Coming Home to Her

At 25, Emily founded BRAINANDBABES. This year, it crossed seven figures for the second year in a row. And the strangest part? She got used to it.In this episode, Emily gets honest about what nobody tells you about hitting your big goal: the goalpost keeps moving, the hardest part isn't the numbers, and there were years she thought about quitting.But the Emily behind the business isn't quite who you'd expect. She grew up between Australia, the UK, and Munich, has a different personality in every language, needs a lot more quiet time than people think, and admits she's secretly a little type B. She's also still figuring out whether her future is in Vienna or back in Australia.

Find them on Instagram:Emily: @emilyvelkovskiBRAINANDBABES: @brainandbabes

Why is it so easy to achieve something you once really wanted and immediately start thinking about what’s next?

I recently realized how quickly I move the goalpost without actually stopping to acknowledge how far I’ve come. From finally getting a job after nine months of unemployment to starting this podcast after wanting a creative outlet for years, somehow my brain is always onto the next thing.

Then I started thinking about 12 year old me, who used to film little videos of her life just because she loved it, and how she would probably think what I’m doing now is pretty freaking cool.

So this episode is about learning to actually be proud of yourself before asking, “Okay... what’s next?”

Yesterday I started work at 7:30am. A friend invited me to a vineyard for sunset dinner after work. My first instinct was absolutely not.

I went anyway. It was one of the nicest things I'd done all week.

In this episode I'm talking about the very real tension between wanting to decompress after work and still wanting to have a life. Especially when you're in a new job, working fully remote, and your brain is completely fried by 5:30pm.

We get into the difference between physical tired and mental tired, why FOMO and ROMO are both real, and how you actually have more control over your evenings than you think.

I grew up in Maui. I wear bikinis in December. I had never needed a winter coat until I was 18.

And then I moved to Copenhagen.

Seven European winters later, I still hate it. But I have learned a few things.

In this episode, I'm sharing what actually gets me through the darker months — not the generic "light a candle and drink hot chocolate" advice, but the specific mindset shift someone gave me earlier this year that I initially thought was completely insane.

Spoiler: it involves romanticizing the sound of your boots on snow. And yes, I argued back.

This one is for anyone who didn't grow up in winter and is about to face another one. You're not alone. It passes. Eventually.

Last year, during the week of my birthday, I got laid off.

And somehow, that ended up being the year that taught me the most about who I am.

In this episode, I’m reflecting on the four biggest lessons from my 25th year — learning to detach from people you love without becoming cold, getting firmer on who gets access to you, what presence actually looks like in your relationships, and why a rude comment from a stranger on the internet made me laugh instead of cry.

This one is honest, a little personal, and very much a love letter to a year that started hard and ended better than I could have imagined.

Last week I was on a call with my mom. She lives 12 hours behind me. I fly 27 hours once a year to see her. And I was reading client emails while we were talking.

That moment is what this episode is about.

I’m talking about what it actually means to be present with the people you love — not just physically there, but actually there. With your partner on a random Wednesday at 8 p.m. when you’re both exhausted. With your friends when you catch yourself half listening. With your family on the other side of the world when you only get a few calls a week.

Presence is probably one of the most generous things you can give someone. And it costs nothing except your attention.

For the past nine months I was unemployed. I've never talked about it on here — the anxiety, the imposter syndrome, the hundreds of job applications, the wondering if anyone would ever hire you again. Until now.

In this episode I'm talking about what it actually means to make a week feel good when life doesn't slow down enough to let you. I just started a new job, I have no free weekend until the end of September, and I'm about to leave for a girls trip in Madrid.

This one is about how to stay grounded when you can't press pause — accepting the season you're in, finding the small moments that belong to you, and why managing your attention is harder than managing your time.

Not a perfect week. Just a real one.

Three years ago I met Bibi completely randomly on a street in Copenhagen. We stayed in each other's orbit through Instagram, and this episode is the first time we actually properly sat down and got to know each other.

Bibi is originally from Lisbon, lived in Barcelona for years, spent a year in Amsterdam, and recently moved back to Lisbon. In this episode we talk about what it actually feels like to keep rebuilding your life in different cities, how each place brings out a different version of you, and what it's like to return home as someone completely different from the person who left.

We also get into freelancing, content creation, and the kind of random connections you make abroad that somehow stay in your life longer than you expect.

The last question I asked her is my favorite question I've ever asked a guest on this podcast. You'll know it when you get there.

Sphinx cats. Baby content. Elderly Japanese restaurant owners that make me want to cry. This is apparently what my FYP has decided I am.

In this episode I'm asking a question I think most of us have never stopped to consider — does the internet create who you are, or does it just find you?

I talk about the things my algorithm got completely right about me, the things it got completely wrong, the moment I almost became a very specific type of girl on the internet, and why Pinterest and TikTok are two very different kinds of knowing.

Because there's a difference between the algorithm shaping your personality and just reflecting it back at you. The question is which one is actually happening.

Have you ever been in a season where you're supposed to be resting, but all you can think about is everything else you could be doing?

In this episode, I'm talking about the tension between wanting a soft life and being naturally ambitious — wanting rest, peace and balance, but also wanting purpose, productivity, growth and something to build.

I share what this looks like for me as I prepare to start a new corporate job, figure out working fully remote, and balance a creative passion project that somehow gives me energy and makes me want to work at 11:30pm.

This one is about hustle culture, burnout, and what it actually means to take care of yourself while still wanting more from your life.

Because maybe I'm not ambitious despite having boundaries. Maybe I'm ambitious because I have them.