Paul Austin has spent nearly a decade building education around one of the most debated topics in wellness: psychedelics. Paul Austin joined Sean Kelly on the Digital Social Hour for a wide-ranging conversation about microdosing, breathwork, and what responsible exploration of altered states actually looks like.
The discussion moves from the science and legal debate around psychedelic-assisted mental health work into Austin's own practices, including breathwork and meditation, and his view that these tools work best as part of a broader, disciplined approach rather than in isolation.
About Paul Austin
Paul Austin founded Third Wave in 2015 as an education-focused platform for people curious about psychedelics, drawing on his own background in entrepreneurship to build resources on safe, informed use. He is the author of Microdosing Psychedelics: A Practical Guide to Upgrade Your Life.
Austin's work has been featured in Rolling Stone, the New York Times, and WebMD, where he is frequently cited as one of the more prominent voices in the psychedelics education space. Through Third Wave, he focuses on research, harm reduction, and informed conversation rather than promotion.
What Paul Austin and Sean Kelly Talked About
- Why Paul Austin sees education and safety as central to any conversation about psychedelics
- How he approaches microdosing as one part of a broader personal-development practice
- The role breathwork and meditation play alongside psychedelic experiences, in his view
- His perspective on the debate over legalizing psychedelics for licensed, guided use
- Why he pairs psychedelic experiences with structured practices rather than using them alone
- His take on the growing research interest in psychedelics for PTSD and trauma-related work
- The distinctions he draws between milder and more intense substances and their risks
- How his own years of experimentation led him to found Third Wave as an education platform
Why This Conversation Matters
Psychedelics remain one of the most polarizing topics in wellness and mental health, and this conversation gives Paul Austin room to lay out his perspective as an educator rather than an advocate. It's a useful listen for anyone trying to understand where the psychedelics conversation is heading, framed by someone who has spent years building resources around it.
▶ Watch the full episode on YouTube
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About Sean Kelly & the Digital Social Hour
Sean Kelly is an entrepreneur and the host of the Digital Social Hour, one of the fastest-growing interview podcasts in the world, where he sits down with entrepreneurs, athletes, creators, and cultural voices for candid, long-form conversations. The show draws over 100 million views a month across platforms. Explore more guest features on SeanKelly.io.
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