SUPPORTED BY
Psychedelics Design
Online Conference
DEC 11, 2024 / ONLINE
The Psychedelics Design 2024 Events Series marked the first time the global creative and psychedelic communities came together in one dedicated space. Through talks, workshops, and experimental formats, the event explored how expanded states of consciousness can inform future-facing design, ethics, and cultural production.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
SPEAKERS
Jennifer Chesak
Mikaela de la Myco
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
Anne Philippi
Julia Mande
-
Julia Mande is a catalyzing facilitator who partners with founding teams to grow organizations for meaningful impact.
With a passion for regenerative systems, Julia has advanced movements in soil health, plant medicine, and conscious leadership through stakeholder engagement and organizational design. As a Co-Founder of Common Field, a nonprofit establishing Indigenous-informed frameworks for access and benefit sharing under the Nagoya Protocol, Julia stewards interconnection between traditional and modern practices through a practice of bridge-building.
Julia focuses on process, dimensional health, relationships, and sustainable growth. Her direct impact includes designing and implementing Los Angeles's compost collection infrastructure and educational programs through L.A. Compost, co-creating a digital broadcast advocating for food sovereignty with A Growing Culture, and as the former Managing Director of the North Star Project, developed a principles-based community of practice for ethical business.
Recognized as a Zagat 30 Under 30 awardee for "redefining the industry," Julia has contributed to creating more equitable and nourishing systems for wellbeing. Her approach to leadership and sustainability is informed by her upbringing in Zimbabwe and her academic background, including a degree in Organizational Sciences from George Washington University and certifications in Regenerative Organizational Design, Systems Constellations, and Environmental Sustainability. Julia envisions systems of mutual regeneration for both people and the planet.
Jessika Lagarde
Shashkes (Sarit) Hashkes
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
Michelle Harrell
Alexandra Plesner
Floris Wolswijk
-
Alexandra bridges psychedelics, design, creativity and future-thinking, envisioning psychedelics as a catalyst for positive change and design as the tool to shape this transformation.She holds an MA in Applied Imagination from Central Saint Martins and an MSc in Applied Psychology from London Met.
With a decade of strategic design experience, Alexandra held key roles at agencies such as Normally Ltd, Method Inc., and Dazed Media, working globally and receiving recognition via publications and awards. Most recently she grew the educational platform Psilocybin San Francisco as its co-founder from idea to an established brand.
Through her editorial contributions and the Psychedelics Design newsletter, Alexandra shares her research insights, aiming to foster a community of creative minds in psychedelics.
-
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.
-
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.
Ismail Lourido Ali, JD
-
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).
LinkedIn
MAPS
Psychedelic Bar Association
Dr Bruce Damer
-
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.
Dr Manesh Girn
-
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.
Tiffany Hurd
Stephanie Wang
Raad Seraj
Stephanie Karzon Abrams, MSc Clin. Pharm.
Sam Gandy, PhD
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
LinkedIn
Decriminalize Nature (DN)
Entheogenic Research, Integration, and Education (ERIE)
April Pride
-
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.
Larry Norris, PhD
-
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.
-
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.
Dr Joyce Braverman
Liana Sananda Gillooly
-
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.
Janine Nicole Dennis
-
Janine is the Owner and Chief Innovations Officer of Talent Think Innovations, LLC, a multidisciplinary business strategy and management consulting firm. With nineteen years of experience in HR, Talent Acquisition, and Talent Management, she has worked across various sectors including pharmaceuticals, education, technology, and healthcare.
In 2013, she founded Talent Think Innovations to create practical solutions that foster innovation and support human evolution. Janine is a dynamic speaker and entrepreneur, known for her insights into Organizational Design, Futurism, and Technology. She actively contributes to discussions on mental health and wellness, and has been featured in prominent publications like HBR, USA Today, and Entrepreneur.
Janine has received recognition as one of the Top 100 Most Social Human Resources Experts on Twitter and was part of the IBM + Purematter VIP Futurist Project.
She is also the author of “The Absurdity of Doing You: Rebel Elegance for the Evolving Soul,” demonstrating her commitment to innovation and human transformation as essential business imperatives.
Sasha Frost
AGENDA
Each presentation has a duration of 45 minutes. While we will not be addressing questions during the keynote presentations, we invite you to participate in the Q&A sessions during the concluding panel.
The time zone for the event is PST.
-
With FLORIS WOLSWIJK, Founder Blosoom & Co-founder FLO Coaching and ALEXANDRA PLESNER, Founder Psychedelics Design
-
Speakers:
Jennifer Chesak | Author and Journalist
Tiffany Hurd | Microdosing Consultant and Business Leadership Advisor
Mikaela De La Myko | Educator, Herbalist, Mother and Faciliator
April Pride | CEO/Founder of SetSet
-
Speakers:
Dr Joyce Braverman | Medical Doctor
Jessika Lagarde | Co-Founder Women On Psychedelics
Stephanie Wang | Founder Ka!
Anne Phillipi | Founder New Health Club
-
Speakers:
Dr ManeshGirn | Postdoctoral Neuroscientist, University of California
Stephanie Karzon Abrams, MSc Clin. Pharm. | Founding Advisor at Beyond The Bench
Dr BruceDamer | Co-founder and President of MINDS Chief Scientist, BIOTA Institute Associate Researcher, UC Santa Cruz Department of Biomolecular Engineering
-
Speakers:
Ismail Lourido Ali, JD | MAPS
Liana Sananda Gillooly
-
Speakers:
Sam Gandy, PhD
Sasha Frost
Sarah Hashkes
-
Speakers:
Raad Seraj | Angel Investor in Therapeutic Psychedelics, Host of the Minority Trip Report Podcast and Founder of the Mission Club
Larry Norris, PhD | Co-Founder of Entheogenic Research, Integration and Education / Co-Founder Decriminalize Nature
Julia Mande | Co-Founder Common Fields
-
We started a new tradition with our last conference which means that also this time, most of our keynote speakers of the day (plus guests) will be on a closing panel that promises a holistic exploration of the cultural interplay between design and psychedelics.
This session aims to inspire, provoke thought, and foster a deeper understanding of the cultural nuances shaping our creative and psychedelic landscapes.
Speakers and Moderator tbc
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS
EVENT AND SPEAKERS PARTNERS
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
MEDIA PARTNERS
Check out past conferences
-
Awards 2025
-
Conference December 2024
-
Conference July 2024
-
Conference April 2024
