Modern Spirit Podcast

“Trees have all of this medicine…fruits, the bark is medicine, the leaves. All of that is waiting; it’s potent, it’s dormant.”

Jason Grechanik has spent more than 25 years immersed in the study and practice of plants as medicine. As a tabaquero, he guides plant medicine dietas in Peru and internationally, weaving Amazonian tobacco traditions with Celtic tree wisdom. He facilitated for many year...

In this episode, Dr. Tafur and Natasha spoke to Tatiana Aya Tupinambá and Charles Johnston. Tatiana is a Brazilian born Indigenous woman and traditionally trained spiritual healer, who has been an ayahuasca curandera for over 10 years. Charles has guided thousands through psychedelic experiences and is an author, producer and educator in the fields of addiction and psychedelics.

Together, drawing on their own triumphant sto...

Why are wild peyote populations shrinking, and what can be done about it?

In this episode, we explore the sacred medicine of peyote and efforts to conserve it with Leonardo Mercado. We discuss restrictive U.S. laws, unregulated harvesting, ongoing debates, conservation work led by some Native communities, wild vs. greenhouse cultivation and more.

For 40 years, Leo has been dedicated to preserving peyote and its seed ...

Today’s mini episode welcomes back Xochi Bucuru - Colombian traditional healer, educator, and community activist. Xochi shares details about her upcoming course, Spiritual Medicine for Integrative Health – part of Modern Spirit’s wider offerings and learning resources.

The 5-week live online course will run from Feb 24th to March 24th 2026.

More details HERE. Limited scholarships available.

If...

For this episode, Dr. Joe Tafur and Natasha Pentin spoke with Tania de Jong AM, an award-winning social entrepreneur, acclaimed soprano, inspirational speaker and storyteller, creative alchemist, philanthropist and spiritual journey woman.

Many of our listeners wanted to learn more about the power of music for healing and the neuroscience of singing together, so in this episode we explore all of that – as well as the ...

Dr. Joe Tafur and Natasha Pentin spoke with Edward James, Ph.D., and Joachim Keppler, Ph.D. Edward brings expertise across pharmacology, psychedelic compounds, and biochemistry. Joachim is a quantum field theory physicist, devoted to the study of consciousness and uncovering its fundamental mechanisms. With their colleagues, they published a paper together in 2022 about DMT, ayahuasca plant medicine, and human consciousness.

Dr. Joe Tafur and Natasha Pentin sat down with Roman Palitsky M.Div. PhD., Director of Research Projects for Emory Spiritual Health. He’s also Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science and faculty in the Emory Center for Psychedelics and Spirituality.

We discuss Spiritual, Existential, Religious, and Theological (SERT) experiences around psychedelics, how some religious people understand and ex...

Dr. Joe Tafur and Natasha Pentin spoke with Canadian adult and pediatric neurologist Dr. Evan Cole Lewis to explore how epilepsy, trauma, and brain networks intertwine. We discuss pediatric epilepsy, cannabis for seizures, Functional Neurological Disorders (FND), and emerging psychedelic-assisted therapy treatments. Dr. Lewis talks about the differences between structural brain injury and brain “software” disruption, sh...

Natasha Pentin is joined by Dr. Joe Tafur himself and Xochi Bucuru. Dr. Tafur is a Colombo-American integrative physician, traditionally trained spiritual healer (Ayahuasquero), and highly acclaimed author. Xochi is a Colombian traditional healer (Yagecera), educator, and promoter of Indigenous community projects. 

They discuss supporting Indigenous traditions, navigating the learning curve of ancestral healing, advice for find...

Great interview with my friends and colleagues, Ray and Amalia Baca. Together we started the Ocotillo Center for Integrative Medicine, which continues to evolve. Raymond Alonzo “Two Bears” Baca describes himself as a Christian Taoist, walking the Red Road. I call him a Medicine Man and a Breathworker. Amalia Baca obtained her doctorate’s from the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine & Health Sciences in ...

Wonderful discussion with my old friend, research and spiritual mentor Dr. Paul Mills.
Paul J. Mills was Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health and Director of the Center of Excellence for Research and Training in Integrative Health.
He was also Chief of the UC San Diego Behavioral Medicine Division, Director of the UC San Diego Clinical Research Biomarker Laboratory, and Co-director of the UC San Diego Clinical and...

Great interview with my old friend and Modern Spirit Board Member Dr. Shamini Jain PhD.
Dr. Shamini Jain is the Founder and CEO of the Consciousness and Healing Initiative (CHI), a collaborative accelerator that facilitates the transdisciplinary science and real-world application of consciousness and healing practices. As a clinical psychologist, as well as a research scientist in the fields of psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) and in...

Thought-provoking interview with my friend and colleague educator and researcher Ronan Hallowell M.A., Ed.D. Ronan is Assistant Professor of Clinical Medical Education at the USC School of Medicine. As a member of the Learning Sciences Team in the Department of Medical Education at Keck, he works with colleagues to provide a suite of curriculum and instruction services to faculty and administrators that includes instructional desig...

David Schumann, joins us for a very special interview. David Schumann is a mathematician, engineer, researcher, and writer working in the fields of natural health, green energy, science, spirituality, and technology. He received his B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Arizona and spent fifteen years in the pyrotechnic device business as engineer and program lead. His company, Synergy Energy Systems, was formed in 2008 to con...

Rael Cahn, MD PhD, joins us for a fascinating interview. Dr. Cahn is a clinician scientist at the USC Brain and Creativity Institute. He has extensive personal experience as a meditation practitioner and experience teaching mindfulness meditation practices to clinicians and patients alike. His research expertise is in the neuroscience of meditation and altered states of consciousness.

Dr. Cahn is the Principal Investigator o...