[6] Ishta was educated at St Aidan's Anglican Girls' School in Corinda, Brisbane, Queensland.
[8] In 2014, Ishta began to venture into acting, landing guest roles on Black Box, Power, and Manhattan Love Story.
In May 2014, it was announced that Ishta had been cast in the lead role of Kirsten Clark in the American TV series Stitchers.
[12] On September 8, 2012, Emma Ishta married New York native and playwright Daniel James McCabe.
[13] They both starred in his play The Flood, which premiered at the 2014 New York International Fringe Festival and won the Award for Excellence in Playwriting.