Radical Health Fellow Abdul Malik Reflects on Ear Seeding Workshop
Radical Health Fellow Abdul Malik participates in Auricular Acupuncture Ear Seeds workshop on February 7 at the Dwyer Cultural Center in Harlem. This session centered the legacy of Lincoln Detox and connects ear seed practice to community healing and political activism.
For someone in my community who is considering joining a future Radical Health workshop, I would want them to understand that this is not a surface-level wellness session. It is a structured, critical, and restorative space designed to examine how personal health, community conditions, and institutional systems intersect.
Many of us serve in high-pressure roles—credible messengers, mentors, supervisors, advocates, public servants. We are often expected to absorb stress, respond to crisis, and remain steady for others. Radical Health acknowledges that reality. It creates space to explore burnout, secondary trauma, boundary strain, and the physical impact of sustained stress. This is not framed as individual weakness; it is analyzed within the context of structural inequity, labor demands, and organizational culture.
Participants should expect both reflection and rigor. The workshop blends dialogue, circle-based engagement, and applied frameworks. You will be invited to examine your habits, leadership style, coping strategies, and assumptions about resilience. At the same time, you will gain practical tools—strategies for regulation, clearer boundary setting, restorative communication, and building healthier team dynamics.
It is also important to know that lived experience is honored. Whether you come from a justice-impacted background or work closely with communities navigating systemic barriers, your perspective is not secondary—it is central to the conversation. Radical Health treats experience as valid knowledge.
Discomfort may arise. That is part of meaningful growth. The facilitators create psychological safety, but they do not avoid hard conversations. You may confront how overwork has been normalized, how productivity is prioritized over sustainability, or how leadership models need to shift.
Ultimately, I would tell someone that Radical Health is an investment in sustainability. It challenges us to align our values with our practice—caring for community without neglecting ourselves. If you are committed to long-term impact and want tools to support both your well-being and your leadership, this workshop will meet you with depth, clarity, and practical application.
