FOUNDER, OWNER, SPANISH TEACHER

Emily D. has a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish with an emphasis on Teaching from Harding University. During her 18 years of experience, she has taught students ranging in ages 2 to 99 years old!

Emily’s teaching style is engaging, practical, encouraging, flexibly structured and focused on progress. She empowers and challenges her students to improve without judgment or pressure and always with a smile.

After graduating college, Emily lived in Honduras for 1 year teaching English to 2nd graders. She’s traveled to Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Bolivia, Spain and Costa Rica.

Her favorite part of teaching Spanish Lessons with Emily D is getting to know, work with and learn from some of the most interesting, smartest and successful people she’s ever met!

“I am amazed, inspired and greatly impressed by the unexpected and extraordinary ways students in my program over the years use their Spanish and how far some of them have taken their abilities after seeing them start from scratch. The students drive and motivate me to constantly be improving, updating and reshaping my program and curriculum as I seek to find and develop the most effective and efficient approach to learning Spanish!”

FUN FACTS ABOUT EMILY D: 

I started learning guitar, songwriting and performing my original traditional country music in 2018. You can find me at American Legion Post 82 in East Nashville on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays from 8-10pm after the free dance lesson at 7pm. Come on out and say “hola”!

I’ll be releasing my first album of original songs in 2025.

SPANISH TEACHER

Lindsay graduated from Harding University with Bachelor’s Degrees in both Art and Spanish and a Master’s Degree in Education. She has been teaching Spanish for the last 16 years and started her career in 2008 at Goodpasture Christian School. In 2012, Lindsay was the first teacher to join Emily D’s team and has been teaching Spanish ever since to hundreds of students in the Spanish Lessons with Emily D program over the last 13 years! Lindsay has taught students ranging in ages 3 to 83 years old! 

Lindsay’s teaching style is approachable, personable and remarkably patient. She meets students where they are at with what they need.

As a child from the ages of 6-12, Lindsay lived and grew up in both Argentina and Chile. In 2017, she moved back to Argentina (Buenos Aires) for almost a year to work with a friend's church. She’s traveled extensively to Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Peru, and Bolivia. 

“The best part of teaching with SLWED is meeting so many amazing and interesting people! I love helping students fulfill their dream of traveling to another country and getting to use Spanish or helping students further their communication with others at their workplace by bridging the gap. My heart for the Spanish culture, people, and language makes my job exciting to meet others that are excited to learn too.”

FUN FACTS ABOUT LINDSAY:

I've been to more countries than states! I studied abroad in college in Greece and have traveled all over Europe, China, and India. I teach weekly art classes & summer art camps on the side to kids, at Little Art House. I also love photography and do photo sessions as a side job as well!

SPANISH TEACHER

Bevin graduated from Miami University of Ohio with Bachelor’s degrees in Business and Spanish. She earned her Master’s Degree in Teaching at MTSU with a focus on Spanish Literature in 2006. During her 23 years of teaching, she has gained experience teaching Spanish to Middle and High School students in both private and public schools. She spent three of those years in charge of the immersion program for bilingual middle school students at JT Moore Middle School. She has taught adults of all ages in the Spanish Lessons with Emily D program and curriculum since 2013.

 Bevin’s is a personable, fun, warm, patient and energetic teacher that motivates her students to learn. She likes to incorporate storytelling, and introduce music and reading to her students.

Bevin has traveled to Peru and Nicaragua, lived and studied for three months in Madrid, Spain and lived in Costa Rica for one year in 2017.

“The best part of teaching with Spanish Lessons with Emily D is developing relationships with my students and getting to see the numerous ways that a language positively impacts lives! I love to see global travel and interest begin to unfold in students lives as well! Seeing people learn the language faster than they thought they could is one of my favorite thing to witness in students.

Overall, I think of myself as an enthusiastic motivator whose job it is to put to best use whatever the student brings for that week. A metaphor I think often is that I am coach who is here to “alley-oop,” so my students can slam dunk. “

FUN FACTS ABOUT BEVIN:

I currently live in Bali, Indonesia and teach Spanish lessons virtually! I love surfing, word games, poetry in any language, and British crime shows. I can often be found around large tables full of friends and an array of food, preferably heavy on the carbs and cheese selection.

PROFESSIONAL TRANSLATOR & SPANISH TEACHER

Pedro R. García is originally from Córdoba, Spain. He graduated from the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música “Victoria Eugenia” in Granada, Spain in 2010.

A few years later he moved to Nashville, Tennessee and spent nearly seven years teaching with Spanish Lessons with Emily D and honing his skills of how to teach his native language effectively.

Early in his career Pedro quickly realized that simply knowing Spanish doesn’t automatically make someone a good teacher. As a teacher and language learner, Pedro strives to continuously improve, grow and develop.

Pedro’s approach to teaching is immersive. He speaks exclusively in Spanish, even with beginners, and aims to make the process feel as natural as possible. He encourages his students to focus on the journey of learning rather than just the end goal.

“When someone is eager to learn a language, they're often ready to broaden their perspective and open their mind to new cultures. Over the years, I’ve met countless inspiring people full of dreams while teaching Spanish.”

FUN FACTS ABOUT PEDRO:

Pedro was a contestant on the TV show “Spain’s Got Talent” in 2008 playing the saxophone. In 2018, he made the decision to stop playing saxophone which closed a significant chapter in his life. He also translates professionally for Spanish Lessons with Emily D.

When he’s not teaching or translating, Pedro enjoys reading, writing, gaming, and exploring life's big questions about science, philosophy, theology, and more.

SPANISH TEACHER

Gloria was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia and comes from a long family lineage of proud Colombians. She graduated from the Catholic University of Colombia with a degree in Economics. She later returned to school and earned a degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting from the University of Turabo in Puerto Rico. Gloria studied English as a second language at Hillsborough Community College. To this day, she continues to work on improving her English skills. She believes in the importance of improving every day,  especially in a secondary language.

Gloria began her career as a teacher with Spanish Lessons with Emily D in 2016 and for the last 9 years has become very experienced in using Emily D’s program and curriculum. She has helped hundreds of students (from total beginners to advanced students) progress and achieve great results.

Gloria has traveled to many Spanish speaking countries including Venezuela, Ecuador, Panamá and Puerto Rico allowing her to observe and get to know different cultures, accents and idioms used all over Latin America. 

“Personally I feel the best part of teaching with Spanish Lessons with Emily D is the students. I'm given the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life and various Spanish goals. The feeling that I can help them achieve or even surpass their goals brings me great satisfaction while simultaneously presenting a wonderful challenge.

My style of teaching focuses on knowledge and pronunciation with a jump right in approach. I know firsthand the importance of understanding how a new language works in order to speak, write or read it. The most challenging part is to just start without worrying about making mistakes or how much there is to learn as it all happens along the way. I like to think of my students as the main characters from the first lesson. They are the ones who decide the pace at which they want to go on their Spanish learning journey.”

FUN FACTS ABOUT GLORIA:

I was a theater actress for five years, I love acting. In general, I really like art. I also love interior design, and although I have never formally studied it, I am always on the lookout for styles and ways to decorate. I am a collector of interior design books and I'm always searching for updated information related to decoration. 

SPANISH TEACHER

Caroline studied Spanish at Lipscomb University and graduated in 2009. She received her M.A.T. in Foreign Languages with a concentration in Spanish at Middle Tennessee State University in 2019 before becoming a Spanish Lecturer at Lipscomb University. 

Caroline has spent 14 years teaching Spanish. She has experience teaching preschool, elementary and middle school and currently teaches adults of all ages with Spanish Lessons with Emily D. and is a Spanish professor at Lipscomb University.

Caroline loves to teach using stories and through conversational questions. She engages her students by catering to their personal interests when speaking in Spanish.

She started teaching for Spanish Lessons with Emily D in 2014 after learning how much fun fellow teacher and then roommate Lindsay Richardson was having working for the company.

Caroline has lived in Mexico and Costa Rica and hopes to live in Costa Rica again one day. She has traveled to México over a hundred times for mission work, and has also visited Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Argentina, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. 

“The best part of teaching with Spanish Lessons with Emily D has definitely been the students I have had the privilege of working with.”

FUN FACTS ABOUT CAROLINE:

She is currently learning to play the piano, planning her next excursion to Perú, and she loves to bake chocolate chip cookies.  

SPANISH TEACHER

Amber studied at Harding University and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Communication Sciences and Disorders. She earned her Master’s degree from the University of Arkansas in Little Rock in Speech Pathology.

She grew up as a child with her family for five years in Chile and Argentina and has traveled to Mexico, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico since that time.

Amber was actually one of the first teachers at Spanish Lessons with Emily D when the company started in 2011! However since that first year, she did not start teaching again until 2024 as she has spent most of her working time as a full-time SLP since 2010.

Her teaching experience has been a bit non-traditional as she has worked as a bilingual Speech Language Pathologist with Spanish speaking families for over five years and primarily teaching children. In her current field of work she performs evaluations and therapy as needed with adults who have had strokes or brain injuries.  

Amber’s teaching style is personable, empowering and easy-going. She adapts Emily D’s program and curriculum to meet specific needs such as medical Spanish, interview needs and speech pathology. She is open and willing to explore any area of specialty depending on the student.

“I get a feel for my student’s learning style and can adapt as needed. If you need tough love, I can do that. If you need flexibility and understanding, I can do that! I am here FOR YOU to make this experience what you’d like it to be. Overall, I aim to make lessons light-hearted and comfortable. 

The best part of teaching with Spanish Lessons with Emily D is the flexible schedule and the fun students!”

FUN FACTS ABOUT AMBER:

I am married with three children and a mini golden doodle named Butternut. We live in Searcy, AR. I enjoy staying active and being outdoors. I am learning violin and am in the process of conquering sourdough bread making. (I understand firsthand how learning something new can be tough!). Another fun fact about Amber is that Lindsay Richardson, another long time teacher is her sister!

LOGISTICS MANAGER