Zakiyyah Walker – Personal Revolution Coaching

Zakiyyah Walker began her life coaching practice in 2013. At the time, she branded a herself Rebellious Spirituality Coach. While that was a lucrative niche and certainly needed; Zakiyyah felt that she soon needed to reassess her focus.

She found that her Black women clients needed a different type of help. As a Black woman, Zakiyyah knew that there were different challenges that faced women like her.

As American descendants of African-Diasporans, we have the very unique experiences of being stripped from the culture of our ancestry. That type of disconnection manifests as abandonment and becomes part of our historical framework for future generations.

Furthermore, the trauma of slavery, Jim Crow and various other atrocities committed against folks snatched from the African-Diaspora led to trauma that is deep seeded in our DNA.

We possess baggage that is unique to us and it manifests in these three prevalent ways:

Ancestral Trauma
Fixer Fixation
Strong Black Woman Syndrome

Ancestral Trauma

● Have you been down so long that is feels up to you?

● Have you just been through so much shit that it’s all you know?

● Is this a pervasive feeling from your childhood?

● Do you keep dating the same type of jerk over and over and so do the other women in your family.

● Do you see yourself repeating crappy behavior from you mom, aunts and grandmothers.

This is what happens with ancestral trauma. It is passed down through generation. As part of the African Diaspora, our folks have faced centuries of abuse.

We were disconnected from our culture through slavery. We were spread around the world, colonized, enslaved and perpetually abused.

This caused a fracture in our entire familial infrastructure, disturbed our ability to detach from past hurt, and hampered our ability to create healthy habits. We pass these habits on to our children and the cycle continues until SOMEONE decides “NO MORE.”

Fixer Fixation

You know who you are. You never met a person that I didn’t want to fix. All your relationships were with with a person that had “potential.” You just know no one could carry on without you.

Are you often overwhelmed by the amount of time you dedicate to other’s problems?
Is a large percentage of your income spent on bailing loved ones out of financial jams?
Are you often attracted to needy, broken or damaged people as romantic partners or friends?
Do you even have a tendency jump in to fix problems without even being asked?
When YOU need help, do people always think you’re “the strong one” that never needs a shoulder and leave you in the cold?

If you answered “YES” to most of these, then you, my dear, have a fixer fixation. Babe, here’s the problem…incessantly saving people from their own responsibilities is actually the selfish behavior.

Understand, ALL HELP IS SELF-HELP. No human in the history of human being-ness has ever done anything for completely unselfish reasons. You are gaining something from their perceived need. Additionally, you’re teaching them that personal responsibility doesn’t exist and that the autonomy given to them is not enough.

IT’S A CYCLE THAT YOU MUST PUT AN END TO.

Plus, how do you feel after you swoop in with your cape and leave when all is right with the world? Triumphant or used? I’ll bet money that you fly away feeling heavy, overwhelmed and taken for granted.

Not much like a hero. There may even be some resentment. This is where you realize that love and resentment can live in the same space.

Strong Black Woman Syndrome:

This is the biggie. STRONG BLACK WOMAN SYNDROME.

It is the belief that many hold ( Blacks and others alike) that Black women are immune to weakness. It’s a phrase that has gone from empowering to offensive.

On it’s head, there’s nothing wrong with being a STRONG BLACK WOMAN. However, it’s become an old trope that is overused and damaging. It strips us of our human-hood. We hear constant reminders that Black women are the backbone of the world. We have to stand tall and take a that the world throws at us in stride because we’re built for this.

Let me be the first to tell you. I call BS. Yes, our ancestors we strong and it is in our lineage to make it through adversity. We have survived through unrivaled odds.

But no one ever said that we have made it through unscathed. Black women have been raped, tortured, , disrespected and thrown aside by society by history and by our own kinfolk. Yet, we are supposed to do it with a smile and keep it cute.

Nah!

I have dedicated my time to guiding Black women through Personal Revolutions. Through coaching with me, Black women create the tools they need to live the lives they want instead of the line that is expected of them based solely on their Black womanhood.

With focus on intensive coaching I help address the tangible and spiritual effects of the ancestral trauma and help my clients free themselves from pain that was passed down and doesn’t serve them.

I can be reached at: