Get to know our specialists
Our team is composed of trauma-informed american indigenous scholar-practitioners, each bringing advanced graduate-level education and years of experience in plant medicine and psychedelic-assisted therapeutic practices within ritualistic and ceremonial contexts.
Troy M. Valencia's resilience transformed his life from childhood struggles, marked by his single mother's battle with addiction and his own foster system challenges, to academic and professional success in chemistry. Basketball offered a scholarship escape, leading to notable achievements in biochemistry and analytical chemistry.
A spiritual awakening in 2018 pivoted Troy towards a deeper purpose, pursuing East-West Psychology, Spiritual Counseling certification, and a PsyD in Clinical Psychology. Deeply rooted in Central African Bwiti tradition, Troy integrates ancestral wisdom with modern therapy, advocating for spiritual exploration and healing.
Co-founder of Sacred Roots Foundation, Troy fights the colonization of sacred plant medicines, emphasizing indigenous traditions' restoration. He also established Authentic Empowerment and Empower Books to empower others spiritually. Troy's journey from adversity to spiritual guidance, merging ancient wisdom with contemporary healing, illustrates his dedication to cultural preservation and personal growth. In his free time, Troy cherishes moments with his dog and best friend, Blue.
Joaly Trinidad, affectionately known as 'Jo,' is a remarkable individual with a diverse educational background and a deep connection to ancestral wisdom. Holding both an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Media, as well as a Masters degree in Counseling from NYU, Jo seamlessly integrates modern academia with indigenous practices rooted in her Taino lineage.
As the great-granddaughter of native touch healers, Jo embodies the synthesis of ancient wisdom and contemporary research-based healing methods. Certified as a somatic breathworker, vibrational entrainment healer, yoga instructor, and kambo provider, she brings over 4 years of experience as a lead facilitator guiding Iboga ceremonies.
Jo's Afro-Caribbean roots, tracing back to West/Central Africa, are at the heart of her profound connection to Iboga and her dedication to its service. Co-founding the Sacred Roots Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization, Jo commits her life to reciprocity, empowerment, and the preservation of indigenous wisdom traditions, ensuring they thrive for generations to come.
Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Rollins College, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences and a Master of Science in Oriental Medicine from the Florida College of Integrative Medicine in Orlando. Her movement background includes personal training, barre, yoga, and stretch therapy, informing a holistic, body-centered approach to care.
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During her undergraduate studies, Stephanie specialized in developmental psychology and worked at a small, research-based preschool with a primary focus on social-emotional development. Her clinical training in Chinese Medicine deepened her passion for women’s health, medical qigong, and herbalism, shaping a practice that bridges physiology, energy, and lived experience.
A profound influence in Stephanie’s personal and professional journey has been her relationship with Amazonian spiritual traditions. In her early twenties, she learned that her maternal ancestors originated from the Amazon, catalyzing a path of remembrance and embodied connection to ancestral ways of living. These influences are thoughtfully woven into her Chinese Medicine practice, honoring the interconnectedness of body, spirit, nature, and lineage.
Stephanie is a South Florida native who feels most alive outdoors, soaking in the sun. She loves traveling, reading, cooking, and spending quality time with her family and her beloved kitties. She is also a Bwiti Initiate within the Mabundi tradition, carrying this lineage with humility, reverence, and responsibility .
Ryan’s path with plant medicine began with Ayahuasca, an encounter that transformed his worldview and opened the door to a life of service. What started as a single experience became a devotion that continues today, as Ryan still serves as a facilitator of Ayahuasca, hapé, and other sacred medicines. Over the years, this foundation of service naturally expanded, and through many lessons with Iboga, the calling to serve this sacred plant teacher revealed itself.
Alongside this calling, Ryan holds a degree in psychology and previously held an elite government position that required the highest level of clearance. These experiences reinforced his traits of integrity, devotion, and responsibility, which now support his work with plant medicine. Having served as a facilitator and integration coach for many years, Ryan brings refined intuition and insight into his work with Iboga, where his commitment to the medicine path has deepened. His approach honors ancestral traditions while also recognizing the balance between Eastern and Western perspectives, and between the scientific and the spiritual.
Ryan brings warmth, support, and presence to his facilitation, creating spaces where others may connect more fully with themselves, their truth, and the mystery of existence. Outside of ceremony, he is most at home in nature and enjoys deepening his study of consciousness and spending time with friends and family.
Blue and Troy have been inseparable best friends for the past seven years. Blue is a fully licensed and trained Psychiatric Service Animal (Registration # SA-2795667), specializing in supporting psychological events such as severe anxiety attacks and convulsions. Despite his impressive size, Blue is an extremely gentle giant with a calm and grounded demeanor. You’ll always find him by Troy’s side, as they share a deep bond.
Blue is also a beloved part of the Iboga ceremonies. Many guests report seeing Blue in their visions, where he often serves as a guiding presence. As Troy tells participants, “If you see Blue in your vision, follow him wherever he goes.” His calm and intuitive energy creates a sense of safety and trust, both in the physical and spiritual realms. Blue will approach you when he feels comfortable, but if you’d like to win his affection, offering him a carrot—one of his favorite snacks—is a sure way to his heart.
Dr. Natasha Gómez is a dedicated professional in general medicine and surgical procedures, boasting five years of experience in emergency units and four years of expertise with plant medicine, specializing in Iboga therapy. She is accredited by the American Heart Association in Basic Life Support and Advanced Life Support.
During her years of working with Iboga she has observed the medicine's transformative power as a natural therapeutic option for individuals grappling with addiction and withdrawal syndromes. Delving deeper, she has marveled at how Iboga facilitates profound personal growth and self-exploration, inducing introspective experiences often described as deeply psychotherapeutic. These insights have significantly influenced both her medical practice and personal philosophy.
Dr. Hagen Blaszyk's illustrious career spans prestigious institutions such as the Mayo Clinic, where he underwent his postgraduate training, and appointments as Associate Professor at both the University of Vermont and Tufts University. With a remarkable portfolio comprising over 100 scientific papers and book chapters, Dr. Blaszyk has established himself as a leading figure in his field.
As co-founder, CEO, and senior advisor at K9s on The Front Line, he has played a pivotal role in assisting numerous combat Veterans grappling with severe PTSD, TBI, and moral injury to reclaim their lives. Dr. Blaszyk's profound empathy stems from personal experiences, having endured oppression behind the Iron Curtain in a dictatorship. This firsthand understanding fuels his dedication to the principle that freedom is not free.
Dedicated to fostering connections between individuals and organizations, Dr. Blaszyk tirelessly works to effect positive change in the lives of others. His contributions extend beyond mere medical expertise; he offers invaluable insights, oversees aftercare, and implements outcome measures, ensuring the efficacy of the team's efforts.
Dr. Anette Scott is a psychiatrist in a private practice in San Antonio, Texas. She has a special interest in integrative psychiatry and functional medicine. Dr. Scott is board certified in psychiatry and neurology. She graduated medical school in Munich, Germany, and completed her residency in psychiatry at the UT-Health Science Center San Antonio. After graduation Dr. Scott opened her private practice in San Antonio with a deep passion to help people and the desire to create treatments for her patients based on each individual person’s specific needs. Psychedelic assisted psychotherapy is another passion and interest of Dr. Scott.
She has been performing Ketamine assisted psychotherapy since 2021 helping her patients achieve fast relief from depression, anxiety and PTSD. In addition to Ketamine, a pharmacological agent, plant-based psychedelic medicines have been a strong interest of Dr. Scott’s due to their ability to offer rapid, deeply transformational psychospiritual and psychosomatic healing when used in their traditional sacred settings. Over a decade ago the African plant medicine Tabernanthe Iboga has been of special interest to Dr. Scott due to this plant medicine’s deep healing properties from both the psychospiritual as well as the neuropharmacological aspects. This interest was further fueled by Dr. Scott’s own powerful transformational psychospiritual experience with Iboga in Costa Rica in 2023.
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