Pernille Brostrup, Co-Founder of Mabel Life; The Interview

Mabel Life is redefining the conversation around women's health, mental well-being, + the power of psychedelics. Founded in The Netherlands by sisters + co-founders, Pernille + Carolina Brostrup, Mabel isn’t just a wellness brand — it’s a movement. Rooted in the belief that nature holds the key to deeper healing, Mabel offers a fresh approach to microdosing and functional mushrooms, bridging the gap between science, self-discovery, and holistic well-being.

At its core, Mabel is designed for women seeking clarity, balance, + empowerment. From their thoughtfully crafted mushroom-based formulas to their guided microdosing programs, the brand is pioneering a new way to approach mental health — one that is gentle, intentional, + deeply personal. With an emphasis on education + accessibility, Mabel is shifting perspectives, breaking down stigma, + helping women reclaim their well-being on their own terms.

Here, I speak with Pernille to explore her journey, the vision behind Mabel, + how she sees psychedelics playing a role in the future of women’s health.

HSF — What inspired you to start Mabel Life? Was there a personal experience that led you to explore microdosing as a path to healing?

PB — Yes, as you know life doesn’t always turn out the way you expect + by my late 30s, I found myself a solo mom, trying to figure things out in a foreign country. I had spent years running on empty, exhausted, anxious, + feeling completely disconnected from myself. I tried everything, pharmaceuticals, alternative treatments, therapy etc, but nothing really helped. Then I came across microdosing with truffles containing psilocybin + something profoundly shifted for me.

My first microdose wasn’t some life-changing moment, but the world suddenly felt a little lighter, like I was more in sync with it. Over time, I realized it was doing something no other treatment had, it wasn’t just masking symptoms, it was working on a deeper level. It was helping me reconnect with myself. And that’s really what Mabel is about: finding a way back to yourself, especially for women, who are so often overlooked when it comes to real solutions for well-being.

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HSF — Psychedelics have been used for centuries in indigenous traditions — how do you see Mabel bridging ancient wisdom with modern wellness?

PB — This is something I think about a lot. The way these plant medicines, these entheogens, were traditionally used in healing rituals is so deeply rooted in cultures + structures that are very different from the world we live in today. Even though I wish things were structured differently, I don’t think anyone can truly claim to honor those traditions in the exact way they were meant to be. I do, + we do as a company, try to educate ourselves as much as possible, keeping these stories in the back of our minds. But translating how they worked with these medicines into today’s society is incredibly difficult.

That said, one thing we are deeply committed to is reclaiming the role women once held, as healers, as caretakers, as guides for their families + communities. That kind of wisdom + empowerment has been eroded over generations, + I believe it’s time to take it back. If there’s a way we’re honoring those who came before us, it’s in that mission, helping women regain their agency, their intuition, + their ability to heal, not just themselves but the world around them.

HSF — The mainstream narrative around mental health all too often revolves around pharmaceutical solutions — how do you view microdosing as a form of personal empowerment in contrast to the conventionally available treatments?

PB — Pharmaceuticals like classical antidepressants are mostly about managing symptoms, not actually fixing the root cause. And let’s be honest, they were never designed for long-term well-being. They keep people dependent, often with a long list of side effects. Microdosing, on the other hand, works differently. It doesn’t do the work for you, but it helps you step up for yourself. It gently pushes you to take an active role in your healing. It doesn’t numb you out; it wakes you up.

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HSF — As we said, many people struggling with mental health are prescribed pharmaceuticals as the default solution — often within a system that simply doesn’t support the individual, allowing for little more than a 3-minute conversation with a GP who doesn’t specialise in the area. Why do you think microdosing offers a more holistic + sustainable alternative?

I really do believe most GPs are trying their best. The problem is the system itself. One, we’re in the middle of a mental health crisis — more people than ever need help. Secondly, psychiatry hasn’t had a real breakthrough since SSRIs (antidepressants) hit the market decades ago. Let’s be honest too, in general, doctors are overwhelmed + barely have time to scratch the surface. And feeling unwell is usually a mix of many things — loneliness, stress, burnout, hormonal imbalances — but there’s no quick solution for that in a 10-minute appointment.

So, what can they do? Tell people to change their entire lifestyle? That’s not realistic. And this is where microdosing becomes so powerful, not because it "fixes" everything, but because it shifts the way you experience life.

From a scientific perspective:

• Serotonin & the 5-HT2A receptor – Psilocybin mimics serotonin + stimulates the 5-HT2A receptor, which plays a key role in mood, creativity, + emotional balance. Unlike antidepressants that mainly increase serotonin levels, psilocybin works dynamically, helping people feel more connected + present.

• Default Mode Network (DMN) & mental ruts – The DMN is like the brain’s autopilot for repetitive thoughts. When it’s overactive, it reinforces stress, anxiety, and negative loops. Microdosing gently slows down the DMN, making it easier to break old patterns and gain new perspectives, this is why many people describe it as "lifting a fog."

• Neuroplasticity & emotional resilience – Microdosing encourages neuroplasticity, meaning it helps the brain adapt and rewire itself. Over time, this supports better emotional regulation and a greater sense of resilience.

Microdosing doesn’t numb you; it helps you engage more actively with life. It doesn’t push things under the rug, it brings them into the light, working with your body to create real, lasting change.

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HSF — A lot of people feel trapped in the cycle of medication, side effects, + the resulting dependencies. How does microdosing break that pattern + allow people to take control of their own healing?        

Psilocybin has the power to go beyond symptom management, it helps get to the root of things, shifting how we see + navigate life. That’s the real gift of this earth medicine: in a way, it sets you free. Microdosing isn’t about numbing or avoiding. It helps people tune in, become more aware, + naturally shift their habits, taking better care of themselves, listening to their needs, + making real changes.

But healing isn’t always easy. Even with tiny doses, there can be tough days, memories surfacing, feeling tired or overwhelmed. That’s part of clearing out years of mental clutter. The difference is, this time, you’re facing it, not just covering it up.

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HSF — Can you share a particularly powerful transformation story from someone using Mabel Life’s approach—especially someone who transitioned away from pharmaceuticals?

One of our first clients was a woman who had been on antidepressants for years. She was going through perimenopause, dealing with anxiety, and felt like she had lost all connection—to herself, to her family, to life. The meds dulled the worst of it, but they also dulled her—her emotions, her energy, even her connection with her husband and teenage sons.

Through the Mabel microdosing program, she slowly started tapering off her meds (with professional support, of course). Over time, her mood swings eased, her mind felt clearer, and she started feeling like herself again. But it wasn’t just about getting off medication—it was about coming back to life. She reconnected with her body, her sense of purpose, and the things that actually made her happy.

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HSF — In the 1950s + early 60s, psychedelic research was showing immense promise for mental health, addiction, and trauma healing. Then, the War on Drugs effectively shut it all down. Where do you think we might be today had that research not been stopped?

Oh wow, that’s a big what if. If the research had continued, I honestly think we’d be living in a completely different world, one where healing isn’t just about selling pills. Women, especially, would have had way more options for mental health and hormonal balance instead of just being handed a prescription and told to deal with it.

Today hormonal health, perimenopause, menopause, the endless cycle of being put on antidepressants or HRT is the only option. Imagine if, instead of just medicating women through these huge transitions, we had spent decades actually researching what so many are discovering today, that microdosing can bring a major shift in well-being, in energy, in joy. That it can help women feel like themselves again, without numbing or overriding what their bodies are naturally going through. If we had that research to back up what thousands of women are already reporting, we’d be having a very different conversation right now.

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HSF — Despite this suppression, we’re now seeing a renaissance of psychedelic research. What’s different about this moment in time, + how do we ensure history doesn’t repeat itself?

People are fed up. They’re done with the same old solutions that don’t work. There’s a massive push for change, + this time, we have the science to back it up. The challenge now is making sure psychedelics don’t just get swallowed up by big pharma. We need to focus on education, community access, + making sure these tools stay in the hands of the people, not just companies looking to patent + profit. 

Discover more at MABEL.LIFE

Vanessa Cornell, Founder of NUSHU; The Interview

With NUSHU, there’s something quite different. You can sense it from any + all interactions with the woman’s support network which runs as a community rooted in compassion, care, non-judgement + an unwavering deep belief in the innate strength we all possess within.

NUSHU was founded by Vanessa Cornell in New York City + has quickly become a safe space for people to connect in a very authentic + soulful way. I’ve been blessed to attend some groups + can attest to the beauty of it all. People aren’t there to be fixed but rather, at quite a profound level, held, heard + their stories as women credited without initial doubt or question. NUSHU is a place where you are believed + believed in, not to mention truly truly seen. The human need to feel validated, especially in this ever evolving yet isolating world we now live in, is fully palpable in the air of these past few years + NUSHU, as nurtured by the directional vision of Vanessa is quickly becoming the go-to safe place for women to find themselves within the tribe.

Here, I speak to Vanessa about how she identifies who she is at her core, her own personal journey within the need to validate herself solely for herself, all while still being all things to all aspects of her world.

HSF — Vanessa, tell us, beyond the roles we all play + often find placed upon us as we move through different stages of life - from mother, daughter, wife, friend, lover, founder, entrepreneur - who are you? Who is Vanessa at a soul level?

VC — I’m super curious. After spending my life chasing other peoples’ goals of success in school and at work, I realized the only thing that is going to keep me engaged and fascinated for the rest of my life is the study of the inner workings of human beings. I’m endlessly fascinated by what motivates us, why we make the choices we make, and what it is we’re supposed to be doing on this earth and the one short lifetime we’ve been given. I’m interested in other people but mostly I study myself. The insights gain, and being really really honest with myself about myself, end up being helpful to other people.

HSF — What do you consider your mission in this life?

VC — I’m still trying to determine this. Every day I ask myself this question. But my approach might be slightly different than others.  I really believe that that question of what we’re supposed to do in our life is exactly the same question as who we are. Who are we, truly, at our core, before we built up our defenses and our coping strategies that disconnect us from our deep inner knowing and our innate divinity? If we can discover that, then I believe what we’re supposed to do becomes very obvious. 

HSF — One of your beautiful gifts to the world so far is the creation of community + connection within the NUSHU container - for those new to NUSHU, can you please tell us about it + how it came to be..

VC — NUSHU came from a need to explore all of my inner questions with other people, in community. I had this intense energy to explore my inner landscape and a deep knowing that this work isn’t supposed to be done in isolation.  

What I find really fascinating is this interplay between the fact that no one can do your work for you, but at the same time you can’t do it without other people. Essentially you are the only one who can find your answers in your self exploration. Only you can walk your path of healing and discovery. No one can tell you who you are or what to do. However, this solo work is not possible without a community around you. So it’s important to understand that you’re both completely in charge of your own process + also that it is not possible to do it alone.

HSF — Clearly creating + nurturing connections is a huge part of the NUSHU community. In a world where connections seem so readily available via the digitalisation of what links us; yet often in reality the authenticity of it all is becoming more fleeting. How can people nourish truthful connection + the link to others we really need as humans both IRL + online?

VC — There is a big difference between feeling deeply connected to people + simply being surrounded by people. You can have tons of people in your life + still feel incredibly lonely. The difference between true connection + merely brushing up against people is your willingness to actually show yourself to them. If you are not showing them your true self, then they are in relationship with your avatar, not you. If you are pretending, putting up a good front, or only showing the pretty, shiny sides of yourself, you can never be in true intimacy with someone because the person that they’re in a relationship with is not actually you. It takes a combination of courage + discernment, to be able to show people all sides of you, especially the messy, less flattering sides of you. But that is how you build connection: allowing people to see you not only at your best, but also at your worst.

HSF — On the idea of holding space for someone in our personal lives, how can we do this while also preserving inner boundaries, knowing where we can help without neglecting our own needs, thoughts, opinions, beliefs?

VC — This is a complex question and too much for the space allotted, but I will say that it is definitely a skill that we can build. I have a course within NUSHU dedicated to exactly this practice called How to Hold Space. What it comes down to is building awareness inside of ourselves, so that we can show up for another person without getting muddled by our own fears and stories. It’s also about getting clear on what is our experience + what is the other person’s experience. Ironically, when you learn how to show up as a powerful space holder, you actually end up protecting yourself + your energy at the same time. It is not a zero sum game where you have to compromise yourself to show up for the other person. Building your skills of holding space ends up benefiting you both.

HSF — Self-care, all too often, seems to just about scratch the surface of the depth of who we really are + what we need. It’s been commercialised in every way now. Do you have any thoughts on what self-care truly means beyond the fluff + where people can begin to go deeper at an absolute level?

VC — Self care. It’s become such a buzz word hasn’t it + has been co-opted by the wellness industry to mean products + massages + other things that you can spend money on. That’s my first issue with self-care: that it’s become an industry. My second issue with self-care is that there’s this projection that there’s a one size fits all way of doing it. And it all has to do with more + better. More exercise is better, more meditation is better, more journaling is better, more supplements are better. When we can’t fulfill all of these “mores”, we end up feeling badly about ourselves. Self-care is about one fundamental thing: taking the time to pause + understand what you need to nourish you in the moment. And deciding that what you need matters. Sometimes it’s action + sometimes it’s rest. Sometimes it’s more exercise + sometimes it’s less. Sometimes it’s meditation + sometimes it’s permission to skip meditation. You cannot engage in self-care, while having a view on whether something is better or worse. The only question is: what do I need in this moment?

HSF — How do you maintain your own identity + honour your own place in this life beyond the natural requisites of the roles you play?

VC — That’s easy. It’s absolutely non-negotiable. I ask myself these four questions every day, all day: How do I feel? What do I need? What do I want? Who am I? When you ask this of yourself all the time you realize how important it is to honor the answers that come through. This practice makes it very clear when things in my life don’t align with the answers to those questions. If they don’t align, I have zero time for them. We have such a limited amount of time on this planet.  I believe that it is available to everyone to live a life of complete alignment, or as close as we can get to complete alignment with who we are. I will not waste a single moment of my energy doing anything that compromises that.

HSF — It seems the journey of self-discovery is the de-conditioning of what we’ve learned to become rather than who, perhaps, we authentically are. Do you feel this happens in different ways at each stage in a woman’s life + what has your experience been thus far?

VC — There’s a reason that many women go through a midlife crisis. There is a point at which the conditioning that has built up over a lifetime is so dissonant with who we are that our inner voice starts to scream at us that something has to change. It’s often a painful and messy. I went through it myself. But at some point we can no longer keep living a lie + pretending that the life we’ve built is the life that’s meant for us.

I think women in their 40s have this tremendous opportunity to start to claim who they are if they haven’t done so so far. For many motherhood breaks us wide-open. And for others, we finally realize we are sleepwalking through life + simply putting one foot in front of the other. We ask ourselves what the hell am I doing? Is this the way I’m going to live the rest of my life? These are the women I love to work with because I’ve been there I get it. And I want to say to them there is so much more for you. You can live a life that is alive + vibrant + exciting + fulfilling + full of close + intimate relationships with the people you love. You can show up for others + yourself at the same time.

HSF — And on that note, when we’ve found identity in parts of ourselves that no longer serve us, how can we detach from what we no longer need? 

VC — Again, there’s this beautiful way that when we discover who we truly are + become really grounded + rooted in that, it becomes very obvious what we need to shift + let go of. If that’s people, they may have a hard time + there may be pain or grief involved in that process, but our deep grounding in who we are allows us to weather any of those storms with both full conviction + tremendous love + compassion.

HSF — As humans we all exist constantly between the healer + the healed. There’s always someone ahead + someone behind, just as we are to others. Yet there is a lot of unsolicited advice, ‘expert’ opinions + sometimes dangerously authoritative directive information within the self-development + wellness space. Personally, the only thing that’s worked for me is trying a million things + compiling my own treasure box of what works. Do you have any advice for those in that place of total overwhelm? Where do people start?

VC — It’s not an easy road + you’re right it’s very crowded with conflicting messages. I would offer a couple of points of guidance. 

Number one. Steer clear of anyone who tells you what to do or what you should think or projects an aura of authority. Nobody knows what’s right for you but you. If somebody is trying to tell you that they know what is right for you, run in the other direction.

The second thing I would say is that if you really want to make change, you need to treat this like your full-time job. Now I’m not suggesting we quit our jobs. I’m suggesting that we are capable of multiple full-time jobs at the same time, especially women and mothers. My point is that you need to really prioritize this + take it seriously. It does not get relegated to the very last item on the list, the thing you get to once you’ve taken care of + satisfied everyone else’s needs. If you approach your own healing as a nice to have + not a must have, you will not make any changes. The first thing is you have to decide it matters. Then you fight for it.  There is so much healing just in the process of making that decision.

The third thing I‘d suggest is finding quiet from the noise of life today. It can feel sometimes near impossible, but how or where you find your feet most firmly on the ground between what requires your attentions speaks volumes.

I actually spend a ton of time alone in my home office. Once the kids go to school, I would say between 8 and 3 PM, I’m almost always alone + in the quiet. That’s what I need to fuel me as I’m very introverted. I pace myself in terms of energy output + being around people. I’ve gotten good at not over-filling my capacity, + my team is amazing in helping me protect my energy.  

HSF — Do you have any non-negotiables in your day?

VC — When you’ve got five kids + two businesses + a busy household to run, you have to be flexible. I have found that putting my stake in the ground about doing something at a certain time every day or even every day simply always gets upended. My nonnegotiable is that I am constantly checking in with how I’m doing: how I feel + what I need. I can be flexible to a point, but I’ve always got my own needs in mind, + I take care of myself. So yeah, I can go a day or two with not enough rest but then I make the space to get the rest I need. My nonnegotiable is that I never let my needs go unattended for long enough that I’m feeling resentful or burned out. I’m not always the first priority, but I’m always one of the priorities. Both the needs of my family AND my needs get taken care of, not always all at the same time but all eventually. I am absolutely in the mix of people who have needs that matter.  That is not negotiable.

HSF — Your favourite piece of advice or approach to your life by?

VC — The path to discovering yourself is paved with deep self honesty plus deep self compassion.

HSF — The book, movie, show + podcast that’s left a lasting effect..

VC — The book would be Razors Edge by William Somerset Maugham. Battlestar Galactica as a TV show + Elena Brower’s interview with Meggan Watterson on her Practice You podcast.  

HSF — What are you most interested in learning about at this stage in your life?

Me. 

HSF — What’s next for NUSHU? 

I’m working on a course for mothers to reclaim themselves that I’m really excited about. We also have a number of amazing retreats coming up. I would love for you to join us!

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