Olivia James started her career thinking she wanted to be in public health. Then she did an internship at a community clinic, got introduced to the behavioral health department, and started paying closer attention to something she had been circling for a while. Then a tornado changed everything.

She was injured. She experienced physical mobility limitations. She went to counseling to process the trauma. And the path that she had been moving toward became unmistakable. She was already heading into a helping profession. Now she knew firsthand what it felt like to need one.

Olivia is a Springdale-raised, University of Arkansas-educated access coordinator and licensed associate counselor at the Center for Educational Access at the U of A, where she works with students with disabilities to remove barriers, coordinate accommodations, and provide counseling services. She graduated from the same counseling program her mother completed. She did not plan that. In this episode, Sami sits down with Olivia for a conversation about early careers, identity, and a reframe of imposter syndrome that will stay with you. In this episode, we get into:

• How a personal experience with injury and trauma led her directly into the work she was already heading toward
• What it felt like to be one of very few Black women in her counseling program and how she navigated the imposter syndrome that came with it
• A reframe of imposter syndrome that a speaker gave her in grad school that she cannot stop thinking about
• What it means to work in an office that genuinely mentors and teaches without a gatekeeper energy
• The community of women, family and chosen, that has surrounded and shaped her from the beginning

The imposter syndrome conversation is the centerpiece of this episode. Olivia shares what a speaker at her Association of Black Counseling Students meetings told her: imposter syndrome is internalized suppression. The question is not whether you are qualified. The evidence is already there. The question is who you think you are imitating, and why you have been socialized to believe you do not belong. That reframe is worth the entire listen.

She also talks about what it looks like to be supervised well, how good feedback lands differently when it is given in love and in true mentorship, and what she hopes to pass forward when she eventually supervises licensed associate counselors herself.

The Women of All Generations event is June 16, 2026, 3 to 6 PM at the Fayetteville Town Center. Grab your tickets at fayettevillear.com/woag.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Center for Educational Access, University of Arkansas: cea.uark.edu
• Association of Black Counseling Students (grad school organization)
• Community Clinic NWA (Olivia's public health internship)
• Women of All Generations event: fayettevillear.com/woag

Connect with Olivia:

• Center for Educational Access: cea.uark.edu
• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/oliviajames333

Mentioned in this episode:

Women of All Generations | June 16, 2026

The Women of All Generations event is almost here. Join us June 16, 2026 from 3 to 6 PM at the Fayetteville Town Center for an afternoon of real conversation, connection, and celebration. Tickets and sponsorships are available now. You belong in that room. Grab your spot at fayettevillear.com/woag.