Ayahuasca, NASA & the Origins of Life | Dr. Bruce Damer on Psychedelics, Science & Consciousness

What if psychedelics aren’t just medicines for healing—but elixirs of discovery?

In this boundary-breaking episode of The Awaken Podcast, Dr. Bruce Damer—astrophysicist, visionary researcher, and President of the Center for MINDS—joins Natasja Pelgrom for a groundbreaking conversation on psychedelic-catalyzed insight and its role in shaping the future of science, technology, and human understanding.

📍 Recorded live at Breaking Convention 2025, Bruce shares the story behind how an ayahuasca journey catalyzed a breakthrough in origin-of-life research—a theory now being explored by NASA and peer-reviewed by the scientific community.

This is where mysticism meets microbiology, where altered states ignite innovation, and where the line between science and spirit dissolves.

🌍 In this episode, we explore:
🌱 How a visionary ayahuasca experience led to a breakthrough in astrobiology
🧠 Why healing medicines may also be tools for discovery, creativity, and leadership
🧬 The question: Can psychedelics accelerate scientific understanding?
👁️ Encountering an “entity” that delivered insight even NASA couldn’t discredit
🌀 The role of psilocybin, creative flow, and memory in cognitive research
🤖 Collaborating with AI to extend ancient knowledge systems
🌐 Ethical and methodological guardrails for researchers coming “out of the psychedelic closet”

📚 About Dr. Bruce Damer:

🎟️ This episode was recorded live at Breaking Convention – Europe’s leading psychedelic conference:
🔗 breakingconvention.co.uk

🎥 Subscribe for more episodes on YouTube:
🔗/@natasjapelgrom

🌿 Retreats, integration & community:
🔗 natasjapelgrom.com

📲 Connect on Instagram:
🔗 @natasja_pelgrom

Are You a Mushroom Having a Human Experience? | Darren Le Baron on Psychedelic Consciousness & African Wisdom

In this enlightening episode of The Awaken Podcast, host Natasja Pelgrom is joined by Darren Le Baron—renowned mycologist, psychedelic educator, and speaker on ancient African plant medicine traditions. Recorded live at Breaking Convention 2025, this conversation explores the intersection of psychedelic consciousness, ethnomycology, and ancestral wisdom.

With humor, reverence, and grounded insight, Darren shares how mushrooms can awaken new understandings of identity, spirituality, and our relationship with nature.

🌿 Topics covered in this episode:

✅ African wisdom traditions & the lost roots of psychedelic use

✅ “You Are a Mushroom Having a Human Experience” — unpacking Darren’s signature teaching

✅ What mushrooms teach us about consciousness, transformation & healing

✅ How cultivating your own plant medicine deepens the integration process

✅ Cultural and spiritual perspectives on fungi across the globe

✅ Ethical leadership in the era of psychedelic commercialization

✅ How fungi mirror our inner and collective evolution

✨ Whether you’re a psychonaut, spiritual seeker, or student of mycology, this episode is a journey through the soul of the soil and the spirit of the mushroom.

🌐 Learn more about Darren’s work, webinars, and courses:
 🔗 www.darrenlebaron.com

🎟️ This episode was recorded live at Breaking Convention – Europe’s leading psychedelic conference:
🔗 breakingconvention.co.uk

🎥 Subscribe for more episodes on YouTube:
🔗 / @natasjapelgrom

🌿 Retreats, integration & community:
🔗 natasjapelgrom.com

📲 Connect on Instagram:
🔗 @natasja_pelgrom

Exploring consciousness, metaphysics, and psychedelic insight through the lens of Spinietzschean thought.

In this mind-expanding episode of The Awaken Podcast, Natasja is joined by Dr. Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes, philosopher of mind, metaphysician, and lecturer at the University of Exeter. Renowned for bridging ancient philosophical questions with modern psychedelic insight, Peter invites us into a layered inquiry on consciousness, altered states, and the mysteries embedded within nature itself.

From Spinoza to Nietzsche, Kant to panpsychism, this conversation travels through rich philosophical terrain—exploring how altered states may not only expand the mind, but also reframe our understanding of what mind is.

In this episode, we explore:

This episode is a contemplative feast for psychonauts, scholars, and seekers alike—an invitation to see not just differently, but deeper.

📚 About Dr. Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes:

🌐 More about Peter: www.philosopher.eu

🎟️ Join the Breaking Convention psychedelic conference:

Get 10% off your ticket with the code AWAKENTHEMED10

🌿 Resources & Next Steps:
→ Join the next Sacred Continuum live class (integration & embodiment support)
→ Explore upcoming retreats and mentoring opportunities

🌐 natasjapelgrom.com
🎥 youtube.com/@NatasjaPelgrom
📲 @natasja_pelgrom

💬 If this episode sparks questions or cosmic reflections…
Share it with a fellow seeker or philosopher. Subscribe, leave a review, and tag us in your favorite quotes or “aha” moments.

#TheAwakenPodcast #ConsciousnessExplored #PsychedelicPhilosophy #Panpsychism #Spinietzsche #MetaphysicsAndMedicine

‘Feminine Intelligence, Somatic Depth, and Expanded States’

In this timely and thought-provoking solo episode, Natasja Pelgrom opens Season 4 of The Awaken Podcast with a powerful call to remember the forgotten arc of transformation—one rooted not in the peaks of expanded states experience, but in the embodied return.

Drawing from decades of space holding, ancient initiatory wisdom, and her own recent darkness retreat, Natasja reframes psych*del^cs and other expanded states not as interventions, but as initiations. At the heart of this return is the Initiatrix archetype—a feminine intelligence that guides transformation through descent, mystery, and relational leadership.

In this episode, we explore:

This episode sets the tone for a season dedicated to re-orienting our collective compass—from seeking the peak, to honoring the slow, sacred spiral of return.

📍 Resources & Next Steps:
→ Join the next Sacred Continuum live class (integration & embodiment support)
→ Explore upcoming retreats and mentoring opportunities

🌐 natasjapelgrom.com
🎥 youtube.com/@NatasjaPelgrom
📲 @natasja_pelgrom

🎟️ Join the Breaking Convention psychedelic conference:

Get 10% off your ticket with the code AWAKENTHEMED10

🔗 breakingconvention.co.uk

💬 If this episode resonated with you, share it with a fellow seeker, facilitator, or space holder.

Tag us with your reflections and let us know:

👉 What does “the return” mean to you?
👉 How are you honoring the feminine arc in your work?

#TheAwakenPodcast #PsychedelicIntegration #TheInitiatrix #SacredLeadership #EmbodiedTransformation #5MeODMT #DarknessRetreat #FeminineArchetypes

"Life is not a destination—it’s a courageous journey of returning to what truly matters."

In this rich and soul-stirring episode, Natasja sits down with a visionary entrepreneur whose journey began in Hong Kong and led them through the bustling streets of Amsterdam’s creative scene, where they co-founded iconic spaces like Doka, Canvas, Werkplaats, and Vrijland Festival.

Together, they explore:

✨ Aligning business with soul-purpose and personal values
🌀 The art of shedding identity to reinvent oneself
🪶 Embracing humility and becoming a student of life again
🧭 Following intuition to navigate profound life shifts
🌱 Building community spaces rooted in integrity and inclusion
🌍 Emigrating and starting anew while holding a vision for freedom
🌿 Reclaiming connection to nature as our ultimate guide and teacher

Their story is not just about entrepreneurial success—but about daring to lead with heart, choosing integrity over conformity, and embodying freedom as a lived philosophy.

💡 Highlights from the Episode:

📍 Connect with our guest:
👉 www.freedomville.pt

🌿 Resources & Next Steps:
→ Join the next Sacred Continuum live class (integration & embodiment support)
→ Explore upcoming retreats and mentoring opportunities

🌐 natasjapelgrom.com
🎥 youtube.com/@NatasjaPelgrom
📲 @natasja_pelgrom

💬 Loved this episode?

Share it with a friend, leave a review, and tag us on Instagram with your insights!

#TheAwakenPodcast #ConsciousLeadership #SacredEntrepreneurship

“No matter how much you prepare someone, it’s always a unique experience.”

In this insightful and nuanced episode, Natasja welcomes Jeanine Souren, a clinical psychologist, sexologist, and co-founder of the Experiential Training Institute. Jeanine brings her extensive expertise in trauma, couples, and family therapy to the evolving field of psychedelic-assisted treatment—bridging the scientific with the soulful.

🌀 In this conversation, we explore:

Jeanine brings clarity, humility, and depth to the complex terrain of therapeutic work with expanded states—and reminds us that rites of passage are not just for clients, but for space holders, too.

📍 Connect with Jeanine and her offerings:
🌐 www.jeaninesouren.com

🌿 Resources & Next Steps:
→ Join the next Sacred Continuum live class (integration & embodiment support)
→ Explore upcoming retreats and mentoring opportunities

🌐 natasjapelgrom.com
🎥 youtube.com/@NatasjaPelgrom
📲 @natasja_pelgrom

💬 If this episode sparked insights or reflections, share it and tag us.
We’d love to hear how you’re navigating your own therapeutic landscapes—whether as a practitioner or seeker.

#TheAwakenPodcast #PsychedelicTherapy #IntegrationMatters #TherapeuticJourney #RitesofPassage

A special feature from the Stewards of the Sacred Conference

What if the plants around you—yes, even the common ones—were not just botanical companions but profound spiritual teachers?

In this special edition episode from the inaugural Stewards of the Sacred conference (October 2023), Natasja welcomes Pam Montgomery, a beloved Earth elder, international teacher, and pioneer in plant spirit healing. With more than three decades of experience as an herbalist and author, Pam shares a moving and timely teaching on how plants initiate us into higher consciousness and co-create our evolution alongside Nature.

🌱 In this episode, Pam explores:

Pam reminds us that the sacred is not separate—it grows beneath our feet and calls us into a new era of conscious stewardship.

📚 Pam is the author of:
Plant Spirit Healing: A Guide to Working with Plant Consciousness
Partner Earth: A Spiritual Ecology
Her forthcoming book: Co-Creative Partnership with Nature

🌿 She is also a founding member of United Plant Savers and Organization of Nature Evolutionaries (ONE)

🌍 Discover Stewards of the Sacred conferences and watch at you convenience:
🔗 www.stewardsofthesacred.com

🌿 Resources & Next Steps:
→ Join the next Sacred Continuum live class (integration & embodiment support)
→ Explore upcoming retreats and mentoring opportunities

🌐 natasjapelgrom.com
🎥 youtube.com/@NatasjaPelgrom
📲 @natasja_pelgrom

💬 Feeling the call?
Share this episode with a fellow plant lover, space holder, or spiritual seeker. Let’s reweave the threads of sacred connection—together.
 

#StewardsoftheSacred #TheAwakenPodcast #PlantSpiritHealing #NatureWisdom #EarthElders

Reconnect with Natasja in this solo episode as she returns to The Awaken Podcast, guiding you through a journey of introspection, self-discovery, and the transformative power of silence.

After seasons of holding space, guiding others, and walking alongside transformation in its many forms, Natasja returns—more rooted, more tender, and more devoted to the still voice within.

In this intimate solo episode of The Awaken Podcast, she explores the sacred technology of stillness—not as something passive, but as an active portal to awakening, clarity, and embodiment.

Stillness is not absence.
Stillness is presence amplified.
It’s where the deeper truths speak.

🌬️ In this transmission, Natasja explores:

Whether you're in the midst of transition, longing for reconnection, or feeling stretched by the world’s pace—this episode is a gentle invocation to return to your own source.

🌀 Mentioned in this episode:

🌿 Resources & Next Steps:
→ Join the next Sacred Continuum live class (integration & embodiment support)
→ Explore upcoming retreats and mentoring opportunities

🌐 natasjapelgrom.com
🎥 youtube.com/@NatasjaPelgrom
📲 @natasja_pelgrom

💬 Your Invitation:
What if the clarity you’ve been chasing lives in the pause?
Share this episode with someone who needs space to remember.
Subscribe, rate, and tag us with your insights.

#TheAwakenPodcast #StillnessIsPower #AwakeningThroughSilence #SacredPause #SelfLeadership

Navigating Transformation in an Ever-Changing World

Imagine a world where every transition—birth, death, heartbreak, coming of age, leadership, spiritual awakening—was honored with deep intention, belonging, and community.
That world is not lost. It lives in the echoes of our ancestors—and in the choices we make today.

In this solo episode of The Awaken Podcast, Natasja invites you on a profound exploration of Rites of Passage—timeless ceremonial frameworks that guide us through the liminal spaces of transformation.

As modern life accelerates, we are asked to remember: our milestones matter.
Whether through ancient initiations or psychedelic journeys, rites of passage offer us mirrors, maps, and meaning.

🌍 In this episode, we explore:

Whether you’re navigating identity shifts, creative rebirth, career pivots, or deep spiritual awakenings—this episode offers a compass to walk these thresholds with clarity, reverence, and courage.

📚 References & Inspirations mentioned in this episode:

🌀 Plus: Egyptian Craft Guilds, the Eleusinian Mysteries, Christian initiation rites, and more...

🌿 Retreat Mentioned:
5-Day Psilocybin Retreat in the Netherlands
🔗 awakenthemedicinewithin.com/stewardship

🌿 Resources & Next Steps:
→ Join the next Sacred Continuum live class (integration & embodiment support)
→ Explore upcoming retreats and mentoring opportunities

🌐 natasjapelgrom.com
🎥 youtube.com/@NatasjaPelgrom
📲 @natasja_pelgrom

💬 If this episode resonates with you…
Share it with someone crossing their own threshold.
Rate, subscribe, and tag us with your reflections and rituals.
Let’s walk the ceremonial path together.
 

#TheAwakenPodcast #RitesOfPassage #ThresholdsOfChange #LivingCeremony #ModernMystics #ConsciousLeadership

The work is rewarded by the gifts you receive in silence.

The Awaken Podcast—a space for seekers, leaders, and visionaries ready to walk in deep alignment with self, spirit, and purpose.

After a sacred pause, Natasja Pelgrom returns to the mic with fresh insights, a reawakened sense of purpose, and a powerful new season dedicated to exploring self-leadership, ritual, and stewardship in a time of psychedelic expansion.

This solo episode sets the tone with one of the central pillars of this season: Living in Ceremony—and more specifically, the profound art of decoding prayer as a living, breathing practice.

🌿 In this solo transmission, Natasja explores:

This is an invitation to listen not just with your mind, but with your body, your breath, and your heart.

📚 Mentioned in this episode:

🌍 Discover Living in Ceremony 3-week Self-Paced course:
🔗https://www.eudaimonia.institute/living-in-ceremony

🌿 Resources & Next Steps:
→ Join the next Sacred Continuum live class (integration & embodiment support)
→ Explore upcoming retreats and mentoring opportunities

🌐 natasjapelgrom.com
🎥 youtube.com/@NatasjaPelgrom
📲 @natasja_pelgrom

💬 If this episode speaks to you…
Share it with someone walking the path.
Subscribe, rate, and tag us with your reflections.

 Let’s remember together: every moment is an invitation to live in ceremony.
#TheAwakenPodcast #LivingInCeremony #DecodingPrayer #StewardsoftheSacred #ConsciousLeadership