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Lessons from Mushrooms, Miami, and the Stories We’re Ready to Shed

In February (2025), I visited my dear friends Daniela and Annette in Miami. The brilliant minds behind Felder Felder, a fashion brand reimagining how we relate to clothes, time, and the planet. With their season-free, slow fashion philosophy, they combine luxury with sustainable, vegan textiles. These days, their focus has shifted to education, teaching the next generation of designers about regenerative materials like mycelium. Their work lit something up in me, especially as I continue exploring the intersections of wellness and sustainability.

As many of you know, I have a personal connection to mushrooms and yes, psychedelics that’s been part of my inner journey for years.

My path with plant medicines began in my twenties in Amsterdam, and deepened in my thirties through both personal and professional exploration, especially during my time at the Nierika Institute for Integrative Medicine in Mexico. Through these experiences, I started to see and feel where my emotional blocks truly lived.

One of the most persistent emotions I faced was guilt.
The kind that whispers you’re too much. That taking up space is selfish. That you must earn your rest, your pleasure, your needs.

It took time, practice, and deep inner work including sacred journeys with psychedelics to trace the roots of it. And to begin releasing the shame I didn’t even know I was carrying.

In Miami, Mushrooms Were Everywhere

Not just in conversation but in art, fashion, design, even street corners.
It felt like a message: remember mycelium. Remember how it heals, connects, decomposes what no longer serves, and feeds life anew.

The synchronicity was unmistakable and it moved me to share this part of my path with you more openly.

Guilt as a Portal

What if guilt isn’t just a trap but a portal?

What if it’s a signal, not of failure, but of readiness to evolve?
To take responsibility. To change your story. To stop outsourcing your worth.

The deeper I journey, the more I believe:
True growth comes when we stop trying to transcend our human experience and begin inhabiting it fully.

Psychedelics can be deeply transformative, yes but they are not for everyone, and certainly not a shortcut. Spiritual growth isn’t about chasing peak states.
It’s about cultivating the discipline and devotion to your own becoming.

There are many ancient, embodied practices that offer altered states of consciousness without needing a substance. And ultimately, the work is always yours to do.

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Resources To Support Your Journey

📚 Books

Maria Sabina is an iconic figure in the history of psychedelics and a trailblazer for women in the psychedelic movement. Her profound contributions to the spiritual use of psilocybin mushrooms have left an indelible mark on both indigenous traditions and modern psychedelic culture.
In Maria Sabina: Selections, edited by Luca Invernizzi-Tetti, you’ll gain intimate access to her teachings, thoughts, and deep spiritual wisdom.

Food of the Gods by Terence McKenna is a landmark book that explores how psychoactive plants influenced human consciousness and societal evolution. McKenna examines the shift from a partnership society to a dominator culture, shaped by substances like alcohol and television. A must-read for anyone interested in psychedelics and cultural change.

Mastering Microdosing: How to Use Sub-Perceptual Psychedelics to Heal Trauma, Improve Performance, and Transform Your Life is a book written by
Paul F. Austin, a prominent voice within the psychedelics industry and founder of the Third Wave.

🎙️Podcasts

The DoubleBlind Magic Hour: A fascinating podcast from the team behind DoubleBlind Magazine, this show dives into the science, culture, and experiences of psychedelics. With a mix of expert interviews, personal stories, and in-depth discussions, it's a must-listen for anyone interested in the evolving world of psychedelics.

The Third Wave Podcast: This podcast offers in-depth interviews with psychedelic experts and thought leaders, covering everything from the therapeutic uses of psychedelics to personal experiences with substances like psilocybin and DMT.

MycoMeditations Podcast: For those particularly interested in mushrooms, MycoMeditations explores the therapeutic power of psilocybin in a supportive, retreat-style setting.

🍄 Retreats

Stellar Folk, Ibiza, Spain

Spinoza, Maarn, The Netherlands

Nierika, Nierika, Mexico

Maybe guilt is not something to overcome but something to listen to.
Not as a judge, but as a wise messenger, pointing toward what wants to be seen, healed, and reclaimed.

Let the fungi remind us: decomposition is part of regeneration.
Shedding is sacred.

And growth happens underground, before it ever shows in bloom.

With love,
Marie-Sophie

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