You don’t have to do this alone.
the availability of a listening ear via coaching sessions is priceless!!
Audrey, client review
Feeling isolated or overwhelmed by living your faith in the areas of sex, marriage and family planning?
Well, you’re not alone.
I embarked on the NFP life like most people do in marriage prep, and quickly found the information my husband and I received painting NFP as the solution for all marriage woes, ill prepared us for the realities of the practice. We were expecting our first NFP surprise 3 short months into marriage, and another surprise was on his way only 7 months after her arrival. Both children were born via C section, creating dramatic implications on our family plans. In an effort to avoid that outcome, we learned three methods in three years, investing endless time, abstinence, money and tears (CCL, Creighton and Marquette). After about two years of physical and spiritual healing after the birth of our second, we decided we were ready to have another child – only to discover that we were experiencing secondary infertility. We conceived our third child rather inexplicably after a year and half of trying.
Why was all of this so hard? Why couldn’t we plan our family, despite our faithfulness? Why didn’t we know that there were method options to begin with? Why didn’t I learn fertility awareness sooner and understand the health benefits? And most importantly, who the heck was I supposed to talk to to straighten all this out?
After meeting dozens of women in this space within the past year and experiencing it for myself, I know the power of saying precisely what is on your mind without fear of judgment, and how that is the first key step to working through all manner of big questions, emotions and struggles. There is freedom to be found when we are safe to be totally honest, and that is what I seek to provide for you in this space.
My goal is to be your Simon of Cyrene, to remind you that no one, not even God himself, is meant to carry his cross alone. We are made for connection, and it is connection that helps us grow in love of God, ourselves, and others. It reminds us we aren’t alone.
When we meet in one of my virtual coaching sessions, you may cry and you may laugh. You’ll express frustrations and longings, anger and confusion. You’ll share things that are hard to discuss, things that maybe you have held in shame. It’s all welcome, because once you bring everything to the light, you can heal and find answers.
I don’t promise to have all the answers, but I absolutely promise to meet you right where you are, wherever that is.
Talking with Emily was like talking to a lifelong friend!
Melissa, client review
Offerings
I am not licensed therapist. I am simply someone who knows the value off being heard and seen, and is intimately acquainted with the ways NFP and fertility awareness can be difficult to navigate for any number of reasons, from relational, to personal, to scientific. What I offer is a chance to be heard and seen, and to know that you don’t have to figure this all out alone.
The Full Shebang
- One 1-hour session via Zoom scheduled at your convenience
- Ideal for women who have experienced disillusionment with living Church teaching in the area of marriage and sexuality
- Space to explore and express frustrations and misunderstandings surrounding Church teaching on sex and the impact on real life
- Suggestions for resources to help individual study of all of the above topics
Method Choice
- One 30-minute session via Zoom scheduled at your convenience
- Ideal for women of all stages of fertility (beginner, postpartum, menopause, method switch), relationship status (single, dating, engaged, married), or faith background (non-Catholics welcome!) curious about how a particular method will work for her
- Direction for choosing an instructor, and suggestions for resources for support and further education
Client Reviews
“Emily, thank you for your expertise and helping me learn/feel validated. Entering into NFP felt so overwhelming, and navigating this beginning with you put my anxieties at ease about it. Having you as a resource is also honestly just super reassuring because I know I can always reach out if needed down the road. Overall, I really appreciate how you’re so enthusiastic about the truth of the matter, whatever that topic may be, and I always love flooding the sometimes black and white scenes with more color 🙂“
Rachel
“Thank you so much for your ministry, openness, and understanding. It is so freeing to feel not judged, not alone in what I am going through, and like I didn’t have to euphemistically dance around the difficult issues I’m dealing with. I appreciate you saying things like “using whatever terminology you’re comfortable with” and being a safe space to be totally honest. I really felt like you “got me” and verbalized a lot of what has only been in my thoughts. I hope to book another session with you.“
Sandra
“I’m so happy with the time I spent with Emily! It helped me realize that sometimes there’s no simple, clear answer that makes everything easy, but that’s where we have to trust God and really use it as a experience to grow in faith and truth. I will absolutely take our conversation to prayer and discernment with my husband. Thank you so much!!”
Jessica
“I appreciated your honesty and openness about your own journey. You are a gift!”
Kristie
“Thank you so much for helping me navigate this tricky postpartum time. Our conversation and your guidance and knowledge were exactly what I needed at this time!”
Julianne
“As always, so appreciative of Emily’s “yes” by showing up for the Catholic Church in a much-needed way. The honesty and sincerity with which she approaches NFP, and her dedication to speaking truth, paired with a good dose of humor, is refreshing. And the availability of a listening ear via coaching sessions is priceless!!“
Audrey
Emily Frase is a south Louisiana native living in northern Virginia with her husband and three cherubs. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in architecture, she went on to work in the nonprofit world in DC for five years. She founded the blog totalwhine.com in 2018, where she shares her deep passion for living all aspects of the Catholic faith in a joyful and honest way, especially marriage, motherhood, NFP and fertility awareness. She is the co-founder and president of the nonprofit organization FAbM Base, the new fertility awareness database.
A few outlets where Emily has been featured:
TOTAL W(H)INE 