The Team

Stephanie PenillaMary TellianoMary TellianoMary TellianoMary TellianoMary TellianoMary TellianoMary Telliano

Mary Telliano

‍Mary Telliano brings to our journey a decade of experience as a psychedelic facilitator, end of life coach and teacher. She has accompanied hundreds of clients through deep plant medicine journeys and integration in 1:1 and group settings.

Mary's approach is to show her clients how to trust their inner guidance and intuition. She works with each client to create a non-judgmental container in which they can access their internal wisdom and intuition. She accompanies them to become the primary witnesses of their own inner landscape, and uncover their own innate power to heal and grow.

Mary supports her clients with her deep knowledge of healing practices, including Reiki, breathwork, sound healing, guided meditation, somatic and body work, Internal Family Systems (IFS), inner child work, intuitive energetic meditations and clearing processes.

In 2015, Mary founded The Anam Cara Academy. Since then she has trained hundreds of students in the practice and art of end of life coaching, and dozens more in psychedelic facilitation.

Mary is the mother of three children, ages 21, 10 and 1. She currently resides in the mountains outside of Los Angeles with her partner Jared.

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Sandra Orellana Sears, M.A.

Sandra Orellana Sears brings to our journey advanced meditation techniques, personal creative growth and development practices, and the combined power of sound, music, movement and ceremonial plant medicine. She maintains an active private practice with clients from the US and Mexico.

She will work with you to identify co-dependencies, boundary issues, motivational and creative blocks. You will work with her to address issues in sleep, relationships, physical and psychological intimacy. She will help you develop a systematic meditation and somatic practice to clear and elevate your energy, creativity, and sense of purpose and meaning.

Sandra's has trained extensively in yoga, dance and meditation. She is a sound healing practitioner and singer. She is also an initiated Reiki practitioner.

When not immersed in her private practice, Sandra shares her passion for the healing arts and medicine music in community events, and in holding cacao and other sacred plant medicine ceremonies.  

Sandra holds a Bachelor’s degree from Columbia University, a Master’s degree from Sotheby’s Institute of the Arts, a Master’s Certification at the Academy of Intuition Medicine, and has graduated from the Bhakti Nova School in Northern California. For more information see her website.

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Stephanie Penilla

Stephanie Penilla brings to the team a decade of sitting with and supporting sacred plant medicine ceremony.

She is intimately familiar with sacred medicine ceremonies from the North, Central and South American regions, including peyote, Yage and ayahuasca.

She has been instrumental in bringing sacred medicine to the Baja California Sur region. Together with her partner Adrian she created the Tierra Nahual sacred ceremonial space in Todos Santos. The non-profit space is a central pillar in the Todos Santos spiritual community, and has hosted hundreds of ceremonies since its founding in 2017.

A specialist in breath, Stephanie began training in breathwork in 2007 with Judith Kravitz and the Transformational Breathwave Foundation. In 2018 she began to support her teacher Robin Clements and Breathwave. She is an advanced Breathwave facilitator and trainer. She has facilitated hundreds of breath ceremonies and supported the training of dozens of facilitators.

She is an aromatherapy practitioner and has studied Reiki Level 2. She is currently studying intuitive medicine and hypnotherapy. She holds a degree in Psychology from ITESO (Universidad Jesuita de Guadelajara).

Stephanie is the mother of three children, and currently resides in Todos Santos, BCS Mexico with her partner Adrian.

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María José Trujillo, M.D.

María José Trujillo, M.D. brings to the team a combination of Western medical practices and clinical experience with psychedelic integration.

Dr. Trujillo is intimately familiar with the physical and physiological effects of psychedelics on the body and mind.

She has served as the on-site medical doctor and director in a several centers dedicated to treating severe addiction, depression and anxiety, cancer and other chronic illnesses though psychedelic and other treatments.

She has accompanied patients through month-long detoxification and subsequent psychedelic work with ibogaine, 5MEO-DMT and other medicines, closely monitoring their physical and emotional health.

She sits regularly in traditional plant medicine ceremonies, and will be working closely with our Columbian elders to serve the cohort.

Dr. Trujillo will sit with the cohort during the ceremonies, and support the cohort in pre and post-retreat physical and psychological integration.

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Rafael IbaRborde

Rafael Ibaborde brings to the team a decade of experience with sacred plant medicine journeys, medicine music and culture.

Born and raised in Argentina, Rafael attended conservatory in Córdoba, studying music and specializing on guitar.

He encountered plant medicine in Ecuador and began to explore the depths of native culture, sacred medicine and healing songs of the of the tribes of the Amazon and Andes mountains.

Rafael has been traveling for the last 10 years in South America and Mexico, attending and learning of sacred plant medicine ceremonies, and forming close relationships with elders serving the medicine.

In the last two years he has been in service with Abuelos Donaldo Silva and Bibiana Cancino, bringing the medicine of Yagé to Baja California Sur.

As part of his service, he brings hours of sacred music to each ceremony. He sings, plays guitar and a wide range of instruments, drawing from his extensive knowledge of medicine songs and culture. He assists in healing processes and ceremonial support before, during and after ceremonies.

Rafa composes original songs and performs with the El Ganzo Collective on Friday evenings, at the El Ganzo Hotel in San Jose del Cabo.

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Frederick Soo, Ph.D.

Frederick Soo, Ph.D. brings to the team a background in neurobiology and the perspective of a former Silicon Valley startup cofounder.

Having received his M.A. and B.A. in Biology from Harvard College and his Ph.D. in Biophysics from Stanford, Frederick studied the computational neurophysiology of the retina at the University of Washington and Princeton University.

In 2014 he left academia and joined McKinsey & Co., where he learned about the internal processes of large corporations. He returned to San Francisco and co-founded an AI-dashcam startup (Nauto), helped bring an analog AI computer chip to market (Mythic.ai) and a mental-health and wellness startup (OYE, June 2021) before turning full attention to his internal journey.

Frederick began the his ceremonial plant medicine journey in December 2020 with a two night ayahuasca retreat followed by 5MEO-DMT.

That experience set the stage for personal transformation.  Since then Frederick has been learning about ceremonial plant medicine, advanced meditation, somatic techniques and other healing modalities.  

Most recently, Frederick is collaborating with master healers to develop safe and effective processes to introduce Westerners to spiritual healing modalities. Startup Alchemy: Journey 42 brings cohorts of 10-12 people on an introductory journey into the world of plant medicine.  Matoska Mixed Circle Facilitation teaches healing processes in combined circles of men and women.

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The Abuelos

We are blessed with the healing presence of Bibana Cancino and Donaldo Silva, who have served the sacred medicine of Yage (Columbian Ayahuasca) in Colombia and South America for more than twenty years.

They are guided and blessed by the grandparents of the Siona Nation of Putumayo in Colombia.

Donaldo and Bibana work with a variety of traditional healing practices in conjunction with the plant medicine, including reiki, Chinese medicine and massage.

Over the past few years, Bibana and Donaldo have worked with the Tierra Nahual organization in Todos Santos to bring the sacred medicine to Baja California Sur. Ceremonies are conducted year round in La Ventana, Todos Santos and elsewhere in Mexico.

In the interview below, Donaldo and Bibiana speak about their experiences in bringing the medicine to Baja California Sur.

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The Ceremonies

In this journey, participants develop a relationship with plant medicine through a progressive series of in-person ceremonies including the Sacred Plant Medicine Retreat.

Cacao and Breathwave Ceremony

The Cacao and Music Ceremony, held by Stephanie Penilla, introduces ceremonial structure, cacao as a plant medicine, and a journey into conscious breathing.

Ecstatic Dance

The Ecstatic Dance ceremony introduces movement and somatic sensation as essential healing modalities. The cohort will join an ecstatic dance event in San Francisco, followed by tea, food and integration.

Psilocybin Mushroom Ceremony

The Psilocybin Mushroom Ceremony, introduces psychedelics used as medicine, rather than for recreation or escape, in an intimate, fully supported setting.

Sacred Plant Medicine Retreat

The Sacred Plant Medicine Retreat Weekend gives participants their first experience with a multi-night ceremony held by elders from a sacred medicine tradition and lineage.

Closing Integration Ceremony

The Closing Integration Ceremony, held by the team, brings us together in gratitude, solidifies our lessons and learnings, and gives us space and time to enjoy a last moment together as a whole.

Cacao and Breathwave Ceremony
 SF Bay Area
Sept 23-24 (Sat PM-Sun AM)
Ecstatic Dance Ceremony
 SF Bay Area
Oct 1 (Sun AM)
Psilocybin Mushroom Ceremony
 SF Bay Area
Oct 21-22 (Sat PM-Sun AM)
 BCS, Mexico
Nov 30-Dec 4 (Thurs AM-Mon PM)
Closing Ceremony
 SF Bay Area
Dec 16-17 (Sat PM-Sun AM)

1:1 Personal Sessions

An important part of Journey 42 are 1:1 sessions with our master facilitators Mary Telliano, Sandra Sears and María José Trujillo. Five 1:1 online sessions, 1 hour each, are provided, three in Part I and two in Part II.

Our facilitators are specialists in preparing for, accompanying during, and integration of plant medicine journeys. They have accompanied hundreds of clients through deep personal transformations, and are intimately familiar with the plant medicines that they work with.
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In these sessions you will:
1. Review your personal background, intentions and goals
2. Learn personalized techniques for visualization, meditation and somatic healing
3. Receive emotional and psychological support before, during and after ceremony
4. Dive deeper, in a private setting, to explore areas that you choose
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You will be given an opportunity to meet our facilitators online, so you can find the facilitator that resonates with you.

Each 60 minute session can be scheduled at your convenience. Additional sessions beyond the sessions provided within the course can also be arranged.

The Online Journey

The online journey teaches essential background and builds cohesion within the cohort. The online journey is designed to fit with busy schedules.
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1. Readings and exercises are less than 1 hour a week.
2. Each week's session (90 minutes) is recorded and focuses on bringing the cohort together.

We invite you to look at  "Life as a Sad Laptop" ,"The Silent H-Bomb" and "The Power of Not Breathing".

Part I

Topic
Location
Date
Course Material
Opening
 Online
Sept 19
Intentions and Agreements
Finding Center
 Online
Sept 26
Finding Center
Introduction to Breathwork
Mushroom Microdose
 Online
Oct 3
Introduction to Plant Medicine
Dreamwork
 Online
Oct 10
Compassionate Inquiry of Dreams
Intuitive Energy
 Online
Oct 17
High Intensity Meditation
Integration
 Online
Oct 24
TBD
Closing
 Online
Nov 7
TBD

Part II

Topic
Location
Date
Course Material
Opening
 Online
Nov 8
TBD
Sacred Relationships
 Online
Nov 21
TBD
Death and Grief
 Online
Nov 22
TBD
Integration
 Online
Nov 12
TBD

Food and AccomModation

The Baja California Sur retreat is located near La Ventana on the East Coast of the peninsula, about 2.5 hours north of Cabo San Jose, or 1 hour from La Paz.

We have reserved private rooms and glamping tents at Kite Ventana, 5 mins walking distance from the ceremony site.

Additional accommodations will be at the nearby Rasta Beach, approximately 1 mile walking (5 min drive) from the ceremony site, along a beach road with little traffic. Group transportation will be provided to and from the ceremony site.

Camping sites and glamping tents with access to bathroom, kitchen and WiFi are also available at the ceremony site.

Food will be catered, including breakfast, lunch and dinner. There are also a number of restaurants in La Ventana.

Invitation

We invite you to join our Fall 2023 cohort. We are looking for 10-15 participants.

Embarking on this journey is an important personal commitment. We encourage you to do your research,  begin a conversation with us, and listen to your intuition.

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Copyright Startup Alchemy 2023