Hey friend, With Christmas approaching, let me introduce you to the mushroom that may have inspired Santa Claus: Amanita muscaria. Amanita muscaria, the iconic "Fly Agaric," is one of the most recognizable magic mushrooms, celebrated in folkloreâfrom Viking berserkers to Siberian shamanismâand immortalized in pop culture through Alice in Wonderland and Mario's adventures. However, Amanita muscaria goes beyond mythologyâit's an atypical psychedelic with unique psychoactive and medicinal...
12 days ago â˘Â 3 min read
Hey friend, One day, in my early twenties, my brain stopped working. I couldnât recall words, names, or phrasesâstumbling mid-sentence, searching for thoughts that wouldnât come. Even familiar faces were a blank slate for their names. I was so fogged up I couldnât even access my memoriesâit felt like they were locked away, out of reach. My once laser-sharp focus was gone. I used to zero in on tasks with ease, but now I felt erratic, struggling to direct my attention or sustain it for long. It...
19 days ago â˘Â 8 min read
Hey friend, Your entire cognitive and emotional experience is shaped by your brain and nervous system's function. To transform your life, start by changing your brain. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a protein in the neurotrophin group that supports the growth, maintenance, and survival of neurons in the brain and nervous system. It plays a key role in brain health, learning, memory, and emotional regulation. Think of BDNF as Miracle-GroÂŽď¸ for your brainâitâs a major factor (pun...
26 days ago â˘Â 11 min read
Hey friend, I've experienced the power, joy, giggles, and even the horror of magic mushrooms more than any other psychedelicâprobably in the triple digits by now. Letâs just say Iâve had my fair share of magic mushrooms, but none of those trips couldâve prepared me for this one. Many years ago, a homie handed me a bag of shrooms... but these werenât your typical Psilocybe cubensis. No, these were specimens Iâd never seen before. The blue bruising on the stem screamed psilocybin, and as my...
about 1 month ago â˘Â 8 min read
Hey friend, My grandmother had Alzheimer's. Watching her declineâfirst gradually, then rapidlyâwas heartbreaking. Sheâd ask me the same question over and over: âWhat grade are you in?â I'd gently remind her, âGrandma, Iâve been out of school for three years.â She was a saint; a gentle, kind, and deeply empathetic soul, like no one else I've ever known. She passed in 2015, but her love and memory live on in everyone she touched and inspired. As a teenager watching her slowly slip away, I...
about 1 month ago â˘Â 6 min read
Hey friend, I used to get sick all of the time⌠I was hit with relentless, agonizing tonsillitis, the flu, and annoying colds that seemed to come out of nowhere, hang around forever, and then circle back for more. Back then, antibiotics were handed out like candy, and Iâd take a round every time I got sick (not something I'd recommend). The crazy part was that, even though the antibiotics might have cleared up my illness, over time I was getting sick more often and found myself back at the...
about 2 months ago â˘Â 9 min read
Hey friend, Weâve been sold the myth that depression is just a serotonin imbalanceâand that simply boosting serotonin with a pill is the fix. While thereâs some truth to the serotonin theory, itâs far from the full picture. If it were, weâd all be a lot happier and more fulfilled. Yet, despite 12.7% of the U.S. population (43.8 million people) taking antidepressants, overall happiness hasnât improved, according to the American Psychological Association. [1] Iâve spoken and worked with...
about 2 months ago â˘Â 9 min read
Hey friend, I struggled with low testosterone in my early 20s. I couldn't understand whyâit should've been at its peak, but instead, it was rock bottom. At my lowest, my testosterone levels hit 223 total, 37.5 free, and 83.6 bioavailable. My lowest T levels I faced relentless chronic fatigue, couldnât gain muscle no matter what, and struggled with stubborn body fat. My cognition was a mess, with constant brain fog. This all started when I became symptomatic from mold toxicity. Thatâs when the...
2 months ago â˘Â 8 min read
Hey friend, I do not doubt that nearly every human being on this planet has been impacted by addiction, either directly or indirectlyâwhether friends, family, partners, community members, or generationally. According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics and Addiction Group data, nearly 50 million Americans faced a substance use disorder (SUD) last year, with alcohol use disorder (AUD) being the most prevalent, impacting about 30 million (60%). [1] Shockingly, 70% of those with AUD...
2 months ago â˘Â 8 min read