For this next episode, we speak to Sam Believ, Founder of La Wayra, one of the highest-rated ayahuasca retreats in South America, and Ian McCall, a retired MMA World Champion, performance coach, and founder of Athletes Journey Home – a nonprofit that helps athletes and high performers heal from trauma and injury. They worked together to create an ayahuasca retreat for fighters and athletes, using…
“Trees have all of this medicine…fruits, the bark is medicine, the leaves. All of that is waiting; it’s potent, it’s dormant.” Jason Grechanik has spent more than 25 years immersed in the study and practice of plants as medicine. As a tabaquero, he guides plant medicine dietas in Peru and internationally, weaving Amazonian tobacco traditions with Celtic tree wisdom. He facilitated for many years…
In this episode, Dr. Tafur and Natasha spoke to Tatiana Aya Tupinambá and Charles Johnston. Tatiana is a Brazilian born Indigenous woman and traditionally trained spiritual healer, who has been an ayahuasca curandera for over 10 years. Charles has guided thousands through psychedelic experiences and is an author, producer and educator in the fields of addiction and psychedelics. Together, drawing…
Why are wild peyote populations shrinking, and what can be done about it? In this episode, we explore the sacred medicine of peyote and efforts to conserve it with Leonardo Mercado. We discuss restrictive U.S. laws, unregulated harvesting, ongoing debates, conservation work led by some Native communities, wild vs. greenhouse cultivation and more. For 40 years, Leo has been dedicated to preserving…
Today’s mini episode welcomes back Xochi Bucuru - Colombian traditional healer, educator, and community activist. Xochi shares details about her upcoming course, Spiritual Medicine for Integrative Health – part of Modern Spirit’s wider offerings and learning resources. The 5-week live online course will run from Feb 24th to March 24th 2026. More details HERE . Limited scholarships available. If…
For this episode, Dr. Joe Tafur and Natasha Pentin spoke with Tania de Jong AM, an award-winning social entrepreneur, acclaimed soprano, inspirational speaker and storyteller, creative alchemist, philanthropist and spiritual journey woman. Many of our listeners wanted to learn more about the power of music for healing and the neuroscience of singing together, so in this episode we explore all of…
Dr. Joe Tafur and Natasha Pentin spoke with Edward James, Ph.D., and Joachim Keppler, Ph.D. Edward brings expertise across pharmacology, psychedelic compounds, and biochemistry. Joachim is a quantum field theory physicist, devoted to the study of consciousness and uncovering its fundamental mechanisms. With their colleagues, they published a paper together in 2022 about DMT, ayahuasca plant…
Dr. Joe Tafur and Natasha Pentin sat down with Roman Palitsky M.Div. PhD., Director of Research Projects for Emory Spiritual Health. He’s also Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science and faculty in the Emory Center for Psychedelics and Spirituality. We discuss Spiritual, Existential, Religious, and Theological (SERT) experiences around psychedelics, how some…
Dr. Joe Tafur and Natasha Pentin spoke with Canadian adult and pediatric neurologist Dr. Evan Cole Lewis to explore how epilepsy, trauma, and brain networks intertwine. We discuss pediatric epilepsy, cannabis for seizures, Functional Neurological Disorders (FND), and emerging psychedelic-assisted therapy treatments. Dr. Lewis talks about the differences between structural brain injury and brain…
Natasha Pentin is joined by Dr. Joe Tafur himself and Xochi Bucuru. Dr. Tafur is a Colombo-American integrative physician, traditionally trained spiritual healer (Ayahuasquero), and highly acclaimed author. Xochi is a Colombian traditional healer (Yagecera), educator, and promoter of Indigenous community projects. They discuss supporting Indigenous traditions, navigating the learning curve of…
