EMBA → PhD or DBA?

I’m trying to realistically assess my chances of pursuing a PhD later in life through a non-traditional path and would appreciate honest advice.

Background:

I am from a non-EU background, and my undergraduate degree is in Chemistry, but professionally, I moved into operations and AI data operations management. Over the past five years, I’ve worked in areas like:

• operations coordination
• recruiting and training data annotation teams
• payroll/admin coordination
• client communication
• workflow/process management
• some marketing support

Most of my experience has been working remotely with EU clients (for the same company).

At this stage, I’m considering doing an MBA/EMBA locally instead of immediately pursuing an expensive foreign Master’s degree. Financially and personally, this seems like the safer option for me right now, as I just turned 30 and have family.

However, I’m still academically curious, and I wonder whether an EMBA → PhD route is realistically possible later on.

I understand EMBA programs are usually coursework-oriented and not research-heavy. That’s exactly why I’m asking this question.

My concerns:

• I don’t have undergraduate research/thesis experience
• My background is non-traditional
• I’d likely be applying for business/operations/supply chain/management-related PhD programs rather than chemistry
• I may be older than typical applicants by the time I apply
• I have a poor CGPA in my bachelor's.

Questions:

1. How realistic is EMBA/MBA → PhD in business-related fields?

2. Would the lack of thesis/research experience during my undergrad days be a major barrier?

3. Can strong professional experience compensate somewhat in applied fields like management/supply chain/operations?

4. Would trying to publish papers or collaborate with faculty during the MBA materially help?

5. Is DBA a more realistic path than a PhD in my situation?

I’m not aiming for elite programs. I’m more interested in whether this pathway is genuinely viable at all.

Would appreciate honest perspectives, especially from people who entered academia later or from non-traditional backgrounds.