Episode 9 of Beyond Being Well has a sharper political angle than previous episodes, as it satirizes cultural appropriation and the phenomenon of corporate wellness. Special guest Dove White is a “corporate shaman” who exploits a religious practice common among Native American groups in order to make miserable employees calmly submit to corporate hierarchy. He illustrates the manner in which “workplaces have become ever more oppressive,” as Miya Tokumitsu writes, “intensely tracking workers’ bodies, demanding longer hours, and weakening workers’ bargaining rights while also instituting wellness and mentoring programs on an ever greater scale.”

In addition to police brutality, the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests have drawn attention to other problems in different industries, such as lack of representation and staggering wage disparities between Black employees and their White colleagues. These problems are what Dove White and other proponents of corporate wellness try to undermine, by diverting attention away from collective struggle and instead towards superficial self-care.

While this episode isn’t a straightforward critique, we hope it gives you a reason to laugh at neoliberalism and corporate culture. Also, BBW wants to again take this time to emphasize that we stand with Black Lives Matter and we support defunding the police in favor of investing in communities. Keep donating and redistributing wealth!