Emma better known as (Badbone) is a 29-year-old fire fan performer, dancer, model, actress, director, and a spiritual healer, promotor, event organizer, and coordinator who was born and reared in Dallas, Texas. Emma comes from a large family and she is the second oldest of six. She never really got to enjoy her childhood, at a young age she had to grow up fast and had an important role regarding her younger siblings. As a young child she loved art and drawing flowers, and her love for music and dance started for her at a young age she was involved in ballet, tap, and gymnastics. In middle school she played in the band and she played the oboe.
AMPS: Why do you want to become a motivational speaker?
Emma: I feel like the experiences that we overcome and endure are there to help us as an individual to grow bigger. From my experiences, there were times that I would look around and I was lost for words, I was lost for directions, and I was lost for guidance. I felt hopeless and there are times that we can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. Sharing my experiences, no matter what you’re going through at the end of the day we are all human and everyone experiences something different. There’s always a solution to whatever life throws at you. There’s always a way out, and being a victim is a choice. My passion is to be able to speak and strengthen those who need it.
AMPS: Tell me a little about your fire dancing? What’s the history on it?
Emma: It actually started back when I was about three or four years old. I use to be in ballet and tapping classes, I also did a mixture of gymnastics, however once we relocated all of that stopped. Years later one of my good friends, Erin “Lolly”, would dance with her poi and she would set them on fire and I thought that was amazing. In 2018 I needed a way to release a lot of the suppressed emotions and feelings that I had inside. I wasn’t going to do what Erin did regarding dancing with the poi, because I thought it was a little too dangerous. I started searching, and I got some torches. I haven’t had any type of training on this at all, and one day I just set them on fire and it all came very natural to me. The dancing that I do with it is a mixture of ballet and belly dancing but at the same time that I’m in the moment is really beautiful, because it’s just me and my fire. A lot of people say how dangerous it looks, and ask if the fire scares me or intimidates me, and honestly I feel because of the aspect that I have much respect for the element and as I’m dancing, I’m really in the sense that I’m clearing out my energy as well. It’s not a ritual, it’s not what people’s ideas are, it’s more of a way for me to release a lot of the stored energy that I have stored inside. A lot of people release it through many different ways. Some singing, painting, and dance, mine is not only dancing but setting my fans on fire, and that’s a part of me. That’s a way of me expressing myself in a nonverbal way. I’m not only a performer, when I’m in the act I see the best version of myself.
AMPS: I know that you’re working on a documentary. Can you tell us a little about it?
Emma: I’m going to keep it simple: the documentary is called The Holy Grail. It’s currently in the works. I’m not going to overshare too much, however, it features a few strong highlights about my life: highlights that have had a major impact, highlights about when I was experiencing these strong experiences that most in my position would not know how to handle. It’s a little too complex to put into words, but to summarize, it’s about how I corrected the mistakes that I had made. And how my mistakes where taking me off track, affecting me, and at times those who were very dear to dear to me. “Doing the wrong things for the right reasons’ ‘ is so to speak. No matter what events have been thrown at you in your life, it’s just how you go about handling them. Everything that you do has a result, whether it’s a good one or a bad one. I believe the key is truly being able to find that pattern and being able to tweak it and transmute it into a better outcome. That’s how powerful we are. I know that I’m young, and I feel like I’ve been through a lot of trials and tribulations, which a lot of us have. However, my highlights are about certain topics that most are afraid to speak on. There are multiple messages in my documentary, and whoever the messages are for, may they receive it and use it as guidance to help open their mind up. A lot of events that happen to a lot of us are really tough to talk about and share. Know that you’re not the only one, even though in that very moment we feel like we are, because we don’t speak up. I’m being my own voice, but I’m being the voice for many who are unheard.
AMPS: Where do you see yourself in five years from now?
Emma: I see myself in a convention center full of people just waiting for me to share my story. I fill that all of my life experiences are shaping and molding me to be that person that I’m going to be in five years from now.
AMPS: What would you say to someone who wants to step out on faith and do their own thing?
Emma: Go for it! I’m clapping my hands as I’m saying this. The only person that will be standing in your way is you. There is no one else here on earth that can stop you from doing anything that you want to do. You will be challenging yourself, because that limit that has been placed into your mentality is nothing more than an illusion. In our reality and our present, everything is up for grabs. Just keep in mind that you’re going to need a lot of preparation. If you really want something, it’s for you, but it’s going to demand everything from you: hard work, knowledge, at times sacrifice, tests… sweat. Sometimes failure comes with knowledge, don’t get discouraged. You might get told no 99 times, but that one yes is coming for you. And it all starts with you.
AMPS: What would you say to your younger self?
Emma: I would tell her to be unapologetically herself, to stay true to her gifts and her talents, because that will guide her in the right direction. I would tell her to stick with it through thick and thin because at the end of the day, it’s going to be okay. I would tell her not to worry so much about the outcome and just stay in the present, because staying in the present is the only existence that there is. I know my younger self is extremely proud of how far I’ve come and how much I’ve changed my ways. She’s proud of how strong I am, maintaining myself together even through the days that I didn’t think I would see daylight. I know that my younger self loves me and I feel like it’s a very important thing for us to do as adults: to look back and see how far we have come and be proud of it. There’s no such thing as being perfect, but we can be proud of the progress that we’ve made.
Email her for direct communication regarding inquiries at: badboneofficial@gmail.com
Follow Emma: https://www.facebook.com/emmaemedina
https://instagram.com/iambadb0ne
Cover Image By: Aldo Emmanuel
