Angel Investor in Therapeutic Psychedelics, Host of the Minority Trip Report Podcast and Founder of the Mission Club

System Change by Psychedelics • 2024

Raad Seraj is a Bangladeshi-Canadian entrepreneur and founder of Mission Club, a global angel investor syndicate targeting innovative startups in the psychedelics and mental health nexus. Beyond mere capital, Mission Club promotes a seamless development trajectory of the budding yet dispersed psychedelic ecosystem by injecting the domain with expertise, strategic network, and conviction. Prioritizing early-stage ventures, Mission Club targets both core psychedelic solutions as well as surrounding infrastructure such insurance, software, clinical network, telehealth, media, and retreats. As part of Mission Club’s mandate, Raad also hosts the Minority Trip Report podcast, which spotlights under-represented leaders in psychedelics and mental health.

By day, he spearheads growth at Affinity, a San Francisco startup developing purpose-built AI tools for private capital with global clients like Bain Capital Ventures, Softbank, Techstars, a16z and Bessemer Ventures.

Founder Rojkind Architectura

Architecture, Nature, Futures • 2024

Michel Rojkind (Mexico City, 1969) studied Architecture and Urban Planning at the Universidad Iberoamericana (1989-1994). He has been a guest lecturer at IACC in Barcelona, as well as at SCI-ARC, UPenn, and Harvard in the United States. Additionally, he has been a member of the National Academy of Architecture and the National System of Creators (FONCA). Rojkind has served as a jury member in various international awards and competitions and has given lectures around the world.

In 2002, he founded Rojkind Arquitectos, a creative studio focusing on design, business tactics, and experiential innovation processes based in Mexico City. The studio specializes in the design of urban strategies and architectural solutions, turning contemporary challenges into design opportunities. Rojkind collaborates with experts from various professional fields, developing personalized experiences for each client and user.

In 2005, Rojkind Arquitectos was selected by Architectural Record’s "Design Vanguard" as one of the top 10 international firms of the year. Notable projects in Mexico include the Chocolate Museum (2007), Cineteca Nacional of the 21st Century (2012), Mercado Roma (2014), HighPark (2015), the Philharmonic House in Boca del Río: Foro Boca (2017), and The Ledger in Bentonville, Arkansas (2022).

Rojkind has been featured in numerous international books and magazines, including The New York Times, Wallpaper, Architectural League of New York, Architectural Digest, Líderes Mexicanos, and Forbes, among others. In 2010, he won the "Emerging Voices" award organized by the Architectural League of New York, and Los Angeles Times recognized him as "People to Watch."

In 2011, Wallpaper magazine named him one of the "150 Movers, Shakers, and Makers That Have Rocked The World in the Last 15 Years." In 2013, Forbes magazine recognized him as "one of the most influential architects in the contemporary Mexican scene." In 2017, The New York Times included him in "A Generation of Architects Making Its Mark at Dizzying Speed." In 2021, 000M magazine included Rojkind in "The World’s Most Inspiring People." In 2022, Forbes Mexico featured him in its edition "The 100 Most Creative Mexicans in the World." In 2023, for the fifth consecutive time, he was recognized by Líderes Mexicanos magazine in its "Los 300" list.

Writer, Creative Director, Educator and Founder of MIM HQ

Music Is The Bridge • 2025

Emma is a writer, creative director, educator, and founder of MIM HQ, an education platform that bridges music, movement, and science. Her focus is on embodied learning, removing traditional academic barriers to make music and movement education more accessible to the general public. She has a particular interest in electronic music, percussion, and the effects of rhythm on our physiology.

She developed a methodology called Movement is Medicine®, which uses electronic music, BPM, tempo, and specific movement practices to help people reconnect their minds and bodies and complete the stress cycle. The method has been taught to thousands globally and is now an accredited training programme for instructors worldwide. Emma has been featured on TEDx, This Morning, Marie Claire, and other major media platforms with this work.

She recently self published her first book titled ‘Music is Medicine’, which weaves her personal health journey with neuroscience, cultural traditions, and global stories, from indigenous drum and dance circles to modern-day rave culture, showing that raving can be a form of catharsis and ceremony, if we understand it.

Emma is currently completing a PhD by Public Works on ‘Using Electronic Music as Medicine,’ combining scientific research and real-world stories from DJ’s to challenge outdated narratives around electronic music, club culture, and healing.

CEO & Founder Third Wave

Microdosing and Creativity • 2024

Paul F. Austin is one of the most prominent voices in the world of psychedelics.

As the founder of Third Wave, he has educated millions on the importance of safe and effective psychedelic experiences. A pioneer at the intersection of psychedelics, personal transformation, and professional success, his work has been featured in Forbes, Rolling Stone, and the BBC's Worklife.

Paul helps leaders, creatives, and pioneers leverage psychedelics for exponential personal growth and professional development. He views psychedelics as a skill refined through mentorship, courageous exploration, and intentional use.

Learning how to master this skill will be crucial in the story of humanity’s present-future evolution.

Founder of Hystelica, Chief Scientific Officer at NWPharma Tech & Research Director at Heroic Hearts Project

Design & Science: Strategies in Research • 2024

Dr. Grace Blest-Hopley is a Neuroscientist with 10 years of experience researching psychedelics. Grace completed her PhD in Neuroscience at King's College London/ and currently serves as the Chief Scientific Officer at NWPharma Tech.

She is the Research Director at Heroic Hearts Project, a charity that supports combat veterans with mental health challenges resulting from trauma and is also the founder of Hystelica, a community focused on understanding women's biology for safe and effective psychedelic use.

Microdosing Consultant and Business Leadership Advisor

Psychedelics and Empathic Design–A Female Perspective • 2024

Tiffany Hurd, a Microdosing Consultant, Speaker, and Business Leadership Advisor who has supported over 250 individuals and their teams through microdosing experiences. With 15+ years in the corporate medical industry, she blends her expertise in psychedelics, business strategy, and leadership, and helps companies optimize business growth by improving employee mental health, satisfaction, business strategy, and leadership through customized microdosing protocols. 

Tiffany teaches business leaders and employees to achieve fulfillment using microdosing and emotional intelligence. 

Founder of Blossom

Speaker The Business of Psychedelics • 2024 and Co-Host 2024, 2025, current

Floris, founder of Blossom, holds an MSc in Psychology from Erasmus University. His passion for psychedelics, sparked by personal experiences and scientific exploration, drives his mission to expand their accessibility for medical and self-development purposes.

He also offers psychedelic-assisted coaching sessions with his Fiance in the Netherlands through FLO Coaching. He hopes to play a vital part in making psychedelics more widely available and used.

Ecologist and Independent Researcher

Harmonizing Psychedelics, Technology, and Nature: Innovating Our Connection to Earth • 2024

Sam is a PhD ecologist and independent researcher. He has varied experience of working within the psychedelic field, including as a past scientific assistant to the director of the Beckley Foundation and as a research assistant with the Synthesis Institute. His work has also involved science communication, including as a senior science writer for Wavepaths, delivering presentations in association with Seed Talks, fungi cultivation workshops in association with the Psychedelic Society and currently as a content writer for DoubleBlind.

A lifelong nature lover, he has a research interest in the capacity of psychedelics to influence human relationships with nature, and is a research collaborator with Onaya Science and the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London. Aside from an extra-curricular interest in psychedelics and human relationships with nature, he also has experience of working in the ecological field, as Innovation Team Leader for ecological consultancy Ecosulis. 

Community & Partnerships Officer at MAPS

In Conversation: Design and Psychedelics • 2024 and Music Is The Bridge • 2025

Devon is the Community & Partnerships officer for the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). With his work, Devon develops strategies and partnerships to answer the question: “How do we responsibly mainstream psychedelics?” His background is in behavioral neuroscience and human-centered design, but he has a deep love for art, music, and fashion. Before joining MAPS, Devon founded a virtual reality software start-up that was later acquired in 2018.

He is also the co-founder of the harm-reduction fashion company, More Life. Devon describes himself as a culture nerd who loves the complexity of humanity and wants to be the bridge between our cultures and consciousness exploration.

He says you can usually find him under a tree, reading Plato and bumping Biggie.

Co-founder and President of MINDS Chief Scientist, BIOTA Institute Associate Researcher, UC Santa Cruz Department of Biomolecular Engineering

Neuroplasticity & Innovation: Exploring Creative Problem-Solving in the Fourth Wave of Psychedelics • 2024 and Opening Keynote Awards • 2025

Dr. Bruce Damer is Canadian-American multidisciplinary scientist, designer, and author. In his role as a world-renowned Astrobiologist at the UC Santa Cruz Department of Biomolecular Engineering, Dr. Damer collaborates with colleagues developing and testing a new scenario for the origin of life on Earth and where it might arise in the universe.

As a designer he has provided innovative spacecraft architectures to NASA and others which could provide a viable path for the expansion of life and human civilization beyond the Earth. Dr. Damer has recently gone on public record that during his career he has used a combination of mindfulness practices and psychedelics to achieve some of his key scientific and technical breakthroughs.

His passion in co-founding MINDS is that many others with special capacities in these realms should have access to scientifically validated protocols, community and mentorship, and pathways to transform their own novel insights into solutions to bring about a brilliant future for all of us.

Along with his role at MINDS, he also serves as Chief Scientist at the BIOTA Institute and his work has been featured in high-level scientific journals, popular science publications, news outlets, documentaries and on numerous podcasts. He collaborates with a wide range of scientists and thinkers in fields as diverse as evolutionary biology, philosophy, spirituality, and AI.

He is a frequent speaker on topics in science, space, and the philosophical and spiritual implications of the scientific quest to discover the solution to the mystery of our deepest origins.

FullCircle Board Member ArtCenter College of Design / Former Partner, McKinsey&Co. and Leader of McKinsey Design

Psychedelics, Design & Regenerative Futures • 2025

I am a seasoned leader specializing in human-centered innovation for Consumer, Technology, and Life Science industries. After a successful tenure leading design at LUNAR - the renowned creative agency that received the Cooper-Hewet National Product Design Award and that was acquired by McKinsey & Co. in 2015 - I’ve helped build and scale McKinsey’s design capability to 300+ designers globally. As a Partner at McKinsey, I’ve honed my skills in strategically integrating design capabilities within the firm to ensure that results are highly desirable and drive tangible business value. I bring a unique blend of creativity and business acumen; aligning design initiatives with broader organizational strategies to drive effective outcomes at scale.

I am passionate about helping shape a future where organizations elevate their ability to deliver wholistic impact that drives responsible and sustainable growth.

Co-Founder & CEO of Psychedelics Today

The Great Reconnector: Designing Our Way Back Together with Psychedelics • 2024 and Psychedelics, Design & Regenerative Futures • 2025

Joe Moore co-founded Psychedelics Today in 2016 with Kyle Buller. As CEO, Joe has co-created one of the planet's best-known psychedelic podcasts and training platforms. He combines over 20 years of avid psychedelic study and training with over 20 years of experience in software and multinational project management.

Joe is a leading expert in transpersonal breathwork, a board member of the Psychedelic and Pain Association and the Psychedelic Medicine Coalition, and a sought-after international speaker on the intersecting subjects of psychedelic medicine and healing, breathwork, drug policy, medical innovation, international justice, and environmentalism.

Facilitator, Consultant and Co-Founder Common Field

System Change by Psychedelics • 2024

Julia is a facilitator of awareness-based systems change, and an organizational designer who works with foundering teams to develop and grow their organizations for meaningful social impact. She has advanced movements in soil health, plant medicine, and conscious leadership through stakeholder engagement and program design. Julia’s programs strengthening mindsets and behaviors toward regenerative systems. She holds a degree in Organizational Sciences from George Washington University and certifications in Regenerative Organizational Design, Systems Constellations, and Environmental Sustainability.

Julia is in the process of co-founding Common Field, a nonprofit for a community of professionals who are dedicated to establishing Indigenous-informed frameworks for access and benefit sharing in the psychedelics industry, focusing on ethical leadership, cultural humility, and fostering interconnection between traditional and modern practices through bridge-building.

Julia is a first-generation American, born in New York and raised in Zimbabwe, a daughter of emigrants from Morocco and the Jewish Diaspora.

Postdoctoral Neuroscientist, University of California

Neuroplasticity & Innovation: Exploring Creative Problem-Solving in the Fourth Wave of Psychedelics • 2024

Dr. Manesh Girn is a postdoctoral neuroscientist specializing in psychedelic drugs at the University of California, San Francisco. Working closely with psychedelic research pioneer Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris, he conducts research on the neural mechanisms underlying the psychedelic experience and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.

He has been lead or co-author of over 20 peer-reviewed publications to date on topics including psychedelics, the default mode network, abstract cognitive processes, and brain network organization.

Manesh also runs a popular digital platform on Instagram and YouTube called "The Psychedelic Scientist”, where he disseminates the latest findings and developments in psychedelic science in a layperson friendly manner.

Founder of Gwella and Mojo

Growing a Consumer Good Brand fit for a Psychedelic Future • 2024

Peter is an award-winning entrepreneur and founder of Gwella, a brand house on a mission to make psychedelics more accessible and help people use them safely and effectively.

In 2022 they launched Mojo in North America; an innovative patent-pending product that mimics the benefits of microdosing, in a completely legal gummy. He's been building, advising and investing in consumer brands for most of his career, and is deeply passionate about all things that enable meaningful connections & better health.

Stemming from his early personal experiences with entheogens, he's become a passionate advocate for cognitive liberty and the right of every human to experiment with their own consciousness.

Founder Mycopreneur & Co-founder Mycoday

The Media's Role in Shifting the Psychedelic Narrative • 2024

Dennis Walker is a satirist multimedia producer primarily known for his satirizing of the psychedelic space.

He is the founder of Mycopreneur, with which he has platformed over 150 mushroom entrepreneurs from 25 countries on six continents. The Mycopreneur platform is a globally recognized leader in the psychedelic media space, with recent press coverage in Rolling Stone, Forbes, High Times, and many other outlets.

Walker is also the Co-Founder of Mycoday functional mushroom chocolate.

Medical Doctor

Cultivating Safe Spaces: Enhancing Human Potential in Regenerative Environments • 2024

Dr. Joyce Braverman was born and raised in Mexico. After completing her medical degree at Anáhuac University, she continued her studies in the United States and Israel. She worked as an assistant in pediatric surgical oncology, as a consultant for strategic alliances in secondary prevention of childhood cancer, and as the director of medical research at "Med Intelligence," an Israel-based startup focused on personalized medicine research.

Throughout her career, she discovered the power of integrative medicine and the potential of medicinal plants in the healing process of terminally ill patients. She became certified in mind-body medicine and Ayurvedic yoga massage, experiences that inspired her to adopt a more holistic approach to healing. This path led her to continue her studies at CIIS (California Institute of Integral Studies) in Psychedelic Therapies and Research, deepening her understanding of the Earth's chemistry.

Her journey continues as she strives to integrate her passion for the use of psychedelics in the medical field as a means to reconfigure and inspire others in their healing process and reduce stress responses. She is currently studying functional medicine, and one of her main interests is psychoneuroimmunology.

Author and Journalist

Psychedelics and Empathic Design–A Female Perspective • 2024

Jennifer Chesak is the author of the award-winning The Psilocybin Handbook for Women. She is a freelance science and medical journalist, editor, and fact-checker, and her work has appeared in several national and international publications, including the Washington Post and BBC. Chesak earned her master of science in journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill.

She currently teaches in the journalism and publishing programs at Belmont University, leads various workshops at the literary nonprofit The Porch, and serves as the managing editor for the literary magazine SHIFT.

Co-Founder of Entheogenic Research, Integration and Education / Co-Founder Decriminalize Nature

System Change by Psychedelics • 2024

Larry Norris, PhD, studied biopsychology and cognitive science as an undergraduate at the University of Michigan, and defended his doctoral dissertation at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in San Francisco. His dissertation reviewed archived ayahuasca experience reports to identify transformational archetypes and insights that could help inform developing models of integration (meaning-making).

Larry is the co-founder and executive director of Entheogenic Research, Integration, and Education (ERIE) a 501(c)(3) nonprofit located in the San Francisco Bay Area. ERIE is dedicated to the development of community education, research, and integration models related to entheogens.

Larry is also a co-founder and board member of Decriminalize Nature (DN), which sprouted from Oakland in 2019. He advocates for the unalienable right to develop one’s own relationship with Nature and aims to support efforts to decriminalize entheogenic plants and fungi (e.g., ayahuasca, iboga, cacti, mushrooms).

Larry is DN’s national outreach director, and supports many cities and states across the USA and internationally who are seeking to propose and pass similar legislation.

Programs Director Zendo Project

Risks & Harm Reduction for Creative Explorers • 2025

Jessa (she/her) has pursued her passion for healing, transformation, and care-giving throughout her career. She completed her undergraduate studies in Pre-Med at Virginia Tech and The Evergreen State College.

She went on to study Traditional Chinese Medicine at Hilltop Eastern Medicine Clinic and later earned her Birth and Death Doula Certifications to deepen her understanding of care-giving at transformational events.

The combination of her health sciences education and personal passion for wellness led her to support various organizations through program building, business development, and marketing. Jessa believes in making the world a safer, more caring place, and looks forward to advancing this shared vision through her work with the Zendo Project.

US Head of Creative Moving Brands

The Art of Authentic Expression in Branding • 2024

Jemma is a New York-based Creative Director of Moving Brands programs—big and small—ranging from new-to-world identities, brand refreshes and engagement to M&As. She has worked both in the UK and USA for clients such as GM, Microsoft, Mastercard, IBM, FedEx, J.P. Morgan, Barclays, Holiday Inn, Colgate and Puma.

Jem is an empathetic leader who develops close-knit relationships with brand managers and CMOs to deliver effective creative solutions that emotionally connect with people, building sustained brand equity and helping businesses achieve their goals.

Her background in environmental programs as a graphic designer has seen her passion for connected experiences grow alongside her ability to lead successful global brand rollouts.

Jem is passionate about sustainable living and champions sustainability in all aspects of the design process. She is published as a contributor in Adweek’s inaugural sustainability issue.

Global Impact Officer at MAPS

In Conversation: Design and Psychedelics • 2024

Natalie Lyla Ginsberg (MSW) is the Global Impact Officer at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, (MAPS), and the co-founder of the Jewish Psychedelic Summit. Natalie joined MAPS in 2014, founding the Policy & Advocacy department, and serving as its director for 5 years. At MAPS, Natalie initiated and co-developed MAPS’ Health Equity program, including MAPS’ first MDMA Therapy Training for Communities of Color, and co-authored the first study interviewing Palestinians and Israelis who have shared ayahuasca ceremonies.

Before joining MAPS, Natalie worked as a Policy Fellow at the Drug Policy Alliance, where she helped legalize medical cannabis in her home state of New York, and worked to end race-based marijuana arrests. Natalie was born and raised in New York City and currently lives in Los Angeles, CA. She received her B.A. in history from Yale College, and her master’s of social work (M.S.W.) from Columbia University.

Founder Propeller and Portal

Music Is The Bridge • 2025

Brandon Deroche founded Propeller in 2015, leading the company with over 16 years of experience creating social impact campaigns for some of the largest personalities in the world, from Lizzo and Justin Bieber to Chappell Roan and Bon Iver, leveraging their influence to drive millions of fans to take action for causes. 

In 2022, Deroche launched PORTAL: an initiative to destigmatize the responsible use of psychedelics. Portal combines culture, events, community, and advocacy to inspire inner action while raising money and awareness for psychedelic nonprofits.

Before founding Propeller, Brandon Deroche was the Executive Director of The Make Yourself Foundation, the charitable arm of Incubus, where he helped raise millions of dollars for various non the band wanted to support. Prior to his impact work, Brandon toured the U.S. and Europe with his band The Underwater, experiencing firsthand the power of music to inspire and mobilize people—a realization that shaped his approach to using culture for social good to this day.

Founder Wavepaths

Music Is The Bridge • 2025

Mendel Kaelen is the founder and CEO of Wavepaths, a company started in 2019 that has supported more than 40.000 individual psychedelic therapy sessions in more than 35 different countries with bespoke and adaptive music compositions. Mendel worked as a PhD and postdoctoral neuroscientist at Imperial College London since 2011, where his research was the first to demonstrate music’s central role in psychedelic therapies.

He is considered a thought leader on the therapeutic use of music, and teaches and writes frequently on this topic.  Mendel currently lives and works on planet Earth.

Multidisciplinary Artist, Producer, and Ceremony Guide

Closing Meditation • 2025 (Pre-Recorded)

East Forest is a multidisciplinary artist, producer, and ceremony guide. Since 2008, East Forest’s “lush” (Rolling Stone) and “blissful” (NPR) music has blended ambient, neoclassical, electronic, and avant-pop to explore sound as a tool for inner journeys and consciousness expansion.

The project's latest endeavor is the feature-length film Music for Mushrooms, a narrative documentary showcasing the transformative power of psychedelics, music, and community. The forthcoming long-form record, “Lovingly: A Soundtrack For The Psychedelic Practitioner, vol. III” serves as a musical answer to the film’s central journey: providing an album to guide listeners on deep journeys of introspection from start to finish. The six-hour piece will release in full on February 14, 2025 via Aquilo Records.

East Forest's extensive catalog includes over 30 albums and notable collaborations with artists such as Ram Dass, Jon Hopkins, Laraaji, Dead Prez, Nick Mulvey, Peter Broderick, Max Cooper, and DJ ANNA. The project has performed in over 18 countries at major festivals and venues including BottleRock, Beyond The Pale, Mysteryland, Wilderness and SXSW.

As a trailblazer in meditation and inner resilience, East Forest offers guided meditations, retreats, and a podcast ("Ten Laws w/East Forest"). His approach promotes non-religious, accessible spirituality. He's a faculty member at the Esalen Institute and has collaborated with institutions across social justice, mental health, science, music, and creative fields, including Google, Johns Hopkins University, UCSF, New Earth, Stanford d.school, and TED.

His work has appeared on Bright Antenna, Domino, Ghostly, Aquilo Records, 1631 Recordings, Mercury KX, as well as Tender Loving Empire & Universal/Decca.

Launch Director, Center for MINDS and Chief of Design, Emergence Field Labs

Opening Keynote Awards • 2025

I'm a multidisciplinary product designer, marketer, and philomath (lover of learning) with a knack for helping impact-oriented organizations make waves.

My professional experience spans green tech, AI, Web3, neuroscience, performance psychology, psychedelic policy, regenerative finance, web design, and media production.

Founder of Ka! Empathogenics

Cultivating Safe Spaces: Enhancing Human Potential in Regenerative Environments • 2024

Stephanie is the Founder and CEO of KA! Empathogenics. Stephanie’s mission is to elevate human consciousness by bringing more heart-centeredness to the world via greater awareness of our interconnection with each other and nature, so that we can come into our full aliveness and potential in this next phase of human evolution - one where we embody full integrity of the heart, mind, body and spirit.

KA! offers 100% plant-based empathogenic supplements featuring Kanna - a heart-opening succulent from South Africa that is clinically proven to reduce tension, lift mood and improve focus, helping people feel more alive, capable and connected as they navigate everyday stress.

Previously Stephanie was the President of The Alchemist's Kitchen and Director of Evolver Holdings Corp, a conscious lifestyle company. Prior to that she was a film producer of independent and documentary films who began her career in finance on Wall Street and in Hong Kong. She is the creator and host of How Things Connect podcast that shares insight and wisdom on healing, empowerment and regeneration.

Founder Studiodelic

Branding and the Psychedelic Landscape • 2024

As the Founder and Creative Director of Studiodelic, a branding and design studio for businesses dedicated to psychedelic medicine. With over a decade of experience, Carly helps businesses craft visually stunning solutions tailored to the unique needs of the industry. Studiodelic is “guiding psychedelic businesses towards visual enlightenment,” by ensuring that each design reflects psychedelics’ potential for meaningful change.

Founder Tricycle Day

Panel on cultural nuances shaping our creative and psychedelic landscapes • 2024

Henry Winslow is the founder of Tricycle Day, a free twice-a-week newsletter covering psychedelic research, policy, and business.

With a professional background in healthcare marketing and yoga, he’s currently focused on making psychedelic education fun.

Educator, Herbalist, Mother, Faciliator, and Founder mushWOMB

Psychedelics and Empathic Design–A Female Perspective • 2024

Mikaela de la Myco serves as a mother, an educator, a folk herbalist, a community organizer and entheogen facilitator.

She applies her gifts in ancestral healing ways by supporting cooperatives, caretaking survivors in her work with the Matriarchal Alliance for Accountability and Transparency (MA’AT), educating in polyamorous and extended family structures, administrating certification courses like ECO Sensual, the Herbal & Trauma-Informed Advocacy Certification, conducting and presenting citizen science research for Mothers of the Mushroom, and tending to people in need of full-spectrum herbal womb care.

She has collaborated as an educator and activist with many companies and organizations within the sacred earth medicine space and is well known as a maternal caretaker in the community.

Director of Policy & Advocacy at the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)

From Past to Present: What Psychedelic Care and Culture Reveal About Creativity and Design • 2024

Ismail Lourido Ali, JD (he/him or they/them) has been personally utilizing psychedelics and other substances in celebratory and spiritual contexts for over half his life, and has been actively participating in the drug policy reform movement for a decade. As the Director of Policy & Advocacy at the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), Ismail supports the design, building, and implementation of psychedelic policy reform across the country and world.

Ismail co-founded and co-chairs the Board of the Psychedelic Bar Association and is licensed to practice law in the state of California. Ismail advises, is formally affiliated with, or has served in leadership roles for numerous organizations in the drug policy ecosystem, including Students for Sensible Drug Policy, Chacruna Institute, the Ayahuasca Defense Fund, and Alchemy Community Therapy Center (formerly Sage Institute).

Founder & Executive Director at North Star Project and Strategy at MAPS

From Past to Present: What Psychedelic Care and Culture Reveal About Creativity and Design • 2024

Liana Sananda Gillooly is a leading voice for the alignment of purpose and impact in fields of change. Through fourteen years of engagement in drug policy reform & advocacy, including six years of leading fundraising & strategy for the Multidisciplinary Assoc. for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), the leading global organization in psychedelics, Liana helped transform the landscape of psychedelic medicine while holding a mirror of accountability up to the field.

Today, she supports companies and nonprofits working to reimagine what it means to heal, taking a holistic approach that includes not only the services offered yet how an entity choses to operate. She offers her services as a consultant and public speaker.

Founder of Supermush

Growing a Consumer Good Brand fit for a Psychedelic Future • 2024

Alli is the CEO & Co-Founder of SuperMush, an LA-based mental wellness lifestyle brand inspired by the 60s and 70s that creates superfood mushroom supplements, streetwear and media. Her mission is to bring the power of mushrooms to the masses alongside creating community and collaboration within the psychedelics industry.

She is also the host of Into The Multiverse, a psychedelics and mental health podcast. Alli is the Co-Founder of Microdosing Collectivegcollective.org/ - an educational nonprofit focused on legal advocacy for microdosing psychedelics.

Her work has been featured in Forbes, National Geographic, Summit Series, Well+Good, Rollingstone, Goop, and more.

Co-Founder Women On Psychedelics and Trauma-informed Plant Medicine Practitioner & Educator

Cultivating Safe Spaces: Enhancing Human Potential in Regenerative Environments • 2024

Originally from Brazil and based in Amsterdam, Jessika is a trauma-informed plant medicine facilitator, microdosing coach, educator, and Women On Psychedelics co-founder.

Jess' work is focused on the creation of spaces that amplify avenues for self-expression, self-acceptance, and self-awareness. Women on Psychedelics is an educational platform and event organizer committed to connection and community, fostering a culture of holistic healing and authentic self-expression for empowered female autonomy. Its mission is centred around ensuring access to psychedelic education, harm reduction, and safe spaces for women globally.  All of Jessika's work is informed by taking action in a way that serves the Earth and our human collective, in hopes of mobilizing inner healing towards outer action.

Founder and CEO Founder and CEO Purple City Retreats

Cultivating Safe Spaces: Enhancing Human Potential in Regenerative Environments • 2024

Michelle is dedicated to guiding others on their journeys of self-healing and transformation, helping them connect more deeply with themselves and the world around them. Before becoming a state-licensed Psilocybin Facilitator, Michelle enjoyed a successful international career in Human Resources and Information Technology, where she specialized in supporting change programs. Her passion for helping others navigate life transitions led her to explore deeper avenues of healing.

Her personal experiences with psilocybin were life-changing, sparking a profound shift in her perspective on self, others, and the world. These experiences inspired her to pivot from her corporate career and pursue psilocybin facilitation, a path that she finds both humbling and rewarding.

As a psilocybin facilitator, Michelle specializes in areas such as anxiety and depression management, grief and trauma processing, PTSD, creativity enhancement, heart opening, and mystical expansion. She is passionate about helping clients explore their own healing potential and find deeper connections in their lives.

A lifelong traveler, Michelle’s love of culture, adventure, and wellness has shaped her journey. After living abroad for 18 years, mostly in Amsterdam, she developed a passion for the transformative power of hot and cold therapy, becoming a devoted sauna and cold plunge enthusiast. Her corporate career brought her to Portland, Oregon, where she sought greater meaning in her work.

In 2023, Oregon’s launch of the country’s first legal psilocybin treatment program was the perfect timing for Michelle’s career shift. Now, through Purple City Retreats, she merges her love for travel, wellness, and plant medicine to create a luxurious yurt and wellness retreat experience, where clients can embark on their own healing journeys.

If you are curious about exploring options for yourself, a loved one, or team members, Michelle invites you to reach out and discover how psilocybin therapy and wellness retreats can support healing and growth.

CEO/Founder of SetSet

Psychedelics and Empathic Design–A Female Perspective • 2024

April Pride is a Seattle-based serial creative entrepreneur whose work has been featured in Forbes, Vice, and The Guardian. She’s developed brands and products for 20 years.

In 2015, April turned her visionary focus to cannabis with the launch of Van der Pop, a cannabis lifestyle brand acquired by the world’s largest cannabis company three years after launch. As the CEO/Founder of SetSet, April created the world’s first clinician-approved consumer platform for safe, accessible psychedelic integration.

Founder Outer / Former Nike

Psychedelics, Design & Regenerative Futures • 2025

Michael is a brand consultant and strategist with a commitment to crafting narratives that resonate. 

As the former Global Brand Marketing Innovation Concept Director of Nike, his recent tenure has been marked by spearheading brand strategies and positioning for key innovation products. Crafting emotional connections for cutting-edge innovations, making them felt by global audiences beyond technical jargon and feature lists.

His work, deeply rooted in consumer insight, has delivered compelling results that elevate the consumer experience and drive market distinction for the brands he partnered with.

He founded the brand agency Outer in 2025.

Executive Director Zendo Project

Risks & Harm Reduction for Creative Explorers • 2025

Chelsea Rose (she/her) graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles Honors College with a B.A. in psychology in 2007, and received her master’s degree in Integral Counseling Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies in 2012. She has a passion for harm reduction as a therapeutic and practical approach to drug use and abuse prevention.

Chelsea has worked with the Zendo Project, providing psychedelic peer support at events around the world, since 2013. Chelsea also manages the reagent drug testing kit program at DanceSafe, a public health organization focused on safety in the night life community. Additionally, she supervises the Crisis Response Team in Nevada County, supporting clients who come into the emergency room in psychiatric crisis. She lives in the Sierra foothills of California with her husband, three children, and their Basenji pup named Mochi.

Journalist

Closing Panel: Cultural Interplay • 2024

Mattha Busby is a journalist and author reporting on drug policy, culture and life. His work has appeared in The Guardian, Time, Vice, Men's Health and The London Times.

Founder The New Health Club

Cultivating Safe Spaces: Enhancing Human Potential in Regenerative Environments • 2024

My background includes years at Condé Nast, reporting for GQ, VOGUE, and VANITY FAIR. Having lived in Los Angeles for nine years, I covered Hollywood and Tech for GQ.

In 2020, I transitioned into the psychedelic industry, founding The New Health Club Podcast. This podcast, sponsored early on by Dr. Bronner's, allowed me to connect with top experts in the field and build a broad and robust network. Speaking at conferences like Horizons and Psychedelic Science, I am dedicated to advancing this dynamic and impactful industry. 

At The New Health Club, we are dedicated to helping businesses leverage the transformative potential of psychedelics for innovation and enhanced creativity. We help you to unlock insights and transform your business with the power of psychedelics. Currently, we are building a team for psychedelic treatments in LATAM and are working with family offices. 

Freelance Animator & Motion Designer and Communications Manager The Beckley Foundation

Harmonizing Psychedelics, Technology, and Nature: Innovating Our Connection to Earth • 2024

Sasha is an animator and illustrator interested in fostering understanding of altered states and the natural world. He draws on his academic background in literature and psychology to visually explore and reframe ideas, and does so for the Beckley Foundation in the UK, as well as various psychedelic and environmental charities.

He has spoken at conferences about psychedelics in media, the power of psychedelic metaphors, and most recently presented a hand-drawn animated short called Wider Than Our View. 

Founding Advisor at Beyond Consulting, Owner of Public Secret Records and Scientific Advisor & Researcher

Neuroplasticity & Innovation: Exploring Creative Problem-Solving in the Fourth Wave of Psychedelics • 2024

Stephanie Karzon Abrams, a neuropharmacologist with a Masters of Science in Clinical Pharmacology, is the founding advisor of Beyond Consulting. The firm provides science, research, operations, and strategy solutions to organizations and clinics in the natural product, plant medicine, and psychedelic sectors. A recognized leader in shaping the future of integrative and innovative healthcare, Stephanie Karzon Abrams champions the exploration of novel therapeutic approaches. Her interests extend beyond neurology, encompassing plant medicines, women's health, and the potential of music to enhance healing.

Stephanie is a dedicated advocate for public education and strives to redefine the landscape of health and wellness through open access education and public speaking. Her passions extend to community building, philanthropy, and music, with a particular focus on integrating her passions through unique gatherings and initiatives that foster connection. Stephanie is co-creator of Public Secret, amusic label, management agency, and artist collective; Mt. Mushmore, Higher Elevation, a social and educational dinner series; and The Last 6, a community organization that educates and funds research for the acute childhood illness, Kawasaki disease.

Stephanie’s career path transcends traditional boundaries, blending her deep scientific expertise with strategic thinking and a passion for exploring innovative healthcare solutions. Her foundation lies in rigorous research, followed by experience at Johnson and Johnson (Biosense Webster) where she honed her operational, strategic planning, and key opinion leader (KOL) engagement skills. Stephanie’s current work as a prescriber for MDMA and psilocybin therapy for the Canadian Special Access Program (SAP), and her role as a scientific advisor for the Microdosing Collective, exemplifies her commitment to advancing these emerging fields.

CEO Radix Motion, CTIO Red Light Holland

Harmonizing Psychedelics, Technology, and Nature: Innovating Our Connection to Earth • 2024

Sara is an entrepreneur utilizing knowledge from my background in movement and cognitive neuroscience research that focused on psychedelics, embodiment and immersive technology. She is trying to approach mental health in a wholistic sex-positive and ecological way. Sara believes that we have whole bodies that can create and think but mostly we swipe and type. We are interconnected with nature and yet freeze and dissociate in face of the growing climate disasters.

Sara is interested in figuring out how to empower people and give them holistic tools for healing and fostering deeper connections with their body, their community and the environment.

Strategist Moving Brands and Founder The Forest Bathing Club

The Art of Authentic Expression in Branding • 2024

Julia Oliansky is a strategist at Moving Brands with a decade of experience working across branding and innovation.

As the founder of The Forest Bathing Club — an organization with the mission to reconnect to Nature as a way to heal ourselves, our communities, and the planet — and author of The Healing Magic Of Forest Bathing (Ten Speed Press 2019), she is a leader at the forefront of the Earth-based healing movement.

Julia holds a BA in History from Dartmouth College and an MFA in Products of Design from The School of Visual Arts. She lives on an urban orchard in Ashland, Oregon with her husband, daughter and dog.

Founder Psychedelics Design

Branding and the Psychedelic Landscape • 2024 and Psychedelics, Design & Regenerative Futures • 2025

Alexandra Plesner is a Designer, Artist, Writer, Creative Advisor, and Founder of Psychedelics Design, a platform exploring how psychedelics can potentially contribute to better futures through design.

Currently, she is also a creative strategy advisor for Gwella and Mojo, as well as volunteering her design skills to brands such as Zendo Project, Women On Psychedelics and Hystelica.

Prior to that, she worked as a design researcher and strategist at renowned agencies such as Method Inc., Normally Ltd., Dazed Media, Tank Magazine, and Karla Otto PR. Throughout her professional journey, she has collaborated with clients like Nike, Spotify, Habitat, Manolo Blahnik, WWF X, H&M, Victoria and Albert Museum, Mercedes-Benz, and the University of the Arts London.

Plesner holds a Master of Arts in Applied Imagination from Central Saint Martins (University of the Arts London) and a Master of Science in Applied Psychology from London Metropolitan University. Her research focused on how psychedelics affect brain mechanisms in comparison to XR, in context with nature-relatedness–investigating a potential synergetic application.

Her writing has been featured in notable publications including Dazed & Confused Magazine, Psychedelic Spotlight, Women on Psychedelics, Psychedelics Today, Reality Sandwich and Proto Life.