Evolving Earth Podcast

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.org

In 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 here

FRI 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 Links

• SoundMind Center: https://soundmind.center/
• Donate: https://soundmind.center/donate
• Volunteer: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf9wswFSsTCf6LAkwc_htZ99H5fATszdesZzzGVE3xauKj-CQ/viewform
• SoundMind Project: https://soundmindproject.org/
• Hannah McLane's website: https://www.hannahmclanemd.com/

Wills Updates: 

SoulBloom

A 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-dream

Chaikuni 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 mission
• How we can reconnect and remember ourselves in our disconnected Western culture
• The benefits of sacred plant medicine
• Why a sense of community is essential to healing ourselves, our loved ones and the planet
• How 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 ceremony
• Benefits of Ibogaine for treating addiction
• The 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/

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 Eye

Show 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 burst
9:40 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 revenue
22:30 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

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/@fletchrichman

Fletcher'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: @FletcherRichman

Show 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 feedback

12:00 His first internship at PivotDesk and his beginnings in web development

13:00 How he built a sales robot at PivotDesk and built the intern team

14:00 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 structure

17:30 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 entrepreneurs

38:19 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 problems