In this episode, I talk with Jonathan Robinson, the author of 14 books and a marriage and family therapist located in California. In our conversation, Jonathan tells us about his work in bringing together MDMA experiences and therapy. He discusses how his protocol is unique to other work being done with psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy by emphasi…

In this episode, I talk with Christi Meyers, the Founder and CEO of Flow Integrative, a ketamine infusion clinic in San Diego, California. In our conversation, Christi tells us about Flow Integrative as a form of practicing medicine that provides ketamine infusion therapy, as well as Flow Institute as an educational platform. She discusses the char…

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Howard Lipp and Ena Vie. Dr. Howard Lipp and Ena Vie have been working as underground facilitators of plant medicine for several years. In our conversation, they speak about how they were called to plant medicine and found each other through music. We also talk about opening up about facilitating plant medicine cere…

In this episode, I talk with Mariya Punay. Mariya is working towards becoming a licensed psychotherapist in California. In our conversation, Mariya speaks to the meticulous process of working on becoming licensed by the Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) and the many challenges she's faced throughout the process. She also speaks to the essential ne…

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 Fou…

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 peop…

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…

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 Psych…

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 Anthropolo…

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 …

In this episode, we talk with Kaitlin Robertson. She is the CEO of Cacti Therapeutics, a biotech company developing FDA-approved psychedelic therapies for chronic pain and sexual dysfunction. Kaitlin received her Master’s degree in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard University and has professional experience in trauma care and business f…

In this episode, I talk with Sa’ed Al-Olimat. He is the founder of PsiloHealth, co-founder and Board Director of the Psychedelic Pharmacists Association, and a community pharmacy manager at CVS. In our conversation, we talk about Sa’ed’s many roles in the psychedelic space, including founding Psilohealth, an organization dedicated to education, leg…

In this episode, I talk with Heather Wickman. She is the co-founder of Untethered with her husband, Colby. They offer unique integration services with horses and partner with organizations worldwide to offer plant medicine experiences for individual growth initiatives. In our conversation, we talk about Heather’s work in the corporate world as an e…

In this episode, we talk with Steven Millar. He is a recent master’s graduate from Glasgow University and an aspiring psychedelic-assisted therapist. In our conversation, we talk about Steven’s academic experiences at Glasgow University, studying Philosophy and Spanish during his undergraduate and Psychology for his master’s degree. We also discuss…

In this episode, we talk with Daniel Tarockoff. He is a partner at Vine Ventures; an early-stage venture fund focused on psychedelics. In our conversation, we examine Daniel’s work at Vine Ventures. We also talk about venture capital funds, Vine Ventures' reciprocity pledge, and their fundraising efforts for MAPS. We also cover Daniel’s journey fro…

In this episode, we talk with Ryan “Ghenigho” Rich. He is the Founder and Ceremony and Detox Lead at Root Healing Iboga Retreats and Detox. In our conversation, we explore Ryan’s work at Root Healing. We talk about how Root Healing is unique by centering their Iboga retreats in Bwiti tradition while also exploring the scientific efficacy of Iboga. …

In this episode, we talk to Christine Ziemer. Dr. Christine Ziemer is a professor of psychology at Missouri Western State University, faculty advisor of the SSDP Chapter, and excellent harm reductionist. Christine became interested in psychedelics and MAPS during her time in graduate school while working for her Ph.D. in psychology. Since then it h…

In this episode, we talk to Max C Wood. Max is a graduate student studying developmental neuroscience and psychopathology. Max spent last year studying at the Anna Freud Center in London, and is now currently at Yale - researching into the impact attachment styles have on a psychedelic treatment design. Broadly speaking, his passions lie in the int…

In this episode, we talk with David Drapkin. He is the Director of Operations and Strategic Growth at Psychedelics Today. In our conversation, we explore David’s work at Psychedelics Today, including his role in creating Psychedelic Today’s newest course, Vital. We discuss David’s history in economics and how a near-death experience changed his pat…

In this episode, we talk with Sasha Cuff. He is a Somatic Relational Practitioner with Nectara. For the past 25 years, he has been sitting therapeutically with people with all types of trauma, tirelessly seeking to understand the roots of suffering and disease. He observed that while some people got better, many of them were not improving at all. T…

In this episode, we talk with Jon Dean. He is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Brain Mechanisms of Pain & Health Laboratory at the University of California, San Diego. Jon obtained his Bachelor’s in Chemistry at Youngstown State University, and his Master’s and Ph.D. in Molecular & Integrative Physiology from the University of Michigan, where he studie…

In this episode, we talk with Brian Pilecki. He is a psychologist and researcher at Portland Psychotherapy Clinic, Research, and Training Center. Brian provides integration and harm reduction therapy for clients currently using psychedelics on their own. He is also involved in a clinical trial of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for the treatment of soc…

In this episode, we talk with Alex Kahn. He recently received his MA in Music Therapy and Counseling from Drexel University. Alex is an advocate for integrating music therapy into psychedelic therapy. In our conversation, we cover how Alex’s experiences in playing music in mommy and me classes lead him to pursue a degree in music therapy. We also d…

In this episode, we talk with Ben Hearn. Ben is a doctoral candidate in Counselor Education & Supervision at the University of Cincinnati and a student at the Center for Psychedelic Therapy and Research. His work focuses on providing advocacy and education within the counseling profession regarding psychedelics and their potential use in therapy as…

In this episode, we talk with Jessica Cadoch. She is the Research and Operations Manager at Maya Public-benefit Corporation. Jessica is a liaison working to bridge the for-profit world with not-for-profit organizations while advocating for increased accessibility and knowledge on psychedelics for the general public. In our conversation, we cover ho…

In this episode, we talk with Oskar Bull-Hansen. He is a practicing above-ground underground psychedelic guide in Norway. Oskar provides preparation, psychedelic sessions, and integration services for clients using MDMA and psilocybin. In our conversation, we cover what Oskar’s practice looks like including the process of choosing a substance and d…

In this episode, we talk with Vilmarie Narloch, Psy.D as she shares how her journey through addiction research, humanistic healing, policy reform, and academia intersect at her place in the psychedelic field. Vilmarie wears many hats but is best known for her work at Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) as Director of Education. She received he…

In this episode, we talk with Cody Wenthur. Cody is an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy and Director of the first-of-its-kind Psychoactive Pharmaceutical Investigation Masters of Science Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Cody is also a member of the Psychedelic Pharmacists Association. Cody’s lab researches how small-scale molecule dru…

In this episode, we talk with Mati Castro. She is a neuroscience graduate student at Johns Hopkins University. She works in the basic science field to understand how psychedelics affect brain circuits, specifically the amygdala during rewarded operant behaviors. In our conversation, we cover her academic career of earning Bachelor’s degrees in bioc…

Presented by Psychedelic Grad. This episode is with Dr. Rick Barnett. He's a clinical, mental/behavioral health and addiction specialist and founder of the addiction rehabilitation facility, Carter Inc., in Vermont. In this episode, we cover his path from patient to practitioner, the meanings of addiction, the 12 step program, the opioid epidemic, …

Presented by Psychedelic Grad. In this episode of Curious to Serious, we interview Carli Domenico, a PhD candidate at Baylor College of Medicine (Houston). She's involved with the Research and Development Spore at the Intercollegiate Psychedelic Society and also works with Tabula Rasa Ventures. Carli is a doctoral student with a background in neuro…

Presented by Psychedelic Grad. In our very first episode of Curious to Serious, we interview Joshua White of the Fireside Project, a psychedelic peer support hotline. Fireside Project just officially launched as of April 2021! To learn more about the project, check out FiresideProject.org To learn more about Psychedelic Grad, go to psychedelicgrad.…