Today’s guests are MJ Antonini & Nicki Driscoll, the founders of NeuroBionics, a neurotech startup out of MIT. NeuroBionics is making Deep Brain Stimulation minimally invasive though the development of nano fibers that are 10X thinner than traditional Deep Brain Stimulation leads - allowing them to be inserted endovascularly into the brain.

Lars Wilde is the cofounder of Pangea Bio - startup that uses AI to identify natural compounds and traditional remedies that may have medical applications. Prior to starting Pangea, Lars cofounded Compass Pathways and ATAI life sciences, both of which IPOd on the NASDAQ.

Can a succulent plant from South Africa treat premature ejaculation? John Boghossian and Dr Ryan Protzko from Kadence Bio think so.

www.kadencebio.com

Can brain implants treat your depression? Ok, technically this would be a skull implant, not a brain implant - but still!

Jacob Robinson from Motif Neurotech discusses the future of minimally invasive electronic medicine from mental health and beyond.

This is a crossover episode from the Business Trip podcast.

Why Academics & PhDs Should Consider Starting a Startup - Fireside chat with Brom Rector and Sam Tabone at the USC Neuroscience Graduate Program Retreat

Will MDMA and psychedelic therapy be affordable?

🤖 ChatGPT & Dall-E today - misinformation, bias & worker displacement tomorrow. In a world where artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly advanced, it's more important than ever to ensure that AI systems are aligned with our values and behave in ways that are safe for humanity. But what exactly does it mean to align an AI system, and how do we go about ensuring its safety?   

Here to answer these questions and more (including the most important question: will AIs take psychedelics?) is Ramsay Brown. Ramsay is the Founder of the AI Responsibility Lab (AIRL). AIRL builds venture-scale deep tech solutions for AI Safety and AI Resilience. AIRL's flagship product, Mission Control, integrates Responsible AI training, AI Risk Management, and AI Governance orchestration to drive fairness, explainability, and trust throughout the entire AI lifecycle.  

Check out AIRL here: https://www.takecontrol.ai/  

Ramsay on Twitter: https://twitter.com/_ramsaybrown 

Brom on twitter: https://twitter.com/therealbrom

5:30 - What are the major concerns in AI safety? 

10:30 - Examples of AI gone bad  

16:00 - What is the hardest part of AI alignment? 

21:00 - What is Ramsay’s unique angle on AI alignment?  

24:00 - Is the world ready for conversations about responsible AI?   

25:30 - Who is responsible for responsible AI?  

32:00 - What regulations would Ramsay put into place?  

41:00 - Eliezer Yudkowsky 

47:00 - The era of synthetic labor 

55:00 - The Turing Test is a red herring  

1:04:00 - What jobs are safe from the AI takeover?  

1:14:00 - Will machines do psychedelics?

🍄 India Oxenberg is a survivor of the NXIVM cult.  While her 7 years in NXIVM have been covered extensively in multiple documentaries, articles and books, this is the first interview in which she details the role that psychedelics played in her post-NXIVM healing journey.    

India is the author of "Still Learning", a memoir documenting her seven-year experience with and escape from the toxic cult, NXIVM.  She is the executive producer of "SEDUCED: INSIDE THE NXIVM CULT", a Starz documentary.  By sharing her story, she hopes to raise awareness about the insidious nature of coercion and hopes to offer other survivors a platform to share their stores.   

India's mother, Catherine Oxenberg was instrumental in taking down NXIVM.  She is the founder of The Catherine Oxenberg Foundation, a foundation dedicated to helping individuals and families recover from the devastating effects of unresolved trauma. Their mission is to shift the paradigm of trauma from one of stigma and disability to one of growth, opportunity and a gateway to wisdom and empowerment.  

Keith Raniere, the founder of NXIVM was found guilty of sex trafficking, racketeering, wire fraud and a litany of other charges in 2019.  He is currently serving a 120 year prison sentence.   

Follow India on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/indiaoxenberg/ 

The Catherine Oxenberg Foundation: https://catherineoxenberg.com/foundation/ 

Follow Brom on Twitter:  https://www.twitter.com/therealbrom  

⏰ Timestamps   

01:36 India's time in NXIVM  

21:52 How did psychedelics become a part of India’s healing journey? 

34:00 Advice from India to other women who’ve experienced sexual trauma  

38:16 How psychedelics healed India’s relationship with her family  

41:17 Other substances that India experimented with 

45:00 Self-guided VS Guided trips? 

48:50 How psychedelics helped India see Keith Raniere in a different light  

54:12 Bad trips: ketamine nightmares  

58:45 Trying psychedelics while being in a cult  

1:07:58 Psychedelic cults and how to identify them

🍄  Today’s guest is William-Padilla Brown.  William is a self-taught mycologist, mushroom forager, and researcher.  He’s the founder of MycoSymbiotics, a research organization focused on Fungi and Algae.    

In this episode: 

- How cordyceps can inhibit HIV 

- Why you should grow oyster mushrooms on coffee grounds 

- The most over-looked functional mushroom 

- How mushrooms can absorb radiation 

- Fun theories about psychedelic algae 

- Meta-Programming the human biocomputer  

- And More! 

Learn more about Will on his website: https://solo.to/permaculturepapi

Learn more about Mycosymbiotics on the website: https://mycosymbiotics.com/  

Follow Brom on Twitter:  https://www.twitter.com/therealbrom 

Invest in Brom's VC Fund, Empath Ventures:  https://www.empath.vc 

⏰ Time Stamps:  

0:00 Why are mushrooms having a moment? 

10:00 How did Will get into mushrooms? 

18:20 How to get started with mushrooms/mycology/foraging 

26:03 Are there significant differences between different strains of psychedelic mushrooms?  

29:57 What compounds, other than psilocybin, can impact your psychedelic trip? 

35:36 Cordyceps: the mushroom that grows on insects 

41:49 What do cordyceps do to the human body and why should we consume them? 

46:56 What mushrooms should beginning growers start with 

48:03 What is the most underrated functional mushroom? 

53:04 Algae? 

59:45 Meta programming the human biocomputer  

1:02:05 Industry prediction in Oregon and Colorado

Today’s guest is Raad Seraj, Raad is a technologist, angel investor, artist, and advocate for emerging mental health therapies including psychedelics.   Raad recently launched his podcast, Minority Trip Report (MTR), to discuss under-represented views and life journeys with mental health, psychedelics, and consciousness.   

Learn more about Raad on his website: https://raadseraj.com/about-me

Listen to his podcast: https://www.minoritytrip.com/