We were lucky to catch up with Amal Najjar recently and have shared our conversation below.
Amal , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory of how you established your own practice.
There is no linear path. The most challenging part of blazing your own trail, being a maverick of sorts, is that there is very little consistency in the support and direction you will receive, nor is there any guarantee that you will have one or the other. There is no road map. Sure, a business plan is an essential tool, but you have to be okay with standing on your own; that way, the people and things meant for you can find you. That way, you have the footing to stay grounded, come what may.
Passion is its own category of fuel. A renewable resource that will keep the trail lit just enough to surrender to only having visibility of a few feet ahead, similar to driving through fog, intentionally trusting the destination will be welcoming. It is important to fan your own flame; it is equally important to have a solid support system and some good self-care practices to fan the flame and sustain all the ebbs, flows, celebrations, and hardships that are sure to come in regular life but even more intimately in entrepreneurship.
Entrepreneurship is intimacy. It requires deep self-awareness, discipline, emotional maturity & regulation, financial literacy, time management, communication, strategy, marketing, innovation, and resiliency. Whether you begin with these qualities or pick them up along the way, they are essential to sustaining life and trailblazing one’s own practice. Taking the time to master these skills carefully is key; when we rush to skip steps, we lose valuable lessons from the spaces in between. Know yourself and what healing tools you have to offer, serve community.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Growing up pre and post 9/11 as a Muslim/Lebanese American as well as being Mexican/Indigenous has dramatically shaped my identity and poltic. For that, my desire to create and serve community from a collaborative social justice framework is integral to all my work and how I exist in the world. I have my B.A. in Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies and began Midwifery School In January 2025. Currently, I manage a bike shop while juggling my entrepreneurial endeavors projects.
I perform and teach Belly Dance as a way to memorialize my Father, who passed when I was 13. I practice traditional birth work and herbalism to honor my mother’s roots. Both are woven together as I reclaim femininity through honoring the practice of belly dance as a method to prepare the body for menstruation and childbirth and to celebrate mind-body connection and community. My Belly Dance classes are taught to be an inclusive place to celebrate all bodies—a collective and individual effort to cultivate confidence. To give thanks for this ancient art form, a portion of my proceeds goes to aid Arabs experiencing oppression.
As a birth worker, herbalist, and student midwife, I am well-versed in the Art of Care. I look to herbs to empower myself and help others empower themselves by becoming their best healer. I see myself creating my own birth practice, school, or non-profit organization. I want to serve marginalized communities, those facing state-sanctioned violence, and those incarcerated.
I love action sports like rock climbing, cycling, and surfing. I love community organizing and traveling. I am deeply passionate about culinary and love to cook for others. I deeply appreciate things of a spiritual nature, like crystals, candles, and plants. Above all, everything I do is for the sustainability and Liberation of those who face oppression, including that which we put upon ourselves. Freedom is everything.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Like many people, Covid had some drastic effects on our lives. I was living in a small town in Northern California. I finally managed to open my dream store. An Herbal Apothecary, where we offered crystals, candles, herbal remedies, custom tea blends, tarot readings, open mic nights, herbal classes, and more. It was more than just a shop, it was a community space, it was, “Night Hawk Art & Healing Collective.”
After years, I secured the building and even met someone who funded my project. They covered the cost of remodeling and some inventory. But to save initial costs, I created relationships with herbalists and artists and had their work on consignment. This is a great way to start a business and save on costs.
The first year was tough; I often felt alone or just struggled to get the numbers I needed, but we managed to have some profitable months. As year two was about to begin, Covid happened. The town was in deep financial distress, not only due to COVID-19 but also due to the legalization of cannabis, as it was the heart and soul of the town for generations.
This was a fork in the road moment, I was doing so much on my own, and just scraping by, tension was high. I knew it was all or nothing, and I put myself first for the first time in a long time. I closed shop, moved back to Southern California, and returned to school after a 10-year break. I graduated this past May and will start Midwifery School in January. I trust this was the right decision for me. Not an easy one, but success comes from our stride, It is so much about the journey, it’s about trying everything to know what works and what doesn’t. I plan to reignite my business this year, but this time with a more profound sense of self and boundaries. My company will be online and at farmers’ markets and pop-ups. I will continue to provide herbal products, handcrafted jewelry, and more.
The takeaway is to keep going, even when you feel like you’re giving up; as long as you are true to your soul’s purpose, there is no wrong way, only more experience to gain, to do better than you could have before,
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
I always return to “All About Love”. by Bell Hooks. Hooks works to create a more sustainable and tangible definition of Love outside of the basic understanding of “deep affection towards another.” She provides great examples beyond romantic notions, providing some insight into how to create healthier relationships with ourselves and our communities.
When there is a deep understanding of one’s own core values, business becomes a bit more manageable. Creating a business is a deeply intimate process. As artists of any variation, we are intrinsically linked to our creations, so naturally, there is a sensitivity to that, a vulnerability, an openness. It is important to have clarity in the vision you create for yourself and your community, as this is the foundation of your personal and public identity. Integrity is a worthy practice.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: TheMedicineWombyn
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amal-hope-najjar-a7855a332/
- Other: Belly Dance Classeshttps://www.thestageglobal.com/service-page/belly-dance?category=c0d8ab84-04fe-4f17-8b8a-6da26412fcd3&referral=service_list_widget
