Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Douglas Finkelstein, Co-Founder and CEO of Empathic.Health, located in Los Angeles, CA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Empathic.Health is a peer-support psychedelic integration community. We provide support and connection for people getting more in touch with their spiritual practice through large groups, small groups, and 1:1 events.

Tell us about yourself

Everyone deserves the right to explore if psychedelic medicine can help them as it helped me. Our mission is to provide a supportive community and the educational resources you need to make that decision for yourself. When I was 13, a family friend — a dermatologist — put me on the chronic hair-loss drug Finasteride. My grandfather was bald, and my dad is bald…so I thought, free hair? Sign me up!!! Itttttt did not work that way. For the next ten years, I battled depression, poor nutrition, and a lack of enthusiasm to explore the beauty of life. (Disclosure: I was never clinically diagnosed with depression. My use of the word here is in the dictionary definition of the word.) It wasn't until the age of 23, after going through a tough breakup, that I realized I wasn't in control of my thoughts anymore. After researching the potential side effects of Finasteride — there's literally a non-profit foundation built around their seriousness— I realized this chronic drug was likely the primary reason. I threw out my prescription the next day.

A few months later, I sat down to meditate for the first time without guidance and knowing what to do (fact: there is no wrong way to do it!) I'm not sure when I started noticing the effects, but it felt good to try something new, stick with it, and explore a new interest — something I had not done in a decade. Slowly, I improved at catching negative thoughts soon after they had arisen, observing them objectively and seeing what they had to teach me before letting them dissipate. Within a year, my friends and family noticed the positive effects of my practice seeping into my personality. And I felt it, too. I wasn't as worried about others' perceptions of me, like how much hair was on my head, which freed me up to explore what brought me personal joy.

At 25, a little over a year into my meditation practice, I decided to try psilocybin (magic mushrooms). I never really had a strong interest in psychedelics before, but this open-minded, positive me — the actual me — was willing to consider trying anything new. It wasn't a rash decision. Always one to plan meticulously, I scavenged the internet to find all the information I could to ensure that if I were to do this, it would be a safe experience. It took days to find answers to my satisfaction, and even then, I couldn't fully trust the sources providing the information. But eventually, I was able to build my comfort to the level that, if I took the steps to appropriately account for the set (mindset) and setting (physical setting), I would be okay.

I planned a weekend vacation with five of my closest friends at a remote cabin in upstate New York for my first trip, bringing a sober trip sitter with whom I had absolute trust and paying attention to every detail of set and setting. AND…nothing crazy happened. My friends and I shared a memorable weekend that brought us closer together! In the three years since that first trip, I've gone on five or so more (5–6 months between trips is my personal preference for how long I should go between recalibrations of my psyche). I always go to a new setting with a new combination of important people in my life, making each experience unique to the present.

Over these various trips, a common thread has emerged: my love of introducing this powerful tool — psilocybin — to those ready to experience it. Nothing makes me smile more than seeing someone I care about to win their internal battles and improve their day-to-day life, and — in my experience — psychedelic experiences create the space to do just that. I guess it's just an added bonus that these shared experiences create bonds between participants stronger than anything I can fathom. With all that goodness, you would think it's easy for someone to have access to these life-changing medicines. But if it weren't for my neighbor's friend's brother's acquaintance from high school (true story), I — and those I have mentioned — would never have had these life-changing experiences. It wasn't until my most recent experience in August of 2020 that it suddenly clicked for me: every single person should have access to all the resources, information, and support available to decide if psychedelic medicine is right for them. And that is how the idea of Empathic Health was created.

I don't believe my personal journey with psychedelic medicine is the right path for everyone. Your individual journey is for you to discover, and many great people have devoted their lives to providing options that may be right for you. One example is the Temple of the Way of Light, a Shipibo ayahuasca ceremony in Peru. The Temple requires healers that have trained for 5 years with various plant spirits to help conduct the ceremonies. Another example is Field Trip Health, a wellness company offering ketamine therapy in Toronto, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Field Trip has a 5-step program that provides an oft-forgotten — but crucially important — therapy-intensive and integrative approach. There are many other examples of psychedelic medicine therapies being practiced effectively today. With a safe, trustworthy, and welcoming place to discover credible information and scientific findings around psychedelic medicine— and a supportive community full of physicians, spiritual leaders, experts, friends, and loved ones to assist you on your journey — the judgment and stigma behind exploring these legitimate remedies to mental turmoil can begin to, much like my hairline, recede.

With that vision in mind, Empathic Health sets out to create a platform to progress everyone on their psychedelic exploration, no matter where you stand today. It is powerful to learn that you CAN feel different, even if your brain has convinced you otherwise. But you don't have to take my word for it. Start this journey yourself! We will be there to help you.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Every time I hear that our organization has made a profoundly positive impact on the life of a human being.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Staying organized and knowing what to prioritize!

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Have an unwavering passion for what you're getting into.
  2. Always be talking to your most active customers to shape the product for them.
  3. Find other people to join you and help ease your burden.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://empathic.health/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empathic.health/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empathic-health/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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