Care More Be Better: A Podcast For Sustainable Social Impact and Regeneration

Stop the War Within: Inner Healing, Outer Impact | Gerard Powell @Rythmia

6/10/202654 min

Can you truly change the world if you haven't first changed yourself? Gerard Powell was a CEO who took two companies public — and was quietly, persistently miserable. His journey from deep personal dissatisfaction and addiction to the discovery of plant medicine led to the founding of Rythmia Life Advancement Center in Costa Rica, the world's first medically licensed ayahuasca retreat. Nearly 24,000 guests later, with a 98.12% self-reported transformational success rate, Gerry joins Care More Be Better to make the case that the most powerful outward impact begins with the courageous work of inner transformation.

He and host Corinna Bellizzi explore the soul fracture that no amount of success can heal, the arms dealers and billionaires who left Rythmia wanting to give their lives to helping others, and the message the medicine gave Gerry when he went to her crying about the state of the world: stop the war within yourself and the other wars will go away.

Chapter Markers

00:47 — Gerard Powell's Journey: From Corporate Success to Founding the World's First Medically Licensed Ayahuasca Retreat
02:55 — The Soul Fracture: The Core Problem That Conventional Success Cannot Heal
04:30 — High-Performing Leaders and Rythmia's 98.12% Transformational Success Rate
06:53 — Why 90% of Guests Leave Wanting to Become a Beneficial Presence on the Planet
10:45 — The Seven-Day Program: Workshops, Plant Medicine, and Medical Oversight
13:44 — Long-Term Effectiveness: 90.22% Report Lasting Change Six Months Later
15:19 — Facing the Self: Addressing Fear and the Three-Step Program
25:45 — Safety First: Why a Medically Licensed Setting Changes Everything
28:43 — From "What Can the World Do For Me?" to "What Can I Do For the World?"
31:41 — Tangible Impact: The Stories of Arms Dealers, Billionaires, and Boxing Champions
34:59 — Stop the War Within Yourself — and the Outer Wars Will Go Away
41:16 — The Screening Process: Why 40% of Guests Need 30 Days to Prepare
43:48 — The Ceremony Setting: 60-90 People in the Colombian Tradition
45:46 — The Full Retreat: Plant Integration, Coaching, Cleansing, and Amenities
50:25 — Don't Give Up Hope: Gerry's Final Message to Anyone in Pain
53:33 — The Cost: A Week at Rythmia vs. a Week at a Resort

Important Note

Ayahuasca contains DMT, a Schedule I substance in the United States. Rythmia Life Advancement Center operates legally in Costa Rica, where it holds the world's first medical license for ayahuasca retreats. Always consult a qualified medical professional before pursuing any plant medicine program, and disclose all medications and health conditions.

Resources

Cause partner: If you value open dialogue, sustainability, and social equity, I invite you to support our new cause partner — Prescott College. To learn more about this effort and to support the show, visit: https://caremorebebetter.com/support/

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Clips

Arms Dealer Walks Away

Scarier Than Spacewalks

Stop The War Within

Be A Better Duck

Medicine Does The Rest

98% Report Miracles

Transcript preview

First 90 seconds

Speaker 10:00
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Gerard Powell· Guest0:29
This is the greatest opportunity, I believe, in the history of mankind, to really make change, and you can't do it by complaining. You have to do it by participating. You know, saying that that duck is wrong is one thing. Being a better duck is another thing. Uh-huh. So, so, [laughs] so, like, a group of people yelling and screaming that things aren't right is not what's needed at the moment. What we need are people who lead us in new ways, in different ways, and those ways catch on, and that's really what we need.
Speaker 31:10
[upbeat music] Welcome to Care More, Be Better- Care More, Be Better ... a podcast for people like you who care about the social impact of conscious companies and everyday heroes. Hear inspiring stories from those who put people and planet before profit and personal gain. You'll learn how you can make a difference, vote with your dollars, and get involved