Reflections on 2025

At the Salem, West Virginia Apple Butter Festival

2025 is coming to a close, and what a year it's been.

At the end of 2024, our corner of Appalachia was still emerging from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. That work is still ongoing as the ripple effects continue in our community. We are heartened by the progress that's been made, while still mourning all that was lost.

In spite of the immense changes wrought by the storm, we started this year with optimism, feeling into our own resilience as Appalachians. We also vowed to connect more with our core communities of Appalachia and the psychedelic movement. Looking back on the year, we are proud of what we've done – including hitting some milestone goals – and excited for what's next.

Here are a few of the dream goals we reached this year.

1. Talking Journalism at Psychedelic Culture

Chacruna Psychedelic Culture panel

Ali joined Chacruna Chronicles Editor Jessica DeWitt, Lucid News Editor Annie Oak, Integration Communications founder Brad Burge, and Psychedelic Communications Hub founder Robyn Thomas on stage at San Francisco's Brava Theatre for Chacruna's annual Psychedelic Culture conference. Stay tuned – she'll be there again in 2026!

2. Taking the Stage at Psychedelic Science

“The Heartland Meets Appalachia” Psychedelic Science Panel

We represented Appalachia at Psychedelic Science in Denver. Our panel, "The Heartland Meets Appalachia: Exploring Psychedelic Healing and Regional Resilience," also featured Christina Conrad, Ben McCauley, and Angie Leek, and was moderated by W. Bryan Hubbard. Watch it here.

3. Leading the Audience Through an Appalachian Visualization at Gathering of the Pearl

Posing at Gathering of the Pearl

We love supporting the work The Pearl Institute is doing and the way they're a lighthouse in the South for psychedelic-assisted therapy, so it was an honor to step on stage at the 4th annual Gathering of the Pearl alongside speakers that included W. Bryan Hubbard, Rick Doblin, Michael Mithoefer, and many others. Read the Lucid News article about the Gathering here.

4. Building a New Program at Salem University

At the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in WV

We are working hard to launch our Psychedelic Science specialization, which will be a track for B.S. Biology students, at Salem University in spring of 2026. Behind the scenes, we've been gathering data and building out the program, and we hosted a Fireside Chat earlier this month to introduce the community to what we're up to. We also visited Salem and stopped by some of the best WV sights on the way. Follow along with Salem University as we release more info.

There's so much more we could share on both personal and professional levels about the opportunities and the challenges this year brought us. But for now, we just want to say thank you to our community, which recognizes the importance of this work and what we're doing. We want to make 2026 a year of even more community building, through our Hollers & Horizons series, conference appearances, and so much more. We have some exciting things we'll be rolling out, and some new ways to bring you into the conversation.