#CommunityHigh - Bea Chan
#CommunityHigh
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#CommunityHigh 〰️
Meet Bea Chan (she/her), podcast host, community builder, and co-founder & CEO of Sisters in Psychedelics (SIP).
After leaving her corporate career and discovering the incredible healing powers of plant medicines on a trip to Asia, Bea is on a mission to change the public perceptions of psychedelics. Now a growing trend among wellness enthusiasts, psychedelics - more specifically psilocybin - is gaining recognition for its mental and physical benefits.
In this edition of Community High, we chatted with Bea about psychedelics, her work with SIP, and what she’s learned from working in this space.
Tell us about yourself and your work with Sisters in Psychedelics.
Sisters in Psychedelics is a grassroots-to-global community and platform that empowers people to elevate, celebrate, educate and include women in the psychedelic ecosystem. My co-founder Dana and I couldn’t find a women-focused community to safely share our psychedelic experiences with, so we hosted an event on Meetup and 15 women showed up at my apartment for a potluck dinner. We laughed and cried all night as we shared our stories of healing transformation.
Through word of mouth, we organically grew to over 600 SIPsters worldwide, organized a sold-out inaugural SIP Summit that featured 33 speakers (all women!) and activated chapters across North America!
What led you to work in the psychedelics/plant medicine industry?
Seven years into building my corporate HR career, I felt unfulfilled, so I did the most logical thing - I quit my job and bought a 1-way ticket to Asia.
That’s where I rediscovered my ancestral roots, stumbled on entrepreneurship and was introduced to plant medicine. Profound psychedelic trips from Thailand to Mexico led me to collide with my soul sister, Dana Harvey, and together we co-created Sisters In Psychedelics (SIP) in November 2021.
What are common misconceptions around psychedelics/plant medicine?
Many still think psychedelics will “fry your brain” meanwhile the pharmaceutical drugs they take regularly have much worse side effects. Others see it as a silver bullet, a magic pill that will solve all their problems - nothing like that exists on Earth. People are scared of developing a dependency on it (most are not chemically-addictive) or of having a bad trip (do the work: know your set and setting, prepare for, then integrate your lessons). Lastly, most mistake legality for morality.
What do you love most about psychedelics/plant medicine?
Plant medicine allows me to turn off the invisible filters in my mind to tune into myself and to be aware of things that likely were always there but I couldn’t see. Society conditioned us to value more left-brained traits like logic, analysis, reasoning, which detaches us from our creativity, emotions and physical body. Psychedelics put us back in touch with what it means to be a human being, allowing ourselves to feel, express and experience the full range of life.
How do you see the psychedelics/plant medicine space evolving, especially within mental health?
I see psychedelics becoming more accessible and available to those who therapeutically need and/or recreationally want to use them. Social stigma decreases to the level where society can accept it without shame or guilt. More medical research, especially on women, done to confirm efficacy, effectiveness, costs vs benefits etc. Inevitably, more commercialization, legislation, governing bodies and best practices will form as a result of growth. One day, I’d like to see normalization to the point where health insurance companies cover the cost of psychedelic treatment.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your career?
So many things, but top of mind right now are:
Ask for help - you don’t have to do everything yourself
Work with others - it’s a lot more fun than going at it alone
If you try to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one, so stick to your
boundaries
You cannot pour from an empty cup, so learn to say no and refuel yourself often
What is your best way to decompress from a long day?
Definitely some self-care time like exercising or cooking & eating a nice meal. Recently I’ve taken up soaking in a bubble bath, paired with scented candles and ambient music, before giving myself a good scrub overall with a Korean exfoliating mitten and putting lotion on. I find this to be a very self-nourishing, relaxing somatic practice.
What’s next for Sisters in Psychedelics in 2023 and beyond?
The biggest thing on our horizon right now is SIP Summit 2023. We’re expanding from our inaugural, 1-day event to 3 days with new components, including deep-dive workshops, Soul Sister awards and a VIP Connection Ceremony. In many ways, it feels like a brand new summit!
Other things to look forward to include: the activation of the SIP podcast where we spotlight notable members, new chapters across the world so more women can experience in-person connections (we’re currently in Vancouver, Calgary, Seattle and will be launching LA in April!) and educational courses to inform people about intentional psychedelics. Much to look forward to.
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