Emma Slade may have made one of the most unusual career leaps in the world.
The 58-year-old gave up a glittering banking career to become a nun in Bhutan.
Emma’s spiritual journey began in 1997 when she travelled to Bhutan after being robbed at gunpoint in her hotel room while on a business trip in Jakarta, Indonesia. The traumatic event left her with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Although she eventually returned to work, Emma ultimately chose to leave the world of finance in search of a more fulfilling path.
A trip to Bhutan changed her life forever.
In 2011, Emma’s meeting with spiritual leader Nima Thesering set her on a path to study Buddhism, and in 2014 she became the first Western woman to be ordained as a Buddhist nun in Bhutan.
The yoga teacher said she felt “peace in that moment” when she arrived in Bhutan, and described her arrival as a “shocking spiritual return”.
She revealed: “I want to become a nun to make my biggest contribution to the world and try to be a good person.”
While it may seem like a shocking turn of events, Emma revealed that her family are open to her decision.
“I’ve always been very bubbly and my family wouldn’t be surprised if I became an astronaut one day!”
Although Emma’s new lifestyle is very different to her daily life as a banker, she is still very busy and she explained that life as a nun is divided into two very different parts.
She spends half of her time instructing students in Buddhism and yoga, and the other half doing up to 12-hour prayer and meditation sessions alone.
“People think solitary confinement is like being in prison – but I find it calming and relaxing and a time for reflection,” Emma explained.
The yoga teacher also spends time working with the charity she founded, Open Hearts and Care Bhutan, which supports vulnerable children and those with special needs in Bhutan.
Emma is now set to hike 400km across Bhutan to raise funds for the charity, an idea she came up with when she “walked across Putney Bridge in London”.
The journey is expected to take 37 days and will see the nuns climb 12 mountain passes at altitudes up to 4,000 meters, traversing terrain inhabited by tigers, black bears, snow leopards and wild boars.
Emma explained that the fourth day of the hike is particularly challenging and is the point on the journey where many people tend to “give up.”
“I’m not a teenager anymore, but I’m preparing by taking walks,” she said. “Speaking of wild animals, Ugyen, who’s with me, makes a special call that’s said to scare off bears.”
“Beyond that, I just hope that my mindset stays calm in the face of adversity.”
Although Emma joked that she might “never walk again,” the nun said her epic adventure will be worth it when she ends the journey in Sumter, home of the charity’s school.
“There will be so many kids celebrating with me at the end. That alone is enough to keep me going.”
