The Stories We Tell

We all know a No-Face. Someone who has no true identity, who mirrors their environment in order to fit in, who doesn’t possess the ability to think for themself. Someone who parrots whatever opinion or hot-take is popular on Twitter that week. Someone who is addicted to external validation and consumption. Lonely and insecure, these No-Faces crave connection or purpose, and think the best way to achieve their goal is to loudly conform to societal expectations.

I know this because I was No-Face for a time in my early 20s. I think back on certain periods of 2020 and cringe at the performative nature of my chronically-online presence. What did I have to offer as a nobody white-guy with nothing of value to say? Why did I feel the need to weigh in on every issue?

It was a strange time in my life. I had moved back to Chicago after school, surprised when very few of my high school friends did the same. I was left stranded in the land of employment, realizing far too late that the future I chose would leave me empty and unfulfilled.

So I lapsed into vice and distraction.

I drank on weeknights, gambled incessantly on sports, and mindlessly scrolled Twitter and Reddit. I struggled with tremendous health challenges, which only compounded my misery. Really, though, I was desperate for connection.

Lacking any outlet for true connection, and feeling unfulfilled with work and love, I turned to social media. You know social media? That everpresent, unregulated cancer that plagues the strong and tears down the weak. I turned to online communities as a replacement for real community, which exists, but damn if it isn’t hard to find these days.

And why shouldn’t I have? Shouldn’t social media serve to connect and unify, rather than enflame and divide? No, of course not. Because social media, just like the bathhouse in Spirited Away, is driven by one power alone: capitalism.

Social media giants design algorithms to manipulate and control, to enslave your attention and use it as currency. They discard your soul and ignore your mental health.

In Spirited Away, the character of No-Face acts as a mirror, taking on the essence of his environment. In the bathhouse, a microcosmic representation of any capitalistic society, all the power and money is concentrated at the top, while those at the bottom scrap and claw for every bit of leverage they can. We see this in the way Chihiro is first treated by workers at the bathhouse, who see her as a burdensome risk who might jeapordize whatever power they may have. So they take advantage of their rare bit of authority and treat her like filth, commenting on her smell, naivety and laziness.

Thus, when No-Face enters the bathhouse, he ineviatably becomes a gluttinous monster, terrorizing its workers and reflecting the greed and consumerism that coarses through every step on the bathhouse’s hierarchal ladder.

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The Next Chapter of Blog, Podcast, and More

This podcast is an exploration of my personal growth through books and film. It’s a way of educating myself on the complexities of our world, and organizing my views, through a study of art. I won’t promise I’ll present PhD level arguments, succinct, poignant, and revelatory. But I will be honest. Truly great writing comes from deep within, the parts of one’s psyche that they’d rather suppress. My best writing has come when I take a hard look at myself or reveal hidden truths about my identity

Already, my post about Spirited Away has resonated with people, vulnerable and embarassing as parts of it were to share. People value truth above all else, even if my specific circumstances are foreign to them.

My passion for writing has been hidden in plain sight all my life. This is now my fourth blog, and I’ve written all sorts of things in my spare time. I want to figure out how to turn writing into a career eventually, but for now, I am content to work on my craft and figure out what I actually want to say.

I am working on a novel right now. It’s my first creative writing project outside of short stories, and boy is it a challenge. I’m 62,000 words into it, but I’ve taken a break over the past week or two to really think about how I want to push it across the finish line. Likely, the first draft is going to be an incoherent mess, but that’s okay. Neil Gaiman personally told me that the most important part of creative writing is finishing, not starting.

Creativity is something I’ve felt was better left to others. I can’t draw or paint to save a baby’s life, and I’ve desperately failed every instrument I’ve tried. I figured my mind was logical and analytical, rather than imaginative and cerebral. However, I’ve discovered my view of creativity was far too narrow. Really, creativity just means the ability to form something novel & valuable—to create. I’ve created a podcast, I’ve created stories, I’ve created a world in which to set one of these stories, I’ve created this blog and many others, I’ve created a side-venture. I’ve created my identity.

You may be asking yourself if this is just another in my long line of ADHD hyperfixations. A fair question, but I don’t think it is. And this is because it can encompass all my ADHD hyperfixations in one place. I can explore a topic that interests me, unpack it, and move on with a deepened sense of self. Books and films have engaged me for as long as I can remember, and writing about them simply seems the logical thing to do. I’ve done it in the past on Letterboxd, in fact, though I hope that these reviews will be more focused and well-researched.

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Greg Sanchez is a self-taught ethnomycologist who has been president of the Colorado Mycological Society for 20 years.

Today, we delve into the topic of ethnomycology: what it is and why it's crucial to understand and have respect for the historical and spiritual uses of mushrooms.

Specifically, we will talk about Mesoamerica, where much of ancient mushroom knowledge comes from, the ecology of the region, and some of the dark history of indigenous exploitation.

We'll also talk about the so-called 'mushroom moment', and exciting developments in using fungi for medicinals, food, materials, mycoremediation, and psychedelic therapy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Myco-materials is an emerging field that uses mycelium and fungi to solve a vast array of problems--from sustainable design, to biodegradable packaging, to home + construction, and architecture + design. Companies like Ecovative and Loop (s/o Marc Violo) pioneered this industry, but there are hundreds of startups and entrepreneurs expanding on the solutions in the space.

Jessica Diaz & Catherine Euale have been partners in all things mycelium for many years now, and their most recent project is called Fungal Matters--an online myco-materials design course. Catherine comes from a textiles and fashion design background, and Jessica comes from an architecture background, so they bring a wide mix of knowledge and experience to their collaboration

In this episode, we'll touch on

• Mycelium design course
• What kinds of mushrooms they use in myco material making
• Ethnomycological uses of mycelium and mushrooms - aka how it has been used for centuries
• New projects for Catherine and Jessica, like:
• 3D printing in myco materials
• Mushroom material surfboard
• Myco-leather research

Timestamps

• 0:00 - Intro
• 4:40 - What are myco-materials?
• 5:37 - Myco-Materials design course (Fungal Matters)
• 10:22 - What mushrooms to use in myco-materials?
• 13:45 - Ethno-mycological (historical) uses of myco-materials
• 18:23 - How to prevent fruiting
• 19:20 - 3D Printing in myco-materials
• 22:00 - How Jessica and Catherine got into mycology
• 29:53 - Myco-Materials Design Course - Mycology 101
• 34:07 - Innoculation + Incubation
• 36:10 - Substrates, Composites + Membranes
• 41:47 - Digital Fabrication, Finishes + Fungal Futures
• 44:55 - What comes next?
• 47:50 - Other projects they're working on
• 54:00 - Outro

Resources

• Fungal Matters Instagram
• Catherine's Instagram
• Jessica's Instagram
• Catherine's Myco-leather research
• Jessica's Myco-surfboard project and Ongo Boards instagram

Theme Music: Lacuna (ft. Sunsquabi) by Cloudchord

My info

Website: https://www.remarkablemushroomemporium.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/remarkablemushroomemporium/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The global fungi industry is expanding like wildfire right now.

Innovation is happening in every which way, from companies using fungi to remediate toxic soil, to mycelium-based meat replacements, to myco-materials used to create leather and packaging replacements, medicinal mushroom supplements, and of course, psilocybin-assisted therapy.

And if there's one person on this earth that knows more about the great entrepreneurs leveraging fungal solutions to unique problems, it's my guest on today's show, Marc Violo.

Marc saw a need to consolidate and visualize all the different arenas of fungal innovation, which led him to creating the MycoStories Fungi Industry Map.

We’ll discuss the map and how Marc created it, tips for keeping track of the industry, and resources for further learning. Marc also talks about his current “Fungi World Tour”, in which he is traveling around the globe to meet entrepreneurs and see the innovations they’re creating. Finally, we’ll delve into the future of the fungi industry, and what needs to happen for companies to produce impactful solutions at scale

Timestamps

• 0:00 - Intro
• 3:45 - MycoStories Fungi Industry Map
• 9:07 - Resources and tips for tracking the industry
• 13:00 - Fungi World Tour
• 16:00 - Theoretical investment strategy
• 18:24 - Future of the Fungi Industry
• 26:44 - Psilocybin and Psychedelics
• 32:39 - Collaboration in Fungi Industry
• 37:38 - Connections in Myco-sphere
• 42:30 - Marc’s journey to MycoStories
• 48:35 - Future of MycoStories
• 53:50 - Outro

Resources

Download the MycoStories Fungi Industry Map

MycoStories on Instagram

MycoStories on LinkedIn

Theme Music: Lacuna (ft. Sunsquabi) by Cloudchord

My info

Website: https://www.remarkablemushroomemporium.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/remarkablemushroomemporium/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Langdon Cook was minding his own business, picking burn morels in his cute lil' wicker basket, when he encountered a sight that spurred his curiosity--two people with massive crates filled to the brim with morel mushrooms--making his measly collection look puny in comparison.

Where did these people find such a bountiful harvest, and what can recreational pickers take away from their secrets??

That's exactly the question Langdon set out to answer when he wrote The Mushroom Hunters, and it turned into an even more revealing and wacky story than he could've imagined.

In this episode, we explore Langdon's journey on the "mushroom trail", the zany characters he encounters when researching the wild-foraged mushroom market, tips that you can bring into your own foraging, and recipes/applications of fresh or dried mushrooms that you find.

Timestamps

0:00 - Intro

4:15 - How The Mushroom Hunters came to fruition

8:30 - The Mushroom Trail

10:37 - Morels in the Midwest

12:45 - Meeting a picker in the PNW

13:57 - History of foraged mushrooms

18:08 - The buyer's side of things

21:05 - Commercial vs. Recreational pickers

24:20 - Demographics of the industry

29:28 - Burn morels & foraging tips

38:40 - Ecological Conditions to look for

47:39 - Grading Porcini and Matsutake

55:30 - Mushroom trade as a globalized business

58:00 - Culinary tips for dried mushrooms

1:02:30 - Recipes for fresh foraged mushrooms

Resources

Langdon's website

The Mushroom Hunters

Theme Music: Lacuna (ft. Sunsquabi) by Cloudchord

My info

Website: https://www.remarkablemushroomemporium.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/remarkablemushroomemporium/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Hernan Castro's father suffered three consecutive strokes and doctors said his brain could not recover, Hernan didn't take that lying down. Instead, he threw himself into researching and learning about medicinal mushrooms, specifically Lion's Mane, and how it might help his dad.

Listen to this inspiring story and how it launched a wild-foraged mushroom extract company called Desert Alchemist on the latest episode of Ryan's Remarkable Mycology Podcast.

Hernan and I discuss his unique extract-making process, fueled by a background in chemistry and an intense devotion to trying out-of-the-box approaches for his extracts. We also go over some tips for extract making, the wild mushrooms of Arizona, hot debates amongst the mycology community, foraging stories, and more! Enjoy.

Timestamps

0:00 - Intro

5:08: Starting with Lion's Mane

11:50: Extract making process

14:00 - Hernan's father's miraculous recovery

16:30 - Getting involved with medicinals + foraging

19:26: Unique Medicinal Mushrooms of Arizona

23:30 - Cultivating Wild Mushrooms

25:20 - Brain Boost Formula

28:08 - Myceliated Grain vs. Fruiting Body

32:00 - Wild Mushrooms vs. Cultivated Mushrooms

36:08 - All about making extracts

44:15 - Mushroom coffee

47:10 - Other tincture ingredients

48:45 - Foraging + Forays

56:50 - Hernan's future projects

59:14 - Outro

Resources:

• Desert Alchemist's website
• International Journal of Medicinal Mushroom Research
• Fungal Pharmacy

Theme Music: Lacuna (ft. Sunsquabi) by Cloudchord

My info

Website: https://www.remarkablemushroomemporium.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/remarkablemushroomemporium/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you ever wondered what happens when you make an entire business off of parasitic fungi that infect the larvae of ghost moths and grow from the head of a dead caterpillar? No? Well, too bad. This episode's guest is Alex Dorr of Mushroom Revival - a functional mushroom farm and extract producer, specializing in cordyceps militaris (aka "Zombie Fungus), along with Reishi, Lion's Mane, and more.

Alex and I talk about psilocybin mushrooms and the state of the psychedelic industry, the challenges of running a functional mushroom company, cool topics he's learned about on his own podcast, sustainability, and much more.

Timestamps

0:00 - Intro + foraging fun fact!

5:05 - Alex's mushroom journey

11:25 - The booming psychedelic industry

16:25 - Microdosing psilocybin

21:57 - Monoculture lawns & relationship with nature

25:30 - The story of Mushroom Revival

28:30 - All about Cordyceps

37:08 - Other favorite mushrooms

39:05 - Sustainability (not all sunshine + rainbows!)

45:00 - Where to go with Mushrooms

48:45 - The Mushroom Revival Podcast & favorite episodes

56:00 - The Little Book of Mushrooms

1:00:55 - Wrap up

Alex's Stuff

• Mushroom Revival Podcast
• The Little Book of Mushrooms
• Functional Extracts at MushroomRevival.com

Resources

• Cordyceps Cultivation Group on Facebook

Episodes of Alex's Podcast

• How Fungi & Bacteria Interact
• The Secret Electrical Language of Mushrooms with Yu Fukasawa

Theme Music: Lacuna (ft. Sunsquabi) by Cloudchord

My info

Website: https://www.remarkablemushroomemporium.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/remarkablemushroomemporium/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 1 is finally here! I know you've all been waiting with bated breath.

In this inaugural episode, I talk with Henri Carignan, who has been growing mushrooms since he was 16, and runs his own consulting business helping people with their mushroom cultivation.

We had a great chat, going over a range of topics from Mycology  + Mushroom Cultivation 101, tips for beginners, common mistakes, our favorite mushrooms and methods of growing, and much more! See below for timestamps if you want to skip around a bit, and some resources/links that we talk about.

Timestamps
0:00 - Intro and about Henri
4:28 - Cultivating on weird substates (agricultural waste, cigarette butts, etc.)
8:02 - Mycology 101 and the mushroom lifecycle
11:47 - Mushroom Cultivation steps
18:27 - Tips for beginners and common mistakes
30:12 - Favorite Mushrooms
33:16 - Mushroom Foraging + Mycological Societies
37:50 - Other Resources (books, podcasts, youtube creators, etc.)
42:35 - Cultivating with Instant Pots!
44:19 - Monetizing Mushrooms
49:48 - Future Developments
55:00 - Favorite/Least Favorite parts
57:20 - Closing Thoughts

Music Credits: Lacuna (ft. Sunsquabi) by Cloudchord

Resources

Henri's Website: https://www.fungalfruitiontrading.com/
Henri's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/henricarignan/
Fungal Fruition Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fungalfruitionconsulting/

Books

• Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake
• Mycelium Running by Paul Stamets
• Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms by Paul Stamets
• Radical Mycology by Peter McCoy
• How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan

Field Guides for foraging

• All That the Rain Promises and More by David Arora
• National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms

Organizations + Misc.

• Join your local mycological society!
• Urban Ecology Center
• Henri offers free 30-minute consultations!
• True Blue Genetics (place to buy liquid culture) - https://truebluegenetics.org/
• Innoculate the World: https://inoculatetheworld.com/
• Fungi Academy: https://fungiacademy.com/

Video Content

• FreshCap Mushrooms (aka FreshCap Tony): https://www.youtube.com/@FreshCapMushrooms
• Apex Grower: https://www.youtube.com/@ApexGrower
• Philly Golden Teacher: https://www.youtube.com/@PhillyGoldenTeacher
• How to Change Your Mind on Netflix

Other Podcasts

• Mushroom Revival Podcast
• Mycotrophic Podcast
• Mycopreneur

My info
Website: https://www.remarkablemushroomemporium.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/remarkablemushroomemporium/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.