Episode Highlights

Enjoy this special solo episode that I’ve created to reflect upon all of the beauty and learning of The Psychedelic Mom Podcast so far … and to offer glimpses into where we might be headed …

Some of the fascinating topics we’ve explored:

• The healing potential of psychedelics and how they can transform trauma, depression and anxiety, and support addiction recovery
• Insights from extended DMT experiences that underscore the vital role of vulnerability in personal healing
• How psychedelics can reshape women’s understanding of self and challenge societal conditioning
• Intriguing research on MDMA’s effects on social behavior and the critical period’, particularly through the lens of Gul Dolen’s octopus studies
• How conversations around non-duality in psychedelic experiences can reshape our perception of reality
• The historical significance of psychedelics in ancient traditions and their role in rites of passage
• The cultural implications of using psychedelics as tools for both personal and societal healing
• The darker aspects of psychedelic work as we seek to understand deep healing

Some ideas about where we may be healing …

• The integration of somatic tools into the healing process, enhancing the transformative power of psychedelics
• The intersection of psychedelics, spirituality, and the challenges we face in modern society
• My personal explorations beyond psychedelic experiences that reveal deeper layers of self-discovery
• An invitation for your feedback and engagement as we shape the future of this podcast together
• The importance of authenticity and connection in both our personal and collective healing journeys
• Some exciting developments coming soon … including a new Psychedelic Mom wellness brand offering medicinal mushrooms!

Michaela's Links

• Website: www.thepsychedelicmom.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepsychedelicmom/
• Book an Introductory Consult: https://calendly.com/psychedelicmom/

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Book: Wild Mind: A Field Guide to the Human Psyche by Bill Plotkin - https://tinyurl.com/5b6frnn9
• Book: The Concussion Repair Manual: A Practical Guide to Recovering from Traumatic Brain Injuries by Dr. Dan Engle - https://tinyurl.com/6payjvsn
• Book: EMBARK Psychedelic Therapy for Depression: A New Approach for the Whole Person by Bill Brennan & Alex Belser - https://tinyurl.com/mr3rcj29
• Book: How to Regulate Psychedelics: A Practical Guide by Transform Drug Policy Foundation - https://tinyurl.com/3a72uey8
• Podcast: Rebel Wisdom - https://rebelwisdom.co.uk/

This week, we sat down for Part 2 with the Amanita Warrior, Rael Inshan, to take a deep dive into the legal psychedelic mushroom, Amanita Muscaria. Amanita is known for its mystery and magic and although recognized globally, it is less talked about within the western psychedelic movement. In last week’s episode, Rael shared his personal journey and all the ways it changed his life. Today, we breakdown how to microdose Amantia, the benefits and potential risks, the importance of community, support, discipline and being ready and open to change.

Rael is dedicated to bringing the wisdom of Amanita to the world and warns, “it will change your life!”. He provides insights on what you need to know about building a relationship with this ancient technology. Enjoy this episode and I hope you find the magic in your life.

After living in South America for ten years, where he studied plant medicines, Rael Inshan returned to the United States to become a professional mushroom forager, searching for the mysterious Amanita Muscaria. After years of living by and with this sacred medicine, he has learned very valuable lessons about life and the wisdom of nature.

Episode Highlights

• Practical advice for starting an amanita muscaria microdosing regimen
• Dosage recommendations for beginners
• Understanding potential side effects and the importance of dosage management
• The non-tolerance nature of Amanita and its implications for use
• The need for caution with macrodoses of amanita
• Challenges achieving a stable, expanded state of consciousness
• The discipline required to effectively work with amanita
• The importance of community support and guidance in the psychedelic journey
• Amanita's role in healing past traumas and fostering peace
• The internalization and integration of knowledge through psychedelic experiences
• Distinguishing Amanita’s effects from other psychedelics based on neurotransmitter interactions
• Rael’s plans for developing more educational resources on Amanita preparation and use
• The significance of personal truth in navigating psychedelic experiences

Rael Inshan’s Links

• Website: https://www.amanitawarriors.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanitawarriors/

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

• Book: LSD and the Mind of the Universe: Diamonds from Heaven by Christopher M. Bache - https://tinyurl.com/5e3jjh89
• Scientific Researcher & Psychonaut: Hamilton Morris - https://tinyurl.com/vfawem7k

Rael Inshan's Special Offers to You

• Buy a 30ml Amanita Muscaria tincture and get a FREE one mentioning that you are a podcast listener. If you are interested, please reach out at: amanitawarriors@gmail.com
• Get 20% OFF using the code ‘WARRIOR’ if for the Amanita Extract: Eons Dialed - https://eons.com/products/dialed

In this week’s episode of The Psychedelic Mom podcast, Michaela sits down with Rael Inshan, also known as The Amanita Warrior, who has dedicated his life to teaching the world about Amanita Muscaria—one of the most mysterious and misunderstood mushrooms on the planet.

Once a shy, socially awkward, and skeptical atheist, Rael suffered for years from crippling insomnia and depression. After trying everything to find relief, his life changed forever when he stumbled upon a field of Amanita Muscaria. That single encounter set him on a path of deep healing, discipline, and devotion to the teachings of this sacred mushroom.

Unlike psilocybin, Amanita Muscaria works through dreams and deep, altered states. Rael believes this mushroom carries ancient wisdom that must be approached with reverence and respect. Michaela brings her own insights and reflections into the conversation, exploring what makes Amanita Muscaria so different from other Earth medicines and why so many are now turning to this mushroom for healing, guidance, and expanded awareness.

This is a wild story of healing, surrender, and awakening through one of the most legendary mushrooms on Earth. Look for part two next week for an in-depth guide on how to microdose Amanita safely and how to work with this medicine for long-term transformation.

After living in South America for ten years, where he studied plant medicines, Rael Inshan returned to the United States to become a professional mushroom forager, searching for the mysterious Amanita Muscaria. After years of living by and with this sacred medicine, he has learned very valuable lessons about life and the wisdom of nature.

Episode Highlights

• The importance of prayer intention and belief in problem-solving
• The intelligence of Amanita muscaria and its mycelium
• Rael's serendipitous discovery of Amanita in a Brazilian forest
• The healing effects Amanita has had for Rael on his insomnia, PTSD and health issues
• Spiritual transformation from atheism to connection with higher powers
• The role of Amanita as a guiding force in Rael's life
• Differences between microdosing and full doses of Amanita
• The impact of Amanita on dreams and subconscious exploration
• The unique effects of Amanita compared to psilocybin
• The lack of interest in Amanita Muscaria within the psychedelic community
• The hierarchy of nature and our human connection to our ecosystems
• The importance of aligning with nature and respecting its wisdom
• Understanding the mind as a mirror and its effects on reality
• Closing reflections on personal growth and spiritual evolution

Rael Inshan’s Links

• Website: https://www.amanitawarriors.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanitawarriors/

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

• Episode 57 with Snow Raven: https://tinyurl.com/mu7x9jd2
• Episode 87 with Tanja Schalling: https://tinyurl.com/56m93afe
• Episode 100 with Ash Ritter: https://tinyurl.com/rt4ftvfu

Rael Inshan's Special Offers to You

• Buy a 30ml Amanita Muscaria tincture and get a FREE one mentioning that you are a podcast listener. If you are interested, please reach out at: amanitawarriors@gmail.com
• Get 20% OFF using the code ‘WARRIOR’ if for the Amanita Extract: Eons Dialed - https://eons.com/products/dialed

Actor, author and life coach, David Dayan Fisher joins Michaela after fleeing the LA fires, offering profound reflections on what truly matters in times of crisis. In this deeply personal conversation, David shares how life itself is a mirror, reflecting our unprocessed wounds, and how we can use these insights to grow.

He opens up about the ‘characters’ we play in life, how acting helped him understand his own anger and trauma, and the transformative power of psychedelics—especially his experiences with ayahuasca and iboga, which led him to commune with younger versions of himself. Together, he and Michaela explore shadow work, emotional expression, and the impact of patriarchy on vulnerability, reframing childhood wounds, and the journey to forgiveness.

David also introduces his new book, The Map—a guide to living with love, authenticity, and joy—and invites listeners to explore his gallery, where love is expressed through art.

David Dayan Fisher is a multifaceted artist, actor, and author known for his transformative journey of self-discovery and healing. With a background in acting that includes notable roles in films such as National Treasure, he has transitioned into exploring the realms of spirituality and emotional growth.

David's work emphasizes the importance of inner child healing, conscious relationships, and the profound effects of psychedelics on personal transformation. Through his book ‘The Map’, he simplifies complex psychological concepts, offering readers a roadmap to understanding their own journeys. David’s art, infused with themes of love and healing, creates a vibrant space for connection and reflection.

Episode Highlights

• David's reflections on escaping the LA fires and and what truly matters in difficult times
• Recognizing the ‘character’ we play in life and its origins
• The role acting has played in David understanding his personal anger and trauma
• David's first experience with ayahuasca and its revelations
• Further medicine work with iboga and experiences of communing with younger versions of himself
• The impact of the patriarchy on emotional expression and vulnerability
• Reframing childhood wounds and the journey to forgiveness
• Exploring the concept of the world as a mirror for personal growth
• Understanding the cyclical nature of relationships
• Love as the essential truth revealed through spiritual experiences
• David’s reflections on navigating acceptance and letting go
• The significance of understanding and acceptance in reducing suffering
• An invitation to visit David’s gallery and experience love through art

David Dayan Fisher's Links

• Website: https://thepoweroflove.art/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daviddayanfisher/

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

• Book: The Map: The Navigation & Translation to Life & The Human Experience by David Dayan Fisher - https://tinyurl.com/3kzmvt7n
• Poem: ‘Reason, Season and a Lifetime’ by Brian A. Chalker - https://tinyurl.com/bdhs2f87
• Spiritual Teacher: Eckhart Tolle - https://eckharttolle.com/
• Mind Architect: Peter Crone - https://www.petercrone.com/
• Relationship Therapy Technique: Imago Therapy - https://tinyurl.com/ppd88p3z

In this week’s episode, we uncover the benefits of microdosing psilocybin mushrooms through Rachel McKernan’s personal story of overcoming addiction and healing depression. Rachel’s journey began after her sister’s death at 33 years old to addiction. This tragic event, combined with Rachel’s own addiction, depression and childhood trauma led her to look out for support from psychedelic mushrooms. It is hard to scientifically chart the benefits of microdosing, so we are gathering personal accounts of life-altering experiences and benefits from people who are microdosing psilocybin mushrooms for healing from PTSD, depression, addiction and/or deepening self-understanding.

Rachel shares the many ways microdosing supported and healed her life and the business she felt called to create and share from her journey.

Rachel McKernan is a mystic and microdosing integration guide. She is the founder and formulator of the synergistic microdosing blend ILLUMINATE, inspiring its creation on the profound healing she was able to find in plant medicines. Rachel now guides others who are looking to these medicines to find healing for themselves. Her husband and three children continue to be her biggest motivation on the spiral path of healing her wounds and ancestral trauma to evolve the consciousness of the collective.

Episode Highlights

• The profound impact of the loss of her sister and its role in personal transformation
• Rachel’s struggle with addiction and the search for healing
• A mystical experience during meditation before receiving tragic news
• The importance of connecting with nature for emotional well-being
• Challenges faced postpartum and during lockdown
• How microdosing became a tool for healing trauma and enhancing self-awareness
• The diversity of microdosing experiences, including potential anxiety
• How microdosing may facilitate access to repressed memories
• Exploring the concept of ‘recapitulation’ in healing
• Creating custom blends of mushrooms and their different effects
• The importance of community and connection in the healing journey
• Embracing the messiness of healing and personal growth
• Exploring spirituality and the deconstruction of faith
• The importance of believing in one’s inner healing intelligence
• Final reflections on inner healing and the journey towards love and acceptance

Rachel McKernan’s Links

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/illuminate_healing/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelmckernan111/

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

• Book: The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge by Carlos Castaneda - https://tinyurl.com/tvybvkft
• Book: The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz - https://tinyurl.com/2z6ndkvw
• Book: The Immortality Key: The Secret History of the Religion with No Name by Brian C. Muraresku - https://tinyurl.com/4ur58rrx
• Integrative Psychiatrist: Dr. Dan Engle - https://drdanengle.com/

In Part 2 of Michaela’s conversation with global non-dual teacher Lisa Cairns, Lisa shares the profound challenges and breakthroughs of her journey to awakening. Defining non-duality as absolute love and the realization that separation is an illusion, Lisa recounts her time living in the Australian bush with a non-dual teacher, a heartbreaking breakup, and a transformative month spent in Bali. There, she gave herself permission to do nothing but listen to her body’s intuitive needs, uncovering the truth that happiness is not dependent on anything external.

Lisa offers direct pointers to help listeners question their sense of self and the non-locality of consciousness, explore the illusions of separation, and navigate resistance. She discusses how to stop believing the mind’s stories, challenge deeply held beliefs, and build the capacity to feel deeply—even when discomfort arises. Finally, Lisa shares the moment her awakening to Infinite Love occurred while eating a banana fritter, when the illusion of the separate self fell away, and everything became permeated with love. This episode is a continuation of Part 1, where Lisa explored the role of psychedelics in her awakening and the journey to living in non-separation, peace, and liberation.

In Part 1, Lisa shares the role psychedelics have played in her awakening process and what her experiences with LSD, Ayahuasca, and mushrooms revealed.

For the past 11 years, Lisa Cairns has traveled around the world, sharing the Indian philosophy of Non-duality. She has spoken in the UK’s National Health Care System, book shops, yoga centers, universities, conference centers, festivals and more.

In her talks, Lisa tries to communicate the limitless nature of life, which she considers is at the root of every philosophy, religion or story. She hopes to open doors for anyone who wants to listen, providing a broader perspective on life.

Episode Highlights

• The complexities of Lisa’s relationship with her non-dual teacher and partner
• The transformative challenges faced during three years living with him
• The power of introspection during a month of self-exploration in Bali
• Observing the rapid shifts between suffering and joy without external attachment
• An expansive awakening experience triggered by a moment of deep beauty
• Defining non-duality through love and the concept of interconnectedness
• The relationship between love and the illusion of separateness from objects
• Understanding natural emotions versus the imagined self that creates conflict
• Anger and boundary setting as natural responses in human relationships
• The radical challenge of self-discovery and authentic living
• Recognizing the abstract nature of identity and ownership in daily life
• Engaging in direct experience to question the true nature of self beyond the body
• Unpacking the concept of innate being and its profound relationship to love

Lisa Cairns' Links

• Website: https://www.lisacairns.com/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LisaCairns
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nonduality12

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Episode 33 with Dr. Angelo Dilullo - https://tinyurl.com/yjxhrjwn
• Episode 69 with Frank Yang - https://tinyurl.com/3tmfwu53
• Episode 101 with Emerson Non-duality - https://tinyurl.com/3m3fdn5a
• Indian Advaita Teacher: Ramesh Balsekar - https://rameshbalsekar.com/
• Spiritual Teacher: Adyashanti - https://tinyurl.com/b2xf2zar
• Non-dual Teacher: Roger Castillo - https://www.rogercastillo.org/

In this week’s two-part series, Awakening to Infinite Love: LSD, Non-Duality, and Banana Fritters, Michaela sits down with globally renowned non-dual teacher Lisa Cairns to explore the transformative power of awakening. Lisa delves into the profound insights of non-duality, a direct experience of reality beyond thought, belief, and separation, offering practical wisdom on living an expansive, authentic life. In Part 1, the conversation focuses on how psychedelics like LSD, Ayahuasca, and mushrooms mirror the process of awakening, illuminating the unbinding from the illusion of self, time, and space. Lisa also explains the importance of shadow work, the difference between no-self and no-boundaries selflessness, and how to maintain presence while navigating relationships and challenges.

Part 2, available next week, takes a deeply personal turn as Lisa shares her own awakening journey. From years spent in the Australian bush with her partner and non-dual teacher, Roger Costello, to the heartbreak that led her to Bali, Lisa recounts the life-altering experiences that shattered her concept of self and revealed infinite love. This raw, relatable conversation is an invitation to step beyond the illusions of the mind, question what’s real, and awaken to the limitless essence of Beingness. If you’ve ever felt the call to wake up, this is the episode for you.

For the past 11 years, Lisa Cairns has traveled around the world, sharing the Indian philosophy of Non-duality. She has spoken in the UK’s National Health Care System, book shops, yoga centers, universities, conference centers, festivals and more.

In her talks, Lisa tries to communicate the limitless nature of life, which she considers is at the root of every philosophy, religion or story. She hopes to open doors for anyone who wants to listen, providing a broader perspective on life.

Episode Highlights

• A transformative LSD experience and its connection to meditation
• Exploring the role of psychedelics in personal awakening
• Navigating the dual experiences of oneness and confronting the shadow self
• The interplay between intense emotions and the awakening process
• How societal roles can suppress individual authenticity and deep needs
• Defining consciousness as a balance of beingness and perception
• The significance of shadow work in the context of non-duality
• The relationship between anger, boundaries, and personal growth
• The challenge of navigating social dynamics post-awakening
• Closing reflections on the journey toward self-discovery and love

Lisa Cairns’ Links

• Website: www.lisacairns.com
• YouTube: Lisa Cairns
• Facebook: Lisa Cairns

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

• Indian Advaita Teacher: Ramesh Balsekar
• Spiritual Teacher: Adyashanti

Simeon Schnapper's passion and expertise span over 30 years in the fields of research, philanthropy, advocacy, policy, criminal justice reform, and the science of psychedelics. He provides valuable guidance to a wide range of organizations, including non-profits, psychedelic and impact startups, family offices, heads of state, royalty, and several newly formed governments. He co-founded JLS Fund, a groundbreaking VC in this field, and spearheaded the world's inaugural Psychedelic Investment Summit at the start of the decade.

Simeon's companies have been recipients of John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awards and he is an Aspen Institute Fellow. While embracing a global outlook of impact, and when not living on airplanes visiting portfolio companies he splits his time between Manhattan, Montenegro, and West and Central Africa.

Episode Highlights

• The intersection of psychedelics and mystical traditions
• Simeon’s vast experience with a wide range of psychedelics
• A recent trip to Africa to work on political agreements and research indigenous plant medicines
• Simeon’s entrepreneurial journey
• Current demand and the impact of psychedelic clinics on mental health
• The potential of non-invasive neuromodulation technologies that mimic psychedelics
• The balance between society’s need for healing and the business of psychedelics
• Self-exploration as a driving force behind psychedelic use
• The complexities of universal human desires and societal pressures
• The impact of psychedelics on understanding the ‘self’ identity
• The growing homogenization of human experiences across cultures
• Reflections on the joy of solving complex global issues
• Closing thoughts on the quest for consciousness and connection

Simeon Schnapper’s Links

• Website: www.jls.fund
• LinkedIn: JLS Fund

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

• Neuroscientist: Dr. Gül Dölen
• Tech Entrepreneur and Biohacker: Nick Murray
• Best-selling Author: Ray Kurzweil
• Book: Awareness: Conversations with the Masters by Anthony De Mello