julie booksh

activist for the soul

about me

“The journey is not about avoiding dark emotions. It is about learning
to move in the darkness and discovering the wisdom and wholeness there.”

- Julie Booksh

my story

I help people create more inner and outer freedom and wholeness, which has also been a personal journey of mine. I have a strong commitment to my growth personally and professionally. I am dedicated to living my truth and following my own personal path (despite the challenges that come with that) and helping others do the same as a therapist, speaker and coach. Over the years, I have developed a deeper relationship with my body, dreams, my true nature and discovered what wise allies I have in them. Learning to treat my trauma, fears and hurts with tenderness has been a very important part of my journey. We live in a culture that tends to treat these with a hurry up harshness. I have felt great fear, pain and sorrow, and I’ve learned how to sit with and discover wisdom in these emotions. I have also learned to stand up to inner and outer forces that criticize and bully me. I have worked to connect with the merciful Presence in me. Practicing mercy has changed me in necessary and profound ways. It saved me and gave me a much better quality of life. This works far better than trying to hide behind booze, food, religion, spirituality or even wellness – all of which I have done. This learning is lifelong.

Teaching others how to navigate this journey is a calling. In 2009, after completing my Master’s degree in Counseling and Marriage and Family therapy, I left my career in Business and Accounting to follow that calling. That same year I got married and moved from my hometown where I lived my whole life. The wedding and the move from New Orleans to Metro Detroit all happened in one weekend! Also, my husband and I are an interracial couple. It’s been a helluva ride! That was over a decade ago. The learning, growth and change continue on deeper and deeper levels of wholeness.

I have worked with hundreds of individuals and couples and learned from many amazing philosophies and teachers, including my brave clients and wounded parts of me. I have worked with countless groups ranging from global corporations to universities to wellness spas. I currently teach ongoing private groups and classes on self-care and ever-expanding personal growth. My hope is to help others connect more deeply to themselves and handle inner and outer conflict with greater awareness and care. This learning and practice helps people live a life with more peace and meaning and a life that is true to them. It helps build a more solid foundation from which to operate. Life will always involve pain, change, challenges and grief mixed with the times of joy, achievement and celebration. I help people build a center that holds, strengthen personal power and peace and infuse a little humor in it all.

some random facts about me

I am obsessed with my dog, Louise.

I more introverted than extraverted.

I love music and singing. Random songs pop into my head and teach me.

I really like the feeling of a cup of hot tea in my hands.

I love a good dining experience. I regret when I rush it.

I have journals full of dreams.

I have a tell-it-like-it-is way about me mixed with compassion.

I enjoy long walks.

Sometimes I forget how much I love humor.

People say I am a charming spitfire. Sometimes I lose the charming!

“There is a still and loving Presence within you and at the same time beyond you. Call it the Universe.
Call it the Divine or your True Nature. It doesn’t care what you call it. It is calling you!”

- Julie Booksh