Jesse Gould
Founder, Heroic Hearts Project
Former Army Ranger who founded Heroic Hearts Project to connect combat veterans with ayahuasca and psychedelic therapy — the most prominent veteran-focused psychedelic nonprofit in the United States.
Biography
Jesse Gould is a former U.S. Army Ranger who served three combat deployments before leaving the military and struggling with the invisible wounds that follow — PTSD, depression, and the disconnection that many combat veterans describe after returning home. After conventional treatments provided inadequate relief, Gould traveled to Peru to participate in ayahuasca ceremonies and found the experience transformative. That personal journey led him to found the Heroic Hearts Project in 2017.
Heroic Hearts Project connects combat veterans with psychedelic-assisted healing programs, primarily ayahuasca retreats in South America and, as the domestic landscape has evolved, psilocybin and ketamine programs in the United States. The organization provides scholarship support, pre-retreat preparation, and post-retreat integration coaching — addressing the complete therapeutic arc rather than just the session itself. Heroic Hearts has worked with thousands of veterans across multiple countries.
Gould has been a persistent and effective voice before Congress, at VA committee hearings, and in mainstream media on behalf of veterans' access to psychedelic therapy. His testimony has contributed to bipartisan legislative interest in expanding research funding for psychedelic treatments for veterans with PTSD. He has testified multiple times before the Senate VA Committee and worked with legislators on both sides of the aisle, including bills directing VA to study psilocybin and MDMA.
Beyond his advocacy, Gould has built Heroic Hearts into a well-regarded nonprofit with rigorous screening, preparation, and integration protocols — addressing concerns about safety and exploitation that have followed other veterans' psychedelic programs.
Organizations
Why They Matter to the LearnShrooms Community
Veterans represent one of the most compelling populations for psychedelic therapy — high rates of treatment-resistant PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and suicide, combined with strong legislative support for veterans' health research. Gould's Heroic Hearts Project is the most prominent nonprofit bridging veterans with psychedelic treatment, and his Congressional advocacy has been instrumental in opening federal research dollars for this work.
Legal Context
For the legal landscape where Jesse Gould operates, see psilocybin laws in Florida.