Today we’d like to introduce you to Hallie.
Hi Hallie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My journey began with a strong sense of empathy, though counseling wasn’t my initial path. Growing up in a design-centric family, I was drawn to the creative world, envisioning a career in fashion retail. However, a pivotal experience in high school changed everything. A social experiment highlighting the superficiality of appearances sparked a deep desire to support people on a more profound level.
This led me to Special Education in college, a step closer to my calling, but not the final destination. My student teaching experience, working with emotionally and behaviorally challenged middle schoolers, revealed a critical need for emotional support that the existing system wasn’t adequately addressing. Observing their reliance on counseling, I realized that was where I truly belonged.
Essentially, a lifelong drive to understand the core of human experience guided me from a creative design path, through special education, and ultimately to clinical counseling. It was a journey of self-discovery, driven by a desire to make a meaningful impact.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The journey of self discovery and the courage to walk one’s own path never stops. Each new destination brings a new challenge.The nature of being human is that we are always evolving and that includes me. So while I found my way to graduate school, my relationship to the field has continued to evolve as I evolve myself.
As an outside the box thinker, it has been challenging at times to have the courage to walk my own path, forage the way, and dismantle beliefs that are held within my industry such as when you can go into private practice, how it has to look, what you can charge, and so on. There is a glass ceiling of sorts when it comes to the way our field believes this work has to look and I’ve never liked the feeling of being restricted. I like possibility and expansive thinking. I believe deeply in the ability to create our own life, thus often looking at beliefs that hold us back. I not only did this for myself, but it has become a foundation of the work I do with my client’s as well.
As you know, we’re big fans of Hallie Buchanan LLC . For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I went into private practice almost immediately after graduating and have been practicing for over 15 years. While I have worked with a wide variety of populations and ages, my practice currently is filled high functioning adults interested in feeling lighter, clearer, and more aligned with themselves.
Traditionally trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, my work has expanded into a much broader lens over the years to include things like mindfulness, spirituality and energy psychology. I tend to attract individuals who are on a path of personal development, interested in mindset work, unlocking subconscious patterns and generally deepening their relationship to themselves.
My primary framework and the one that often leads people to me is that the symptoms which cause you distress- the trauma, the anxiety, depression, grief, body image etc are often a result of patterns that you learned early on that once were adaptive to your survival but no longer serve your souls higher purpose. Your body and your being are wise beyond words and are there to guide you when you know how to listen.
I don’t help people get rid of symptoms. I help people develop their intuition, deeply trust themselves and practice radical self alignment which often results in a drastic reduction in symptoms. I believe deeply in the power of tuning in and getting to the root so that you can nourish your spirit and set yourself free.
Thankfully after over 15 plus years of doing this work, I too, am integrating my younger self and recognizing that I didn’t have to throw the baby out with the bath water.
In the last few years, I have allowed myself to reconnect with the part of me that is creative, attuned to aesthetics and loves to create spaces or outfits that are an expression of me. I started painting and creating doodles with photography that bridge my two passions and hope to do more of that in the future. I recognize that just like deep work can feel light, I can express myself with things and not be defined by them.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Apps: Insight Timer, Spotify playlists, The Tapping Solution, Notes app( for drawing)
Books: Untamed (Glennon Doyle), The Four Agreements ( Miguel Ruiz) , Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself (Dr. Joe Dispensa), Biology of Belief (Bruce Lipton), Feelings Buried Alive Never Die (Karol Truman) … .and so many more
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.halliebuchanan.com
- Instagram: halliebuchanancoaching
