We recently connected with Autumn Walker and have shared our conversation below.

Autumn, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about the best advice you’ve ever given to a client? (Please note this response is for education/entertainment purposes only and shouldn’t be construed as advice for the reader)

In graduate school, I received a blessed opportunity to intern and practice supportive therapy with detained youth in Maryland. When I began my search for internships in my Masters program at Johns Hopkins University, I felt strongly about working with only adults. I assumed I did not have the tools or confidence to meet youth needs. However, I had very few options so when the opportunity presented itself to intern with Maryland Juvenile Justice I did not hesitate to go forward.

The young men I worked with taught me so much about the world around me and myself. A specific quote one of the youths shared continues to echo in my head today: When you trip, you’ll only go forward. I actually share this with my clients today!

Though it’s not necessarily my original thought, this really speaks to the nature of being a therapist! We are always students with our clients often being the best teachers. This allows us to share multidimensional insight that can be applied across different groups and communities.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

After obtaining my Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Johns Hopkins and license in 2020, I founded The Soul Reasons LLC as a call to action against the racial injustice that plagues society today.

I have firsthand accounts of the emotional impact systemic oppression can have on the psyche and self-image. As a response to my personal struggles with racial trauma and low self-esteem, I urge the Black community to center a relationship with themselves through their mental well-being to reach their highest sense of self.

With seven years of thriving in the Human Services industry, I have joined over 500 clients on their journeys to wellness and self-actualization. My passion for both personal development and mental wellness has led to features on several platforms such as podcasts, magazines, and relative social media accounts. Today, my company devotes ourselves to empowering Black women challenged with impostor syndrome to feel secure and free in their skin by overcoming negative self talk, self-doubt, and self-criticism. Pushing beyond mental and personal roadblocks, we implement a novel way to resist oppressive norms that systemically minimize Black women’s worth and value.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

As the oldest child in my family, I felt pressured to lead by example. I often relied on values like independence, leadership, and success to keep up with those expectations.

When my mother transitioned in 2018, it didn’t take long for me to realize that those values weren’t going to get me through one of the most uncertain periods in my life.

Throughout this ongoing journey of grief, spirituality became the value that continues to anchor me and speaks to my resilience. As human beings, our inner resources (emotions, time, attention, knowledge, etc) are limited. I found that restoring my relationship with God filled up so many voids that existed even before my mother’s passing. Because I know life hurdles won’t stop there, protecting my faith will continue to be essential for emotional resilience.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Within the last year, I reflected deeply on what it means to feel and be worthy. I felt exhausted by the same cycles of relationships, jobs, and situations I landed in. I needed to find the root cause. It did not take long for me to realize how this capitalistic culture reinforces the idea that your worth is tied into what you can do rather than who you are. This creates an identity crisis or even impostor syndrome.

Through the help of prayer, therapy, and a loving community, I live by a new definition of worth: embracing who I am through self compassion, self-love, and self-acceptance!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.autumncwalker.com
• Instagram: autumncwalker
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/autumn-walker-5a84a590/
• Other: For free weekly therapist tips and exclusive updates text SOUL to 206-647-0594

Image Credits
Dexter and Tamisa Davis