Fred Billyard

Fred is the Co-Founder of Taozen and a plant medicine advocate. Having personally and regularly witnessed the transformative power of entheogens for more than eight years, Fred’s mission is to help people alleviate any needless suffering they through responsible, intentional and reciprocal medicine work.

Knowing first-hand the effectiveness of both individual and collective healing, Fred brings his multi-faceted experience of psychedelic preparation, individual shadow work, grounded group integration, trauma-informed psychology and men’s circle facilitation in service to each and every Taozen guest.

As a keen student of the likes of Marc Aixalá, Kile M. Ortigo, Carl Jung, Dr. Gabor Maté, Richard Rudd, Robert Edward Grant, Paramahansa Yogananda, Seneca, David R. Hawkins M.D. Ph.D and many more, Fred blends his interests of timeless, ancient wisdom with modern, practical and evidence-based methods to ensure every Taozen guest feels prepared and supported throughout their entire journey. He is also a firm believer in the notion that everyone and everything can be a teacher for us, if we are open to this possibility and are willing to listen.

In addition to the in-person retreats and experiences, Fred’s proficiency for tech, marketing, systems-building and writing comes in handy for various elements of Taozen, alongside his wife, co-founder and best friend Carla.

Outside of Taozen, Fred reads and listens to non-fiction, produces rave and ambient music, keeps attentive each day to overcome his perfectionism, self-doubt and self-deception tendencies, nerds out with AI, biohacking and advanced ancient civilisations, and leads a creative agency working with some of the world’s biggest brands.