The Awaken Podcast with Natasja Pelgrom

About The Awaken Podcast with Natasja Pelgrom

Welcome to The Awaken Podcast, hosted by Natasja Pelgrom—a space where ancient wisdom meets modern consciousness, and personal growth becomes a collective evolution. In this newly envisioned season, Natasja returns with a bold new format, diving deep into topics like conscious leadership, psychedelics, somatic intelligence, metaphysics, and spiritual self-discovery. Each episode features intimate, high-impact conversations with guests who embody the work they speak about—offering insights that speak not only to the mind, but to the soul. Now available on YouTube and all major platforms, this season includes immersive, on-location recordings that bring authenticity, depth, and beauty to each dialogue. Whether you're a lifelong seeker, a curious skeptic, or a professional working at the edge of transformation, this podcast offers grounding, reflection, and new ways of seeing the world. Tune in for practical wisdom, expansive inquiry, and real connection.

Publisher

Natasja Pelgrom

Category

education · health & fitness · religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

19 Aug 2021

Latest episode

8 May 2025

Latest episodes

41 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   8 May 2025

   Ayahuasca, NASA & the Origins of Life

   Ayahuasca, NASA & the Origins of Life | Dr. Bruce Damer on Psychedelics, Science & Consciousness What if psychedelics aren’t just medicines for healing—but elixirs of discovery? In this boundary-breaking episode of The Awaken Podcast, Dr. Bruce Damer—astrophysicist, visionary researcher, and President of the Center for MINDS—joins Natasja Pelgrom for a groundbreaking conversation on psychedelic-catalyzed insight and its role in shaping the future of science, technology, and human understanding. 📍 Recorded live at Breaking Convention 2025, Bruce shares the story behind how an ayahuasca journey catalyzed a breakthrough in origin-of-life research—a theory now being explored by NASA and peer-reviewed by the scientific community. This is where mysticism meets microbiology, where altered states ignite innovation, and where the line between science and spirit dissolves. 🌍 In this episode, we explore: 🌱 How a visionary ayahuasca experience led to a breakthrough in astrobiology 🧠 Why healing medicines may also be tools for discovery, creativity, and leadership 🧬 The question: Can psychedelics accelerate scientific understanding? 👁️ Encountering an “entity” that delivered insight even NASA couldn’t discredit 🌀 The role of psilocybin, creative flow, and memory in cognitive research 🤖 Collaborating with AI to extend ancient knowledge systems 🌐 Ethical and methodological guardrails for researchers coming “out of the psychedelic closet” 📚 About Dr. Bruce Damer: President, Center for MINDS (https://www.centerforminds.org) Astrobiologist & origin-of-life researcher Former NASA consultant & visionary systems designer Author, public speaker, and psychedelic science pioneer 🌐 More: (https://www.damer.com)www.damer.com (http://www.damer.com) (https://www.damer.com) 🎟️ This episode was recorded live at Breaking Convention – Europe’s leading psychedelic conference: 🔗 breakingconvention.co.uk (https://breakingconvention.co.uk/) 🎥 Subscribe for more episodes on YouTube: 🔗/@natasjapelgrom (https://www.youtube.com/@NatasjaPelgrom) 🌿 Retreats, integration & community: 🔗 natasjapelgrom.com (natasjapelgrom.com) 📲 Connect on Instagram: 🔗 @natasja_pelgrom (https://www.instagram.com/natasja_pelgrom/)

2. 

   24 Apr 2025

   African Fungal Wisdom & Psych3delic Consciousness

   Are You a Mushroom Having a Human Experience? | Darren Le Baron on Psychedelic Consciousness & African Wisdom In this enlightening episode of The Awaken Podcast, host Natasja Pelgrom is joined by Darren Le Baron—renowned mycologist, psychedelic educator, and speaker on ancient African plant medicine traditions. Recorded live at Breaking Convention 2025, this conversation explores the intersection of psychedelic consciousness, ethnomycology, and ancestral wisdom. With humor, reverence, and grounded insight, Darren shares how mushrooms can awaken new understandings of identity, spirituality, and our relationship with nature. 🌿 Topics covered in this episode: ✅ African wisdom traditions & the lost roots of psychedelic use ✅ “You Are a Mushroom Having a Human Experience” — unpacking Darren’s signature teaching ✅ What mushrooms teach us about consciousness, transformation & healing ✅ How cultivating your own plant medicine deepens the integration process ✅ Cultural and spiritual perspectives on fungi across the globe ✅ Ethical leadership in the era of psychedelic commercialization ✅ How fungi mirror our inner and collective evolution ✨ Whether you’re a psychonaut, spiritual seeker, or student of mycology, this episode is a journey through the soul of the soil and the spirit of the mushroom. 🌐 Learn more about Darren’s work, webinars, and courses: 🔗 www.darrenlebaron.com (http://www.darrenlebaron.com) 🎟️ This episode was recorded live at Breaking Convention – Europe’s leading psychedelic conference: 🔗 breakingconvention.co.uk (breakingconvention.co.uk) 🎥 Subscribe for more episodes on YouTube: 🔗 / @natasjapelgrom (https://www.youtube.com/@NatasjaPelgrom) 🌿 Retreats, integration & community: 🔗 natasjapelgrom.com (https://www.natasjapelgrom.com/) 📲 Connect on Instagram: 🔗 @natasja_pelgrom (https://www.instagram.com/natasja_pelgrom/)

3. 

   9 Apr 2025

   Psych*del^cs, Panpsychism, and the Edges of Reality: A Philosophical Inquiry with Dr. Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes

   Exploring consciousness, metaphysics, and psychedelic insight through the lens of Spinietzschean thought. In this mind-expanding episode of The Awaken Podcast, Natasja is joined by Dr. Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes, philosopher of mind, metaphysician, and lecturer at the University of Exeter. Renowned for bridging ancient philosophical questions with modern psychedelic insight, Peter invites us into a layered inquiry on consciousness, altered states, and the mysteries embedded within nature itself. From Spinoza to Nietzsche, Kant to panpsychism, this conversation travels through rich philosophical terrain—exploring how altered states may not only expand the mind, but also reframe our understanding of what mind is. In this episode, we explore: What is consciousness—and is it embedded in or emergent from nature? How psychedelics challenge traditional views of the mind-body problem Can altered states give us access to otherwise hidden layers of reality? How metaphysical frameworks like panpsychism and pantheism influence the interpretation of psychedelic experiences Why plants, fungi—and perhaps even matter itself—may be conscious in ways we overlook The intersection of Spinietzschean philosophy and expanded states of awareness What philosophers like Kant might say about psychedelic experience The role of awe, sublimity, and moral insight beyond reason Key philosophical questions in psychedelic research that remain unexplored This episode is a contemplative feast for psychonauts, scholars, and seekers alike—an invitation to see not just differently, but deeper. 📚 About Dr. Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes: Lecturer at the University of Exeter, Co-Founder of the Exeter Psychedelic Research Group Director & Trustee at Breaking Convention Author of Noumenautics, Modes of Sentience, and editor of Philosophy and Psychedelics TEDx Speaker | Published with Bloomsbury, Routledge, Palgrave Macmillan, and Psychedelic Press Inspiration behind Marvel’s philosopher superhero, Karnak 🌐 More about Peter: www.philosopher.eu (http://www.philosopher.eu) 🎟️ Join the Breaking Convention psychedelic conference: Get 10% off your ticket with the code AWAKENTHEMED10 🌿 Resources & Next Steps: → Join the next Sacred Continuum (https://www.eudaimonia.institute/sacred-continuum) live class (integration & embodiment support) → Explore upcoming retreats (https://www.awakenthemedicinewithin.com/) and mentoring (https://www.natasjapelgrom.com/mentorship) opportunities 🌐 natasjapelgrom.com (https://www.natasjapelgrom.com) 🎥 youtube.com/@NatasjaPelgrom (https://www.youtube.com/@NatasjaPelgrom) 📲 @natasja_pelgrom (https://www.instagram.com/natasja_pelgrom) 💬 If this episode sparks questions or cosmic reflections… Share it with a fellow seeker or philosopher. Subscribe, leave a review, and tag us in your favorite quotes or “aha” moments. #TheAwakenPodcast #ConsciousnessExplored #PsychedelicPhilosophy #Panpsychism #Spinietzsche #MetaphysicsAndMedicine

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

12,957

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.7 / 5

13 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

20 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 70 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

59

Social presence

94

YouTube

72

Engagement

85

Contact The Awaken Podcast with Natasja Pelgrom

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.