Speaker Selection Criteria

Our Commitment to Global Representation, Inclusion & Ethical Leadership

At Global Psychedelic Week, speaker selection is guided by a deep commitment to diversity, inclusion, and global equity. Our aim is to showcase a broad spectrum of perspectives, across geographies, identities, disciplines, and lived experiences, to foster a truly representative and enriching dialogue.

Below are the core criteria and guiding principles we use when selecting speakers:

1. Geographical & Cultural Diversity

  • Global Representation: We prioritize speakers from across continents and cultures to ensure balanced representation beyond Western narratives.

  • Indigenous Voices: We actively include Indigenous elders, traditional healers, and cultural knowledge keepers with ancestral relationships to plant medicine.

  • Non-Western Experts: We spotlight researchers and practitioners from Latin America, Africa, Asia, and other regions where psychedelic practices are rooted or emerging.

2. Race & Ethnicity Representation

  • BIPOC Inclusion: We ensure strong representation from Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, and other historically excluded groups.

  • Decolonial Perspectives: Sessions include critical reflections on colonial legacies and their impact on access, ownership, and narrative framing in psychedelic spaces.

  • Community Leadership: We feature grassroots voices from racial justice, drug policy reform, and local healing initiatives.

3. Gender & Sexuality Inclusion

  • Women & Non-Binary Voices: We aim for balanced gender representation, with leadership from women, non-binary, and trans speakers.

  • LGBTQ+ Representation: We include queer-identifying professionals and storytellers sharing LGBTQ+ experiences within psychedelic contexts.

4. Socioeconomic & Accessibility Considerations

  • Global South Perspectives: We include speakers from regions facing economic and political barriers to access and advocacy.

  • Access & Affordability: We encourage conversations around economic disparities, cost of treatment, and community-based alternatives.

  • Disability & Neurodiversity: Speakers also represent experiences of disability, chronic illness, and neurodivergence in relation to psychedelic use and care.

5. Professional & Experiential Diversity

  • Interdisciplinary Voices: We bring together experts across fields—science, medicine, spirituality, policy, activism, and business.

  • Balanced Representation: We seek a balance between established industry figures and underground facilitators, corporate and community practitioners.

  • Lived Experience: We value personal narratives, veterans, survivors, and individuals with profound healing journeys, alongside academic or clinical expertise.

6. Legal, Ethical & Policy Perspectives

  • Drug Policy & Regulation: Legal experts, policymakers, and decriminalization advocates are included to examine the evolving policy landscape.

  • Ethics & Safety: We feature professionals addressing ethical conduct, harm reduction, and integrity in facilitation and research.

  • Spiritual & Religious Contexts: Diverse spiritual perspectives, including psychedelic churches and mystical traditions, are meaningfully represented.

Final Selection Principles

  • No Tokenism: Speakers are not included to fulfill quotas but to contribute authentic, informed, and valuable perspectives.

  • Power Balance: We consciously curate sessions that balance influence, corporate vs. grassroots, Western vs. non-Western, established vs. emerging.

  • Inclusive Moderation: We ensure panel facilitators are prepared to hold space for complex, inclusive conversations with care and competence.