Human Mycelium Retreat participants celebrating together with their certificates at Fungi Academy

10-day in-person retreat

The Human Mycelium Retreat

Connect, and Cultivate the tools for Fungal Leadership!

Dates TBATzununá, Lake Atitlán, Guatemala16 spots

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Be the first to know when new dates are announced

2,500+ Students taught
40+ Countries
Since 2016 On Lake Atitlán
16 Spots per cohort
Three retreat participants smiling and holding freshly grown oyster mushrooms

Do you feel called to cultivate a deeper connection with your community and ecosystem? Join a global mycelial network of leaders, healers, and connectors at the Human Mycelium Retreat new Dates TBA, at Fungi Academy HQ in beautiful Lake Atitlán, Guatemala.

The Human Mycelium Retreat is an offering unlike any other. We combine relational skill-building workshops, fungal education, field trips around the Lake, and daily somatic practices. Together with a small group of like-minded humans and world-class facilitators, we weave a safe, supportive, and fun space to learn, share, and grow!

You will leave the Human Mycelium Retreat with more clarity on your gifts and areas you can grow, more ability to ask for and receive what you need, and a stronger sense of what matters most to you. You will notice powerful and positive changes in how you show up for yourself and others. You’ll be lit up by what feels possible, and well-resourced to get out there and make it happen. This is revealing and healing work!

If you’re called by fungal wisdom, leadership, self-discovery, personal development, and authentic connection, the Human Mycelium Retreat is for you!

Tzununá, Lake Atitlán, Guatemala

Live, Learn and Grow in Paradise

Students sharing tea and conversation in the open-air shala

A Retreat Unlike Any Other

This is not only a mushroom retreat, it’s also a human retreat that integrates fungal wisdom into building human networks. We’re guided by the teachings of fungi as connectors of the forest to strengthen and empower community leaders.

A participant leaping into Lake Atitlán with volcanoes in the distance

Education Vacation Destination

We are located in the Guatemalan Highlands, the heartland of ancient Mayan civilization. We are surrounded by volcanoes, lush cloud forests, and the stunning Lake Atitlán. This is a uniquely inspiring learning environment!

Two participants smiling during an Authentic Relating exercise

Make Authentic Connections

Become a node in the mycelial network. Collaboration is the foundation of our learning environment. The more meaningful connections in a network, the stronger it is. By learning together with everyone, you weave yourself into a global web and form bonds that last.

Group yoga and movement practice in the light-filled shala

Holistic, Healthy Lifestyle

It’s fun to live and learn together while we keep ourselves healthy and centered. Yoga, nature walks, sauna, swimming, and meditation are some of the holistic lifestyle elements that help keep us nurtured and ready to lead. We serve vegetarian food that is fresh, local, and deeply nourishing.

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Is the Human Mycelium Retreat For Me?

People come to the retreat from all walks of life, for all sorts of reasons

Though individual situations and motivations are different our participants always have a lot in common!

  • I’m curious to discover our deep connection to the Fungal Kingdom
  • I’m starting a new life chapter or going through a major transition
  • I’m creating a conscious business
  • I want to make a positive impact in my community/contribute to something bigger than myself
  • I’m striving to grow as a leader in the emerging mushroom movement
  • I want to bring more softness, gratefulness, and ceremony into my life
  • I’m ready to express myself more authentically
  • I’m craving richer, more genuine connections with others
  • I want to level up my leadership, communication, and relational skills

If you’re feeling a full body YES from one or more of these, the Human Mycelium Retreat is the experience for you! There is never a better time than now to invest in yourself.

Our planet needs more compassionate, empowered humans who are motivated to co-create the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible. Step out of your daily grind for 10 days of fun, fungal education, and connection!

Join the waitlist ✨

What You Will Learn

A solid foundation of Fungal Wisdom & Authentic Relating

Here’s what you can expect to learn from our Human Mycelium Retreat!

  • Interactive lessons in fungal ecology, ethnomycology, medicinal mushrooms, business leadership, microdosing, and more
  • Introductions to practices to better connect with your body, mind, and spirit, including yoga, breathwork, microdosing, ecstatic dance, sauna, meditation, and psychedelic journeywork
  • Practical tools for building community, relationships, leadership skills, and deeper connection with yourself and others

After the Human Mycelium Retreat, you will feel empowered, motivated, and supported to start making the changes in your life and community YOU want to see!

What is Authentic Relating?

Two participants seated on the shala floor in a guided Authentic Relating practice

Authentic Relating is a toolkit for effective relationships. Rooted in 30 years of behavioral science research, Authentic Relating provides a simple and powerful framework for leadership in any relational context, professional or personal. Simply put, Authentic Relating practices help us be better humans!

Through Authentic Relating, you will learn how to create strong and reciprocal relationships within human networks, mirroring the mycelial wisdom of fungi.

The practices of Authentic Relating sharpen our skills to create meaningful connections, build alliances, and navigate conflict. Facilitated as games, the training provided in this retreat is designed to build emotional intelligence and communication skills in a fun, playful, and deeply connecting way.

The practical skills you learn from Authentic Relating can also improve how you run your projects or business. You will strengthen your leadership abilities and learn how to show up in your life with greater integrity. Level up your relational skills and make rich new friendships at the same time!

Your Guides

Learn From World Class Fungal Facilitators

Jasper Degenaars, mycologist and educator, teaching at Fungi Academy

Jasper Degenaars

Mycologist · Educator · Creator

Jasper Degenaars is a mycologist, educator, and creator. With 12+ years of mushroom cultivation experience and over 2,500 students taught since 2019, he illuminates the intricate world of fungi with passion and expertise.

With a wealth of knowledge in mycology and community living, he nurtures a deep connection between people and the Fungal Kingdom, fostering ecological stewardship and sustainable practices. Jasper has co-created 20+ educational experiences and retreats on top of countless in-person workshops and classes he has taught all over the world.

With a penchant for interdisciplinary collaboration, he cultivates diverse communities of learners, empowering them to explore the symbiotic relationship between fungi, people, and their environments.

Gabe DeRita facilitating a group session at the Human Mycelium Retreat

Gabe DeRita

Coach · Authentic Relating Facilitator

Gabe is a goal whisperer and connection nerd helping his fellow humans transform their lives by aligning with purpose, embracing nuance, and embodying authenticity.

He left his tech job to travel the world by bicycle, and in the process found his calling in coaching. He’s been working with the Fungi Academy leadership team since 2019.

Rooted in curiosity, experiential learning, and a spirit of play, Gabe creates an atmosphere of trust and depth that allows individuals and teams to unlock potential and create effective connections with self and others. His approach to personal growth is rooted in neuroscience-based CoActive coaching techniques and Authentic Relating, with a heaping spoonful of Japanese philosophy on top. He has coached and facilitated for clients in many contexts, from Fortune 500 leaders to entrepreneurs and holistic healers.

He has been working with psychedelics personally for decades, and has a wealth of experience to draw upon when helping clients with psychedelic journeys and integration. He has trained with Zendo Project for psychedelic harm reduction at major festivals including Burning Man.

Gabe currently lives in Boulder, Colorado, USA. He’s passionate about cycling, foraging wild mushrooms, and the transformative power of psychedelics. You can learn more about Gabe’s work, his story, and connect with him on his website.

Karena Beana laughing among the trees at Lake Atitlán

Karena Beana

Wellness Facilitator · Yoga Teacher

Meet Karena, a multifaceted mushroom mama with a passion for wellness, movement, and community living in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. With almost a decade of yoga teaching and fitness training, she blends her past life as a wellness blogger and influencer into her current endeavors.

Operating Fungi Academy is her labor of love, she cultivates spaces for growth, connection, and transformation. While skilled in event organizing, social media marketing, and project management, her true passion lies in curating sacred journey spaces.

Recently trained as a birth doula, she extends her support into the realm of birth work and prenatal yoga, further expanding her capacity to support and empower others on their most sacred medicine journey, motherhood.

In Their Own Words

Testimonials

From Human Mycelium Retreat Participants

Morgan

“The Authentic Relating is something I’m going to take with me for the rest of my life and every single situation that I encounter.”

Evan

“The lessons that fungi bring to the world is there’s no barrier to connection”

Morgan

“The authentic relating from Gabe is the biggest take away for me”

Stephen

“I feel refreshed, recentered, more knowledgeable. The teachings are amazing, the facilitators are so knowledgeable and it shows.”

Casey & Mikey

“Theres a lot more here than just mushrooms, its about yourself, and others and finding that we’re a lot alike”

Natalia

“I have so much gratitude for Fungi Academy, to provide deep healing and wisdom for anyone who feels called to do the work.”

What Participants Say

From Human Mycelium Retreat Participants

“I felt deeply empowered by the entire experience. I got to leave Fungi Academy feeling reborn and inspired to continue to work with the mushrooms. I experienced deep healing and processing, and I made friendships that will last a lifetime.”

Talia, Human Mycelium Retreat participant
TaliaRetreat Alumni

“After this experience, I feel the need to be more honest and open. I feel the call to live a healthier and more intentional lifestyle. I honestly can’t say enough great things about the work and the planning you guys put into this. Perfect in every way.”

Tony, Human Mycelium Retreat participant
TonyRetreat Alumni

“I feel very refreshed, very recentered, more knowledgeable. The teachings are amazing, the facilitators are so knowledgeable and it shows. You can tell they are very enthusiastic about what they are sharing. It’s a good learning environment. Gabes classes are outstanding, the practices are super insightful and a foundational step in the right direction. I’m looking forward to incorporating those into my life.”

Stephen, Human Mycelium Retreat participant
StephenRetreat Alumni

“I feel connected with everyone here. Learning about authentic relating, I think I can bring these skills and apply them to my personal life and hopefully share with others. People tend to get tunnel vision, and trapped in their bubble, breaking out of that bubble and coming to another part of the world with people that share similar interests and share knowledge and experiences and constantly learn.”

Mike, Human Mycelium Retreat participant
MikeRetreat Alumni

“The authentic relating is something im going to take with me for the rest of my life in every single situation I encounter. The conflict resolution was huge for me, being able to more intelligently navigate through conflict… sharing my experience with other people, and just being vulnerable and just seeing what happens and not being afraid of being judged if im vulnerable.”

Morgan, Human Mycelium Retreat participant
MorganRetreat Alumni

“The teachers are like my mentors, I feel so supported in their energy. I wanted to be in a place that I felt safe with like-minded individuals. We all have something to give, something to bring to the circle, I think the fungi is the medicine to help us as individuals feel that connectedness, and feel better in our bodies and therefore more comfortable to relate.”

Marlena, Human Mycelium Retreat participant
MarlenaRetreat Alumni

“I got to connect with individuals all around the world. It allowed me to see the family i never knew. To go through these authentic relating practices & classes allowed me to see the relationships that I could make stronger. I feel like I have some tools to take forward. I am so glad I took the steps to make it.”

Evan, Human Mycelium Retreat participant
EvanRetreat Alumni

“Personally this experience was transformative. It prompted me to reevaluate my approach to life & relationships, instilling in me a newfound sense of confidence and authenticity. What I appreciated most about the retreat was its lasting impact. The insights gained and connections made continue to resonate with me long after the retreat. If you’re seeking an opportunity for personal growth and genuine connection, I wholeheartedly recommend the Human Mycelium Retreat.”

Virginia, Human Mycelium Retreat participant
VirginiaRetreat Alumni

“I can’t recommend Fungi Academy enough… The facilitators are incredibly knowledgeable and go above and beyond to ensure the experience is as smooth as possible. The Human Mycelium Retreat with Gabe’s compassionate facilitation equipped me with life changing tools and experiences that I am so grateful for.”

Brooke, Human Mycelium Retreat participant
BrookeRetreat Alumni
10 Days Together

Your Retreat Schedule

Human Mycelium Retreat 10-day course schedule: arrival and welcome, mycology, foraging, leadership and ownership, expression and activation, honouring self and other, tools for healing, ceremony, integrate and celebrate, and harvest and act

*Schedule is subject to change

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Our HQ in Guatemala

Aerial view of Fungi Academy's jungle property in Tzununá above Lake Atitlán

Nestled in the small Mayan village of Tzununá on the gorgeous Lake Atitlán, our retreat space is a uniquely inspiring learning environment. Many classes take place in our elevated, open-air yoga shala, which is surrounded by lush jungle, our garden filled with edible and medicinal plants and a mountain stream you can swim in!

Here you can relax away from the hustle and bustle and simply enjoy the abundance and serenity of this stunning space.

While most of the Human Mycelium Retreat is spent on our property, we also embark on field trips to other locations around Tzununá and the Lake, including a mushroom foraging hike led by a local Mayan guide, a visit to a serene nature reserve and an afternoon in nearby San Marcos where you can experience the unique charm of lakeside country towns and support the rich traditions of local Mayan artisans.

Retreat participants laughing together on a boat crossing Lake Atitlán
Limited Spots Available!

A Small Circle, On Purpose

For an optimal learning experience we have limited the group size to 16 participants.

To ensure our limited spots are available to a diverse range of people, we have decided to work with an application form.

Dates for the next cohort are still to be announced. Join the waitlist below and you’ll be the first to hear when dates are locked in and applications open.

Dates TBA

Join the Waitlist

Be the first to know when new Human Mycelium Retreat dates are announced and applications open. No spam, just the mushroom signal.

Waitlist - HMR COHORT

You’re on the list! We’ll be in touch the moment dates are announced. 🍄

Group size capped at 16 · Applications open to the waitlist first

Have Any Questions? Schedule a Call!

Ring the Fungi Phone
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Produced By

Effective Connection creates transformational growth for individuals, leaders and groups through powerful coaching and facilitation. They believe thriving is natural when we connect to what matters most. Their core values are curiosity, aliveness and authenticity.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions
One Last Thing

Weave yourself into the mycelium.

Ten days of fungal wisdom, Authentic Relating, and real connection on Lake Atitlán, with a small circle of humans who are ready for the same.

Join the waitlist ✨

Dates TBA · Group size capped at 16 · Waitlist hears first