Today we’d like to introduce you to Norissa Williams
Hi Norissa, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a psychologist and social worker; specializing in using a psycho-spiritual approach to heal from personal and systemic traumas. The story of how I got here is a relatively long one, but to summarize it, I’d say, I’m a wounded healer. Meaning, I wasn’t born into the most ideal of circumstances. There were many risk factors in my early development. However, there were also some protective factors that helped me along the way. My most fundamental savior though, is the fact that I’ve always been a very sensitive and emotionally attuned child. This lent itself to emotional and social intelligence. I knew how to understand people; lending itself to compassion for the human experience. In addition, because I was attuned to my own emotional state I was able regularly self-assess. From a young age I’ve always asked my, “What do I really want?” I’ve also sought to make connections between my experiences and my emotional/mental and physical health. I assessed how functional my behaviors were and whether they truly served me.
This passion for personal growth led me down paths to becoming a professional helper. My undergrad degree is in Human Services * Psychology. My masters in Social Work and my doctorate in Applied Developmental Psychology. I craved an understanding of human behavior any how we ameliorate suffering on personal and systemic levels.
These curiosities brought me where I am today.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has absolutely NOT been a smooth road. For one, I am a first generation American. This meant that I did a lot of things by myself to navigate life in the United States. I was often unsupported simply because we had not had any legacies here. We had not had people who moved through institutions like higher education or navigated career fields similar to mine. As such, I developed a hyper independence and moved about the world in survival mode.
This catches up with you after a while.
It manifests in illness at times.
And it will keep manifesting in illness, until you decide to do something better.
What I’m saying is that I have had to sacrifice many parts of myself to navigate institutions not made for me. Those sacrifices cost me my health; some times more painful than others, on my journey.
So, to say it was challenging, is an understatement. But to characterize it as, “Struggle
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Empowered Life, Inc.?
Today I am the founder and direction of Empowered Life, Inc. Through Empowered Life I develop resources for people to live their best lives. Right now two courses I offer are The Empowered Life Journey & R.O.O.T.E.D. Ancestral Practices.
The Empowered Life Journey is an intensive healing journey where you examine your core sounds and social conditioning and begin to untangle from them. People who take the course begin healing in ways they never thought possible. A current student who is 66 recently told me she hadn’t realized how much of her life was given to people pleasing and how unhappy she had been all her life. She is now experiencing herself anew. She has reclaimed parts of herself lost along the way. She’s begun activating her voice and healing in major ways. Her son and other friends say they don’t even recognize her anymore. She has never seemed happier and more content with life.
Another woman, who has chronic illness, shared that she doesn’t plan or think about her future because she doesn’t know whether or not she’ll make it there. With careful consideration of her very valid considerations, in our work together, she was able to see that she was holding herself back from living, because of her fear of dying. Months later she is singing a different tune. She is way more social and can make plans and dream about her desired future.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
People can work with my by sending me an email at [email protected]. I offer 1:1 coaching, group coaching, workshops and retreats. They can also check out my podcast, Radical Remembering at www.radicalremembering.com. In addition, they can download my app, Living Liberated for resources to empower people to live liberated lives.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://livingliberated.passion.io
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.norissawilliams/
- Youtube: https://www.instagram.com/dr.norissawilliams/
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRpZK82i0j1uF7YAmqVtgWQ
Image Credits
My husband took the pic of me. I used Canva images for the others