Interview 24: Activism as Self-Care

With Dr. Mohamed Elnakib

7.14.26 | Interview | 45 min

In this powerful conversation, Dr. Mohamed Abdallah Elnakib shares how activism became a way to survive, cope, and stay grounded in his values. He unpacks what activism means beyond protests, describing it as living in alignment with your “why” and taking action in ways both big and small.

Dr. Elnakib opens up about the emotional toll of navigating injustice, including his experiences being arrested during the George Floyd protests, and how those moments were both traumatic and transformative. He reflects on the tension between burnout and empowerment, showing how activism can be both deeply draining and deeply nourishing, and how learning to shift between frontline and behind-the-scenes advocacy is key to sustainability.

This episode is a reminder that doing something, however small, can restore a sense of agency, connection, and purpose. And that showing up for what matters, takes guts.

Read the article: Elnakib, M. M., & Turner, M. (2023). The power of activism as self-care: An autoethnography of the arrest of activists in the wake of the George Floyd protests. Women & Therapy, 46(4), 391–406. https://doi.org/10.1080/02703149.2023.2286056

Music Credit: Nathan Byrne with Reel Byrne Media.