Curious to Serious Psychedelic Grad

In this episode, I talk with Gina Giorgio.


Gina wears many hats within the psychedelic space as founder of the North Carolina Psychedelic Policy Coalition, the Director of the Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) Mentorship Pipeline, a Communications and Policy Specialist for NisonCo, a contributing writer for Psychedelic Spotlight, and the Founder and CEO of the Mushroom Lifestyle brand Smush.


Our conversation covers topics like finding the balance between working in the psychedelic space and graduate school and how Gina started her own company by tapping into academic networks and resources.


Gina also shares her journey from studying Psychology at High Point University to diving into her psychedelic interests with Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia.


We also discuss the ins and outs of policy related to psychedelics and cannabis, looking at what makes them similar yet unique.


Throughout our conversation, Gina offers gems of advice for anyone interested in policy or communications work in the field.


Finally, Gina reflects on her role in the psychedelic field and her interests in public education, policy development, and building her company, Smush.




Time Stamps:


(05:10) An overview of each of the companies Gina is involved with and her role at each of them (Students for Sensible Drug Policy, NisonCo, Psychedelic Spotlight, the North Carolina Psychedelic Policy Coalition)


(10:52) How being a part of each organization has helped her reach her goal of working in the psychedelic field


(16:05) Finding balance working in the psychedelic field and being a graduate student


(21:10) The adventure of starting her own company, Smush and tapping into university resources


(32:07) SSDP’s Psychedelic Mentorship Pipeline


(38:32) Fostering Gina’s psychedelic interests from Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia and the intricacies of psychedelic interests while in college


(54:15) Cannabis work with NisonCo and similarities and differences with psychedelic policy development


(1:07:58) Contemplating Gina’s future academic routes and the value and challenges of getting a PhD


(1:16:59) Final advice - mentorship


(1:20:34) Gina’s hopes for the future in public education and communication and building Smush




Links:


SSDP Mentorship Pipeline: https://ssdp.org/our-work/psychedelic-pipeline/


Curious to Serious with Vilmarie Fraguada Narloch: Spotify, Apple, Google


North Carolina Psychedelic Policy Coalition: https://healingpolicy.org/


Gina’s Work at Psychedelic Spotlight:
Rest and Restore: A Journey Into the Legal Entheogenic Ceremony Space in the U.S.: https://psychedelicspotlight.com/rest-and-restore-a-journey-into-the-legal-entheogenic-ceremony-space-in-the-u-s/


5 Psychedelia Books Our Staff Loves: https://psychedelicspotlight.com/best-psychedelic-books-our-staff-loves/


Smush: https://www.sm

In this episode, I talk with Sapha.


He is a practicing Cuarandero and a Recovery Consultant at Sacred Rebels Recovery, a peer-led addiction recovery program for men housed at the Nihue Rao Spiritual Center in the Peruvian Amazon.


In our conversation, Sapha highlights the uniqueness of Sacred Rebels in providing alternative recovery options for people who feel unsupported by standard recovery programs.


We also discuss the importance of learning about plant medicine practices from indigenous practitioners and addiction recovery from those who experience it.


Sapha takes us on a journey, telling us how he went from working in Canada's oil and gas industry and living with addiction to how an LSD experience drastically changed his life perspective, influencing him to seek treatment and eventually find his way to psychedelics. 


He also spent two years studying Social Work at Vancouver Island University while organizing harm reduction efforts before moving to the Amazon to train as a traditional curandero in the Shipibo tradition under his teacher Maestro Ricardo Amaringo. Sapha highlights the value of formal university education and lived experience with addiction, recovery, and traditional training in his work.


Finally, we finish our discussion with a look data Sapha’s concerns and vision for the future of the psychedelic field, including making psychedelic treatment ethical, affordable, and accessible.


Time Stamps:


(5:06) Sacred Rebels - a peer-led addiction recovery program for men in the Amazon teaching about ayahuasca in the Shipibo tradition


(12:51) Sacred Rebels success rate so far


(25:11) Where does the Sacred Rebels name come from and the importance of paying respect to indigenous cultures and practices in plant medicine and psychedelics


(35:37) How Sacred Rebels is working to make the recovery program accessible to people who might not otherwise have access to it


(40:07) The partnership between Sacred Rebels and Nihue Rao - a community-based relationship of reciprocity


(49:54) How others can become involved in Sacred Rebels, people in recovery, or other indigenous healing and practices


(58:09) Sapha’s journey from addiction to recovery and the value of obtaining knowledge through lived experience


(1:26:00) Studying Social Work at Vancouver Island University - going back to school, exploring psychedelic topics in the classroom, and supportive mentors


(1:37:41) The future of the psychedelic field and psychedelic addiction treatment - striving for ethics, affordability, and accessibility


(1:44:06) Final advice - seek community and mentorship in the space you want to work in


(1:48:07) Contact information


Links:


Sacred Rebels: https://sacredrebelsrecovery.com/


Nihue Rao: https://nihuerao.com/


Email: hello@sacredrebelsrecovery.com
Email: sapha@sacredrebelsrecovery.com


Instagram: @sacredrebelsrecovery


Third Wave Psychedelic Retreats Directory: https://thethirdwave.co/directory/


Sacred Rebels, Iquitos, Peru, opens doors to men in recovery: https://www.growopportunity.ca/sacred-rebels-iquitos-peru-opens-doors-to-men-in-recovery/


Why Connecting to the Earth May Be a Vital Part of Psychedelic Healing: 

This episode is the second in our occasional “About Us” series, where we feature members of the Psychedelic Grad team.
 
In this episode, Gabby sits down with Andrew Mcmillian, the Community Meetings Organizer at Psychedelic Grad.
 
We talk about Andrew’s experiences in research labs at the University of South Florida (USF) while earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology.  
 
We reflect on some lessons he learned from transcribing interviews and handing out flyers for Gabby’s (Psychedelic Grad co-founder and Curious to Serious co-host) dissertation research.
 
Finally, we discuss Andrew’s future in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and his interest in working with indigenous populations in Alaska.
 
Time Stamps:
 
(2:40) Andrew’s role at the Community Meetings Organizer at Psychedelic Grad
 
(3:35) Research experiences at USF 
 
(9:55) Working towards a career in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy
 
(16:14) Additional training as an EMT to bridge the time between his undergraduate degree and graduate degrees
 
(21:24) Last thoughts for listeners: Look into studying psychedelics in Alaska with Andrew
 
(22:08) Contact information
 
Links:
 
Crisis Center of Tampa Bay EMT Apprenticeship Program: https://www.crisiscenter.com/transcare-uma/
 
Insta: mac_millan
 
Email: amcmillan789@gmail.com
 
To learn more about Psychedelic Grad or to join our newsletter, go to https://www.psychedelicgrad.com/
 
To donate and support Psychedelic Grad: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/psygrad
 
Music by: https://www.alexkahnmusic.com/
 
Presented by Psychedelic Grad.

In this episode, I talk with Hadas Alterman.
 
She is the Director of Government Affairs at the American Psychedelic Practitioners Association (APPA), which is working to build accessibility in clinical psychedelic therapy by establishing standards for training therapists to do this work.
 
In our conversations, we talk about Hadas’ work with the Psychedelic Bar Association, which links communities with stakeholders like lawyers and policymakers related to psychedelics, and her role in co-founding the Plant Medicine Law Group.
 
We discuss Hadas’ academic and educational journey from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) to the University of California Santa Cruz and how her life experiences, including being arrested during a protest, influenced her to study law.
 
Hadas demonstrates the value of formal education along with life experience in gaining skills and knowledge.
 
She also offers exceptional advice throughout our conversation on the value of a solid and supportive community and being your true authentic self.
 
Finally, Hadas reflects on the future of the psychedelic field and her desire to serve others and hopes for advancing psychedelic therapies while reducing their criminality.
 
Time Stamps:
 
(3:05) What is the American Psychedelic Practitioners Association (APPA)?
 
(15:13) What students would benefit from joining APPA, and what are the benefits of joining?
 
(21:08) Psychedelic Bar Association
 
(45:27) The Plan Medicine Law Group
 
(1:00:10) Advice: finding balance in life
 
(1:07:17) Advice: be your true authentic self
 
(1:14:12) Hadas’ educational journey started at UCLA and then she moved to UC Santa Cruz. At one point she gets arrested during a protest which influenced her to go to law school. This highlights the value of formal education and life experience
 
(1:35:52) Advice – the value of a support system in growth and development
 
(1:42:34) Advice – finding alignment between the body, mind, and spirit
 
(1:44:59) The future of psychedelics and Hadas’ role in it
 
(1:51: 44) Last piece of advice – find a supportive friend group
 
(1:54:24) Contact information
 
 
Links:
 
American Psychedelic Practitioners Association: https://www.thepsychedelicassociation.org
 
Psychedelic Bar Association: https://thepsychedelicbar.org
 
The Plant Medicine Law Group: https://www.plantmedicinelaw.com
 
Email: hadas@thepsychedelicassociation.org
 
To learn more about Psychedelic Grad or to join our newsletter, go to https://www.psychedelicgrad.com/
 
To donate and support Psychedelic Grad: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/psygrad
 
Music by: https://www.alexkahnmusic.com/
 
Presented by Psychedelic Grad.

This episode is the first in our occasional “About Us” series, where we feature members of the Psychedelic Grad team.
 
In this episode, Emma talks with me, Gabby Lehigh, Psychedelic Grad Co-founder and Curious to Serious co-host.
 
We talk about my recent achievement of successfully defending my doctoral dissertation and getting my Ph.D. in Anthropology.
 
We explore how I came to study psychedelics for my dissertation research and why I chose transformative psychedelic experiences at music events. 
 
We discuss how my positionality played a role in my data collection and analysis and some of the challenges in doing social science research at music festivals.
 
I also present a timeline of what the research process looked like for me and how I prepared for my defense. 
 
Finally, I briefly cover two of the most exciting research findings.
 
Time Stamps:
 
(4:18) How Gabby come to study transformative psychedelic experiences at music events for her dissertation research
 
(12:22) The challenges of interviewing participants at music festivals
 
(18:00) The most challenging part of data collection
 
(19:48) How positionality impacted the data and analysis
 
(24:04) How were the defense questions from the committee informed or not informed by psychedelic experiences
 
(28:24) Ph.D. timeline
 
(31:02) Preparing for the defense
 
(37:18) Summary of two of the main research findings
  
Links:
 
Email: gabby@psychedelicgrad.com
 
Psychedelics Today’s Vital Course: https://www.psychedeliceducationcenter.com/a/aff_9p71gl26/external?affcode=80460_0s5vb-xp
 
To learn more about Psychedelic Grad or to join our newsletter, go to https://www.psychedelicgrad.com/
 
To donate and support Psychedelic Grad: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/psygrad
 
Music by: https://www.alexkahnmusic.com/
 
Presented by Psychedelic Grad.

In this episode, I talk with Sam Banister.
 
He is the co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Psylo, a biotech company in Australia that develops different classes of pharmaceutical psychedelics to help treat patients with serious mental health disorders.
 
In our conversation, we talk about Sam’s journey into psychedelics by learning about Albert Hoffman and Timothy Leary in his teenage years.
 
We discuss Sam’s academic journey from an undergraduate degree in chemistry and pharmacology to a Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry to a postdoc at Stanford.
 
Sam offers valuable insight into the many roles of mentors and the value of building personal and professional networks.
 
He also speaks about how he transitioned from academia to the private sector by starting Psylo with Josh Ismin.
 
Finally, Sam reflects on Psylo’s future in the psychedelic world and the importance of the for-profit and non-profit sectors in future developments.
 
Time Stamps:
 
(4:35) What is Psylo?
 
(4:57) What is a biotech company? What does Psylo do in the biotech industry?
 
(6:26) How Psylo is unique from other biotech companies by focusing on the deregulation of the serotonin signaling systems in the body and developing three distinctive classes of drugs for mental health treatment
 
(16:18) Sam’s role at Psylo and what he does there
 
(20:53) How Sam became interested in drug development and psychedelics at a young age
 
(26:31) Sam’s college career of studying chemistry and pharmacology in his undergraduate, medicinal chemistry in his Ph.D., and landing a postdoc at Stanford
 
(32:05) How the higher education system works in Australia
 
(40:21) Important advice, lessons, and challenges related to mentors
 
(57:48) How Sam was recruited back to Australia to run an academic lab and then decided to move to the private sector and co-found Psylo
 
(1:02:41) Sam’s role in starting Psylo and adjustments he had to make to fit his new position
 
(1:12:00) The future of the psychedelic space - Psylo’s role in it, the cost of drug development, the role of for-profit and non-profits in the space, creating equitability through biotech companies
 
(1:24:32) Last piece of advice: “Find something you’re passionate about.”
 
(1:26:25) Contact information
 
Links:
 
Psylo website: https://psylo.bio
 
Psylo Merch: https://psylo.dasautomat.com
 
Psylo Twitter: https://twitter.com/psylo_bio
 
Psylo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/psylo/
 
Email: sam@psylo.bio
 
Sam’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sambanister/
 
Psychedelics Today’s Vital Course: https://www.psychedeliceducationcenter.com/a/aff_9p71gl26/external?affcode=80460_0s5vb-xp
 
To learn more about Psychedelic Grad or to join our newsletter, go to https://www.psychedelicgrad.com/
 
To donate and support Psychedelic Grad: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/psygrad
 
Music by: https://www.alexkahnmusic.com/
 
Presented by Psychedelic Grad.