156. Psychedelics, Ego & Success Hangover with Kelsey Kitsch
Apple Podcasts 
Spotify 
Youtube Music 
RSS Feed Canada's top female entrepreneur two years running, flying between magazine covers and global stages and privately rocking on the floor with the door locked. Kelsey Kitsch, former CEO of Mind Cure and author of Success Hangover, sits down with Dwayne to unpack the ego that built her empire, the psychedelic experience that dismantled it, and what she found once the striving finally stopped.
Content Warning: This episode discusses psychedelics from personal experience. Dwayne and Kelsey explicitly state they are not promoting psychedelics. If you choose to explore this topic, please do thorough research, consult a medical professional, and ensure proper facilitation and integration support.This content is for informational purposes only.
This episode also touches on mental health and suicidal ideation. If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 — the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline — available 24/7 in both the US and Canada.
In this episode:
- The three conditions Kelsey uses to unlock curiosity and better ideas, novelty, motion, and high emotion, drawn from researcher Mary Helen Immordino-Yang's work
- Why Kelsey builds weekly goals instead of long-term SMART goals, and how her brother Trent Kitch's annual "goal card" shaped that thinking
- The battle between her "ego self" and "soul self" that played out over four hours in her first guided psychedelic experience and what was waiting on the other side
- A breakdown of psychedelic experience levels, from psilocybin and MDMA to ayahuasca, San Pedro, mescaline, and 5-MeO-DMT, and what "set, setting, and sacrament" actually mean
- Why Dwayne points listeners toward Dr. Dispenza's breathwork program as a non-psychedelic starting point, and the Othership app Kelsey uses
- The reframe that closes the episode: "We can only feel loved in proportion to how much we're seen, and we can only be seen in proportion to how much we show people of ourselves."
Time Stamps:
00:00 Psychedelic Safety Disclaimer
00:42 Mett Kelsey Kitsch
03:30 Reinvention in a Changing World
05:13 Curiosity as a Career Compass
08:23 Play Framework for Creativity
16:34 Pattern Interrupts and Choice
19:48 Expectations Goals and Targets
30:23 Funeral Mindset and Daily Meaning
33:44 Opening Up About Psychedelics
35:32 Hustle Identity
36:31 Success Yet Empty
37:54 First Guided Journey
38:52 Sufficiency After Silence
41:15 Safety And Legality
42:22 Psychedelic Levels
44:44 Set Setting Integration
48:29 Breathwork Alternative
51:20 Beyond Woo Woo
59:39 Curiosity Over Protocol
01:03:10 Operating System Reset
01:04:58 Ego Versus Soul
01:10:04 Seen To Be Loved
01:13:01 Closing Remarks
About Kelsey Kitsch: Kelsey Kitsch is a Canadian entrepreneur recognized as the country's top female entrepreneur two years in a row and named to Canadian Business' Top 25 Under 35 and the Dell Women's Entrepreneur Network's Top 200 Globally. She started in construction at 15 in her father's business, later becoming President of Belvedere Place Development before founding Spark Play. She is the author of Success Hangover, delivered the TED Talk "Play Is the New PhD," and previously served as CEO of Mind Cure, a psychedelic-focused mental health company. She is now the founder of Paramont Love, focused on intimacy intelligence.
Resources mentioned:
- Book: Success Hangover by Kelsey Kitsch
- TED Talk: "Play Is the New PhD" by Kelsey Kitsch
Connect with Kelsey Kitsch:
Connect: Follow The Dwayne Kerrigan Podcast for a new episode each week, and follow Kelsey Kitsch's ongoing work in intimacy intelligence at Paramont Love
Connect with Dwayne Kerrigan
Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed by guests during The Dwayne Kerrigan Podcast are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of Dwayne Kerrigan and his affiliates. Dwayne Kerrigan or The Dwayne Kerrigan Podcast is not responsible for and does not verify the accuracy of any of the information contained in the podcast series. The primary purpose of this podcast is to educate and inform. Listeners are advised to consult with a qualified professional or specialist before making any decisions based on the content of this podcast.
