Meet Sunshine Emery | Singer/Songwriter, Teacher, Small Business Owner, and Founder and CEO of People Feeding People Inc Charity

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sunshine Emery and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sunshine, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Taking risks is important in order to grow and learn. Taking risks has made me into who I am today, and every advancement I have made can be tied back to taking some kind of risk. I do not jump blindly into things. I try to carefully and thoughtfully consider what can be lost/gained, and decide if it is worth the risk. Even when things do not work out as hoped, I can learn from each experience and have learned a lot over the years by taking calculated risks. Risk taking has made me into a seasoned musician/performer/songwriter, an experienced event planner, a creative teacher, a college graduate (first in my family) and a successful small business owner. People often reach out to me for guidance, because I have proven myself reliable, forward thinking, creative, and helpful in my community. I still have plenty to learn, but the more risks I take, the more I learn to trust myself and my instincts!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I create, perform, and teach music (among many other things). Many people mention how unique they find my style- that make me happy. I am excited to have been able to merge my music into my teaching, camp/kayak business, and charity work. It took a lot of work- blood, sweat, and tears to make it to where I am today (and I still have a long way to go). I have overcome many challenges by not letting anyone, especially myself, keep me down (at least not for long). I have learned that my success does not depend on someone else failing- we can all support and celebrate each other. I have also learned it is important to do my personal best, to TRY not compare myself to others, and to TRY not hold myself to impossible standards! I want the world to know that I dropped out of school early and lived through childhood abuse, BUT eventually graduated college with honors, became a highly sought after certified teacher, a loving wife and mother, a successful musician, started and run my own charity helping others, and run several small businesses. I never expected to accomplish what I have so far, but will NOT let my past limit my future or success. Currently, I am working to do more music at my new venue, Brazos Rock Camp & Kayak. Luckily, music fits in almost anywhere! Someone wrote this about me last week, and I like what they had to say… “Sunshine Emery, the fiery Texas Singer/songwriter, delivers a diverse blend of soulful music, spanning all genres. With sultry original tunes infused with a Texas flair, she passionately captivates audiences, touching hearts with her love-themed melodies.”

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Probably The Cicada (NSS Ft. Worth) for Joe’s Gosch’s Wednesday songwriter/artist showcase, then Deep Ellum (Club Dada is my fave) for music and dancing, People Feeding People to help out some folks living on the streets Thursday then Music night with talented friends in Ft Worth on Thursday evening, Rickhouse Brewing (Mineral Wells) on Friday for local craft beer and live music with Tommy Alverson, and a look around the creepy Baker Hotel, Saturday afternoon at Rahr Brewery (NSS) for live music and more craft beer and then elote at Panther City BBQ, then the Stockyards to catch some more friends/live music (maybe Dave Palmer, Joe Savage, Tommy Luke, Whitnye Raquel, Late To The Station, Randy Hawkins, Kicking Fences, Ryan Wilcox, Scott Copeland, T-Bone Stearns…I could go on and on with a list of talented friends I would want to visit) and some dancing, Late night dinner at Old South, Sledge Distillery, Double D BBQ in Bluffdale, and the South Side Preservation Hall in Ft. Worth on Sunday. Pickin on the Patio Monday night at Red Dawg Tavern (Ft. Worth), and then we would kayak the river and do some camping at Brazos Rock Camp & Kayak and visit Mineral Wells State Park for a nice hike.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Shoutout to Mrs. Magana- my 6th grade teacher! I wish I knew how to contact her to say thank you for caring…and I am sorry I was such a smart mouth in class lol! I was a troubled child (from a troubled home), and not easy to have in the classroom. Mrs. Magana refused to let me fail 6th grade. She did things like keep me in from recess and movies to complete classwork, assigned a journal that she read and wrote back to me in, and made sure I was in touch with our school counselor. She went above and beyond to help me. I went on to fail 7th grade twice, dropped out of school, and got my GED. Later in life, I went to college (the first in my family), graduated with two degrees, and became a teacher…among many other things. She showed me the power and impact that one person, who really cares, can have on another person’s life. I want to be that person for as many people as possible- partly because of her long lasting inspiration!

Website: https://www.brazosrockcampkayak.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Sunshineemery/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sunshine.emery/

Youtube: UC5Qx-6zBywtMBqz3MbNVfWA

Other: https://www.youtube.com/user/1sunshineemery
https://www.reverbnation.com/sunshineemery
www.sunshineemery.com
www.peoplefeedingpeopleinc.org

Image Credits
Garland Emery