I love being with Riverstyx. Every day in our work I am drawing on different, varied threads from throughout my personal and professional life, and fulfilling longtime dreams. As a home-schooled, semi-feral child, I was fortunate to be shaped by my love and commitment to our local creek and mountain. In my my early twenties, I had the honor of being brought into medicine ceremonies with native leaders. All this led to graduate school in soil micro-biology and a career facilitating complex issues in agriculture and natural resources. 

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My life’s work at Riverstyx now includes supporting psilocybin and MDMA research including those involving religious clergy, deep eco-ministry for direct-experience religious transformation, composting toilets and human bodies, and Indigenous medicine, land, and cultural conservation, supporting balanced relationships between humans and our ecosystem. Our work is both deeply strategic and deeply personal. We do a kind of engaged philanthropy which allows for deep dives into uncharted territories, relationships, and structural change efforts. As a Mom, I’m fortunate my daughter, Cora, also supports our work and participates passionately on our many adventures. 

Early in life, I already had a tendency to question convention and was especially drawn to the “abnormal". In 4th grade I refused to participate in D.A.R.E 's hypocrisy labeling some drugs as bad and others good; at 13, my father gave me Krishnamurti’s “Freedom from the Known” and Becker’s “Denial of Death”; and at 16 I developed an intellectual fascination for psychedelics, tools for augmenting and understanding consciousness. In my 20's, I worked for three years as a hospice caregiver in low-income communities, sitting with those at the end of life. Since 2008, I have been directing the Riverstyx Foundation and working as a psychotherapist, both venues to support others in discovering what gems may been lying in the shadows of life- the places rich in potential for healing and compassion. In addition, I have had a long-standing passion for working with film and qualitative research, both means for helping to more deeply understand and communicate the subjective nuance of the mystical and healing process.  Publications

Kevin Bayuk works at the intersection of ecology and economy where permaculture design meets next economy organizations intent on meeting human needs while enhancing the conditions conducive to all life. He is a co-founder and  partner with LIFT Economy, the Senior Financial Fellow at Project Drawdown and a founding partner of the Urban Permaculture Institute San Francisco.  Kevin co-founded a software company and successfully raised millions of dollars in venture investment, built large teams and managed every aspect of a growing business before developing a deep understanding of the environmental and social circumstance of our time.

Magalí is honored to support the work of the Riverstyx Foundation through her role as operations manager and Chief Health Advisor. She comes to RiverStyx after 10 years in the field of holistic health and functional nutrition. In 2014 she founded Kitchen Witch, a thriving, organic bone broth company supporting thousands of people towards gut and whole body vibrancy. In the clinic, Magalí has guided hundreds of clients to more vitality through diet and lifestyle changes. It is this time of global crisis that called her from the work of supporting individual clients, to wanting to address systemic issues of transformation and led her to the work of the Riverstyx Foundation. It is her honor to support the work, team, and partners of Riverstyx on all aspects of health and wellness, in addition to her work keeping the foundation itself humming.

Tanya has been with Riverstyx for over three years, in the development of new biocultural projects, including the Indigenous Medicine Conservation Fund. With over a decade of experience in fisheries genetics and behavioral research, a psilocybin-mushroom-induced reflection led to a pivotal career shift. She began a study in Naturopathic Medicine, while simultaneously apprenticing in group process work with ayahuasca integration, pioneering methodology for psychospiritual healing that complements the work of traditional healers. Tanya’s investigations led her to become a mom of two young children, and to co-found the NGO Oni Xobo, both in collaboration with her partner in an intercultural relationship. She has been described as “disarming” in her ability to be “sure-footed on questions of science” and yet right at home where “we reach the spirit realm through plants.” Her work with Riverstyx is a completely fulfilling experience of being able to contribute to the world. 

VWC Management has been serving Riverstyx Foundation since its inception, providing invaluable accounting, grant management, and budgeting support, keeping everything flowing smoothly on the River Styx, and in compliance with IRS regulations. We are deeply grateful for Don, Katie, and Jeff for their steady guidance and wisdom. We also would like to thank Barwick and Partners for their invaluable, long-time financial management and guidance.