For many people, the path toward ayahuasca begins with curiosity. For Sam Believ, founder of LaWayra Ayahuasca Retreat in Colombia, it also began with a quiet sense that something was missing. Originally from Latvia, Sam trained as an engineer and built a financially successful career in the offshore oil and gas industry. From the outside, […]

Running an ayahuasca retreat is unlike operating an ordinary hospitality business. It combines accommodation, food service, transportation, ceremony management, emotional support, and land maintenance while serving guests who may arrive carrying depression, trauma, addiction, or disconnection. In a conversation on The Innsiders podcast, LaWayra founder Sam Believ explained how an ayahuasca retreat functions behind the […]

Ayahuasca has moved from an obscure Amazonian tradition into mainstream conversations about healing, spirituality, and personal transformation. As interest grows, so does the number of retreat centers and self-described shamans offering ceremonies around the world. This also makes it harder for newcomers to recognize what is authentic, safe, and responsibly facilitated. In a conversation on […]

Ayahuasca has become one of the most talked-about plant medicines in the world. Once practiced almost exclusively by indigenous communities in the Amazon, it is now attracting people from all walks of life who are searching for healing, clarity, and personal growth. Despite its growing popularity, many questions remain. How does ayahuasca work? Is it […]

Many people spend years searching for answers. They try therapy, self-help books, meditation, career success, relationships, or financial achievement. Yet despite these efforts, they often feel disconnected from themselves and unsure why. In a conversation on the Harder Than Life podcast, Sam Believ, founder of LaWayra Ayahuasca Retreat and host of the Ayahuasca Podcast, shared […]

Success does not always lead to happiness. Many people spend years pursuing financial security, professional achievement, and material comfort, only to discover that something important is still missing. For Sam Believ, founder of LaWayra Ayahuasca Retreat in Colombia and host of the Ayahuasca Podcast, that realization became the starting point of a journey that would […]

For decades, Colombia has struggled with an international reputation shaped largely by one word: cocaine. Despite its extraordinary biodiversity, indigenous traditions, and rich cultural heritage, many people still associate the country primarily with cartels, crime, and Pablo Escobar. Yet a growing movement is attempting to tell a different story—one centered on healing, spirituality, and one […]

The worlds of biohacking and plant medicine may seem very different at first glance. Biohackers often focus on data, optimization, wearables, supplements, sleep scores, and performance metrics. Ayahuasca, on the other hand, is rooted in ancient indigenous traditions, spirituality, ceremony, and personal transformation. Yet according to Sam Believ, founder of LaWayra Ayahuasca Retreat in Colombia, […]