app03 Thu, 10 Sep 2026 23:30:20 +0000 Fireside (https://fireside.fm) The Permission Slip - Episodes Tagged with “#Harmreduction” https://thepermissionslip.fireside.fm/tags/%23harmreduction Thu, 10 Sep 2026 09:30:00 -0500 I love everything to do with consciousness - personal growth books, meditation, psychedelics, bodywork, Tantric retreats, chakras, Human Design, channeled works, you name it! For the past fifteen years, I’ve been on a deep healing journey. I regularly engage relative strangers in conversation about topics relating to consciousness, transformation and psychedelics (sometimes to their annoyance). I've been dancing around starting a podcast for a couple years now. My imposter syndrome has kept me thinking I don't have anything worthwhile to share, while I vainly attempt to find a community with whom I resonate. I've been fortunate to work with some really gifted practitioners during my journey. They not only gave me tools to heal, they gave me PERMISSION to heal. My intention in producing and distributing The Permission Slip podcast is to share knowledge of their talents with the rest of the world. Many of us have been programmed to believe that healing only comes from those in the medical profession who have gone through a particular set of training protocols. This is not true. Doctors and therapists and the like are (mostly) well-meaning and very good at what they do. Sometimes, more often than we are maybe lead to believe, what they recommend or do is not what is truly needed for healing. In the spirit of the following passage, I'm committing to a minimum of six podcasts that will be discussions with practitioners and healers from whom I've derived personal benefit. The purpose of this effort is therefore to shed light on the diverse ways of healing as well as moving into right relationship with oneself. Credits Renee LaVallee McKenna for the inspiration to create this in the first place. Abby Bruce (ma soeur) for the encouragement along the way. Damian Wiseman for the audio engineering expertise. en-us episodic You are allowed. Matt Kosterman I love everything to do with consciousness - personal growth books, meditation, psychedelics, bodywork, Tantric retreats, chakras, Human Design, channeled works, you name it! For the past fifteen years, I’ve been on a deep healing journey. I regularly engage relative strangers in conversation about topics relating to consciousness, transformation and psychedelics (sometimes to their annoyance). I've been dancing around starting a podcast for a couple years now. My imposter syndrome has kept me thinking I don't have anything worthwhile to share, while I vainly attempt to find a community with whom I resonate. I've been fortunate to work with some really gifted practitioners during my journey. They not only gave me tools to heal, they gave me PERMISSION to heal. My intention in producing and distributing The Permission Slip podcast is to share knowledge of their talents with the rest of the world. Many of us have been programmed to believe that healing only comes from those in the medical profession who have gone through a particular set of training protocols. This is not true. Doctors and therapists and the like are (mostly) well-meaning and very good at what they do. Sometimes, more often than we are maybe lead to believe, what they recommend or do is not what is truly needed for healing. In the spirit of the following passage, I'm committing to a minimum of six podcasts that will be discussions with practitioners and healers from whom I've derived personal benefit. The purpose of this effort is therefore to shed light on the diverse ways of healing as well as moving into right relationship with oneself. Credits Renee LaVallee McKenna for the inspiration to create this in the first place. Abby Bruce (ma soeur) for the encouragement along the way. Damian Wiseman for the audio engineering expertise. yes Conscious living, Embodiment, Transformation, Inner healing, Trauma release, Psychedelic integration, Energy work, Nervous system regulation, Authentic expression, Conscious relationships, Spiritual awakening, Shadow work, Self-remembrance, Intuitive guidance, Healing trauma, Mind-body connection Matt Kosterman matt@mattkosterman.com S2 | E13 Dr. Peter Grinspoon https://thepermissionslip.fireside.fm/s2e13 027791d8-4423-4b39-accb-b8d8748107ae Thu, 10 Sep 2026 09:30:00 -0500 Matt Kosterman full 2 Matt Kosterman In this conversation with Dr. Peter Grinspoon — Harvard Medical School instructor, primary care physician, and board-certified addiction specialist at Mass General — we have a wide-ranging, refreshingly honest conversation about cannabis, addiction, and the messy human truths in between. Peter opens up about losing his medical license to a prescription painkiller addiction, coming from a family legacy of cannabis advocacy (his father wrote the influential 1971 book Marihuana Reconsidered), and why he believes legalization — not just decriminalization — is the only coherent path forward. We get into the real benefits and real harms of cannabis, who should avoid it, the dangers of over-concentrated products like 7-OH kratom, and why he'd rather see people support the mom-and-pop dispensary over the corporate cannabis conglomerate. 39:51 yes <p>Dr. Peter Grinspoon is one of the most credentialed guests I've had on this show — Harvard Medical School instructor, primary care doctor, addiction specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital — and yet he's remarkably candid about his own reckoning with addiction. Twenty years ago, he lost his medical license for three years after becoming addicted to prescription painkillers, driven by the unrelenting pressure of medical training and practice. Five years into his own recovery, the same board that monitored him hired him to help other physicians walk the same road, and that experience eventually led him into addiction medicine and cannabis clinical work full time.</p> <p>Peter's relationship to cannabis is also deeply personal. He tells me about his older brother Danny, who used medical cannabis to manage chemotherapy-induced nausea in the early 1970s — right as Nixon's drug war was ramping up — and how it let Danny eat, keep weight on, and come downstairs to play with his little brother before he passed away from leukemia. That memory sits alongside his father's legacy: psychiatrist Lester Grinspoon, whose 1971 book Marijuana Reconsidered argued that criminalizing cannabis caused far more harm than the drug itself — an argument borne out by the roughly 20 million arrests for simple possession since, disproportionately affecting Black and brown communities.</p> <p>We get into the real clinical picture: cannabis's proven uses for chronic pain, insomnia, anxiety, MS-related spasticity, and chemotherapy side effects, especially for seniors navigating the toxicity of alternatives like opioids and NSAIDs. But Peter doesn't sugarcoat the risks either — teens, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and anyone with a personal or family history of psychosis should steer clear, and heavy daily use can trigger a brutal condition called cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. He's candid about addiction too: cannabis absolutely can be addictive, just rarely fatal, which changes the calculus on how urgently it needs treating.</p> <p>The conversation ranges from Carl Sagan's secretly-authored essay on cannabis and creativity (published pseudonymously as "Mr. X" in his father's book) to the dangers of hyper-concentrated botanical products like 7-OH kratom, to his frustration watching big cannabis conglomerates start to resemble Big Tobacco. Peter's writing a novel now, after three nonfiction books — including his memoir Free Refills and his most recent, Aging Well With Cannabis — and throughout, he keeps returning to the same core belief: harm reduction, nuance, and treating people with compassion rather than judgment. Special Guest: Dr. Peter Grinspoon.</p> cannabis, cannabis medicine, addiction medicine, addiction recovery, prescription painkiller addiction, opioid addiction, Peter Grinspoon, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, cannabis legalization, cannabis decriminalization, medical marijuana, CBD, THC, chronic pain, insomnia, chemotherapy nausea, cannabis hyperemesis syndrome, kratom, 7-OH, harm reduction, war on drugs, cannabis arrests, racial disparity, Marijuana Reconsidered, Lester Grinspoon, Carl Sagan, aging and cannabis, seniors and cannabis, cannabis addiction, physician burnout, primary care medicine, Free Refills, Aging Well With Cannabis Dr. Peter Grinspoon is one of the most credentialed guests I've had on this show — Harvard Medical School instructor, primary care doctor, addiction specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital — and yet he's remarkably candid about his own reckoning with addiction. Twenty years ago, he lost his medical license for three years after becoming addicted to prescription painkillers, driven by the unrelenting pressure of medical training and practice. Five years into his own recovery, the same board that monitored him hired him to help other physicians walk the same road, and that experience eventually led him into addiction medicine and cannabis clinical work full time.

Peter's relationship to cannabis is also deeply personal. He tells me about his older brother Danny, who used medical cannabis to manage chemotherapy-induced nausea in the early 1970s — right as Nixon's drug war was ramping up — and how it let Danny eat, keep weight on, and come downstairs to play with his little brother before he passed away from leukemia. That memory sits alongside his father's legacy: psychiatrist Lester Grinspoon, whose 1971 book Marijuana Reconsidered argued that criminalizing cannabis caused far more harm than the drug itself — an argument borne out by the roughly 20 million arrests for simple possession since, disproportionately affecting Black and brown communities.

We get into the real clinical picture: cannabis's proven uses for chronic pain, insomnia, anxiety, MS-related spasticity, and chemotherapy side effects, especially for seniors navigating the toxicity of alternatives like opioids and NSAIDs. But Peter doesn't sugarcoat the risks either — teens, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and anyone with a personal or family history of psychosis should steer clear, and heavy daily use can trigger a brutal condition called cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. He's candid about addiction too: cannabis absolutely can be addictive, just rarely fatal, which changes the calculus on how urgently it needs treating.

The conversation ranges from Carl Sagan's secretly-authored essay on cannabis and creativity (published pseudonymously as "Mr. X" in his father's book) to the dangers of hyper-concentrated botanical products like 7-OH kratom, to his frustration watching big cannabis conglomerates start to resemble Big Tobacco. Peter's writing a novel now, after three nonfiction books — including his memoir Free Refills and his most recent, Aging Well With Cannabis — and throughout, he keeps returning to the same core belief: harm reduction, nuance, and treating people with compassion rather than judgment.

Special Guest: Dr. Peter Grinspoon.

Support The Permission Slip

]]> Dr. Peter Grinspoon is one of the most credentialed guests I've had on this show — Harvard Medical School instructor, primary care doctor, addiction specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital — and yet he's remarkably candid about his own reckoning with addiction. Twenty years ago, he lost his medical license for three years after becoming addicted to prescription painkillers, driven by the unrelenting pressure of medical training and practice. Five years into his own recovery, the same board that monitored him hired him to help other physicians walk the same road, and that experience eventually led him into addiction medicine and cannabis clinical work full time.

Peter's relationship to cannabis is also deeply personal. He tells me about his older brother Danny, who used medical cannabis to manage chemotherapy-induced nausea in the early 1970s — right as Nixon's drug war was ramping up — and how it let Danny eat, keep weight on, and come downstairs to play with his little brother before he passed away from leukemia. That memory sits alongside his father's legacy: psychiatrist Lester Grinspoon, whose 1971 book Marijuana Reconsidered argued that criminalizing cannabis caused far more harm than the drug itself — an argument borne out by the roughly 20 million arrests for simple possession since, disproportionately affecting Black and brown communities.

We get into the real clinical picture: cannabis's proven uses for chronic pain, insomnia, anxiety, MS-related spasticity, and chemotherapy side effects, especially for seniors navigating the toxicity of alternatives like opioids and NSAIDs. But Peter doesn't sugarcoat the risks either — teens, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and anyone with a personal or family history of psychosis should steer clear, and heavy daily use can trigger a brutal condition called cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. He's candid about addiction too: cannabis absolutely can be addictive, just rarely fatal, which changes the calculus on how urgently it needs treating.

The conversation ranges from Carl Sagan's secretly-authored essay on cannabis and creativity (published pseudonymously as "Mr. X" in his father's book) to the dangers of hyper-concentrated botanical products like 7-OH kratom, to his frustration watching big cannabis conglomerates start to resemble Big Tobacco. Peter's writing a novel now, after three nonfiction books — including his memoir Free Refills and his most recent, Aging Well With Cannabis — and throughout, he keeps returning to the same core belief: harm reduction, nuance, and treating people with compassion rather than judgment.

Special Guest: Dr. Peter Grinspoon.

Support The Permission Slip

]]> S2 | E10 Christopher Solomon https://thepermissionslip.fireside.fm/s2e10-solomon 9a06f6ac-8226-4d1e-9e27-01aac4561d26 Mon, 15 Jun 2026 08:00:00 -0500 Matt Kosterman full 2 Matt Kosterman In this episode I sit down with Christopher Solomon, a somatic salvia guide based in Mendocino County, California, to explore a plant that most people either know nothing about or fear outright. Christopher walks me through his long, winding path with Salvia divinorum — from a strange first encounter in high school in Dallas to the spontaneous healing of a swollen lymph node that doctors wanted to surgically remove. We dig into why the conventional "smoke a big bowl and brace yourself" advice gets it completely backward, and how working with tiny, titrated doses paired with meditation transforms Salvia into a gentle, relational teacher rather than a terrifying five-minute ride. It's a conversation about reverence, somatic awareness, and the surprising therapeutic range of one of the most misunderstood plants out there. 58:17 yes <p>I'll be honest — Salvia was a plant I'd never tried and mostly knew through the lens of chaotic internet videos. So this conversation with Christopher Solomon cracked something wide open for me. Christopher came to the States from Johannesburg at fourteen, studied psychology and finance, and spent years in a database job he found soul-crushing before finally following the thread that had been tugging at him since high school: a deep, ongoing relationship with Salvia divinorum.<br> We trace his whole arc in this episode — the bizarre early experiences, the moment an "intrusive" inner voice told him to meditate first and changed everything, the female salvia entity who told him she'd always been there, and the day a small dose seemed to dissolve a physical lymph node that had stumped his doctors. From there we get into the real heart of his work: low, titrated doses, somatic awareness, and treating the plant as something that demands silence, stillness, and respect.<br> Christopher shares how Salvia affects the default mode network more than any classic psychedelic, why it pairs so well with meditation and somatic therapy, and how he guides clients through Zoom sessions for everything from crippling anxiety and depression to inflammation, arthritis, GI issues, and insomnia. We also talk honestly about the contrast with ketamine — reverse tolerance versus addiction, "diminishing returns," and the importance of listening when a medicine tells you to back off. Whether you're a curious psychonaut or someone exploring gentler tools for healing, I think you'll come away seeing this plant in a completely new light.</p> <p>Christopher Solomon is a somatic Salvia guide, teacher, and inventor of a pipe that aids in the mindful exploration of Salvia Divinorum. Incorporating lessons learned directly from Salvia and as a student of somatic psychotherapy, Christopher is pioneering techniques to use Salvia as a therapeutic tool for guided self-healing, meditation, and introspection. Christopher lectures about the proper, intentional, and therapeutic use of Salvia, offering a blend of scientific, esoteric, and therapeutic perspectives. He also cultivates a medicinal Salvia garden for use in his therapeutic practice with clients. His main goal is to teach people how to use Salvia for themselves in a manner that is supportive, informative, and empowering. He has a B.A in Psychology from the University of Texas at Dallas, and received his training in somatic psychotherapy from the Hakomi Institute of California.</p> <p>You can find Christopher at salviahealings.com and through his community, the Somatic Salvia Network, at somaticsalvianetwork.com. Special Guest: Christopher Solomon.</p> Salvia divinorum, somatic salvia, Christopher Solomon, salvia guide, low dose salvia, microdosing salvia, plant medicine, psychedelics, salvia healing, default mode network, somatic psychotherapy, meditation, entheogens, harm reduction, salvia land, spontaneous healing, anxiety, depression, inflammation, arthritis, kappa opioid receptors, ketamine alternative, reverse tolerance, astral projection, out of body experience, consciousness, embodiment, spirituality, integration, Erowid, Johns Hopkins, holistic wellness, The Permission Slip, Matt Kosterman I'll be honest — Salvia was a plant I'd never tried and mostly knew through the lens of chaotic internet videos. So this conversation with Christopher Solomon cracked something wide open for me. Christopher came to the States from Johannesburg at fourteen, studied psychology and finance, and spent years in a database job he found soul-crushing before finally following the thread that had been tugging at him since high school: a deep, ongoing relationship with Salvia divinorum.
We trace his whole arc in this episode — the bizarre early experiences, the moment an "intrusive" inner voice told him to meditate first and changed everything, the female salvia entity who told him she'd always been there, and the day a small dose seemed to dissolve a physical lymph node that had stumped his doctors. From there we get into the real heart of his work: low, titrated doses, somatic awareness, and treating the plant as something that demands silence, stillness, and respect.
Christopher shares how Salvia affects the default mode network more than any classic psychedelic, why it pairs so well with meditation and somatic therapy, and how he guides clients through Zoom sessions for everything from crippling anxiety and depression to inflammation, arthritis, GI issues, and insomnia. We also talk honestly about the contrast with ketamine — reverse tolerance versus addiction, "diminishing returns," and the importance of listening when a medicine tells you to back off. Whether you're a curious psychonaut or someone exploring gentler tools for healing, I think you'll come away seeing this plant in a completely new light.

Christopher Solomon is a somatic Salvia guide, teacher, and inventor of a pipe that aids in the mindful exploration of Salvia Divinorum. Incorporating lessons learned directly from Salvia and as a student of somatic psychotherapy, Christopher is pioneering techniques to use Salvia as a therapeutic tool for guided self-healing, meditation, and introspection. Christopher lectures about the proper, intentional, and therapeutic use of Salvia, offering a blend of scientific, esoteric, and therapeutic perspectives. He also cultivates a medicinal Salvia garden for use in his therapeutic practice with clients. His main goal is to teach people how to use Salvia for themselves in a manner that is supportive, informative, and empowering. He has a B.A in Psychology from the University of Texas at Dallas, and received his training in somatic psychotherapy from the Hakomi Institute of California.

You can find Christopher at salviahealings.com and through his community, the Somatic Salvia Network, at somaticsalvianetwork.com.

Special Guest: Christopher Solomon.

Support The Permission Slip

]]> I'll be honest — Salvia was a plant I'd never tried and mostly knew through the lens of chaotic internet videos. So this conversation with Christopher Solomon cracked something wide open for me. Christopher came to the States from Johannesburg at fourteen, studied psychology and finance, and spent years in a database job he found soul-crushing before finally following the thread that had been tugging at him since high school: a deep, ongoing relationship with Salvia divinorum.
We trace his whole arc in this episode — the bizarre early experiences, the moment an "intrusive" inner voice told him to meditate first and changed everything, the female salvia entity who told him she'd always been there, and the day a small dose seemed to dissolve a physical lymph node that had stumped his doctors. From there we get into the real heart of his work: low, titrated doses, somatic awareness, and treating the plant as something that demands silence, stillness, and respect.
Christopher shares how Salvia affects the default mode network more than any classic psychedelic, why it pairs so well with meditation and somatic therapy, and how he guides clients through Zoom sessions for everything from crippling anxiety and depression to inflammation, arthritis, GI issues, and insomnia. We also talk honestly about the contrast with ketamine — reverse tolerance versus addiction, "diminishing returns," and the importance of listening when a medicine tells you to back off. Whether you're a curious psychonaut or someone exploring gentler tools for healing, I think you'll come away seeing this plant in a completely new light.

Christopher Solomon is a somatic Salvia guide, teacher, and inventor of a pipe that aids in the mindful exploration of Salvia Divinorum. Incorporating lessons learned directly from Salvia and as a student of somatic psychotherapy, Christopher is pioneering techniques to use Salvia as a therapeutic tool for guided self-healing, meditation, and introspection. Christopher lectures about the proper, intentional, and therapeutic use of Salvia, offering a blend of scientific, esoteric, and therapeutic perspectives. He also cultivates a medicinal Salvia garden for use in his therapeutic practice with clients. His main goal is to teach people how to use Salvia for themselves in a manner that is supportive, informative, and empowering. He has a B.A in Psychology from the University of Texas at Dallas, and received his training in somatic psychotherapy from the Hakomi Institute of California.

You can find Christopher at salviahealings.com and through his community, the Somatic Salvia Network, at somaticsalvianetwork.com.

Special Guest: Christopher Solomon.

Support The Permission Slip

]]> S2 | E9 Dr. Katie Simons, PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist, Transpersonal Hypnotherapist, Psychedelic Medicine Facilitator and Coach https://thepermissionslip.fireside.fm/s2e9-simons b630c178-e2ea-495b-8975-8246b3dedd75 Mon, 08 Jun 2026 08:00:00 -0500 Matt Kosterman full 2 Matt Kosterman In this episode, I sit down with Katie Simons — a doctor of pharmacy turned hypnotherapist, somatic breathwork facilitator, and psychedelic medicine guide — for one of the most wide-ranging and personally resonant conversations I've had on the show. We trace her journey from a decade inside the VA healthcare system to stepping fully into the healing space, and dig deep into psychedelics, nervous system regulation, integration, and what it actually means to be healed. 1:10:12 yes <p>Katie Simons came to the healing world the long way around. With a doctorate in pharmacy from Idaho State University and ten years inside the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System — working in internal medicine, medication safety, and eventually as a patient safety manager — she had every credential the western medical world could offer. And then COVID happened, and the whole thing cracked open.<br> In this conversation, Katie and I trace her origin story from pharmacist's daughter to closeted psychedelic explorer to full-time medicine guide and hypnotherapist now based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her first psychedelic experience — an epiphany on MDMA at a Phish show in her early twenties — cracked open a question she couldn't put back: Is this how happy I could actually feel? That question lived quietly alongside her professional life for years, until burnout, a divorce, and a first encounter with ayahuasca in 2022 collapsed the compartmentalization for good.<br> We get into the pharmacology of psilocybin and MDMA — including a remarkably clear-eyed look at the actual risks (and frequent fearmongering) around drug interactions with SSRIs and SNRIs. Katie brings her clinical background to bear here in ways that feel genuinely useful and grounding, not alarmist. We talk about harm reduction for solo journeys, what to look for (and watch out for) when seeking a facilitator, and why psychedelics aren't a replacement for the inner work — they're a tool that breaks the chains, but you still have to walk out of the cave yourself.<br> We also explore somatic breathwork, hypnotherapy, and the subconscious belief systems that keep the nervous system locked in survival mode long after the original wound has passed. Katie's framework for what healing actually means — not the absence of hard feelings, but access to choice — is one I keep turning over. And I get honest about my own stumbling blocks: the addiction to suffering, the pressure to perform as someone who's "done the work," and the places where my own nervous system still has the wheel.<br> This one goes deep. I'm grateful Katie was willing to go there with me.<br> Special Guest: Katie Simons.</p> Katie Simons, psychedelic medicine, psilocybin, MDMA, ayahuasca, mushrooms, hypnotherapy, somatic breathwork, nervous system regulation, harm reduction, psychedelic facilitation, integration, default mode network, SSRIs and psychedelics, drug interactions, VA healthcare, doctor of pharmacy, patient safety, burnout, healing, subconscious belief systems, transpersonal hypnotherapy, microdosing, ketamine, medicine journeys, ceremonial healing, dieta, solo journeys, psychedelic safety, test kits, fentanyl strips, DanceSafe, Chicago Recovery Alliance, Santa Fe, meditation, inner child work, parts work, trauma, religious conditioning, nervous system collapse, freeze response, somatic healing, ayahuasca ceremony, Costa Rica, Burning Man, Phish, the holistic apothec, Permission Slip podcast, Season 2 Katie Simons came to the healing world the long way around. With a doctorate in pharmacy from Idaho State University and ten years inside the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System — working in internal medicine, medication safety, and eventually as a patient safety manager — she had every credential the western medical world could offer. And then COVID happened, and the whole thing cracked open.
In this conversation, Katie and I trace her origin story from pharmacist's daughter to closeted psychedelic explorer to full-time medicine guide and hypnotherapist now based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her first psychedelic experience — an epiphany on MDMA at a Phish show in her early twenties — cracked open a question she couldn't put back: Is this how happy I could actually feel? That question lived quietly alongside her professional life for years, until burnout, a divorce, and a first encounter with ayahuasca in 2022 collapsed the compartmentalization for good.
We get into the pharmacology of psilocybin and MDMA — including a remarkably clear-eyed look at the actual risks (and frequent fearmongering) around drug interactions with SSRIs and SNRIs. Katie brings her clinical background to bear here in ways that feel genuinely useful and grounding, not alarmist. We talk about harm reduction for solo journeys, what to look for (and watch out for) when seeking a facilitator, and why psychedelics aren't a replacement for the inner work — they're a tool that breaks the chains, but you still have to walk out of the cave yourself.
We also explore somatic breathwork, hypnotherapy, and the subconscious belief systems that keep the nervous system locked in survival mode long after the original wound has passed. Katie's framework for what healing actually means — not the absence of hard feelings, but access to choice — is one I keep turning over. And I get honest about my own stumbling blocks: the addiction to suffering, the pressure to perform as someone who's "done the work," and the places where my own nervous system still has the wheel.
This one goes deep. I'm grateful Katie was willing to go there with me.

Special Guest: Katie Simons.

Support The Permission Slip

]]> Katie Simons came to the healing world the long way around. With a doctorate in pharmacy from Idaho State University and ten years inside the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System — working in internal medicine, medication safety, and eventually as a patient safety manager — she had every credential the western medical world could offer. And then COVID happened, and the whole thing cracked open.
In this conversation, Katie and I trace her origin story from pharmacist's daughter to closeted psychedelic explorer to full-time medicine guide and hypnotherapist now based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her first psychedelic experience — an epiphany on MDMA at a Phish show in her early twenties — cracked open a question she couldn't put back: Is this how happy I could actually feel? That question lived quietly alongside her professional life for years, until burnout, a divorce, and a first encounter with ayahuasca in 2022 collapsed the compartmentalization for good.
We get into the pharmacology of psilocybin and MDMA — including a remarkably clear-eyed look at the actual risks (and frequent fearmongering) around drug interactions with SSRIs and SNRIs. Katie brings her clinical background to bear here in ways that feel genuinely useful and grounding, not alarmist. We talk about harm reduction for solo journeys, what to look for (and watch out for) when seeking a facilitator, and why psychedelics aren't a replacement for the inner work — they're a tool that breaks the chains, but you still have to walk out of the cave yourself.
We also explore somatic breathwork, hypnotherapy, and the subconscious belief systems that keep the nervous system locked in survival mode long after the original wound has passed. Katie's framework for what healing actually means — not the absence of hard feelings, but access to choice — is one I keep turning over. And I get honest about my own stumbling blocks: the addiction to suffering, the pressure to perform as someone who's "done the work," and the places where my own nervous system still has the wheel.
This one goes deep. I'm grateful Katie was willing to go there with me.

Special Guest: Katie Simons.

Support The Permission Slip

]]> S2 | E6 Wendy Perkins Shoef, ADHD Microdosing and Neuro-Pleasure Coach and More https://thepermissionslip.fireside.fm/s2e6-perkins-shoef 4a9a3f71-2809-4d15-a7ea-e0ad4edcfb65 Thu, 09 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Matt Kosterman full 2 Matt Kosterman In this episode, I'm joined by Wendy Perkins Schoef — the "Success Doula" — an ADHD, Microdosing, and Neuro Pleasure Coach who helps solo entrepreneurs grow their businesses by working with their whole selves, not just their to-do lists. Wendy walks me through her four-pillar framework of Goal, Set, Setting, and Intention, and how she applies it to everything from microdosing protocol development to nervous system regulation to sexual wellness. We explore why psilocybin and LSD work so differently as microdosing tools, how unresolved emotional dysregulation shows up as business stagnation, and why creative energy and sexual energy are ultimately the same thing. We also talk openly about yoni dearmouring, prostate work, the societal shame still wrapped around bodies and pleasure, and the importance of harm reduction when exploring psychedelic medicines. This is a rich, honest, and wide-ranging conversation about what it really means to run a business — and live a life — as a whole, embodied human being. 1:13:11 yes <p>In this episode, I sit down with Wendy Perkins Schoef — ADHD coach, microdosing guide, and neuro pleasure coach who specializes in working with solo entrepreneurs. Wendy shares her remarkable origin story: raised by a single Catholic mom in LA, navigating an ADHD brain through college and careers spanning real estate, biometrics, and web development, before finding her true calling after a divorce sent her on a journey of sexual self-discovery and eventually into orgasm coaching and nervous system work. We dig deep into her holistic framework of Goal, Set, Setting, and Intention — the foundation she uses whether she's helping a client build their business, choose a microdosing protocol, or regulate their nervous system. We talk about the differences between psilocybin and LSD as microdosing tools, why LSD is a "non-specific amplifier," and how the right substance choice depends entirely on what's going on in your body, mind, and environment. We also get into the profound connection between sexual energy and creative energy, the jaw-pelvic floor link, yoni dearmouring, the stigma around prostate work for men, and harm reduction resources for those exploring psychedelics. Wendy also opens up about parenting her son Max, who was born with a brain injury, and how that experience has deepened her understanding of the nervous system and shaped her approach to her work.</p> <p><strong>About Wendy</strong></p> <p>Wendy is an ADHD microdosing and neuro-pleasure coach, researcher, and co-host of the Psychedelic Revelations podcast.</p> <p>She works with brilliant, creative, capable people who are also a little bit fried—navigating chronic stress, ADHD, burnout, or all of the above. The ones who’ve read the books, tried the supplements, made the to-do lists, and yet still feel tired but wired, overthinking everything, spinning in place while their responsibilities grow by the hour.</p> <p>Wendy’s approach is rooted in a core belief: your nervous system is sacred, pleasure is a birthright, and ADHD symptoms are signs of a dysregulated nervous system—not a broken brain. Through microdosing support, nervous system regulation, embodied practices, and a BIG helping of tech support, she helps people remember their own divine intelligence and step back into who they truly are so they can make the impact in the world they’re meant to do.</p> <p>Her work blends research, lived experience, and a deep reverence for the body’s wisdom to support transformation that actually lasts.</p> <p>Website: <a href="https://thesuccessdoula.com" rel="nofollow noopener">https://thesuccessdoula.com</a><br> LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendygoesdeep/" rel="nofollow noopener">https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendygoesdeep/</a><br> Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/thesuccessdoula" rel="nofollow noopener">https://instagram.com/thesuccessdoula</a><br> Youtube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@thesuccessdoula" rel="nofollow noopener">https://www.youtube.com/@thesuccessdoula</a><br> Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thesuccessdoula" rel="nofollow noopener">https://www.facebook.com/thesuccessdoula</a><br> TikTok: <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@wendygoesdeep" rel="nofollow noopener">https://www.tiktok.com/@wendygoesdeep</a></p> <p>Special Guest: Wendy Perkins Shoef.</p> ADHD coaching, microdosing, neuro pleasure coaching, solo entrepreneurs, psilocybin, LSD, mescaline, psychedelics, nervous system regulation, sexual wellness, orgasm coaching, yoni dearmouring, pelvic floor, harm reduction, goal setting intention, business coaching, creative energy, sexual energy, prostate health, brain injury parenting, success doula, entrepreneurship, holistic health, emotional regulation, imposter syndrome In this episode, I sit down with Wendy Perkins Schoef — ADHD coach, microdosing guide, and neuro pleasure coach who specializes in working with solo entrepreneurs. Wendy shares her remarkable origin story: raised by a single Catholic mom in LA, navigating an ADHD brain through college and careers spanning real estate, biometrics, and web development, before finding her true calling after a divorce sent her on a journey of sexual self-discovery and eventually into orgasm coaching and nervous system work. We dig deep into her holistic framework of Goal, Set, Setting, and Intention — the foundation she uses whether she's helping a client build their business, choose a microdosing protocol, or regulate their nervous system. We talk about the differences between psilocybin and LSD as microdosing tools, why LSD is a "non-specific amplifier," and how the right substance choice depends entirely on what's going on in your body, mind, and environment. We also get into the profound connection between sexual energy and creative energy, the jaw-pelvic floor link, yoni dearmouring, the stigma around prostate work for men, and harm reduction resources for those exploring psychedelics. Wendy also opens up about parenting her son Max, who was born with a brain injury, and how that experience has deepened her understanding of the nervous system and shaped her approach to her work.

About Wendy

Wendy is an ADHD microdosing and neuro-pleasure coach, researcher, and co-host of the Psychedelic Revelations podcast.

She works with brilliant, creative, capable people who are also a little bit fried—navigating chronic stress, ADHD, burnout, or all of the above. The ones who’ve read the books, tried the supplements, made the to-do lists, and yet still feel tired but wired, overthinking everything, spinning in place while their responsibilities grow by the hour.

Wendy’s approach is rooted in a core belief: your nervous system is sacred, pleasure is a birthright, and ADHD symptoms are signs of a dysregulated nervous system—not a broken brain. Through microdosing support, nervous system regulation, embodied practices, and a BIG helping of tech support, she helps people remember their own divine intelligence and step back into who they truly are so they can make the impact in the world they’re meant to do.

Her work blends research, lived experience, and a deep reverence for the body’s wisdom to support transformation that actually lasts.

Website: https://thesuccessdoula.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendygoesdeep/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thesuccessdoula
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thesuccessdoula
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesuccessdoula
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wendygoesdeep

Special Guest: Wendy Perkins Shoef.

Support The Permission Slip

]]> In this episode, I sit down with Wendy Perkins Schoef — ADHD coach, microdosing guide, and neuro pleasure coach who specializes in working with solo entrepreneurs. Wendy shares her remarkable origin story: raised by a single Catholic mom in LA, navigating an ADHD brain through college and careers spanning real estate, biometrics, and web development, before finding her true calling after a divorce sent her on a journey of sexual self-discovery and eventually into orgasm coaching and nervous system work. We dig deep into her holistic framework of Goal, Set, Setting, and Intention — the foundation she uses whether she's helping a client build their business, choose a microdosing protocol, or regulate their nervous system. We talk about the differences between psilocybin and LSD as microdosing tools, why LSD is a "non-specific amplifier," and how the right substance choice depends entirely on what's going on in your body, mind, and environment. We also get into the profound connection between sexual energy and creative energy, the jaw-pelvic floor link, yoni dearmouring, the stigma around prostate work for men, and harm reduction resources for those exploring psychedelics. Wendy also opens up about parenting her son Max, who was born with a brain injury, and how that experience has deepened her understanding of the nervous system and shaped her approach to her work.

About Wendy

Wendy is an ADHD microdosing and neuro-pleasure coach, researcher, and co-host of the Psychedelic Revelations podcast.

She works with brilliant, creative, capable people who are also a little bit fried—navigating chronic stress, ADHD, burnout, or all of the above. The ones who’ve read the books, tried the supplements, made the to-do lists, and yet still feel tired but wired, overthinking everything, spinning in place while their responsibilities grow by the hour.

Wendy’s approach is rooted in a core belief: your nervous system is sacred, pleasure is a birthright, and ADHD symptoms are signs of a dysregulated nervous system—not a broken brain. Through microdosing support, nervous system regulation, embodied practices, and a BIG helping of tech support, she helps people remember their own divine intelligence and step back into who they truly are so they can make the impact in the world they’re meant to do.

Her work blends research, lived experience, and a deep reverence for the body’s wisdom to support transformation that actually lasts.

Website: https://thesuccessdoula.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendygoesdeep/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thesuccessdoula
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thesuccessdoula
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesuccessdoula
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wendygoesdeep

Special Guest: Wendy Perkins Shoef.

Support The Permission Slip

]]>