Rising Stars: Meet Whitney Walker

Today we’d like to introduce you to Whitney Walker.

Hi Whitney, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have always been intrigued by people and their stories. As a young girl, I loved to talk to adults and ask them about their lives; relationships, beliefs, experiences, and other inquiries. I was very curious about this whole life thing and felt that people needed to be talking about it more. This curiosity led me to continue having in-depth conversations
with people in my life; friends and strangers alike. Eventually, I chose to turn this interest into a profession. I have been licensed as a Mental Health Therapist for four years.

Two years ago, I started a private practice and one year ago I took my practice on the road and became a nomadic therapist. I traveled all around the country, visiting 18 states including Nashville where my brother lives. I stayed in Airbnb while I met with clients online and recorded a podcast weekly. I always dreamed of having a job where I got to travel. I had pictured a fancy gig that flew me around the world in some type of sales or management job. Funny how wishes come true, just not always as you expect them to.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My wanderlust spirit also began young, as did my love from excitement and thrill-seeking. Which eventually led me into some trouble. I fell head first into addiction in my teens and 20’s abusing alcohol and drugs as well as struggling with an eating disorder.

Aside from human connection, another reason I became a therapist was that I saw a therapist, starting in my 20s, to address these self-destructive habits as well as excessive negative thoughts and low self-esteem. The work I did in therapy began to open me up to the possibility that I could actually like and be kind to myself and treat myself with love and respect. As that opening began I could feel myself becoming more connected with my true self. It was the most incredible feeling as I gained greater internal peace. I knew I wanted to help others to achieve the same. At 26 I sat down and made a spreadsheet of what I would love to be able to do in my career. Everything added up to being a therapist or some form of a counselor. So I applied to grad school and began my journey.

When I was 28 I moved back to my home state of California after spending four years in Seattle. I wanted to finish my Master’s degree and get licensed there as I began my career. I had to live with my parents and I began to really spiral with my drug and alcohol use. Before I turned 30 I decided to get completely sober from everything. I realized I couldn’t be the person I truly wanted to be if I kept using it. Nor could I trust or respect myself because whenever I used, I always broke promises to myself and others and engaged in unhealthy behaviors. A few months into sobriety I was miserable and felt I needed guidance as to how I was supposed to live life sober. Many people had suggested AA including my therapist, psychiatrist, parents, and friends. It wasn’t until one friend presented it almost as a challenge, “Well if you’re already miserable, it can’t hurt to try, right?” I decided that, yes, I could give it a try and believed that I would likely find it unhelpful. Well, I found it very helpful and stuck around for 4 years.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I became a licensed Mental Health Therapist in May of 2018 and after two years of working at clinics and gaining incredible experience, I decided to open my own private practice after the pandemic hit. It was a great advantage for therapists at the time as all it required was a laptop to start your own business as everything had gone virtual. When I sat down to design a website for my practice I knew I wanted to incorporate my newfound focus on spirituality and the power of Feminine energy. This is something I became increasingly interested in as I began to look more closely at my experiences and those of my peers and clients.

There is so much self-destruction everywhere. I dealt with it for years, and so did many of my friends and family members. As I began to look at more holistic approaches to mental, emotional, and physical health I realized a lot of this was due to an imbalance in how we see ourselves, what we place value on, too much conditionality when it comes to worthiness, and a lack of unconditional love. All of which are very feminine, or Yin, qualities. I wanted my work to focus on restoring this balance.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.womenwaken.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenwaken/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-walker-16b77794
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqyxriSmwfLueB3fn-FthWw