder what is ahead, and we embrace the beauty and the challenges of it all.

As we walk across the bridge with Portugal behind us and Spain in front of us, we say “adeus” to the people and places we encountered and “hola” to what lies ahead…

The citizens and the pilgrims seem to have found - more often than not - a way to peacefully, respectfully , and enjoyably co-exist. This gives us vast amounts of oxygen - such a far cry from what is happening in the world outside of the Camino.

This is exactly what I experienced nine years ago on my first Camino. It is jarring when someone doesn’t follow that “pilgrim‘s code of conduct.“ On Day 6 there was a very rude pilgrim at our albergue in Rubaies. Instead of a bark back, I paused, smiled and said with full sincerity, “Please go ahead.” Rather than judge her - as I was well trained to do, I realized that I don’t know her story and withheld judgement.

I thought of this as we passed through the Valença, Portugal fortress and then the Tui, Spain fortress on the other side of the river. We build walls around us that we can choose to leave up, take down, have them taken down by others, or by time. Truth be told, I don’t suspend my judgement walls nearly enough and it remains a lofty goal.

EMILY SCOTT &:
I constantly tell clients to not self judge and that I will gently push back so they can recognize it. When it comes to money, the landscape is rife with judgement both externally and internally. It is a fact that judgement is a key reason that women don’t deal with money.

I’m honored that my clients don’t feel judged “in the room.” The safe space allows people to open up and appreciate that their self judgment is standing in their way of peace of mind and clarity of purpose.

In the business networks, I have encountered a few “judgy colleagues. “ I recently explained to another consultant how I run my practice and she said “So it’s a hobby.” Moving past the reaction of calling her judgment out, I took time to reflect if any of that was true. Long story short, “NO.”

Moral of the story - you don’t need to own someone else’s narrative AND examine your own narrative to determine if it is fully your truth without layers of others messages.

FOCUS: I’ll keep this short as Warsan Shire’s poem “Home” is the perfect way to silence the judgement far too many people have of refugees and asylum seekers. I thank those of you who have read my “Focus” section and Warsaw’s poem. Perhaps you were moved and your perspective was altered…

Here is the poem in full:

Home
By Warsan Shire

no one leaves home unless
home is the mouth of a shark
you only run for the border
when you see the whole city running as well

your neighbors running faster than you
breath bloody in their throats
the boy you went to school with
who kissed you dizzy behind the old tin factory
is holding a gun bigger than his body
you only leave home
when home won’t let you stay.

no one leaves home unless home chases you
fire under feet
hot blood in your belly
it’s not something you ever thought of doing
until the blade burnt threats into
your neck
and even then you carried the anthem under
your breath
only tearing up your passport in an airport toilets
sobbing as each mouthful of paper
made it clear that you wouldn’t be going back.

you have to understand,
that no one puts their children in a boat
unless the water is safer than the land
no one burns their palms
under trains
beneath carriages
no one spends days and nights in the stomach of a truck
feeding on newspaper unless the miles travelled
means something more than journey.
no one crawls under fences

no one wants to be beaten
pitied

no one chooses refugee camps
or strip searches where your
body is left aching
or prison,

because prison is safer
than a city of fire
and one prison guard
in the night
is better than a truckload
of men who look like your father
no one could take it
no one could stomach it
no one skin would be tough enough

the
go home blacks
refugees
dirty immigrants
asylum seekers
sucking our country dry
ni***rs with their hands out
they smell strange
savage
messed up their country and now they want
to mess ours up
how do the words
the dirty looks
roll off your backs
maybe because the blow is softer
than a limb torn off

or the words are more tender
than fourteen men between
your legs
or the insults are easier
to swallow
than rubblethan bone
than your child body
in pieces.

i want to go home,
but home is the mouth of a shark
home is the barrel of the gun
and no one would leave home
unless home chased you to the shore
unless home told you
to quicken your legs
leave your clothes behind
crawl through the desert
wade through the oceans
drown
save
be hunger
beg
forget pride
your survival is more important

no one leaves home until home is a sweaty voice in your ear
saying-
leave,
run away from me now
i dont know what i’ve become
but i know that anywhere
is safer than here

09/23/2025

To Ponte De Lima: 9.4 miles
THE RIGHT PATH
Today is our shortest walk of the Camino. After a glorious breakfast with all of our new friends, it starts to rain. Donning our rain gear, we set off for the day. One hill after another are now the norm, an dwalking paths where the overhanging trees provide some protection from the rain. In a few hours, we stop at a wonderful shop for a snack.

The yellow arrows have been abundant in the last 2 days. Such care that the villagers have for the pilgrims to show them the way. Makes me smile. One village even added a yellow paved path. There are also yellow “x” signs to reaffirm the right way to go…

How nice it would be if we all knew the right direction for our path and how wonderful it would be to have someone say, “Not that way. This the right way.”

We arrive at Ponte de Lima earlier than usual and look forward to spending our rest day in this charming town by the river.

Professionally: I am not the practioner who claims that THIS way is the right way. I do often say it is the journey AND the destination. My commitment to my clients, and to myself, is to provide some tools that offer insight and guidance to the “right” path for the individual/couple/family. As a navigator to my clients’ piloting - we discover their inner truths, and align their values with their money stories to help steer their journey to a personal “right” path.

Focus: Who among the refugees and asylum seekers would not want to be told “This is the right path to freedom and safety.” They search the land of the unknown. There is absolutely no way to know what is the right path. When there is a path that works, it seems that governments and societies cut that path off and another dead end is created…

CONTINUING WARSAN SHIRE’S “HOME”

no one leaves home unless
home is the mouth of a shark
you only run for the border
when you see the whole city running as well

your neighbors running faster than you
breath bloody in their throats
the boy you went to school with
who kissed you dizzy behind the old tin factory
is holding a gun bigger than his body

you only leave home
when home won’t let you stay.

no one leaves home unless home chases you
fire under feet
hot blood in your belly
it’s not something you ever thought of doing
until the blade burnt threats into
your neck
and even then you carried the anthem under
your breath
only tearing up your passport in an airport toilets
sobbing as each mouthful of paper
made it clear that you wouldn’t be going back.

you have to understand,
that no one puts their children in a boat
unless the water is safer than the land
no one burns their palms
under trains
beneath carriages
no one spends days and nights in the stomach of a truck
feeding on newspaper unless the miles travelled
means something more than journey.

no one crawls under fences

no one wants to be beaten
pitied

09/22/2025

Day 3
Barcelos to Lugar do Corgo: 13 miles
COMMUNITY

Our first day of elevation with the promise of finishing at what is labeled the best Albergue (hostel) of the Portuguese Camino. With the sun shining, we make our way out of town past the commuters going in the opposite direction, past the children playing in the schoolyard before their classes begin, past the shopowners opening and starting their day.

Up the hills we go, grateful for the hills of San Francisco that have trained our bodies well, and for technology showing us the path on our phones. Grateful for the clothes and accessories that are designed for the maximum comfort and ease. Grateful for the transport company that has taken our bags from one place to another.

I announce that we are officially the bougie pilgrims.

We get to Casa Fernanda (said “best” albergue) and it is the quintessential Camino experience. Eight countries represented, different ages and genders, and many different Camino stories. Dinner is accompanied by conversation and laughter. That Fernanda home cooks and cleans for 14 Pilgrims day in and day out with that incredible energy and welcoming spirit is something we all admire and take note of…and act accordingly. After dinner, we sing and dance. Following our group circle singing to “Hallelujah,” we go to bed with full bellies, smiling faces,
new friendships, and loving hearts. A wistful thought emerges-what it would look like in the world if this is how we all lived our lives.

Professionally: The professional communities that I have found has been one of the great benefits of my work. I’m energized and better at my craft with the collaboration, meeting like-minded people, and lifelong learning opportunities. The different networks have taught me much, offered me multiple perspectives and, of course, have created friendships.

My focus: I think about the refugee camps and asylum seekers camps where I have volunteered. They have been microcosms of what we experience in our communities. People who rise to the occasion in glorious ways, people who take advantage of the disadvantage, even though they, too, are disadvantaged and know the hardships. The prejudice, the judgment, the violence, the sexual exploitation - it is all there, desperate people who do desperate things. Initially, I feel fury at these perpetrators, and I have come to a place of compassion and minimal judgement (in rigorous honesty, I can’t say it completely goes away). Who am I to judge…there but for the grace of God go I…

The next stanza of “Home” by Warsan Shire:

no one leaves home unless
home is the mouth of a shark
you only run for the border
when you see the whole city running as well
your neighbors running faster than you
breath bloody in their throats
the boy you went to school with
who kissed you dizzy behind the old tin factory
is holding a gun bigger than his body
you only leave home
when home won’t let you stay.
no one leaves home unless home chases you
fire under feet
hot blood in your belly
it’s not something you ever thought of doing
until the blade burnt threats into
your neck
and even then you carried the anthem under
your breath
only tearing up your passport in an airport toilets
sobbing as each mouthful of paper
made it clear that you wouldn’t be going back.
you have to understand,
that no one puts their children in a boat
unless the water is safer than the land
no one burns their palms
under trains
beneath carriages
no one spends days and nights in the stomach of a truck
feeding on newspaper unless the miles travelled
means something more than journey.
no one crawls under fences

09/21/2025

Day 2
Commitment
Today was our longest day, almost 20 miles. We started early to walk for a few miles and then stop for breakfast. Unlike the French Camino, this Camino portion neither had cafés nor the ubiquitous yellow arrows showing us the way.
We passed a shrine that many Pilgrims created for their personal reasons in doing the Camino…the evidence of commitment.
12 miles later and hours under our belt, we sit for a meal. Rick didn’t feel well (very low blood sugar) and had to lie down. Our kind server was compassionate. The beauty of the Camino that people want to help. I encouraged Rick to take a taxi for the last 8 miles and he wanted to honor his commitment to end the day on foot.
Hours later, we were back on the Camino and arrived at Barcelos in time for a quick shower and a loaded carb dinner. With the commitment box checked, we plunged into our bed for welcomed sleep.

Professionally: My steps gave me time to reflect on my commitment of staying true to my theory of change. I strongly believe that people have the capacity for change and I have argued this point for, literally, decades. My initial view that people come to me because they want to understand their money story in order to change was not accurate. It has been challenge for me to not take it personally when clients say they want to change yet don’t. What I have learned is to wish them well and recognize that I’m not the navigator that they need and/or want. It doesn’t take away from my commitment…in fact it has given me the opportunity to add other commitments to my practice: meet people where they lay, be the trusted thought partner for what each needs or wants, and be true to them and myself if I am really the professional who can be of service to those needs and wants.

For the refugees and aslyum seekers, the commitment to move to somewhere where they can be free and safe is far more than many of us experience in our lifetime. Time after time after time that commitment is tested, challenged, barricaded, and insurmountable. And yet, the commitment continues…

An additional stanza of “Home” by Warsan Shire:

No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark. You only
run for the border when you see the whole city running as well. The
boy you went to school with, who kissed you dizzy behind the old tin
factory, is holding a gun bigger than his body. You only leave home
when home won’t let you stay.

No one would leave home unless home chased you. It’s not
something you ever thought about doing, so when you did, you
carried the anthem under your breath, waiting until the airport toilet
to tear up the passport and swallow, each mournful mouthful making
it clear you would not be going back.

No one puts their children in a boat, unless the water is safer than
the land. No one would choose days and nights in the stomach of a
truck, unless the miles travelled meant something more than journey.

09/21/2025

Day One: Porto to Vila De Conde 13.5 miles

Our first day and of the 5 of us, I am the only one who has walked a Camino before.

With excitement, anxiety, apprehension, curiosity, and eagerness, we set off into the fog along the Portuguese coast.

My husband looks at me with a tentative smile, and I realize how much he and the others trust me enough to be on this journey.

TRUST.

The people in my life who trust me. If I err in any way, they don’t doubt my intentions, for they fully trust in me.

A dear man, wrote to me, “A focus on listening for opportunities to be of help, most non-medical. There is magic in the word patient. If I find myself slipping into judgment, I call up that word to suppress the need to do so.”

I would say the same about my clients. My strong belief that people want to be seen, be heard, and matter is never so strong with anyone for me as it is with my clients. “Client” is also a magic word.

Each client has said, “I’ve never told anyone this before…” I am honored and humbled by the amount of trust that takes. You are sharing something for the first time, and you are past the age of 30?

Then more is shared, sometimes as it relates to their money story, often about another aspect of their life that they want to discuss. For when the door opens to being seen/heard/matter, the desire to finally share is strong.

That profound experience happened to me years ago, and I knew that I wanted to create that sacred space for others.

When I consciously layer that conviction in any conversation I have, personal and professional, the result is the same… the element of trust is apparent.

HOW CAN TRUST EXIST?

While I may have the opportunities to trust and be trusted, refugees and asylum seekers have the opposite experience. Their country leaders have betrayed them, as have many of their friends/neighbors/family. The choice of trust at home diminishes to the point of extinction.

The refugee and asylum seekers’ journey away from home for survival is anything but a trusted path. What awaits are too many people who say “trust me,” which you never would in your ‘normal’ life, but you hope that you can now, now that your life is anything but normal.

The notion of “being seen, being heard, and that you matter” is the needle in the refugee haystack.

And yet, because of absolutely no trust at home, millions of people have no choice but to cling to the hope and faith that someone out there will be the trusted human being who helps them find the light at the end of the tunnel.

From Warsan Shire’s “Home”:

no one leaves home unless
home is the mouth of a shark
you only run for the border
when you see the whole city running as well.

your neighbors running faster than you
breath bloody in their throats
the boy you went to school with
who kissed you dizzy behind the old tin factory
is holding a gun bigger than his body
you only leave home
when home won’t let you stay.

09/13/2025

I’m about to do my 2nd Camino – for professional and personal reasons.
Professionally – more than 9 years ago, after 2 years of beta testing Emily Scott AND, I fully committed to this practice…interestingly, that was during my first Camino. In this span of time, most of my original goals have been accomplished. Even more compelling are the number of objectives that appeared and have been checked off – a true reflection of not knowing what you don’t know and the importance of coming to the conversation curious.
Now is the time to reflect and ideate about what’s next for me in my role of navigator and thought partner as clients explore their money stories and the role it plays in so many aspects of their lives.
Personally – this is my 4th decade dare – something I created – using my time and treasure, going outside of my comfort zone, for a cause that is meaningful to me.
At 40: AIDS RIDE – SF to LA – raising significant money for the SF AIDS Foundation –in memory of the many friends I lost to the AIDS pandemic.
At 50: Creating the coffee table book – Tails of Devotion, A Look at the Bond Between People and Their Pets – raising significant money for animal welfare and rescue - having never written or published, I truly had no idea what I was getting into! Thank you to the many people who shared their wisdom with me…and to Amy for her awe-inspiring support, graciousness, and generosity.
At 60 – The St. Francis Camino – raising money for racial injustice and inequity – 625 km of walking, reflecting, learning, and becoming infinitely more aware of my privilege.
This time – now in my 70th year of existence in this lifetime – I am walking another Camino – the Portuguese Camino – only 160 miles. This decade dare is focused on the plight of refugees and asylum seekers. My father was a refugee, my maternal grandparents were refugees, other relatives were as well, and I grew up listening to their stories.
That I am walking the spiritual path of the Camino has me think about Mary, Joseph, and Jesus fleeing their home because of threatened persecution. People forced to leave their homes to find safety elsewhere have been part of the human experience for too long…and it continues with no end in sight.
15 years ago, I read “Home” a poem by Warsan Shire – and one line comes to me repeatedly - “No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark”…
Here is a link to Sir Jonathan Pryce reciting the entire poem. Please watch and listen – be moved and perhaps learn something you didn’t know. Link: https://youtu.be/wYPozKLU3hU?si=gKFgmwk5wtaE4doC
What will I find on the Camino this time? Certainly, my mantra of come to the conversation curious will be ever-present. I also know that this is about the journey AND the destination…for it is always about the and…

With warmth and gratitude - Emily

08/22/2025

What if understanding your money story could unlock not just financial freedom—but peace of mind?

This Sunday at 4 PM PST, tune in to Leaders Creating Rukus as we sit down with Emily Scott—confidential thought partner, author, and financial guide—who has spent decades helping people see how their money story shapes every part of life.

Emily’s path has taken her from Wall Street to family office management, philanthropy, and legacy planning. Along the way, she discovered that the most powerful financial decisions aren’t about spreadsheets or stock picks, but about the hidden beliefs and emotions we carry about money. Today, she helps clients—from wealthy couples to women in transition—rewrite those stories with clarity and confidence.

In this episode, Emily opens up about:
🔸 How her own “bag lady syndrome” shifted her entire perspective on wealth
🔸 Why our money stories are as unique as fingerprints—and how they quietly shape careers, families, and relationships
🔸 What couples, leaders, and professionals can do to bring awareness to the emotional side of money

💬 “Our money story drives more decisions than we realize. Once you see it, you can finally choose what serves you—and let go of what doesn’t.”

🎧 Here are three easy ways to tune in:
▶ Listen Live this Sunday at 4 pm PST to catch the full discussion: https://lnkd.in/ghZXR5aX
▶ Stream on iHeart Radio: Find the episode on the iHeart Radio website
▶ Download the iHeartRadio App: Available on the Apple Store or Google Play for listening anytime

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iRISE Executive Coaching

07/09/2025

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