Medicine With The Medals

Is cannabis really just about getting high, or is it a misunderstood gateway to holistic healing? In this insightful conversation, Elevate Holistics CEO Aspen Noonan shares how cannabis helped her reclaim her health, build a purpose-driven company, and serve over 150,000 patients across the U.S. From personal healing to public education, Aspen’s mission is to de-stigmatize plant medicine and expan...

What does it mean to reclaim your identity through ceremony, not therapy? In this powerful episode of Medicine with the Medals , Indigenous spiritual leader Shane Norte invites us into his world of earth-based sacraments, decolonized healing, and ancestral reconnection. As founder of the Church of the People for Creator and Mother Earth, Shane offers a rare window into Native-led psilocybin ceremo...

Could psilocybin become a cornerstone of mental health care? In this episode of Medicine with the Medals , we explore how Colorado is building a state-regulated framework for psychedelic therapy, centered on accessibility, safety, and long-term healing. What You’ll Learn: Why the “medicine-only” approach to psychedelics is incomplete without community-centered integration. How Colorado’s psilocybi...

What if the key to unlocking deep emotional healing lies not in escaping your body, but in truly coming home to it? In this episode of Medicine with the Medals , hosts Mark and Michelle sit down with somatic psychedelic integration coach Amber Helgeson to explore the transformative synergy between psilocybin and the lineage medicine Tepezcohite (Abuelito) . From reactivating dormant neural pathway...

While Mark & Michele take time to deepen their own work in the Brazilian rainforest, we're bringing you some of our most beloved conversations from the vault. This week, we revisit an unforgettable episode with Durga Magnetta , a plant medicine integration coach and intuitive healer, who offers rare insight into what really matters after the ceremony. If you've experienced entheogens l...

While Mark and Michele are deep in sabbatical retreat in the Brazilian rainforest, we're revisiting some of our most-loved conversations from the archives. And this one is legendary! In this featured favorite episode of Medicine With the Medals , renowned ethnopharmacologist Dennis McKenna shares the origin story of his psychedelic path, the accidental mushroom awakening that reshaped his worldvie...

What if cancer wasn’t a punishment, but an invitation to transformation? In this deeply personal and paradigm-shifting episode, cancer survivor and Healing Cancer Journeys founder Dan Callahan opens up about his 21-year battle with multiple cancers and how psychedelic medicines helped him confront fear, reduce suffering, and find meaning in the face of mortality. Dan’s story isn’t just about survi...

What if the root of your trauma isn’t just emotional but parasitic? In this extraordinary episode, plant medicine facilitator Jules Rivers (aka Julio Rivera) reveals how he blends high-dose psilocybin therapy with spiritual parasite extraction to catalyze breakthroughs in trauma release, addiction recovery, and identity transformation. His method, SHAPE (Spiritual Healing by Astral Parasite Extrac...

Quick Summary: What happens when a Silicon Valley-raised anthropologist gives his life back to spirit and becomes the first Western-trained Amazonian shaman? In this transformative episode of Medicine With the Medals , Maestro Hamilton Souther shares his path from modern disillusionment to sacred mastery. We explore the intersection of plant medicine, digital sovereignty, and the psychedelic renai...

What if your next breakthrough in mental health came not from a lab, but from the forest floor? In this powerful episode of Medicine With the Medals , hosts Michele and Mark Medal sit down with mushroom cultivation expert Adrian to explore the healing intelligence of psychedelic and functional fungi. From the legendary Golden Teacher to high-performance cordyceps, Adrian breaks down the science, s...

What happens when a seeker turns decades of psychedelic experimentation into a disciplined spiritual path? In this episode, Vinaya shares his 50-year journey from spontaneous LSD use in 1970s Germany to intentional ceremonies with ayahuasca, mushrooms, and 5-MeO-DMT in Peru. But the real medicine, he says, begins after the ceremony: through careful integration, facilitator training, and neuroplast...

What happens when trauma meets transformation? In this episode of Medicine With The Medals , Keith Kurlander —co-founder of the Integrative Psychiatry Institute—shares the powerful story of how a psychedelic experience at age 19 altered the course of his life. This isn’t a conversation about trends in therapy—it’s a deeply personal case study in how lived experience becomes clinical wisdom . Liste...

Quick Summary What happens when decades of trauma meet the healing power of plant medicine? In this moving episode, Paula Bianco—a mother, grandmother, and survivor of unthinkable loss—shares her raw and transformative journey through depression, grief, chronic pain, and addiction into deep personal healing using microdosing, ayahuasca, and ceremonial psychedelics. This is more than recovery—it&#3...

What if psychedelics could help people face death without fear—and even with peace, connection, and spiritual insight? In this transformative episode of Medicine with the Metals , host Michelle welcomes back Christine Caldwell, founder of End of Life Psychedelic Care (EOLPC), for a wide-ranging discussion on using psychedelics like psilocybin, ketamine, MDMA, and 5-MeO-DMT to support people with t...

Is Bufo the key to "Escaping The Matrix?" In this powerful episode, Karina and Niko, co-founders of Plug In Mind , share their personal transformation from conventional life in Canada to becoming facilitators of deep psychedelic healing work in Costa Rica. Through plant medicine, trauma integration, and sovereignty-focused practices, they guide people in breaking free from inherited limi...

What happens when healing the warrior isn’t enough, and we need to heal the entire family? In this powerful episode, Allison Wilson, founder of The HOPE Project and spouse of a Navy SEAL, shares her transformative journey into psychedelics and how it sparked a mission to support the often-overlooked spouses and family members of veterans. Allison and her team are helping to pioneer legal psilocybi...

In this powerful and heartfelt episode of Medicine With The Medals , host Michele Medal sits down with Tracey Tee , founder of the internationally recognized community Moms on Mushrooms (M.O.M.) . Tracey shares her deeply personal journey from conservative roots and career loss to spiritual awakening and the founding of a groundbreaking platform that empowers mothers through intentional microdosin...

Join us for a powerful conversation with mushroom expert and herbalist Matt Mazzuckelli as we explore the incredible world of functional mushrooms . In this episode of Medicine with the Medals , Matt shares his personal journey from traumatic injury recovery to becoming a passionate advocate for Lion's Mane , Cordyceps , Chaga , Reishi , and Turkey Tail . We dive deep into topics like brain fo...

Maybe we're looking at psychedelics in the exact opposite way we should be? Medicine With The Medals welcomes teacher, cultivator, and global mycological educator Darren Le Baron . With decades of experience in both functional and psychedelic mushrooms, Darren unpacks the science, spirit, and societal misconceptions surrounding fungi. From psilocybin microdosing to lion’s mane, cordyceps, and...

In this deeply personal episode of My Psychedelic Story, Alex Abraham shares his powerful journey through trauma, discovery, and healing. At just 31, Alex has already navigated the unthinkable: unresolved childhood trauma, chronic physical pain, and a long search for meaning. But what began as a quest for relief through psychedelic therapy soon transformed into something much bigger: a reckoning w...

In this illuminating episode of Medicine With The Medals, host Mark Medal welcomes Dr. Seth Mehr, a former ER physician who now practices full-time psychedelic medicine as founder of Cascade Psychedelic Medicine in Portland, Oregon. From the chaos of the ER to the transformational space of intentional healing, Dr. Mehr shares his deeply personal journey into the world of ketamine, psilocybin, and...

At 25 years old, Mira’s journey with mushrooms began in a way that many can relate to—without preparation, in a party setting, and without fully understanding the power of the medicine. Her first experience was overwhelming, bringing deep-seated anxieties to the surface, but over time, Mira developed a new relationship with psychedelics—one centered on self-discovery, healing, and love. Through mi...

Psychedelics at the corporate office? It's not as weird as you think... In this enlightening episode of Medicine With The Medals , hosts Mark and Michele sit down with Janine Nicole Dennis , a visionary leader in organizational design, future of work strategies, and holistic well-being.  As the Chief Innovations Officer of Talent Think Innovations, Janine brings a wealth of knowledge on integr...

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At 27 years old, Zeandra Vohler has been on a lifelong journey of healing, navigating the challenges of depression and anxiety. Despite years of therapy, personal reflection, and self-discovery, something always felt missing—until she encountered psychedelics. In this episode of My Psychedelic Story, Zeandra shares how her experiences with psychedelics opened a new perspective on life, emotions, a...