Episode 7: Restaurant Man to Medicine Man with Michael Streda

All right, so today I'm sitting down and talking with my buddy Michael Stretta. And if you have been to Nosara, Costa Rica, then you probably have visited his landmark restaurant, Beach Dog. It was actually the first restaurant I ever dined at when I came here to Nosada in 2015. And over the years, seen Michael around, got to know him, and the more I get to know him, the more I realize we have so much in common. So I'm happy that we finally got the chance to sit down today and chat about your story, about your journey, about what you brought. What. What brought you here to Nosara. And, and, yeah, just share about your journey and your inspiring story, because from what I know about you, I'm impressed and I connect with your story and what you're up to, I think is really, really, really important. So thanks for joining me. And. Yeah, so who were you and what was life like before you ended up here in this dusty little beach town, Nosara?

Well, first, just like as we came in to do this podcast today, it was. It's interesting to. To think that somebody even wants to do a podcast about me, like. Like that I. I'm not important, you know, that I have that sort of. That I've brought things to this world that are important enough to talk about. So that humbles me and I appreciate it. And, and yeah, it's nice to finally sit down because we're both busy and just trying to sit down with somebody sometimes is such a difficult thing. So my. My life before Nosara. Yeah, to give you the short. The short story. Born in Windsor, Ontario. Left there at 18 after high school to follow my. My dream of becoming a professional snowboarder and ended up working at night in different clubs, as a bar back and restaurants so you could snowboard all day and work in the night. Never became pro. Did some contests, had a lot of fun. And, and, yeah, and just. Just worked, you know, just got into the. Into the. Into the service industry. I was there for about 12 years and. And then my. My partner and I at the time decided to go on a trip to Nosara. We had come to Costa Rica once before. Tamarindo came to Nosara for a month, sitting on the beach, reading Eckhart Tolle. Had, like, a marketing. A network marketing job where I was making a little bit of residual income and had this, like, epiphany moment, like, what am I doing? You know, my life's sort of a mirage. I have, you know, I've borrowed all this money from the bank and I'm basically just paying down interest every month. And I'm working my ass off, you know, three jobs just to, like, keep this thing alive. That, you know, wasn't really necessary. So with that, after we came in the. Sorry, we went back and we're just like, gave back to the bank. I wasn't even trying to sell it. I was like, come get my car. It's in the driveway. You. You own it? I don't, you know, pick it up. I'm out. You know, so we. We came down and. And beach dog, there was something else I was coming down to Nostar to do. It was like a little rental casita. And in the meantime, my real estate buddy had messaged me and was like, there's a restaurant these guys are trying to sell. You know, would you. And I was in that. At that point, I was working in three different restaurants, like a sous chef and just hustling. So I liked the idea of having my own restaurant. And I was like, daily income rather than. At that point when Nosara. I mean, the rental industry back in Nosara in 2009, 2010, was not what it is now. So I thought that would be a better business opportunity would be to, you know, have a. Have a restaurant and still do that. But quickly I just put. Got rid of that. Just the restaurant was more than enough. And it was. It was funny because, you know, when I was moving down in Osara to open the restaurant, I thought I knew a lot about restaurants.

Yeah.

Until I opened my own in another country with another language and realized how green I was really quick. And then, you know, figure I got to learn about all the loopholes and all the. All the. All the hoops. Excuse me, that I had to jump through and the issues that it would be to, you know, create business down here in those early days.

And so you touched on something that is quite the phenomenon that happens down here. People come for a one, two week vacation, come do yoga retreat or surf camp, and then they have that moment sitting on the beach, realizing, oh, wait a minute, like, this could be life. Like, this is. This is actually how I want to live, you know, and then you really start reevaluating all the shit you own back home and the hustle, the grind just to own all this stuff that really, at the end of the day, doesn't mean. It doesn't even make you happy. Because here you are on the beach, whether with your dog or in the ocean or chill in the jungle, and you're just like, wow, this. This is life. And it's interesting that Nosara is one of those places that really causes you to question, am I really happy? Am I really living the life that I'm destined to live? You know, And, I mean, that was one of the big draw for me when I moved down here. It's going through my transition, you know, I just felt like Nosada was a place where I can have that stillness and space to really, like, reevaluate, like, what's happening in my life.

Yeah, it's interesting because people say that they feel it, they want it, but most of them come and. And sort of recreate the same that they had back home. Not so much. I don't. I didn't see it so much in the. In the. In the beginning years. Like back in 2010, 11 and 12, people were a little bit more modest, you know, with what they were building and what they were driving. And. And then there was like, this. This. I don't know. And again, there's no judgment on it, but it's through the changes, it's like people build the same size house, they drive the same kind of truck or the same set of car. And it's interesting. It's just interesting that we. We try to leave something behind, but it's comfortable. So when we come here, we want to create a little bit of that comfort because we don't get too uncomfortable because then it brings up too much stuff maybe, you know, but still, I mean, there's something that definitely pulls you in the jungle pulls you in. The ability just to walk on the beach and be in nature, you know, no matter what, it's. It's different. So, I mean, I respect everybody for making those transitions because they're hard.

No matter.

No matter what, no matter if you bring some comforts with you or not.

Yes.

It's not. It's not easy, and it's a big commitment, you know, so.

Yeah. And, you know, the. The lesson I've learned being here is really the jungle is going to test you. You know, the. The Pura Vida lifestyle sounds amazing, and it is, but it doesn't come easy. You know, there's a lot of patience and surrender required. And in that space of the stillness and the growth also comes a lot of the. That comes up. And, you know, I often say no saddle is a place that will make or break you, whether it be your relationship, your marriage, your identity. You know, like when I was down here the first couple of years, a lot of my stuff from the past came up, and there's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, no one to be, no way to distract myself. It's just like you got to sit in it. And I think that's part of the reason why Nosado is such a transformational place, because if you're willing to sit in it, then you get faced with a lot of stuff that you've been pushing down and you've been suppressing and now's a chance to work on. And I think that's why a lot of people also come here, is because they're ready to face what it is that they've been hiding from. And I know a lot of people come here for recovery, for rehab. They come here to, you know, kind of start over, like myself. You know, I knew I wanted a clean slate. I wanted to be out of Toronto. If you're willing to sit in it and face what comes up, then there's huge opportunity for growth and evolution. And I can imagine you being down here 13 years. You've been through your fair share of twists and turns in your journey. And I know, you know, obviously we've spoken about your path and what's. What it's been like to be an entrepreneur, to, to leave Canada, to move down here, to start all over, start fresh. You know, I guess what have been some of the biggest challenges and lessons that you've learned making such a drastic change in your life.

I mean, the trials and tribulations of, of these, of this 13 years, I mean, have definitely. There's definitely been a lot. It's, you know, you mentioned relationships and, you know, I came down with. With somebody that I was in a relationship with for 12 years prior to that, and within three years, that relationship went separate ways. Went, Went their separate ways because I started to grow in one direction and, and she wasn't ready to grow in. In her own way. And I think that's what happens to a lot of people. You know, like you said, you. You get to see you face your own stuff and you realize maybe the, the hustle and bustle of, you know, back home or whatever was going on there sort of maybe didn't really allow you to, to have that. That space to sort of see, you know, what's going on or didn't give you opportunity to grow maybe, and then, and then here there's more opportunity to, to do different things or to not do things that maybe would distract you before. So that my own personal growth, my own personal journey and growth definitely created that separation. Then I had some free time, then had another relationship, which also, you know, has. Has been Has. Has moved on. So those. Those things, you know, and as far as the business aspect goes, for me, it was my first real entrepreneur, entrepreneurial journey. I worked for other people, you know, back home and. And starting this restaurant, not knowing Spanish, there was a lot of stuff. And back then, even, like, it was a little bit more wild, wild west still, you know, and the permits and that were a lot looser. And as I came here, that started to change. So. And I remember even people like, I didn't have a handicap washroom back then, and neither nor did anybody, but somebody ratted me out from the community. You know, another restaurant was. Didn't want me coming in. You know, it was like, oh, jealousy. Yeah. Or they're gonna take business and, you know, we don't want. It was more like, nowadays that's not like that. Everybody's so welcoming, but. And not that they weren't welcoming, but it was just those were some of the things I had to deal with and dealing with six months out of the year where nobody was here.

Right.

You know, it was. It was really that slow, you know, and there was months where we would sit and have four or five people come through, you know, in those rainy times. So, yeah, this. This place tests you in many different ways. And in. In the business, and it still tests. Tests you in the business, you know, because they're constantly changing regulations and laws and new taxes.

Two years haven made things any easier.

Of course. Yeah. And Covid and all these different things. So.

So with being down here and, you know, going through different relationships, different business challenges, what would you say has been some of the biggest areas of maybe your own personal growth, like with your, you know, with your evolution as a human?

I mean, when I. When I came, you know, I came with a lot. A lot of baggage, for sure, that I didn't know I had. And when I started that personal growth journey, I got into plant medicine and that started unpacking things quickly. And that's why that first relationship went the ways it did, because I was on that personal growth journey of wanting to get off the drugs and alcohol that I was on. And not that I was know, wasn't an addict or anything, but, you know, I was just. I was in. Back in Canada too. It's like the.

The industry part of the lifestyle, part.

Of the lifestyle, part of the industry, and the kitchens and in the restaurants and the bars and, you know, it's. I think everybody goes through that part. You know, everybody wants to have fun and party. And you come to Costa Rica, it Doesn't make it any easier, if not makes it a little harder because there's more space and downtime. And what do you feel your downtime with? So as I tried to shake that off and grow through it, that was one of the biggest, the biggest growth aspects for sure. And with, with all that came, you know, reaction and anger and judgment for myself and for others. And I mean, I, I think for all of us. Those are kind of the, the basic ones, you know, speaking your truth, being true to yourself, true to your own needs, not trying to just do things for your partner or for others. Also not allowing others to influence you or change your direction or your drive. Even customers coming in. I got a great idea. You should really do this. Everybody's got a great idea for you. Whether not doing something for themselves. Everybody wants to, wants to give you those, those ideas and sort of not being reactionary to, to that stuff. I'm still unwinding all of that, though. You know, this, the, the, the growth, this transformational process that, that we're all here to go through, it never ends.

You know, when you think you figured something out, oh, there's a whole other layer of, to deal with. Yeah.

And I think, I think that's what's really important for people to know because people think that, oh, I'm going to go, I'm going to transform, I'm going to do this plant medicine, I'm going to take this journey and I'm going to be healed. Yeah, maybe enlightened. You know, I'm going to.

And it's like, yeah, I'm really glad you mentioned that because you know what? We. Again, one of the parallels is the journey of plant medicine and how it's, you know, helped you many ways and helped you heal and also has put you on a different path, which we'll speak about. And you know, a lot of people, whether it be psilocybin, iboga, ayahuasca.

I.

Don'T say it's a new trendy thing, but people feel that it's going to be their fast track to rapid healing. You know, people think that, oh, my life's a mess, things are a disaster, I'll go to Peru, I'll go to Costa Rica, I'll drink some ayahuasca and everything's going to be okay. And yeah, I know that you probably get asked that a lot with what you do over at Sacred Playground. I get asked all the time about ayahuasca and psilocybin because people who are looking to fast track their Healing. They're thinking, oh, I'm going to fly down to Peru or Costa Rica for a week, drink ayahuasca with some shamans and all my life's problems are going to go away. And I mean, you know better than anyone that's not the way it works. And, and it almost seems like plant medicine is like the new trendy thing that people are jumping on. Rather than doing the internal work, rather than sitting in their shit, which can be painful and difficult and sometimes take years, even decades. People like want to, they want to fast track the process and get right into that. And you know, I know obviously you have a lot of experience with the medicine and you've you know, know supported me in the past. You know, for, for those of you that follow me, know that I'm a big psilocybin advocate. My first big hero do journey was with Mr. Strada here who facilitated a ceremony, a one on one ceremony for me which was amazing. And, and I know this is something that obviously you're passionate about, that you, you share this medicine with people and, and you know, for those that are curious about doing the medicine, for those that are curious about ceremony to try to heal or to grow or evolve, you know, I would love for you to share your wisdom on, you know, how people can really, I guess prepare for the medicine.

Yeah, well, to sort of touch a little bit, just to go back a little bit. And what you're saying about the fast track and in the trendiness, it's interesting because when I, in 2012 I was asked to if I wanted to do ayahuasca here in Osara and I'd actually never heard of it.

That's 10 years ago.

That's like, and way back and I'd never heard of it. But I, you know, in my youth I'd recreationally done, you know, psilocybin and taking all. And smoke marijuana and I'm in, you know, sounds fun. We couldn't find six people. We had to have six people minimum. We couldn't find six people at that point, you know, and now it's like you can fill a room with a hundred a day, you know. So it's just interesting how it's really, really grown and I think there's a lot of positive parts of that, you know, that growth and, and it ensure there is a fast track aspect to it. You know, it definitely in a, in a short amount of time, in one night can show you a lot of shit real quick that you forgot was even in there, you know, or that, you know, you had or. And it doesn't take it away, it brings it up, you know, it brings it to the forefront. And then it's the integration that sort of helps, you know, take it away, which is like the next sort of thing. And I mean, for me, it's the, it's such a, it's such a conversation with so many people now. They want to come in and they want, like you said, they want it to happen. They want it to be like, I'm coming in for a night and I'm out and I'm going to be healed. And that's, that's not the way it works. I think that we're doing a discredit to the medicine and to this tradition to believe that that's how it's going to be. And it's interesting to try to teach people that or at least give them the understanding that that moment in, that in those ceremonies is again, just a key that's unlocking these things in your life that you need to work on for decades after.

Yeah.

You know, even just one good ceremony can take years to unpack. And if you don't give yourself that, that time and that the. You don't give yourself the time and the credit to sort of work through it in that manner, then it's then. Then you're not really honoring the medicine or yourself. And I lost track a little bit. Sorry, of, of what, what you wanted me to answer.

Yeah, no problem. So, you know, as you said, integration is equally as important to the ceremony. And I think that's where a lot of people don't really get the full value of the medicine. It's because they don't have a practice going into ceremony. They're not meditating, they don't spend time with themselves to have the self awareness and to at least have an understanding of what is my intention of doing the ceremony. Like, yes, maybe I've had problems with my parents, or maybe there was some abuse or maybe, you know, you have some anger issues. Okay, sit in that, feel it out, Try to understand it yourself before going to the medicine. Because I know there are people who have done ceremony and got nothing from it. They just fell asleep and in the morning they had nothing. Because the medicine knew that that person wasn't ready to see what there was to discover. Because if you don't have a practice, if you don't have your own support system, your own. If you don't have the ability to comprehend and integrate what the medicine is going to show you, it can Actually leave you in a worse place than you were going in because you may discover you were sexually abused at three years old, but your conscious mind has blocked that from your memory and that.

And because you came in without tools, now you have no tools to even figure out. How do I live with that now? And now I have something that's, you know, creating more trauma in my life than it even did before because now it's in the forefront.

People, you know, if they don't have support with integrating, they could be in a worse place than they actually went in.

So yeah, we were talking about the tool, the tools and not having them beforehand, which, I mean, it's fine.

So one thing, so what the question I asked you is what would you suggest, you know, to people who are. And you know, you can even tie this in saying, you know, after having done X amount of ceremonies, you know, I start to learn how to serve the medicine and you know, the advice I give people who are interested in wanting the medicine, like do you have a process or anything you tell people about or when people say, oh, I want to come do ayahuasca, like you have any advice for them or anything that you normally share. I mean, however you want to introduce that you serve medicine, totally up to you. And again, whatever you're comfortable with.

Yeah, first we were talking about the, you know, the people are coming with, with this expectation that, that they're going to come, they're going to drink medicine or take mushrooms and, and it's going to, you know, relieve them of their problems. And again it's, we're speaking about how it sort of more reveals rather than relieves them. It reveals your problems to you in a more conscious way from a different perspective. And then it's about, you know, with the, with the person that you're working with, which hopefully you're working with with somebody or you have somebody set up afterwards to help you unravel and understand how to then live in that way, in this higher conscious way with these perspectives and, and how do I implement some tools in my life to sort of one, keep me connected to that, to that ceremony feeling, you know, that, that, that, that or the morning after feeling where sometimes it's beautiful and fresh and reset before I go back into my regular daily life and life just starts pounding at me again and putting more shit on me because it does. So it's like if you're coming to relieve yourself of these problems, what are you doing to sort of help yourself not take those problems back on? Because life is Constantly going to give you things that can traumatize you or bring you reaction or anger or whatever it is. So, you know, you mentioned that you and I had shared a ceremony together. For me, it was, it was an interesting process to get to that point to be able to serve medicine or facilitate in a journey with somebody. After about eight years of doing ayahuasca, I went to Peru and I spent a week there with an amazing family. And that was the real, the real deal, the real deal deep dive. And it really surpassed any of. Any. And all of the ceremonies that I ever done before that connected or altogether, you know, really was, was. It was so much more than anything I'd experienced before. And I was. When I went there, I was sort of over the medicine in a way. I was tired of these giant groups of people stepping over each other to, to heal themselves, you know, and especially since I came from a place where it was like six or eight people and then we got into these like 40, 50 people ceremony, it was just like, it was just too much. So I went to Peru and it was again, a small ceremony and it was more intimate and there was a lot more personal work with the shamans and there was just. It was different. So when I was leaving there, the shaman that I became very close with, I asked him, you know, how can I continue this healing journey in such a way where I don't have to go back into these big ceremonies? And he said, well, start working with psilocybin. And with that, I started working personally on my own in these deep ways, alone in the dark. And through those journeys, my higher self spoke to me in such a way that mentioned. Mentioned to me was like, hey, Mike, you should probably help people this way and help facilitate these things. And I was like, no fucking way, dude. You know, I don't know who am I, who am I to. To sit and help somebody through their. Their stuff? You know, I'm just getting over my own stuff. So. So over time, I just started to listen to my higher self in a different way and trust. And I did some work with different people and different things that allowed me to sort of start believing in myself, believing in that voice that we sort of stuff aside, you know, we certainly seem to listen to one voice and the one that's actually really important. We sort of put that one down a lot of times. So over time I just, you know, with a. I had a breath. A buddy who was a breath work facilitator. We sort of swapped a. Swapped a ceremony and there was A great outcome in that. And. And then that just progressed and progressed and progressed. And then sort of word was on the street that, you know, that I was able to help people help themselves in this way and hold some beautiful space. And I was playing elemental instruments and sort of created this kind of like ayahuasca feel, you know, and never did I ever pretend that I was a shaman or a healer or anything like that. You know, just somebody that could sit there with you, play some music and understand what you've been through. Because I'd been through a lot, you know, in my life. I. I've unraveled a lot of stuff back to, you know, some. Some stuff when I was younger, some issues. I had some traumas growing up and. And just the usual stuff that we all have, you know, and we're.

We're all. We're all.

We've all gone through it. We're all going through it. And I think that's what makes it easy to sit with. With. With somebody like me, regular guy with tattoos and, and. And just. I've been through it, you know, and people feel that and they feel safe in that space. So it's. That's sort of been the journey, you know, to. To this. This space holding space that we shared and where the medicines brought me and then allowed me to create more. More magical experiences for people in different ways, with or without medicine. Just helping people find their child heart and using different modalities to find play and joy again. So, yeah, that's. That's kind of where. Where I'm at now.

Yeah. Yeah. No, it's beautiful that. Yeah, I believe that's the journey for most of us that when we are at a point where we. And not that we're ever fully healed or we're ever fully complete, but, you know, we get to a point where we understand our traumas, our wounds, and we've made some progress and learned a thing or two about healing.

It's.

It's our. It's our human nature that we want to help others with their healing journey. And, and that. That's why I'm such an advocate for psilocybin and plant medicine and why I started hosting retreats and coaching is because I realized that, you know, seven years ago, I was oblivious to all of this work and, And I lived a very unconscious, unintentional life that was driven by my wounds and my insecurities. And then I started diving in and, you know, to your point, before, like, you know, plant medicine, yes, it is an accelerator and it will open things up faster. But thankfully I was already into my own personal development work two to three years before I started mixing with the plant medicine and, and I share it publicly and you know, have invested into companies that serve and, you know, are in the process of legalizing psilocybin for mental health benefits. Because, you know, this is ancient wisdom. This is medicine that's been around for thousands of thousands of years that has helped humanity grow and evolve and expand their consciousness for centuries now. And of course, mushrooms and LSD and MDMA and even ayahuasca, you know, a lot of these psychedelics have gotten a really bad rap. People think you're going to like that you can overdose on mushrooms, you know, and that you're gonna get high and jump out of a, you know, 10 story apartment building window. Right. And part of the reason why I advocate for and share the information is there's a lot of misinformation and a lot of confusion around what, what is magic mushrooms? How do they benefit you? Because, you know, most people watching this podcast or listening to this, they probably messed around with mushrooms back in high school or, you know, did it, went to a rave or club or something. And that's fun and all, you know, that can be an enlightening, entertaining experience. But when you participate in ceremony like I did with you, consuming somewhere between 6 to 7 grams, blindfold, laying down music, live instruments, I mean, that was a whole other journey in itself. And yeah, I think that's, that's where there's a misunderstanding in people not unders, like, they're so stuck in the belief that mushrooms are like this party substance that gets you all up and you know you're gonna do crazy. And they don't see it as medicine. Like it's a way to access that pain, that trauma, those memories that are deep within us that we are too afraid to touch. And the medicine allows us to see that again and to be with it and to really process it. Because they say like, until you could feel it, you can't heal it. And if you're not even aware of it because you shut it down and you pushed it so far into your, you know, subconscious, subconscious that sometimes therapy can't even access it. And, you know, cancel cybin, help you heal faster. Absolutely. And there's a way to go about it, there's a way to do it. And you know, I think it's beautiful what you're doing with, with how you set it up, with how you hold space and, you know, create these beautiful ceremonies that feel very. They feel comfortable, you know, they feel protected. You know, you're. You know, you've created a beautiful, unique place, the Sacred Playground. And, you know, I don't know if it was your intention when you created it to possibly one day, you know, facilitate these types of ceremonies, but it's such a unique, cool environment and set and setting is so important when participating in these type of experiences. So I'm curious to know, like, what was your inspiration behind Sacred Playground and what's your future vision for where you hope it to evolve to?

Yeah, I mean, the ins. The inspiration came from a lot of places. One was I wanted a refuge, a place to a place away from the ocean in case there was a tsunami. Yeah, yeah. Like, you know, we lived near the beach in the Tsar, and I wanted a place that. That was. That was safe, that was away from this, away from the ocean. That was also a place I could grow food. I have a restaurant. As we talked about grow organic food, I saw people wasting so much of their. Of their food in certain ways and becoming unconscious with their connection with food. So I wanted to create a place that people could come and dine and walk through the gardens and have these, like, edible journeys where they could sort of reconnect with. With the. With the plants and with seeing how things are grown and how much it takes to grow, you know, kale or tomato. And it's funny, there's so many people that don't. Don't know, you know, and they just. And then they go to a restaurant and they order this food and they throw half it away, and they don't really have any respect for the time and energy for all of it. Never mind the cook who cooked it or the owner who purchased it, or the farmers, the farmer who grew it and all. There's so many steps for effort to that little cherry tomato to get to your plate, you know, so that was one of them. So there's a lot. There's a lot of different intention and then. Yeah, having a space where I could personally do my own journeys that wasn't in an apartment above my restaurant and a place that I could help facilitate friends that wasn't an apartment above my restaurant or at another facility that I was allowed to. To work at and do these different things. So lots of different intentions coming in to one magical space. Yeah. There were some other things I wanted to touch on that you mentioned, but now I've lost them.

Yeah. So just as far as it evolving as a concept, because it's been growing, it's been evolving, it's been expanding. So I don't know if there's anything you want to share about because you've also hosted a number of different type of events there that are pretty unique. Yeah, yeah.

And some of the other things that we do there, some of the things we do at the sacred playground, again, are very child heart orientated, you know, in a sense. And I think that, you know, even the, the medicine brings that up, you know, brings us back to those childhood memories. Psilocybin is very playful. Can be, I remember, you know, even in our journey, it was very fun, you know, seriously, you know, it's that seriousness and the fun and all of that sort of mixing together, which is interesting, which is important and just touching back on, on the psilocybin factor. And that was one of the big intentions for me, was bringing the sacredness back to the mushroom. You know, even my own past history with it, like you said, which was with buddies. And, you know, we never. I wasn't really a guy who went to the bar on psilocybin, but I knew a lot of people who did. And it's like that is an ancient technology, a sacred, ancient technology that needs to be used in the right ways. And I think people, people still are a little loose around it. I think, you know, they still think, ah, it's just mushrooms. It's not ayahuasca, it's just mushrooms. We can do it. We can have a part. We can have a group at the house and you know, Joe will facilitate and you know, maybe Joe's done one little journey. You know, it's like, but, but people can go through some heavy stuff. You know, people can really, can really dive into deep, deep space and deep trauma. And we, you know, we are responsible, you know, or whoever is holding that space is responsible to make sure that person has a positive outcome. So creating that set and setting in a, in a, in a place like the sacred playground, with that jungle, with that ancient lineage that resided in that area, you know, around the Nassar river, the chas. You know, some of the. Yeah, just those ancient ways, they're still felt there. So I think when you step on that property, you're held in a different way. You're held in nature. So the set and setting really helps. And we do, yeah, we do lots of different events there. We bring in community days and ecstatic dance and cacao ceremonies, and we had Rodrigo Gallardo, who's a musician, just all different types of events that bring joy and laughter and music and Fun and community days and, and yeah, all the different modalities, sound healings, whatever it is, whatever it is that, that people want to bring to the space that is in alignment with, with sort of growth and laughter and play. We like to facilitate. Yeah.

Because those are all healing modalities. Like being able to do an ecstatic dance and, you know, let yourself feel the music and shake and get wild. I mean, that's, that's all healing, you know, like those are different ways that we are able to, you know, reconnect with that young child in us, you know, shake off the stress, let go of all the tension that we hold on to and. Yeah, and it's important. You know, when I think of Sacred Playground, I almost think of it as like an adult.

Yeah.

A place for adults to let loose and have fun. Like you've created a place that gives permission to the adults to come and act like kids.

Yeah, it's a spiritual Chuck E. Cheese.

Yeah, I like that.

Spiritual.

A conscious Chuck E. Cheese. I like that. Yeah.

Yeah. We're gonna start dressing up in, in costumes and running around.

Yeah.

And the future, I mean, you mentioned like what's, what is the, the, the.

Growth as a, as I've seen it evolve and grow over the last two years now it's expanded. Now you've got tents and accommodations. You know, like you, you seems like you got a big vision for it as it continues to. Yeah, expand.

Yeah, it's been a, it's been about a three year process of this sort of unraveling of it, which is actually was unknowingly a vision that came through me in Peru and has led me down this path over the last seven years, basically. And as we keep building and putting in the natural pool and the pond system and know, first it was the tents. Now we just built a casita. We have a geometric dome. So yeah, we have the accommodations finally so people can stay and do longer retreats and, and bringing things in. For me, it's, it's almost at where I want it to be. You know, it, it doesn't need to keep expanding in, in any more ways. I think that it's a very important, just like doing a ceremony, like, it's important to integrate, like finish the building and just let it, let it, let it settle, let the energy settle, let the, let people calm. Let, let, let's, let's do the work and let's see. You know, it's, it's important to let things unfold in their own way and not push. Absolutely pushing and Keep pushing and keep pushing and you know, we'll, we'll see. Maybe, maybe, you know, a few more rooms. We're finishing up the temple and. No, I mean it's, I think it's. We always want to work in these small groups too. You know, obviously we have community days and events where we bring in like, you know, more people, but when we do that, the intimate work, that's, that's what I like the most. And I think that there's not a lot of places doing that. I think it's part of the, the market, for lack of better words, it's needed to do, you know, private, semi private, small groups. People can have a lot more one on one time with the same facilitators and with the healers and the shamans and really like be more vulnerable. And it's sometimes in, in bigger groups there's a lot of energy to deal with and there's somebody you don't really, you know, vibe with.

You got places like Rhythmia and Sultara and you know, even like One Heart.

Journey and all very necessary and there's nothing against those. Like those places are all doing beautiful work and they're very necessary. But I, I also, I think that this is necessary like, like, like everything in life, right? Everybody, we need a vast selection and options of places to go and, and I just personally like, like working in those, in those smaller groups. You know, it's interesting. There's no real segue into this, but it's just really interesting that what, what all of this work is, is, is now unraveling in me. And after, you know, these 13 years of doing this work and creating this space and sort of almost at the finish line of the creation of that space is, is now I'm like, I need, I need to like integrate back into the real world, you know, in a different way. And it's been 13 years. You know, it's weird. The 12 to 13 years is exactly what I spent in Whistler. And that was. I was ready to go, you know, and now I'm at this 12 or 13 years in Lasara and like literally a month ago, at the end of the end of. Or just no, weeks ago, at the end of April, we finished a big, a big stint of retreats and, and I'm finally integrating and I'm like, I kind of need to go back to the concrete jungle a little bit, which is like really weird for me to even tell myself and I'm judging myself for it, but I'm also understanding the balance and this is what I, you know, we, we try to help people understand. I don't like the word teach for some reason, but we try to help people understand that this work is about being human. It's not about being the most spiritual person you could ever be and get lost in it because that doesn't help us. You know, what we need to do is become, you know, consciousness as conscious as we can and then, like you said, help others become more conscious. But if we just sit in these selective communities and create, you know, community properties where we're all like minded and we're all just sitting around talking about that to each other, how does that help the, the collective in a bigger way? You know, and it, and it's weird to say and I don't even know the answer because I'm just very much, it's very fresh in my mind. And I, and I judge myself again for feeling these ways, which I don't want to do. But there's a balance, you know, there's a balance for me and this is me speaking about my journey. And again, I don't say that that's right for everybody and maybe there are people that, that's what they want and that's beautiful. But for me, what I'm starting to feel is like, I want to take this message, I want to take this new consciousness, these new perspectives and be able to go and hang out in different places. Sure. Where maybe people don't get to talk about that stuff so much, you know, and have these conversations. Because it's all I know now. So that if I'm in a place in San Jose and I'm having dinner and we meet, I meet some new friends, some new people and they're like, what do you do? This is what I do. And they're like, well, wow, that's interesting. I've never been. It's like that's, that's what I have.

You're creating an opening there.

So now we're, now we're creating new conversations. Whereas if I'm at Norte in Nosara, it's like, hey, Mike, how's it going? We know what you're doing. It's like it becomes the same conversations, you know, and for me that's, that's, that's an interesting new perspective.

Yeah.

For me. And again, I, I still love that, but I need to balance it out with something else. Yeah.

So, yeah. That I really relate to what you're sharing. You know, I tell people I love living in Osara and I love leaving. No, Sarah, because, you know, last three and a half years being here in that deep dive of this beautiful conscious collective. Oh, this conscious collective bubble here, you know, where talk about plant medicine and afterlife and Akashic records. Yeah, all of this is like normal talk in any day here in Lasada. And then, you know, lunch talk, you know, just lunch talk for sure. You know, going back and forth to Toronto and, you know, having spent some time in Miami recently, you know, I realized, wow, the, the duality of it, you know, the. It's like stepping into a different dimension. And, you know, I feel it is necessary for people like you and I who are doing this work and who are really rooted or well versed in, in this mindset, this consciousness, this, this medicine to share it with others who, yeah, might not have access or the. Yeah, wouldn't have the access to this real first person, one to one experience. And I as well, recently, you know, started to reconnect and enjoy some of the things that I used to like from my past life, whether it be driving a Porsche, whether it be dating again, eating in fancy restaurants, buying nice clothes again. You know, for the last three years, I've been pretty minimalist, pretty simple. And there's this misconception that to be spiritual or conscious, you got to like, give everything away and you got to be like, meditating in a robe on a fucking mountain somewhere and denounce all wealth and, you know, none of that's needed anymore. And I'm not going to lie for a while, I did believe that. But it was also helpful for me to believe that because I wasn't in a great financial position, I didn't know where I fit anymore. So it's easier just to like, get rid of everything and say, I don't need it, I'm spiritual now, than to say, fuck, I like that stuff and I can't afford it. And, you know, dipping back into Toronto and Miami periodically this past year has reminded me like, okay, there's. There's some materialistic stuff that I still actually really like, and I'm still spiritual and conscious. I can still be a good person, be a great coach, help people with their spiritual journey and rock really nice designer shit if I want, like, I can have both and there's nothing wrong with it. So I, I understand what you're saying about almost feeling bad about liking that stuff. And if that's what lights you up, it's okay, you know, and we're only here once.

Or this. This one. Yeah, this one. And like, the point is the human experience we're here for human experience, and all that material stuff is part of it, you know, and the. It's about balance, you know. The other thing which is funny about, like, going back into the Matrix, we'll say is, like, it really shows you, like, have you been doing the work 100, you know, as you sit in traffic, are you frustrated? You know, are you. Are you having road rage again? You know, what was. What's the. What's the point of getting spiritual if you can't. If you can't use that. That's the point is to use it in regular life and, and have that compassion for people. Not have judgment, not have anger. That's what we worked on, getting rid of it. So it's like, yeah, sitting on the mountaintop with the birds playing a flute all day. Fuck. Of course you're not going to get upset at anything, you know, but if you go back in, that's when you really doing the work.

Yeah. And that's when you find out, like, is. Is the work really embodied? Have I actually, like, really embodied this work? Or is. Are these just tools and techniques and exercises I use to, like, be all Zen and shit, but have I really embodied that?

Say I'm Zen.

Yeah. Say, yeah, an identity, a role, you know, and that's something that I struggled with as well, going back and forth to Toronto. Like, okay, like, you know, was this just a new identity I adopted?

Right.

What does it mean to be spiritual? What does it mean to be conscious? And it's when you're back in that old environment and the triggers are around and some of those old vices or habits that you used to indulge in are there in your face, and it's like, okay, in this moment, what am I choosing? How am I. How am I wanting to show up at this point, you know, with. With what I'm faced with right now, am I still able to honor my values and be in integrity with what I say I'm about, you know, And I think that's where. That's where a lot of people maybe fall off. It's like you said, it's easy to be Zen and easy to be living a certain lifestyle when you're in a town like, no, Sara. But can you still be that solid, Zen conscious person when you're back into the. The eye of the matrix? Right?

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So that's. That's the next test, I guess, you know, is, Is, is. And for me, it's. When I came. When I came here, like, I never left you Know, in the beginning, I would leave to go to Nicaragua for border runs and stuff. I went back to Canada once.

Okay.

You know, and. And I. I've just been here.

Yeah.

You know, so I didn't. And a lot of other people that, that come, you know, they do go back, you know, every once a year, twice a year, they go back to Canada, they go back to Miami, they go to New York. But for me, it's been a long stint. You know, I haven't. Haven't gone back to North America in eight years or something. Nine years, you know, so it's just been little other, you know, Colombia or Peru or whatever, which again, is still very, very otherworldly. So. But San Jose is very close and there's very much matrixy stuff there. And I've been enjoying going. Going back into that space a little bit more and, and just being wowed by the amount of people and the chaos that is a. A Friday night or, you know, the first of the month and everybody gets paid, runs to the mall, and it's just like. Yeah. But again, it tests me. It tests me in new ways and in different ways, and I'm sort of enjoying that. That balance a little bit more than I was before. And that's.

It's all about the balance. And until you are able to experience both sides of the duality, you know, you're not able to appreciate one to the full extent.

Exactly. And that's. And that's what's so important about. About leaving, you know, always about stepping outside of your. Your normal day and going somewhere else and having that perspective. Just like in the medicine, it's like you. You get to shift perspective, right. And, like, look back from like a third party, like, is this what I really love? You know, do I, Am I, am I, Am I integral? Am I, am I. Am I enjoying my life the way I should? Is this where I want to be? You know, and it does. And even just going. Going away for a couple of days down to. Down to the city, for me, it's like, I love it. And then when I get back to the farm, I'm like, oh, yeah, you know, I appreciate it more whether. Where. When I'm just there every day, it's work.

Yeah.

You know, it's. Again, it becomes work every day. So, you know, having that balance, I'm lucky as well right now that I have an amazing new partner who's Costa Rican. And, you know, it's a little family. She has a daughter, and I'm at a new place where you know, I'm getting to be something new. It's a whole new step for me, and I'm very, very honored and humbled to be able to be in that position, position and help raise, you know, help raise a little girl in. In the best capacity that I can at this point. And even it being new and the acceptance, you know, that's there for her to me and me to her, and I have a lot of great support and, and that's. That's been great for me in the last little while because earlier in the podcast, we were talking about the, the relationships that were severed, you know, through. Through this process of growth. But luckily, you know, now I've grown and obviously I'll continue to grow. But I'm in such a growth space that in this relationship, I'm really using the tools that I never was before. I didn't have them, you know, and I think that's important that we realize in these relationships because we're getting so caught up that every relationship should last forever and we don't. Maybe we don't look and realize that every relationship is a learning is a learning aspect, is a learning moment. And now I'm in this relationship and I'm actually using what I learned. And I didn't do that in relationships before. I just kept making more mistakes. I'm more patient, I'm more compassionate, I'm more honest. I'm able to hold space because of the space I've held because of the space I've been in. And with the medicine, I'm able to hold space for my partner when she's going through her things. I'm able to hold space for that girl, for her daughter when she's going through her things. So this work is really, you know, this is. This is where I'm seeing the work has worked, you know, more than. More than in anywhere else, you know, in this new relationship. It's like. And I think that's something that we all need to remember in a relationship, is that we're holding space for each other, you know, and we're so quick to think that it's not. It's not working. It's. If there's an argument or something, it's not aligned.

It's not.

It's like, well, are you actually standing, stepping back and dropping your ego and holding space for somebody in that, in their process, giving them that space, you know, and. And that's something I've really learned through, through this last relationship, and I'm really grateful that she's Also able to do the same thing and, and not judge each other for when we go through those moments of anger or whatever it is. You know, it's like we, we're both able to kind of step back and just be like, okay, this is your moment, you know, go through it. I'm not going to judge you for it. I'm not going to run away. You know, it's, it's all, it's all part of the game of life, you know, the human experience. And yeah, I'm just, I'm grateful to be able to, to do the work, you know, with her and, and yeah, things are good.

Yeah. And it's, it's in relationship that we really get to see how much of the work that we've done has actually, you know, been embodied. How much of it is actually benefiting us.

Yeah.

And yeah, there are biggest teacher. Because when there's all that love and care invested, you know, and present in a relationship slice, things trigger us, those wounds get poked and twisted and it's like, oh, okay, that's there. And yeah, it's, it's beautiful to see your growth and to see your evolution and to, you know, hear your, your wisdom. So, you know, I really appreciate you, you know, sharing all that you have and being so open about everything. You know, I, as I said at the beginning, like, you know, your story, I find it very inspiring. I love the path that you're on. I love the work that you're doing. You know, your, your service has had a great impact on me. So, you know, I'll always be grateful for that. And, you know, I just, I love what you're doing and how you're showing up for others. And, you know, I just wanted other people to hear your story, learn about who you are and who knows, you know, if somebody out there wants to come down to Costa Rica and do a deeper dive into yourself first, do your own work first. You got to have your practice down. You know, I think what you're doing is amazing, and I look forward to seeing how your path continues to evolve and expand.

And I think something that you said there was so important about showing up, you know, for your partners. And I mean, if you're not showing up for yourself, yeah, you cannot show up for anybody, you know, and that, that goes into from the smallest detail to the biggest detail, you know, just showing up for yourself. One of the biggest things we, we try to talk to people about with, when it comes, like, integration with all of this work is something you, you mentioned the beginning which is, like, what is your. What's your daily practice? Like, are you waking up and showing up for yourself? Like, how much time you're giving yourself in the morning?

Yeah.

For me, this is like, one of the biggest life changers. One of the biggest things that changed my life after I started doing the work was morning practice, you know, And I. And I'm religious about it. And it doesn't matter if I got a little hangover or how late the night was or how little sleep I got. I go put the mat down, I sit, just take a breath, say, good morning, Michael. Like, thanks for showing up today. You know, you got a lot on your plate. Yeah, it's gonna be a big day. But, like, you're here. Throw a couple stretches in, maybe put a little bit of spiritual music on place, whatever. Whatever it is. But just take a moment before you jump on the phone or hit the computer or even make a cup of coffee. Like you're shifting your nervous system, like, immediately with any of those things. You know, most people say, oh, I gotta have a coffee before anything. It's like, well, how about just like, taking a breath, you know, and like, regulate yourself. Show up for yourself. Give yourself 1 minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15?

If you can't have that time in the morning, you know, how do you expect to take on the bigger things that life has to throw at you if you can't even give yourself that 10 minutes? And if you. If you choose not to give yourself that 10 minutes? And why aren't you choosing yourself first, you know?

Yeah. And how do you expect yourself to show up for your partner or show up for your child and have any sort of space, you know, to. To help them through what they need if you haven't helped yourself, if you haven't taken that space. That space is so important, you know, and even if it's only the beginning of the day or whether you can do it, you know, a couple times a day or a little before you go to bed, but that for something. For some reason that morning, you know, it's like waking up. It's like being reborn. Every day, you know, we go to sleep, we have this sort of death experience, which isn't death, but, you know. You know, you understand what I mean, and you wake up and it's. It's a new chance. It's a new day every day. So, yeah, I mean, if. If I can give anybody any sort of, you know, recommendation, that would be it.

Yeah.

You know, start giving yourself some space every morning and start small don't expect too much of yourself, and watch how that can. That can change things, you know? And that's the first tool.

Absolutely.

Tool number one.

There you go. Thank you for those words of wisdom. I appreciate that. And I'm sure whoever's watching, you know, step one, as you said, you know, start the day taking care of yourself, fill up your own cup before you go up there, and.

Yeah.

Do everything you need to do for the world.

Yeah, man.

Yeah. So thank you for your time, man. I appreciate it. I'm glad we finally were able to make it happen. And. And I know this is going to be edited into a masterpiece, but this has been, without the doubt, without a doubt, the most interrupted podcast in human history, but we made it work. We made it happen.

Yeah, man. Thank you, Zark, for. For doing what you do.

Thank you.

And creating this platform and the retreats you hold and the love you share, and I know you're always on that side of the mic, so you're interviewing people, so maybe we'll flip that one day and I'll interview you.

Yeah, man.

We'll do another one of these.

Yeah.

And it's. It's humbling, and it's a blessing, and I appreciate you very much as a brother and as a friend and as a. Just as a. As a human man.

Yeah, we're similar, and we're walking the same path together, man.

Yeah. Yeah. And Johnny, behind the camera, man, we appreciate you, too.