The NHL, Brain Injury, and Psilocybin with Daniel Carcillo

The NHL, Brain Injury, and Psilocybin with Daniel Carcillo

Author: Paul Ollinger October 24, 2023 Duration: 50:17
When Daniel Carcillo played in the NHL, he was known as an enforcer so tough and volatile that he earned the nickname “Car Bomb.” In his 12 seasons in the NHL, Daniel was a member of two Stanley Cup-winning teams (2013 and 2015 Chicago Blackhawks), led the league in penalty minutes, and was fined or suspended by the NHL 12 times. He also suffered about a dozen concussions and was diagnosed with early-onset dementia at 30 years old. As he told me, “I know I have CTE,” a progressive and fatal brain disease that he believes drove him to the brink of suicide until—as he describes it—mushroom therapy saved his life. Today, Daniel is a brain health advocate and the Founder/ CEO of Wesana Health, a life sciences company that leverages psilocybin-based medicine to treat traumatic brain injuries. In this episode, Daniel and I discuss:

Whether winning the Stanley Cup made him happy

The culture of violence in the NHL.

The epidemic of brain injury among athletes.

How psilocybin, mushrooms, MDMA, Ketamine, and other non-traditional medicines are being used to treat depression, PTSD, and brain disease


Please note I neither endorse nor disapprove of Daniel’s POV here. I think there’s a lot to learn in this space that could potentially benefit a lot of people who are suffering. 

Thank you to my friend Peter Fish for connecting me with Daniel.

👂Check out Daniel’s Instagram here and Twitter here👂
⭐ Rate and Review Crazy Money here. (Seriously, do it!)⭐
 ✍️ Get Paul’s writing to your Inbox here. (Seriously, do this also!) ✍️

Get full access to Reasonably Happy at words.paulollinger.com/subscribe

Paul Ollinger has worn a few different hats-stand-up comedian, tech executive, and now, the curious host of Reasonably Happy with Paul Ollinger. This isn't a lecture series or a dry self-help guide. Instead, it feels more like pulling up a chair for a series of genuinely engaging talks that wander into the places where our daily lives, careers, and inner worlds collide. The conversations, which feature authors, thinkers, and various creatives, are refreshingly candid. They dig into the practical and philosophical questions about what it actually means to build a life that feels both successful and satisfying. You'll find that each episode of this podcast approaches big themes-money, purpose, and the pursuit of contentment-with a blend of wit and thoughtful depth. The underlying idea isn't about finding a perfect, Instagram-ready version of happiness, but something more grounded and attainable. It's for anyone who's ever wondered if there's a smarter, more meaningful way to navigate the pressures of business and culture without losing sight of what matters. Tuning in, you get the sense that Paul is figuring it out alongside his guests, making the insights feel earned and relatable. The result is a consistently interesting exploration of how we can all aim for a life that feels reasonably, and authentically, well-lived.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Reasonably Happy with Paul Ollinger
Podcast Episodes
I sleep with a blankie | Reasonably Happy with Paul Ollinger [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:17
Paul sits down with lawyer turned comedian Liz Glazer to discuss how a successful lawyer and law professor can find happiness by saying goodbye to a tenured career by pursuing a life in the arts.Follow Reasonably Happy h…
Start Thinking Rich | Reasonably Happy with Paul Ollinger [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:25
Join us for an insightful conversation with Adrian Brambila and Brad Klontz, authors of "Start Thinking Rich," as we dive deep into the mindset strategies that lead to success. Discover how your background, no matter the…
Claiming Confidence | Reasonably Happy with Paul Ollinger [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:06
We are joined by Lydia Fenet, the founder and CEO of the Lydia Fenet Agency, a boutique agency representing best in class charity auctioneers. Lydia is a best selling author and ground breaking art auctioneer who sits wi…
What Cocaine Taught Me | Reasonably Happy with Paul Ollinger [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:33
We are joined by New York Times best selling author and former Wall Street wild man Turney Duff to discuss Hookers, Blow, Million-dollar bonuses on Wall Street and the journey through recovery and what lies the other sid…
The People Who Never Quit with Henry Oliver [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:40
What did Ray Kroc, Maya Angelou, Margaret Thatcher, and Malcolm X all have in common? (Don’t worry - this isn’t a dirty joke!) They were all opsimaths, i.e. a person who blooms late in life. In his new book SECOND ACT: W…
A Poet’s Life (with In-Q) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:06
Nobody gets into poetry for fame and fortune. And yet, there might be a tiny bit of each happening for In-Q, my guest this week who is a renowned poet and spoken word artist. When he started freestyling (aka, “rapping" f…
“Second Class” Americans with Batya Ungar-Sargon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:30
The spirit of the working class is crushed. So argues Batya Ungar-Sargon in her new book 'Second Class: How the Elites Betrayed America's Working Men and Women’. Batya says that working men and women in the United States…
Why the News is Bad with Angus Hervey [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:00
**Hi friends - this is Paul writing to confess to an error in my introduction in this week's episode. The name of Angus Hervey's podcast is "Hope Is a Verb," not—as I called it—"Hope is NOT a Verb," which is kind of the…
Fighting for the Family Business with Stephanie Stuckey [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:11
Stephanie Stuckey used her life’s savings to buy the company that is her family’s legacy. At it’s height in the1960’s and 70’s, there were hundreds of Stuckey’s stores selling gas, pecan candy, cold drinks, and quick mea…
Persevering Through Grief with Nicole Avant [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:42
Nicole Avant is the former U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas and author of a new memoir, 'Think You’ll Be Happy: Moving through Grief with Grit, Grace, and Gratitude’ which tells the story of her extraordinary family and he…