It's Season Seven, Baby! (#235)

Send us a text! Six years, six seasons, and one slightly delayed anniversary later—we’re back, baby. After a summer filled with concerts, funerals, psychedelics, work transitions, travel plans, and an unreasonable number of DoorDash bananas, we catch up on everything that’s happened during the break. Mike reflects on losing his job after sixteen years, finishing his dissertation proposal, and the strange polarity between newfound freedom and panic about what comes next. We also revisit the tribute concert for Kevin, remember Carolyn Elliott and the lasting impact of *Existential Kink*, and unpack a psychedelic journey that briefly descended into madness—and may have opened something in Mike’s voice before nearly destroying it. Doug opens up about the unexpected death of his soulmate dog, Ozzie Bear, and the grief that followed. His dad offers one of the most beautiful lessons of the episode: “We share our grief with our loved ones so that they can help us carry it.” Finally, we return to our roots with a conversation about Mormonism: friends leaving the Church fourteen years after we did, institutional changes that feel more operational than prophetic, leadership roulette, the contradictions of personal revelation, and the absence of a clear moral voice in a moment that desperately needs one. Season seven begins exactly where it should: somewhere between grief and laughter, Mormonism and mushrooms, madness and meaning. Topics include: - Remembering Carolyn Elliott - Kevin’s tribute concert and the healing power of music - Psychedelic madness, ritual containers, and integration - Layoffs, freedom, fear, and life outside the cage - World Cup withdrawals and Wrexham time-zone confusion - Grieving Ozzie Bear and refusing to gatekeep grief - Why more longtime Mormons may be leaving - Operational revelation, prophetic silence, and the Church as a business Content note: This episode includes discussion of death, pet loss, psychedelics, and strong language. Want more? Our full archive of 200+ *Mormons on Mushrooms* episodes — past conversations, stories, and musical adventures — now lives in on Supercast. 🎧 Join us there → mormonsonmushrooms.supercast.com Stay informed of online and local events through the Underground Newsletter Send a Contribution