E16 - Dr Darragh Stewart: The Inner Work Men Have Been Avoiding

A molecular geneticist walked away from the lab to guide men into the parts of themselves they had spent a lifetime hiding. What he found there might surprise you.SummaryIn this conversation, I sit down with Dr Darragh Stewart, who holds a PhD in molecular plant genetics and now co-founds psychedelic retreats and leads men's work. Darragh spent more than a decade inside the rational, materialist world of science before practices like meditation, breathwork and psychedelics opened up a different way of relating to himself and the world. We talk about what it means to bridge that scientific grounding with ancestral wisdom, and why he believes the data, however valuable, cannot explain everything.Much of our conversation turns toward men. Darragh shares how the loss of two colleagues moved him to start running men's circles, and why so many men have learned to bury their emotions, their creativity, even their own singing voice. We explore shadow work as a way of reclaiming those lost parts, the difference between genuine integration and chasing peak experiences, and how to recognise a facilitator worth trusting. Throughout, Darragh returns to something simple and steadying: connection to nature, to community, and to the sense that you were never broken to begin with.Chapters0:00 Bridging Science and Ancestral Wisdom3:05 How a Scientist Found the Holistic World6:00 What Nature-Based Spirituality Means9:39 Small Daily Acts of Reconnection10:02 Prescribing Nature for Anxiety and Low Mood13:11 Men, Identity and the Golden Cage17:02 What a Vision Quest Actually Is18:48 The Origin Story of Inward Bound25:03 The Psychedelic Wave and Its Shadow Side28:37 When Clinical Settings Get It Wrong31:31 Why Men Need Co-Regulation and Nurture33:11 Shadow Work and the Gold We Bury37:02 Reclaiming a Voice, Reclaiming Art40:13 What Integration Really Looks Like44:06 Men's Work and the Critics Who Doubt It50:26 How to Recognise a Good Facilitator54:21 Beyond Fluffy Spirituality56:34 You Were Never BrokenGuest BioDr Darragh Stewart holds a PhD in molecular plant genetics and is the co-founder of Inward Bound, which runs legal psilocybin retreats in the Netherlands and Costa Rica. He is one of Ireland's leading men's work facilitators, blending a scientific background with breathwork, meditation, movement and nature-based practice to help people reconnect with themselves. His work is grounded, non-dogmatic, and committed to safe, well-held journeys with altered states.Psychedelic work: inwardbound.nlMen's work, events and retreats: innerwork.ieListen and ConnectIf this conversation moved something in you, the next step is learning how to work with your own nervous system. Comment or DM me REGULATE and I'll send you my free resources, or go straight to https://georgestuby.com/resources?source=podcast. You can find more of my work at georgestuby.com and on Instagram at @iamgeorgestuby.