Empowering lives: Fireside conversation with Allison Walsh, author of "She Believed She Could"

"I was a passionate advocate right out of the gate. Once I realized recovery was possible and that there were so many other people that were struggling…I wanted to make sure no one ever felt like they had to walk alone or [have no] access to resources…I found my voice when I found recovery."
- Allison Walsh

At the 2023 Within Summit, Allison Walsh joined Within Health for a fireside chat about her career in behavioral healthcare and the release of her latest book “She Believed She Could.”  

Allison Walsh started sharing her story of eating disorder recovery, hope, and healing at university campuses nationwide during her year of service as Miss Florida. From there, her journey helping others grew organically into a successful career in behavioral healthcare.

Named in the Orlando Business Journal’s 2021 Top 40 Under 40 and Women Who Mean Business, Allison is a seasoned executive, philanthropist, speaker, professional consultant, and Miss Florida 2006. 

She has over 20 years of experience in organizational leadership, mentorship, and career coaching. Allison is also the host of the ‘She Believed She Could” podcast and the creator of the Savvy Girl online coaching community, which empowers professional development and career advancement for women.

Charlie Health

Allison, as a mother herself, has some useful advice for the younger generation. In the world of social media, “where your business is everybody’s business,” the impact of your choices is so much more significant and lasts long into the future. Therefore, young people have to be much more thoughtful about the environments, the situations, and the social circles they are in. 

This is one of the reasons why she became involved with Charlie Health and the amazing work they do to help impact her children’s generation after seeing how challenging it was for young people to go through a pandemic.

Charlie Health is a startup focused on adolescent and young adult mental health. Its goal is to fight the mental health epidemic facing young people today with industry-leading care and equitable access. Every Charlie Health client is matched with a personalized care plan and primary therapist. Plus, they work with over 300 insurance providers to enable affordable and accessible treatment for all. 

What is coaching?

“Coaching is very forward-thinking."

From Allison’s perspective, therapy is about looking back to understand why things are the way they are and how to heal, i.e., looking backward so you can spring forward and build resilience. By contrast, the coaching world is all about what comes next. Allison works with her clients to help them achieve their next goal, whether it be to launch their business or to reinvent themselves. 

Allison has been a personal brand, business, and success coach for women for over a decade. She is also a certified positive psychology coach and therefore focuses on her client’s well-being, happiness, and success. 

Using positive psychology and strength-based coaching, Allison works with her clients to create a personalized program to help them overcome barriers—such as imposter syndrome or lack of confidence—so they can achieve their goals.

She Believed She Could (the book): Show up, shine bright, and achieve abundant success

“Do a checkup from the neck up. Constantly evaluate: Where are you? How are you feeling? Don’t wait until you are at your absolute end.”

In September of 2023, Allison’s best-selling book “She Believed She Could” was published, delivering a practical and hands-on guide to evolving into the person you want to be. Drawing from her expertise in positive psychology—the science of happiness, well-being, and success—Allison infuses her personal experiences and wisdom into every story, strategy, and suggestion.

In the book, you’ll find actionable tools to elevate your mindset, enhance your confidence, and create a clear plan for future success, including:

  • Strategies and frameworks to help you show up, shine bright, and create success
  • Ways to give yourself permission to thrive, flourish, and optimize your potential every single day
  • How to tame your inner critic and overcome imposter syndrome
  • How to leverage your brand and boost your earning potential and opportunities

The book is available to purchase through Amazon.

The She Believed She Could community

The She Believed She Could community extends far beyond the book. You can also get involved in the community in several other ways:

  • The Podcast: Hosted by Allison and featuring special guests, the podcast equips the audience with the skills and support needed to launch and scale their personal brands, businesses, and side hustles.
  • The Community:  A free Facebook group dedicated to supporting women at every phase and stage of their development.
  • The Planner: The She Believed She Could Planner is designed to help you have the most productive and successful year of your life and career. It can be downloaded from Allison’s website
  • The Foundation: On a mission to empower young women, the She Believed She Could Foundation is designed to provide educational opportunities to equip women with the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to achieve personal and professional success.
  • The University: Allison launched this division of the She Believes She Could brand to inspire, educate, empower, and, most importantly, prepare collegiate women for post-grad success. Through the university, women can seek guidance, mentorship, and coaching to help them unlock their full potential and set them up for future success. 
“Our mental wellness contributes to and impacts so many other aspects of our lives, and I really want to empower everybody…to say I need to be as proactive with my mental health as I am with my physical health.”