In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast, host Sam Believ (founder of http://www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with Dan Cleland. Dan is a Canadian entrepreneur, author, and former CEO and co-founder of Soltara Healing Center in Costa Rica. Blending plant medicine, mindset mastery, and social entrepreneurship, he is the author of The Pulse of the Jungle and 12 Laws of the Jungle.

• 00:00 – 01:05: Introduction to Dan Cleland, his background in heavy metal, and his path as a square peg in the retreat space

• 01:06 – 05:22: Building Pulse Adventure Tours, Arcana Spiritual Center in Peru, and founding Soltara Healing Center in Costa Rica

• 05:23 – 09:51: Dan’s early life struggles, lost direction in his 20s, and a life-altering fall off a 20-meter cliff in Australia

• 09:52 – 14:34: Recovering from severe physical trauma, discovering Ayahuasca, and setting off on a journey to Peru

• 14:35 – 18:00: Getting robbed in Cusco, suffering food poisoning, and finding his first Ayahuasca ceremony in New Mexico

• 18:01 – 22:30: Experiencing retreats at Chimbre, writing his early blogs, and building early adventure-based retreat tours

• 22:31 – 26:40: Working with the Shipibo lineage in Iquitos, launching Pulse Tours, and acquiring land with local community support

• 26:41 – 30:02: The forging process of Ayahuasca and the resilience needed to run a complex plant medicine center

• 30:03 – 34:52: Navigating operational chaos, guest safety, facilitator challenges, and supply chain realities in Latin America

• 34:53 – 38:20: The transformational ripple effect of plant medicine on thousands of retreat guests and local communities

• 38:21 – 42:17: Balancing the beauty of life-changing transformations with the messy business mechanics of retreat centers

• 42:18 – 47:08: Raising capital for Soltara, navigating border closures and zero revenue during the pandemic, and scaling back up

• 47:09 – 49:52: Facing market saturation in Costa Rica, shifting industry dynamics, and deciding to transition out of Soltara

• 49:53 – 54:25: The difficulty of scaling retreat models, personal founder touches, and Dan’s book 12 Laws of the Jungle

• 54:26 – 1:00:18: Key principles from 12 Laws of the Jungle: “The jungle doesn’t care,” gladiator mindsets, and hunting for deals

• 1:00:19 – 1:04:03: The Cashflow Quadrant framework, shifting from employee to business owner, and life post-exit

• 1:04:04 – 1:08:18: Staying active through new ventures, documentaries (Drinking the Jungle), and closing advice

If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats go to http://www.lawayra.com.

Find more about Dan Cleland at Daniel Cleland’s Website or on Instagram @danielccleland.

In this episode of the Ayahuasca Podcast, host Sam Believ speaks with Bruce Eckfeldt—a seasoned entrepreneur, systems thinker, certified exit planning advisor, former CEO of an Inc. 500 tech firm, and host of the Psychedelics Invest podcast.

• 00:00 – 01:00: Introduction of guest Bruce Eckfeldt, highlighting his background as an architect, tech founder, exit planning advisor, and host of Psychedelics Invest.

• 01:01 – 04:04: Bruce shares his personal journey from architecture to interactive tech, selling his company in 2013, recovering from a broken back using cannabis, and transitioning into the cannabis and psychedelic podcast space.

• 04:05 – 05:15: Sam and Bruce discuss using podcasting as an effective tool for learning and connecting with people.

• 05:16 – 09:30: Bruce details his first personal psychedelic experience—a weekend retreat involving psilocybin and San Pedro in the California Redwoods—and the deep sense of internal trust and connectedness it provided.

• 09:31 – 14:00: A discussion on executive and founder burnout, where Bruce redefines burnout not as overexertion, but as an integrity issue stemming from putting energy into work that lacks alignment with personal values.

• 14:01 – 18:30: Sam and Bruce discuss founder dynamics, the natural life cycle of business stages, energy allocation, and the typical 5- to 7-year life shift cycle.

• 18:31 – 21:00: Addressing the rumor/fear in Silicon Valley of founders drinking Ayahuasca and quitting their companies or drastically altering their lives.

• 21:01 – 24:00: Bruce explains his intensive retreat format for executive teams, using natural settings, discomfort, and strategic reflection to drive organizational change.

• 24:01 – 28:50: Exploring the potential of combining plant medicine with business retreats to treat burnout, alongside the importance of doing internal work before making radical external life changes.

• 28:51 – 32:25: Unpacking why entrepreneurs build businesses—balancing purpose versus proving oneself—and using the analogy of picking a mountain to climb.

• 32:26 – 34:25: Why successful people struggle to enjoy their achievements, shifting the focus from fleeting happiness to deep engagement and purpose.

• 34:26 – 39:30: Bruce introduces his book, Springboard, which guides founders on post-exit planning, scaling, and reverse-engineering their business exit strategies.

• 39:31 – 44:50: Examining “conscious capitalism” and the intersection/tension between business investors, clinical researchers, and traditional ceremonial plant medicine practices.

• 44:51 – 49:25: How leaders should integrate psychedelic insights without impulsively disrupting their organizations or teams.

• 49:26 – 52:25: Recurring visual realms, geometry, and neural patterns experienced during psychedelic journeys.

• 52:26 – 53:25: Closing remarks and where to find Bruce Eckfeldt’s work (on his LinkedIn, and his book Springboard).