The Ronan Levy Podcast

Jesse Gould joins Ronan to discuss his path into the Army and his difficulties of leaving the military, how psychedelics can assist the mental health of military veterans, and how the war on drugs restricted medicines that could have helped heal the traumas of countless servicepeople. After three deployments in Afghanistan as a US Army Ranger, Jesse Gould encountered a myriad of challenges in re-acclimating to civilian life, as do many war vets. Struggling for years with severe anxiety, he decided to try an ayahuasca retreat in Peru having been drawn to its cultural and ceremonial properties. Jesse was profoundly moved by this and soon after he founded the Heroic Hearts Project in 2017 with a mission to spearhead acceptance and use of ayahuasca therapy as a means of addressing the current mental health crisis among veterans. Since its launch, Heroic Hearts has raised over $350,000 in scholarships from donors including Dr. Bronner’s and partnered with the world’s leading ayahuasca treatment centers, as well as sponsoring psychiatric applications with the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Georgia.

Greg Ferenstein joins Ronan to discuss how psychedelics can make you a better co-worker, his field research in Silicon Valley, mental health advocacy, psychedelic policy reform, and more! Greg is a scientific consultant to mental health programs and psychedelic startups through his firm, Frederick Research. He’s also currently a scientific advisor on psychedelics and gathers research on how people use medicines such as psilocybin and LSD to improve their health, relationships, and careers. He is also the research director for Tech4America, a non-profit organization that looks at how access to mental health services impacts low-income individuals seeking to get into high-tech careers. His research has been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post, and The Guardian.

On this episode we are joined by guests Zak Williams, son of the late actor/comedian Robin Williams, and the founder of the MINDS Foundation, psychiatrist Dr. Raghu Appasani. They discussed their service and advocacy for mental health, their own mental health journeys, psychedelics, the importance of nutrition, and more! After Zak’s father’s death in 2014, Zak’s anxiety became extreme, leading to severe depression and alcohol/substance abuse. While he thankfully got sober, it didn’t solve everything. Through extensive research, he discovered the wealth of botanical adaptogens and amino acid complexes to help recalibrate and heal his mind and body, which led to opening PYM (“Prepare Your Mind”) - his company which produces “mood chews” - which he co-founded with his wife. He hired psychiatrist, neuroscientist, mental health advocate, and entrepreneur, Dr. Raghu Appasani as the Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Raghu also founded the MINDS Foundation, a mental health nonprofit committed to eliminating the stigma surrounding mental illness through education, training, and providing access to cost-effective, high quality care. This is a very important episode you don’t want to miss!

Internationally renowned shaman, best-selling author, and host of the Ceremony Circle Podcast, Alyson Charles (aka Rock-Star Shaman), joins Ronan to discuss the powerful awakening and transformation into her current identity, her healing experiences with plant medicine, her unique and powerful relationship to the animal kingdom, and more! She went from being a national champion athlete runner, and radio and daytime television host, to finding her true calling as a shaman. Alyson has devoted her life to preserving ancient wisdom by bringing sacred rituals and shamanic teachings to the mainstream in unique ways. Alyson is an animal medium; her new book, Animal Power: 100 Animals to Energize Your Life and Awaken Your Soul highlights our spiritual interconnectivity to animals and how it’s something we can all tap into.

Krishna Trevor Oswalt (professionally known as East Forest), joins Ronan to discuss what "psychedelic music" is, his time spent with Ram Dass, changing his name, the notion of “channeling,” and more. East Forest is a multidisciplinary artist who has devoted his life to his music, spirituality and mindfulness. His records combine elements of electronic music and natural field recordings and are highly acclaimed for their meticulous intention and psychedelic influence. His forthcoming album IN: A Soundtrack for the Psychedelic Practitioner, Vol. II currently lives exclusively on the Trip app.

Mike “Zappy” Zapolin has been referred to as a “psychedelic concierge,” who has dedicated himself to the expansion of human consciousness. He is an entrepreneur and trend-spotter of internet domain names, cannabis, and now the psychedelic economy. As a film-maker, his documentary film, “The Reality of Truth,” explores his ayahuasca experience in Peru, and features Deepak Chopra and actor Michelle Rodriguez. He also directed “Lamar Odom: Reborn,” a documentary that features NBA star Lamar Odom, and his path to recovery through psychedelics. Zappy joins Ronan to discuss how his early psychedelic experiences inspired him to go deeper later on in life, how the psychedelics industry could be the next big tech boom (but which could also really help people), his utterly jaw-dropping experiences with ayahuasca and ketamine, and more!

Dr. Matthew W. Johnson is one of the world’s most published scientists on the human effects of psychedelics, and has conducted seminal research in the behavioral economics of drug use, addiction, and risk behavior. Based on a thorough review of known risks of psychedelics, Dr. Johnson helped to resurrect psychedelic research by publishing psychedelic administration safety guidelines in 2008. He’s also an advisor to Field Trip on the development of the novel synthetic psychedelic molecule, FT-104. Dr. Johnson joins Ronan to discuss his experience of conducting blind studies of psychoactive substances (including salvinorin A), his favorite new and classic psychedelic books, what makes a good trip guide, and more! Dr. Johnson is Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Andrew Weil has been a leader in the field of integrative medicine for decades, and is an accomplished author, researcher, and founder of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona. He is an internationally recognized expert on medicinal plants, alternative medicine, and the reform of medical education. Dr. Weil joins Ronan to discuss integrative mental health, the application of psychedelics in our future, the war on drugs, and more. Plus, he shares insightful lessons from the past that could benefit the success of the modern psychedelic movement.

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Guest Website: www.drweil.com / www.integrativemedicine.arizona.edu

IG: @drweil

Twitter: @drweil

Feel free to leave Ronan a message with your comments, questions, or just to say hello! https://www.speakpipe.com/fieldtripping or write us an email at [email protected]. And please check out our Field Tripping YouTube channel where you can watch the show!

Dr. Alberto Villoldo is a Medical Anthropologist, researcher, and student of the shamanic healing practices of the Amazon and Andes for over 25 years. He is the founder of the Four Winds Society, an organization dedicated to the bridging of ancient shamanic traditions with modern medicine and psychology. He joins Ronan to talk about his study of medicine, shamanism, mysticism, brain science and how they all connect to recent developments in psychedelic research.

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Alberto's Website: thefourwinds.com

Facebook: @AlbertoVilloldo

Instagram: @albertovilloldo_thefourwinds

Feel free to leave Ronan a message with your comments, questions, or just to say hello! https://www.speakpipe.com/fieldtripping or write us an email at [email protected]. And please check out our Field Tripping YouTube channel where you can watch the show!

Thomas is a husband, father, and the first Canadian in 50 years that received permission to use psilocybin legally for medical purposes for end-of-life distress due to terminal cancer. Never having used medicines like cannabis or psychedelics prior to his condition, he has found profound value in these alternative therapies and hopes to reach as many people as possible with his story. He joins Ronan to talk about his diagnosis, treatments, what ultimately led to his decision to try psychedelics, and how they led him into advocacy.

Please Follow Us:

Instagram - @fieldtriphealth

Facebook - @fieldtriphealth

Twitter - @fieldtriphealth

Feel free to leave Ronan a message with your comments, questions, or just to say hello! https://www.speakpipe.com/fieldtripping or write us an email at [email protected]. And please check out our Field Tripping YouTube channel where you can watch the show!