Fungi Academy Podcast

🍄Support this podcast by becoming a Mushroom MemberEugenia Bone is the award‑winning author or coauthor of nine books on biology and food, including the category staple Mycophilia, the Fantastic Fungi Community Cookbook, and most recently Have a Good Trip: Exploring the Magic Mushroom Experience. Her work has appeared in outlets such as The New York Times, Saveur, BBC Science, and The Wall Street Journal, and she has lectured widely at institutions including the New York Public Library, Denver Botanical Garden, and Telluride Mushroom Festival. A former president of the New York Mycological Society and faculty member at the New York Botanical Garden, she continues to teach and write on food, fungi, microbes, and psychedelics.In this episode we explore the evolution of mushroom culture and mycology over the past decade and a half. Eugenia reflects on how public interest in fungi has expanded, particularly during the pandemic, when outdoor foraging and curiosity about psychedelics converged. We talked about the growing diversity of mycological clubs, the tension between cultural enthusiasm and limited academic pathways, and the role of curiosity in driving both science and writing. Our conversation also touched on the challenges of science communication, the accessibility of amateur mycology, and how fungi serve as a gateway to ecological thinking and interconnectedness.🪷Follow Eugenia📝Check out her Substack🌋Join one of our Immersions

Mycologist, artist, and scientist Tay Bright reflects on intelligence, truth, and the mysterious decision-making of fungi. From childhood curiosity in Florida swamps to discovering mycology after college, she shares how fungi reshaped her understanding of life and guided her path as a scientist and teacher.This episode explores how mycelial networks communicate, whether fungi “decide” through chemical signals, and how truth in biology is always shifting with new discoveries. The conversation weaves between the Gaia hypothesis, morphogenic fields, and the shimmering uncertainty of what is real — reminding us that science is both rigorous and endlessly open-ended.From the overlooked fungal kingdom to the possibility of bridging communication with mycelium, listeners are invited into a journey of curiosity, humility, and wonder at life’s interconnectedness.🪷Follow Taye🍄Support this podcast by becoming a Mushroom Member🌋Join one of our Immersions

Adventurer, filmmaker, and mushroom cultivator Hamilton reflects on the lessons of freedom, surrender, and responsibility. From hitchhiking across continents to farming in Nepal, this episode explores how openness to the generosity of strangers and the mystery of psychedelics can shape a life of purpose.From hitchhiking to cultivating food and medicine in Nepal, surviving earthquakes, and ultimately dedicating his life to mycology. Along the way, he reveals how surrender, intuition, and community have guided him from youthful exploration to fatherhood and entrepreneurship.🪷Follow Hamilton🍄Support this podcast by becoming a Mushroom Member🌋Join one of our Immersions

Multidisciplinary artist and innovator Catherine Euale joins us to explore the living frontier of materials and technology. From ancestral ceramics and mushroom membranes to algae‑based “electric skin” that breathes with humidity, this episode reveals how design can align with nature’s intelligence.Our conversation moves through speculative bio‑design, fungal computers, and slime mold circuits, highlighting why these organisms are more than replacements for plastics or leather. Expect insights on language, sustainability, and the profound ways fungi and microbes can reshape our relationship with technology, community, and the planet itself.🎙️Support this podcast and get yourself some Fungi MerchCheck out Catherine's work• 🌱 Slimy Futures (Instagram)• 🍄 Fungal Matters (Instagram)• ⚡ Electric Skin (Instagram)• 👗 Future Wardrobe Project (Instagram)• 🎥 Fungal Matters (YouTube Channel)• 🔬 Exploring Self‑Powering Biomaterials • 🌐 ElectricSkin.org • 📹 Electric Skin Project Video

🎙️Support this Podcast by becoming a Mushroom MemberEcologist and mushroom cultivator Dr. Sam Gandy dives into the hidden networks that shape life on Earth. From termites farming fungi for millions of years to the microbial multitudes inside our own bodies, this episode explores how nothing truly exists in isolation.Our conversation moves from cutting‑edge psilocybin research on nature connectedness to the cultural shifts around psychedelic mushrooms, highlighting why these organisms are more than just “psilocybin carriers.” Expect insights on ecology, community, and the profound ways fungi remind us we are part of a greater whole.🔗 Learn more about Sam's work:InstagramResearch GateChemical CollectiveDouble Blind Magazine

Psychedelic entrepreneur Martijn Schirp explores the future of consciousness, capitalism, and community. From retreats in the Netherlands to Buddhist‑inspired practice, this episode dives into how psychedelics can help us navigate collapse and build new ways of living together.In this episode of the Fungi Academy Podcast, Martijn Schirp serial psychedelic entrepreneur, co‑founder of High Existence and Synthesis Institute, and now founder of Upaiosis, shares his journey from pioneering retreats in the Netherlands to training the first wave of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy facilitators in Oregon. His latest project fuses Buddhist wisdom with psychedelic practice, offering a year‑long cohort designed to explore consciousness in community.🪷Check out Martijn's upcoming program: a Path Between Worlds🍄Support this podcast by becoming a Mushroom Member🌋Join one of our Immersions

🎙️Support this Podcast by becoming a Mushroom Member🚀Get 60% OFF our Online Courses until December 3rdIn this conversation, ethnomycologist Cullen Taylor Clark shares his journey of uncovering the rich traditions of mushroom use among tribes in South Africa. He reflects on the transformative power of psychedelics, the wisdom of traditional healers, and the urgent need to document indigenous knowledge. His research project, The Lost Muti, explores the indigenous use of fungi as medicines, foods, and entheogens among South Africa’s diverse tribal communities. It documents current uses, recipes, names, myths, and more, tracing these practices back to ancient hunter-gatherer societies. Ultimately, Cullen’s work reveals that reverence for fungi as sacred allies has been woven into Southern Africa’s cultural fabric since the dawn of time.🔗 Learn more about Cullen’s work:Aether ApothecaryLost MutiInstagram: @cullentaylorclarkPatreon: patreon.com/cullentaylorclark

🎙️ Episode 1 – The Fungi Academy Podcast: Mushrooms, Motherhood & CommunityIn the very first episode of the Fungi Academy Podcast, Jasper Degenaars sits down with his sister from another mister, Fungal Partner in Crime, Karena Beana. For a heartfelt and expansive conversation about mushrooms, motherhood, and the power of community. 🌱Together they explore:Karena’s journey from despising mushrooms to embracing them as profound teachers of healing and surrenderHow psychedelic and medicinal fungi shaped her path into leadership and motherhoodThe importance of rites of passage, initiation, and community support in modern lifeReflections on leadership, conflict, and the balance between democracy and decision-making in intentional communitiesThe evolving role of elders, role models, and intergenerational wisdom in raising the next generationThis episode weaves personal stories, cultural insights, and philosophical reflections into a rich dialogue about growth, responsibility, and the lessons mushrooms continue to teach us.✨ Whether you’re curious about fungi, community living, or the deeper initiations of life, this conversation offers inspiration and food for thoughtSupport this podcast by becoming a Mushroom MemberJoin one of our Immersions