Change from within
Twenty years ago, as a busy young physiotherapist under the pump, Emma Ferris could never have imagined what her career would look like today. While she’s totally been through the mill due to life’s twists and turns, out of bad has come something good, Ferris now helping hundreds of thousands of women around the world to “take back control”.
Starting her first business at 24, Ferris’s journey hasn’t been without its challenges. In 2019, she experienced emotional and financial trauma after being manipulated by a conman who deceived her about his identity and ultimately went to jail for his crimes.
This painful experience became the basis for her internationally acclaimed podcast, Conning the Con, where she shares her story and the lessons learned.
Despite the immense emotional toll, Ferris was able to use her deep understanding of the body’s stress response - honed through nearly two decades of research - to survive and heal from the trauma. She developed powerful tools that combine the science of stress with body-based practices, particularly breathwork, to regulate the nervous system and shift emotional states. Through her coaching and podcast, she now helps men and women around the world build resilience, release stress, and transform their lives.
Ferris now also co-produces The Bravery Academy podcast, together with sister Sarah Ferris, based in London, which features courageous and inspiring people from around the world.
Conning the Con tells the story of how Ferris navigated the emotional and financial fallout of being swindled by a man she’d been involved with, including her successful effort to recover $200,000 of her lost money while continuing to communicate with him as though the relationship was still intact. Since its 2021 launch, it’s spent two years in the Top 0.5% of podcasts globally, amassing more than 2.5 million downloads. The conman was sentenced to 18 months in jail as a result of his actions.
Ferris’s healing journey began in 2005 while working in Queenstown as a physiotherapist, where she experienced workplace bullying from her employer. She then opened her own clinic in Wānaka, and within seven years, she’d built a team of five physiotherapists and was running a Pilates studio. “It was constant, on the go – good stress but also some not so good stress,” she says.
It all took its toll on her body, and she reached burnout while pregnant with her first child. “I’m a fast-moving person, and it was here, treating so many other women like me with soreness, muscle tension, gut issues, and fatigue, that I joined the dots,” Ferris says. “So many women feel unheard by their doctors, with symptoms not taken seriously. Our nervous systems are becoming dysregulated as we juggle so much as mothers, aunties, partners, wives, and carers,” she says. “This was the tipping point that made me change.
“I realised that nervous system dysregulation - the missing link between the mind and body - was at the root of so many of these issues. Understanding this shifted everything. It became clear that this was the key to addressing the physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion women were facing.”
She’s pursued this further in post-graduate studies, including acupuncture, exploring the mind-body connection in a more holistic way and incorporating mindset, breathwork and emotional resilience.
Now in high demand for corporate business stress and resilience workshops, Ferris coaches everyone from CEOs to principals helping them manage emotional stress and embrace the power of saying ‘no’.
She’s also passionate about teaching the “science of compassion.”
“It might sound a bit woo-woo, but research shows that just four days of compassionate journaling can significantly reduce anxiety in three months and improve happiness in six months,” Ferris explains.
On her podcast, The Bravery Academy, Ferris interviews experts, psychologists, and survivors of trauma about overcoming hardship and making meaningful changes.
Sharing her own painful experience of being manipulated by a conman was “terrifying” but forced her to do the deep inner work she uses to guide clients. “I had to confront the shame, process the trauma, and shift my physiology out of survival mode. It was a necessary step to reclaim my power.”
She’s been approached to turn her story into a Netflix series, but for her, it’s not about fame. “It’s about helping people take control of their lives, break free from their challenges, and embrace their true power.”
From her online courses to her one-on-one coaching and immersive annual women’s retreats in Bali, Ferris provides a holistic approach to help women slow down, reset, and create lasting change.
“Learning to listen to your body and nourish it, instead of punishing it, has been the most important lesson I’ve learned on my journey,” Ferris says. “The key is learning to regulate your body and mind in the busy, often overwhelming world of business. And when you do that, you can begin to listen to your gut and trust your instincts.”
For her, it’s not just about success in business - but creating a sustainable, holistic approach to living, so women can thrive, not just survive.
