In & Through: The Onaya Podcast

About In & Through: The Onaya Podcast

In times of political, ecological and psychospiritual crisis — the only way out is In & Through. Join Onaya as we welcome some of the most interesting people we know, to discuss eclectic topics from psychedelic medicine and Indigenous ways of knowing, to spirit entities, the meaning of dreams, and singing to the plants. Your main host is our founder Dr Simon Ruffell, a psychiatrist and research psychologist with a PhD in Amazonian ayahuasca and a student of Shipibo curanderismo. Onaya is dedicated to bridging the gap between traditional indigenous knowledge and modern science, including a not-for-profit research arm that studies ayahuasca and other Amazonian plant medicine practices. We offer one-to-one support, consultancy and accredited courses that combine shamanism and biomedical science to facilitate holistic individual and collective healing. For more information, please visit https://www.onaya.io/ or join our mailing list. *** For a special 10% discount to our 6-Month Psychedelic Mentorship Training, head to our website and use the code 'INTHROUGH10' *** Co-producers: Robbie Redway and Caspar Montgomery Music: United Freedom Collective

Publisher

Onaya

Category

religion & spirituality · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

3 Sept 2024

Latest episode

14 Jul 2026

Latest episodes

26 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   14 Jul 2026

   #26 — Faith, Frequencies and Bare-Knuckle Boxing with Matthew Morton

   In this episode of Onaya's In & Through podcast, host Dr Simon Ruffell is joined by Matthew "The Spider" Morton: professional bare-knuckle boxer and student of naturopathic medicine, and currently taking part in Onaya's Psychedelic Mentorship Training programme. Matthew is also part of Athletes Journey Home, working alongside Ian McCall to support fighters and athletes recovering from traumatic brain injury and addiction through plant medicine. The story Matthew shares here begins in childhood sexual abuse and, by twelve years old, heroin and crack addiction. He describes a life built on chaos until he found bare-knuckle boxing: what he calls the purest, most primal form of the sport, and the discipline that began to provide a home for the impulsive nature he'd never previously been able to channel. Now three and a half years sober and off the psychiatric medications he was once prescribed by the handful, Matthew credits microdosing psilocybin, structure, and his devotion to his Christian faith with rebuilding his mental, physical, and spiritual health from the ground up. Simon and Matthew trace the arc of this journey in detail: the random Instagram message that led to a flight from Newcastle to a retreat in Colombia; his first ayahuasca ceremony with Athletes Journey Home; and the shift in perspective he brought back with him, from a harder-edged, conditional view of love and loyalty toward something closer to presence and acceptance. They discuss why he believes athletes in particular, whose careers leave a legacy of concussions, impulse dysregulation, and unprocessed trauma, stand to benefit from natural medicines and sacred plant medicines, and how microdosing has changed his relationship to his own body and instincts inside the ring. The conversation also moves into Matthew's current chapter: training in naturopathic medicine, using his own psilocybin practice as a year-long case study, and preparing to return to Colombia to volunteer and begin integration coaching at the retreat that changed his life. Throughout, Matthew is candid about skepticism from old friends, the pull of self-sabotage, and what it actually takes to keep choosing a different "frequency" to live your life to. Links Matthew Morton: BKB Fighter Profile (https://www.bkbbareknuckle.com/brawlers/matthew-morton) Athlete’s Journey Home (https://athletesjourneyhome.com/) IG: @matthewmorton (https://www.instagram.com/matthewmorton/)

2. 

   15 Jun 2026

   #25 — Open Source Education and the Shadow of Money with Liam Hackett MBE

   In this episode of Onaya's In & Through podcast, host Dr Simon Ruffell is joined by Liam Hackett MBE: entrepreneur, charity founder, executive coach, and founder of the HALI Foundation: an evidence-led organisation for psychedelic education, policy reform, and public dialogue on sacred plant medicines. Liam is also a graduate of Onaya's inaugural Psychedelic Mentorship Training programme, from our very first cohort, and this podcast features detailed reflections and practical discoveries from his subsequent journey towards covering psychedelic preparation, integration and transformation in his offerings. Liam spent 18 years building Ditch the Label into one of the world's largest youth charities, reaching over 180 million people and partnering with brands including EA Games, TikTok, and L'Oréal; work recognised with an MBE from His Majesty the King. That journey brought him face to face with the root causes of harm, stigma, and disconnection, and eventually to plant medicine, which he describes as holding "just the most enormous potential to really tackle those root causes" in ways conventional systems have failed to reach. Simon and Liam trace the arc of Liam's path: from founding a youth charity at 15 to the slow, seed-planting encounter with psychedelics that eventually called him to leave Ditch the Label and begin what he describes as "the second mountain." They explore the psychospiritual territory of that transition; the shamanic death, the collapse of the familiar road ahead, the art of surrender; and what it has felt like to move through it with intention. The conversation turns to the work Liam is building now: HALI Foundation's mission to bridge the gap between academic research, Indigenous wisdom, and public understanding; and Liam’s private coaching practice with founders and high achievers navigating the dissonance between outer success and inner misalignment. Together, Simon and Liam explore the shadow of money in plant medicine spaces; greed, shame, under-charging, and the spiritual bypassing that can lead practitioners to reject the very systems they are needed inside; and make a case for energetic exchange as a practice of awareness, boundaries, and contribution rather than transaction. This is a conversation about what it means to bring business acumen into the service of healing, to stay grounded while walking an uncertain path, and to go back into the world (rather than retreating into another retreat) as the actual work. Links HALI Foundation (https://www.halifoundation.org) HALI Coaching (https://halicoaching.com/)

3. 

   20 May 2026

   #24 — Psychedelic Ecologies of Context with Dr Ido Hartogsohn

   In this episode of Onaya’s In & Through podcast, host Dr Simon Ruffell is joined by Dr Ido Hartogsohn, Assistant Professor in the Graduate Program for Science, Technology, and Society at Bar-Ilan University, and one of the leading contemporary thinkers on psychedelic set and setting. Dr Ido Hartogsohn’s research explores how context (the intricate confluence of psychological, social, cultural, and technological forces) profoundly shapes psychedelic experience. Together, Simon and Ido trace the historical development of the concepts of set and setting, from their mid-20th-century origins through to their place in today’s therapeutic renaissance, and consider how different eras have framed psychedelics: from 1950s ideas of optimization and performance to the contemporary focus on trauma and mental health. They also explore the idea of “collective set and setting”: The broader cultural narratives, media environments, and shared expectations that shape individual experience, and how intention itself is never purely personal but always formed in relation to the worlds we inhabit. Drawing on his background in Science and Technology Studies and media ecology, Dr Ido Hartoghsohn offers parallels between digital media environments and psychedelic environments, and how both can be understood as mind-shaping technologies. Dr Ido Hartoghsohn is the author of Technomysticism: Consciousness in the Technological Age (2009), American Trip (MIT Press, 2020), and Mind Changing: Notes from the Psychedelic Renaissance (2025), and writes widely for both Israeli and international media, including Haaretz and The New York Times, on psychedelics, technology, and culture. This is a conversation about maturity in psychedelic culture, the responsibilities of researchers and practitioners, and what it might mean to take seriously the subtle architectures that shape both individual and collective experience. Links Dr Ido Hartogsohn’s research profile (https://sts.biu.ac.il/en/node/19) American Trip (https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262539142/american-trip/) (MIT Press, 2020) X: @hartogsohn (https://x.com/hartogsohn)

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Spotify

5.0 / 5

26 ratings

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