I want to put the spotlight on the cannabis microbial market.
This show is brought to you by Surgeons LLC in partnership with Ruga Monteto Feminized Genetics and Simply Professional Formal.
For those who don't know me, my name is Ryan Boulda.
Full disclosure, everything in this show is thought of, written and produced by myself and the staff here at our company, Surgeons LLC.
Presented by SRGM Networks.
This is about half cannabis, microbials, another half...
Alright, how's it going everyone?
This week we got Mike Ozowski, aka Sam Rich with us today.
For those who don't know me and Sam aka Mike Ozowski, we came together to start
What is now Swampy State Mycology?
It's an interactive Facebook group for people looking to get into mycology, mushrooms, mushroom medicine, what not.
It's a huge project.
Both me and Sam have put a lot of effort into it.
By the way, we appreciate everyone's support.
But let's get right into it.
So, tell us Sam.
How exactly did you get into mushroom medicine?
How did you get into all this to begin with?
Honestly, I was just bored and looking for something to do with my life.
I didn't have joy in anything.
I was just going to work, coming home and repeating the cycle.
And I don't know why I happened upon mushrooms, but I was like, what the hell?
Let me give it a try.
And before I knew it, I had the bug deep.
I was deep down the rabbit hole.
So yeah, tell us about that.
What was the inspiration on Swampy State Mycology?
So, me and my buddy, Todd James, he's one of the moderators for Swampy State.
He reconnected, actually probably only a week or two before you and I.
And we just connected instantly.
He just seemed like super cool people.
He's from also a Swampy State.
He's from Louisiana.
So he was throwing around ideas and he was like, why don't we try to go into some sort of business together?
And so we thought about it for a second and he came up with something about, let's put the word Swampy in the name.
And so we just kind of started juggling names and I just landed upon that one.
And then you and I got together and I was like, well, this is right time.
The university is telling me something.
I was just speaking with Todd about how we should start this group and try to get some momentum moving forward.
And then you just came in right time out of nowhere and you were like that extra little push.
I was like, yeah, dude, give it a shot.
And here we are.
115 members in Creepin.
It's been like three weeks.
It's wild.
Wild.
That group is taking off, man.
I'm really happy to be a part of it, to say that I was a part of it because that's, you know,
something different about the Facebook mushroom groups compared to all the other groups, right?
There's just something a little bit different.
The community is a little bit stronger.
You kind of have a little bit more, you connect a lot more with people just because of the nature of, you know,
the nature of the mushroom, you know, the nature of everything.
No, but I think it's really cool, man.
I'm really, really happy that we kind of came together to do this.
You know, it's, it is, I think this is going to change.
I think this is going to change some people's lives.
Really?
I should hook so.
Yeah.
I mean, that's the goal at the end of it, not only just to have fun along the way, but to actually have some meaning to it.
For sure.
Yeah.
Not just tripping.
There's got to be, there's got to be some, some meaning at some point.
You got to learn some things along the way.
Otherwise, what are you doing?
Hmm.
Oh, today we were going to talk a little bit about Maria Sabina and I've had a couple of requests in the community to kind of talk about her and the impact she had in western medicine,
western civilization, because a lot of people are unaware Maria Sabina was actually credited for introducing mushroom medicine to western pop culture.
Basically, celebrities from all over the world would come and get these shamanic rituals by Maria Sabina.
And, you know, it really took off.
A lot of people look up to her, praise her for her impact on what is now mushroom medicine.
My question though.
How do you feel about Maria Sabina?
Um, I mean, first off, you got to give credit where it's due.
She, she put it on the map more or less.
Of course, there were people before her doing it, but like you said, like you mentioned, she got the pop culture involved and that's what really made it explode and take off the way that it did.
And sadly, that's, that's the reason why she was shunned by her communities because now she's taken this medicine, this religion, if you will, and bestowed it upon these white men that that now she's saying she's losing her wisdom.
She's losing her powers that she once had.
So people are casting her out.
The, the Americans, the white man, they're coming in.
They're just taking all the mushrooms, all the sacred children or whatever the knowledge that you would call it.
So I think she's, she's absolutely a pioneer.
Do I think she's a little kooky?
I think you and I talked about this.
You kind of have to be, if you're going to have that sort of vocation, but I would do one of those rituals for sure.
Just if nothing else to say, I had that experience, you know, you got to, you got to be a part of it.
Hmm.
For sure.
I think, I think she's an absolute legend really.
Right.
There are, there are two ways to go and I've had people in the community send me videos and I've had, you know, I've had my education, my Facebook education from some of the people in the community.
And I wanted to get your take on this a little bit because there's this ideology in the mushroom community or the Facebook mushroom community that mushrooms shouldn't be sold.
You know, there's two ways to look at it.
Right.
Mushrooms shouldn't be sold.
You know, it's a religion, right?
It should be available to anybody whenever they want it.
And then there are the people who believe in mushroom medicine and with mushroom medicine on the rise, it leaves people to believe like, what is the future for mushroom medicine?
We have these people who believe mushrooms shouldn't be sold.
You know, there, obviously people have found ways around that.
Right.
You know, okay, we want to sell the mushrooms.
We'll sell the genetics.
Right.
How do you feel about that?
I feel like nothing in life is free.
You know, and just because you're selling, I don't, I guess it just comes with a stigma.
It depends on the person.
Do I think that marijuana is harmful or should be legal in any way?
Absolutely not.
So it's really, I guess, all your perspective.
My perspective is if people can use this as a way to not only help people, but also to put food on the table for their family, they're not bothering you.
Let them do it.
Right.
I mean, it's like for, for mushroom medicine to be able to get the respect that it needs, it has to have some type of value to it.
Right.
I mean, we can't just be handing out, you know, mushroom medicine to everybody for free.
And I'm going to say it because I'm in Michigan.
You're in Florida, right?
Obviously.
Right.
So you're, how is the, how is the marijuana legalization in your state?
Like you guys are pretty free, right?
Prescription, prescription only.
So my fiance, her stepfather is actually battling for the second time lung cancer.
So he now has his, his card.
And so for those people, it's, it's amazing.
It's a beautiful thing.
We don't have it recreational yet, but it's moving in a positive direction.
I'd say anywhere that where they're taking steps forward, especially like medicinally first.
I'm just trying to be as patient as I can.
I'm just excited for what may come because again, I think there's a stigma on it that shouldn't be.
If you came up here to Michigan, I'm telling you, you would be blown away at the dispensaries
and how wreck is and how blown away.
I can't believe I go in there and I, I still am an utter belief, like utter disbelief of,
of how I'm, how everything is transpired.
Like it's candy land.
It literally is like candy land.
I mean, you're 21.
You can walk right in, get whatever you want.
You can have it delivered to you.
You know what I mean?
You can, there are people have to understand this part of the story of me and Sam meeting because me and Sam, we met on Facebook.
Facebook.
I had no idea what Sam looked like. Sam had a picture from Mike, Mike, Mike Zowski from Monsters, Inc.
Yeah.
After things started to get serious, Sam kind of dropped a bomb on me about some of his struggles.
And I thought that it was really important that we kind of touch upon that subject since we're here.
Sam is a transitioning from female to male.
Because a little misunderstood, in my opinion.
It's controversial.
Yeah.
It's misunderstood because there are, there's a lot of, you know, there's just a lot of negativity and the media blows things up and it gives, you know, I can give it a bad rap here and there.
There's not a lot of people who are very accepting of the situation.
So tell me a little bit more about your transition. Obviously, you know, your name, you know, your, your government name is Amanda.
Well, here we are as Sam.
So tell me about Sam.
So I guess I'll just start with the story of how I even got the name Sam.
It was just, it was bestowed upon me before, long before I ever came out as trans.
I came out as gay at 18.
Although a certain part of me still felt that that wasn't quite right.
But I think I wasn't ready to accept myself on that level until that point.
I was raised in a very religious family that outstretched.
And I also thought, you know, maybe if I just give it time, maybe this is something that I can just keep down and it's not, it's not something you keep down.
So I battled with it. I came out as gay at 18 and it stayed that way until I was about 25.
A lot of things that happened. Let me go back to the name Sam. I'll get to that.
So Sam, I was, I was 18, 19 years old, working at a fast food chain called Firehouse Subs.
And I had some really cool friends in there, this guy Tony, my boss, Keith.
And I had long hair back then, long curly blonde hair and I would pull it back in a bun and put a hat on.
And, you know, I was a little slimmer then so there wasn't a whole lot going on up here.
So I would walk people's food out to them and their reaction instantly was always, oh, thank you, sir.
Ma'am, I'm so sorry. So it's just this awkward moment that just became like a regular part of my life and kind of became like an inside joke with the group.
And one day it happened and I walked to the back and I said, it happened again, boys.
And they're like, huh, sir, ma'am, Sam. And from that point forward, the name Sam just stuck to the point where the people that I worked with at that place and their extended family all knew my name is Sam and nobody even remembered that my original birth given name was actually Amanda.
So I just rocked with it. And then, you know, so I came out at 18 and then a few years went by, some, a lot of things that happened in my life that brought me to this point of, you know, I started to self harm and things and I was just ready to give up and be at the end of my ropes there.
And alcohol was a huge part of that. And something had to give and I don't know what happened. I just woke up one morning and my significant other at the time was at work and I, something just happened in my brain.
And I was like, this is it. Like, either I come out with my full truth of what I feel is right for me. And I live this way or it's this is it for me. So I did it. And within a month, I cut all my hair off.
I mean, down to my waist long hair. And, and I will still always continue to say that from that day forward, whenever I decided to live my truth is whenever I actually truly started to live, because I was no longer trying to be careful about what I presented to this person or that person and what I said or are they going to be uncomfortable just because of who I am.
I got to a point where I was like, it's killing me to live for other people. It's time to live for me. Oh, here I am now here I am now. I'm 32. And I've been on testosterone eight months now, going on nine.
So, you know, I got a little bit of something going on here, the voice is deepening things are changing. And it's making me really excited for the first time in my life, I can actually visualize myself growing old. And that's something that's so strange to say. And I don't know if that's something everyone else thinks about.
But I, until a few years ago, I never envisioned myself growing old and gray, like it just never was a thing that I thought would happen for me. So, I'm really happy with the way things are moving.
Personally, like, even I want to know like what, what has been the hardest part of you transitioning.
And I know it's funny you mentioned that, because it's little things, you know, that's that someone who doesn't live this, this lifestyle may not even think about but it's the little things like, for instance, yesterday, I was at work.
I've been doing some side work with a friend of mine who owns a cleaning business. And they said, do you want to go to to famous sandwiches and go get some lunch and was like, hell yeah, you know, I love that joint I used to work there let's go.
And so we roll up and she pulls in the parking lot into a parking space I was like, hold on, you're trying to go inside.
She's like, yeah, you don't want to and I was like, no, bro, they call me Amanda in there. And that's not something that I think I'm ready to deal with. I just I can't handle it.
It's those little situations like that or whenever you're having a really good day and you know you're feeling super masculine or you're like man I'm going to pass today I'm going to pass today and then you walk in somewhere and they're like oh excuse me ma'am.
And it's like, here we go again. All right, we're just going to keep trucking. So it's the little things really this because they stack, you know and then it doesn't seem like much but then later on when things are quiet and you're alone they they're still there and they kind of eat at you a little bit.
So you kind of learn to brush it off and remember it won't always be this way.
So for you're very mentally tough, I will give you I will definitely give you kudos to that because this definitely people go through their whole life suffering through stuff like that.
And they'll never have you know they never have the courage to actually come out and present themselves to the world that way the way that they see themselves.
And it makes me a little bit of emotional too because there's a lot of people can can identify to certain aspects of what you're talking about obviously not completely but you know a lot of you know there's a lot that can be taken from your story you know and applied to the basic ass person.
Yeah, right. Yeah, for sure. For sure. It's definitely an uphill battle but you know people say that people like me are strong for being able to say this and and be okay with it but honestly like it was killing me I didn't I feel like if anything it's been the easiest thing I've ever done because
the wait the secret was just killing me. And so I don't know how people are out there my age or twice my age still living that way. I would never have made it. Honestly, so I feel for those people.
And I hope that they find that that situation where they're comfortable to just be themselves and fuck anybody who doesn't care to understand it.
Try. Right. I 100% agree with you man. It's a very, it's a very, it's a very touchy subject and that's why. And that's why I say you know I give you props for talking about it because it's it is just it's very touchy.
Talk about some things you got going on right now talk about it. Talk about a deal you got going on right now.
Okay, so right now actually. So I have the 90 millimeter a few of the 90 millimeter colonized plates I've been trying to get them gone for $15 $20 but at the end of the day I sit back and thinking about it I'm like, I remember when I first started and I didn't want to put that kind of money into something
that shouldn't be more than a $10 product. So I'm going to start selling those things for like 10 bucks a piece. I'm also also going to and for happening considering and will very likely start to make some beginner kits where you get like a little six
to six port tote you get a pound or two a spawn a genetic or you can pay you know an additional $5 per pound per pound fee and I'll go ahead and inoculate it so whenever you get it you just mix it together and set it and forget it and then two weeks maybe you got some babies.
So really this is my little lab here and this is where I do work. Yes. Yeah shows for the magic happen from
this is my little bro I just had to move everything back in here because I had it all all over my desk.
I'm thinking about.
Let's say that again. That's looking good. You got it all like you professionally set up and shit.
Yeah and this is actually I got a little crazy over the last week or two and I was like and I got all these genetics all these plates they really need to touch some grain so those might be up for grabs soon because let's be honest I don't have enough buckets.
I got all these that are about ready to go into a bucket.
Nice.
Yeah.
It's just a lot going on.
I got stuff everywhere.
And I need you guys to pick it up because otherwise I'm gonna have to trash it.
No we're definitely not gonna let that happen.
I'm not gonna let that happen.
What is your what has been your favorite string to grow so far.
Which one's looking which one's looking the best to you.
So the prettiest one I think I've grown so far was that 8338 just because I'm partial though to the albinos with the blue hues I don't know what it is but ever since that I think probably the blue ghost
was the first first mushroom that ever really caught my eye when I first started into this and then I just continued down that path so I try to get anything albino that turns blue and that one was a pretty one.
Six quarter that six courts almost got 200 wet grams out of it so one pint.
Wow.
Yeah the BK Matt was fun that one only produced one big guy but it was 85 grams and now I got a second flush running with a lot more than one in it so.
No.
No second flushes I've seen and can still they can still produce quite a bit.
Yeah usually the second flushes where they get the biggest so if that one that big one was on the first flush.
I'm excited man I'm excited.
I was going to say you know we got to shout out our originals the people that are always there and always keeping the conversation going and moving they're never letting things get stale and they always have something valuable to throw in so we got the gingerbread man.
Love that guy he's funny and then we got Brady made him.
He just won our giveaway.
He should be getting my half of that soon and then Neil White he's our other moderator that guy I've gotten a good portion of my genetics from him from trades and he's bought several from me so and and his or his team to be tub fillers and so if you have any questions about his genetics he can tell you exactly how to set it up to get you a full canopy on that one.
Other than that we got Todd I also get a lot of genes from him.
He buys a lot of product from me so super cool people if you guys have any questions never feel never feel worried to reach out don't ever feel stupid for asking anything we're just a bunch of dummies here.
Next week I interview Laura Khalil from Khalil Family Wellness we talk about addiction and more.