Dr. Julie de Azevedo on Soft White Underbelly: Women’s Identity & Religious Trauma

What happens when you grow up believing your life should follow a certain path, only to realize that path doesn’t feel right for you?

In her interview with Soft White Underbelly, Dr. Julie de Azevedo reflects on growing up in a large Mormon family, finding her way into therapy, and the experiences that shaped her passion for helping women.

Julie describes how going to therapy as a teenager helped her understand her own thoughts, feelings, and identity. That experience inspired her to become a therapist—and eventually helped her recognize a pattern in her work with women: many struggle to identify what they want for themselves.

Learning to Know Yourself

After more than 30 years in practice, Julie has seen how expectations around marriage, motherhood, and service can leave some women feeling disconnected from their own needs and ambitions.

She talks about the importance of developing a sense of self alongside caring for others. Women can love their families and value their communities while also pursuing education, careers, creativity, and personal growth.

As Julie explains in the interview, the goal isn't to choose between yourself and the people you love. It's to find a healthier balance.

Faith, Shame, and Personal Growth

The conversation also explores religious trauma, sexual shame, perfectionism, and the challenges some women experience when their beliefs or identities change.

Julie shares why she began speaking publicly about concerns she observed in her community, particularly around women’s experiences and LGBTQ+ equality. She also discusses the complicated emotions that can come with stepping away from a religious community while still caring deeply about the people in it.

Her approach to therapy centers on helping people turn inward, understand what they think and feel, and identify what they want and need. Rather than telling someone what their life should look like, therapy can help them make choices that reflect their own values.

Watch the Full Interview

Julie’s conversation with Soft White Underbelly offers a candid look at her personal journey and the work that continues to inspire her: helping women understand themselves, trust their own experiences, and create lives that feel authentic to them.

Watch Dr. Julie de Azevedo’s interview on Soft White Underbelly.