Appalachian Convergence Lab

Team Effort
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Medicine
  • Updated Monthly

AppCoLab is a show about emerging mental health treatments and the people working to bring them home to Appalachia. Every episode sits down with clinicians, researchers, policymakers, and people with lived experience to talk through what's changing and why it matters here first. Addiction. Recovery. The cutting-edge modalities most Appalachian communities never hear about until they're already available somewhere else. This show covers the research and the on-the-ground work happening across all thirteen Appalachian states. AppCoLab exists to make emerging healing practices understood, integrated, and accessible in this region.

Episodes

  1. Aug 19

    Porch & Paws

    Porch & Paws brings the warmth of Appalachian hospitality straight to your ears. Join us and two very enthusiastic four-legged co-stars, for unscripted, on the front porch in Flag Pond, Tennessee. Set against the backdrop of the holler and Blue Ridge Mountains, three humans and two dogs settle in for authentic chat about community and healing. No studio lights, no teleprompters—just real talk, wagging tails, and the kind of conversation that feel like you've been invited onto someone's favorite porch seat.

    Porch & Paws

  2. Jun 2

    Trump’s Executive Order & North Carolina's HEAL Act

    In this episode, Justin, Ali, and Gina discuss the Trump executive order, psychedelic therapies, and the impact on North Carolina. They also explore the role of the federal government, state legislation, and the importance of therapy in psychedelic treatment. Gina's LInks: Website: https://carolinasforcare.org/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/91311438/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolinasforcare Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090141325529 AppCoLab Links: Website: https://www.appalachianpsychedelicsociety.org/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/appcolab_/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/appalachianconvergencelab Become a community sustainer for $8mo and access our live and archived Virtual Town Halls on Psychedelics in Appalachian States Chapters 00:46 — The Psychedelic Executive Order Explained What President Trump's executive order actually does, why it's significant, and why many in the field were surprised by it. 03:13 — Mental Health, Suicide, and Federal Funding Why policymakers are paying attention to psychedelic research and what the new federal funding means. 05:28 — Is $50 Million Enough? 08:12 — Matt Zorn, Joe Rogan, and How the Executive Order Came Together 10:17 — Bicycle Day & The First LSD Experience 14:03 — Celebration, Caution, and Community Reactions 15:53 — What Has Happened Since the Executive Order? 18:11 — The MDMA Setback & Changing Public Attitudes 21:10 — Why State Policy Still Matters 22:30 — North Carolina's HEAL Act (SB 1018) An overview of North Carolina's new psychedelic legislation and its potential impact. 26:33 — What Is a Psychedelic Task Force? Who serves on these groups, what they do, and why they matter for implementation. 30:05 — Indigenous Communities & Psychedelic Policy Why tribal voices matter and how states are beginning to address indigenous leadership and participation. 32:58 — Psychedelic Hype vs. Reality The media narrative, public expectations, and what psychedelic healing actually looks like in practice. 37:12 — Therapy, Integration & Long-Term Healing Why preparation and integration may matter as much as the medicine itself. 44:54 — Carolinas for Care Gina introduces the new organization and its mission to advance education, policy, and community-building across North and South Carolina. 46:44 — Right to Try & Expanding Access How Right to Try policies could create earlier access pathways for people with severe mental health conditions. 48:30 — Looking Ahead Final thoughts on the future of psychedelic policy, research, and access.

    Trump’s Executive Order & North Carolina's HEAL Act

  3. Feb 15

    Ibogaine: A Christmas Miracle of Recovery with Jessica Allen, MSW

    In this conversation, Jessica Allen shares her profound journey of recovery from addiction through the use of Ibogaine, a psychedelic substance. She recounts how a chance encounter with a book led her father to seek alternative treatment options during her darkest times. Jessica describes her transformative experience in Mexico, where she found relief from addiction and a reconnection with her spirituality. The discussion also explores the role of family support, the challenges of returning home, and the cultural openness towards alternative treatments in Appalachia. Furthermore, Jessica highlights advocacy for the legalization and acceptance of Ibogaine as a treatment for addiction. Follow Jess on instagram Appalachian Convergence Lab https://appcolab.org/

    Ibogaine: A Christmas Miracle of Recovery with Jessica Allen, MSW

  4. 08/07/2025

    Rethinking Drug Policy in Appalachia with Ethan Nadelmann

    Described by Rolling Stone as "the point man" for drug policy reform efforts and “the real drug czar,” Ethan Nadelmann, JD, PhD, is widely regarded as the outstanding proponent of drug policy reform in the United States and abroad. After teaching politics and public affairs at Princeton University (1987-1994), he founded and directed first The Lindesmith Center (1994-2000) and then the Drug Policy Alliance (2000-2017). He also co-founded the Open Society Institute’s International Harm Reduction Development program.  Ethan has published extensively and spoken publicly in roughly forty states and forty countries.  His TED Talk, "Why We Need to End the War on Drugs" has over two million views. Ethan and his colleagues were at the forefront of dozens of successful campaigns to legalize marijuana, reduce the incarceration of drug law offenders, advance harm reduction approaches to drug use and addiction, and otherwise promote alternatives to punitive prohibitionist drug policies.  He played a key role as drug policy advisor to prominent philanthropists as well as elected officials ranging from mayors, governors and state and federal legislators in the U.S. to presidents and cabinet ministers outside the United States. He hosts the leading podcast about all things drugs: PSYCHOACTIVE.  He has become increasingly engaged in the debate over tobacco harm reduction. Ethan is currently working on a book – part memoir, part history of the drug policy reform movement, part lessons for activists, part reflections on the big questions and debates in the field. Ethan A Nadelmann Podcast Host: PSYCHOACTIVE Founder & Former Executive Director (2000-2017) of the Drug Policy Alliance www.twitter.com/ethannadelmann ethan@nadelmann.net    +1 646 335 2240 117 W 74th St., #1C     New York, NY 10023-2211 Appalachian Convergence Lab https://appcolab.org/

    Rethinking Drug Policy in Appalachia with Ethan Nadelmann
  • 4 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

AppCoLab is a show about emerging mental health treatments and the people working to bring them home to Appalachia. Every episode sits down with clinicians, researchers, policymakers, and people with lived experience to talk through what's changing and why it matters here first. Addiction. Recovery. The cutting-edge modalities most Appalachian communities never hear about until they're already available somewhere else. This show covers the research and the on-the-ground work happening across all thirteen Appalachian states. AppCoLab exists to make emerging healing practices understood, integrated, and accessible in this region.

Information