Talking to Gaurav Dubey, the still fairly new Content Editor at Microdose Psychedelic Insights, is a full-contact sport—in the best possible way. That is, Dubey, a biologist by trade, is so enthusiastic, so knowledgeable about the exploding field of psychedelics, that you simply can’t help to not only smile as he prattles on expertly on every possible topic in the field, but also take note of the seismic shift that’s happening right now in psychedelics. Is Gaurav Dubey and the scores of men and women just like him in the industry, spearheading the new ruling class in the psychedelics space?
BY RICHARD PÉREZ-FERIA
According to Microdose Psychedelic Insights, the company itself is building a psychedelic universe of compelling content, cutting edge conferences, and collaborative projects, documenting the entire psychedelic experience, and Dubey is quite eager to share this with the company’s legions of devoted followers and readers.
On the content side—what Microdose calls its blog channel—are truly fascinating stories about myriad issues in the psychedelic sphere, with, no surprise here, the very best ones penned by Dubey himself. From breaking industry news to conference overviews, Microdose’s content is solid, but it truly takes off when it dives deep on hot-button societal topics and how it relates back to psychedelics (a special report focusing on sports and psychedelics was a recent, winning example).
With mega global events, a new live Q & A series (Psychedelics &) they’re very excited about and, of course, its worthy content division, Microdose Psychedelic Insights is emerging as a strong player to watch in the psychedelics industry. And in Gaurav Dubey, the company may just have found not only its present but its future as well, one that’s filled with smarts, enthusiasm and passion—just like its articulate ambassador.
PuraPhy sat down recently with the indefatigable Gaurav Dubey to dig a bit deeper on all things Microdose Psychedelic Insights. Needless to say, the man was more than ready for our queries. Yeah, of course he was.
Hi, Gaurav. OK, tell me all about Microdose Psychedelic Insights.
Microdose Psychedelic Insights is the “operating system” for the burgeoning psychedelic sector. From hosting dynamic conferences with leading experts in the space to curating engaging, evidence-based content, Microdose is the leading resource for the emerging psychedelic medicine industry.
When I go to your site, I’m invariably sucked into what you call “blogs” and read a bunch of stories there. What’s the idea behind those blogs?
Crafting high-quality evidence-based content is a cornerstone of our mission. Long-form, scientific blog content is certainly one of our specialties. Personally, I love to infuse my writing with deep scientific insights! I’m a biologist after all—and the science element of the psychedelic renaissance needs distilling for the mainstream audience. We also have a growing number of talented contributors providing a variety of great content for the blog as well.
I understand The Mushroom Conference is upon us. First, what exactly is it? What can one expect by attending? And, interestingly to me, what’s this I hear about a consumer night at the conference?
The Mushroom Conference is the next event in our molecular masterclass series that will spotlight the emerging mushroom therapeutics space. This virtual event will convene world renowned thought leaders in medicinal mushrooms and psilocybin to explore all the latest developments in this burgeoning sector. From the latest clinical research to the evolving investment landscape, attendees can expect to gain deep insights into mushrooms from a variety of perspectives. Indeed, one of the days at MushCon will be B2C [consumer] focused, offering attendees the opportunity to more deeply explore the emerging consumer retail landscape in mushrooms.
“I realized the medical cannabis space seriously needed more quality scientific content that explored its therapeutic benefits in a more objective and accessible manner.”
How did you get turned on to this magical world of psychedelics?
Personally, psychedelic medicine and, more broadly, plant medicine (including cannabis) have helped me immensely with both my mental and physical health. I was always interested in creating content and, being the biologist I am, became very attracted to the world of science media. I realized the medical cannabis space seriously needed more quality scientific content that explored its therapeutic benefits in a more objective and accessible manner. It was in cannabis where I first began my transition from the lab to my laptop. Ultimately, through an ayahuasca retreat I attend, I got connected to Microdose and truly found it to be the perfect opportunity for me to apply my passion of science media to the burgeoning psychedelic sector.
Any out of this world experiences you’d like to share?
Honestly, my time at Microdose has been both surreal and magical. I’ve been challenged in amazing ways that have helped me actualize my own potential in a very cool way. From the steady stream of blogs and podcasts to our documentary trip to Mexico to film The World On Drugs, it’s been an incredible ride the last several months!
Speaking of which, at what stage are you guys in with the documentary project you’re currently developing, The World On Drugs?
The team is wrapping up the next phase of production in Vancouver as we speak. The exciting journey began in Mexico and spotlighted thought leaders in the plant medicine community—including global drug policy experts and dynamic activists. We’re pleased to say that this current phase of production in Vancouver has been sponsored by New Wave Holdings and features renowned experts, such as Dr. Gabor Maté, advisor to Numinus. It’s been truly remarkable to see the vision for this documentary come to life and I’m incredibly grateful the Microdose team for making it happen. I’m incredibly grateful to be co-writer for this project and can’t wait to continue production with our talented team.
How has COVID-19 impacted Microdose? It must be pretty seismic given that a large portion of your company is centered around events and conferences.
I believe the pandemic required many businesses to pivot the structure of their operations. I certainly think it provided us with the unique opportunity to utilize virtual conferencing to convene experts and have important discussions about this emerging sector. While I certainly look forward to in-person conferences in the latter half of 2021, I’m really excited about the exciting virtual conferences we have in the coming months.
I’m also a bit excited about your newly-launched live Q&A series called Psychedelics &. What compelled you guys to do a live series?
We’re certainly very excited for our live Q&A series, Psychedelics &. As the psychedelic renaissance impacts various facets of mainstream culture, we hope to spotlight this impact in our everyday lives. By harnessing our virtual conferencing format, Psychedelics & will bring together leading experts in the fields of professional sports, technology, sex and more to share their insights about psychedelics in a live question and answer format. We believe this structure will offer the audience maximum engagement with influential people making a big social impact.
Any impact Microdose Psychedelics Insights felt with the country’s current political climate, or racial justice issues, or climate change?
The team at Microdose is in full support of science, research, compassion, equality, and sustainability, both environmentally and socially. We understand these are trying times for America and the world at large and see great value in what psychedelic medicine has to offer us right now. As such, I know I can speak for the entire team when I say we take great pride and care in our mission to serve this amazing community. I think the cultivation of compassion, a desire for global equality and a greater consciousness about the environment (e.g., climate change) are hallmarks of the psychedelic experience. I think the ability of psychedelics to affect so many important concerns in our world right now makes this work a crucial endeavor at this time. I think the current state of affairs has catalyzed the progress of psychedelic medicine forward in our society today—and that’s a good thing.
Well, Gaurav, it sounds like you must be one of the busiest guys in the psychedelic space right now. Are you excited, exhausted or both?
[Laughs] That’s a great question, Richard! It’s certainly been very busy over here at Microdose, but I must say the excitement and inspiration really do keep me going. That said, I’ve found that taking time to unplug and rest is also incredibly important for long-term success. Like most players in the industry understand, the psychedelic medicine play is a long-game. I’m definitely becoming increasingly aware of how valuable rest and recreation are to balance out the hard work and consistently go the extra mile.