Emily Hikade.Photo: Meagan Shuptar
“I’ve been shot at,“Emily Hikadetells PEOPLE in this week’s issue, explaining life as a counterterrorism case officer in the Central Intelligence Agency. “People would shoot rocket-propelled grenades at your vehicle.” Tasked with collecting information overseas, Hikade, 46, put her life on the line every day. “I’ve been so close to explosions that I’ve been knocked off my feet, where it rings in your ears, and everything goes into slow motion,” she continues. “I was invincible; I felt fearless before I had kids.”
Prince William, President Obama and Prince George in 2016.Gwyneth Paltrow.Prince William, President Obama and Prince George in 2016.PHOTO: Pete Souza/White HouseGwyneth Paltrow.PHOTO: Gwyneth Paltrow Instagram
Prince William, President Obama and Prince George in 2016.Gwyneth Paltrow.
Prince William, President Obama and Prince George in 2016.
Gwyneth Paltrow.
Prince William, President Obama and Prince George in 2016.PHOTO: Pete Souza/White HouseGwyneth Paltrow.PHOTO: Gwyneth Paltrow Instagram
In 2018, after more than a decade with the CIA, Hikade turned in her badge. Today she relishes time in her home outside Chicago, where the family moved four years ago.
“My oldest son said, ‘Mom, I don’t want to be the new kid anymore.’ He just started high school; it’s his 13th school,” Hikade says of settling down at last. “This is the longest time I’ve lived anywhere since high school. I read an article that said you get 18 summers with your kids, and that hit me. So I’m trying to make the most of our time.”
Hikade, her husband Christopher and their son Camden traveled to Egypt while she worked for the CIA.Hikade and son Camden (in 2009) met with locals while they traveled to Myanmar as a family while she worked for the CIA.Hikade, her husband Christopher and their son Camden traveled to Egypt while she worked for the CIA.PHOTO: Courtesy Emily HikadeHikade and son Camden (in 2009) met with locals while they traveled to Myanmar as a family while she worked for the CIA.PHOTO: Courtesy Emily Hikade
Hikade, her husband Christopher and their son Camden traveled to Egypt while she worked for the CIA.Hikade and son Camden (in 2009) met with locals while they traveled to Myanmar as a family while she worked for the CIA.
Hikade, her husband Christopher and their son Camden traveled to Egypt while she worked for the CIA.
Hikade and son Camden (in 2009) met with locals while they traveled to Myanmar as a family while she worked for the CIA.
Hikade, her husband Christopher and their son Camden traveled to Egypt while she worked for the CIA.PHOTO: Courtesy Emily HikadeHikade and son Camden (in 2009) met with locals while they traveled to Myanmar as a family while she worked for the CIA.PHOTO: Courtesy Emily Hikade
When a suicide bomber killed a friend of Hikade’s who was a mom of three, she was shaken. Still, it took a dangerous mission, when her plane nearly crashed, for Hikade to reevaluate her line of work.
“The lights went out, people were screaming, my plane was spinning toward the ocean,” she recalls, tears welling. “I had three little boys at home. All I could see was their little faces, all I could imagine was them growing up without a mom. It was time for a change. I owed it to my kids.”
Hikade originally launched Petite Plume as a side hustle while she was stationed in East Africa. The business has been profitable since its first year, she says, and afterPrince Georgewore her threads, “we started to see the sales really pick up. It was a game changer.”
These days Hikade has an abundance of A-list clients, includingAnderson Cooperand Gwyneth Paltrow; she’s expanded into maternity, home and accessories; and she plans to open a New York City store this year.
“I did not think I was launching a multimillion-dollar company. I had figured out how many pajama sets I would need to sell per year in order to replace my government salary—those aren’t big salaries,” Hikade says. “It’s just nice to say it’s more than a mom selling pajamas out of the back of my car, because I have had people come up to me and say, ‘Oh, that’s really cute. Do you sew them yourself?’ and I think, ‘Let’s talk revenue numbers, a–hole.’ "
Those profits have been hard-earned, and Hikade is well-equipped to handle unique challenges that arise.
“A truck [loaded with merchandise] got stolen. We’ve got insurance on it, but it sucks—we’re going to probably lose $4 to 5 million in revenue. But I’m fine, my kids are fine. I think I have maybe more perspective than most,” she says, laughing. “Somebody’s going to have a lot of silk pajamas!”
Emily Hikade at home with her husband Christopher, dog Diesel, and their sons Shaw, Gable, Camden, Beckett.Meagan Shuptar
While Hikade navigates entrepreneur life, she’s also getting used to the public learning she was an officer. “I kept this secret so close,” says Hikade, who insists “no one” but her parents and children knew about her time in the CIA until she revealed the news in a NovemberTodaysegment. (The CIA declined to comment.) “One of my closest friends was like, ‘Holy s—, I know you better than anybody.’ What she didn’t know is that at night, when she was at home with her kids, I was going to meet al Qaeda.”
With the CIA in her rearview, Hikade finds peace in the routine (her kids' soccer schedules, bingeingThe White Lotusbefore bed) while still taking pride in the time she spent serving the United States.
“This has been a wild ride,” she says. “It’s only now that I know how lucky I am.”
For more on EmilyHikade and Petite Plume, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribehere.
source: people.com
