The Mushroom Mamasita Podcast

Bijou Finney
  • 4.3 (9)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to the Mushroom Mamasita Podcast, where ordinary people share extraordinary insights and intimate details of their healing journeys. In each episode, we dive into the world of psychedelic-assisted therapy through the voices of anonymous guests, recounting their transformative, mind-bending, and often enlightening experiences. No experts, no agendas—just raw and unfiltered stories from real people, offering a juicy window into altered states of consciousness. Whether you're a curious first-timer or a seasoned psychonaut, these trip reports might just stir up a new perspective.

  1. 1d ago

    Episode 72: Jesus was a Mushroom

    In this profound and nuanced episode, I chatted with Brian Recker, a former pastor turned spiritual guide, to explore the intersection of Christianity and psychedelics and whether Jesus would mind if you took mushrooms. Brian's story starts with a hard line: until 2020, he didn't use any "drugs". He was too indoctrinated, too convinced that substances were evil portals to demonic spirits. What Brian has spent the last few years unwinding is the fear-based Christianity he was raised in, the version where God is an authoritarian punisher, where you're born worthy of damnation, where hell is real and God could choose to torture you for eternity. He's written a book about it called Hellbent: How the Fear of Hell Holds Christians Back from a Spirituality of Love. And he's using his platform to help others deconstruct from the shame-based theology that has kept Christianity in the hands of authoritarians and Christian nationalists for far too long. We explored the difference between Jesus's actual teaching (which was radical, boundary-breaking, table-flipping love) and what's been done to his message by people wielding religion as a tool of control. We discussed how mushrooms have helped Brian recover a vision of God as connection itself as love, as described in the Bible, rather than as a distant authority figure keeping a ledger of your sins. He talks about how psilocybin strips away the shallow layers of daily life and forces you into depths you normally avoid, making it almost impossible to maintain fear-based beliefs about God. And his message to anyone afraid that God will punish them for exploring consciousness? There's no biblical basis for that fear. The prohibition on drugs is a way of controlling and demonizing otherness, a mechanism to keep people within the bounds of what religious structures enforce. This episode is for Christians wrestling with their faith, for people who love Jesus but hate what Christianity has become, for those wondering if spirituality and psychedelics can coexist, and for anyone who needs to hear that deconstruction isn't failure, it's often the pathway to a faith that's actually rooted in love instead of terror. The overwhelming sense that emerges from Brian's work with mushrooms, and the gnosis he wants to leave you with: it's all going to be okay. And maybe we need that reminder now more than ever. Listener discretion is advised: This podcast discusses sensitive topics related to trauma, abuse, addiction and psychedelic therapy, which may be sensitive or triggering for some listeners.  I encourage listeners to engage mindfully and take care of themselves throughout the conversation. Connect with Bijou IG:⁠ ⁠@mushroommamasita⁠⁠ Website:⁠ ⁠mushroommamasita.com⁠ Connect with Brian: https://www.brianrecker.com/ https://www.instagram.com/berecker Get his book https://www.brianrecker.com/home#hellbent

    1h 2m

  2. Jun 26

    Episode 71: Take the Leap

    In this episode I chatted with Audra, a woman who walked away from a six-figure legal career, not after careful planning or financial security, but because the universe whispered that now was the time, and she trusted it enough to leap. For 25 years, Audra was the perfect high-performer. She became a paralegal young, driven by a need for stability after watching her addictive mother cycle through prison, rehab, and treatment programs. Raised by her grandparents in the aftermath of that chaos, Audra learned early that the only person she could count on was herself. So she buried her trauma in work, climbed the ladder, collected accolades. The world loved her for it. She was reliable. Dependable. Burned Out. But underneath the success, a voice kept whispering: there's another way to live. There's healing work you're meant to do. There are people you're meant to help understand that they can heal themselves. We explore the particular terror of leaving safety when you're someone whose entire life has been about achieving it. We discuss how the body speaks to us through autoimmune disease, anxiety, and depression, not as failures, but as messages we're not listening to. We talk about why most people wait for illness or breakdown to give them permission to change, rather than trusting their intuition when it first whispers.  Now Audra offers Reiki and sound healing, pursuing work that actually aligns with her soul's mission. She's in the thick of it, not on the other side, not fully figured out, but fully committed. And that's exactly why her story matters. This episode is for anyone feeling that itch, hearing that whisper, sensing that their powers are turning on and their real purpose is calling. It's for the high-performers who are tired. It's for the people who know something's wrong but haven't yet trusted themselves enough to jump. And it's a reminder that the scariest thing you'll ever do might also be the most necessary. Your intuition isn't crazy. Your soul isn't wrong. And expansion always lives on the other side of discomfort. Listener discretion is advised: This podcast discusses sensitive topics related to trauma, abuse, addiction and psychedelic therapy, which may be sensitive or triggering for some listeners.  I encourage listeners to engage mindfully and take care of themselves throughout the conversation. Connect with Bijou IG: ⁠@mushroommamasita⁠ Website: ⁠mushroommamasita.com Connect with Audra IG: @audrasullivanloves Website: www.audrasullivanloves.com

    1h 4m

  3. Jun 19

    Episode 70: AI on Acid?

    In this episode I chat with Mark Michaels, a proclaimed "self-experimenter and uncontrolled experiment" whose life reads like a thousand stories interwoven into one epic narrative. Mark has spent decades becoming an expert in himself through radical self-experimentation. His current vehicle? Ketamine. His method? Turning the trip into art, science, and provocation simultaneously. His latest project is a groundbreaking paper that blends rigorous scientific writing with creative narrative some of it composed while on ketamine that he describes as both autoethnography and conceptual art. We explore the intersection of science and spirituality, art and evidence, creativity and precision. The conversation also touches on AI, which Mark used to help draft his paper before "reclaiming it" through his own creative writing a metaphor for what it means to stay sovereign in an age of automation. He talks about the need for people to become experts in themselves rather than passively accepting therapeutic diagnoses as fixed identities. He urges listeners to take charge of their own perceptions, their own experiments, their own evolution. Mark's paper is now available as a preprint on his website markamichaels.com and is explicitly framed as both a scientific contribution and a provocation, intended to stir up discourse around psychedelics and AI at a critical moment in history. He welcomes moderated comments and is genuinely interested in dialogue. This is the conversation for people who are tired of false boundaries between disciplines, who want to think differently, and who believe that living an epic life means being willing to be the experiment, document the findings, and offer them to the world: messy, creative, scientific, and transformative all at once. Listener discretion is advised: This podcast discusses sensitive topics related to trauma, abuse, addiction and psychedelic therapy, which may be sensitive or triggering for some listeners.  I encourage listeners to engage mindfully and take care of themselves throughout the conversation. Connect with Bijou IG: ⁠@mushroommamasita⁠ Website: ⁠mushroommamasita.com

    1h 16m

  4. Jun 12

    Episode 69: Art as Integration

    In this episode I sit down with Sylvia, founder of the Crone House a gallery dedicated to celebrating women artists in Virginia. She shares that she had never done mushrooms until 2020: a year of IVF, a year of grief, and the diagnosis of CPTSD. For many years, she'd struggled with writer's block, trauma-locked into her body, unable to access the artist she knew lived inside her. Then she found a clinical trial. The Compass Pathway COMP 362B study on psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression. One experience in a clinical setting with synthetic psilocybin cracked her open in ways therapy never could. Within months, she found herself in a clay studio for the first time, creating somatic art that finally integrated the experience into her body. She and since found other women who have used art in the same way. Their upcoming show "Across the Universe" opened June 4th and celebrates artwork inspired by psychedelics, meditation, prayer, movement, journeying, and sacred sexuality. This episode is a love letter to art, integration, community, and the quiet revolution happening when women are finally allowed to process their trauma through creation instead of silence. It's also a reminder that psychedelic integration isn't just about therapy, it's about expression, beauty, and paying it forward to the next woman who needs to know her creativity is waiting for her on the other side of her grief. If you are interested in the show: Across The UniverseJune 4–July 31, 2026with Venue PartnerStudio One Twenty | Richmond, VA Seven women artists whose work is shaped by consciousness-expansion practices—psychedelics, movement, meditation, prayer, journeying: Blythe King, Hannah Anderson, Maggie Belinski, Mahari Chabwera, Mel Titus, Sarah Collette Tocco, Vivian Chiu Show page: https://thecronehouse.com/2026/across-the-universeInstagram/Threads: @cronehouservaAll artwork will be available for sale online. Listener discretion is advised: This podcast discusses sensitive topics related to trauma, abuse, addiction and psychedelic therapy, which may be sensitive or triggering for some listeners.  I encourage listeners to engage mindfully and take care of themselves throughout the conversation. Connect with Bijou Finney IG: ⁠@mushroommamasita⁠ Website: ⁠mushroommamasita.com

    1h 1m

  5. Jun 6

    Episode 68: It's Not All Rainbows & Butterflies

    In this raw and essential episode, I welcome Stephan Kerby, a 5-MeO-DMT facilitator and co-founder of the Mindscape Psychedelic Institute. Kerby doesn't create a hierarchy of psychedelics he respects all of them. But 5 is his medicine, the one that transformed him. And he's dedicated himself to training others to hold this medicine with trauma-informed care, integrity, and respect for how powerful and vulnerable the experience truly is. From my personal experience bufo is unlike anything else. It's not LSD, not MDMA, not DMT. Kerby describes it as a 500-piece puzzle being completely obliterated. You don't just have a mystical experience you experience a temporary dissolving of your entire ego, everything you think you are. You witness your programming, your fears, your desire to seem smart or get approval. You become an observer of your own mind. We dive deep into the safety issues and red flags Kerby has seen and personally experienced. The "wild west" nature of the psychedelic space right now, why education and facilitator training is more important than government regulation, how to spot someone who is desperate (and therefore more vulnerable to bad choices), and what to do if your experience doesn't go the "love and light and beauty" way. If you're curious about Bufo and wondering whether a facilitator is safe: listen to this. Your life might depend on it. Listener discretion is advised: This podcast discusses sensitive topics related to trauma, abuse, addiction and psychedelic therapy, which may be sensitive or triggering for some listeners.  I encourage listeners to engage mindfully and take care of themselves throughout the conversation. Connect with Bijou IG: ⁠@mushroommamasita⁠ Website: ⁠mushroommamasita.com Connect with Kerby IG: @mindscape_institute Website: Mindscapeinstitute.org

    1h 9m

  6. May 28

    Episode 67: King of The Castle

    WHOA! I was deeply moved by this conversation with Mike Elliott. Mike is a man who literally fell to his knees contemplating the end of his life and walked out the other side as one of the most clear-eyed, connected, devoted men you'll ever meet. His story is a masterclass in choosing life, choosing growth, and choosing to become the man the world needs more of. Mike's journey starts in the shadows and continued there until the universe initiated him with a dark night of the soul strong enough to crack him open that he might reach out for help and mentorship for the first time. A soul coach showed up, and Mike went all in. He hired therapists, joined men's groups, and most importantly, started doing the integration work that lead him to one of his most important life's callings (besides husband and father). We explore what women ACTUALLY need from men and why it might seem confusing. Why nervous system regulation is the ultimate act of love, and what it really means to hold space for a medicine woman who gives her all to the world. This conversation is about normalizing the path of alchemy, what real men's work looks like, what real partnership requires, and the truth that happiness isn't about constant striving. It's about integration, play, presence, and finally learning the tools nobody ever gave you. If you've been wondering why your relationship feels like constant reactivity, if you're burning out trying to be everything to everyone, if you're a man who's ready to finally do the work: this episode is the spark to light the way of your soul's work. This is the conversation we all need to hear delivered by a man who's walked through hell and back to be able to be the king of his castle seated right next to his queen. I hope it opens your mind as much as it did mine. Listener discretion is advised: This podcast discusses sensitive topics related to trauma, abuse, addiction and psychedelic therapy, which may be sensitive or triggering for some listeners.  I encourage listeners to engage mindfully and take care of themselves throughout the conversation. Want to work with Mike? www.itsmikeelliott.com Insta @mikeelliot.relating Connect with Bijou Finney IG: ⁠@mushroommamasita⁠ Website: ⁠mushroommamasita.com

    1h 32m

  7. May 22

    Episode 66: From Wounds to Wisdom

    In this episode I welcome Sarah from Behold Retreats for a deeply needed conversation about psychedelic medicine matchmaking. If you have been asking yourself: What medicine is right for me? Where do I start? This episode might be the answer you are looking for. Sarah spent 20 years in corporate finance before her soul caught up with her dharma and she moved to Costa Rica to build healing spaces for ayahuasca, psilocybin, and Bufo journeys. With decades of personal practice and eight years facilitating ceremonies, she knows that choosing the right medicine is as personal as choosing a life partner and just as important. We break down the soul signatures of different medicines: the infinite intelligence of ayahuasca, bufo, and psilocybin (alive entities with consciousness) versus the dissociative nature of lab-made ketamine and MDMA (powerful, but synthetic). We discuss why some people need the ancestral healing of ayahuasca, while others need the gentle rewiring of mushrooms. We touch on the purgative aspects, the dieta requirements, the SSRIs you need to wean off, and why most people absolutely should not jump straight into the deep end with Ibogaine. But beyond the medicine breakdown, this conversation is about something deeper: the power of the question. Sarah reveals that at minimum, psychedelics get you asking: Does this make sense? Do I want to participate this way? They help you observe yourself and society without the programming the greatest gift for those of us who were told as children to stop asking so many questions. The episode covers red flags versus green flags when choosing a facilitator, why it should feel like you're applying for something very big, and why reading trip reports online might actually weigh you down before you even begin. This conversation is an invitation to get curious, ask questions, and trust that when you ask the universe for guidance, the right medicine and the right people will find you. Listener discretion is advised: This podcast discusses sensitive topics related to trauma, abuse, addiction and psychedelic therapy, which may be sensitive or triggering for some listeners.  I encourage listeners to engage mindfully and take care of themselves throughout the conversation. Connect with Bijou Finney IG: ⁠@mushroommamasita⁠ Website: ⁠mushroommamasita.com Do you want to get in touch with Sarah? Website: https://www.behold-retreats.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behold_retreats/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@beholdretreats Facebook: https://facebook.com/BeholdRetreatsJourney

    1h 6m

  8. May 15

    Episode 65: The Man in the Mirror

    In this honest episode, I sit down with Sam Morris a men's work specialist, and professional relationship resurrection artist to talk about the thing nobody wants to admit: you might be the problem. And so might that nightly bourbon. Sam works with men when their relationships collapse, particularly when substance abuse has created a chasm so wide you could drive a semi through it. We dive into the uncomfortable truth that sovereignty means not being dependent on anything not a substance, not a person, not a government. The fact that men have been given zero tools to deal with their shit, why asking for help feels like admitting defeat, and how the entire system is designed to keep you stuck in the hamster wheel, quietly numbing yourself into oblivion. This conversation is a plea to men to stop consuming their way to the grave and start building the life they're actually meant to live. It's possible. And you don't have to blow up your entire existence to get there. You can build the airplane while you're flying it, especially if you've got someone in the co-pilot seat. Raw dogging life isn't for the faint of heart. But neither is slowly sucking your soul dry by refusing to take a look in the mirror. Be sure to share this episode with someone that would benefit from hearing our conversation. Listener discretion is advised: This podcast discusses sensitive topics related to trauma, abuse, addiction and psychedelic therapy, which may be sensitive or triggering for some listeners.  I encourage listeners to engage mindfully and take care of themselves throughout the conversation. Connect with Bijou Finney IG: ⁠@mushroommamasita⁠ Website: ⁠mushroommamasita.com Interested if following Sam's Journey or working with him? https://www.instagram.com/sam.g.morris?igsh=ZGJraXZ1M25ubXFl&utm_source=qr Website; www.samgmorris.com (current in development, will be launched soon) https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-g-morris

    1h 24m
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4.3
out of 5
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About

Welcome to the Mushroom Mamasita Podcast, where ordinary people share extraordinary insights and intimate details of their healing journeys. In each episode, we dive into the world of psychedelic-assisted therapy through the voices of anonymous guests, recounting their transformative, mind-bending, and often enlightening experiences. No experts, no agendas—just raw and unfiltered stories from real people, offering a juicy window into altered states of consciousness. Whether you're a curious first-timer or a seasoned psychonaut, these trip reports might just stir up a new perspective.

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