Welcome to Tricycle Day. We’re the psychedelics newsletter that—*record scratch* No, wait. This isn’t our usual newsletter, so let’s start over. 🫠

I'm writing to you from my home in Austin, but I’m thinking about the mountains of Colorado where this whole situation started making sense.

It was January, almost a year ago now. I'd flown out to meet my friend Niko for a ceremony. We'd met a few months earlier, felt an instant connection and pull toward each other’s work, and decided to go deeper in person. That day, we dropped into the kind of conversation you can only have when the usual filters dissolve.

We talked about what we were each trying to build and the barriers people face when seeking growth and healing with psychedelics. Then we talked about what it would look like if we tackled this problem together instead of in parallel.

At some point during that experience, it became clear that we could do far more together than we ever could apart.

That was twelve months ago. And today, I'm excited to tell you that Tricycle Day is joining Althea.

Niko and I first connected in October 2024 for an interview. He'd been reading the newsletter. I'd been watching what Althea was building on the infrastructure side of this industry. We were both obsessed with the same question: how do we make safe, legal psychedelic therapy accessible to the people who need it most?

That conversation turned into a sponsorship in the new year. And that sponsorship turned into a collaboration. We co-launched the Forward Fund in March to help make psilocybin therapy more affordable. Eventually, we realized that the way to maximize our collective impact was to merge into a single company.

So in August, we signed a letter of intent. Six weeks ago, we closed the deal, and I officially stepped into my new role as President of Althea.

You've seen Althea's name in our emails before, usually in the context of their directory and matching service. But that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Althea builds the software that makes legal psilocybin therapy possible. They've created the only purpose-built tech solution for centers and facilitators. Their platform handles everything from safety screening and payments to outcome measurement and regulatory compliance. The majority of legal psilocybin sessions in Oregon and Colorado already happen through their system. And they provide it to centers for free.

Think about what that means. Every licensed psilocybin service center in these states has to navigate a maze of regulatory requirements and client workflows. Althea took all of that complexity and turned it into a product that helps facilitators focus on what they actually care about: holding space for healing.

I don’t think it’s hyperbolic to say, this platform makes a new model of healthcare possible.

Here's what dawned on me about running an independent newsletter. I can educate people; I can build community; I can advocate for better policy. But at the end of the day, I’m still just pointing people toward the door. I’m not opening it for them.

Tricycle Day has always been driven by a mission to reduce suffering by increasing access to psychedelics. To date, we've done that primarily through education. We’ve helped 83,000 of you understand this landscape, make informed choices, and navigate the available options. Althea has done it by helping the supply side function and making it possible for healing centers to operate sustainably.

By joining forces, we're connecting both sides. We can now help people move from curiosity to real transformation in a way that neither of us could do alone.

Let me be very clear about this. Tricycle Day is not changing.

We're keeping our brand. We're keeping our editorial voice. We're keeping our scope. We'll continue covering all pathways to psychedelic access, from decriminalization efforts to religious exemptions to clinical trials to state-regulated models like Oregon and Colorado. We believe deeply in pluralism. There's no single “right way” to do this work, and our coverage will continue to reflect that.

The only thing you'll notice right away is a slick new website and newsletter design, rolling out in tomorrow's issue.

Other than that, it’s still the same Tricycle Day. Same wit and playfulness. Same commitment to substantive reporting. Same heartfelt mission. And you better believe we’re keeping the 🫠 emoji.

We're sunsetting Maria's List, our directory of psychedelic practitioners, many of whom bravely operate in the underground. This wasn't an easy decision, but it's the right one as we integrate with Althea's licensed provider network.

The practitioners who've been on Maria's List are being taken care of. We're deeply grateful to Psychable and Senavida for stepping up to give those facilitators new platforms to reach clients. We know the regulated model isn't for everyone. Not every practitioner wants to work within state frameworks, and not every participant can travel to Oregon or Colorado. These directories serve an integral role in connecting people to alternative pathways.

Meanwhile, our Practice Expansion community for facilitators isn’t going anywhere. In fact, we’ll be investing even more into PX to support practitioners of all stripes.

One of the most meaningful parts of the partnership with Althea has been our work together on the Forward Fund. Since launching in March, we've been able to support a small number of people in accessing psilocybin therapy who couldn't otherwise afford it.

But the reality is for every person we help, there are many, many more waiting. Price can't be the mechanism that determines who gets access to healing.

That's exactly why we're doubling down. The Forward Fund recently partnered with Thank You Life, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, making all contributions tax-deductible. And we're building infrastructure directly into Althea's payment system so clients can “pay it forward” during checkout, creating a sustainable model for expanding access.

I'd be lying if I said this decision came easily.

I've felt relief from carrying the weight of building this business alone, from the constant pressure of sustainability, from wondering if I could take Tricycle Day as far as it needed to go by myself.

I've felt nervousness that what I've built might get diluted somehow, that its potential might be squandered, that readers might feel betrayed by this change.

I've felt excitement about what we can accomplish together, about finally connecting education to action, about building infrastructure that makes healing more accessible.

And I've felt fear about what this next chapter will demand of me as a leader and as a human being. Fear about whether I can step up to the challenge.

But mostly, I keep coming back to that day in Colorado. To the clarity I felt when I stopped insisting on pushing forward independently and started dreaming into a cooperative effort. To the recognition that some problems are just too big to solve alone.

Tomorrow, you’ll get our newsletter as usual, just with a slightly updated look and feel. If you love it, yay. If you hate it, lay it on us. We can handle it.

More importantly, if you're curious how you can have a safe and legal psychedelic experience, we can help. Fill out this survey, and we’ll match you with a licensed psilocybin facilitator who fits your specific needs and preferences. Even if you’re still figuring out how this all works, one of our Psychedelic Care Navigators can hop on a call with you to answer any questions.

If you prefer to explore all your options, you can always browse Althea’s comprehensive directory of licensed psilocybin facilitators and centers in Oregon and Colorado.

And if you're moved to support the Forward Fund and help make this medicine accessible to someone who needs it, you can contribute here.

None of this would exist without you, Cyclists. You’ve shown up week after week. You’ve put up with our antics. You’ve shared our memes. You’ve challenged us to do better. You’ve built this community into something that genuinely matters.

And so begins a new era for Tricycle Day. Now we see how far these three wheels can really go.

With gratitude and a big melty smile, 🫠

Henry

Founder, Tricycle Day
President, Althea

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DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. The use, possession, and distribution of psychedelic drugs are illegal in most countries and may result in criminal prosecution.