Athena Short is a cofounder and minister at Psanctuary Church and Development Strategist at the Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition. Central to the story and the operations of Psanctuary, Athena shares some of her journey with us in this episode. From her background in the Episcopal Church and as a competitive dancer, she brings a light-hearted playfulness wherever she goes.

In this episode she shares the ups and downs of spending the last eight years developing a career in psychedelics, harm reduction and legendary hugs. After you listen to this episode you'll understand a little better why everybody loves Athena.

Meet Amy Samuelson: Psanctuary Minister, Board Member & Altogether Amazing Woman!

Amy Samuelson is a heart-centered leader at Psanctuary: The Sacred Mushroom Church, where she serves on the leadership team and supports community members as a Psacred Passage Minister and More Than Integration Coach. She's also a board member for End of Life Psychedelic Care, where she helps shape the future of compassionate, entheogen-supported transitions.

After two decades in the corporate world—spanning Finance, Administration, and Ops leadership in both Retail and Financial Services—Amy made a bold pivot in 2020 to prioritize her healing and reawaken her spirit. Her journey with sacred mushrooms played a profound role in that transformation, inspiring her to help others walk their own path with support, integrity, and sacred intention.

Amy now blends her sharp organizational acumen with a soulful devotion to accessible healing, sacred service, and psychedelic-informed end-of-life care. She’s a grounded guide at the crossroads of systems change and spiritual renewal.

Before there was Psanctuary, there was an arrest.

In this raw and revealing first episode, Eric and Courtney walk through some of the events and memories that brought Psanctuary into being. From the 2015 felony charges that became the unlikely catalyst for a modern mushroom ministry, launching the world's first international psilocybin retreats, to birthing Psanctuary, they share how psilocybin, spirit, and sacred defiance forged a new kind of church and brought them closer together.

This isn’t just a story of redemption — it’s a call to reimagine faith, freedom, and the power of reclaiming the sacred.