Designer Gianni Masciopinto—winner of the 2025 Psychedelics Design Award—joins us to discuss speculative branding at the edge of legality and cultural transformation. Gianni shares why he left a secure design role to launch a solo studio, and how a fictional psychedelic chocolate concept sparked real-world recognition and collaboration.

We explore emotional intelligence in brand strategy, the tension between intuition and structure, and the role of time, meditation, and regeneration in the creative process. The conversation asks a timely question: What does responsible branding look like in emerging, stigmatized, or transformative industries like psychedelics?

-

Intro music:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Nutritious⁠⁠⁠⁠–in partnership with ⁠⁠⁠Liquid Culture⁠⁠⁠⁠

For more information and additional resources, please visit⁠ ⁠⁠www.psychedelics.design⁠

A conversation with author and psychedelic scholar Jahan Khamsehzadeh, Ph.D., on psilocybin, evolution, and the nature of consciousness.

We talk about his book The Psilocybin Connection, the “Stoned Ape” theory, and how psychedelics may have shaped our cultures, our sense of love, art, and belonging.

From the ancient Eleusinian Mysteries to modern ceremony, Jahan shares how mushrooms can help us remember who we are: creative, connected, and evolving beings in symbiosis with the living world.

-

Intro music:⁠ ⁠⁠Nutritious⁠⁠⁠–in partnership with ⁠⁠Liquid Culture⁠⁠⁠

For more information and additional resources, please visit⁠ ⁠www.psychedelics.design⁠

A conversation with creative strategist Koen Oosterbroek, founder of Portier — on creating ceremonial design objects that honor psychedelics with beauty, care, and meaning.

After winning his category at the Psychedelics & Design Awards, Koen joins us to talk about designing for reverence in a modern world. From Amsterdam to ancient Egypt, we explore how product design can give psychedelics a rightful place in our homes and culture.

We discuss inspiration, materials, sustainability, and the deeper philosophy behind Portier’s ritual boxes — built not just to store, but to honor.

-

Intro music:⁠ ⁠Nutritious⁠⁠–in partnership with ⁠Liquid Culture⁠⁠

For more information and additional resources, please visit⁠ www.psychedelics.design

In this episode, I sit down with Dylan Meek—a virtuoso pianist and vocalist whose music flows like a love letter to the soul. From his roots in small-town Texas, where nature’s symphony shaped his ears, to mentorship under master Jimmy Neely in New York, Dylan’s journey is one of reverence, mastery, and fearless vulnerability. 

We dive into his forthcoming album Love Languages, exploring how music can act as medicine, a spiritual practice, and even a technology for connection. Our conversation traces the spiritual architecture of sound, the influence of environment, and the courage to create love songs in a culture that often shies away from sincerity.

-

Intro music:⁠ ⁠Nutritious⁠⁠–in partnership with ⁠Liquid Culture⁠⁠ 

For more information and additional resources, please visit⁠ psychedelics.design

In this episode of the Psychedelics Design Podcast, host ⁠⁠⁠⁠Alexandra Plesner⁠⁠⁠⁠—founder of ⁠⁠Psychedelics Design⁠⁠—is joined by Brandon Deroche, founder of Propeller—a platform that empowers artists and fans to take real action on the causes they care about. From touring as a musician to launching high-impact campaigns with some of the world’s biggest artists, Brandon has spent the last decade turning influence into change.

We dive into his latest project, PORTAL—a cultural initiative working to destigmatize psychedelics through storytelling, events, and nonprofit partnerships. Brandon shares insights on designing for attention, using culture as a bridge, and how authenticity drives real engagement.

Key Topics we cover:

• How Propeller builds action-driven campaigns with artists and festivals

• Why PORTAL was created, and how it supports psychedelic nonprofits

• The role of music and design in shifting public perception

• The tension between private use and public advocacy in the psychedelic space

• Practical advice for creatives who want to get involved

-

Intro music: ⁠Nutritious⁠–in partnership with Liquid Culture⁠ 

For more information and additional resources, please visit psychedelics.design

What happens when the psychedelic experience isn’t something you ingest—but something you become?

In this episode of the Psychedelics Design Podcast, host ⁠⁠⁠Alexandra Plesner⁠⁠⁠—founder of ⁠Psychedelics Design⁠—sits down with Willy Christie, the Kansas-born, LA-based artist behind the music project Kukuni!

His life is a gentle rebellion—against the myth that mind expansion must be chemically induced, and against the idea that creativity is only accessible through chaos or crisis. Instead, Willy treats creativity like a sacred ritual. No shortcuts, no substances—just presence, patience, and play.

-

We are stoked to announce our first ever bespoke theme song – launching with yet another Liquid Culture artist with this very episode! Nutritious is a producer, creative visionary, and cultural alchemist, renowned for blending creativity and innovation across diverse industries.

-

For more information and additional resources, please visit ⁠https://www.psychedelics.design/⁠

In this episode of the Psychedelics Design Podcast, host ⁠⁠Alexandra Plesner⁠⁠—founder of Psychedelics Design—sits down with ⁠⁠Jonathan Brown⁠⁠, also known as Quest: a designer, tech leader, musician, and co-founder of the Three Rivers Psychedelic Society. Together, they explore Quest's multifaceted journey from tech and music into the world of sacred medicine and community building.

Through deeply personal stories—including loss and his solo beginnings with psychedelics—Quest shares how creativity, yoga, and sound have shaped his purpose. They dive into the challenges of navigating cultural perceptions, the power of authentic expression, and his latest venture: Heal Homie, a wellness-meets-streetwear lifestyle brand grounded in healing, hip-hop, and bold self-expression.

-

For more information and additional resources, please visit https://www.psychedelics.design/

In this episode of the Psychedelics Design Podcast, host ⁠⁠Alexandra Plesner—founder of Psychedelics Design—sits down with ⁠Mattha Busby⁠, a journalist and author known for his deep reporting on drug and health policy, human rights, society, and the environment.

Currently based in Mexico, Mattha is a regular contributor to The Guardian and VICE, and his work has appeared in Rolling Stone, WIRED, TIME, and more. Together, they explore the power of storytelling in the psychedelic movement, the risks of silence around harm, and how culture shapes the psychedelic experience—both in the media and beyond.

-

For more information and additional resources, please visit⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.psychedelics.design⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In this episode of the Psychedelics Design Podcast, host ⁠Alexandra Plesner⁠ the founder of Psychedelics Design, is speaking to Chris Koehn – a true Renaissance man whose talents span architecture, art, and music.

Chris studied architecture in Madrid and moving to Mexico, he founded the GoKo design firm in 2011 where he has developed residential, corporate and commercial spaces, as well as the Chapel Music Studio in Mexico City. Chris also started painting minimal pieces as a healing process when his brother passed away and as a musician, he collaborated with different artists.

-

For more information and additional resources, please visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.psychedelics.design⁠⁠⁠⁠

This week, host Alexandra Plesner⁠ sat down with David Good, the creative director at DoubleBlind Magazine and a professor of graduate design at Pratt Institute in New York.

David is not only a brand strategist, illustrator, and graphic designer with an impressive portfolio—including projects for the Museum of Sex and the Center for Optimal Living—but also a passionate educator and thought leader in the intersection of design, psychedelics, and culture.

-

For more information and additional resources, please visit www.psychedelics.design⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠