Ep. 183 - Thoryn Stephens - Plant Medicines, Consciousness, AI, Biology & Machines

Hey everybody! Episode 185 of the show is out. In this episode, I spoke with Dr. Aaron Hartman MD. Dr. Hartman has a really grounded and holistic approach to health and I really enjoyed our conversation. We spoke about his background, medical school, his his interest in functional medicine, the journey that he embarked on helping to heal his daughter, diagnosis, chronic disease, environmental toxins, diet, the role of spirit in health, and a lot of other topics. I trust you will gain a lot from Dr. Hartman’s experience and wisdom. As always, to support this podcast, get early access to shows, bonus material, and Q&As, check out my Patreon page below. Enjoy!This episode is sponsored by Real Mushrooms (https://realmushrooms.com) As listeners, enjoy a discount of 25% off your first order at checkout using the Discount code: UNIVERSETo learn more about or contact Dr. Hartman, visit his website at: https://aaronhartmanmd.comTo learn more about our work, visit our website: https://NicotianaRustica.org To view the recent documentary, Sacred Tobacco, about my work, visit: https://youtu.be/KB0JEQALI_wI will be guiding our next plant medicine dietas with my colleague Merav Artzi (who I interviewed in episode 28) in:February 2026: Sacred Valley of PeruJune 2026: Remote Online DietaJuly 2026: Westport, IrelandNovember 2026: Sacred Valley of PeruIf you would like more information about joining us and the work I do or about future retreats, visit my site at: https://NicotianaRustica.orgIntegration/Consultation call: https://jasongrechanik.setmore.comPatreon: https://patreon.com/UniverseWithinYouTube join & perks: https://bit.ly/YTPerksPayPal donation: https://paypal.me/jasongrechanikWebsite: https://jasongrechanik.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/JasonGrechanikFacebook: https://facebook.com/UniverseWithinPodcastMusic: Nuno Moreno: https://m.soundcloud.com/groove_a_zen_sound & Stefan Kasapovski’s Santero Project: https://spoti.fi/3y5Rd4H

Hey everybody! Episode 184 of the show is out. This episode is a podcast I was interviewed on called Beyond the Courage hosted by Robert Canis. Robert has a really good podcast about holistic healing and I was happy to join him. We spoke about a lot of different aspects of my path and he also really focused on iboga which is not something I speak much about. It was a good interview and Robert did a great job of picking my mind and going into some subjects I don’t always speak about. Consider supporting his work if you can. As always, to support this podcast, get early access to shows, bonus material, and Q&As, check out my Patreon page below. Enjoy!To learn more about or contact Jason, visit his website at: https://NicotianaRustica.orgTo learn more about or contact Robert, visit his website at: https://www.beyondthecourage.comTo view the recent documentary, Sacred Tobacco, about my work, visit: https://youtu.be/KB0JEQALI_wI will be guiding our next plant medicine dietas with my colleague Merav Artzi (who I interviewed in episode 28) in:January 2026: our second Remote DietaFebruary 2026: Sacred Valley of PeruJuly 2026: Westport, IrelandNovember 2026: Sacred Valley of PeruIf you would like more information about joining us and the work I do or about future retreats, visit my site at: https://NicotianaRustica.orgIntegration/Consultation call: https://jasongrechanik.setmore.comPatreon: https://patreon.com/UniverseWithinYouTube join & perks: https://bit.ly/YTPerksPayPal donation: https://paypal.me/jasongrechanikWebsite: https://jasongrechanik.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/JasonGrechanikFacebook: https://facebook.com/UniverseWithinPodcastMusic: Nuno Moreno: https://m.soundcloud.com/groove_a_zen_sound & Stefan Kasapovski’s Santero Project: https://spoti.fi/3y5Rd4H

Hey everybody! Episode 183 of the show is out. In this episode, I spoke with Thoryn Stephens. Thoryn is the CEO and founder of Brain.One which is doing really interesting work in human optimization. We sat down and spoke about his life, how, as a young man, he came across huachuma in Ecuador and how that had a transformative impact on him, various other plant medicines, consciousness, BCI and AI, his work as a molecular biologist, and the future of technology. It was a really interesting conversation, and I think Thoryn has a lot of wisdom and insights to share. As always, to support this podcast, get early access to shows, bonus material, and Q&As, check out my Patreon page below. Enjoy!This episode is sponsored by Real Mushrooms. As listeners, visit their website to enjoy a discount of 25% off your first order: https://www.realmushrooms.com/universeTo learn more about or contact Thoryn, visit his website at: https://brain.oneTo learn more about our work, visit our website: https://NicotianaRustica.org To view the recent documentary, Sacred Tobacco, about my work, visit: https://youtu.be/KB0JEQALI_wI will be guiding our next plant medicine dietas with my colleague Merav Artzi (who I interviewed in episode 28) in:February 2026: Sacred Valley of PeruJuly 2026: Westport, IrelandNovember 2026: Sacred Valley of PeruIf you would like more information about joining us and the work I do or about future retreats, visit my site at: https://NicotianaRustica.orgIntegration/Consultation call: https://jasongrechanik.setmore.comPatreon: https://patreon.com/UniverseWithinYouTube join & perks: https://bit.ly/YTPerksPayPal donation: https://paypal.me/jasongrechanikWebsite: https://jasongrechanik.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/JasonGrechanikFacebook: https://facebook.com/UniverseWithinPodcastMusic: Nuno Moreno: https://m.soundcloud.com/groove_a_zen_sound & Stefan Kasapovski’s Santero Project: https://spoti.fi/3y5Rd4H

Hey everybody! Episode 182 of the show is out. In this episode, I spoke with Dr Darren Schmidt DC. Dr Schmidt was recommended to me, and I really enjoyed some of his content on YouTube. We sat down and spoke about a variety of topics, including agriculture, nutrition, health, subsidies, detoxification, parasites, RFK, medicine, and a lot else. I think Dr Schmidt is doing great work at sharing more holistic medicine and think and trust you all will gain much from his experience and teachings. As always, to support this podcast, get early access to shows, bonus material, and Q&As, check out my Patreon page below. Enjoy!To learn more about or contact Dr Schmidt, visit his website at: https://thenutritionalhealingcenter.comTo learn more about our work, visit our website: https://NicotianaRustica.org To view the recent documentary, Sacred Tobacco, about my work, visit: https://youtu.be/KB0JEQALI_wI will be guiding our next plant medicine dietas with my colleague Merav Artzi (who I interviewed in episode 28) in:February 2026: Sacred Valley of PeruJune 2026: Remote Online DietaJuly 2026: Westport, IrelandNovember 2026: Sacred Valley of PeruIf you would like more information about joining us and the work I do or about future retreats, visit my site at: https://NicotianaRustica.orgIntegration/Consultation call: https://jasongrechanik.setmore.comPatreon: https://patreon.com/UniverseWithinYouTube join & perks: https://bit.ly/YTPerksPayPal donation: https://paypal.me/jasongrechanikWebsite: https://jasongrechanik.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/JasonGrechanikFacebook: https://facebook.com/UniverseWithinPodcastMusic: Nuno Moreno: https://m.soundcloud.com/groove_a_zen_sound & Stefan Kasapovski’s Santero Project: https://spoti.fi/3y5Rd4H

Hey everybody! Episode 181 of the show is out. In this episode, I spoke with Simon Borg-Olivier. Simon was recommended to me by a listener of the podcast and I was very happy to connect with him. We spoke about his varied life and journey and really focused on his lifelong practice of yoga. Simon has a very nuanced and rooted view of this practice and much more than just sitting on a mat. We spoke about its history, his journey with Pattabhi Jois, Iyengar, and Desikachar, his time in India and China, Qigong, and many other things well. Simon is a great sharer of wisdom and I really enjoyed this conversation and think you will gain much it. Even if you’re not a “yoga” practitioner, Simon has so much wisdom to share. As always, to support this podcast, get early access to shows, bonus material, and Q&As, check out my Patreon page below. Enjoy!This episode is sponsored by Real Mushrooms. As listeners, visit their website to enjoy a discount of 25% off your first order: https://www.realmushrooms.com/universeTo learn more about or contact Simon, visit his website at: https://simonborgolivier.comTo learn more about our work, visit our website: https://NicotianaRustica.orgTo view the recent documentary, Sacred Tobacco, about my work, visit: https://youtu.be/KB0JEQALI_wI will be guiding our next plant medicine dietas with my colleague Merav Artzi (who I interviewed in episode 28) in:February 2026: Sacred Valley of PeruJune 2026: Remote Online DietaJuly 2026: Westport, IrelandNovember 2026: Sacred Valley of PeruIf you would like more information about joining us and the work I do or about future retreats, visit my site at: https://NicotianaRustica.orgIntegration/Consultation call: https://jasongrechanik.setmore.comPatreon: https://patreon.com/UniverseWithinYouTube join & perks: https://bit.ly/YTPerksPayPal donation: https://paypal.me/jasongrechanikWebsite: https://jasongrechanik.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/JasonGrechanikFacebook: https://facebook.com/UniverseWithinPodcastMusic: Nuno Moreno: https://m.soundcloud.com/groove_a_zen_sound & Stefan Kasapovski’s Santero Project: https://spoti.fi/3y5Rd4HPhotography: Alessandro Sigismondi (featuring Simon Borg-Olivier).

Hey everybody! Episode 180 of the show is out. This episode is a podcast I was interviewed on called Beyond the Pills hosted by Josh Rimany. I was really happy with the interview. It was fairly concise and covered a lot of aspects of my work, predominantly with tobacco and tree medicines. We also spoke about ayahuasca, dieta, and some of Josh’s insights as well. I hope you all gain from this episode. Consider checking out and supporting Josh’s work as well. As always, to support this podcast, get early access to shows, bonus material, and Q&As, check out my Patreon page below. Enjoy!To learn more about or contact Jason, visit his website at: https://NicotianaRustica.orgTo view Josh’s podcast on YouTube, visit: https://www.youtube.com/@BeyondThePillsTo view the recent documentary, Sacred Tobacco, about my work, visit: https://youtu.be/KB0JEQALI_wI will be guiding our next plant medicine dietas with my colleague Merav Artzi (who I interviewed in episode 28) in:February 2026: Sacred Valley of PeruJune 2026: Remote Online Dieta July 2026: Westport, IrelandNovember 2026: Sacred Valley of PeruIf you would like more information about joining us and the work I do or about future retreats, visit my site at: https://NicotianaRustica.org Integration/Consultation call: https://jasongrechanik.setmore.comPatreon: https://patreon.com/UniverseWithinYouTube join & perks: https://bit.ly/YTPerksPayPal donation: https://paypal.me/jasongrechanikWebsite: https://jasongrechanik.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/JasonGrechanikFacebook: https://facebook.com/UniverseWithinPodcastMusic: Nuno Moreno: https://m.soundcloud.com/groove_a_zen_sound & Stefan Kasapovski’s Santero Project: https://spoti.fi/3y5Rd4H

Hey everybody! In this episode, I spoke with Eva Hooft. Eva has an interesting story of being diagnosed with a number of childhood ailments that persisted into adulthood. After following a career in modeling she began to become disillusioned by her diagnoses and began a search into more holistic and integrative therapies. We spoke about her journey and a number of topics including her background, yoga, somatics, liver detoxification, mineral balancing, functional medicine, the power of the mind and beliefs, and much more. It was a really interesting conversation and I think her knowledge from her own discoveries, many interests, and what she has found working with others really shines. As always, to support this podcast, get early access to shows, bonus material, and Q&As, check out my Patreon page below. Enjoy!This episode is sponsored by Real Mushrooms (https://realmushrooms.com) As listeners, enjoy a discount of 25% off your first order at checkout using the Discount code: UNIVERSETo learn more about or contact Eva, visit her website at: https://www.evahooft.com/To learn more about our work, visit our website: https://NicotianaRustica.orgTo view the recent documentary, Sacred Tobacco, about my work, visit: https://youtu.be/KB0JEQALI_wI will be guiding our next plant medicine dietas with my colleague Merav Artzi (who I interviewed in episode 28) in:January 2026: our second Remote DietaFebruary 2026: Sacred Valley of PeruJuly 2026: Westport, IrelandNovember 2026: Sacred Valley of PeruIf you would like more information about joining us and the work I do or about future retreats, visit my site at: https://NicotianaRustica.orgIntegration/Consultation call: https://jasongrechanik.setmore.comPatreon: https://patreon.com/UniverseWithinYouTube join & perks: https://bit.ly/YTPerksPayPal donation: https://paypal.me/jasongrechanikWebsite: https://jasongrechanik.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/JasonGrechanikFacebook: https://facebook.com/UniverseWithinPodcastMusic: Nuno Moreno: https://m.soundcloud.com/groove_a_zen_sound & Stefan Kasapovski’s Santero Project: https://spoti.fi/3y5Rd4H

Hey everybody! Episode 178 of the show is out. In this episode, I spoke with Thomas Hatsis. Thomas’ books were recommended to me a few times and he was introduced to me through a mutual friend, Peter Boghossian. Thomas wrote two very good books that I am familiar with (as well as a number of others) called The Witches Ointment and Psychedelic Mystery Traditions. We spoke about these themes including the foundation of Western mystery traditions, their potential entheogenic roots, plant medicines, magic, witches, and a lot of other really interesting topics. Thomas is doing very good work and I trust you all will gain a lot from his wisdom. As always, to support this podcast, get early access to shows, bonus material, and Q&As, check out my Patreon page below. Enjoy!To learn more about or contact Thomas, including his books, visit his website at: https://www.thomashatsis.com/To learn more about our work, visit our website: https://NicotianaRustica.org To view the recent documentary, Sacred Tobacco, about my work, visit: https://youtu.be/KB0JEQALI_wI will be guiding our next plant medicine dietas with my colleague Merav Artzi (who I interviewed in episode 28) in:January 2026: our second Remote DietaFebruary 2026: Sacred Valley of PeruJuly 2026: Westport, IrelandNovember 2026: Sacred Valley of PeruIf you would like more information about joining us and the work I do or about future retreats, visit my site at: https://NicotianaRustica.orgIntegration/Consultation call: https://jasongrechanik.setmore.comPatreon: https://patreon.com/UniverseWithinYouTube join & perks: https://bit.ly/YTPerksPayPal donation: https://paypal.me/jasongrechanikWebsite: https://jasongrechanik.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/JasonGrechanikFacebook: https://facebook.com/UniverseWithinPodcastMusic: Nuno Moreno: https://m.soundcloud.com/groove_a_zen_sound & Stefan Kasapovski’s Santero Project: https://spoti.fi/3y5Rd4H

Hey everybody! Episode 177 of the show is out. In this episode, I spoke with Snow Raven (Suor). Snow Raven comes from a group of people in Siberia called Sakha. Snow Raven has a really beautiful presence and I was really happy to sit down and speak and with her. We spoke about her background, the cosmovison of her people, Sakha shamanism, the power of nature and animals, her calling as a singer, and bridging ancient wisdom with modern life. Snow Raven has a beautiful perspective and her wisdom comes through her words. I trust you all will gain much from her share. As always, to support this podcast, get early access to shows, bonus material, and Q&As, check out my Patreon page below. Enjoy!This episode is sponsored by Real Mushrooms (https://realmushrooms.com) As listeners, enjoy a discount of 25% off your first order at checkout using the Discount code: UNIVERSETo learn more about or contact Snow Raven, visit her website at: https://snowraven.com/To learn more about our work, visit our website: https://NicotianaRustica.orgTo view the recent documentary, Sacred Tobacco, about my work, visit: https://youtu.be/KB0JEQALI_wI will be guiding our next plant medicine dietas with my colleague Merav Artzi (who I interviewed in episode 28) in:January 2026: our second Remote DietaFebruary 2026: Sacred Valley of PeruJuly 2026: Westport, IrelandNovember 2026: Sacred Valley of PeruIf you would like more information about joining us and the work I do or about future retreats, visit my site at: https://NicotianaRustica.orgIntegration/Consultation call: https://jasongrechanik.setmore.comPatreon: https://patreon.com/UniverseWithinYouTube join & perks: https://bit.ly/YTPerksPayPal donation: https://paypal.me/jasongrechanikWebsite: https://jasongrechanik.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/JasonGrechanikFacebook: https://facebook.com/UniverseWithinPodcastMusic: Nuno Moreno: https://m.soundcloud.com/groove_a_zen_sound & Stefan Kasapovski’s Santero Project: https://spoti.fi/3y5Rd4H

Hey everybody! Episode 176 of the show is out. This episode is a podcast I was interviewed on called The Mushroom’s Apprentice hosted by Shonagh Home. I was on Shonagh’s podcast previously and really enjoyed it and was happy to return. Shonagh has a beautiful wisdom and knowledge of this world and beyond and she did a great job picking my brain about plant medicine and healing. We especially spoke about my work with traditional healing via the mediums of tobacco and trees as well as the Celtic wisdom that infuses this work. We also spoke a bit about the world and forces at large. Shonagh always engages in deep conversations and I trust you all will gain from this episode. Consider supporting her podcast and work if you enjoy this conversation. As always, to support this podcast, get early access to shows, bonus material, and Q&As, check out my Patreon page below. Enjoy!This episode is sponsored by Real Mushrooms. As listeners, visit their website to enjoy a discount of 25% off your first order: https://www.realmushrooms.com/universeTo learn more about or contact Jason, visit his website at: https://NicotianaRustica.orgTo learn more about or contact Shonagh, visit her website at: https://shonaghhome.com/To view the recent documentary, Sacred Tobacco, about my work, visit: https://youtu.be/KB0JEQALI_wI will be guiding our next plant medicine dietas with my colleague Merav Artzi (who I interviewed in episode 28) in:November 2025: Sacred Valley of Peru (SOLD OUT)January 2026: our second Remote DietaFebruary 2026: Sacred Valley of PeruJuly 2026: Westport, IrelandNovember 2026: Sacred Valley of PeruIf you would like more information about joining us and the work I do or about future retreats, visit my site at: https://NicotianaRustica.orgIntegration/Consultation call: https://jasongrechanik.setmore.comPatreon: https://patreon.com/UniverseWithinYouTube join & perks: https://bit.ly/YTPerksPayPal donation: https://paypal.me/jasongrechanikWebsite: https://jasongrechanik.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/JasonGrechanikFacebook: https://facebook.com/UniverseWithinPodcastMusic: Nuno Moreno: https://m.soundcloud.com/groove_a_zen_sound & Stefan Kasapovski’s Santero Project: https://spoti.fi/3y5Rd4H