Emily Lauren Dick is a multi-passionate, feminist, author, brand strategist and designer who helps values driven businesses make money while making the world a better place.
Unbuttoned Brands is a bold brand studio helping values-driven service providers stand out without burning out. We build brands that feel unmistakably YOU—because being yourself is the strategy™.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
My days are full and also very ordinary. Which I actually love.
I wake up, get my kids breakfast, pack lunches, take my vitamins, and walk them to school. Twice a week I go straight to Pilates after drop off because if I don’t go then, it’s not happening. I know myself and if I try to “fit it in later,” my brain will talk me out of it.
Then I head home and shift into work mode.
My days are usually split between client work and business building. I’ll design bold brands and websites, refine messaging, write emails, and work on SEO. I also intentionally build in time for therapy, spirituality, and self-reflection because I don’t believe business should come at the cost of my well-being.
In the afternoon, I pick the kids up and we’re typically off to hockey practice at the rink.
At night, I do my best to rest. Sometimes that looks like reading smutty fantasy novels, playing Block Blast or scrolling Pinterest for typography inspiration because my branding brain refuses to clock out.
Productivity, for me, isn’t about squeezing more into the day. It’s about building a rhythm that supports my life!
How do you bring ideas to life?
Honestly? My best ideas come when I’m rested.
If I’m exhausted or overstimulated, I’m in survival mode. But when I’m well-rested, my brain lights up. I’m AuDHD, so my mind is constantly scanning for patterns, gaps, and things that could be improved.
Ideas show up at random times…in the shower, during a walk, sometimes in the middle of the night. The key for me is writing everything down. If I don’t, it’s gone.
And then I give myself permission to test it. I experiment. I let ideas breathe. Some become full offers. Some become emails. Some quietly teach me something and evolve into something else later.
What’s one trend that excites you?
I’m really excited about the slow shift away from constant social media dependence.
I recently deleted social apps off my phone, and it’s been…liberating.
I’m seeing more people building “off the grid” internet spaces like email communities, long-form content, indie media, and smaller platforms that feel more intentional.
It feels like people are craving depth over noise. Conversation over performance.
As someone who believes in sustainable business, that shift feels powerful. I think we’re moving toward more thoughtful, values-led communities and I’m here for it.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
Lists. So many lists. If I don’t write something down, it does not exist.
I keep paper lists and digital lists. I email myself ideas. I brain dump constantly.
Writing things down frees up mental bandwidth. It lets my brain stop holding everything at once. Especially as someone with AuDHD, externalizing my thoughts is how I stay focused.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Trust yourself sooner.
I spent so much time thinking there was one “right” way to build a business. One correct path. One proven formula. And I tried to follow it.
But we all have different neurotypes, energy levels, family dynamics, and values. What works for someone else might completely drain you.
You do have to try things. Experimentation is part of growth. But don’t continue doing something just because someone says it’s the way.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you.
Most of the people I surround myself tend to have similar values so this is tricky.
But I genuinely believe that a more matriarchal, community centered world would be healthier for all of us.
And to be clear I am not talking about women controlling all the power or ruling over men.
I mean a system that centers people. Children. Care. Community. Sustainability.
I believe working for yourself in an aligned way is one small act of participating in that shift. When values-led entrepreneurs make money, they reinvest it in their families, communities, and causes that they care about.
I also believe in taxing the ultra-wealthy and in collective care. I believe we can build businesses that challenge broken systems instead of blindly reinforcing them.
It’s not radical to want a world where people are prioritized over profit. It’s necessary.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
I constantly brain dump! When everything feels tangled, I open a document or notebook and write down every single thing bouncing around in my head…ideas, worries, tasks, resentment, dreams.
I call this writing out my “brain scramblies.” Writing them down helps me find clarity and allows me to organize my thoughts.
It’s also a really good practice to do if you want to calm your mind at night or prepare for the day ahead.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
I rest, even though it’s not always easy.
My brain is hyperactive, so “doing nothing” doesn’t actually help. Instead, I redirect my attention to something more mindless. I’ll watch a show, listen to music, read a book…something immersive enough to interrupt the spiral.
Sometimes the most productive thing I can do is step away.
I’ve learned the hard way that if I’m overloaded, you can’t push harder. That’s just a recipe for burnout!
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
SEO!!
When I was building my author platform years ago, I didn’t even realize how strategic I was being. I was writing blog posts and articles that answered real questions and that spoke to the conversations people were already having online.
Over time that content built authority. It positioned me as someone who understood my niche and made me discoverable. It created digital breadcrumbs that led people back to my work and I got interviewed for major publications as a result.
When it came time to pursue traditional publishing, that body of work mattered. I wasn’t just someone with an idea…I was someone with an audience, visibility, and proof that people were engaging with my voice. That online authority helped me secure a traditional publishing deal for my first book!
That experience changed how I think about marketing forever. Now, with Unbuttoned Brands, I’m doing it intentionally. I’m creating strategic, SEO-informed blog posts that answer the exact questions my ideal clients are asking and using key words that get me found when people are looking!
SEO is something that takes time to get working, but is so worth it when you are building a business that doesn’t burn you out!
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
I don’t really see failures as failures. I see them as redirections.
There have been businesses and offers I’ve tried that didn’t stick and strategies I thought I “should” pursue that didn’t feel right.
But each one taught me something about my energy, my values, or what I genuinely enjoy doing. I also learned practical skills that I use in this business today!
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
I would LOVE to see a fast, affordable shipping network built specifically for small businesses and artisans.
Imagine independent creators pooling resources to compete with big-box speed like Amazon, but in a way that supports local economies.
Consumers get what they want quickly. Small businesses thrive. Communities benefit.
It feels like the kind of infrastructure shift that could change a lot (someone please build this!).
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
I love using Showit for website design because it’s flexible, intuitive, and allows creative freedom without heavy coding.
As a brand strategist and designer, I need a platform that allows creative freedom without making things overly technical or rigid. Showit lets me design fully custom websites visually, which means I can create strategic layouts that truly reflect my clients’ personalities instead of forcing them into cookie-cutter templates.
What I love most is that it balances creativity and functionality. You can design freely, but it still integrates with WordPress for blogging, which makes it incredibly powerful for SEO.
What is the best $100 you recently spent?
I recently invested in a trademark search before moving forward with U.S. trademark work.
Before officially filing, I worked with Sprout Law to do an in-depth search to make sure everything was clear to move forward.
Protecting your brand is powerful!
Do you have a favorite book or podcast from which you’ve received much value?
One of my favourite books is Light Is the New Black by Rebecca Campbell.
I read it during a time when I was craving deeper alignment in my work and life. This book invited me to consider something else: that intuition, spirituality, and inner knowing weren’t distractions from business…they were foundations for it.
It helped me reconnect with the idea that ambition and softness can coexist. That power doesn’t have to look aggressive. That being intuitive doesn’t make you less strategic.
I didn’t speed through it. I read it slowly. Sometimes just a few pages at a time. I journaled and reflected when I was reading it and it pulled so much out of me creatively and emotionally.
In many ways, it gave me permission to build a business based fully on my inner knowing and self-trust.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
I recently finished Season 2 of High Potential and LOVED it! The main character is a badass woman who is super smart and quirky and she helps solve crimes with her big beautiful brain.
As someone who is neurodivergent, I deeply appreciate seeing women characters portrayed as complex, quirky, and powerful without being flattened into stereotypes.
She’s not trying to make herself smaller to be more palatable. She’s fully herself. And her “too muchness” is actually what makes her extraordinary.
We need more stories like that.
Key learnings:
- Sustainable productivity isn’t about squeezing more into your day, it’s about building rhythms that honour your energy and real life.
- SEO builds quiet, compounding authority. Long-form, strategic content can open doors (including traditional publishing deals) when done intentionally.
- Being yourself isn’t risky marketing. It’s the most powerful long-term strategy you have.
- You can care about systemic change and still build a profitable business. In fact, values-led businesses are part of that change.