Denver Mom Advocates for Microdosing Mushrooms on Dr. Phil

Tracey Tee has talked about the benefits of magic mushrooms on CBS, NBC and NPR. Tomorrow, May 4, she'll appear on Dr. Phil.

"It will be interesting to see how I'm painted, let's put it that way," Tee says of Dr. Phil's "Moms on Mushrooms" episode. "But I am grateful they had me on, and grateful they put the conversation in the mainstream."

Tee is the founder of Moms on Mushrooms, a Denver-based organization that advocates for microdosing psilocybin mushrooms, specifically for mothers. The former comedian and podcast host founded the group after losing gigs during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is when she discovered psilocybin. She launched Moms on Mushrooms in 2022 because she believes that "moms have been left out of the conversation" concerning psychedelic medicine.

Although the psychedelic healing space is full of new faces searching for dollars and fame, Tee says she's in this for the right reasons, and has been quickly accepted by veteran facilitators and healers. Her organization and the microdosing courses it offers were created for mothers who grew up under the thumb of traditional medicine and Westernized culture, because they "don't get to go to the Amazon rainforest and do rounds of ayahuasca or Bali for yoga trips," she explains.

"It's something I'd been interested in for a long time, but never really felt like I had permission to try it or work with it, being a mom of a young kid," she recalls. "I eventually signed up for a microdosing course to learn about it. My life really changed for the better, and that prompted me to go deeper and study about it — study it with mentors, medicine women and other teachers. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that this medicine really lands different when you're a mother."

Organized groups of mothers have proven to be a power lobbying arm in politics, especially in the realm of alternative medicine. Across the country, there have been major policy reforms thanks to mothers advocating on behalf of their children. For Moms on Mushrooms, however, it's about advocating on behalf of themselves.

"Mothers hold the purse strings, and they're the ones you want to get behind something," Tee says. "I think mothers are a bridge to the past and the future, especially when it comes to substances. We are in a unique position to change the narrative, not only what it means to take our mental health into our own hands, but how we raise our children around drugs."

On Dr. Phil, Tee put her advocacy and debate skills to the test against another mother, Debi Nadler, who co-founded Moms Against Drugs, and Dr. Kevin Sabet, president and CEO of Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions, which opposes the legalization of mind-altering substances. Sabet is also the president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, a powerful anti-marijuana legalization lobbying group that frequently weighs in on Colorado issues. Tee wasn't the only pro-mushroom speaker appearing on the show, however. Ashley Ryan Troxell, a psilocybin advocate and psychedelic coach, also appeared on the show to support the potential of psychedelics and natural medicine.

Phil "Dr. Phil" McGraw — whose show lineup includes episodes with the names "Whatever Happened to the Guest Claiming to Be Pregnant With Baby Jesus?" and "The Secret World of Sugar Babies: A Mother and Daughter Tell All" — moderated the conversation. Although McGraw has a doctorate in clinical psychology, he's no longer a certified therapist.

"Ah, well, it was interesting," Tee says of the taping. She can't say more about the show until after the episode airs.

Anecdotal reports connect microdosing psilocybin with helping addiction, anxiety, depression and trauma relief, but a recent clinical trial suggests that any mental health benefits are placebo-related. Tee believes more research is needed, however, and argues that even if microdosing's potential is viewed as a placebo by traditional medicine, she still believes in what mushrooms can do for people — as long as they are respected and accompanied by mental health therapy and exercises.

"This isn't a magic pill. This isn't something you take passively, like Advil. You don't just swallow it down and wait for your life to change. It requires some work, and it's a great ally while you're doing other healing modalities," Tee adds. "I'm always open to debate, always. There are pros and cons into what we put into our bodies."

Dr. Phil's "Moms on Mushrooms" episode will air at 3 p.m. Denver time on Thursday, May 4, on CBS4.