The Builder’s Journey

Welcome fellow travelers, Alex here on The Builders Journey, where we take a behind the scenes look at the Vail Colorado and its surrounding communities through the eyes of a lifelong builder and remodel contractor. It will be an eclectic mix of stories, topic matters and personalities from all walks of life. If you ever wondered what it was like to live, work and play in a mountain community high atop the Rockies, here's your chance. The Builders Journey is proudly sponsored by Plumb Kendall Solutions: building quality and value into commercial and residential remodeling projects since 1994. Check us out at www.RemodelVail.com and while you're there signup to receive our 7-step process to remodeling success. It's a no BS approach for the first time remodeler as well as the seasoned building professional. . . That's www.RemodelVail.com

Episodes

Latest Episodes

View all

4 days ago

30 min

Beyond Talk Therapy: Ketamine, Psilocybin & Healing
Guest: Ashley Denny, MA, LMFT, NMCFHost: Alex MintlingAletheia Healing Center | Aspen, Colorado
What happens when traditional talk therapy isn't enough?
In this short, unscripted conversation, Alex sits down with Ashley Denny, a licensed psychotherapist and natural medicine clinical facilitator, to explore the emerging world of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.
Ashley discusses how ketamine and psilocybin are being integrated into therapeutic settings, who might benefit from these approaches, and why preparation, professional oversight, safety, and integration are essential parts of the healing process.
They also tackle the stigma surrounding psychedelics, the differences between recreational use and regulated therapeutic practice, and the importance of helping people make meaningful, lasting changes in their lives.
No script. No rehearsed questions. Just an open conversation about alternative approaches to mental health.
Episode timestamps
01:34 — Meet Ashley: An unscripted introduction
04:22 — Ashley's background in psychotherapy and natural medicine
05:28 — Colorado Proposition 122 and the emergence of regulated psilocybin therapy
06:28 — Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy: How it works
08:29 — The ketamine treatment protocol: Dosing, therapy, and integration
10:07 — Depression, chronic pain, and other therapeutic applications
13:09 — Psilocybin dosing: Microdosing versus larger therapeutic doses
13:56 — Inside a regulated psilocybin session: Preparation, dosing, and integration
17:01 — Do you need previous therapy experience?
19:38 — Preparing first-time patients for psychedelic therapy
21:37 — Breaking through the stigma surrounding psychedelic medicine
22:33 — Safety, ethics, regulation, and professional responsibility
23:39 — Ashley's personal journey from skepticism to psychedelic therapy
25:37 — The goal: Helping people heal, not keeping them in treatment forever
28:03 — How to connect with Ashley and learn more
30:03 — Looking ahead: A possible deeper conversation with Ashley and Ryan from Satori
Learn more
Aletheia Healing Center — Ashley Dennyhttps://www.aletheiahealingcenter.com/
Satori Integrative Medicine Clinic — Glenwood Springs, Coloradohttps://glenwoodspringsketamine.com/ www.info@satoriclinic.com Mentioned in the episode as the connection that brought Alex and Ashley together.Radically Genuine - Episode #264: “She Refused to Sign a Social Justice Pledge to Become a Therapist. They Kicked Her Out.” HOST: Alex@plumbkendall.comMusic sourced from www.Suno.com 
This episode is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Ketamine- and psilocybin-assisted therapies require appropriate professional evaluation, screening, and supervision.
 

4 days ago

30 min

Oct 1, 2026

2 hr 4 min

In this wide-ranging conversation, Alex sits down with Ryan Nau, CRNA, owner/operator of Satori Integrative Medicine Clinic in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.
Ryan shares his background in anesthesia and rural medicine and how he became an early adopter of CTK, an emerging treatment approach that Combines Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)—a noninvasive therapy that uses magnetic pulses to stimulate specific areas of the brain—with Ketamine, an established treatment used in mental health care.
His passion and commitment to helping others have created a safe place for people to explore science-based alternatives to more traditional treatment protocols. Ryan has the ability to custom-tailor treatment to the individual, which may include Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP), Ketamine alone, TMS alone, CTK, or a multitude of options.
From his clinic in Glenwood Springs, Ryan is bringing these treatment options to patients throughout Colorado’s Western Slope and the Roaring Fork Valley.
The conversation explores both the promise and limitations of these treatments—including side effects, contraindications, cost, stigma, addiction, patient safety, and what Ryan is seeing firsthand in clinical practice.
Alex also shares his own experience as a long-term ketamine patient and discusses how his response to treatment has changed over time.
TIMESTAMPS
00:23 — Meet Ryan Nau, CRNA01:09 — Ryan’s education, anesthesia background & rural medicine02:09 — Practicing medicine in rural Colorado and Meeker06:31 — Satori Clinic in Glenwood Springs06:46 — Transparency, conflicts of interest & Alex’s patient relationship with the clinic07:52 — What is CTK? Combining TMS + ketamine10:22 — Medical disclaimer—and Alex’s unforgettable colonoscopy/IV story15:49 — Informed consent and potential treatment risks16:13 — TMS injury reports and separating anecdotal reports from clinical evidence18:25 — Ryan discusses TMS side effects, safety and contraindications22:57 — Shifting the conversation to ketamine23:22 — Dissociation, “bad trips” and the ketamine experience25:54 — Ketamine side effects and blood-pressure concerns27:10 — The three barriers to ketamine: cost, stigma & fear28:10 — Who should—and shouldn't—receive ketamine?29:03 — Ketamine abuse, bladder problems and the difference between clinical and recreational use31:31 — The “P pill”: reducing the urge to urinate during an infusion33:28 — Why small distractions can derail a ketamine experience34:32 — Ryan’s West Virginia roots and path into anesthesia35:57 — Bringing ketamine treatment to the Roaring Fork Valley38:00 — What the early days of ketamine treatment looked like49:52 — The Achilles’ heel: treatment isn’t necessarily “one and done”49:58 — Do you need a physician referral for treatment?51:07 — Addiction, alcohol, opioids, ketamine and ibogaine1:04:08 — Ketamine and alcohol dependency: what do we actually know?1:05:54 — Why ketamine may work best as part of a bigger treatment strategy1:14:15 — What happens when a new patient contacts Satori Clinic?1:14:23 — Screening, contraindications, treatment options and the six-treatment protocol1:35:31 — Alex describes diminishing returns after years of ketamine treatment1:36:32 — Deciding to try combined TMS + ketamine1:38:16 — Alex’s first ketamine infusion—and the moment his mother noticed the difference1:39:26 — Exploring psychedelic medicine and the 2023 psychedelic conference1:40:10 — Ayahuasca, iboga and ibogaine experiences1:40:37 — Ibogaine, Colorado law and the developing psychedelic-treatment landscape
Alex@PlumbKendall.comAudio sourced by: www.Pond5.com
Feel Invisible?Got a case of the Fuckits?Text or call 988 or if the Fecal is Hitting the Fan, call 911.
 

Oct 1, 2026

2 hr 4 min

Sep 30, 2026

19 min

What happens when the experience that changes your life happens before you've even really had a chance to figure out who you are?
Eagle County native Finn Mott was still a kid when headaches and other unexplained symptoms eventually led to a diagnosis of brain and spinal cancer. Chemotherapy and radiation followed, along with a childhood and high-school experience that looked very different from the one he expected.
The day after his diagnosis, Finn's mother gave him a notebook.
He started writing.
What began as a private place to put things that were difficult to say out loud eventually became something much larger: poetry, performance, creative work and a way of helping other people navigate illness, trauma, grief and other life-altering experiences.
In this conversation, Finn and Alex talk about the complicated idea of being "cured," losing and rebuilding identity after serious illness, expressive writing, creativity, PTSD, alternative approaches to healing and why simply putting an experience into words can sometimes change our relationship with it.
Finn also shares how his writing grew into performances around the world and ultimately into work designed to help other people move through difficult experiences.
It's a conversation about cancer—but even more, it's about what happens afterward.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 — Introduction
06:03 — Meet Finn Mott
08:44 — Childhood cancer: Finn's diagnosis and treatment
10:26 — A notebook, writing and finding a way to process the experience
12:37 — Turning creativity into a way to help others
17:15 — Trauma writing, PTSD and alternative approaches to healing
20:35 — Final thoughts and where to find Finn
VAIL DAILY: "Laughter as Medicine event coming to Vail"
VAIL DAILY: "Eagle County native Finn Mott's new project, 'Glint', is an effort to help 'overcome calamity'
TEDxYouth-Vail: "Chemo & Coffee"
www.Glintworks.com
INSTA: Finn.Mott
 
Feel Invisible?Asking for help isn't a weakness—it makes you one of us.Got a case of the Fuckits?Text or call 988 or if the Fecal is Hitting the Fan, call 911.
Strength in numbers. We need you.
Host: Alex@Plumbkendall.com 
 
 
 

Sep 30, 2026

19 min

Sep 3, 2026

48 min

There are trail names, earned on places like the Appalachian Trail.
Then there are highway names—bestowed upon hitchhikers by the motorists who give them a ride.
As the story goes, it was nearing dusk when I came across a young man making his way to Idaho to spend some quality time with his father.
Grab your marshmallows, graham crackers, and a blanket. Pull up a camp chair.
Because from this day forward, Hayden's highway name is Campfire.
Alex@Plumbkendall.com
Music Sourced from www.Pond5.com
 

Sep 3, 2026

48 min

Aug 28, 2026

40 min

When I set out to field-test my new Zoom H2 Essential Multi-Mic Handy Recorder (which I can't recommend highly enough), I assumed I was simply going to capture some random audio.
Apparently, God had other plans.
While riding public transportation from Glenwood Springs to Eagle, Colorado, a ray of sunshine entered my life by the name of Dan.
I'll cut to the chase: the world is a better place because Dan is in it. We need more people like him.
Was our meeting a sacred contract, divine destiny, or completely random? I'll likely never know.
What I do know is that some people leave your life better than they found it. Dan is one of those people.
Godspeed, my friend. We'll be in touch soon.
If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988.
National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988
Music sourced from Pond5.
If you'd like to be a guest on the show, Alex can be reached at Alex@PlumbKendall.com.

Aug 28, 2026

40 min

Apr 28, 2025

1 hr 23 min

A Hundred and One years ago today (April 28th, 1924), a very special lady was born. Along side co-host Jay Raiola (Cleo's daughter) help us celebrate Cleo's colorful history and her dinner birthday party! All Email and audio birthday wishes can be sent to Alex@PlumbKendall.com or texted to 970-390-9755 and will be forwarded to Cleo and family. Congratulations Cleo! We All Love You! Picatinny Arsenal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picatinny_Arsenal Thomas Edison mine in New Jersey https://njskylands.com/history-mines-sparta-mountain Thomas Edison - Abraham Lincoln Connection https://davidjkent-writer.com/2020/04/24/the-thomas-edison-abraham-lincoln-connection/ Thomas Edison first recording "Mary Had a Little Lamb" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ANndpVvm8s National Suicide Prevention Lifeline . . . 988 https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ Colorado Crisis Services & Peer Support 1-844-493-8255 https://coloradocrisisservices.org/ Hope Center Eagle River Valley 970-306-4673 https://www.yourhopecenter.org/ SpeakUp-ReachOut https://www.speakupreachout.org/ 970-632-3858 www.TheBuildersJourney.com Alex K. Mintling Instagram: Alex_Mintling Plumb Kendall Solutions Alex@PlumbKendall.com www.RemodelVail.com Music Provided by our proud sponsor: Plumb Kendall Solutions www.RemodelVail.com Music Sourced from www.Pond5.com

Apr 28, 2025

1 hr 23 min