Emily McIntyre has lived many lives in one. Entrepreneur, CEO, mother, traveler, and creative thinker, she has built a career shaped by curiosity, courage, and a relentless drive to grow. Her journey has taken her from small-town piano lessons to international trade, and each step has been grounded in purpose.

She launched her first business at just 13 years old, teaching piano to other homeschooled children. It was more than a side hustle. It became the largest music studio in her area at the time, laying the foundation for what would become a lifelong commitment to entrepreneurship.

In 2001, Emily built her first website by following instructions from a book. It was a small moment, but it spoke volumes about her approach to life: self-taught, hands-on, and always learning. “Over the years I’ve had a dynamic life with a lot of ups and downs, amazing learning moments, great relationships, and it’s all been because of my entrepreneurship,” she says.

When asked about her favorite business venture, she finds it difficult to choose—comparing it to picking a favorite child. Instead, she reflects on a time that stands out: her leadership of Catalyst Trade, an Ethiopian coffee importing company. “We had just bought out our investor, and I was the majority owner of the business. I was feeling resourced and powerful. It was a really amazing time because it was the first time in my life I was in the driver’s seat for a large enough enterprise that it made a difference. I wasn’t perfect, but I was leveling up every day. I got to invest in people I loved and respected.”

In 2022, she led the company through a major expansion, adding Kenya and Peru as sourcing partners. This was more than a business move. For Emily, it was deeply personal. “Peru has been very close to my heart for my whole life. I’ve been so enamored with Latin American culture, customs, food, music, dance. It’s all so incredible, and I’ve studied Spanish my whole life.”

That expansion brought about one of the most special experiences of her career: a two-week trip through Peru with her parents, husband, and daughter. “It was such a pinch-me moment. We were so lucky to be traveling through one of the most historic, beautiful countries in the world doing meaningful work with people I love and respect.”

Emily is open about the challenges she’s faced as a woman in business. Abuse, harassment, stalking, exclusion from opportunities—these are part of her story. “I have been shut out of rooms I’d like to be in. I have also experienced an enormous amount of betrayal and pain when I find that I am seen as less than.” But rather than dwell in that pain, she reflects with honesty and nuance. “I ask myself if I come into the room expecting to be treated differently because I am a woman, how am I actually creating that behavior around myself because this is what I expect?”

She recognizes the privileges she holds as well. “I am white, well educated, from a lower-middle-class family, and I did not enter with a lot of debt. Those were advantages.”

Above all, Emily believes in the power of storytelling. “I want to be that reminder that there is hope, there is light, and we get purified by hearing the stories of others, by going through life. Even the darkest, hardest, most imperfect moments can be inspiring to others simply because I’m just a normal messed-up human. This world is very strange. There is a path for us to make our way through as women and people.”

Today, Emily is stepping into a new chapter with her next venture, Swift, a coffee importing company named after the bird. Known for its agility and endurance, the swift symbolizes the very traits that have carried Emily forward—grace under pressure, sharp instincts, and the will to soar.

Emily McIntyre’s story isn’t polished for perfection. It’s lived, it’s layered, and it’s deeply human. And that’s exactly what makes it so powerful.