Plant More Worry Less: The Huachuma Foundation Podcast

Stuart Preston came to all of this the hard way. Eleven years ago he was politically and personally conservative, the son of a DEA agent, convinced that drugs were bad and the people who used them were bad people. Then he lost his son Ian to suicide. Someone sent him an article saying that psilocybin and LSD can produce something like a dreamlike state, and Stuart thought: I want to dream about Ia...

Our first conversation about Iboga, and it turned out to be a conversation about almost everything. Troy Valencia joins Hamid and Dani from a jungle finca in Costa Rica, where he and his wife Joaly Trinidad run Root and Wisdom and the Sacred Roots Foundation. Troy grew up in the foster system, chose chemistry as a college major specifically because it seemed like the field with the fewest emotions...

Dani Reardon and Hamid Jabbar sit down just the two of them to catch up on a full season in Peru: two retreats in the Sacred Valley, a pilgrimage to the ancient temple at Chavín de Huántar, one of the hardest ceremonies either of them has ever done at Laguna Churup, and Dani’s first diet with Huachuma. Dani opens with the story of her diet, which she describes as marrying the medicine and as the m...

Hamid Jabbar and Dani Reardon welcome Nathan Tinder, ceremonial guide, somatic practitioner, and devoted cultivator of sacred plants, to the Plant More Worry Less podcast for a conversation that winds through the high deserts of Utah, a New Jersey survival school, a “yurpee” by a creek, and a greenhouse full of cacti whispering their instructions. Nathan grew up in Salt Lake City searching for wha...

Join hosts Dani and Hamid as they welcome Katie Rinaldi, Huachuma facilitator, yoga teacher trainer, and certified death doula, for a grounded and generous conversation about what a decade of devoted work with the medicine actually looks like. Katie shares how she found Huachuma and yoga at the same time, during a yoga teacher training in the Sacred Valley. It took years of preparation, clearing,...

Join hosts Dani and Hamid as they welcome Kristen Yates, breathwork facilitator, somatic practitioner, and creator of the Soul Rewilding philosophy, for a rich and searching conversation about the long spiral inward. Kristen shares her journey from a restless corporate life and 15 years of nomadic wandering across continents, to the mountains of Peru and an intensive seven-month process with Huach...

Join hosts Dani and Hamid as they welcome Tim Doherty, founder of Finca Lola, author, musician, and creator of the Structured Ritual Architecture framework, for a rich and wide-ranging conversation about the long road to Huachuma. Tim shares his journey from a traumatic accident at the quarries of Quincy as a teenager, through the Boston punk scene, law school, Key West restaurants, and eventually...

Join hosts Hamid and Dani for an intimate conversation about their annual retreat to Peru’s Sacred Valley, where participants work with Huachuma medicine alongside their teacher Miguel Mendiburu. This episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at what makes this retreat unique - from the profound ceremonies at places like Kinsa Cocha (Three Lakes) to the ancestral nutrition provided by master cook Je...

Join hosts Dani and Hamid as they welcome pioneering plant medicine facilitator Kat Courtney for an illuminating conversation about the sacred medicine of Huachuma (San Pedro cactus). With over 22 years of experience in the plant medicine world, Kat shares her journey from following a boyfriend to the Amazon to becoming a traditionally trained Ayahuasquera and Huachumera. The discussion explores w...

Join hosts Dani and Hamid as they welcome Crystal Claire from Bali for an exploration of divine blueprints, spiritual awakening, and the sacred dance between trust and transformation. Crystal shares her remarkable journey from Ashtanga yoga through bodybuilding to sitting still for two years, revealing how these extremes led her to discover her soul’s blueprint. The conversation weaves through the...

Join hosts Dani and Hamid from the Huachuma Foundation for an in-depth FAQ episode addressing the most common questions about Huachuma (San Pedro) cactus. This comprehensive discussion covers the botanical complexity of various Huachuma species (including Trichocereus pachanoi, peruvianus, and bridgesii), explores the role of alkaloids beyond just mescaline, and dispels common myths about this sac...

Join hosts Dani and Hamid for a deep exploration of Andean cosmovision with Daya Nimai Das, founder of the Andean Yoga School in Peru’s Sacred Valley. Daya shares how he wove the ancient symbol of the Chakana (Andean cross) into his yoga practice, creating a unique approach that bridges Eastern philosophy with indigenous Andean wisdom. This conversation unpacks the profound teachings of the three...

Join hosts Dani and Hamid as they sit down with Christian Omar Lopez, a plant medicine facilitator, death doula, and author. Omar shares his powerful transformation story that began with a harrowing plane crash in Mexico that forced him to confront his then lifestyle as a professional basketball player. This near-death experience set him on a journey through indigenous plant medicine traditions in...

In Episode 2 of Plant More, Worry Less, join hosts Hamid and Dani as they welcome Hamid’s good friend Ross from Ireland for an intimate conversation about his transformative journey through plant medicine. Ross shares how a chance meeting in the Amazon jungle led to life-changing connections with master teachers Miguel and the late Javier Regueiro, ultimately planting the seeds for what would beco...

Welcome to the very first episode of Plant More, Worry Less! Join hosts Dani and Hamid as they introduce the Huachuma Foundation and share their transformative journey with sacred cactus medicine. In this inaugural episode, discover the origins of their mission, the urgent need to protect wild Huachuma populations, and how their foundation is creating sustainable solutions through their garden san...