Emily Roberts came to Westport just about a year ago, but she is no stranger to big moves. She and her husband moved to Westport from Greenwich, and Greenwich from London, where they lived for six years after her husband's job took them from N.Y.C. to the U.K. Emily, a content creator, was inspired by her move abroad. “I was surrounded by such inspiring women on this international level—brand founders, entrepreneurs, industry experts. I just felt this call to start a podcast,” she tells Westport Lifestyle. The show she launched in 2019, The Big Move, chronicles all kinds of life changes, from the professional to the personal to the geographical to the mental (think: becoming a parent). “It was a really organic way for me to extend my existing content and share the inspiring women around me,” she explains.
The Big Move has featured notable women including Jennifer Fisher, Rebecca Minkoff, Emily DiDonato, and The Granola Bar’s Dana Noorily and Julie Mountain. Her new season, which launched this past September, is a bit of a revamp-slash-new-iteration of the podcast, reflecting Emily's season of motherhood, and digging in with her guests on the topic of parenting, identity, and finding ourselves in these new phases of life. At the conclusion of each episode, Emily asks the same thing of all her guests: What lights a fire in you? What is it that keeps you moving forward each day? “At its core, I want this podcast to be motivating, and so ending with that question brings it back to their why, their purpose,” Emily explains. “It lets us hone in on what’s keeping us motivated and moving forward each day. As women, it can feel like we're carrying the weight of the world. My hope is this show helps us feel even a tiny bit more connected to each other and inspired to keep it all going.” In honor of Westport Lifestyle’s Thankful issue, Emily shared some of her favorite responses to these questions, from the nearly 100 episodes of The Big Move. Here’s to whatever lights a fire in your life.
The Big Move is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. Follow Emily at @emroberts.m
Neha Ruch, founder, Mother Untitled, and author of ‘The Power Pause’
@neha_ruch
“I still hear women saying, I'm just a mom. I don't think I could stop doing this work until people stop saying that. When I entered into motherhood, I never thought of it as ‘just a mom.’ I put my mother on a pedestal; she was the backbone of our family. She was such a multihyphenate. She was at home with me for many years, but I saw it as fluid, and I want that for my daughter. I want my daughter to have that same sense, [that] motherhood can open me up to all these incredible ways that I'm gonna grow and be in the world.”
Eva Amurri, digital creator, Happily Eva After, designer and actress
@thehappilyeva
“ Something that really lights me up is connection, communication, learning new things, experiencing new things, [and] cultivating new skills. I find that a lot of times when I'm feeling burnt out, I have to tap back into that outside of work. I'm very motivated by new experience. Discovery is a constant theme throughout my life, and I think that that is extremely motivating. I would rather spend money on experiences with my family than things. Life experiences [that] we're putting in our collection to look back on. ”
Cameron Oaks Rogers, podcast host, Conversations with Cam
@cameronoaksrogers
“ I think it's like feeling like I am making some form of a difference. If I can help my kid work through a tantrum, I feel like I can run the world. Or [if I] feel like I'm making a difference in helping women—specifically moms–navigate that postpartum mental health journey, or feel seen, or have them watch a video and be like, wow, okay. I'm not the only one who feels that way. That to me, lights the fire.”
Jeanelle Teves, chief commercial officer of Bugaboo
@jeanelleteves
“Learning and helping people. I think that we never stop learning. I love reading, listening, observing people doing great things in the world. I believe that my impact is in telling stories and sharing. When someone DMs me and says, “I just got this job that's going to change my life, and I used your presentation tips” that makes me feel really great. To play such a small role in someone's life that way? That really lights me up.”
Dana Noorily and Julie Mountain, co-founders of The Granola Bar Hospitality Group
@thegranolabar
“The people. It starts with Dana, and it goes to our team, every employee that we're able to touch and change their lives in a positive direction, and our customers. Our customers are a reflection of us. We are our customers. I love my job. Not every single minute of every day, but I love my job, I love coming in and laughing, and crying. [What] really lights a fire is being able to now bring what we've created to a bigger audience.”
Jennifer Fisher, jewelry designer
@jenniferfisherjewelry
“ I do it for a few reasons. I do it as a role model for my kids as a parent, because I want my kids to understand and to see the power of a working mom.
I do it because I love it. I fight for this because I love it, and I see the potential of it. And it's fun. I feel like I'm the luckiest person in the entire world to get to go and do this every day. I never said I wanted to be a jewelry designer. I never said that I wanted to make salts, or go into lifestyle, or make furniture like I did for CB2. But it all has naturally evolved, from me being true to myself.”