Emily DeBouver

Emily DeBouver is a Chicago-based women's life and relationship coach, professional dancer, fitness instructor, faith writer, and licensed real estate agent at Compass who has built her career at the intersection of movement, personal development, meaningful connection, and entrepreneurship. A Chicago native raised between Schaumburg and Irving Park and now based in Bucktown, Emily spent eighteen years in competitive dance — hip hop, jazz, modern, contemporary, ballet, and lyrical — before performing professionally with Boom Crack! Dance Company, one of Chicago's most dynamic hip hop and street dance performance ensembles. That foundation in physical discipline, creative expression, and ensemble collaboration informs everything she does today, whether coaching women through relationship patterns, leading a cycling class, or guiding a first-time homebuyer through a major life transition.

Relationship Coaching and Writing

Emily DeBouver's coaching practice centers on helping women identify and transform the unconscious patterns that keep them stuck in unfulfilling relationships. Drawing on her own journey of personal growth — including a faith conversion she has written about extensively on her Substack publication Unwoke — Emily combines practical relationship frameworks with spiritual grounding and embodied awareness. Her approach is rooted in the conviction that lasting change in relationships requires not just cognitive understanding but a felt, physical shift in how a woman relates to herself, her body, and her desires. Emily has been featured on podcasts including The Conscious Love Show and Body Wisdom, discussing her approach to helping women heal attachment wounds, build secure relationships, and develop the self-trust that makes genuine intimacy possible. Her writing on Unwoke explores faith, femininity, and the countercultural choice to build a life around traditional values in a modern context.

Dance and Fitness Career

The fitness and movement side of Emily DeBouver's career is equally accomplished. After her years performing with Boom Crack! Dance Company, she transitioned into group fitness instruction, earning certifications in Pilates, aerial yoga, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT). In 2017, Emily was trained in Peloton Cycling through Studio Three Chicago, the premium boutique fitness studio in River North, where she has led monthly themed dance workshops since 2015. Her classes combine the musicality and choreographic precision of her dance background with the motivational energy and community building that define great group fitness experiences. Students who attend her workshops consistently cite her ability to create a space that feels both physically challenging and emotionally safe — the same quality that makes her coaching practice so effective.

Real Estate at Compass

Emily DeBouver also holds her real estate license and works as a broker at Compass, one of the nation's leading real estate brokerages. This additional career dimension reflects the same entrepreneurial versatility and people-first approach that defines her coaching and fitness work. Whether helping a client navigate the emotional landscape of a new relationship or the practical complexities of buying a home in Chicago's competitive housing market, Emily brings the same combination of deep listening, strategic thinking, and genuine care for her clients' wellbeing and long-term success.

The Portrait

This Vanity Fair-inspired branding portrait by photographer Michael Schacht — captured in his Fulton Market studio with soft directional light and cinematic warmth — mirrors the approachability and intentionality Emily DeBouver brings to every client interaction. The turtleneck, the relaxed confidence, and the warm color palette create an image that communicates both professional authority and personal warmth, anchoring her personal brand across coaching, speaking, real estate, and social media platforms.