Zahara Williams

A Speaker, Therapist & Life Strategist, Zahara's expertise is in the realm of cultivating transparency, boundaries, grief, trauma, chronic pain and healing from betrayal. Zahara has served in a myriad of roles, from adjunct lecturer, consultant, team lead, clinical supervisor, and workshop facilitator. Her experience provides a unique lens on the intersection between people and systems. As a life strategies and curator of ideas, Zahara offers insightful and engaging content that guides that takes audiences on a thought provoking journey that leads to introspective work.

Zahara Williams was born and raised in Detroit, MI. Influenced by culture and a desire to be immersed in the HBCU experience, Zahara went on to pursue a Bachelor of Social Work at Clark Atlanta University. She was fully aware that in her respective field, opportunities required a commitment to more and thus she went on to obtain a Master of Social Work at the University of Michigan. On her life’s journey, she was always in pursuit of something more and filled her time with volunteer work and entrepreneurial ventures. While others often characterized her as brave and adventurous, it didn’t always coincide with what she felt inside. She was constantly grasping for some greater purpose in life, because no matter how busy her schedule seemed, it never really filled the silence and self-doubt that she was attempting to escape. Once she became aware of the pattern of overcommitment, she realized a need for accountability and patience with herself. Acceptance of the reality but also the awareness that although circumstances did not represent what she desired for her life, they also didn’t define her worth or capabilities. The shift required Zahara to take a step back, over and over again, to focus on the journey, and not the destination, to grieve what she had in mind and know that sometimes purpose is greater than what she can see in the moment. Zahara realized that as a therapist, she is limited in her approach, but as a speaker in a coach, she has the ability to show up in the most authentic way and blend personal experience with education and training to walk with individuals on a transformative journey, as they seek to cultivate healthy relationships, find purpose beyond the pain and give themselves permission to grieve what they had in mind. Zahara’s favorite quote is from the incomparable Maya Angelou: "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”