Michaia Walker’s Stories, Lessons & Insights

We recently had the chance to connect with Michaia Walker and have shared our conversation below.

Michaia, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
There have been many moments recently that made me laugh out loud and they all include time spent with my niblings. The youngest of the two is just now learning to stand and walk independently. He has completely mastered crawling and has no problem keeping up with his older brother during floor play. They each have such distinct personalities that it’s often humorous to watch them trying to navigate how to coexist as small humans still getting to know the world and each other. One of my favorite things is cuddling with them for naptime. I am proud of everything those little humans do, but especially when I can see them celebrating themselves as well.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Michaia and I am a published author, psychotherapist, clinical consultant and cat parent. I like to emphasize my identities as Black, Neurodivergent, Queer and Nonbinary since I did not see a lot of representation growing up and coming into the work I do now. Something that is unique about me and my work is that I am a signing therapist (ASL) and most of my language acquisition has been through immersion in the Deaf Community versus having a more structured/academic approach. My clinical practice/consulting takes up most of my day to day, but I do prioritize visiting my bonus family member and dear friends. It’s important to have balance as much as possible.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
This is a great question! I think one of the parts of me that has been so impactful but now might not serve me quite as well now, is my “captain”. The part of me that takes control, shuts down the emotions, intellectualizes and does immediate crisis management. The part served me well growing up in a volatile and unpredictable home: experiencing many forms of abuse and neglect. This part has also added to my ability to deescalate crisis situations. However, I have had to let go in many ways in order to make space for a fuller emotional experience, including learning to love myself and teach other people how to love me. This process has been one of the hardest and most rewarding transitions in my entire life. Life feels full of so much more potential and celebration.

When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
The irony of this question is that I just republished my book, “A Narrative Rewritten: A collection of personal writings for adult survivors of childhood incest and sexual abuse”.
I wrote it 10 years ago and that was the first time I had put my abuse into such explicit words. I wrote about my mental health struggles and ways I hoped that things would change in the future without really having that hope inside. I was still hiding behind a pseudonym at that time. Fast forward to 2025, 10 years later, the book is republished, under my real name, with beautiful artwork from my dear friend Peter. This version of the book feels like stepping into my own power and reclaiming my story. I am really proud of myself for writing this book and having healed enough to be confident in publishing it under my own name.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
This is easy to answer. They would say I value loyalty, consistency, clear communication and taking accountability/responsibility for one’s actions. This is what I expect from myself and from those around me. A friend recent told me “Your energy leaves a mark on people. They don’t forget your shine and sometimes that pisses them off”. My bonus family is so important to me, especially the newest generation of humans.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What light inside you have you been dimming?
Another excellent question! I have recently been having conversations with a close friend (the one that made the comment about my shine) about having dimmed my light the last few years as I held up others in my life. She pointed out that she has seen me become so much brighter since I decided to republish my book and follow the clues the universe is sending my way. Opportunities for interviews and additional work have been coming up pretty frequently and following the “lean in” and “let them” mentalities had only served me well. I am more grounded, confident and unafraid.
In summary, my creativity was being dimmed and once I started to prioritize it, younger parts of myself were sparked back to life, including excitement.

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