In this heartfelt and inspiring episode, Casey Baugh speaks with Emily McCormick, founder of the Policy Project, about how personal adversity and unwavering purpose shaped her journey.
Emily opens up about growing up caring for her sick mother, losing her at 19, building and exiting a successful company, and finding her calling in policy and community work. Together they discuss identity, faith, motherhood, leadership, and what it takes to transform hardship into lasting impact.
This conversation is a powerful reminder to live authentically, embrace discomfort, and pursue what you’re truly called to do.
Chapters:
00:00 | Introduction and Friendship
00:50 | The Power of Supportive Communities
01:49 | Raw and Real Conversations
04:02 | What Emily is Doing Today: The Policy Project
04:56 | How Childhood Shaped Her Mission
06:33 | Living with a Chronically Ill Mother
08:45 | Her Father’s Example of Love and Loyalty
13:07 | Hardship as a Gift and a Teacher
14:33 | The Role of Community in Her Life
16:10 | Her Siblings and How They Coped
19:16 | The Foundation That Saved Her Family
20:10 | College Years and Finding Independence
22:43 | Choosing Journalism and Study Abroad
25:32 | The Last Moments with Her Mother in France
27:17 | Processing Loss and Feeling Alone
32:09 | Redefining Herself After Her Mother’s Death
34:05 | Identity and Core Beliefs
36:34 | Discovering Her Strengths and Values
39:08 | Embracing the Role of a Matriarch
42:15 | Leadership, Learning, and Following Good
44:02 | Authenticity and Vulnerability in Leadership
45:26 | Meeting Adam and Building a Life Together
46:54 | Graduate School and Expanding Her Perspective
49:51 | Entrepreneurship and Shabby Apple
52:36 | A Health Crisis That Changed Everything
54:46 | Financial Comfort, Identity Shifts, and New Challenges
59:43 | From Survival Mode to Answering Her Calling
01:00:02 | Restlessness and the Search for Purpose
01:03:02 | The Birth of the Policy Project
01:05:56 | Why Policy is the Most Scalable Tool for Change
01:07:03 | What Emily is Most Grateful For
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