Ep. 51: Can Mushrooms Boost Your Mood? w/ Peter Reitano & Danial Sanders

In Today’s Episode: Can Mushrooms Boost Your Mood? Join us as we talk with Peter Reitano and Daniel Sanders, the co-founders of Gwella, a functional mushroom company best known for their mood-boosting product, Mojo. Peter, a serial entrepreneur and brand strategist, and Daniel, a genetic engineer turned supplement formulator, share their journey creating a legal microdosing alternative and the science behind their ingredients. Key Takeaways from Today’s Episode: -Why functional mushrooms like lion’s mane and cordyceps might mimic the effects of a microdose -How Gwella developed Mojo to support mood, focus, and energy—without the crash -What consumers should know about ingredient sourcing, dosage, and supplement transparency Questions We Answer in This Episode: -Can functional mushrooms replicate the brain effects of psychedelics? -What’s the truth behind “legal microdosing” products like Mojo? -How do you know if a supplement actually works—or if it’s just hype? (0:00) Introduction to functional mushrooms and Gwella founders (0:26) Welcome Pierre and Daniel (0:38) Daniel Sanders' background and journey (1:43) Pierre's career and interest in functional mushrooms (5:10) Formation and evolution of Gwella and Mojo products (8:14) Tackling personal challenges in business (10:01) Chief science officer's role in stress management (16:14) Pierre and Daniel's mutual respect (18:20) Evolution of Gwella and Mojo (21:20) Daniel's motivations and product formulations (22:39) Initial product reactions and customer feedback (28:15) Feedback from older adults (29:08) Supplement industry challenges (31:16) Identifying quality in supplements (34:56) GMP certification and its limitations (35:13) Researching combined supplement formulations (39:37) Controversial ingredients and misconceptions (41:27) Dosage and form factors for gummies (43:12) Significance of kanna in libido gummy (44:42) Sleep gummy introduction and ingredients (45:22) Inclusion of melatonin in sleep gummy (46:42) Bioavailability of gummy ingredients (49:00) Understanding bioavailability and pharmacokinetics (51:03) Product safety and potential side effects (52:29) Addressing customer criticisms (54:01) Product formulation decision-making (55:55) Gummy format choice (58:19) Marketing claims vs. scientific evidence (1:01:36) Microdosing claims clarification (1:04:47) Interrogation segment conclusion (1:05:01) Upcoming product launches and roadmap (1:08:25) AI in health and wellness (1:10:17) AI in healthcare recommendations (1:12:23) Empowering healthcare with AI (1:14:03) AI recommendation engines and corporate capture (1:16:05) Discussing energy sustainability (1:16:27) Lightning Lab: Health and wellness