Episode Summary: Building the Future of Natural Medicine with Matt Brockmeier

Podcast: Becker Business
Host: Scott Becker
Guest: Matt Brockmeier, Founder of Entheogen
Date: October 4, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Scott Becker sits down with Matt Brockmeier, founder of Entheogen, to explore the rapidly evolving landscape of natural medicine with a special focus on psilocybin and other medicinal mushrooms. Matt shares his journey from healthcare attorney to a pioneering entrepreneur in Colorado’s legal psychedelic industry, details the science and regulatory path for psilocybin, and discusses the challenges and promise of integrated natural medicine businesses. The conversation also touches on broader drug trends, the potential for data-driven health advancements, and the limits of current mental health treatments compared to novel natural therapies.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Matt’s Background and Path to Natural Medicine

• Matt started as a healthcare attorney specializing in payer contracts and hospital systems in Chicago before moving into consulting and policy work in Washington, D.C.
• The 2014 legalization of adult-use cannabis in Colorado inspired Matt’s move to Denver and deepened his interest in natural medicine.
• During the pandemic, he participated in drafting and passing Colorado's 2022 Natural Medicine Health Act, creating the nation’s first legal framework for psilocybin access.
• Matt joined Entheogen, the first known fully vertically integrated natural medicine company in the U.S., handling cultivation, extraction, product development, and administration through licensed facilitators.
  • Quote [01:31]:
    “Entheogen is going to be the first vertically integrated natural medicine business, as far as we’re aware, in the country.” — Matt Brockmeier

Understanding Microdosing and Its Benefits

• Microdosing means taking a “sub-perceptual” dose—a dose too small to cause noticeable psychoactive effects—frequently around 100 mg of dried mushroom (not pure psilocybin).
• The primary interest is neuroplasticity: supporting brain flexibility and new neural connections without the experience of a psychedelic “trip.”
  • Quote [03:17]:
    “You get the benefits of the neuroplasticity of psilocybin but without the trip, basically.” — Matt Brockmeier

Psilocybin vs. LSD: Key Differences

• Both are serotonergic compounds with molecular structures similar to serotonin, but they have varying effects based on their affinity for different serotonin receptors.
• LSD’s longer duration (8+ hours) stems from its higher affinity for certain receptors; both deliver unique subjective experiences.
  • Quote [04:09]:
    “They’re both serotonergic compounds… They have different affinities for different serotonin receptors and that results in a different subjective experience.” — Matt Brockmeier

Neurotransmitters: Serotonin vs. Dopamine

• Serotonin is dubbed the “happiness neurotransmitter,” while dopamine relates more to excitement and anticipation.
• Cocaine is highly dopaminergic, hence its addictive profile and lack of medical benefit—contrasted with psilocybin’s profile.
  • Quote [04:57]:
    “Serotonin is typically referred to as like the happiness neurotransmitter and dopamine is like the excitement or anticipation neurotransmitter… Cocaine for instance… releases a lot of dopamine.” — Matt Brockmeier

Drug Trends: Surge in Cocaine Use

• Scott brings up a Wall Street Journal feature on rising U.S. cocaine use, prompting Matt to reflect on contrasting health impacts and ethical considerations.
  • Quote [05:47]:
    “Mushrooms, you can grow them in your closet and they’re good for you and they’re not addictive.” — Matt Brockmeier

Building Entheogen: From Functional Fungi to Healing Centers

• Entheogen plans to cultivate, extract, and administer psilocybin, leveraging experience from Myco Love Farms (co-founders’ existing functional mushroom venture).
• The operation will include multiple healing centers in Colorado—supervised settings for therapy, not retail sale.
• A unique digital app will track user variables (sleep, diet, exercise) before, during, and after psilocybin sessions, enhancing personalized care and data analysis on strain efficacy.
  • Quote [08:27]:
    “Because we’re growing the mushrooms ourselves, we’ll have access to data about what types of mushrooms work for what types of people and what types of conditions.” — Matt Brockmeier

Current Mental Health Paradigms & Precision Medicine

• Matt critiques the overreliance on SSRIs, citing the need for more effective, tailored options—something the natural medicine model aims to address.
  • Quote [07:29]:
    “We pass this law because people need access to something that works. And the current mental health regime… doesn’t work as well as we hoped.” — Matt Brockmeier

Lighthearted Moment: Mushrooms for Weight Loss?

• Scott jokingly asks if mushrooms can aid in weight loss, to which Matt quips that yoga is the solution, underlining mushrooms’ primary focus on mental health and neuroplasticity.
  • Quote [08:55]:
    “No, that’s just yoga.” — Matt Brockmeier

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [01:31] “Entheogen is going to be the first vertically integrated natural medicine business, as far as we’re aware, in the country.” — Matt Brockmeier
• [03:17] “You get the benefits of the neuroplasticity of psilocybin but without the trip, basically.” — Matt Brockmeier
• [04:09] “They’re both serotonergic compounds… They have different affinities for different serotonin receptors and that results in a different subjective experience.” — Matt Brockmeier
• [04:57] “Serotonin is the happiness neurotransmitter… Dopamine is the excitement or anticipation neurotransmitter.” — Matt Brockmeier
• [05:47] “Mushrooms… are good for you and they’re not addictive.” — Matt Brockmeier
• [07:29] “We pass this law because people need access to something that works. And the current mental health regime… doesn’t work as well as we hoped.” — Matt Brockmeier
• [08:27] “We’ll have access to data about what types of mushrooms work for what types of people and what types of conditions.” — Matt Brockmeier
• [08:55] “No, that’s just yoga.” — Matt Brockmeier

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:24–02:39 — Matt’s career journey to natural medicine and founding Entheogen
• 03:05–03:57 — Microdosing explained and its benefits
• 04:02–04:41 — Comparing mushrooms (psilocybin) and LSD
• 04:41–05:17 — Serotonin vs. dopamine, and habit-forming substances
• 05:17–06:13 — Discussion of cocaine’s resurgence and natural vs. synthetic drugs
• 06:37–08:13 — Vertically integrated model, transition from functional mushrooms, regulatory updates
• 08:13–08:51 — Digital health tracking and personal data in psilocybin therapy
• 08:51–08:59 — Lighthearted question on mushrooms and weight loss

Conclusion

This episode offers a comprehensive look into the future of natural medicine, blending personal entrepreneurial journey, regulatory landscape, science, and the promise of data-driven individualized care. Matt Brockmeier’s insights reveal both the challenges and the transformative potential of legal psilocybin therapy in Colorado, as well as broader issues in mental health care. Listeners receive not only an education on the practical science and business of psilocybin but also a sense of the wider cultural and regulatory moment.