
Pete Olander is the founder and CEO of Happie Beverages, a functional CPG company building at the intersection of plant medicine, recovery science, and wellness. With a background spanning J.P. Morgan, enterprise software operations, and functional nutrition brand Nutrition53 — where he worked directly with professional athletes — Pete brings a systems-first mindset to an industry driven by belief. He founded Happie in 2019 out of personal conviction: that alternative healing paths through functional mushrooms, movement, and plant medicine are real, accessible, and underserved.
Time Stamps:
02:21 Pete’s Journey into Plant Medicine
05:24 The Endocannabinoid System Explained
13:26 Dosing Philosophy & Product Design
17:05 Social Stigma & Regulatory Outlook
22:05 Mushroom Beverages Deep Dive
32:26 Where to Find Happie Products
Pete’s Links:
@drinkhappie
@happiefusion
Journal Article Links:
Gaoni, Y., & Raphael Mechoulam (1964). Isolation, structure, and partial synthesis of an active constituent of hashish. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 86(8), 1646–1647.
Matsuda, L. A., et al. (1990). Structure of a cannabinoid receptor and functional expression of the cloned cDNA. Nature, 346, 561–564.
Devane, W. A., et al. (1992). Isolation and structure of a brain constituent that binds to the cannabinoid receptor. Science, 258(5090), 1946–1949.
Sugiura, T., et al. (1995/1996 foundational work; expanded 2002).
2-Arachidonoylglycerol as an endogenous ligand. Prostaglandins & Other Lipid Mediators
Munro, S., et al. (1993). Molecular characterization of a peripheral receptor for cannabinoids. Nature, 365, 61–65.
Di Marzo, V., & Piscitelli, F. (2015). The endocannabinoid system and its modulation by phytocannabinoids. Neurotherapeutics, 12(4), 692–698. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13311-015-0374-6
Lu, H. C., & Mackie, K. (2016). An introduction to the endogenous cannabinoid system. Biological Psychiatry, 79(7), 516–525. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.07.028
Pertwee, R. G. (2008). Cannabinoid pharmacology. British Journal of Pharmacology, 153(2), 199–215.
Howlett, A. C., et al. (2002). International Union of Pharmacology classification of cannabinoid receptors. Pharmacological Reviews, 54(2), 161–202.
Volkow, N. D., et al. (2014). Adverse health effects of marijuana use. New England Journal of Medicine, 370, 2219–2227.
Castillo, P. E., et al. (2012). Endocannabinoid signaling and synaptic function. Neuron, 76(1), 70–81.
Learn More about Dr. Darian:
Website: https://doctordarianparker.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darianparker/
Dr. Darian’s Partnerships:
Stick Mobility
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