Myco-materials is an emerging field that uses mycelium and fungi to solve a vast array of problems--from sustainable design, to biodegradable packaging, to home + construction, and architecture + design. Companies like Ecovative and Loop (s/o Marc Violo) pioneered this industry, but there are hundreds of startups and entrepreneurs expanding on the solutions in the space.

Jessica Diaz & Catherine Euale have been partners in all things mycelium for many years now, and their most recent project is called Fungal Matters--an online myco-materials design course. Catherine comes from a textiles and fashion design background, and Jessica comes from an architecture background, so they bring a wide mix of knowledge and experience to their collaboration.

The global fungi industry is expanding like wildfire right now.

Innovation is happening in every which way, from companies using fungi to remediate toxic soil, to mycelium-based meat replacements, to myco-materials used to create leather and packaging replacements, medicinal mushroom supplements, and of course, psilocybin-assisted therapy

And if there's one person on this earth that knows more about the great entrepreneurs leveraging fungal solutions to unique problems, it's my guest on today's show, Marc Violo.

Langdon Cook was minding his own business, picking burn morels in his cute lil' wicker basket, when he encountered a sight that spurred his curiosity--two people with massive crates filled to the brim with morel mushrooms--making his measly collection look puny in comparison.

Where did these people find such a bountiful harvest, and what can recreational pickers take away from their secrets??

That's exactly the question Langdon set out to answer when he wrote The Mushroom Hunters, and it turned into an even more revealing and wacky story than he could've imagined.

When Hernan Castro's father suffered three consecutive strokes and doctors said his brain could not recover, Hernan didn't take that lying down. Instead, he threw himself into researching and learning about medicinal mushrooms, specifically Lion's Mane, and how it might help his dad.

Listen to this inspiring story and how it launched a wild-foraged mushroom extract company called Desert Alchemist on the latest episode of Ryan's Remarkable Mycology Podcast

Episode 1 is finally here! I know you've all been waiting with bated breath.

In this inaugural episode, I talk with Henri Carignan, who has been growing mushrooms since he was 16, and runs his own consulting business helping people with their mushroom cultivation.