The Truth About Running an Ayahuasca Church w/ Courtney Close of Hummingbird Church

The Complete Retreat

In this candid conversation, Courtney Close shares her unlikely journey from organizing underground ceremonies to founding one of the largest public ayahuasca churches in America.
Learn how Hummingbird Church evolved from small gatherings to hosting thousands of participants, all while maintaining unwavering commitments to safety and indigenous traditions.
Discover crucial insights about facilitator burnout, sustainable business practices, and the importance of proper screening and safety protocols in the plant medicine space.
#PlantMedicine #Ayahuasca #SpiritualGrowth #Healing #PersonalDevelopment #Retreat #RetreatBusiness #TransformationalExperiences
Timestamps:
00:00 Courtney Close Intro
02:27 Courtney's Journey and Hummingbird Church
06:41 Safety and Legal Considerations
09:41 Financial Sustainability and Scholarships
12:35 Integration and Community Building
15:35 Lessons Learned and Future Plans
35:39 Practical Safety Measures
39:53 The Growing Demand for Ayahuasca Ceremonies
40:42 Personal Burnout and the Importance of Integration
42:55 The Value of Facilitators and Fair Compensation
46:37 The Necessity of Self-Care in Healing Work
57:48 Sobriety and Simple Living as Healing Tools
01:07:58 Final Thoughts
About the Guest:
Courtney Close is the founder of Hummingbird Church, one of the largest publicly visible ayahuasca churches in America.
With experience spanning hundreds of Ayahuasca ceremonies, she's pioneered safety protocols and legal frameworks that have helped transform underground ceremonies into legitimate spiritual practices.
Her work focuses on creating safe, accessible spaces for healing while honoring indigenous traditions and supporting medicine carriers from various lineages.
About RetreatHelp:
RetreatHelp is an end-to-end business consulting and marketing systems provider with a mission to simplify the business of retreats, helping conscious leaders sell out their events faster, increase revenue, and have a greater impact with less stress.
We specialize in helping retreat leaders and conscious business owners streamline and scale their businesses through our comprehensive Four Pillar System: marketing, sales, technical systems, and business operations. Using cutting-edge technology, AI integration, and automated solutions, RetreatHelp enables retreat facilitators to focus on creating transformative experiences while reducing manual workload.
Guest Links:
✦ Main Website: https://hummingbirdchurch.com/
✦ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hummingbird_church/
✦ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hummingbirdchurch/
✦ Email: [email protected]
Podcast links:
✦ Website: https://retreathelp.com/podcast
✦ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/64GwMQE2QPLqDE9fFxIFR2
✦ ApplePodcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-complete-retreat-podcast/id1784541260
✦ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RetreatHelp
Additional links:
✦ Website: https://retreathelp.com/
✦ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/retreat_help/
✦ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1462938347760779
✦ RetreatHelp Private Community: https://community.retreathelp.com/login
✦ This video was made with DeScript, the best AI enhanced video recording and editing software in the known Universe: https://get.descript.com/5f13gxl2u8m3

Chapters

1. Courtney Close Intro (00:00:00)

2. Courtney's Journey and Hummingbird Church (00:02:27)

3. Safety and Legal Considerations (00:06:41)

4. Financial Sustainability and Scholarships (00:09:41)

5. Integration and Community Building (00:12:35)

6. Lessons Learned and Future Plans (00:15:35)

7. Practical Safety Measures (00:35:39)

8. The Growing Demand for Ayahuasca Ceremonies (00:39:53)

9. The Value of Facilitators and Fair Compensation (00:42:55)

10. The Necessity of Self-Care in Healing Work (00:46:37)

11. Sobriety and Simple Living as Healing Tools (00:57:48)

12. Final Thoughts (01:07:38)