Ruger Hebert

 CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

For most of my adult life, I battled with depression, unhappiness, and a profound dissatisfaction with existence. Despite trying various therapies, medications, and self-help strategies, I never found the breakthrough I desperately sought.  A lack of results gave rise to self-medicating coping mechanisms like drugs, pornography, sex, and the biggest for me – alcohol.  The more they didn’t work the more the feeling of hopelessness grew. This feeling of despair translated into two rehabs and three hospitalizations for suicidal ideation over the course of my life. However, I was still searched for an answer.  It was during a stable period that my therapist suggested I try  ayahuasca, connecting me with Humberto and his remarkable group of individuals.

Before sharing my first ayahuasca experience, it’s crucial to acknowledge that each person’s journey is  unique, and every encounter with the medicine yields different results.

At the time, I held atheistic beliefs rooted in my engineering background, maintaining a perspective that life simply consisted of living, suffering, and dying. Despite my skepticism, I embarked on my first ayahuasca ceremony. However, for the first 3.5 hours, I felt nothing, while witnessing others laugh, cry, or enter altered states.  Feelings of doubt and hopeless crept in, so I decided to journal about a traumatic experience involving my father, questioning whether anything would work for me. Sensing my frustration, an amazing individual approached me, and said “I’m a healer, can I help you?

I immediately thought to myself, “healer”? Bullshit. But, I had nothing to lose. I put my journal down, and she took my hand. The very first thing she said to me was “Wow, you’re really channeling your dad right now.” This time I didn’t hold back on my thoughts, I said it out loud “bullshit, you saw me write in my journal.” She calmly explained, “first of all it’s dark in here, second I don’t have my glasses on.” Third, she put a blindfold on. She proceeded to tell me specific details about the experience with my father, as well as a litany of other things that happened in my life. I was silent through the entire experience, and considered that perhaps I had been wrong about beliefs my entire life. Desperately seeking an explanation, my mind rationalized that I had also told the therapist, who recommended I try ayahuasca, all of these things. In that exact moment, the “healer” mentioned something that had happened, the previous day, in my car, completely alone. In that moment, I felt like all the walls around my brain exploded. The flood gates opened, I began to cry, I felt an extreme sense of humility and gratitude. I felt a divine, loving connection, and I realized that there is more to life than I thought. This marked the beginning of my transformative journey.

Since that momentous experience, everything has changed. I have participated in monthly ceremonies and even attended a multi-day retreat in Mexico. This profound shift led me to leave a comfortable job and pursue a path of helping others. Ayahuasca did not magically solve my problems, but it illuminated the path I needed to follow. I still have work to do, but I am now motivated and guided by a sense of purpose. Fear no longer paralyzes me as it once did. I am filled with gratitude, empathy, fearlessness, and love. My outlook on life has become positive, and I eagerly anticipate the future. Together with Shaman Humberto Alcala and the dedicated staff at the Finca, we are committed to supporting you on your own transformative journey.

Humberto Alcala

SHAMAN

We are proud to introduce Humberto Alcala, a modern-day medicine man who will be leading all of our medicine retreats. Humberto’s journey began ten years ago when his personal experiences with ayahuasca guided him away from a successful contracting business in California and towards becoming a revered facilitator and shaman of mental exploration and emotional healing through sacred medicines.

His path led him to live among indigenous tribes deep in the Peruvian jungle near Pucallpa, where he trained extensively

with an experienced traditional Shipibo Shaman. This immersive experience included master plant dietas, vision quests, and profound inner work. Humberto’s unique background, combined with his traditional shamanic training, allows him to serve as a bridge between the western psychology of most participants and the native South American medicines and cosmology. This integration facilitates a transformative experience for retreat guests, enabling them to fully embrace the lessons learned during ceremonies.

Originally conducting small-scale sessions in his birthplace of Tepatitlan, Jalisco, Mexico, Humberto’s work has now expanded worldwide. He has traveled to various regions of Mexico, numerous cities in the United States, Europe, and now South America. With almost 8 years of experience, Humberto has facilitated over 400 sacred medicine ceremonies. Known for his down-to-earth, easygoing, and compassionate personality, he creates a safe and secure environment for all participants. Humberto’s philosophy centers around the belief that there is nothing to fix, and that we are already perfect as we are. He offers a transformative opportunity for individuals to reconnect with themselves, learn, grow, heal, and ultimately remember their true essence.

Jamie Metz

INTEGRATION COACH

Jamie provides integration support for Mexisoul participants both during and after the retreat.  She is a trained educator who has earned a master’s degree in Transpersonal Psychology.  For the last ten years, Jamie has coached professionals and business owners to create more of what they want by thinking beyond the perceived limits of conditioned and conventional boundaries.

Seeking new tools and solutions for both her and her clients, Jamie attended the first Mexisoul retreat in March 2022. 

Jamie attended the first Mexisoul retreat in March 2022.  She returned as a participant several times over the next year to gain a better understand of the lasting benefits of plant medicine.  In April 2023, Jamie returned to La Finca as a member of our staff.  Using her knowledge of Transpersonal Psychology and her experience in client work, she helped redesign our integration program to offer more extensive support to participants.

During the retreat, Jamie leads group discussions on integration, what to expect after the retreat, and how to benefit most from your work with plant medicine. She is also available during the retreat for one-on-one personalized sessions.

After returning home, she will be available through both private and group texting to answer questions and a one-on-one call.

Jamie believes we are continually on the edge of vast untapped potential, that plant medicine isn’t necessary, but is one of the most powerful and effective tools available to get a glimpse into what’s possible, to know we are already whole, and to find peace and wellbeing.