Evolving Earth Podcast

My guest in this episode of the podcast is Daniel McQueen, a psychedelic activist, community organizer, innovator, teacher, and author. Daniel is a founder of the Center for Medicinal Mindfulness which was established in 2012. The center was among the first legal psychedelic plant medicine therapy clinics in North America. At the clinic, Daniel and his team have developed some groundbreaking, effective and innovative modalities, including cannabis-assisted psychedelic therapy and cannabis-assisted psychotherapy. They also host regular breathwork sessions and community teaching around the safe and ethical use of psychedelics. More recently Daniel and his team have started offering training for those wanting to become involved in psychedelic healing. In 2019 Daniel published a book based on his work titled ‘Psychedelic Cannabis: Breaking the Gate’.The Center for Medicinal Mindfulness is a clinic and a community promoting safe and intentional medicine use practices for personal and global healing and transformation.Daniel is a leader, pioneer in psychedelic therapy and specifically using cannabis as psychedelic medicine and I’m grateful to have him on show.Hope you enjoy this episode. If you like it please share it with your friends and leave a review so more people can join these types of conversations.**This episode is brought to you by Fulcrum Venture Accelerator, the fundraising accelerator for mission-driven entrepreneurs. Every 3 months Fulcrum scours the globe for the most impressive entrepreneurs building impactful companies and takes them through a 3-month accelerator program focused 100% around helping them close seed financing. Our process has already been used to close more than USD $22 million in seed capital and we're just getting started. If you or someone you know is creating something impactful and is raising seed capital please visit Fulcrum to download free resources and get free pitch feedback.Read the full show notes here.

My guests on this episode of the podcast are Tyler Chandler, Nick Meyers and Adrianne who are director, writer & cinematographer, and star of ‘Dosed’ respectively, an incredible documentary film about psychedelics and their role in treating substance abuse disorder and helping stop addiction. Learn more at www.dosedmovie.com‘Dosed’ has won numerous awards so far including audience reward at the Santa Cruz film festival, audience award at Melbourne Documentary Film Festival, and the documentary feature award at the Knoxville Film Festival.Tyler Chandler is a Canadian documentary producer and director and ‘Dosed’ was his documentary debut. Nick Meyers is a writer and a cinematographer, and Adrianne is the protagonist. The film tells a story of Adrianne’s journey from heroin addiction to sobriety.In this episode, we also discuss Iboga treatment for heroin addiction, and the combined use of psilocybin and other psychedelics to help people transition from addiction to sobriety. Hope you enjoy this episode. If you like it please share it with your friends and/or leave a review so more people can find these types of conversations.This episode is brought to you by Fulcrum Venture Accelerator, the fundraising accelerator for mission-driven entrepreneurs. Every 3 months Fulcrum scours the globe for the most impressive entrepreneurs building impactful companies, and we take them through a 3-month accelerator program focused 100% around helping them close seed financing. Our process has already been used to close more than USD $20 million in seed capital and we're just getting started. If you or someone you know is creating something impactful and is raising seed capital please visit Fulcrum to download free resources and get free pitch feedback.

My guest in this episode of the podcast is Michael Stone, the inventor of a new breathwork modality called neurodynamic breathwork and a co-founder of the Train Your Brain, Master Your Life workshop. Michael is one of the leading visionaries in psychedelic healing, and I'm honored and excited to have him with us to share his perspective and wisdom.Michael is a certified holotropic breathwork facilitator and founder of Holotropic Breathwork LA and Breathwork Online, where he is growing one of the largest psychedelic breathwork communities in the world. Michael was born and currently resides in LA California, and spent the first decades of his life as a successful executive and businessman. In 2005, he discovered holotropic breathwork and became a certified holotropic breathwork facilitator. The breathwork sessions he is now leading online are some of the largest breathwork workshops ever done. Over the last few years, Michael has facilitated more than 150,000 breathwork sessions for more than 20,000 people from over 120 countries. And he recently started training breathwork facilitators in neurodynamic breathwork, a training that Will is currently in. Hope you enjoy this episode. If you like it please share it with your friends and/or leave a review so more people can join these types of conversations.(Note: Get your first breathwork session free at www.breathworkonline.com)This episode is brought to you by Fulcrum Venture Accelerator, the fundraising accelerator for mission-driven entrepreneurs. Every 3 months Fulcrum scours the globe for the most impressive entrepreneurs building impactful companies, and we take them through a 3-month accelerator program focused 100% around helping them close seed financing. Our process has already been used to close more than USD $20 million in seed capital and we're just getting started. If you or someone you know is creating something impactful and is raising seed capital please visit Fulcrum to download free resources and get free pitch feedback.Read the full show notes here.

This week I speak with luminary and early psychedelic pioneer, Marcela Ot’alora. As a psychotherapist and an installation artist, Marcela has dedicated her life to exploring and understanding trauma through art and through MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. She was the co-therapist in the first government-approved MDMA-assisted psychotherapy study that ever happened in Spain. Marcela is also the principal investigator of phase 2 & 3 MAPS’ MDMA-assisted psychotherapy trials in Boulder, CO, USA.In episode 8 with Rick Doblin of MAPS, we talked a lot about the past, the present, and the future of the Psychedelic Renaissance, but we didn’t really go “into the room”. We never talked about what it actually is like being with people and witnessing the healing happening during an MDMA-assisted psychotherapy session.In this episode, we get to do just that, Marcela and I discuss what it’s like witnessing the emotions that come up during the MDMA-assisted psychotherapy session. What is it like to be in a room filled with sadness, anger, joy, frustration, all at the same time? Marcela describes the preparation and setting of the sessions and gives context for anyone considering MDMA-assisted Psychotherapy. Lastly, we go down memory lane a bit and Marcella talks about how she met Rick Doblin, and about her view on the last 35 years of progress from when MDMA was first made illegal to now when we’re witnessing it becoming legal again. We also speak about what’s the role of art in healing and in life.Marcela is a cultural treasure, I hope you enjoy this conversation with her and share it with a friend. --This episode is brought to you by The Trip Report - a wonderful online newsletter and blog by Zach Haigney about the latest and most exciting psychedelic news and happenings. If you want to be in the know about the psychedelic renaissance, check it out. This episode is also brought to you by Fulcrum Venture Accelerator, the fundraising accelerator for mission-driven entrepreneurs. Every 3 months Fulcrum scours the globe for the most impressive entrepreneurs building impactful companies, and we take them through a 3-month accelerator program focused 100% around helping them close seed financing. Our process has already been used to close more than USD $20 million in seed capital and we're just getting started. If you or someone you know is creating something impactful and is raising seed capital please visit Fulcrum to download free resources and get free pitch feedback.

This week's guest is Zach Haigney, the founder and author of The Trip Report. The Trip Report is a fascinating online newsletter that delves into all the little nooks and crannies of the psychedelic world and the psychedelic renaissance.We discuss medicalization and the different models of psychedelic decriminalization and legalization that are happening around the country and the world. We talk about access and how to make psychedelic medicines accessible to everyone, and some of the different paths forward that states and countries are taking around the world. And we discuss Zach’s own journey from the world of acupuncture to founding The Trip Report. This episode gives a great overview of the current state of the psychedelic renaissance in America and around the world. Hope you enjoy it.-This episode is brought to you by The Trip Report - a wonderful online newsletter and blog by Zach Haigney about the latest and most exciting psychedelic news and happenings. If you want to be in the know about the psychedelic renaissance, check it out. This episode is also brought to you by Fulcrum Venture Accelerator, the fundraising accelerator for mission-driven entrepreneurs. Every 3 months Fulcrum scours the globe for the most impressive entrepreneurs building impactful companies, and we take them through a 3-month accelerator program focused 100% around helping them close seed financing. Our process has already been used to close more than USD $20 million in seed capital and we're just getting started. If you or someone you know is creating something impactful and is raising seed capital please visit Fulcrum to download free resources and get free pitch feedback.--Note: In the late part of this interview I mention Tav Sparks who, unfortunately, passed away shortly after we recorded this episode. If you're interested to learn more about Tav and his beautiful life and legacy, click here.Read the full show notes here.

This week I interview Dr. Will Van Derveer, a groundbreaking physician who is rewriting our understanding of mental health and wellbeing.Dr. Will is the founder of Integrative Psychiatry Centers where he and his team use the most innovative treatments, including ketamine, to identify and address the root causes of mental illness. Dr. Will also runs the integrative Integrative Psychiatry Institute whose goal is to create and sustain a revolution in mental health and combat our mental health crisis by training physicians in an integrative approach. The Institute is currently training hundreds of psychiatrists in integrative psychiatry, a new more holistic model of mental health and well-being.Will has published research on MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD and written book chapters on the field of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and other clinical applications of psychedelic compounds. He is one of our nation's most respected ketamine physicians and in addition to traditional medical training, he is also a meditation instructor and is trained in shamanism, EMDR, somatic experiencing, internal family systems, cognitive behavioral therapy, and hypnosis. In this conversation, we trace Will’s journey through traditional psychiatry training to his disillusionment with conventional pharmacological interventions, through his own odyssey and eventual discovery of psychedelics (MDMA and ketamine) as treatment modalities for trauma and depression. We discuss the results he’s seeing with his patients and his current efforts to redefine mental health and psychiatry training in the US and around the world.--This episode is brought to you by The Trip Report - a wonderful online newsletter and blog by Zach Haigney about the latest and most exciting psychedelic news and happenings. If you want to be in the know about the psychedelic renaissance, check it out. This episode is also brought to you by Fulcrum Venture Accelerator, the fundraising accelerator for mission-driven entrepreneurs. Every 3 months we scour the globe for the most impressive entrepreneurs building impactful companies, and we take them through a 3-month accelerator program focused 100% around helping them close seed financing. Our process has already been used to close more than 20 million dollars in seed capital and we're just getting started. If you or someone you know is creating something impactful and is raising seed capital please visit our website to download free resources and get free pitch feedback.For the full show notes click here.

Continuing with our series on Psychedelic Healing, this week on the podcast I talk with Dr. David Tusek - visionary doctor, entrepreneur, and health pioneer. In this conversation, we discuss a new vision of American healthcare, and how psychedelic medicine fits into this vision.Dr. Tusek is a recognized leader in healthcare transformation and he’s working on the front lines of the healthcare system to create exciting new models of care that result in better outcomes and that are more people-focused.Dr. Tusek is the founder of Cloud Medical in Colorado, which offers advanced Direct Primary Care (DPC) with a Functional Medicine approach provided by Board-Certified family physicians and practitioners. Cloud practices a new model of healthcare based around the doctor-patient relationship. In 2009, Dr. Tusek co-founded one of the nation’s first DPC programs, which he sold in 2016. He then went on to launch Cloud Medical, and currently oversees several other healthcare ventures including Cloud Collective. He’s also the founder of Ravel, which is a new kind of healthcare marketplace that operates in a very different way than the traditional healthcare insurance marketplaces, providing lower costs and better care.As a previous member of the steering committee of the Direct Primary Care Coalition based in Washington, DC, Dr. Tusek is a recognized leader in healthcare transformation and was invited to the White House to discuss the future of American medicine. He was named among the “Top Doctors in Concierge Medicine” and is a former qualifier for the Ironman Triathlon World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. He enjoys skiing, cycling, and spending time with his wife and two daughters in the playground that is Colorado.Episode Links: Cloud Medical CenterRavel HealthMovie “Just Mercy”Brene BrownMartin Prechtel’s speech - Grief and PraiseEvolving Earth Facebook groupZendoRead Full Show Notes

How much would it cost to shift the mindset of our entire society towards accepting and understanding psychedelics in one year? What does the marketing department of the psychedelic revolution look like? What are the issues we face in promoting psychedelics? Who will fight us? In this episode, I speak with Marcus McNeill and Gareth Hermann, co-founders of Magic Agency, a marketing agency committed to helping push forward psychedelics and answer the above questions. Thanks to their “psychedelic marketing services”, Gareth and Marcus have helped realize various important psychedelic initiatives including the Decriminalize Denver campaign (decriminalizing psilocybin in Denver), Synthesis psilocybin retreats in Amsterdam, and Field Trip Health’s north-America-wide ketamine clinic initiative. I suspect that nobody on the planet knows more about marketing the psychedelic renaissance than Marcus and Gareth. And as such, they are accumulating priceless wisdom. They are working day in and day out to shift our cultural mindset towards psychedelics from suspicion to embrace. Bios:Marcus McNeill - As the Co-Founder & CEO of Magic, the performance marketing agency for conscious missions, Marcus supports the ecosystem of entrepreneurs, researchers, clinicians, activists, and investors ushering in the psychedelic renaissance in a responsible way. Marcus has led marketing strategy for 50+ companies, including Marianne Williamson, Eckhart Tolle, Byron Katie, Kim Eng, and Deepak Chopra’s Chopra Center. With a passion for psychedelics, spirituality, sustainability, and wellness, he aims to impact billions of lives by spreading conscious messages through digital mycelium.Gareth Hermann - Gareth is a systems enthusiast and team galvanizer who has managed brand strategy and leadership development projects for international corporations. His passion lies in influencing personal, organizational, and societal transformation. He’s the type of guy who is so organized he pens “unstructured time” into his schedule. Gareth is also the Co-Founder of Exponential, a coaching company for top performers, and a Partner in Connected Ventures. He loves supporting change makers and teams tackling global issues.This episode of the ‘cast is brought to you by Fundraising Mastery, the fundraising accelerator for mission-driven entrepreneurs. If you or anybody you know is creating something impactful, and are seeking seed capital, please visit www.foundersgetfunded.com to learn more and apply. Our next cohort launches on Oct 15th. Episode Links: Magic Agency - https://magic.agency/Decriminalize Denver - https://decriminalizedenver.org/

This week we dive into Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy with Craig Salerno of the Boulder Wellness Ketamine Collective!If you’ve wondered about ketamine, what it is, and how it works this episode is for you. I’ve been trying to get a luminary in ketamine space on the show for a while, and I’m so glad that Craig accepted our invitation. I really enjoyed this conversation, and I hope you will, too.Craig Salerno is a Licensed Addiction Counselor (LAC) and Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with over a decade of experience working in the field of addiction. Craig is passionate about exploring psychedelic medicine work as it pertains to individuals in active addiction and recovery. Craig is the former Clinical Director of NorthStar Transitions, a treatment program offering both inpatient and outpatient services for individuals seeking recovery. Craig now works in private practice in Boulder offering psychotherapy, psychedelic integration services, and ketamine therapy for a range of mental health concerns, including addiction.In this episode we talk about recent events in the United States, and what we as individuals can do to help the societal transition happening right now. We live in a really crazy world right now, with COVID and all the protests happening, it can be hard to cope. Craig has a little reminder for all of us: “Keep your eyes open, stay awake to what you’re thinking and feeling; come inside and pay attention.”Craig spreads wisdom about ketamine and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and we discuss depression and addiction and how Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy can help. Craig addresses sensitive people and how they are the leaders we need right now. This episode was brought to you by Fundraising Mastery (www.foundersgetfunded.com), our accelerator program that we run a few times a year for mission-driven entrepreneurs to help them raise money. In the light of recent events in the United States, we set a goal to enroll at least 50% founders of color into our next cohort that is launching on July 15th. If you know anyone who might be a good fit, please refer them to our website.Thanks,WillEpisode Links:Boulder Wellness Ketamine Collective: https://boulderketaminecollective.com/ Craig’s website: https://craigsalernocounseling.com/

“The longer people are on the medicine path, the more they wanna repair the damage between them and the natural world” - Marco Chung-Shu LamHow do concepts from permaculture and Chinese medicine mix with the intentional use of psychedelics? What do permaculture and Chinese medicine have to teach us about the Coronavirus outbreak?In this episode, we find out. This week I interviewed Marco Chung-Shu Lam, the founder, and director of the Mandala Integrative Medicine Clinic where he and his team work with top athletes, entrepreneurs, and business leaders to help them find new levels of flow performance and peace. Marco is a herbalist and permaculturist who specializes in the oldest medical system in the world - Chinese medicine, and also a senior teacher of Permaculture at Naropa University here in Boulder, where he helped found the permaculture program. He founded two herbal beverage companies - Performance Tea & Freya Health. Besides that, Marco is currently running a regenerative farm in Steamboat Springs, where he grows some of the herbs that he uses in his clinic.Psychedelics give us powerful experiences but those experiences aren’t really worth anything without effective integration. In this episode, we discuss integration and how to bring psychedelic experiences home by connecting to the land and to plant teachers using concepts from permaculture and Chinese medicine. And we discuss how to live a good life as taught by nature and the “Pattern language of human health”: Chinese medicine. This is an important episode in this series. I hope you enjoy it!Will Show links:Mandala Integrative Medicine Clinic - https://bouldermandala.com/Marco’s farm - https://elkstonefarm.com/ Naropa University - https://www.naropa.edu/Performance Tea - https://www.performancetea.com/Freya Health - https://freyahealth.com/

This week I had the opportunity to talk with integrative Family Physician, curandero, author, and speaker Dr. Joe Tafur.Joe is a gifted medicine man, healer, thinker, and doer. He is one of the few western-trained doctors who has also completed full training in traditional amazonian healing. As such he brings a powerful and unique perspective to the work we have to do to heal our culture. In March of 2017, Joe published his book The Fellowship of the River: A Medical Doctor’s Exploration into Traditional Amazonian Plant Medicine about his unique journey into spiritual healing work. It’s a beautiful book and fully recommended for anyone interested in bridging eastern and western healing. With his colleagues, Joe also started the nonprofit Modern Spirit, dedicated to demonstrating the value of spiritual healing in modern healthcare. In addition to education and community-building projects, Modern Spirit is currently focused on supporting the Modern Spirit Epigenetics Project, a groundbreaking substudy of the MAPS MDMA-assisted Psychotherapy research trial. Learn more and donate at www.modernspirit.orgIn 2019, Dr. Tafur and his colleagues Dr. Amalia Baca ND and Ray Baca opened the Ocotillo Center for Integrative Medicine, an integrative clinic in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. The Ocotillo Center offers naturopathic medical Services, integrative medical consulting, counseling, health education, and hands-on-healing. Joe offers integrative medical services at the Center for Integrative Medicine in Phoenix, Arizona; and is also offering telehealth services to individuals in both Arizona and California.In this episode, Joe and I discuss the Coronavirus outbreak, and Joe shares his opinions on the current situation from a doctor’s point of view. We discussed how we can help each other and ourselves during this crisis and how our world might look once the pandemic is over.Besides that, Joe talked about his Modern Spirit Project and the epigenetics research they are conducting alongside MAPS. The hypothesis is that the people that heal from PTSD through MDMA assisted psychotherapy will see shifts in their epigenetics and the way their genes are expressed. The findings would be revolutionary, and the project is raising funds so they can complete their research. You can help them by going to https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/modern-spirit-epigenetics-project.Please listen and help spread the word by sharing this episode.

Coronavirus is top of mind this week for almost everyone so I took the opportunity to go deep with Dennis McKenna on what the pandemic means for us individually and as a society. Dennis is a psychedelic researcher, pioneer and author and founder of the Dennis McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy () Dennis and friends are hosing a series of events in tribute to Terrence McKenna in April 2020 - Learn more about those events hereFRI 04.03 : 5:30pmPDT / 01:30BST : Premiere of never-released video of Terence lecturing at Esalen in 1989. Hosted by Mike Margolies, Psychedelic Seminars. Virtual Fireside Chat with DENNIS MCKENNA & ERIK DAVIS. Register separately with Psychedelic Seminars: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/mckenna/SAT 04.04 : 12:00pmPDT / 20:00BST : Dennis hosting Virtual Fireside Chats with BRUCE DAMER, followed by LUIS EDUARDO LUNA.SAT 04.11 : 12:00pmPDT / 20:00BST : Dennis hosting Virtual Fireside Chats with PAUL STAMETS, followed by WADE DAVIS.SAT 04.18 : 12:00pmPDT / 20:00BST : Dennis hosting a Virtual Fireside Chat with RUPERT SHELDRAKE and RALPH ABRAHAM.Chats will be followed by Q&A and Breakout Sessions.In this episode we also discuss the history of religion and science and go deep on the collective work needed to bring our society into right relationship with nature and the planet. To donate and help bring the McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy to life go to www.mckenna.academy

In this episode, I speak with Dr. Hannah C. McLane, founder of the SoundMind Center - a brand new Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy Center in Philadelphia opening in June. Eight of their therapists are part of a select group of professionals training with MAPS to offer MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy as part of their Expanded Access Program. The mission of the center is to create a space, a community and a movement around using psychedelics to heal our bodies, our minds, and our souls.Hannah is a neuroscientist, physician, and psychotherapist. In 2010 she founded the nonprofit SoundMind Project, and currently conducts research at the VA Medical Center in Philadelphia which focuses on cognitive diversity, PTSD, and emerging alternative therapies for mental health issues.We talk about our medical system and how it ignores trauma. We also dive deep into understanding what trauma is and what causes it. We discuss how trauma isn’t caused only by catastrophic events like war, natural disasters, death of the loved ones, etc. but also by everyday interactions we have with the world around us. We discuss how trauma lives in the body and defines much of our behavior. We also talk about Hannah’s vision of the future of the healthcare system and the future of the health in general. Hannah explains in detail the work of SoundMind Center and how it will serve marginalized people who suffer from PTSD and also people with cognitive diversity (such as autism and dyslexia).SoundMind is looking for volunteers to get involved. Whether you have experience in human services, community organizing, blog writing, fundraising, event planning, healthcare, administration, research, or something else, there’s a pretty good chance SoundMind Center could use your help. You can apply here.Read full show description here.Episode LinksSoundMind Center: https://soundmind.center/Donate: https://soundmind.center/donateVolunteer: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf9wswFSsTCf6LAkwc_htZ99H5fATszdesZzzGVE3xauKj-CQ/viewformSoundMind Project: https://soundmindproject.org/Hannah McLane's website: https://www.hannahmclanemd.com/Wills Updates: SoulBloomA new project that I’m working on is called SoulBloom and it’s inspired by this series on psychedelic healing that I’ve been doing with Evolving Earth. I am a musician and I decided to start making music specifically for psychedelic healing. My first track is called Space Strum and it’s on Spotify and SoundCloud. The intention of this music is to provide a safe and intentional container for anybody doing intentional journey work. To really help us go inside, discover unknown realms, discover unknown things about ourselves, and bring home healing and integration.

In this episode I speak with Sophia Rokhlin author (along with Daniel Pinchbeck) of When Plants Dream: Ayahuasca, Amazonian Shamanism, and the Global Psychedelic Renaissance.In this conversation we explore the potential and risks of the global ayahuasca boom, neo-shamanism, the utopian impulse, spiritual bypass, how to consume ayahuasca responsibly, and reforestation and regeneration efforts currently underway in the Amazon. More about the book: Ayahuasca is a powerful tool for transformation, that more and more Westerners are flocking to drink in a quest for greater self-knowledge, healing and reconnection with the natural world. This formerly esoteric, little-known brew is now a growth industry. But why?Ayahuasca is a psychoactive tea that has a long history of ritual use among indigenous groups of the Upper Amazon. Made from the ayahuasca vine and the leaves of a shrub, ayahuasca is associated with healing in collective ceremonies and in more intimate contexts, generally under the direction of specialist – an ayahuasquero. These are experienced practitioners who guide the ceremony and the ‘drinkers’ experience. Ayahuasca has gained significant popularity these days in cities around the world. Ceremonies happen nightly and Hollywood stars, Wall Street players and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs now drink the brew. Why? What effect might ayahuasca be having on our culture? Could it be the LSD of our time? Does the brew, which seems to inspire environmental action, simplified lifestyles and more communitarian behaviour, act as an antidote to frenzied consumerist culture? In When Plants Dream, Pinchbeck and Rokhlin explore the economic, social, political, cultural and environmental impact that ayahuasca is having on society. Part 1 covers the background; what ayahuasca is, where it is found, and its cultural origins. Part 2 explores the role and practices of the ayahuasquero in both Amazonian and Western cultures. Part 3 examines the medicinal plants of the Amazon, looking particularly at the ingredients in ayahuasca and their therapeutic qualities, covering the most up-to-date biomedical research, psychedelic science and psychopharmacology. Part 4 looks more closely at how ayahuasca is perceived and used today, covering law, the drug wars, media and money. Lastly in Part 5 Pinchbeck and Rokhlin question the future of ayahuasca. When Plants Dream is the first book of its kind to look at the science and expanding culture of ayahuasca, from its historical use to its appropriation by the West and the impact it is having on cultures beyond the Amazon. Show Links: Sophia’s Website: https://www.sophiarokhlin.com/When Plants Dream: https://www.sophiarokhlin.com/when-plants-dreamChaikuni Institute: https://chaikuni.org/Donate to Chaikuni Institute: https://chaikuni.org/support-us/Temple Of The Way Of Light: https://templeofthewayoflight.org/

How do we connect more deeply with ourselves, our community and the earth? In this episode I speak with Benjamin De Loenen, founder and executive director of The International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research & Service (ICEERS), an organization dedicated to making ayahuasca, iboga and other psychedelic plant practices valued and integrated parts of society. In our western culture I believe people have become disconnected from each other and nature, and as a result we've lost touch with our essence as natural beings. Mental and physical illnesses are on the rise and our medical system is at a loss for answers. So what do we do about it? For thousands of years indigenous peoples have used sacred plants within the context of community ceremonies to heal personal and collective dysfunctions. What can western medicine learn from these traditions? Ben believes the answer is "Everything". In this wide ranging and important conversation we discuss how community is an essential component of healing, the dangers and opportunities of the current globalization of ayahuasca and iboga, and lessons learned from organizing the World Ayahuasca Conference.We also discuss tips and best practices for anyone interested in experiencing these medicines within their cultural and ancestral wisdom contexts. IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:About ICEERS and their missionHow we can reconnect and remember ourselves in our disconnected Western cultureThe benefits of sacred plant medicineWhy a sense of community is essential to healing ourselves, our loved ones and the planetHow the globalization of ayahuasca is creating challenges in the Amazon and what to do about it. The future of sacred plants and how we can responsibly integrate them into our culture. Some tips when planning your first ayahuasca ceremonyBenefits of Ibogaine for treating addictionThe high level opportunity that plant medicines and ancestral wisdom present to remake our culture and the world. BEN's BIO:Benjamin De Loenen, is the founder of The International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research & Service (ICEERS), a charitable non-profit organization with United Nations consultative status, where he serves as Executive Director. Benjamin is the author of several publications and films, has presented at conferences around the world, and has participated in various leadership roles, including as a member of the Board of Directors of the Global Ibogaine Therapist Alliance (2012 – 2014). Benjamin studied audiovisual media and communications in The Netherlands, where he graduated with honors from his Masters with his documentary “Ibogaine-Rite of Passage” (2004), a film that remains an important reference on this subject matter. Since this achievement, Benjamin has been dedicated to making ayahuasca, iboga and other psychedelic plant practices valued and integrated parts of society. EPISODE LINKS:ICEERS - https://www.iceers.org/Ayahuasca Defense Fund - https://www.iceers.org/adf/World Ayahuasca Conference - https://www.ayaconference.com/Global Ibogaine Therapist Alliance - https://www.ibogainealliance.org/

Three months ago I had the opportunity to experience an eight-hour psychedelic healing session. It was one of the most memorable and transformative experiences of my life. The session was so impactful and healing that I feel a responsibility to share about it so that others might benefit.A note before I dive in: Some psychedelic medicines are sadly still Illegal in many jurisdictions and it takes work to find a legal context for this type of work. Please check your local laws and be safe and visit MAPS and donate if you feel called. (Thankfully things are changing: there is a growing recognition that psychedelic medicines are super duper effective and extremely safe. And legal contexts are popping up in the US as well: the first MDMA clinics are opening this year, ketamine clinics are popping up in many states, and psilocybin was recently decriminalized in Denver and Oakland.)Read a full story here: https://evolvingearthpodcast.com/2019/09/27/inside-a-psychedelic-therapy-session-a-firsthand-experience-of-healing-trauma-with-psychedelics-lsd-psilocybin-ketamine-iboga-mdma-and-cannabis/

(Photo credit: Ted.com watch Rick's TED Talk here)This week on the podcast I speak with one of my heroes: Rick Doblin, founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). Rick has spent the last 30 years on a crusade of the heart to deliver the healing potential of psychedelic medicines to our culture. After transformational experiences with psychedelics in his 20's, and amid the political environment of the Vietnam war, Rick dedicated his life to help our culture heal its collective trauma. Finally this year (2019) thanks to Rick's work, the first legally sanctioned MDMA clinics will open in America to treat people with treatment-resistant PTSD. Rick's story is an inspiring example of the power of unwavering vision, heart and commitment to change our culture and ultimately the world. This episode is filled with illuminating anecdotes on the history of psychedelic prohibition, as well as a fascinating exploration of the future of the psychedelic renaissance. Rick paints a picture of where he thinks our culture will be in 2025, 2035 and beyond. We talk about coming trends like mass access to psychedelic mental health clinics and services, treating trauma in hospital emergency rooms, psychedelic assisted family therapy, and ultimately the licensed legalization model that will open the doorway to generalized responsible use of psychedelics. I went to Boston to interview Rick because this is the highest leverage work I can find anywhere on the planet so far. If you know of something that is higher leverage please let me know! Please listen and help spread the word by sharing this episode. And if you believe in the healing potential of this work please donate to MAPS (https://store.maps.org/np/clients/maps/donation.jsp?campaign=11) and watch & share Rick's TED talk (https://www.ted.com/talks/rick_doblin_the_future_of_psychedelic_assisted_psychotherapy?language=en)Full Show Notes: https://evolvingearthpodcast.com/2019/08/20/e8-rick-doblin-on-the-frontiers-of-culture-and-the-future-of-the-psychedelic-renaissance/

Today's guest is David Mandell, a multi-time entrepreneur, startup sage, and a managing partner at VentureVoodoo partners, a consulting firm specializing in CEO and Leadership Coaching.We've spent the last 6 episodes delving into the big picture of mission-driven entrepreneurship, and in this episode we get super tactical. David breaks down for us some of the issues faced when creating something from nothing. We talk about the 3 jobs of a CEO, how to hire the absolute best people, what he did when his company had raised $25M and still wasn't making money, doing due diligence on investors, and the mourning period that follows most startup adventures. This episode is a must listen for anyone who currently runs a growing company, or wants to create one. David has been in the startup trenches for decades and has tons and tons of real world experience to share that I wish I'd had when I was starting Kindara. I'm going to give this episode to all my coaching clients it's so good (and listen again myself before I start my next company). More on David's background: David was an Entrepreneur in Residence for Techstars, and Co-founder and CEO of PivotDesk, a TechStars Boulder 2012 company that helps find room for growing businesses. Having served as a TechStars mentor since the start, he has entrepreneurial experience that runs the spectrum from small, start-up organizations to large multi-national corporations.Previously, David served as CEO of Ignighter (currently StepOut), another TechStars Boulder company and was a Co-founder and Vice President of Marketing for OneRiot (Previously named Me.dium).Before making the transition to startup life, David was the first marketing hire and Managing Director, Global Communications for Deloitte Consulting. At Deloitte, David helped lead and manage the global brand launch and communications strategy following Deloitte Consulting’s separation from Deloitte & Touche. The comparative strategy succeeded in distinguishing the brand from its competitors and facilitated the company’s rise to one of the top-three brands in the industry.David also served as EVP, GM for Cohn & Wolfe, a NY-based marketing and communications agency. While at Cohn & Wolfe, David managed several large marketing campaigns, including the introduction of BMW NA’s Z3 Roadster in conjunction with the MGM and the James Bond 007 Movie, Golden EyeShow Notes:0:42 David introduces himself and what he does.1:22 How do you keep the agency model going and profitable?6:00 David tells the story of his “6 year death march” launching Deloitte’s global consulting practice 7:00 David describes what it was like in 1999 launching a startup as the dotcom bubble burst9:40 David tells the story of Medium – an early internet company he founded the dealt with real-time mapping of the internet based on activity for which he raised a $5m seed round 18:00 what he did when Medium raised $25M but still had no revenue22:30 why it’s never a good idea to lie to your board, or even omit information, and how and why to keep a good relationship with your board. 

Today's guest is Fletcher Richman, CEO & Cofounder of Halp, a company backed by Techstars and Slack that makes an internal helpdesk to streamline workflows for the teams at Adobe, HomeDepot, SeatGeek, and hundreds of other companies.Fletcher also helped found the Seed Angel Forum, an investor forum for early stage entrepreneurs and investors, and is a partner at Kokopelli Ventures, a micro venture fund in Boulder CO. In our conversation we explore Fletchers path into the world of business and creating things and his experience running a social impact venture (Spark).Fletcher received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical & Computer Engineering, Cum Laude, from The University of Colorado. As a student, Fletcher co-founded Spark Boulder, a co-working space for student entrepreneurs, which was supported by many community leaders, including Brad Feld and David Cohen, the Co-Founders of Techstars. Fletcher spent several years working as the Growth Engineer for PivotDesk, a Techstars Boulder graduate, and as the Platform Manager for Galvanize Ventures, a seed-stage venture capital fund. Fletcher's Blog: http://fletcher.io/Fletcher on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fletchrichman/Fletcher on Medium: https://medium.com/@fletchrichmanFletcher's company Halp: https://www.halp.com/The Seed Angel Forum: https://seedangel.co/Kokopelli Ventures: https://kokopelli.vc/Watson Institute: https://watson.is/Twitter: @FletcherRichmanShow Notes:2:58 Fletcher tells his story and the story of his first startup - yelp for college campuses.11:10 Fletchers strategy to get into the startup world - just test out startups products and send them feedback12:00 His first internship at PivotDesk and his beginnings in web development13:00 How he built a sales robot at PivotDesk and built the intern team14:00 The beginnings of Spark, the social impact co-working space he founded almost by accident to connect Boulder's University community with the Boulder tech ecosystem.17:00 Fletcher tells me about his first deck and fundraise for Spark Boulder and why they went with a non-profit structure17:30 The "Boulder Creek Divide" and how Spark Boulder was created to address it 20:53 Fletcher tells me about raising money and using the "sales robot" to reach out to the Boulder tech scene. 27:00 Fletcher tells me about his experience running accelerator programs out of Spark. 29:00 How the Boulder Denver tech scene works as a "doer-ocracy" 31:40 Fletchers thoughts on social entrepreneurship, Watson University, and the box of social impact entrepreneurship. 35:30 How it can hurt entrepreneurs to label themselves social impact entrepreneurs38:19 Do you think it's harder to build a social impact company than any other company?41:00 Fletchers "Elon Musk" strategy to learn how to build vanilla companies first, and then use his experience and resources to tackle harder problems41:50 Fletcher tal

This week on the podcast, I feel super blessed to welcome Gabe Zichermann, author, entrepreneur, investor, and thinker.Gabe has founded 6 companies and written 3 books on gamification, and Behavioral Design have set the standard in teaching how to build for engagement across many industries and countries.After the collapse of his recent startup, Gabe embarked on a journey to understand the fear of failure and how it limits us personally and professionally.This project, called Failosophy, distills the lessons of individuals and organizations that have learned to fail fast, fail better and fail more often to achieve success – and how we can too.Gabe is a polyglot and frequent public storyteller with a culinary streak. He’s visited nearly 100 countries and counting and currently resides in Los Angeles with his partner and their dog, Gizmo.In this episode we discuss failure and it’s benefits, how and why social entrepreneurship is harder than regular entrepreneurship, and how Gabe makes investment decisions.Gabe’s beautiful heart and mind come through in this episode, please enjoy this conversation, it’s one of my favorites so far.Will Follow Gabe on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gzichermCheck out Gabe’s new project about the power of failure: https://failosophy.comLinks from this episode: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabe_Zichermannhttps://startout.org/https://www.gabezichermann.com/failosophyhttp://www.gamification.co/about-gabe-zichermann/https://themoth.org/https://www.recyclebank.com/https://healthprize.com/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saveuphttps://failosophy.com/Will on Gabe's Failosophy Podcast: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/will-sacks-be-a-vulnerable-co-founder/id1438264064?i=1000425829204Google: https://play.google.com/music/m/Dckh5kzjdko3iizklqudvztouci?t=Will_Sacks_Be_a_Vulnerable_Co-Founder-Failosophy_with_Gabe_ZichermannShow Notes:00:41 Talking about how you two met in Founder Institute. 02:00 How we got kicked out of the Founder Institute and how we got back in04:52 What's it like being an entrepreneur - the forgotten or ignored career path of the entrepreneur.07:28 How do you differentiate retail entrepreneurship from tech entrepreneurship from social entrepreneurship? - Why not just start a cafe? what's the difference between entrepreneurship that scales and that doesn't scale? 12:33 How do you think about social entrepreneurship? How his generation was taught that business was not a force for good and rise of social entrepreneurship over the last decade. 17:16 Do you think it is harder to build a social impact company than it is to build any other company that is sustainable?19:25 "If you feel like you need to give back, you've taken too much". What does it mean?23:00 How following your passion can illuminate our path through life. Why Gabe moved away from the Gamification conference he founded. 24:00 How&

Today's guest is Mark Krassner who is the founder and CEO of Expectful (www.expectful.com) and a social entrepreneur on a mission to transform human consciousness. In this interview we continue our series on mission-driven entrepreneurship and we dig into the topic from the perspective of a successful entrepreneur running a venture backed startup on a mission to stop trauma before it begins. Mark and I explore what it means to be a social entrepreneur, his definition of fulfillment, the power of the mind-baby connection and much more. Check out Mark at https://twitter.com/markkrassnerCheck out Expectful at http://www.expectful.comFund Your Dream at www.foundersgetfunded.comShow Notes:0:10 Mark introduces himself and what he does at Expectful.3:37 Mark talks about the mind baby connection and it's power to stop trauma before it begins.9:10 Mark gives us an update on Expectful's progress13:33 Mark and Will discuss Marks' definition of fulfillment17:00 How do you think about social impact companies?20:04 Do you call yourself a social entrepreneur?21:08 What's the future you are creating with Expectful?23:26 What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs?26:30 Where can we learn more about Mark?Website: https://expectful.com/Book mentioned: Alex Banayan - The Third Door: The Wild Quest to Uncover How the World's Most Successful People Launched Their CareersMark's bio:Mark Krassner is the founder and CEO of Expectful, an app that makes it easy for hopeful, pregnant and new moms to meditate. Since its founding in 2016, Expectful has partnered with several universities to conduct research on the relationship between a mother’s mind and her baby’s health. Before Expectful, Mark co-founded Food for Thought Philippines, a not-for-profit that provides 80,000 lunches to underserved elementary school children each year. He currently sits on the board of Kindness.org - a research based not-for profit that promotes kindness as a daily habit.

Today's guest is Aaron Stachel who is a partner at First Mile Ventures, a Colorado based Venture Fund. In this conversation we talk about Aaron's take on impact investing and the company creation process, as well as how he selects investments for First Mile Ventures and the similarities he sees between investing and flying helicopters. Check out First Mile at https://www.firstmilevc.com/Show Notes:00:39 Aaron introduces himself and we talk about investing in technology companies and flying helicopters (Aaron was a helicopter pilot in the Army for 10 years).02:24 Are there any similarities between startup investing and flying helicopters?04:21 How Aaron met his future partner.06:14 What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear "impact investing"?"Wealthy people can impact the world in positive ways, more than some governments can."10:29 Is it the responsibility of wealthy people to help non wealthy people?14:01 What would Aaron do if he had unlimited wealth? 15:26 What comes to mind when you hear impact investment? There has to be a return potential.22:56 What perks Aaron's ears up when an investment deal comes across his desk?"Is this the type of thing that can get really big, really fast"27:58 What a new founder of a business can do to have the highest chance of success when raising capital."A story that catches someone's interest is the most important thing."35:12 How can a first time founder get a meeting with an investor?39:21 Would you rather be CEO of a venture backed company or a CEO of a non investor backed company?49:22 What's the right tone for a new founder to pitch?54:33 What do you wish you've known about startup investing when you first started?Contact Aaron through the contact form on his website: https://www.firstmilevc.com/contact.htmlAaron's Bio:Aaron joined FirstMile in 2013. He thinks a lot about the firm's portfolio strategy and has built a back office that allowed the investment team to greatly increase its pace. Since joining the firm, Aaron has led 15 investments. Most of his investments are in Colorado, but they cover a number of areas including SaaS, Distributed Ledgers, Security, Marketplaces, Fintech and Robotics. He knows the next big opportunity won't look like the last and is always looking for founding teams that have figured something out that others haven't. Prior to joining FirstMile, Aaron had a diverse set experiences that provide great perspective as an investor. He spent 10 years as an Army officer and helicopter pilot, leading teams in a number of challenging environments including two overseas deployments. The lessons the military instilled on leadership, teamwork and execution have greatly influenced his thoughts on management and investing. It was during his MBA that Aaron first developed a desire to work with early-stage companies. He volunteered at a technology incubator, then worked as a summer intern and part-time employee at Novinda, a venture-backed company in the clean coal market. Most recently, Aaron worked in the Corporate Strategy Group at Newmont Mining, the #2 gold miner in the world. He worked on M&A, investor relations and negotiated a mineral agreement with a foreign government. Aaron grew up in Michigan before studying economics at West Point. After graduation, he attended flight school in Alabama and moved to Korea for his first assignment as a platoon leader. He received his MBA with a concentration in Finance from the Daniels College at the University of Denver.

In this second episode of our mini-series on social entrepreneurship and impact investing I speak to Kiah Hochstetler, COO at Goodworks Ventures, a unique family office and fund out of Missoula Montana, USA (https://goodworksventures.com/) Kiah and GoodWorks fund social impact companies. In our conversation we discuss the spend-down model they use at GoodWorks, new models of financing (including revenue share investor a la Indie.vc) and how founders who want to change the world should think about funding their companies. If you are raising money you can reach out Kiah (pronounced "Ky") at kiah @ goodworksventures.com or reach out to me for an intro (always a better strategy than a cold email!). Thanks for listening and if you like the 'cast please leave us a review as it helps more people find our community. With love, WillKiah's Bio: Kiah Hochstetler is a third generation Montanan who grew up on a horse farm and is deeply rooted in this place. He is the COO for Goodworks Ventures and works directly with its portfolio companies. It’s his declaration to help people and organizations achieve their goals and become the best version of themselves. Having founded two startups, one failed, one merged, he has deep empathy for the challenges and celebrations awaiting those who are bold enough the claim the title Entrepreneur. Glacier National Park is his happy place, so much so he got married in the Park, outside, in -15 degree weather.

Prolific entrepreneur and investor Darren Kelly has a unique perspective on creating companies and doing good in the world. As an successful investment banker, investor and social entrepreneur he walks us through his story of building early internet companies, to emigrating from Canada, to investing and helping grow Penda Health in Kenya. Darren also runs the Southern Sun Angel Capital Group. If you are raising capital check them out here www.southernsunangelcapital.comIn this first of a series of episodes on social entrepreneurship we discuss starting out as an entrepreneur, and walk through Darren's story as he goes from rural Alberta to Harvard Business school and finally to Africa.Darren has created a handful of successful companies, and helped to start Penda Health in Kenya (https://www.pendahealth.com/). Darren is one of my all time favorite humans, and I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.****Hi friends, welcome to Episode #1 of the Evolving Earth podcast!On this show we're going to explore various themes on this show including futurism, culture, social entrepreneurship, personal development, art, music and more. Welcome to the adventure.In this episode I sit down with Darren Kelly, entrepreneur, investor, fellow Canadian.****This episode of the podcast is brought to you by GetFunded, the fundraising program I created for entrepreneurs. If you are creating something and need funding head on over tohttps://foundersgetfunded.com/ to learn more. - Will