
156. Psychedelics, Ego & Success Hangover with Kelsey Kitsch
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: https://www.kelseykitsch.com/ Linked In 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 Facebook Instagram Linked In Website 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.















