"Dear Humanity," a Lovecast with Laura Dawn

Creativity and specifically creative thinking is being called the most important skillset to cultivate for leaders of our time.  When I first started coming across statements like this, I started asking myself, what exactly is creative thinking, how do we define it and how do we learn to cultivate it? And does research show that psychedelics can help us to think more creatively? It turns out...

How do we as leaders cultivate a deeply caring, resilient, just/equitable, and loving community? Perhaps the answer lies in “sacred activism”. I brought on sacred activist, Hanifa Nayo Washington who has been working at the forefront of mindfulness, place-making, and social justice to cultivate organizations, gatherings, spaces, and experiences rooted in the values of beloved community. As the Co-...

How do we as leaders manage the overwhelming stress, anxiety, and burnout that is commonly associated with performing at a high level, starting and running organizations, and doing the deep spiritual work that is required of us? Breathwork is one of the most powerful ways we can take control of our own state and set ourselves up for success.   On today’s episode I sit down with Robbie Bent, t...

How can we learn to effectively navigate our thoughts, emotions, and the difficult circumstances that we encounter in life so we can take action that is in alignment with what we value and what we care about?  Combining ancient mindfulness practices and philosophies, and the most modern psychological research, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) provides a model for growth, wellness, and...

From the depths of opioid dependency, incarceration, and a near-death experience at the hands of an unsafe and unregulated ibogaine provider, Juliana Mulligan is a testament to how even during the most challenging, darkest of times, we can find a pinhole of light that leads to our purpose. Juliana shares her amazing yet harrowing journey through recovery, into healing, and how she found her callin...

Most of us want to see positive change take root in our lives, but as we all know, change is oftentimes easier said than done. Many people come to psychedelics because they want support establishing lasting change, whether it’s to heal a relationship, overcome an addiction, or implement healthier habits.   Psychedelic neuroscience is showing us that these mind-altering substances can be...

This episode is a must for ANYONE holding space and facilitating the psychedelic journey for others.  As leaders of this community, we need to learn how to not cause any kind of harm to those we are entrusted to heal, this is why training and being trauma informed is so crucial for anyone holding space.  In this episode Laura Dawn drops in with somatic psychotherapist Laura Mae Northrup...

Whether you’re a medical or mental health clinician, psychotherapist, coach, or wellness practitioner, if you are interested in integrating psychedelics into your practice so you can serve the healing and evolution of your clients, this episode is for you. As a co-founder of Psychedelics Today, Kyle has been at the forefront of psychedelic education for over a decade. Alongside his personal and pr...

In 2015, Tom Eckart and his late wife Sheri Eckert had a vision – a vision that very few people thought was possible. They wanted to make access to psilocybin legal in the State of Oregon, which led them to create and lead the measure 109 initiative.  Five years later on November 3, 2020, Ballot Measure 109 was passed with support from 1.233 million Oregonians, or 55.68% of the vote.  In...

Day Schildkret is an artist, ritualist, and award-winning author. He’s the author of Morning Altars, and just published a new book called: Hello, Goodbye: 75 Rituals for Times of Loss, Celebration and Change.  As we collectively move through these times of enormous transition, more people than ever are trying to make sense of these times. Rituals and ceremonies are profound tools and catalyst...

Have you ever considered that the relationship you have with your ancestors quite literally shapes all aspects of your life? Ancestral Healing Guide Torie Feldman makes a strong case for how our relationship to our ancestral lineage impacts your relationship to money, to your body, to your spouse and family and influences the way you live and lead.  In this episode Torie shares her remarkable...

What we are witnessing unfold in the psychedelic movement is truly unprecedented. We are reaching a tipping point where psychedelic medicines are rapidly entering mainstream society.  But is this really a good thing? And how do we make sense of the sacramental and sacred use of psychedelics within the cultural context of late-stage capitalism?  In this episode, Laura Dawn drops in with b...

Hi Friends, Laura Dawn here. In this introduction to season two, I share some thoughts about the direction of this season, including some of the core themes that I’ll be exploring through conversations with some truly phenomenal human beings, and brilliant thought leaders, in the psychedelic space and beyond. In this bonus episode, I dive into a pretty transparent share about what I've been w...

It’s when we learn to cultivate a relationship with our death and make peace with the fact that one day our lives will come to pass that we can learn to lean into living life more fully and more wholeheartedly.  Founder of Entheowheel, Dream Mullick is a death coach. She leads people through what she calls the ceremony of living and dying, guiding you through the portal of death into rebirth,...

If you’re in the psychedelic space or tracking the psychedelic movement, then you’ve undoubtedly heard the name Rick Doblin, Ph. D., who is the founder of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, also known as MAPS .  Rick is a visionary leader in his own right and has been leading the revolution in psychedelic medicine for more than 50 years.  I wanted to invite Rick o...

Langston Kahn is a Shamanic healer that supports people through what’s called the Deep Liberation Process, a body-based approach that allows us to radically transform the range of fear-based stories we each hold in ourselves: from traumatic experiences, internalized oppression, and habitual emotional patterns rooted in old beliefs that hold us back from healing, transforming, and freeing our authe...

Dr. Dennis Mckenna calls psychedelics “tools for learning how to think.” In this episode, Laura Dawn speaks with Dennis Mckenna about how psychedelics can help us think more creatively. As Chase Jarvis says: “Our species and our planet face a new set of challenges that only creativity can solve.”  We are living through a time of rapid change where creative thinking and creative problem solvin...

TRUST 2.0 When the Going Gets Tough. There is a grand restructuring unfolding on the planet right now. This is a time where we are being called to face our personal truth. When we choose to step into deeper alignment with this truth, whatever that may be, it often requires facing big changes as we let go of who we thought we were and step forward into who we are choosing to be. Facing these change...

These are trying times. According to the Kogi prophecy, we are collectively moving through 13 years they call the great cleanse. The Kogi’s say that the great ending will fall into the beginning in 2026.  In this episode renowned spiritual teacher and vision keeper, Grandmother Jyoti shares remarkable stories that help us understand the wisdom within these prophecies and the power of walking...

James McCrae is an author, poet, creative guide, and meme-artist based in Austin, Texas. He is the creative genius behind the popular Instagram account @WordsAreVibrations  And is author of  Sh#t Your Ego Says and soon to be released: How to Laugh in Ironic Amusement During Your Existential Crisis; the first-ever book published featuring memes and poetry. In his writing and art, he appli...

What does it take to be a psychedelic integration coach? What core competencies do transformational coaches need to cultivate and what kind of training do people need to support people with the integration of their psychedelic experiences?  Deanne Adamson is the founder and president of Being True To You, an online transformational coaching organization that has certified over 800 holistic ad...

Hi Friends, My Instagram account @LiveFreeLauraD has been deleted and down for almost 2 weeks now, and I'd love your support in getting it back. I don't know why it's been taken down, but I do know censorship is on the rise. One of my last posts just happened to be about how they've now banned #microdosing hashtag. (Which I think is ridiculous.) Please follow these instructions to help me get my i...

Holding a vision for something that doesn’t yet exist and taking inspired action to transmute that inner vision into reality is true creative leadership.  Joshua White had an idea to launch the first-ever  Psychedelic Peer Support Phone Line in the US and dedicated himself to making that vision a reality.  He is now the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Fireside Project, whic...

In collaboration with the Ayahuasca Foundation, Dr. Simon Ruffell and his team are conducting epigenetic research on the effects of ayahuasca and the healing of mental health disorders and trauma. In this episode, Dr. Simon Ruffle shares the remarkable research findings that were recently published in Frontiers of Psychiatry. Ayahuasca may impact the genetic expression of our DNA, relieve sufferin...

In this conversation, I drop in with the lead singer of Satsang Drew McManus to get to know the man behind the music.  We talk about the role that psychedelics and plant medicines have played in Drew’s life. We talk about creativity, inspiration, and what it means to dedicate ourselves to our purpose with discipline and devotion yet levity, lightheartedness, and humor.   Drew shares...