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What if the woman you’re trying so hard to become isn’t someone new at all?
What if she’s the woman who was there before the world told her to be quieter, nicer, smaller—and definitely not too much?
In this episode of Carrie On!, I sit down with Heather A. Lee, a licensed clinical social worker, psychedelic-assisted psychotherapist, and natural medicines facilitator who has spent more than 30 years working in women’s mental health.
And yes—we’re talking about mushrooms. 🍄
But this conversation is about so much more than psychedelics.
Heather and I dig into what happens when women reach midlife and start questioning the stories they’ve been carrying for decades: Don’t be bossy. Don’t be too loud. Be accommodating. Take care of everyone else first.
Heather calls these the messages women have been metaphorically “dosed” with our entire lives.
We talk about how psychedelic-assisted therapy may help some women quiet those old narratives, reconnect with their intuition, process grief and trauma, and rediscover the parts of themselves they may have tucked away while being mothers, partners, caregivers, professionals, and everything else the world needed them to be.
And Heather introduces one of my new favorite ideas:
We’re not just aging. We’re SAGING.
Because maybe getting older isn’t about becoming smaller.
Maybe this is the age when we finally become more ourselves.
✨ IN THIS EPISODE
We talk about:
Why Heather believes our own inner wisdom can be one of our greatest resources
Moving from “aging” to “saging”
Why women are still apologizing for being loud, ambitious, bossy, selfish, or “too much”
The identity shift that can happen after motherhood, divorce, loss, caregiving, or an empty nest
What psychedelic-assisted therapy actually looks like
How Heather went from traditional psychotherapy to working with psilocybin
What the brain’s “default mode network” has to do with the stories we tell ourselves
The messages women are metaphorically “dosed” with throughout their lives
Why midlife can become a homecoming to your authentic self
Psychedelic retreats, female community, and finding your “soul sisters”
The importance of screening, preparation, integration, and qualified mental-health professionals
A remarkable story about grief, a mother, and the word forgive
Why Heather says psychedelic work should never be treated as a quick fix
💥 CARRIE ON TAKEAWAY
We spend so much of our lives becoming who everyone else needs us to be.
The good daughter.
The good wife.
The good mother.
The caretaker.
The agreeable woman.
The woman who doesn’t make anyone uncomfortable.
But there comes a point when you get to ask:
Which parts of this are actually me—and which parts were handed to me?
Maybe reinvention isn’t about creating a brand-new woman.
Maybe it’s about finally giving the original one the microphone.
🍄 ABOUT HEATHER A. LEE
Heather A. Lee is a licensed clinical social worker, psychedelic-assisted psychotherapist, and natural medicines facilitator with more than three decades of experience in women’s mental health.
Her work focuses especially on women in midlife and beyond, helping them reconnect with their inner wisdom, explore identity and navigate personal transformation. She is also the author of The Psilocybin Sessions, featuring stories of women’s lives and wisdom awakening through psychedelic experiences.
⚠️ IMPORTANT NOTE
Psychedelic-assisted therapy is not appropriate for everyone. As Heather discusses in this episode, proper medical and mental-health screening, preparation, qualified professional support, and integration are important parts of this work. Laws and regulations surrounding psychedelic substances also vary by location
