Black Health Is Black Wealth: Building Community-Led Healing Systems

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction: A Broken System
• 2:00 The State of Black Healthcare
• 7:26 The Rise of DIY Medical Networks
• 14:36 Building Your Own Health Pod
• 22:56 Black Doulas and Birth Workers
• 30:43 DIY Therapy Circles
• 39:03 Food as Medicine
• 46:47 Spiritual Immunity and Protection
• 54:20 Healing Relationships and Legacy

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Why are we still begging a broken system to heal us, when our ancestors built entire healing traditions with their bare hands? What if 2026 isn't about more insurance, but about insuring ourselves with knowledge, community and collective care? What if the revolution isn't just televised, it's homegrown, herbal and handled by us? Because when healthcare becomes hustle, survival becomes sacred and in our communities, black health is Black wealth. Period. Trigger warning. This episode discusses systemic health disparities, medical racism, economic inequity in healthcare access and community-based health strategies. If you face medical neglect, exploitation or loss, please listen with care and take breaks as needed. Before we get into it, be sure to subscribe to Life Points with Rhonda on your favorite podcast platform and YouTube at Life Points with Rhonda 2968. Visit lifepointswithrhondacom to schedule your free consultation, grab your healing affirmations and explore my courses on self your healing affirmations and explore my courses on self-love, credit repair and lifestyle elevation. You can also connect with me on Facebook, instagram and Patreon, all under Life Points with Rhonda. Don't forget to grab your free gifts through my mini chat, because healing starts with connection. Welcome to Life Points with Rhonda, the podcast where we talk all things relationships, from self-love and family healing to financial freedom and the ways we show up in the world. I'm your host, rhonda, and today's episode is more than urgent. We're cracking open a conversation that's long overdue. It's about how we, as Black people, are reclaiming our bodies, our care and our communities by building DIY medical networks. These aren't just trends, they're survival systems and they're reshaping how we care for ourselves, our elders, our children and our future. I know your time is valuable, so let's get started, okay, and dive into the episode.

Speaker 1: 2:00

The State of Black Healthcare in America why We've Always Been Our Own First Responders. The state of Black healthcare in America. Why we've always been our own first responders. Let's begin this journey with honesty, because too many of us are still whispering about it behind closed doors instead of addressing it boldly out in the open. Here's the reality. The American healthcare system was never designed with Black people in mind, not in its origins, not in its evolution and certainly not in its current form.

Speaker 1: 2:26

From the very beginning, black bodies were seen not as patients to be cared for, but as property to be exploited. We were experimented on, cut open without anesthesia and used to test procedures that would later become standard practice for white patients. Dr J Marion Sims, often called the father of modern gynecology, conducted brutal surgical experiments on enslaved black women without their consent. Let that sink in, their suffering built the foundations of an entire medical discipline, and yet their names are barely remembered. This is not just historical trauma. It is generational, and the disrespect didn't stop in the 1800s. It carried over into the 20th century through studies like the Tuskegee syphilis experiment, where over 600 black men were misled and denied treatment for syphilis, even after penicillin was available for 40 years 40. This was not some hidden secret, it was government-sponsored. Entire families were affected and trust in medical institutions was shattered. But here's the thing, fam it's not just history, it's happening right now.

Speaker 1: 3:34

Today, during childbirth, at rates three to four times higher than white women, black patients are less likely to be prescribed pain medication for the same conditions as white patients. Mental health symptoms in black youth are more likely to be labeled as behavioral issues rather than emotional distress, and black men, our brothers, are often treated like they're dangerous before they're treated like they're in danger. What does that tell you? It tells you that it's not about insurance, it's not about paperwork, it's not even about money. It's about bias, power and perception.

Speaker 1: 4:17

Even with top-tier insurance, we're still walking into hospitals with fear, not confidence. We're still Googling our symptoms at home before daring to step into an urgent care. We're still second-guessing what to say to doctors, afraid we'll be labeled aggressive or non-compliant. It's exhausting, and when you look at how access is structured, the barriers are endless. Let's talk about food deserts, where nutritious options are scarce and the local corner store sells more liquor than lettuce. Let's talk about neighborhood clinics with overworked, underpaid staff and hours that don't align with anyone working two jobs. Let's talk about Black elders who don't trust the system and are forced to choose between groceries or prescriptions. And let's talk about how hard it is to find a Black therapist, a black doula or even a black dentist who gets our experiences and treats us with dignity. And don't even get me started on mental health.

Speaker 1: 5:16

For decades, our trauma has been buried beneath survival. We've normalized stress to the point where rest feels like rebellion. We've been gaslit into thinking therapy is weakness, when in fact it's the healing work our ancestors prayed we'd have access to. And when we do seek help, we're often met with diagnoses that pathologize our pain rather than contextualize it. But here's where it gets real. Despite all this, despite all the neglect, all the bias, all the loss, we still rise, we still create, we still organize, because Black people have always been our own first responders, from the Underground Railroad to Underground Clinics. We have a legacy of building what didn't exist and healing ourselves when systems wouldn't. And that legacy, that fire, it's being reignited in 2026.

Speaker 1: 6:06

We're entering a new era, family one where we're not waiting on policies to catch up, one where we're not depending on broken institutions to suddenly start valuing our lives, one where we're building DIY medical networks, reviving ancestral healing and trading health resources like currency, not for survival but for liberation. Because, at the end of the day, this isn't just about medicine, it's about power, it's about autonomy, it's about deciding that our bodies are not battlegrounds but temples, that our wellness is not optional but sacred, and that Black health is not just about longevity, it's about legacy. So when we say Black health is Black wealth, we mean it with our whole chest, because a healthy community is a powerful one, a rested mind is a radical mind, and when we control our care, we control our future. This is why the conversation we're having today matters more than ever. This is why DIY health isn't a trend, it's a movement, and in the next section we're going to talk about what that movement looks like, who's leading it, how it's organized and how you can become part of it. Because healing is no longer a request. It's a revolution.

Speaker 1: 7:22

The rise of DIY medical networks, what they are and why they're saving lives. Imagine walking into a space that feels like a living room, not a waiting room, where the person checking your blood pressure knows your children's names, where there's no clipboard asking for your insurance, but instead someone handing you a warm cup of herbal tea while you wait for your wellness circle to begin. That's the vibe, that's the vision, because DIY medical networks, or what some are calling community-led health ecosystems, are more than just grassroots pop-ups or emergency band-aids. They are powerful, decentralized systems of care built by the people for the people, and they're not waiting for approval, licensing or federal dollars to save lives. Let's break it down. What is a DIY medical network? At its core, it's a community-based web of support and healing resources that operate independently from traditional hospitals, urgent cares or corporate health centers. These networks are being built out of necessity, born from the deep cracks in our healthcare infrastructure. But make no mistake, they're not makeshift, they're intentional, they're strategic, they're sacred and, most importantly, they're working. Diy networks often include some or all of the following Mutual aid, health pods where families or neighborhoods share supplies like blood pressure cuffs, thermometers, first aid kits and even share medication.

Speaker 1: 8:48

Education, mobile wellness clinics. Vans and buses equipped with free HIV testing, blood sugar checks, doula consultations and sometimes even chiropractic care. Acupuncture or trauma therapy pop-ups, community herbalists and root workers. Those reviving our plant-based healing knowledge, offering teas, tinctures and salves that heal the body and nourish the spirit. Black doulas and birth workers. Protecting Black mothers and babies in a country where Black maternity death rates are a national disgrace. Therapy circles, group journaling and spiritual counseling. Free or sliding scale mental health services provided by people who look like us and live like us.

Speaker 1: 9:33

Digital health co-ops and signal networks. Telegram and discord groups where folks trade tips, find black doctors, recommend therapists and warn each other about predatory clinics or police presence. Emergency community funds, crowdfunded systems to pay for insulin surgery, travel to appointments or funeral costs when the state fails us yet again. And here's the thing, these systems are interconnected. If someone in Harlem knows a midwife in Atlanta who just helped a mother give birth at home safely, that number gets passed around like sacred scripture. If someone in Oakland creates a free PDF on anti-inflammatory herbs and foods for lupus, it's downloaded in Memphis, baton Rouge and Flint. If a brother in Baltimore creates a map of food co-ops, that map becomes a life-saving tool in Chicago and Detroit. This is digital era, underground railroad energy.

Speaker 1: 10:31

But instead of escaping slavery, we're escaping medical neglect, economic abandonment and generational silence about our health. Now let's be clear DIY doesn't mean unprofessional or unsafe. Many of the people leading these efforts are certified nurses, doctors, herbalists, therapists and nutritionists. They've simply chosen to step outside of the gatekeeping institutions to offer care on their own terms, with our needs at the center, not corporate profit margins and those who aren't credentialed. They're still deeply rooted in care trained by elders grounded in experience and supported by tight-knit webs of accountability and ancestral knowledge. This is the part mainstream media doesn't understand. In our communities, a grandmother with 30 years of midwifery under her belt is just as valuable as a white coat with a plaque on the wall, because her care comes with history, with love, with prayers. Now let's talk about why these networks are saving lives In 2026,.

Speaker 1: 11:30

We are watching a dual crisis unfold. First, the healthcare system is becoming more expensive and less accessible. Premiums are up, drug prices are out of control and telehealth, which was once a temporary fix during the pandemic is now replacing in-person care, leaving many elders and tech challenge folks behind. Second, our people are tired of dying with dignity when we never got the chance to live with equity, so we're building new systems that respond to our realities. A single mother who can't afford daycare and a copay she can join a community wellness hub that offers free childcare during mental health group sessions. A Black trans youth who's afraid of being misgendered or mistreated at the ER they're welcomed with open arms at a queer-led herbal clinic operating in a shared co-op space. A grandparent managing diabetes but struggling to understand their nutrition plan. Grandparent managing diabetes but struggling to understand their nutrition plan. A retired nutritionist turned volunteer shows up with a culturally specific food map for soul food alternatives.

Speaker 1: 12:32

These aren't hypotheticals. This is happening right now in kitchens, garages, zoom calls, converted buses, instagram DMs and backyards all across the country. And what's wild? These efforts are often run on shoestring budgets, fueled by community donations and pure heart. But here's the secret Heart is sustainable when community is the engine. You don't need a million-dollar grant to make a difference. You need intention, you need trust, you need love, and we, as a people, are overflowing with that. There's a quote I love that says when the people have nothing left to eat, they will eat the rich. But, baby, in 2026, when the people have nothing left to trust, we will build our own sanctuaries of care and we will stock them with herbs, with prayers, with blood pressure cuffs, with loving arms and with freedom.

Speaker 1: 13:29

This is not about replacing hospitals. It's about reducing dependency on a system that has failed us for generations. It's about restoring autonomy. It's about healing together instead of waiting alone, and it's about preparing for whatever comes next, with skills, knowledge and a tribe, because healing doesn't have to look clinical. It can look like porch talks, like sister circles, like uncles teaching breathwork, like kids learning CPR at the cookout. That's what DIY networks are Freedom disguised as care.

Speaker 1: 14:03

And in the next section, we're going to talk about the tools, herbs, skills and allies you need to start your own health pod, wellness circle or neighborhood healing station. We're going to get practical, because this revolution it's not just inspiring, it's achievable. Building a health pod, how to start your own DIY wellness network today, let's get into it, because it's one thing to talk about the problem, but we as a people have always been more than talk. We are doers, creators, legacy builders. So today, let's talk about how you can start your own health pod, whether you're in an apartment, a family home, a rural town or the middle of a city block.

Speaker 1: 14:47

First, what's a health pod? A health pod is a small community-rooted circle of individuals friends, family members, neighbors, coworkers who come together to mutually support one another's well-being outside of the traditional medical system. Think of it as a microclinic meets spiritual wellness tribe. You don't need to be a doctor, you don't need money, you don't need a title. You just need intention, a plan and a heart for your people.

Speaker 1: 15:15

Step one define your pod's purpose. Ask yourself who are you trying to support first, family, single mothers, elders, youth, creatives, spiritual folks, returning citizens, lgbtq plus, fam. What health issues do they face most often? Is it diabetes, stress, high blood pressure, reproductive health, depression? What services or supports are missing from their lives? A pod could focus on emotional support like weekly mental health check-ins or group journaling, herbal healing, monthly herbal remedy shares, body-based care, free yoga movement, breathwork, massage circles, chronic illness support, diabetic meal swaps, pressure readings, accountability partners, pregnancy and postpartum, black doulas, lactation support, birth planning, men's health circles, barbershop healing, prostate health, grief discussions or it could be a mix, but focus is key. Pro tip don't do this alone. Bring two to three trusted co-founders in early, so the weight isn't just on you. Think team, not hero.

Speaker 1: 16:30

Step two gather your tools and healing materials. You don't need a hospital, but having a well-stocked sacred space matters. Start with this DIY health pod starter kit. Build it slowly with this DIY health pod Starter kit. Build it slowly. Basic medical tools Digital thermometer, blood pressure cuff, automatic or manual Pulse oximeter for oxygen levels, glucometer for blood sugar. If needed, first aid kit, bandages, gauze, antiseptics, menstrual pads or cups, condoms and safe sex materials. Emergency contact forms and allergy cards.

Speaker 1: 17:07

Holistic and herbal supplies herbal teas, chamomile, sleep hibiscus, blood pressure nettle, iron, ginger, inflammation carrier oils, olive, jojoba, coconut tinctures Thank you Tourmaline Sage, palo Santo or African incense for spiritual cleansing, florida water camphor or ancestral oils for cleansing rituals. Educational materials Anatomy posters or PDFs, easy to read wellness books. Sacred Woman by Queen Afua, medical Apartheid by Harriet Washington. African Holistic Health by Dr Laila. Africa templates to design your flyers, education cards and wellness forms. Zoom or in-person video calls for meetings or care sessions. Safety items Mask kits for immune, compromised folks, cpr certification or first aid training, emergency response plans, hospital routes, who drives who, etc. This may seem like a lot, but remember. Build as you go. Ask each pod member to contribute one item, trade with nearby pods, host a healing supply swap. You'll be amazed what you can build when you combine forces.

Speaker 1: 18:54

Step three build trust and accountability. This part is critical. You are not just organizing materials, you are holding people's healing energy. That requires boundaries, confidentiality, thank you. Everyone contributes what they can time, knowledge or presence. Also rotate roles. Let someone be the herbalist, another person lead meditation, someone else facilitate prayer. When everyone is involved, the network becomes stronger and no one burns out. Pro tip have regular check-ins every two weeks or monthly. Celebrate healing wins, mourn losses together. Keep it sacred.

Speaker 1: 19:49

Step four connect to the larger movement. You are not alone in this. There are DIY pods forming all across the country and globally. Search hashtags like Chosh Healing Justice, chosh Black Health Matters, chosh Herbal Healing Pod or Radical Rest. Connect with groups like the National Black Doulas Association, black Healers Collective, heal House Kindred, southern Healing Justice Collective, m4bl Healing Justice Network, queering Herbalism, and don't forget to create your own network. Link with church groups, black therapists, reiki practitioners, youth groups, single mother collectives and healing-centered schools. Our strength is in interdependence.

Speaker 1: 20:32

Step five ritualize the work. This is more than just community care. It's spiritual rebellion, so treat it like the sacred offering that it is. Open each meeting with a grounding ritual, pour libations for the ancestors, say affirmations as a group, burn herbs and ask for spiritual protection. Read a healing quote from bell hooks Audrey Lord or Dr Sebi. Play a frequency or lo-fi track to calm the nervous system. Make healing beautiful, intentional and sacred. When our people feel seen, they open up, and when they open up, healing flows like water. Step six track what's working and what's not.

Speaker 1: 21:17

Keep a record of common health needs in your group, remedies or rituals that work best barriers your group is facing food time access, local Black-friendly resources, discovered emergency protocols, asthma attacks, allergic reactions, etc. Use this data to evolve. Add new tools, share the model, offer workshops. One day, your health pod could become a full-blown community clinic, collective or school Pro tip. Turn your learnings into a free PDF or zine and pass it out at events, barbershops, salons or online.

Speaker 1: 21:57

My final thought for this section let's be clear the system was never broken. It was built this way, but instead of begging it to change, we're building sanctuaries of healing in its shadow. That's the revolution. That's the answer. So, whether you're a mother braiding hair and sharing recipes, a brother teaching CPR in the barbershop, a healer offering full moon cleansings or a youth teaching TikTok meditations to their friends. You are the medicine. When we come together with love and purpose, we're not just resisting, we're restoring. And in 2026, our Black Health Pods won't just be surviving, they'll be thriving, radiant, revolutionary, rooted in love and rooted in legacy, because Black health is Black wealth and we're no longer outsourcing our power.

Speaker 1: 22:49

Section 4, the role of Black doulas, birth workers and healers, reclaiming the sacred art of care. Let's take a sacred pause right here and talk about something that should be at the very center of every conversation about Black health Black birth, black motherhood, black healing, black life. Because what's more revolutionary than preserving Black life from the moment it enters the world? And yet, in a country as medically advanced as America claims to be, black women are still dying during childbirth at rates that rival those of developing countries. In fact, the maternal mortality rate for Black women in the US is more than triple that of white women, even when you control for education and income. Let that settle into your bones for a second. A Harvard-educated Black woman is still more likely to die giving birth than a high school dropout who is white, and it's not because of biology, it's because of bias, because of neglect, because of dismissal, because our pain is still not believed, because our wombs are treated as war zones instead of sacred portals. But guess what? We are reclaiming that power through the divine work of black doulas, birth workers and spiritual healers who are black doulas and birth workers.

Speaker 1: 24:07

A doula is not a midwife, though the two roles can work beautifully together. A doula is a trained support person, someone who walks with you through the pregnancy, birth and postpartum journey. They're there for emotional support, spiritual strength, physical comfort and advocacy in spaces where your voice may be dismissed. But a Black doula, a Black doula is so much more than that. She or he or they becomes a cultural anchor, a translator between medical jargon and ancestral knowing, a protector of your spirit as much as your cervix, a reminder that you are not a statistic. You are a divine vessel bringing life forward. Many Black doulas go beyond training. They carry the wisdom of generations. They know the smells of labor, the sound of a woman's breath when her body opens, the chance to calm the room, the herbs to ease the pain, the oils to rub on swollen feet, the prayers to whisper during transition. They are the bridge and they are saving lives, why their work is so urgently needed.

Speaker 1: 25:11

Far too often, our sisters walk into hospital rooms and never walk out again. Their partners are told everything was fine, only to bury them days later. But when a Black doula or birth worker is present, outcomes improve dramatically. That's not anecdotal. It's backed by data. Studies show that mothers with doula support are less likely to undergo unnecessary C-sections, experience less trauma and fewer complications, report higher satisfaction with their birth experience, are more likely to successfully breastfeed, have stronger postpartum recovery outcomes. But beyond statistics, it's the feeling of not being alone, not being dismissed, having someone who looks like you and feels like home, holding space for your transformation. And let's be honest, this isn't just about birth Healers of the mind, body and spirit.

Speaker 1: 26:04

Black healing work stretches far beyond labor and delivery. We are seeing a resurgence of sacred care Energy healers who help align chakras and emotional trauma. Herbalists who restore womb health with yoni steams, teas and tinctures. Spiritual midwives who guide women through miscarriages, abortions and rebirths. Grief doulas who walk with families through ancestral transitions and loss. Thank you, that rest is not laziness, it's sacred recovery. These practitioners are our earth angels and many of them are forming healing collectives operating out of living rooms, converted wellness spaces, mobile clinics and even sacred sanctuaries inside churches, mosques and cultural centers. They are the heartbeat of the DIY health revolution Reviving Rituals, ancient tools for modern healing.

Speaker 1: 27:08

One of the most powerful gifts Black doulas and healers bring is a return to ritual. In these modern spaces, we're seeing a revival of ancestral tools and sacred ceremonies, practices our grandmothers whispered about, now roaring back with pride. Some of these include womb blessing ceremonies with candles, rose water drumming and affirmations. Ancestor veneration. Altars for women preparing to give birth, calling in the protection of the lineage. Postpartum belly binding using traditional African cloth techniques. Moon circles aligned with lunar cycles for regulating womb health and menstrual peace. Herbal baths to cleanse grief, restore softness and release past trauma from the body. Naming rituals rooted in Yoruba or Congolese tradition affirming the soul of the new life. Entering these practices are not extras, they are medicine. They are a declaration that we are not just birthing babies, we are birthing futures. That care is not clinical, it is spiritual, it is communal, it is sacred.

Speaker 1: 28:15

How to find or become a Black doula or healer? If you're looking for support or if you feel called to become a healer yourself, there are countless resources, training and directories. National Black Doulas Association, nbda. Sistersong, mama Glow by Latham Thomas, ancient Song Doulas Services. Roots of Labor, birth Collective. Black Healers Network Decolonize your Womb School. Black Healers Network Decolonize your Womb School. Many of these organizations offer free or sliding scale services, especially for Black mothers, lgbtq plus birth givers and low-income communities. They also offer trainings, certifications and mentorships. If you feel the call to walk this sacred path, pro tip you don't need to be a doula to support. You can be the cook who delivers meals to a new mom, the auntie who sits and listens, the friend who makes herbal care packages, the cousin who watches the baby while the new parent naps. That is healing work too.

Speaker 1: 29:16

The doula mindset for everyone. Let's expand our vision because in 2026, we are all doulas, we are all midwifing each other's healing. Whether you're helping a friend through heartbreak, guiding your teen through mental health challenges or tending to your own self after burnout, you are birthing something holy. The doula mindset is one of presence, compassion and witnessing. You don't have to have all the answers. You just have to show up to breathe with someone, to speak life into them, to hold their hand, not their pain. And in a world that treats Black folks like machines, presence is revolutionary.

Speaker 1: 29:54

Our ancestors knew that healing was never meant to be solitary, that birth was never meant to be traumatic, that health was never meant to be transactional and that care, when done right, is the most sacred form of love. Black doulas, birth workers and healers are the soul of this movement. They're not just helping us survive, they're helping us return to ourselves. So let us honor them, support them, become them, because when we reclaim the sacred art of care, we don't just change outcomes, we change the future. And in the next section we'll talk about how this energy is transforming mental health in our communities, where trauma meets tenderness and DIY therapy circles are breaking generational curses.

Speaker 1: 30:37

Section five emotional wealth how DIY therapy circles are healing Black mental health from the inside out. Let's take a breath, because everything we've talked about up to now ancestral healing, doulas, herbal medicine, health pods is powerful, but there's a part of our well-being that often gets buried beneath all the physical survival strategies, and that's our emotional health. Because, let's be real, some of the deepest wounds we carry aren't visible on an x-ray. They're in the silence we learn to survive. They're in the walls we built around our hearts. They're in the generational trauma that whispers. Be strong, no matter what they're in the pain we numbed just to keep going, and too often when it comes to mental health in Black communities. Often, when it comes to mental health in Black communities, we're told to pray it away, man up or just be grateful. But healing is not a performance of strength. Healing is a return to softness, a release of shame and a reclamation of feeling. That's why in 2026, we are seeing a beautiful revolution, diy therapy circles led by the people for the people, restoring what institutional systems could never truly give us Emotional safety the crisis we're facing. Let's talk about the weight we carry.

Speaker 1: 31:58

Black children are more likely to be diagnosed with behavioral disorders than given trauma-informed care. Black men are four times more likely to die by suicide than Black women, but least likely to receive professional support. Black women are some of the highest performing, most overburdened and under-supported demographic groups in the workforce and we're burning out. Lgbtq+ Black youth report higher anxiety. Lgbtq+ Black youth report higher anxiety, depression and suicide attempts, but are rarely seen through an affirming or culturally competent lens. Many of our elders are silently suffering with undiagnosed PTSD, grief and unresolved historical trauma from segregation, displacement and racism. And yet access to mental health support remains scarce, especially in our communities. Therapists are expensive, cultural competency is rare and for some of us, the idea of telling a stranger your business still feels like betrayal. So what do we do? We circle up, we build sacred containers, we create our own healing rooms, because we may not all have therapists, but we have each other.

Speaker 1: 33:09

What is a DIY therapy circle? A DIY therapy circle is a safe, peer-led space where Black folks come together to share, release and rebuild. It's not a replacement for clinical therapy, but it is an accessible, culturally-rooted alternative that supports healing in powerful ways. Here's what makes these circles so special they're rooted in trust, often made up of friends, family or community members with shared experience. They're accessible, free or low cost, no insurance, no diagnosis required. They're flexible, held in homes, barbershops and in the community gardens, online or in sacred spaces like churches or wellness centers. They're trauma-informed. Many use prompts, breathwork, storytelling and rituals to honor each person's journey. They're ancestral Black people have always used circle dialogue, from griots to village councils, from kitchen table wisdom to drum circles.

Speaker 1: 34:09

This is in our DNA. It's not about fixing people. It's about holding space, because sometimes all a person needs is for someone to say you're not alone, you're not crazy, you're not broken. You're human and you're healing. How to start your own DIY therapy circle? Just like with a health pod, starting a healing circle doesn't require credentials. It requires care, intention and consistency. Here's how you can start.

Speaker 1: 34:40

One choose your format. Decide if your circle is open or closed. Invite only virtual or in-person mixed gender or specific to a group Black women, black fathers, queer, black youth, etc. Two create a ritual of opening. Every circle should begin with a grounding practice Light a candle or incense. Set an intention Healing, release clarity. Breathe together for three minutes. Offer an affirmation or prayer. Acknowledge the ancestors or spiritual guides. Three use guided prompts.

Speaker 1: 35:18

Structure can help ease vulnerability. Try questions like what's something heavy you've been carrying? When was the last time you felt seen? What's a lie? You were told about your worth? What did your parents never learn how to say? What does peace feel like in your body? You can also pull cards, poems or even quotes from bell hooks, audre Lorde or Kendrick Lamar to spark deeper discussion.

Speaker 1: 35:42

Fear to hold a talking piece. Pass a sacred object, crystal, flower, ancestral item around. Only the person holding it may speak. Everyone else listens fully, without advice, without interruption. Pro tip silence is welcome. Not everyone needs to talk every time.

Speaker 1: 36:01

Five create an exit ritual. Don't leave people raw. Close the circle with a moment of peace. Everyone shares one word for how they feel A group hum, drumbeat or breath Light Palo Santo or Florida water cleanse, group chant or guided affirmation. Sixth follow up.

Speaker 1: 36:21

Healing doesn't end when the candles blow out. Check in with each other midweek, share a playlist, send love notes. Build the emotional wealth that keeps us rooted when this is happening already. These circles are growing everywhere, from big cities to rural towns. In Oakland, hood healing circles combine breathwork with storytelling and plant medicine. In Atlanta, black Boy Joy Collective hosts healing sessions for men to cry, release and reconnect. In New Orleans, kitchen Table Healers gathers mothers to talk grief, joy and love while cooking ancestral recipes. On Instagram, pages like At Therapy for Black Girls and At Safe Haven Spaces offer virtual prompts and check-ins. Tiktok now features virtual healing lives with breathwork, affirmations and live group journaling.

Speaker 1: 37:16

You don't need a therapist's couch. You need a witness. You need a mirror. You need a circle. Emotional wealth is our inheritance. Let me say this loud and clear you deserve emotional wealth. You deserve joy that doesn't come with guilt. You deserve softness that doesn't feel like weakness. You deserve rest that isn't earned through suffering. You deserve people who look at you and say I get it, I got you, and you deserve to feel your feelings without shame. Emotional wealth is not about being happy all the time. It's about having the space to be real. It's about building community so strong that you never have to pretend again. This is what healing justice looks like in 2026. Not just marching, not just surviving, but feeling, releasing healing.

Speaker 1: 38:05

Reclaiming my final word for this section there is nothing more revolutionary than a black woman crying in a room full of love and not being told to hold it together. There is nothing more sacred than a black father whispering. I don't know how to do this, but I'm trying. There is nothing more healing than a child saying I feel safe here. Our healing is not just personal, it's collective. Our liberation is not just political, it's emotional. Our medicine is not just personal, it's collective. Our liberation is not just political, it's emotional. Our medicine is not just herbal, it's relational. Diy therapy circles are not soft work, they are soul work.

Speaker 1: 38:43

And in the next section we're going to talk about food, because no healing system is complete without honoring the plate. We're breaking down how food co-ops, herbal gardens and black-led nutrition are reshaping how we feed our people, because nourishment Section six food is medicine how black gardens, co-ops and nutrition hubs are feeding the future. Let's talk about the most underestimated but most powerful form of medicine. We touch every single day our food. Because when we talk about healing our bodies, minds and communities, we can't skip over what's on our plates. We can't bypass what's in our pantries, our soil, our kitchens and our children's lunch boxes. We were raised on soul food. We were raised on grandma's greens, sweet potatoes, cornbread, red beans and oxtails. But let's be honest, some of that soul food was survival food passed down from plantation scraps. It's time we ask a bold question what does liberated food look like in black hands? The answer it looks like garden plots in abandoned lots. It looks like herbal bundles hanging in kitchen windows. It looks like collard greens without pork and smoothies without guilt. It looks like co-ops, collective meals, soil healing and children learning how to grow before they go. It looks like Black health being restored from the inside out.

Speaker 1: 40:05

The problem food apartheid, not just deserts. The term food desert doesn't even scratch the surface of what's been done to our communities. A better term is food apartheid, because it's not random, it's systematic, it's the result of zoning laws, redlining, divestment and the intentional placement of liquor stores and fast food joints, while pushing fresh markets out. In many Black neighborhoods you can walk 10 blocks and not find a single organic vegetable, but you'll find chicken shacks, corner stores and sugary snacks on every corner. Here's the toll it's taking. Black Americans are 1.5x more likely to suffer from obesity, two times as likely to develop type 2 diabetes, more likely to have high blood pressure, heart disease and strokes, less likely to have access to healthy, affordable and culturally relevant food. And it's not just about access. It's about education, affordability and ancestral connection, because food is not just fuel, it's ritual, it's memory, it's medicine.

Speaker 1: 41:11

The rise of Black Food Sovereignty Movements Enter the Black Food Sovereignty Movement a wave of farmers, herbalists, chefs, aunties and educators who are reclaiming control over our food systems. Not just what we eat, but how it's grown, who profits from it and how it heals us. These are the folks saying we're growing our own, we're feeding our block, we're replacing corner stores with co-ops, we're reclaiming the land our ancestors bled into. Let's shine light on just a few of the people and movements leading this revolution Soul Fire Farm, upstate, new York. Black and Brown-led farm-fighting, food apartheid through training, education and liberation through land. Black Church Food Security Network. Multiple cities, churches turning backyards into gardens and feeding communities while teaching soil stewardship. The SIP Culture Project, mississippi, farming, storytelling and arts woven together to restore land and food knowledge in the Deep South. Ron Finley Project, los Angeles, the Gangsta Gardener who turned curbside dirt lots into vegetable oases and changed zoning laws doing it. Blk plus GRN Trap Garden and Black Urban Growers, national hubs for healing, healing-centered Food Systems, black Farming Collectives and Wellness Partnerships. These folks aren't just feeding bellies, they're feeding freedom, because when you control your food, you control your health, you control your wealth and you begin to undo the trauma of being disconnected from the earth.

Speaker 1: 42:49

How to start a wellness kitchen or herbal garden in your home or block. You don't need acres, you need intention, whether you live in a high-rise apartment or have a backyard, here's how you can begin healing through food. Start with five medicine plants. Grow these in pots, windowsills or small garden beds. Basil anti-inflammatory, improves digestion. Mint calms nerves, aids, sleep time, antibacterial, respiratory health. Lemongrass, blood sugar control, anxiety relief. Collard greens calcium-rich, detoxifying, deeply ancestral. Create a kitchen healing cabinet. Stock with powerful items like turmeric and black pepper for pain, ginger root, nausea, immunity. Sea moss, minerals, thyroid health, raw honey, antiviral, allergy aid, apple cider, vinegar, blood sugar balance.

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Do a monthly meal healing circle. Host a potluck. Do a monthly meal healing circle. Host a potluck where each person brings one healing dish Before eating. Everyone shares how the food connects to their culture or health journey. That's medicine. Teach the babies, let your children or neighborhood youth plant one herb and name it. Show them how to water it and use it. Empowering them to grow.

Speaker 1: 44:11

One thing can unlock a lifetime of confidence. Join or start a food co-op. Food co-ops let communities bulk. Buy healthy food at lower prices. They're run by the people, not for profit. Use a community fridge Partner with a local farm. Share freezer space.

Speaker 1: 44:28

There's always a way. Create healing meals with ritual, set intentions. As you cook, play affirming music, say a prayer over your plate. There's always a way and I am nourished the soul in our food, a return to ancestral nutrition. Many of the foods we were taught to fear, like sweet potatoes, okra, black-eyed peas, yams, millet, callaloo, phonio, hibiscus, are deeply healing. They are indigenous to us. Ancestral nutrition means eating seasonally and locally, pairing herbs with meals, listening to your body's rhythms, healing your gut for emotional peace, restoring lost recipes with purpose. This is not about dieting. This is not about clean eating. This is about sacred remembering. Food was our first language of care. The pot of soup waiting on the stove, the skillet of cornbread for Sunday dinners, the banana pudding that healed heartbreak, the plate left out for the ancestors. Our people have always known feeding is sacred and in 2026, we are returning to that altar with open hearts and full plates.

Speaker 1: 45:52

Final word for this section. When we say Black health is black wealth, this is what we mean, because a garden is not just a garden. It's a protest, it's an offering, it's a declaration that our wellness will no longer be outsourced To systems that don't value us. Every kale leaf you grow, every tea blend you brew, every youth you teach to touch the soil that's legacy, that's, that's divine work. And when we reclaim our right to feed ourselves with love, intention and wisdom, we unlock a freedom that no policy can ever give us. You deserve food that affirms you. You deserve meals that don't inflame you. You deserve a body that feels safe in its fullness. You deserve to be nourished into your destiny, because food is medicine, food is memory, food is liberation.

Speaker 1: 46:47

You've heard of physical immunity, your body's defense system, but there's another layer that's just as vital, if not more so, a layer our ancestors never ignored. It's called spiritual immunity. And in 2026, we are finally waking up to what our grandmothers, babalawos, hoodoo, practitioners, pastors and priestesses always knew If your spirit is unprotected, your health will unravel, no matter what you eat, take or treat. Spiritual immunity is your soul's firewall. It's the strength of your aura, your ori, your inner compass. It governs your energy, your emotional clarity, your spiritual boundaries and your ability to resist not just illness but depression, manipulation, confusion and chaos. And let's be clear in a world that is constantly trying to invade, exploit and drain black energy, protecting your spirit is non-negotiable.

Speaker 1: 47:44

What is spiritual immunity? Spiritual immunity is the energetic layer of protection and alignment that helps you Resist emotional manipulation, detox energetic clutter and stress, restore divine clarity in the face of confusion, create boundaries that guard your peace, connect with ancestors and divine guides for guidance, navigate toxic environments without absorbing the poison. Heal faster by staying aligned with your inner truth. Our people have always had tools for this. It's in our prayers, our oils, our altars, our music, our rhythm, our rituals, our intuition. Your immune system has white blood cells. Your spirit has incantations, crystals, altars and divine alignment Signs your spiritual immunity is compromised. Let's be real, most of us have walked around with low spiritual immunity and didn't know it. Here are signs your energy body needs healing Constant fatigue, even when well-fed and rested.

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Mental fog and forgetfulness, feeling ungrounded or scattered. Nightmares or broken sleep. Chronic fear, anxiety or dread. Sudden mood swings when around others, absorbing other people's pain or negativity. Feeling spiritually off, even when life seems fine. Unexplained body aches, especially in your neck, back or chest. Sound familiar. That's not just stress, it's spiritual depletion.

Speaker 1: 49:22

But here's the good news you can restore your field. How to strengthen your spiritual immunity. These are not woo-woo practices. These are ancient technologies that our people have used for centuries. Here's how to protect your energetic field and reclaim your sovereignty.

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One cleanse your energy field regularly. Spiritual baths Use herbs like basil, hyssop, rosemary and lavender in a bath with sea salt, florida water and prayer Smoke cleansing. Burn sage, cedar, frankincense or African myrrh around your body and space Crystal brushing. Sweep a black tourmaline or selenite wand over your body daily to remove stagnant energy. Two feed your ancestors. Set up a clean altar with water, a white candle and food offerings. Speak their names aloud. Ask for their protection. Leave daily gratitude or song as nourishment. Three speak spiritual immunity into yourself, affirmations to fortify your aura. I am protected by divine forces, seen and unseen. My energy is sacred. I release what is not mine. Every breath realigns me with peace, clarity and ancestral wisdom. I reject confusion. I welcome clarity. I carry the light of those who came before me.

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Four guard your inputs. Just like junk food weakens the body, junk energy weakens the spirit. Turn off chaos-filled news cycles and arguments online. Stop following people who trigger comparison and lack. Protect your dreams by praying over your pillow and sleeping with black obsidian or amethyst. Clear your space weekly, energetically and physically.

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Five practice spiritual hydration. It's not just water, it's the vibration of your thoughts. Drink herbal teas with intention. Speak affirmations into your water before you sip. Hydrate your soul as much as your skin. Six ground daily in nature. Put your bare feet on the earth for 10 minutes a day. Sun gaze in the early morning, touch plants, hug a tree, sit in silence, listen to birds. Nature resets your frequency. Seven use spiritual oils and wares. Wear oils like protection, crown of success, money draw and peace oil. Dress with intention White for purity, red for protection, blue for clarity, yellow for joy. Wrap your head when around chaotic energy to seal your crown.

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Ancestral worship, call in protection daily. Use psalms, use chants, use Yoruba prayers, use your voice. Your words are medicine, a simple daily spiritual immunity ritual. Light a candle each morning, burn a cleansing herb or incense. Vhs say I am grounded, I am protected, I am aligned. All that is for me flows to me, all that is not for me flees. Drink a glass of infused water. Look in the mirror and say my energy is enough, my peace is non-negotiable. I am the altar. Even five minutes a day shifts your entire field. Why this matters now more than ever entire field. Why this matters now more than ever. As the world gets louder, your spirit must get quieter. As technology speeds up, your intuition must slow down. As systems crumble, your inner temple must rise. Spiritual immunity is your energetic inheritance. It keeps you from repeating toxic patterns, it protects your family line, it honors the sacrifices of your bloodline and it empowers you to walk boldly into your future, because physical healing without spiritual protection is incomplete and we are no longer settling for half healing.

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Final word for this section 2026 is the year of energetic reclamation. This is not just the year we take herbs, it's the year we take our power. This is not just the year we open clinics. It's the year we open our channels. This is not just the year we care for others. It's the year we care for our auras, our ancestors and our alignment. You are not fragile, you are fortified. You are not cursed, you are called. You are not fragile, you are fortified, you are not cursed. You are called. You are not broken, you are becoming and in the final segment of this episode we're going to wrap it all together what all this has to do with relationships, legacy and how we love each other better when we heal ourselves. Because at the core of Black health, black wealth and Black healing is Black love. Final reflection Healing ourselves to love each other better.

Speaker 1: 54:20

The relationship between wellness, community and legacy. Let's slow this moment down, take a breath with me, because everything we've discussed from health pods to birth work, from therapy circles to food co-ops, from herbal healing to spiritual immunity it all leads us back to one sacred truth we heal in relationship with our bodies, with our spirits, with each other. There is no true health without connection, there is no true wealth without legacy, there is no true revolution without love. And that's the missing thread in so many conversations about wellness. We talk about symptoms, we talk about access, we talk about statistics, but we don't always talk about how our relationships suffer when our health is unwell and how our health suffers when our relationships are fractured, because, at the end of the day, healing is about how we show up for each other, how poor health erodes relationships. Let's keep it real when you're in constant survival mode, when your body is in pain, when your mind is exhausted, when your nervous system is overwhelmed, it becomes hard to love, not because you don't want to, but because your cup is bone dry, because you're pouring from a wound instead of a well, because you're reacting instead of relating, because you're trying to fix, control or retreat when what you really need is to be held.

Speaker 1: 55:49

Think about how many arguments start because someone's simply tired. How many relationships suffer because we haven't? Someone's simply tired? How many relationships suffer because we haven't been taught to rest? How many marriages break down because of unspoken depression or chronic illness that never got the right kind of care? How many friendships dissolve because people are silently battling anxiety and feel too ashamed to say I need you. These things don't show up on lab tests, but they bleed into our homes, into our parenting, into our partnerships, into our purpose. That's why healing is not selfish. It's relational justice.

Speaker 1: 56:25

When you heal, you change how you love. When you eat better, you argue less. When you breathe deeper, you listen better. When your energy is protected, you stop attracting people who prey on your peace. When your spiritual immunity is strong, you stop mistaking trauma bonds for soul ties. Healing changes everything. When we heal, our love becomes generational.

Speaker 1: 56:52

Let me ask you something what if the healthiest thing you ever do for your family is not a job or a house or a title, but simply showing them what wholeness looks like? What if your children inherit your boundaries, not your burnout? What if your partner witnesses your peace and finally finds their own? What if your home becomes a sanctuary instead of a place to collapse? That's what happens when we choose intentional health, not just in crisis, but as a lifestyle, a practice, a commitment to loving better, because loving someone when you're depleted is hard.

Speaker 1: 57:29

Loving someone when you've regulated your nervous system, recharged your spirit and reconnected with purpose, that love is transformational. We begin to love without projecting. We begin to speak without triggering. We begin to parent without passing down pain. We begin to partner without performing. We begin to parent without passing down pain. We begin to partner without performing. We begin to create without craving validation. This is the kind of healing that makes love sustainable. Community healing is relationship work. Let's go even wider, because when we heal ourselves, we don't just fix our own homes. We start fixing the entire village ourselves. We don't just fix our own homes, we start fixing the entire village.

Speaker 1: 58:08

That sister in your therapy circle she's a mother now raising her kids differently. That brother you showed herbal remedies to he's now off medications and mentoring young men. That elder you fed from your garden she's telling stories again, sharing wisdom the youth forgot they needed. That teen you taught how to meditate. She's now teaching her friends how not to give their bodies away just to feel seen. Every act of healing is a ripple. Every restored body becomes a bridge. Every nourished soul becomes a light. We become mirrors of possibility in a world obsessed with pain, and that is sacred. That is relationship work. That is legacy. What you can do right now. Let's make this tangible After everything you've heard in this episode.

Speaker 1: 58:55

Here are five things you can do this week to begin or deepen your healing legacy. Start a family health journal. Record everyone's herbs, allergies, conditions, emotional cycles, full moon reactions. Let health be a shared language, not a hidden struggle. Host a Sunday soul supper. Make one healing meal a week. Invite loved ones and ask how's your heart? Don't talk politics, talk spirit. Gift a care ritual. Drop off a bath kit, a tea blend or a crystal to someone you love. Let them know healing is not a solo journey. Join or create a circle, even if it's just two to three friends who meet monthly to release, pray, cry and breathe. That space will save lives. Heal your romantic lens. Ask do I attract love from my healed self or my hurt self? Begin the work of calling and connections that match your growth, not your pain.

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Closing Mantra as we close this journey take this with you. My healing is my inheritance. My body is not broken, it is divine. My mind is not weak, it is wise. My mind is not weak, it is wise. My spirit is not lost, it is listening. And my love is not conditional, it is revolutionary. You are the sanctuary, you are the altar, you are the medicine, you are the future. And in 2026, we're no longer waiting to be saved. We're saving each other, because Black health is Black wealth, because DIY healing is divine wisdom, because your well-being is not up for negotiation. You are worthy of rest. You are worthy of ritual. You are worthy of wholeness. Final call to action If this episode spoke to you, if it opened your heart, gave you tools or reminded you of your power, please don't keep it to yourself.

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Subscribe to Life Points with Rhonda on YouTube at Life Points with Rhonda 2968 and your favorite podcast platform. Visit lifepointswithrhondacom to schedule your free consultation, download your healing affirmation gift or join our wellness circles. Check out the merch digital products and upcoming e-books created just for your self-care journey. Connect with me everywhere at Life Points with Rhonda on Instagram, facebook, patreon and YouTube. Get your free gift bundle through my ManyChat a healing affirmation audio, a relationship guide and free self-love consult access. And always remember your healing is a relationship worth honoring. So don't just take notes. Take action until next time I see you. I celebrate you. Thank you, thank you, you.