They Feed 30 People for $90 (How Cohousing Actually Works)

Architect Charles Durrett reveals the economics and social dynamics of cohousing communities, plus Iceland's revolutionary approach to neurodiverse living where autism isn't a limitation but simply a different way of being.

Guest: Charles Durrett - Principal architect at The Cohousing Company, coined the term "cohousing" in 1985, designed 55+ communities, author of 16 books on community design

Topics Discussed:

How cohousing communities feed 30 people for $90

Why 34 houses share one lawnmower (and it works)

The first U.S. cohousing community 35 years later

Iceland's Sólheimar: 45 neurodiverse, 45 neurotypical residents

Why people with autism drown at 166x the normal rate

"Smiles per half hour" as a community metric

Breaking bread 4-5 times weekly builds community

From isolation to internationally selling artist

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction - Encouraging community for 20 years

00:59 Meet Charles Durrett - Pioneer of cohousing

01:40 The first U.S. cohousing community in Davis

02:36 What is cohousing? Six defining principles

05:00 No hierarchy, all consensus

07:28 Book came out 1988, coined "cohousing"

08:37 35 years later - how is that first community?

10:47 Copenhagen study: Majority of seniors want cohousing

13:45 Personal meetings and interpersonal sharing

15:28 Common dinners 4-5 times weekly

16:26 Cooking rotation - once a month for 20-30 people

17:10 How they feed 30 for $90

20:12 What is a neuro-inclusive community?

23:13 90 people total at Sólheimar

24:02 Started in 1930, Chuck wrote the book

26:04 "Smiles per half hour" metric

29:02 Artists who knew nothing become internationally known

32:13 Financial model for neurodiverse communities

35:12 Why they bought their own swimming pool

38:07 Final thoughts - self-determination is key

41:12 Learning to interview people with autism

Resources:

Website: cohousingco.com

Book: Neuro-Inclusive Community Design

The Psychedelic Renaissance: 6 Leaders on Integration, Ethics & Access

An unprecedented panel discussion featuring six pioneers of psychedelic medicine, moderated by Dr. Richard L. Miller. From underground roots to FDA trials, from ketamine clinics to ibogaine centers, these leaders reveal the challenges and breakthroughs shaping the future of psychedelic therapy.

Panelists: • Matt Xavier - Author of "The Psychedelic DJ," pioneering music curation in psilocybin therapy • Wendy Tucker - Board Chair, Shulgin Foundation, preserving the lab where 200+ psychedelics were created • Sam Mandel - CEO, Ketamine Clinics Los Angeles (35,000+ infusions since 2014) • Tom Feegel - CEO, Beond Ibogaine Center, Cancun (11 MDs on staff) • Dori Lewis - Co-founder, Elemental Psychedelics & Colorado's 2nd legal psilocybin center • Joshua White - Founder, Fireside Project (30,000+ psychedelic support calls)

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction - The tribal nature of healing

02:30 The psychedelic renaissance and 50 years of suppressed science

03:30 Matt Xavier - From DJ to psychedelic therapist

09:59 Wendy Tucker - Preserving the Shulgin legacy

15:05 Sam Mandel - Building ketamine infrastructure 20:29 Tom Feegel - Medical ibogaine treatment

27:24 Dori Lewis - Colorado's legal psilocybin program

31:37 Joshua White - Free psychedelic support for all

40:15 Integration: "Polishing the nuggets" from the journey

42:49 Tom's comprehensive integration approach

47:24 Joshua's personal ibogaine integration story

50:19 Sam on insurance-covered integration

57:49 The ethics crisis in psychedelic therapy

01:00:40 Why facilitators must experience their own medicine

01:06:47 "Good people cause harm" - Dori's crucial insight

01:14:45 Access crisis: How to scale beyond the wealthy 01:19:45 Final thoughts and invitations

Key Takeaways: • Psychedelics are tools, not magic bullets - integration is essential • Well-intentioned practitioners can cause harm without proper training • Touch consent and boundaries must be established before sessions • The field needs peer support models to increase access • Community and accountability prevent isolation and abuse

Resources:

Fireside Project Support Line: firesideproject.org

Shulgin Foundation: shulginfoundation.org

Ketamine Clinics LA: ketamineclinics.com

Beond: beond.us

Elemental Psychedelics: elementalpsychedelics.com

Subscribe to Mind Body Health Politics for weekly conversations challenging conventional wisdom about health, consciousness, and human potential. Visit mindbodyhealthpolitics.org for 20+ years of archived episodes.

At age 9, Michael Ostrolenk looked at his overweight, chain-smoking psychiatrist and asked his mother: "He can't help himself. How's he gonna help me?" Then he walked out and never looked back.

Now 54, Michael completes 50-mile rucks with weighted vests and trains Navy SEALs through SEALFIT and Unbeatable Mind Academy. After 43 years in martial arts and decades as a performance coach, he's identified why 72% of Americans are failing at health—and it's not about willpower.

In this conversation, Michael reveals:

Why willpower is a terrible strategy for change

The "via negativa" approach that makes failure impossible

His 4-pillar system (physiological, psychological, social, environmental)

Why he gets blood work every 3-6 months (and what markers matter)

The pull-up bar trick that transformed his client's military fitness test

How removing M&Ms matters more than resisting them

The connection between circadian biology and mental health

Why "normalizing pathological behaviors" is destroying our health

Plus: The surprising parting wisdom from someone who trains special operators—and why kindness might be the most powerful intervention of all.

Guest Bio: Michael Ostrolenk is a licensed therapist and Master Coach in Resilience, Leadership, and Elite Performance, with over three decades of experience guiding high performers, special operators, and visionary leaders. He specializes in integrating psychological, physiological, and relational frameworks to optimize human potential. Co-creator of elite training programs with SEALFIT and Unbeatable Mind Academy, and affiliated with Apeiron Zoh precision medical clinic in Austin, Texas.

Connect with Michael: Website: https://www.michaeldostrolenk.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelostrolenkresiliencemastery/ Instagram: @mostrolenk Podcast: Resilience Reimagined on Spotify

Dr. Heather Lee: When Traditional Therapy Fails, Sacred Medicine Succeeds

Mind Body Health Politics Episode - Dr. Richard Lewis Miller

Episode Description

A mother lost her 2-year-old to cancer and spent two years bedbound with grief. Traditional therapy, medication, and family support all failed her. Then she discovered Dr. Heather Lee's psilocybin therapy in Colorado—and everything changed. What happened next will challenge everything you think you know about healing trauma and grief.

Dr. Heather Lee is Colorado's 22nd licensed psychedelic facilitator and author of the upcoming book The Psilocybin Sessions: 10 True Tales of Women's Wisdom Awakening. Her legal, clinical work with sacred medicine is producing results that conventional medicine struggles to explain.

Timestamped Chapters

00:00 - The Epidemic of Isolation and Why We Need Community03:00 - Dr. Heather Lee's Revolutionary Approach to Healing05:00 - The Grieving Mother's Two-Year Journey Through Hell08:00 - When Her Deceased Child Appeared During the Session11:00 - The Goosebumps Moment: When Spirit Confirmed the Healing14:00 - Why People Fly from South Africa for This Treatment17:00 - The Art of Psilocybin Dosing: Why 4 Grams Is the Sweet Spot20:00 - How Colorado Became the Gold Standard for Legal Psychedelics23:00 - The Documentary "Last Journey": Cancer Patients Find Peace28:00 - The Forgiveness That Decades of Therapy Couldn't Unlock32:00 - When Clouds Spelled "FORGIVE" in the Sky35:00 - Building the Conscious Conversation Collective40:00 - Working in Service of the Mushrooms

Key Insights

Traditional therapy's blind spot: Some wounds require soul healing, not just cognitive processing

The safety profile: Psilocybin is safer than anything in your medicine cabinet

Colorado's licensing system: Rigorous year-long training with Johns Hopkins and NYU researchers

The demographic shift: Most clients are women 50+ seeking wisdom and healing

Integration is crucial: Follow-up sessions ensure lasting transformation

The Forgiveness Trap: Why "Forgive and Forget" Perpetuates the Very Harm It Claims to Heal

Description: Most people think forgiveness means welcoming harmful people back into your life. Veronica Monet reveals why this approach actually perpetuates cycles of abuse—and what real healing looks like.

Guest Bio: Veronica Monet is a former high-end escort turned therapist and domestic violence counselor. Having survived childhood sexual abuse in what she describes as "a family of pedophiles," she now specializes in Internal Family Systems therapy and helping survivors break generational cycles of trauma. She's the author of the upcoming book "The Pedophile Who Loved Me: My Treacherous Path to True Forgiveness."

Key Topics:

Why religious forgiveness often enables continued abuse

How shame drives harmful behavior underground instead of stopping it

The difference between true forgiveness and dangerous reconciliation

Breaking generational cycles of sexual abuse in families

Internal Family Systems and how trauma creates "split" personalities

Why our approach to pedophiles may be creating more victims

The hidden prevalence of incest in "normal" families

How to heal families and communities without enabling perpetrators

TIMESTAMPS:

[00:00] Intro: Living in Tribes vs. Isolation [02:00] Polyamory as Community Support System

[05:00] The Real Meaning of "Many Loves"

[06:00] From Sex Work to Trauma Therapy

[08:00] "The Pedophile Who Loved Me" - Why the Title Matters [10:00] The Dangerous Side of Religious Forgiveness

[13:00] "Where Does the Misery Stop?" - Generational Trauma

[16:00] Walking the Line Between Compassion and Accountability

[20:00] How Trauma Creates Split Personalities

25:00] Multiple Personalities vs. Sub-Personalities

[31:00] The Soul-Killing Nature of Child Sexual Abuse

[37:00] Creating Safety for People to Come Out of Denial

[42:00] Why Pedophiles Repeat and What We're Missing

[48:00] Education Level and Sexual Abuse Patterns

[52:00] Sex Work Safety vs. Other Professions

[57:00] Why She Wouldn't Recommend Sex Work Today

[1:05:00] Final Message: Healing Requires Treating Perpetrators as People

Dr. Lauren Rosewarne on Perversion, Porn, and What We Won't Talk About

Description:Pop culture isn't just entertainment—it's become our default sex educator. Dr. Lauren Rosewarne breaks down how algorithms profit from our sexual confusion and why "perversion" is actually universal human experience.

Guest Bio: Dr. Lauren Rosewarne is a media scholar at the University of Melbourne who has built her career studying topics most academics avoid: perversion, masturbation, pornography, and how pop culture becomes our informal sex educator. Author of numerous books including "Part-Time Perverts," "Cheating on the Sisterhood," and research on masturbation in popular culture, she examines how entertainment fills the gaps left by formal education—particularly around sexuality and human behavior.

Key Topics:

Why pop culture has become our default sex educator

How algorithms track sexual curiosity and profit from shame

The myth of "perversion" and why sexual interests are universal

Media representation of masturbation and female sexuality suppression

Pornography consumption patterns revealing hidden curiosities

The feedback loop between audience clicks and content creation

Violence in entertainment vs. the death of musicals and romance

Sexual assault statistics and what they reveal about society

Capitalism as the root cause of inequality and social problems

TIMESTAMPS:

[00:00] Intro: Why We Live in Isolation Instead of Tribes

[02:25] Does Media Lead Us or Do We Lead Them?

[07:20] The Algorithm Knows What You Click On[11:49] Why Musicals Died and Violence Took Over

[15:10] The Problem with Calling Things "Perversion"

[22:35] Why We're All Perverted (And That's Normal)

[26:21] Masturbation Gets a Bad Rap in Pop Culture

[33:57] The Orgasm Gap Mirrors the Economic Gap

[37:45] Are 43 Men in California Programming America's Sexual Taste?

[44:13] The Novelty Factor in Human Curiosity

[46:30] One in Four Women Will Be Raped: What This Says About Us

[51:30] Why Capitalism Is the Root of Most Problems

[56:52] 20% of Americans Can't Read But They Can Vote [01:02:35] What Lauren Learned Writing "Cheating on the Sisterhood"

The Forgiveness Trap: Why "Forgive and Forget" Perpetuates the Very Harm It Claims to Heal

Description: Most people think forgiveness means welcoming harmful people back into your life. Veronica Monet reveals why this approach actually perpetuates cycles of abuse—and what real healing looks like.

Guest Bio: Veronica Monet is a former high-end escort turned therapist and domestic violence counselor. Having survived childhood sexual abuse in what she describes as "a family of pedophiles," she now specializes in Internal Family Systems therapy and helping survivors break generational cycles of trauma. She's the author of the upcoming book "The Pedophile Who Loved Me: My Treacherous Path to True Forgiveness."

Key Topics:

Why religious forgiveness often enables continued abuse

How shame drives harmful behavior underground instead of stopping it

The difference between true forgiveness and dangerous reconciliation

Breaking generational cycles of sexual abuse in families

Internal Family Systems and how trauma creates "split" personalities

Why our approach to pedophiles may be creating more victims

The hidden prevalence of incest in "normal" families

How to heal families and communities without enabling perpetrators

TIMESTAMPS:

[00:00] Intro: Living in Tribes vs. Isolation [02:00] Polyamory as Community Support System

[05:00] The Real Meaning of "Many Loves"

[06:00] From Sex Work to Trauma Therapy

[08:00] "The Pedophile Who Loved Me" - Why the Title Matters [10:00] The Dangerous Side of Religious Forgiveness

[13:00] "Where Does the Misery Stop?" - Generational Trauma

[16:00] Walking the Line Between Compassion and Accountability

[20:00] How Trauma Creates Split Personalities

25:00] Multiple Personalities vs. Sub-Personalities

[31:00] The Soul-Killing Nature of Child Sexual Abuse

[37:00] Creating Safety for People to Come Out of Denial

[42:00] Why Pedophiles Repeat and What We're Missing

[48:00] Education Level and Sexual Abuse Patterns

[52:00] Sex Work Safety vs. Other Professions

[57:00] Why She Wouldn't Recommend Sex Work Today

[1:05:00] Final Message: Healing Requires Treating Perpetrators as People

Dr. Alex Belser, clinical scientist and psychologist formerly at NYU and Yale, reveals why 98% of psychedelic therapy happens underground—and the dark history the field doesn't want you to know. Guest Bio: Dr. Alexander Belser is a clinical scientist, psychologist, and psychedelic researcher. Author of EMBARK Psychedelic Therapy for Depression (Oxford University Press) and Queering Psychedelics: From Oppression to Liberation, he has been a leader for LGBTQIA+ advocacy in psychedelic spaces. Key Topics:

The economics forcing psychedelic therapy underground Hidden history of conversion therapy with LSD Current threats to LGBTQ+ research Solutions for accessible psychedelic healing

TIMESTAMPS: [00:00] Cold Open Montage [01:20] Welcome & the return to tribal living [02:24] Dr. Belser introduction - Brooklyn, NY [04:13] The future of community psychedelic medicine [06:02] Johnson & Johnson's $32,000/year ketamine vs. generic [07:42] Why 98% of psychedelic therapy is underground [09:21] Harm reduction approach to underground therapy [12:51] The economics don't add up - $5,000 minimum per session [15:02] Why FDA requires two therapists in the room [21:43] The hidden history of LGBTQ oppression with psychedelics [22:14] "Tim Leary said LSD is a specific cure for homosexuality" [23:44] Teenage conversion therapy - 800μg doses [25:15] "The transcripts are terrifying" [26:07] Living male-female dyad requirements [27:29] "There's a war on trans folks in the United States" [28:59] All LGBTQ research being shut down [31:54] Intersectional violence in NYC [35:50] The masculinity crisis and violence [37:17] Post-traumatic sexual stress disorder theory [41:41] Embrace Pleasure book - reclaiming psychedelic sexuality [43:29] Unwanted complications vs. adverse effects [45:29] Sexual boundary violations in psychedelic therapy [48:15] Why silence enables abuse [50:15] The small percentage of predators [54:43] Empowerment model for participants [57:44] Mandatory disclosure laws proposal [59:59] Who should avoid psychedelics [01:04:59] Should therapists have psychedelic experience? [01:12:13] Final thoughts: "The future is unwritten" Resources:

EMBARK Psychedelic Therapy Queering Psychedelics NYU Langone Center for Psychedelic Medicine Dance Safe (harm reduction) The Fireside Project (peer support)

Connect with Dr. Belser: Email: alex.belser@gmail.com Subscribe for weekly interviews: mindbodyhealthpolitics.org