Joshua White – Holding the Line: Fireside, Crisis Support & Conscious Integration

Divergent States

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In this episode of Divergent States, we talk with Joshua White, founder and executive director of the Fireside Project, a nonprofit creating a revolutionary model of psychedelic support through free, real-time emotional care and integration coaching.

What happens when someone takes too much LSD and needs someone to talk to—right now? What if someone is trying to process an ayahuasca ceremony months later, but feels disconnected or judged in traditional therapy settings? Fireside Project offers a lifeline—through voice, text, and now coaching—for people navigating the psychological highs, lows, and revelations that come with non-ordinary states.

Topics we explore:

Joshua’s journey from attorney to psychedelic peer support pioneer
The fusion of festival harm reduction (Zendo Project) and therapeutic models
The challenges and beauty of being vulnerable on psychedelics
Why peer support is not about fixing the trip—but honoring it
Fireside’s efforts to center marginalized voices and create culturally attuned care
The importance of long-term integration, not just “bad trip” triage
The launch of Fireside’s certified coaching program: preparation, integration, and affordable access to trained support
Training 600+ volunteers and building a new generation of psychedelic-informed supporters
The hard truth about fundraising and outreach in the psychedelic nonprofit space
How to get involved, support, or train with Fireside

We also discuss the deeper existential questions around psychedelics: Why do humans have the capacity for these experiences in the first place? What does it mean to embrace anxiety, rather than suppress it? And how do we build a post-prohibition world rooted in compassion, not commercialization?

Whether you’re preparing for your first journey, working through a past one, or just curious about what a post-psychedelic-care model could look like, this conversation offers a grounded, humble, and hopeful roadmap.

🔗 Learn more or volunteer: firesideproject.org
📱 Download the Fireside app (iOS & Android): Just two buttons—Call or Text.
💬 Support the show: patreon.com/divergentstates
🎧 Music by Flintwick

00:12 – Intro & Fireside Project Overview
02:33 – Joshua’s Journey: From Law to Psychedelics
08:37 – The Four Problems in the Psychedelic Field
12:12 – What a Fireside Support Call Is Like
14:08 – Anxiety, Acceptance, and “The Obstacle Is the Path”
17:32 – Who’s on the Other End of the Line?
20:45 – Volunteer Training & Community Structure
22:46 – Fireside’s Harm Reduction Impact
24:56 –

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FiresideProject.org

Download the app or text/call 62-FIRESIDE

Zendo Project
Our listeners get 10% off the Zendo Project SIT Program with the code DIVERGENTS10
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Special Thanks to our Macrodosers, Super D and Mycocosm, and our Heroic Doser Lucy on Patreon!

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Chapters

1. Joshua White - Fireside Project Psychedelic Support Line (00:00:00)

2. [Ad] The Living in Clarity Podcast, with Fish & Coach (00:08:07)

3. (Cont.) Joshua White - Fireside Project Psychedelic Support Line (00:08:39)

25 episodes

#Society #Divergent States #Harm Reduction #Consciousness #Creativity #Therapeutics #Culture #Psychedelic Therapy #Pscyhedelic Science #Science #Biology #Philosophy #Psychedelic #Psychonauts #Spiritual Beings