About Us

Founder's Story – Karli King

A photo of the founder, Karli King

My mission in life is to be the person I needed most, the voice, the support, the presence, during the darkest chapter of my life. I am a survivor of sexual assault, which took place in my college dorm room when I was eighteen years old. After the assault, I dropped out of school and was left to navigate a world that offered me very little support or understanding. For the following seven years, I carried the weight of trauma alone, while I faced obstacles emotionally, physically, spiritually, legally, and financially.

I struggled to find help that felt safe. I felt deeply misunderstood and often invisible in a system not built to protect or empower survivors. Eventually, I reached out for help and began the long, painful, but transformational journey of healing.

Through a combination of trauma therapy, ketamine therapy, spiritual integration, artistic expression, and holistic support, I found my way back to myself. I completed trauma therapy, survived rape and domestic violence, and finally began to rebuild my life on my own terms. I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Psychology with a minor in Religious Studies from the University of Arizona, graduating cum laude. I’m now a proud mother to a strong and beautiful daughter, the founder of an art and healing company called Deux Belles Lettres, and a board member of the Heritage Behavioral Health Foundation.

I’m also proud to be:

A Certified Crisis Intervention Counselor (CIC-CSp)

A Certified Spiritual Counselor (SC-C)

An Adobe Certified Graphic Designer

These credentials allow me to serve survivors with both professional care and lived experience by blending trauma-informed training with the deep empathy of someone who has been there.

The Birth of the Valkyrie Initiative

Out of my own healing journey came the vision for the Valkyrie Initiative. A survivor-led nonprofit organization founded by survivors, for survivors. Inspired by the Valkyries of Norse mythology. Warrior-women who carried fallen souls to safety. This Initiative is designed to walk beside survivors of sexual assault as they reclaim their power, rebuild their lives, and reconnect to their truth.

Our work is built on the belief that healing is not linear, and no one should have to go it alone. We provide trauma-informed, spiritually integrated, and community-driven care to meet survivors where they are.

At Valkyrie Initiative, we offer:

• Initial consultations with certified crisis intervention counselors

• Crisis support and survivor-specific trauma counseling

• Spiritual services, including trauma-sensitive astrology, spiritual counseling, and runic readings

• Legal advocacy and support navigating the justice system

• Access to physical health resources, including trauma-informed naturopaths, physical therapists, and ketamine-assisted therapy providers

• Career and education mentorship to support future-building

• Personalized safety planning, trauma education, and peer-led group support

We know that many survivors face barriers to care, so we actively help clients explore affordable options, sponsorships, and partnerships. No one is turned away due to financial hardship.

Every service is grounded in evidence-based therapeutic practices and shaped by the real-world needs of survivors. Our focus is not on fixing anyone, but on empowering survivors to reclaim their autonomy and build lives rooted in dignity, strength, and self-definition.

I created Valkyrie Initiative because I know what it feels like to survive without a map, to seek help and find none, to carry trauma in silence and feel like your life is over. But I also know what it feels like to rise and to reclaim your voice, your name, and your story. That’s the heart of our mission: not to save survivors, but to stand beside them as they reclaim themselves.

This is more than a nonprofit.

It’s a sanctuary. It’s a movement.

And it’s my life’s work.

— Karli King

Founder, Valkyrie Initiative

CIC-CSp | SC-C | Adobe Certified Graphic Designer

B.A. Philosophy & Psychology, minor in Religious Studies, cum laude, University of Arizona