I'm a human focused on harm reduction. Husband, dad to a 5-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son, full-time web developer, and yes, a fun guy (pun intended). Born and raised in Texas. I love reading, meditating, nature photography, foraging mushrooms with my daughter, running, hiking, surfing, and long walks on the earth.

Growing up I was what they call a "sensory seeker," which meant football, sports, and pretty much anything that involved running full speed into something. That added up to 8 concussions over the course of my life. Head hurt, no good. Mushroom good, and help.

I'll be honest with you. I've struggled with addiction in more forms than I'd like to admit. It started with nicotine and LSD as a teenager, then alcohol, cannabis, and later cocaine, prescription stimulants, and whatever else I could find to make life feel less heavy. I wasn't chasing fun. I was looking for relief. Unconsciously trying to outrun my grief.

I had more close calls than I can count. An accidental overdose after I unknowingly drank Everclear from a water bottle while on MDMA. A near-drowning. A day I drove with multiple substances in my system, including psychedelics. It was not safe. The truth is, I didn't care if I lived. I'm grateful I made it through, because now I have a wife and kids I love more than anything, and I choose life every day.

I was also raised deep in fear-based religion, hell, rapture, a version of God that felt more like a threat than a home. Psilocybin has gently helped me reframe so much of that programming.

The message underneath all of this is self-empowerment. Connect to nature. Trust your body. Mushrooms are amazing. You are your own medicine, and you are worth staying for.

One of my hardest seasons was rock bottom in every honest sense. I was heavily suicidal, not planning anything that specific day, but carrying the kind of weight where the thought was never far off. It was just a low day. I ended up at the lake to sit with myself. I found a pine tree, and when I sat down there was a single Amanita muscaria mushroom right next to me in the dirt. Something softened. It felt like a quiet "not today" from the earth, a nudge to keep going. That mushroom didn't fix anything by itself, but it marked the beginning of me choosing life.

Good friends of mine in Austin, TX later introduced me to psilocybin, and I've been working with the medicine intentionally for years now. There's real neuroscience behind it: psilocybin quiets the brain's default mode network (the circuit tied to rumination and self-criticism) and increases neuroplasticity, so old grooves loosen enough to see yourself from a softer angle. Lion's Mane then helped me rebuild my brain piece by piece. Mushrooms didn't hand me a new life. They lifted me out of the patterns long enough to start building one.

Isabella and I have only grown closer through this work. She lives with PTSD and CPTSD and comes from a deeply military family. Watching the people I love most navigate trauma is a huge part of why I care so much about harm reduction and honest mushroom education.

I'm not here as a guru or an expert. I'm a mushroom-loving friend sharing what helped, for anyone walking their own path.

Need a website? tidetech.solutions

• I do not sell entheogens or psychedelics, and I do not receive any affiliate compensation.
• I do not encourage illegal activity. Always know your local laws.
• I do not provide medical advice.
• Education, harm reduction, and personal responsibility matter.

Mush Love,
Ryan