How microdosing mushrooms took a Gen Xer from Corporate America to community Cultivator
Cesar Marin had never expected his first “microdose” experience to be like this. After all, he only bought the mushrooms out of recreational curiosity. In his 55 years, he’d never had a psychedelic experience before. Now, he thought, it was time. At this point, he’d already been around every drug imaginable. Cannabis, MDMA, and yes, even cocaine – “I grew up in Miami in the 80s,” he said. Mushrooms would be the same, Marin figured. He’d trip, he’d get high. Thing is, that didn’t happen.
He’d taken only two squares of a 3.5 gram mushroom chocolate bar. It wasn’t enough to give him the visual or auditory distortions that come with a full trip. Instead, he felt a mental nudge, a tingle. He felt his perception “opening up,” ever so slightly. This felt different. It felt more profound. He had to know more, he said. “The mushrooms know when you’re ready.”
A week later, Marin tried a larger portion from his chocolate bar. It was just days before Halloween as he rode his bike through his Atlanta neighborhood. Skeletons waved from front yards, guarded by cobweb-coated bushes. The cool October air whipped by him. Finally, he felt like a kid again. Everything was new, special. “Wow, that’s what the air feels like,” he thought. “That’s what the green in the trees looks like.” It was like the world opened up to him. He felt present in the moment, when before, life just passed him by.
Mushrooms, he knew, were about to change his life.
For the last 25 years, the Colombian native had worked at CNN in Atlanta, producing sport shows for international audiences. It was a fast-paced breaking news environment, and he loved it – but it didn’t lend itself to taking time for the small moments. As the company went through a drawn out merger, Marin saw the writing on the wall. He was a perfect candidate for the massive layoffs that always came with mergers. He was afraid, but rather than let another moment rush by him, he took a risk, knowing he could fail.
With the spore of curiosity implanted, the father of three began researching microdosing religiously. He read about its benefits, dosing protocols, how psilocybin can help to overcome addiction.
This, in particular, intrigued him. A cannabis derivative vape had been glued to his hand for too long. There had been too many nights making excuses to buy another. Too many lies that his family never believed. Too many promises to himself, broken. Maybe this is the route, he thought. Microdosing helps people center themselves, right? To not live in “that egotistic mind of the past” – the one that asks, “why did I do this, or why did this happen to me?” Those are all feelings that keep people addicted. Maybe, he thought, he could set intentions before starting his microdosing journey and actively change his own mind.
By November, Marin was an active member of the r/Microdosing subreddit and watched all the YouTube videos he could find. It was there, in the depths of YouTube, that he first heard the idea of cultivating wisdom through discussions around ‘shrooms.
The phrase lodged in his brain. And on a subsequent macrodose on his 55th birthday, he visualized the idea for what would become Cultivating Wisdom, a lifestyle and apparel brand.
So far, all the apparel he’d seen surrounding the use of psychedelic mushrooms was, obviously, psychedelic. Swirling tie-dye colors, strange characters, whimsical distortions. But he didn’t want to sell clothes just for Grateful Dead concert attendees. He wanted to design apparel that would help open conversations.
“Let’s give people the opportunity to wear a shirt that says microdosing, “ he said, “so that someone says, oh, you microdose? Why? What protocol are you on? What has worked for you? How are you dosing?”
The new businessman isn’t trying to sell himself as an expert on psilocybin science. Nor is he selling mushrooms at all. Rather, Cultivating Wisdom is a community for people to share how their personal experiences have changed them – a buffet table of wisdom, as Marin puts it.
“I can only talk about my experience,” he said. “And I tell people that number one, they have to educate themselves. That’s the first thing. Read, figure it out for yourself, because the protocol that I’m on might not work for you, or the doses that I’m on might not work for you either.”
The Cultivating Wisdom community is already growing. Marin has set up education stands at local markets, where he also offers up his provocative clothing. He’s even invested to be part of two of the biggest psychedelic medicine events this year, Cannadelic Miami in February and the Psychedelic Science conference in June.
The brand’s website has several different designs for shirts, sweatshirts, hats and gear, with plans for expansion. Marin envisions himself starting a podcast and doing speaking engagements to share the story of how psilocybin changed his life. Though the mushroom advocate started his Instagram account in November, in less than two months, it’s already swelled to over 1,000 loyal followers. Its posts are usually Marin telling stories about his dosing protocols, conversations with other mushroom advocates and tips for how to use microdosing to achieve your intentions. But – it’s also distinctly personal.
“I want to be more authentic. I want to be who I am. I don’t want to lie, I don’t want to hide stuff. I don’t want to have to be something that I’m not,” Marin says in one video, staring into the camera.
This vulnerability is key to Cultivating Wisdom’s mission. In order to be your authentic self, Marin believes you have to live in the present. You can’t let the past chain you down or let the future paralyze you. And that means accepting the parts of life that may not be pretty.
Before microdosing, Marin thought of his life like a roller coaster. A series of highs followed by pits of murky anxieties. Now, with a microdosing protocol and a new community of ‘shroom advocates, he says “it’s exhilarating.” Luckily, the trip has only just begun.
Cultivating Wisdom 
Leave a comment