When overworking is a status symbol, many of us can get sucked into the vortex of compulsive productivity, perfectionism and self deprivation in an attempt to prove ourselves worthy as black people in the workplace. In today’s live I explore what exactly is grind culture, it’s internalised characteristics and the impact it has on our lives and in business. If you resonate with this content, the North Star Business School can help you understand these patterns and deal with them as you build your private practice. 

The post Exploring your relationship with grind culture? first appeared on June Allen.

This time of year can be a very vulnerable time for many with the expectations of the holidays and being around unsafe family members. Add the recent suicide of Steven ‘Twitch’ Boss in the US, the racist abuse toward Megan and Ngosi from the royals / Jeremy Clarkson and the cost of living crisis, it makes sense that there are a lot of strong emotions. 

There is a lot of stigma in our community about dealing with our mental health so I wanted to take the opportunity to have an honest conversation about this tender topic and how we can begin to embrace the suffering with more compassion and understanding instead of fear, guilt and shame.   

In this live, fellow therapist Yvonne Douglas and I explore the stigma of suicide in the black community, some statistics, why do black people feel suicidal, how to help a suicidal friend, how therapy can help and what to do if you can’t afford therapy.

Resources:

More details about how to connect with Yvonne can be found at https://yvonnejdouglas.com/

The black and asian therapists network. https://www.baatn.org.uk/

Black men’s wellness. https://findabalance.org/

Recovery support www.theblacksteps.com

The post Suicide support in the black community. first appeared on June Allen.

In this session I share on one of the books selected for my next Sacred Sista Study Circle launching in October. The Black Woman Millionaire. By Dr Venus Opal Reese. Join me to explore an overview of how history is hurting your funds, what is financial therapy and how you can work with me in the study circle to embrace this powerful text. Click here to find out more details about the study circle.

The post Sacred Sista Study Circle Selection #1: The Black Woman Millionaire. first appeared on June Allen.

With Queen Elisabeth II now dead after her 70 year reign in the UK, how do you feel about her death and the role she played within an institution responsible for the murder and destruction of so many people around the globe? In this session I answer the question, ‘What does it actually mean to grieve our oppressors?’

The post Grieving our oppressors? first appeared on June Allen.

I could not let January slip by without sharing some step one racial sobriety recovery in the first month of this year. The adapted step 1 from AA translates to us as, ‘We admitted we were powerless over the impact of racism (white supremacy), that our lives had become unmanageable.’  To break this down, I am thrilled to be sharing the space with my sista in recovery Rineya who agreed to join me to share her experience strength and hope on this first step as a black women healing from addiction. We explore the pain and powerlessness of living under the system of white supremacy, her rock bottom moment, tokenism, racism in the rooms, and the power of black spaces which bring hope in taking this first step. You don’t want to miss this! You can connect with Rineya at www.myblackexperience.co.uk  or follow her on instagram @Rineya_Umran_ka

The post YOG50: Recovery Step 1 with Rineya from My Black Experience. BONUS PODCAST! first appeared on June Allen.

I have been feeling really angry the last couple of days and after a mammoth yoga session and some reflection I now know why. With all the stuff I am seeing about #harryandmeghan and so many white people denying racism is part of it, I thought this would help those of you that are also tired.

Racial gaslighting is a form of psychological abuse where white supremacists (consciously and unconsciously) seek to maintain power and control through manipulation and bullying of non-white people. This is acted out through sowing doubt around the definition, experience and impact of racism (white supremacy) with an individual or as a group, making it difficult for them to trust their instincts, feelings and core sense of self.

Examples include, pretending not to see or understand racism, refusing to listen to those impacted by racism,  minimizing our experience and the traumatic impact of racism. Verbal examples include:

‘It’s not that bad.’

‘Not everything is about race’

‘That happened along time ago’

‘There’s only one human race.’

 ‘You’re imagining things’

‘You’re to sensitive.’

‘ Why are you always so angry?’

‘ You have a chip on your shoulder’

This list goes on and on, I’m sure you have others. When your ability to trust yourself has been broken down, you are more likely to experience shame and put up with this type of abuse. Tools for wellness include setting verbal boundaries around what and who you choose to talk about racism with, then focus on taking care of yourself with these 3 principles of racial wellness.

1.Release. Racial stress can leave you feeling angry and frustrated so use physical activities on a daily basis to transform the trapped energy and emotion inside the body.

2.Reflect. Self-reflection is a crucial part of emotional literacy so schedule quiet time to observe and understand your feelings and reactions to the events. Use safe spaces in therapy, recovery and support groups to reduce isolation, shame and miseducation.

3.Renew. Use self-soothing behaviors and cultural nourishment to reset the balance and maintain your sense of self. No matter how small, these are powerful revolutionary acts inside a system that feeds your self hate.

You deserve peace so take the time to make these rituals part of your daily practice.

The post What is Racial Gaslighting? first appeared on June Allen.

Many of us understand that black self hate and colorism is a huge issue in our community, but many do not understand it’s complexity and how it manifests inside our relationships. In today’s session, I answer a question from a biracial sista who wants to heal with black women, is doing the work, but finds it very triggering because she was bullied by black women. In this podcast I share:

The origins of colorism and sista pain.

How this fear impacts your relationship with self, parenting and partners.

Racial mindfulness.

How to chose a healing space.

What to do if you feel triggered inside a healing space.

My own journey of learning to love my Sista’s.

Click below to listen.

Book mentioned in this episode.

To attend the book club go to www.sistacircle.juneallen.net

The post How to Heal With Black Women When You Were Bullied By Them. first appeared on June Allen.

The post Are You Emancipated and Independent? first appeared on June Allen.

The post Racism is a Spiritual Disease. first appeared on June Allen.

Greetings Fam,

We’re continuing our conversation to find the 7 Keys To Black Empowerment. The 5th key is all about setting boundaries. If you don’t know what does and doesn’t work for you, you make yourself vulnerable to abuse.

In this session I explores the difference between social, external and internal  boundaries. I also share how practicing them must be the foundation for our emotional emancipation and personal empowerment!

Enjoy!

Click here to listen to this weeks session.

www.daughters.juneallen.net

Healing from racism through personal empowerment and the 12 steps of recovery.

The post YOG32: The 7 Keys To Black Empowerment: #5 Setting Boundaries first appeared on June Allen.