Mindrolling with Raghu Markus

Author, journalist, and co-founder of DoubleBlind, Madison Margolin, joins Raghu to explore her latest project: creating a roadmap to tripping, microdosing, and beyond.
Grab your copy of The DoubleBlind Guide to Psychedelics
In this episode, Madison and Raghu step into the world of:
Emerging theories of Ibogaine use in Parkinson's treatment
Defining ‘psychedelics’ and Dr. Ben Malcom’s (aka The Spirit Pharmacist) view on psychedelic & somatic awareness
What the clinical world can take away from indigenous plant medicine rituals
Ram Dass’s journey from psychedelic research to spirituality
Spiritual seekers: from India to South America
How regular practice helps us connect to deeper layers of reality
Feeling beyond time and space
Punctuating psychedelic experiences with spiritual practice
Altered states in the history of Judaism
Psychedelics for war zones, trauma, and religious leaders
Accessing your set, setting, and mental health dispositions
“Doing psychedelics under the stewardship of an indigenous culture is equally legitimate to doing it in a clinical context, and it’s also legitimate to do it at a Grateful Dead show. What I really want to get at is that the way the tribes or indigenous cultures regard these medicines is through community, song, prayer, connection to nature, reciprocity, those are all values that even the clinical world can borrow and emulate as they design their trials." –Madison Margolin
About Madison Margolin:
Madison is an author and journalist who straddles California, New York, and the Israel-Palestine region, with a focus on psychedelics, cannabis, and Judaism — jokingly referring to it as “Jews & Drugs.” Her reporting also spans culture, policy, and science. At the center of her work is a sustained curiosity about how people transcend the mind to access something larger than themselves, whether through psychedelics, spirituality, meditation, art, or somatic practice. Much of her writing explores the different ways people nourish the soul. Madison is the co-founder of DoubleBlind, the print and digital magazine that covers psychedelics and their intersections with mental health, spirituality, environmental justice, and social equity. She also co-founded the Jewish Psychedelic Summit and hosts the podcast Set & Setting on the Be Here Now Network. She has worked in journalism since 2014, with bylines in outlets including Rolling Stone, Vice Media, Playboy, High Times, Tablet Magazine, and Nylon.
She began her journalism career with a cannabis column at The Village Voice shortly after graduating from Columbia Journalism School. Before that, she lived in Tel Aviv, where she worked with Israel’s African refugee community. Earlier in her life, she lived at the Cloyne co-op while studying rhetoric and linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley.
She is a language enthusiast who speaks or dabbles in French, Russian, Yiddish, and Hebrew. Outside of work and writing, she is usually dancing, spinning a hula hoop, or practicing yoga.
Madison Margolin is also the author of Exile and Ecstacy, a book on Growing Up with Ram Dass and Coming of Age in the Jewish Psychedelic Underground. Learn more about Madison’s work at madisonmargolin.com
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Exploring the healing power of prayer and belief, Dr. Joshua Brown interweaves cognitive neuroscience with faith-based experiences.
Preorder a copy of Joshua’s book, Proving a Miracle, HERE.
This week on Mindrolling, Raghu and Joshua explore:
Joshua’s fascination with the brain as a machine
How a medical crisis shifted Joshua’s life path
The impact of the spiritual on our physical selves
Living between the worlds of neuroscience and faith
How we form beliefs and how those beliefs affect our health
The power of community and seeking out unique experiences
Joshua’s own experience witnessing miracles
Choosing hope and accepting the risk of disappointment
How Artificial Intelligence is trained through predictions
About Joshua Brown, PhD:
Dr. Joshua W. Brown is a professor of Psychological and Brain Science at Indiana University, where he directs the Cognitive Control Lab. He also co-founded the Global Medical Research Institute. With decades of experience in computational neuroscience and over 79 peer-reviewed publications, he brings the same rigorous scientific methodology to extraordinary claims of healing that he applies to understanding the brain. His book, Proving a Miracle, will be released on May 12th of 2026.
“Practically, you are what you eat, and your beliefs reflect the experiences that you have. If you want to develop more nuanced beliefs in a certain direction, you have to immerse yourself in experiences that match those beliefs.” –Joshua Brown
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Drawing from decades of Buddhist practice and lived experience, Lodro Rinzler helps listeners overcome self-doubt and reconnect with their inherent goodness.
Grab a copy of Lodro Rinzler’s recently released book, You Are Good, You Are Enough.
This week on Mindrolling, Raghu and Lodro explore:
Keeping an open mind towards all wisdom traditions
Lessons from Tibetan master Khandro Rinpoche
Having gratitude for obstacles and challenges
Recognizing where seeds of doubt have been planted in our lives
The insidious inner voice that tries to convince us we are not complete as is
Getting in touch with our awakened nature
How doubt can actually manifest as arrogance (I know better than to trust these people, these things)
Capitalism and how industries make money off the idea that we are not okay
Learning to love ourselves unconditionally
Grappling with the fact that every human being has inherent, basic goodness
The gift of offering another our undivided attention
About Lodro Rinzler:
Lodro Rinzler is a Buddhist meditation teacher and award-winning author of 7 books, including the bestseller The Buddha Walks Into A Bar, and Take Back Your Mind: Buddhist Advice for Anxious Times. He is co-founder of MNDFL Meditation studios in NYC, and was named one of ’50 Innovators Shaping the Future of Wellness’ by SONIMA. Rinzler’s work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Good Morning America, CBS, and NBC. He has taught meditation for 20 years in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and has spoken across the world at conferences, universities, Google, Harvard, and the White House. Lodro resides in the Hudson Valley with his wife and their four-legged family of animals. More at LodroRinzler.com
“The world is on fire, it’s troubling times. I think if we start to recognize basic goodness in one another, then it will really transform the world.” –Lodro Rinzler
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Exploring her “No-BS” approach to yoga and mindfulness, Oneika Mays joins Raghu Markus to discuss the amazing things that happen when we sit down and get in tune with ourselves.
Grab a copy of Oneika’s recently released book, Sit with Me
In this episode, Raghu and Oneika chat about:
The false sense of protection that comes from building emotional walls
Grief and coping with the sense that things are unfinished
Finding oneself over and over again through yoga and mindfulness practice
Noticing internal sensations, emotions, desires, and beyond on the yoga mat
Oneika’s transformative work in the prison system and learning to appreciate the concept of seva (service)
Looking deeply into our sense of resistance
Love as a strength rather than a weakness
Ram Dass’s practice of loving awareness and getting excited about the power of love
A prayer for all beings to be happy and free
Healing and restoration rather than punishment and incarceration
About Oneika Mays:
Oneika Mays, she/her, LMT, E-RYT, is a multi-hyphenate facilitator who leads with joy, passion, and wisdom. She is a grounded leader with lived experience that centers on mindfulness and transformation. She brings a poignant lens to building a world that is more compassionate and understanding. With deep roots and knowledge in Buddhist and yogic teachings, Oneika delivers practical application and authentic connection through her facilitation skills. With openness and vulnerability, she facilitates the space to talk about change and embrace every part of ourselves. Check out Oneika’s recently released book, Sit with Me, and learn more about her on her website.
“It’s me, inside out and connecting to the world rather than pushing back against something. It was one of the first times I felt like love wasn’t a weakness, but instead gave me strength to show up fully.” –Oneika Mays

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With loving remembrance for Raghu’s nephew, Shiva Baum, Mindrolling presents this 2014 rerelease, in which Shiva, Raghu, and David Silver explore how music shapes an era, from the wild sixties to the weird now.
Please consider supporting Shiva’s family via GoFundMe. Funds raised will go toward cremation and memorial expenses, immediate living and housing costs, and ongoing support as Radha and Mohan navigate life after his passing. Learn more: Supporting Shiva Baum And His Family
In this episode, Raghu, Shiva, and David discuss:
The magic of Bruce Springsteen and the collective heart that he creates
How changes in music signify the shift of an era
How Neil Young’s song Sugar Mountain shaped Shiva’s conscious relationship to music
The divine consciousness that was active in popular music throughout the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s
Voting for a higher consciousness in politics
How the internet and being hyper-aware of global tragedies can be overwhelming
Shiva and Raghu’s work with Triloka Records involves producing fusion world music
Shiva’s work with musician Clark Graham and the creation of “The Way Things Were”
About Shiva Baum:
Aside from being Raghu’s beloved nephew, Shiva Baum was a record producer and peak performance coach. With expertise in sacred mantra chanting, Shiva was the head of music programming for the world-renowned yoga music festivals Bhakti Fest and Shakti Fest.
“What’s going on with us being more connected, we’ve absolutely voluntarily given up our privacy, we see atrocities all over the world and it’s so overwhelming that almost the form of activism is to tune it out...it does set the scene for a movement to transpire, certainly brilliant art in literature, music, and cinema. I think we’re still waiting to see the explosion. I hope it comes this decade, it might not come till next decade, but something is going on.” –Shiva Baum
About David Silver:
David Silver is the former co-host of the Mindrolling podcast. He is a filmmaker and director, most recently coming out with Brilliant Disguise. Brilliant Disguise tells the unique story of a group of inspired Western spiritual seekers from the 60s, who in meeting the great American teacher, Ram Dass, followed him to India to meet his Guru, Neem Karoli Baba, familiarly known as Maharaj-ji. Two days before he left his body, Maharaj-ji instructed K.C. Tewari to take care of the Westerners, which he did resolutely until the day he died in 1997. Silver’s #1 charting MGM/UA/Warners film, “The Compleat Beatles” is the critically acclaimed biopic movie about history’s most famous band. The term ‘rockumentary’ was first applied to this two-hour movie. Rolling Stone recently described the film as a “masterwork.” Silver’s Warner Brothers’ feature film, “No Nukes” also started the whole trend of music/activism feature documentaries.
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