Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Garvin-Kugler.
Hi Emily, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My story has taken some unexpected turns, but faith, family, horses, and writing have helped guide me toward a career I love.
Before becoming an author and poet, I worked in cosmetology. A car accident left me with serious injuries to my hand and changed the future I had imagined for myself. As I navigated those changes and other challenges in life, writing became a way for me to process my experiences, express my faith, and put words to feelings that can be difficult to explain.
What began as a personal outlet grew into Emily Kugler Writings. Today, I write children’s books, poetry, and words of encouragement for people navigating loss, grief, healing, and hope. My goal is for someone to read my words and feel understood. Sometimes we cannot change what another person is walking through, but we can help them feel less alone.
Horses have always held a special place in my heart and have become an important part of my healing. There is something about being beside a horse that allows me to slow down, breathe, and process what I am carrying. That connection inspired my first horse poetry book, “The Power Of A Horse,” a collaboration with my friend and photographer, Jordan Pike of Jordan Pike Photography.
The book brings together my poetry and Jordan’s photography to celebrate the ways horses touch our lives. Her photographs capture their beauty, personality, and presence, while my poems explore the connection we share with them. We each bring our own creative perspective to the pages, along with a shared love for the horses at the heart of this project.
For me, this book is an opportunity to give words to something many horse lovers already feel. A horse can become part of our story, carrying memories of who we were, what we survived, and where we found joy again.
As Emily Kugler Writings continues to grow, I want to keep creating work that offers connection and encouragement. Whether someone finds me through a children’s story, a poem about loss, or a book celebrating horses, I hope my words remind them that their story matters.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has been anything but a smooth road. After my car accident, I broke my left hand in several places and needed a plate and several screws to repair it. I lived with nerve pain every day for many years and faced the difficult reality that I could no longer pursue cosmetology in the way I had planned. I had to find my way through pain, uncertainty, and the loss of a future I thought I knew.
What is amazing to me is that I never imagined I would become a writer, especially after an injury to my hand like the one I experienced. Yet writing became a way for me to process what I was going through and eventually grew into a career I love. Horses also gave me a place to slow down and heal.
Along the way, a beautiful reconnection led to a project that feels like it was meant to happen. Jordan Pike and I share a connection that began long before either of us imagined creating a book together. Our mothers grew up showing horses and traveling across the country together, sharing a love for these incredible animals.
Years later, my twin sister, Megan, and I entered an online giveaway for a photo shoot. When we won, we had no idea it would reconnect us with our long-lost friends. That photo shoot brought Jordan and me back into each other’s lives, and now we get to carry forward the love for horses our mothers shared.
Together, Jordan and I are creating “The Power Of A Horse,” bringing my poetry and her photography together in a book that makes that connection tangible. We want to share the beauty, comfort, and presence of horses with those who love them, including people who may not have the opportunity to spend time with them in person.
We are especially honored by the owners who have trusted us to share their horses with the world. Every horse represented in this book is special to someone, and it means so much to us that their owners have allowed them to be part of this project.
The challenges along my journey have not been easy, but they have helped shape the words I write today. Being able to create this book with Jordan, while honoring a love of horses that connects our families, makes the journey even more meaningful.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an author and poet behind Emily Kugler Writings, and I am working toward making writing and publishing my full-time career. I currently work in hospitality alongside my mom, where we share a love for making people feel welcomed, cared for, and valued.
Whether someone needs a listening ear, encouragement, or prayer during a difficult season, we try to meet them with compassion and support. That same desire is at the heart of my writing. Through children’s books and poetry, I hope to offer people comfort and give them words for feelings that can be hard to express. My work speaks to grief and loss, but it also celebrates love, accomplishments, and the moments worth remembering.
One of the moments I am most proud of was being featured on the Today Show with Hoda and Jenna two years ago. I am also incredibly proud that my first horse poetry book, “The Power Of A Horse,” is planned for publication this coming year. Created in collaboration with Jordan Pike of Jordan Pike Photography, the book brings my poetry together with her beautiful photographs to explore our love for horses on a deeper, more meaningful level.
What sets my work apart is the empathy I try to bring to both people and horses. Horses have served alongside people in war, helped police officers in their work, and carried children safely on their backs. They give us so much, and I believe they deserve our patience, understanding, and care.
I believe we can offer that same compassion to one another. We can help people feel seen in their struggles, loved through their losses, and celebrated in their victories. Whether I am welcoming someone in hospitality or sharing a poem, I hope the person in front of me knows that their life and their story matter.
What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is my faith, my family, and helping people know they are not alone in their struggles. Life has taught me how much a kind word, a listening ear, or someone simply sitting beside you can mean when you are walking through a difficult season.
My faith in God gives me hope, and my family and incredible husband JJ have shown me the importance of being there for one another. Through both joy and loss, I have learned that love does not always require a perfect response. Sometimes the greatest gift we can give someone is our presence and the reassurance that they do not have to face everything alone.
I believe too many people who are grieving are made to feel as though they should be quiet or move on before they are ready. We were created to feel, and we need healthy ways to process those emotions. That also means taking responsibility for how we respond and seeking support when we need it. Compassion allows us to come alongside someone who is hurting while encouraging choices that help them and the people around them.
That is one of the reasons I write. I want my words to offer comfort when someone cannot find their own, honor the people and animals they love, and celebrate the moments that bring them joy. If something I write helps even one person feel understood, then it has served a purpose close to my heart.
Horses matter deeply to me, too. They have a way of bringing us into the present and giving us space to breathe. Through “The Power Of A Horse,” Jordan Pike and I hope to share that connection with others and honor the horses who have touched so many lives.
Above all, I want people who are hurting to know they do not have to walk through life’s challenges alone. We can listen, support one another, and encourage healing with both compassion and accountability.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://emilykuglerwritings.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilykwritings
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1E5dzJ5BNq/
