Awakening of Consciousness 2022 Speakers
Juanita Romano
Juanita Romano, also referred to by her Indigenous name Vanâheo'o (Sage Woman) Is a Cheyenne Medicine Woman of over 20 years experience in the Healing Arts and founder of Healing Gardens Native American Church located in Los Angeles California In working with Grandmother Ayahuasca, she traveled to the Shipibo Tribe in South America were she emersed herself in the studies of the Icaros, plant diet protocols and other core elements of traditional led ceremonies under the guidance of the Shamanic Maestro of Inka Kena. Juanita serves the vision of The Rainbow Tribe Prophecy, that healing belongs to us all, and that in harmony and unity we find our strength.
Zappy Zapolin
Mikki Norris
Long-time activist in the cannabis and drug policy reform movements, Mikki Norris has worked on marijuana and hemp issues, initiative campaigns and projects with her husband, Chris Conrad, in the US and internationally. Their photo exhibit, Human Rights and the Drug War, and book, Shattered Lives: Portraits from America’s Drug War, put a human face on drug prisoners and their families, exposing the costs and failures of US drug policy. Equal rights and ending discrimination are goals of her Cannabis Consumers Campaign. She attributes much of her social justice activism to her Jewish upbringing and cannabis as her spirit guide.
Tim King
Tim started his healing journey in 1997 with classes at the Berkeley Psychic Institute. While there he was a: staff member, teacher, licensed minister and director. He later trained in: Violence Prevention in the SF Sheriff’s office, Adult Survivors of Childhood Abuse support group facilitation, 12 step, tapping and Breathwork. Since 2009, he's trained in: Neuro Linguistic Programming, Family Constellation Work, Trauma Release Exercise, and Hypnotherapy. In 25 years, working with thousands of people, he's learned how to help people change their minds & lives.
Acacea Sherman
Acacea Lewis is the Founder of Divine Master Alchemy LLC, and Divine Master University, a school for Entheogenic Cultural Literacy and Applied Naturopathic Medicine Research. Acacea is an independent researcher and lifetime student of the psilocybin mushroom. She shares her first-hand experiences and provides undergraduate-level research papers, books, and some medical research to help bridge and integrate the fields of medical science, spiritual systems, and cultural anthropology.
Hanifa Nayo Washington
Hanifa is the Co-founder and Chief of Strategy at Fireside Project a nonprofit that is creating systemic change in the field of psychedelics in three key domains: safety, diversity, and equitable access. Through their Psychedelic Peer Support Line, Fireside Project has substantially decreased hospitalizations while democratizing access to free high-quality care. Hanifa, serves as an advisor for the American Psychedelic Practitioners Association, Alma Institute, Reconsider, and East Forest’s latest project Journey Space.
Tim Caspian
Tim Caspian is a grassroots organizer who focuses on psychedelic integration. Tim is the principal organizer for the Santa Barbara Psychedelic Society, with over 350 active members. He supports the Santa Barbara community by providing information to facilitate safe and meaningful personal growth. By connecting practitioners with legal resources and practices, Tim focuses on providing a holistic viewpoint. Emphasis is placed on leveraging non-medicine practices to support the integration of entheogenic experiences.
Sandra Dreisbach
Sandra is an Ethicist and Psychedelic Ethics specialist with a MA, Phd in Philosophy exploring Ethical Decision Making and Moral Psychology. She is an Ethics Advisor active in Psychedelic Integration, Therapy, Education and Advocacy as well as a Psychedelic facilitator. Sandra also teaches Bioethics at University of California, Santa Cruz for the Biomolecular Engineering and Philosophy Departments and is a Reiki Master in two lineages. Sandra focuses on uplifting the values of the Psychedelic Community.
Aaron Orsini
Aaron Paul Orsini is an autistic author, psychedelic researcher, and community organizer of neurodivergent adults. In addition to authoring two books on his area of expertise, Autism On Acid (2019) and Autistic Psychedelic (2021). Aaron is the founder and active peer support director of AutisticPsychedelic.com, an online community that offers resource libraries, integration meetings, and learning opportunities for autistic adults and the therapists, guides, and family members who seek to support them through psychedelic-informed care.
Laela Leonard
Laela Leonard offers “Soul Coaching” to individuals who wish to live free of the patterns within that block their fullest potential. Her offerings blend entheogenic medicine with deep vertical coaching to dissolve blocks across all different facets of being human. Laela brings her experience of 5 years in psychedelic guidance; 7 years as a trauma practitioner including out-patient chronic pain and PTSD clinics; and 10 years living in Buddhist monasteries and mindfulness meditation centers. She has trained as Somatic Experiencing Trauma Practitioner, New Ventures West Executive Coach, EntheoNation Psychedelic Integration Coach, and UCLA & UCSD Mindfulness Teacher.
Joy Kong, MD
Joy Kong is a UCLA-trained, triple board-certified physician (American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology, American Board of Addiction Medicine, American Board of Anti-Aging & Regenerative Medicine). She is the president of Uplyft Longevity Center in Los Angeles, California, where she specializes in stem cell therapy and ketamine therapy. Dr. Kong was recognized for her contribution to the field of regenerative medicine and awarded the "Top Doctor of the Year in Stem Cell Therapy” in 2021.
Eric Goepel
Eric Goepel is the founder of Veterans Cannabis Coalition and director of veteran’s affairs for the Los Angeles chapter of NORML. He is an Army veteran of the Iraq War, an advocate, and organizer who has dedicated his time to ending cannabis prohibition and removing barriers to people understanding and accessing the plant. Eric continues to push for national reform while trying to demonstrate, at the grassroots level, the power that cannabis has to improve both individual quality of life and overall public health.
Ian Bollinger
As co-Founder, Director of R&D, and Entheogen Researcher at Hyphae Labs, Ian has centered his work around bringing the importance of drug testing, citizen science, and community benefit to the forefront. Ian’s work, as a researcher, provides the psychedelic community with the much needed science through his work supporting the science behind the Psilocybin Cup and in developing the Hyphae Spectrum(TM).
Kaia Roman
Kaia is a bestselling author, service-driven entrepreneur, and accomplished film producer. Her book The Joy Plan, a practical guide to the neuroscience of joy, was featured on the TODAY Show. Inspired by her personal healing experiences with psychedelic medicine, Kaia is dedicated to bringing the profound healing capabilities of psychedelics to as many people as possible. She is the VP of Strategy and Communications at Psycheceutical and the Chief Experience Officer at KetaMD.
Greg Lake
George “Greg” Lake is a trial and appellate attorney, entheogenic church consultant, researcher, author, and CEO of EntheoConnect. Greg is the author of three books, “Psychedelics in Mental Health Series: Psilocybin” “The Law of Entheogenic Churches in the United States” and “The Law of Entheogenic Churches (Vol. II): The definition of religion under the First Amendment.” To date, Greg has assisted over 40 entheogen-based religious organizations enshrine their free exercise protections under federal and state laws.
Douglas K. Gordon
Douglas has significant experience in the world of natural plant-based medicine. In 2016, he founded CanEx Jamaica - the premier Cannabis Business Conference & Expo that takes place in the Caribbean. The conference celebrated 4 years in 2019 with 2500 attendees from 37 countries and over 100 speakers, including keynotes from some of the top industry leaders across the globe. In the six years in which he has been a part of this burgeoning industry, he has spoken at many events around the world, including Toronto, Washington DC, Mexico City, Dublin, London, Port of Spain and Bogota.
Ethereal Hope
Ethereal Hope is a spiritual guide with 30+ years of experience exploring various psychedelic medicines, specifically 5MeO-DMT. As a Psychedelic Integration Specialist, she assists clients with practitioner selection, pre- / post-psychedelic or spiritual experience counseling, education, integration, reactivations and spiritual crisis. Hope was the Dir. of Crossroads Ibogaine Center, Mexico, serving 5-MeO-DMT, and on-site integration. As the “Integration Program Director” at the first World Bufo Alvarius Congress (WBAC 2018), she spoke on “5-MeO & Trauma”, hosted Integration Circles and workshops. She was recently featured on a panels by LAMPS: "Death & Psychedelics"; by Tam Integration: "Spiritual Emergencies", and Forbes.com on 5-MeO safety.
Austin Harris, MD
Before beginning his private practice, Dr. Austin Harris was finding that ketamine, a rarely used anesthetic tool, could have profoundly positive outcomes when utilized with specific patients. This sparked his in-depth research of ketamine’s remarkable potential in treating patients suffering from mental health, chronic pain, and addiction struggles. After perfecting these techniques Dr. Harris formed NeuroReliefTM Ketamine & Infusion Therapy.
Dr. Lynn Bornfriend
Dr. Bornfriend is Board Certified in Adult, Child and Adolescent, and Forensic Psychiatry. She has also spent ~9 ½ years as the sole psychiatric provider at a cancer hospital, and is an expert in psycho-oncology, and an expert and thought leader in the medical cannabis space, educating patients, caregivers, physicians and other medical professionals, and the community in general on how cannabis treats disease, alleviates symptoms and assists with “de-prescribing” from pharmaceuticals. She continues to research plant medicine and integrative therapeutic modalities, and has completed Psychedelic Facilitator Training. She provides Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy and continuing course work in Psilocybin and MDMA assisted psychotherapy.
Tracy Covington PhD, AAPM
All Psychedelic Health
Dr. Covington is a clinical psychologist and diplomate in pain management. Early on, as an assistant professor at LLUMC Department of Anesthesiology, she treated individuals with catastrophic pain/illness. Later, while specializing in trauma and behavioral medicine, she began her private practice, national/international speaking and a podcast devoted to evolving consciousness (Living-Consciousness). She has co-authored two books: Sexual Abuse within the Church and a Psychedelic Coloring Book. In 2019, Tracy experienced a ‘shearing’ in her life that birthed her role as a psychedelic psychotherapist and manifested her integrative clinic, ‘All PSYCHedelic Health.’
Paul Karasik
Paul Karasik brings decades of experience in the world of psychedelics. Paul was a member of the early psychedelic community in New York and California, which included such luminaries as Timothy Leary and Ram Dass. Paul co-founded Thompson's Ranch, one of the first alternative communities in Joshua Tree, CA. Paul is currently working on his tenth book, "Leading the Psychedelic Revolution." Paul and The Psychedelic Institute are dedicated to making information and safe access available to anyone and everyone who is seeking to awaken their consciousness.
Dr. Maya Shetreat
Maya Shetreat, MD is a neurologist, herbalist, urban farmer, and author of The Dirt Cure which has been translated into 10 languages. She has been featured in the New York Times, The Telegraph, NPR, Sky News, The Dr. Oz Show and more. Dr. Maya is the founder of the Terrain Institute, where she teaches earth-based programs for transformational healing, including professional training programs for psychedelic-assisted approaches. She works and studies with indigenous communities and healers from around the world, and is a lifelong student of ethnobotany, plant healing, and the sacred.
Chris Conrad
Smoking ganja unlocked a transformative spiritual connection and community for Chris Conrad, former seminarian and world-renowned cannabis author, scholar, expert witness and activist. He has researched, curated museums, studied ancient and contemporary sacramental cannabis practices and in 1995 founded Cantheism for non-sectarian sharing of cannabis with sacred intent. Chris and his wife, Mikki Norris, helped launch the global cannabis and hemp industries and legalize medical and adult use of cannabis. They now facilitate private and public Cannamaste ceremonies to help cannabis consumers balance the environmental, medical commercial and psychotropic / spiritual qualities of this potent entheogenic flower.
Frank Chavez
My name is Frank Chavez and I’m currently an undergraduate at the University of California, Santa Barbara majoring in Psychological and Brain Sciences. My fascination with psychedelics started with my experiences with cannabis alongside my growing knowledge of the illogical and uninformed drug laws in the US. From here, I began to go down the bottomless rabbit hole of the benefits and uses of various types of psychedelics. I am now at the point where my goal is to gather scientific evidence of psychedelic therapy being used as a treatment for people suffering with a substance use disorder.
Dave Hodges
Dave Hodges is the Founder of the Church of Ambrosia and Pastor for Zide Door, the Church of Entheogenic Plants in Oakland. He is known for starting the first medical cannabis club in San Jose and his work with High Dose Mushrooms exploring the origins of religion. Dave has spent the past 15 years fighting legal cases to protect sacred plants he believes in. He is currently preparing for his next major legal fight, against the Oakland Police Department for the illegal raid on his Church. Dave now does between 15-25 grams on a regular basis to understand religion and the true nature of reality.
James Keim
A trauma and psychedelic therapist, James Keim is co-author of the book, The Violence of Men, and a contributor of chapters to over ten edited clinical texts. He served as Director of Training at the Family Therapy Institute of Washington, DC and as a trainer and Project Director at MRI, the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto, California. James also served as a Fulbright Specialist in Southeast Asia. James is cofounder of Both& Discovery, a drug discovery company focused on applications of psychedelics to treat diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
Sky Karasik
Sky Karasik is a passionate member of the psychedelic community. As a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, with a BA in Communications and minor in Gender/Sexuality/Women’s studies, she is drawn to issues that involve helping people through embracing individual experiences. Her own personal experiences have led her to understand that psychedelics have the potential to address many of the negative social and spiritual aspects of life that plague our culture today. Having worked in media in the cannabis industry, Sky brings an understanding of the complexities of distribution and access.
Shaun Ryan
Intuitive medicine man, Wholistic Wellness & Life Coach, father, grounded empath, meditator, Certified Nutrition Coach & Personal Trainer, energy worker and an adept in Shamanic Ceremony, Integration, Grounding, & Ritual. Along his journey, he has spent over a decade exploring a vast array of modalities for healing and letting go of what doesn’t serve him, creating the life he wants to live as well as sharing these transformational tools with others. Working with sacred plant medicines in the traditional way has been his practice, exploring self-development with an open mind and heart. This openness is what he brings forward in devotional service.
Olivia Clear
Olivia Clear, MS (she/they) is a curious and creative psychotherapist in private practice who lives in Oakland, California/Ohlone Territory + Grass Valley, California/ Nisenan Territory. She has studied as a counselor, artist, art therapist, and energy worker. Olivia answers a call to help others uncover what’s alive within them through non-ordinary states of consciousness like Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy, inner exploration, art-making, and other types of deep connection. She supports her clients in connecting with their inner healers and focusing on their creative selves. She encourages work with internal guidance to lead to more presence in one’s consciousnesses.
Matthew Dunehoo
Matthew is a filmmaker, podcaster and musician, serving as the Director of Video Production at Psychedelic Spotlight, the number one trusted source for news, culture, and information on the emerging sector of medicinal psychedelics. His mission in this capacity is to create dynamic and compelling video content to share some of the many amazing voices in psychedelia, creating a wide and tightly connected information network of companies, individuals, and organizations.
Adam Grossman
Adam D. Grossman is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Papa & Barkley, the leading California consumer products company selling cannabis-based pain and wellness products - including topicals such as pain balms and transdermal patches, and consumables including edibles, tinctures and capsules. Papa & Barkley is the top selling company in the topicals and tinctures submarkets in the regulated California cannabis market. He received his undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Massachusetts and his JD and MBA degrees from Georgetown University. He is active in charitable organizations and community development projects in Dallas, New York City and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Cam Steen – Musician/Producer
At the age of 8, when Cameron Steen started playing guitar, he realized music was his passion. Through classical and jazz guitar private lessons, learning all genres of music, he has honed his talents to create works of art. He is self-taught on bass and percussion, which led him to play different instruments in several bands around Los Angeles. He composes, plays and produces his own music, as well as music for others. During the pandemic, Cameron taught himself to play handpan and is now considered a master handpan player, he also DJ’s at music festivals and clubs around the state. In his spare time, he stays busy giving private lessons in guitar, drums, handpan and, producing his new music.
Adriana Molello – Violinist
After picking up the violin at the age of five, Adriana has become one of the most sought-after violinists on the music scene. This year she performed with Beyoncé for her iconic performance of "Be Alive" at the Oscars. Other performance highlights include playing with Miley Cyrus at the VMA's, Saturday Night Live with Pharrell and touring China with the Hollywood Orchestra. Adriana's music layers the violin to create soundscapes, creating a sacred space where one can explore and relax. Adriana uses a wide range of deep tones and melodies to transport the listeners and guide them on their journeys.