People ask me why I do this the way that I do. The most straightforward answer is that I am in a unique position living within two communities which allowed me to see an important need that no one was filling.
I am a member of what some people might call the "Party Community". We go to Burning Man every year and spin fire. We get together for other unique community events like Bicycle Day and we embrace musical and artistic expression of all kinds. We also are just a microcosm of the greater world community. We have members who suffer from Depression, Anxiety, PTSD and other crippling disorders and many in this community turn to medicines that actually many still consider to be street drugs. Turning to these medicines without the proper medical oversight can lead to many more problems.
Additionally, my formal education is focused on mental health. I am seeing that current mainstream approaches to treatment simply don't work for a large percentage of people. There are alternative approaches, many of which were being studied decades ago, that showed great promise but fell out of favor because and were made illegal to research.
Due in great part to the tremendous societal impact of untreated or under-treated mental health issues, we are seeing a resurgence of private sector-funded studies, following government guidelines, advancing alternative medicinal approaches involving substances like MDMA, LSD, Psilocybin, Marijuana, and other psychedelic and dissociative substances that when properly applied and coupled with psychotherapy are showing unprecedented promise for people that are suffering.
So I'm part of a community that needs help, where many people are ostracized for turning to substances that another community is actively pursuing as solutions. My goal is to connect these communities thru events where everyone is welcome and comfortable, where people can get educated, and together both communities will build awareness and get people the help they need. It’s as simple as that.
Angela Talks About MedFund and PsyFire
Angela Marie
Founder and CEO
Angela Marie created Medicine Everyone Deserves as a way to create a space in the world for her community to grow while also impacting as many lives as is possible together. Angela studies Psychology and sees MED Fund as the possibility of communities coming together and breaking down the barriers to progress in creating a world of well-being for all.
T.J. de Pietro
Accounting and Fiscal Advisement
Dr Diana Paque
Secretary & Specialty Consulting
With over 30 years experience leading change via diverse teams and managing budgets as high as half a billion dollars per year, the impacts of personal experience shift his focus to this community. We are honored to have him voluntarily consulting as our treasurer of both information and finance. His wisdom is unattainable elsewhere.
Dr. Diana Paque trained in Hypnotherapy, Regression and Energy Therapies at the HCH Institute in Lafayette, California. She holds certifications as a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, Reiki Master, Certified Regressionist, Certified Life Between Lives Facilitator, and Energy Therapist. Dr. Paque holds a bachelor's degree in history from Santa Clara University, a Master of Science in library science from the University of Southern California, and both a master and doctoral degree in public administration from the University of Southern California.
She is a member of the Newton Institute which certifies Life Between Lives (tm) facilitators in the tradition of its founder, Dr. Michael Newton. Since March 2019, Dr. Paque has served as the Executive Director of the Newton Institute for Life Between Lives Hypnotherapy. She assumed this role in addition to her practice with clients to provide quality and ethical regression services.
Kari O'Brien
Pacific NW Social Coordinator
Christa Everest
Spiritual Advisor
Christa 'Everest is a published author, lead singer of the Galactivators and Director of donation-based Free Yoga On the Beach. She co-founded the Love Long Beach Music Festival and Love Fairy Events. She is a Certified Reiki Master, graduated with honors from University of California, and is an MC of the United Nations Vigil For Peace in Central Park NYC.
Kari utilizes her talents as a Social Coordinator to bring people together. As a Registered Sign Language Interpreter, she understands the importance of inclusion and accessibility. As an voice actor and psychonaut Burner, she values how crucial self expression is to cultivating positive mental health. And as an Early Childhood educator, she acknowledges not all of us are in the same place along this journey; but we are in it together! Amalgamating all her passions together has given her a great set of skills and resources to pull from as she commits to being a part of this team. With joy in her heart she's happy to serve the greater good.
John Malak
In Memorium
Unfortunately the world lost John to illness. John was a guiding force. We at MedFund will miss John terribly. We hold this spot in his honor
Joseph Michael Katta
Events Coordinator
St Joseph Michael Katta is from New York and lives in Long Beach California. He is a music producer & manager of Galactivators. He is also the Music Director of the annual United Nation's Vigil for Peace and Ecology in Central Park NYC.
Boyce M. Osife
Indigenous Peoples /Sobriety Consultant
Boyce M. Osife was born and raised in Los Angeles. His tribal affiliation is Pima (Akimel O'odham) which means “River People” from Central Arizona. Boyce struggled most of his life with PTSD, Major Depression and Addiction. Through counseling and therapy, he came to a place of acceptance and through his Culture, Religion, and 12 step programs broke free from destructive beliefs. He uses his talents, abilities and gifts to help others through service such as homeless outreach, volunteering, mentoring, church ministry and sound engineering
Malakkar Vohryzek
Legal Research and Special Projects
An expert on federal drug law and in developing grassroots harm reduction practices, Malakkar has spoken on conference panels for organizers such as Drug Policy Alliance, the Harm Reduction Coalition, and ClubHealth. He has been published in the LA Times, The Huffington Post, AlterNet, and others. He lives in California, and is committed to reforming the country’s drug laws and criminal justice system.
Baco Palumbo
Special Projects Manager
C.S. Palumbo has worked in advocacy through his college years, military and firefighting careers. Recent efforts include providing access to clean water for rural reservation areas in southwestern United States in collaboration with the Standing Rock Lakotas, the Mimbres Valley Hopi and Medfund. He has joined our team as a Special Projects Manager to both create and pursue further global humanitarian projects.
Jennifer Houst
Food Healing Consultant
Chef Jennifer Houst (Aka “Detox Jenny”) has been a California Fusion private chef for over 20 years. Her cuisine is inspired by fresh- off-the-vine Californian ingredients; truly gut-nourishing foods that hold the power to transform poor digestion and reinvigorate the body. She currently finds great pleasure in guiding people through superfood transformations and custom juice cleanses.