#9 Yuriy Blokhin - Technology for Transformative Practices

Welcome back to The Trip Report Podcast, a production of Beckley Waves, a psychedelic venture studio.Today, we are speaking with Yuriy Blokhin, founder and CEO of Homecoming, an all-in-one platform for transformational coaches, therapists, healers, and their clients.Yuriy is another entrepreneur in the psychedelic space that I occasionally have long and meandering conversations with about the developing field, where it is headed, and what he is seeing and learning firsthand.These are always insightful and enjoyable conversations, and so we decided to do a podcast.The idea for Homecoming was born out of the need to support people before and after psychedelic ceremonies that catalyzed profound and transformative changes but were potentially short-lived if not suitably prepared for and integrated.In the early days, Yuriy volunteered with Heroic Hearts, a non-profit that supports military veterans seeking psychedelic therapies for PTSD, and he came to recognize that the results were significantly more profound when paired with pre- and post-experience coaching—but facilitating this level of connection, especially when people return to their homes in different parts of the world, was a technological challenge.With the rise in psychedelic retreats, clinics, and all-around general hype and enthusiasm over the last few years, the opportunity to build such a product became a reality.We touch on his early hypothesis that Homecoming would be the technological infrastructure layer for psychedelic clinics and retreats, only to find that the real customer base was the broad category of practitioners that he calls “transformative and integrative providers.” This includes coaches, therapists, and integration specialists, but also somatic therapists, functional medicine providers, bodyworkers, and a whole network of alternative therapy providers that are increasingly using psychedelics, breathwork, and other transformative modalities in their practices and have been underserved by technology providers to date.Beckley Waves, with its focus on the operational and infrastructure layer of the psychedelic ecosystem, jumped at the opportunity to invest in Homecoming’s seed round back in 2021. In this episode, we discuss:* The variety of structured approaches to psychedelic experiences;* Epistemic and ontological shock in the healing process;* The uses and limitations of the scientific method;* The origin story of Homecoming;* Early-stage entrepreneurship and the balance between conviction and radical open-mindedness; and* Co-creating technology with your early customers.And without further ado, I bring you my conversation with Yuriy Blokhin.Listen to the episode on Substack, Spotify, Google or Apple.Credits:* Hosted by Zach Haigney * Produced by Zach Haigney, Erin Greenhouse, and Katelin Jabbari* Find us at thetripreport.com* Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTubeTheme music by MANCHO Sounds, Mixed and Mastered by Rollin Weary This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thetripreport.com