Meet Emily Tutnick | Content creator and student athlete

We had the good fortune of connecting with Emily Tutnick and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emily, what do you attribute your success to?
Failure. I have failed many times in my life (as an athlete that throws things in the air while performing extreme body movements underneath, I experience failure countless times a day!), and every time I think that I won’t be able to get up. But there’s something in me that just can’t give up; I have this desire to persevere beyond my failure. Failure teaches you so many things: patience, determination, and humility. These characteristics define who I am as a person. I’ve faced rejection, defeat, intrusive thoughts, and disappointment, and my road to success has been anything but easy. These moments of failure, though tough, gave me the chance to address the problem, change my course of action, and continue on my road to success, even if the path isn’t nearly as clear. Today, I use this same mindset to work hard and strive towards my goals. I still experience failure on a daily basis. Some days are tougher than others, but I continue to use failure as motivation. I can contribute my success in my field, passion, and journey to the failures I experienced along the way.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a baton twirler, which is a pretty niche sport/skill. My journey began at age 11. I was a skinny kid who was horribly bullied and I had a bit of a temper (no seriously, I got into a lot trouble at school). Being bullied was tough, and I desperately longed to be part of something. I grew up dancing and participating in cheer and gymnastics, but nothing ever felt right. One day, I was watching a parade in my hometown of Phoenix, Arizona. I saw this large group of girls tossing metal sticks in to the air, and I was completely mesmerized by it. In that moment, I begged my mom to sign me up for baton twirling lessons. She thought that $60 for 8 weeks and a free baton was a great deal! Little did she know what we were about to get ourselves into… 12 years later here I am. My career in baton twirling has also been quite difficult. I was constantly having to work harder than any of the other girls, as I started so late compared to my peers. The bullying at school continued, and it got bad. Even worse, I began being ostracized at practice. I quickly became a threat, and people began treating me poorly. Even though I never felt like I belonged in my baton twirling team, I felt at home holding a baton. It was the missing piece of the puzzle; when I held my baton, I felt complete. The baton and practice was what I looked forward to after school, when the kids were at their meanest. I wish I could go back and tell younger me that it would be okay, and that baton would be the thing she was missing her whole life. As my skills improved, my family and I quickly realized that I needed to move on from my team in Arizona. I then began taking individual lessons from a private coach. This completely changed my mindset, and I went from wanting to catch my baton, to wanting to be a champion. I have always been EXTREMELY competitive, however some spark ignited in me. I began to improve at a rate rarely seen, and it was wild. Those years were tough in a totally different sense; I would go out and lay it all on the floor, and sometimes it resulted in greatness, and other times in disappointment. I learned a lot, however in hindsight, those years created and fueled my low self-esteem, self-hatred, and intrusive thoughts. I began experiencing burnout and resentment towards my “support system”, and had gotten to the point where I was deciding if I wanted to quit baton. While all of this was going on, I had a dream: to get into my dream college, USC. My dream was crushed on March 25th, 2017, when I got that fateful rejection letter. I was blindsided and heartbroken, however rather than give up, I decided in moment that this was just a detour. I worked hard, and in June of 2018, was accepted to USC. Why is this side story inserted into my story as a performer and athlete in the niche sport of baton twirling? Well, being accepted to USC and being the first feature twirler in 5 years at USC brought me to my current coach. We instantly clicked, and I knew that she was who I was meant to work with. Since then, we’ve been a “team” for going on 5 years, and it’s never been better. I love baton again, and I finally feel like I can be me. This also didn’t come without the hard times. I had a lot of past trauma from my previous experiences as an athlete that created an overwhelming amount of pressure. Not all the past struggles magically disappeared when I found the support I needed; in fact, it got worse. I began feeling extreme nerves and self-imposed pressure that resulted in disaster. I had a mental health crisis/breakdown, which couldn’t be fixed with comforting words or “coaching”. I made the decision to starting going to a mental health professional. I began having to open up, and become vulnerable. This was because of baton… so why is it important to my journey as a performer? Well, this makes me, me. I believe my struggle and challenges define who I am as a person, and that sharing my story can make someone who might be going through something similar feel less alone. I have learned so much about myself in sharing my story. I have learned that my art, passion, and story resonate with others, and that I shouldn’t keep it to myself. The world needs to hear that “successful” people in their craft still struggle, because we can not sit in silence with smiles plastered on our faces. The world should see the beauty, grace, and athleticism of baton twirling, but also the not-so-pretty side: the stress, sacrifice and pain that is hidden under rhinestones and hairspray.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Not being a Los Angeles native has given me the opportunity to explore the city are create my own destination spots separate from my parents and our memories from the yearly vacation to Southern California. I would have to start at my home, USC. We would first start on campus, attending a USC football game, where we win of course! I would then take you to either Ebaes ramen or Tacos El Unico (two restaurants I personally love that are close to campus!). I would also have to take you to the beach, but not Santa Monica. We would go to Marina Del Rey and paddleboard, enjoying the California breeze and sun. I also would recommend heading down to Orange County and visit one of my favorite places, Disneyland. Even if was just for food and a Mickey Mouse-shaped treat! Lastly, a must-visit place is a movie at the TCL Chinese Theater. The movie experience is unmatched there, and we would definitely be seeing whatever major blockbuster is out that week!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to my mom and dad. They have been instrumental in my success as an athlete, performer, and most importantly, a human. My mom spent countless hours taking me to lessons, traveling with me, and being my biggest cheerleader. I can’t thank her enough for that. My dad did everything he could at home for me, from helping finance my dreams as a performer to making me laugh when I was at my most upset. My parents continue to help me in my day to day life. Without them, I would’ve never achieved my dream of getting into USC (TWICE!). I don’t know what I would do without them, and they deserve all the praise when it comes to my success!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilypaigetut/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-tutnick-7b9290133/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EmilyPaigeT

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@emilypaigetut?lang=en I am super active on Tiktok and instagram, as I promote the sport of baton twirling and the trials and tribulations of being a performer and student!

Image Credits
PC: Benjamin Chua