Tenders of the Mycelial Future: Gabriela D’Elia on Fungal Conservation & Sacred Feminine Psychedelia

🌿 Show Notes — Heal With Mushrooms Podcast

Host: Cassandra Beaumont

Guest: Gabriela D’Elia

Air Date: 8/6/2025

In this rich and reverent episode, Cassandra is joined by Gabriela D’Elia—mycologist, writer, educator, and former Executive Director of the Fungal Diversity Survey (FunDiS). Together, they journey through the forest of fungal advocacy, spiritual ecology, psychedelic wisdom, and embodied imagination.

Gabriela shares stories from her pioneering work in fungal conservation, including the successful campaign to recognize Boletus edulis as Utah’s state mushroom and the launch of the first statewide, government-funded fungal diversity project in California. She also offers insights into community science, legislative advocacy, and how to bring fungal justice into local environmental policy—like the case of Snohomish County’s Critical Area Regulations, which still lack fungal inclusion.

But this conversation is more than policy—it’s poetic. Gabriela guides listeners into a deep imagination practice, speaks to the forgotten women of psychedelic history, and reminds us that fungi are more than functional—they are wisdom keepers, storytellers, and kin.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• How Gabriela helped make Porcini the official state mushroom of Utah

• What’s missing in fungal conservation policy—and how local advocates can change that

• How mushrooms invite us into deep imagination and embodied listening

• Why women’s stories in psychedelics need to be reclaimed

• What it means to center fungal beings in both science and spirit

• A guided visualization to connect with mushroom messages

• How to use the term Funga to elevate fungal presence alongside Flora and Fauna

Website: gabrieladelia.com

Substack: gabrieladelia.substack.com – Fungi Talk

Instagram: @gabrielamushroom

FUNDISOrganization: https://www.fundis.org/

Retreats: Catskill Fungi

https://catskillfungi.com/pages/puerto-rico-foray-2025

Heal With Mushrooms IG: https://www.instagram.com/healwithmushrooms/

HWM Website https://healwithmushrooms.kit.com/