E238 - Breaking Convention // Psychedelics and The Rise of The Future Human with Rose Cartwright, Moudou Baqui, Iyad El-Baghdadi, Shannon Dames, Dr Simon Ruffell and Akua Ofosuhene - all that we are (fka the future is beautiful)

“Part of our job is to help manifest the future human. And when we go into these liminal spaces, this is where we can imagine the future human, the future ideas, draw them down and bring them into the real world. “ Moudou Baqui

E238 – Breaking Convention // Psychedelics and The Rise of The Future Human

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About this episode: Can altered states shift our collective future?

In this week’s episode, we share a powerful moment recorded at Breaking Convention, where Amisha brings together Rose Cartwright, Moudou Baqui, Iyad El-Baghdadi, Shannon Dames, Dr Simon Ruffell and Akua Ofosuhene. Each bringing their own lived experience with psychedelics. They explore what becomes possible when psychedelic experiences meet social change and the deep remembering of older, wiser ways of being.

There is a profound bravery and deep vulnerability in this conversation that lingers long after the listening ends. Speaking of grief and revelation, darkness and rebirth, community and disconnection, they reflect on what it means to be a host for new realities, to clear the landing pad for the future and to walk with integrity as stewards of both ancient and emerging ways of knowing.

We explore:

:: What becomes possible when psychedelic experiences meet social change and ancestral remembering :: How extraordinary gifts are returning to people

:: What it means to host new realities and prepare the landing pad for beneficial energies

:: How Indigenous and Western sciences can learn from one another through mutual listening and respect

:: How remembering the body can be a gateway to reconciling with each other and the earth

:: What happens when people stop holding back and speak from the depth of lived experience

:: How the healing of community lives deep in our bones

:: Why you can be hopeful even when you’re pessimistic

:: How psychedelics can loosen the rigidity we carry and reconnect us to what is real

We hope that this episode invites you to understand differently your own healing journey and the role that psychedelics can play for all of us.

“Hope is different from optimism. You can be hopeful even when you’re pessimistic. Hope is the sense that some things are worth it, that there is a concept of right and wrong, and that there’s a concept of meaning.” Iyad El-Baghdadi

Our guests, in the order you first hear them:

Rose Cartwright is a screenwriter and bestselling author. Rose is a writer and co-producer on the Netflix sci-fi series 3 Body Problem, from Game Of Thrones’ creators Benioff & Weiss. Her non-fiction book about psychedelics, The Maps We Carry, was published by HarperCollins in April 2024. Rose wrote a memoir called Pure about intrusive sexual thoughts that became a Channel 4 comedy drama series.

Moudou Baqui serves as the spokes person of the Detroit Psychedelic Society and founder of Per Ankh sanctuary (An Entheogenic church in Detroit, Michigan). Also serving as a National Board member of Decriminalize Nature, Moudou has helped organize decriminalisation efforts in over 3 U.S. cities including his hometown Detroit. He has been a co-organizer of the Detroit Psychedelic conference.

Iyad El-Baghdadi is a Palestinian writer, activist, and founder of the Kawaakibi Foundation. Known for his work on authoritarianism, liberation, and Middle East geopolitics, he was exiled from the UAE in 2014 and lives in Norway. This episode marks a rare public exploration of his healing journey with psychedelics – specifically MDMA – and psilocybin-assisted therapy – in the context of PTSD from years of exile, persecution, and loss. While Iyad often speaks about systems and strategy, here he reflects on how trauma shapes both individuals and paradigms, and how psychedelic healing can unlock deeper integration, resilience, and liberatory possibilities.

Shannon Dames is a third-generation immigrant to Canada with mixed European ancestry. She serves as a mom of two, a Health Professional Investigator, a registered nurse for the last 20 years with a doctorate in education (with a focus on resilience development curriculum) and a master’s in public health. She is a Professor of Nursing and Chair of VIU’s PaT Graduate Certificate education program at Vancouver Island University (VIU), and a curriculum and research and development lead for the Roots to Thrive program (providing resilience development and psychedelic-assisted therapy).

Dr. Simon Ruffell is trained in psychiatry, research psychology (PhD in Amazonian ayahuasca), and traditional plant medicine under Shipibo maestro Don Rono Lopez. He is CEO of Onaya, offering education rooted in Indigenous and scientific knowledge, and co-founder of Onaya Science, researching ayahuasca in natural Amazonian settings. Simon is Lecturer in Psychology and Psychedelics at the University of Exeter and Chief Medical Officer of MINDS, a nonprofit exploring psychedelics for global challenges. He serves on Chacruna Institute’s Advisory Board. His work bridges Indigenous and Western paradigms, advocating for integrative, relational approaches to healing and understanding consciousness.

Akua Ofosuhene is a Psychedelic Guide & Healing Advocate. She has presented internationally and is on the management board of Breaking Convention. She is based in Ghana, and crafts Ayahuasca ceremonies using locally grown Caapi and Chacruna. Her work combines African spiritual practices with psychedelic healing. This work began after her son was groomed into a drug ring, Akua supports parents navigating gang-related trauma and works with individuals recovering from coercive control. She is also the founder of African Spiritual Practices events.

Breaking Convention is a British charity organising and hosting a biennial academic conference bringing together multiple disciplines (including medicine, psychology, anthropology, sociology, law, politics and the arts) associated with the research of psychedelic substances. They promote and support research on psychedelic substances and the dissemination, and assistance in the dissemination, of the useful results of such research. They host a multidisciplinary conference on psychedelic consciousness, featuring more than 200 presenters from around the world.

To connect with Rose, visit rosecartwright.com

To connect with Moudou, visit moudou_baqui

To connect with Iyad, visit el-baghdadi.com

To connect with Shannon, visit rootstothrive.com

To connect with Simon, visit onaya.science

To connect with Akua, visit akuaofosuhene

To connect with Breaking Convention, visit breakingconvention.co.uk

To connect or work with Amisha, visit amisha.co.uk