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Field Notes

Field Notes

By: Rose Honey Morgan
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About this listen

FIELD NOTES is a weekly experiment in self-improvement, psychology and modern life, tested badly in public.


Hosted by Rose Honey Morgan, a writer with an anthropology background, the show is for people who consume a lot of advice and still feel overwhelmed, overstimulated, and unsure what to actually do with it.


Each week, one idea is filtered and tested in real life, outside of perfect conditions, then reported on honestly in short Field Reports.


The aim isn’t optimisation. It’s clarity. Fewer tabs open. Less guilt. A better sense of what’s worth trying, and what can be safely ignored.


New episodes every Monday, with short Friday Field Reports.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rose Honey Morgan Personal Development Personal Success Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Field Report: I Drank Mushroom Coffee All Week - Here’s What Happened

    Field Report: I Drank Mushroom Coffee All Week - Here’s What Happened
    Jan 23 2026
    Housekeeping: Ask Guru & Granny starts MondayYou send in your problems.You get:a chronically online take (me)a chronically offline take (Old Ma)Questions can be about:workrelationshipsidentityconfidencedecision paralysis....anythingSend questions to:📩 rosefieldnotespod@gmail.comOr DM me on Instagram: @rosehoneymorgan or @field.notes.podTell us if you’d like to be anonymous or named.(Neither of us are licensed psychologists or counsellors.)Spacedust discount code - https://www.spacegoods.com/ROSE18621(they actually give one to anyone. still... I think it's 20% off) This EpisodeThis week I went all in on mushroom coffee - far beyond the recommended daily allowance - and flirted with the idea of ayahuasca.Not at a retreat.A workshop.Which is very much the pre-retreat.I went in curious, sceptical, exhausted, and - unfortunately - deeply distracted by a fit shaman, which immediately ruled out any future scenario involving vomiting, purging, or losing control in front of an attractive man.So: ayahuasca is crossed off the list for now.Mushroom coffee, however? Fully in the running.What this episode coversWe’re all knackered.Properly frazzled.Running on broken sleep, caffeine, and whatever scraps of energy are left after bedtime.And yet Instagram and TikTok cannot agree on what we’re supposed to do about it for more than eleven seconds.So this field report looks at what actually helped — and what absolutely did not.In this episode, I cover:What ayahuasca actually involves (spoiler: buckets, purging, and zero dignity)Why psychedelic “healing” feels wildly incompatible with my personalityA deeply unsettling mushroom horror story involving horses, Marmite, and sixth formWhy I don’t buy the idea that neuroplasticity + strangers + vomiting is the answerMushroom coffee vs normal coffee — how it actually feels in the bodyBrain fog, focus, and that rare feeling of being mentally “on”Why mushroom coffee feels more like:a full night’s sleeppeak flowa few days before ovulationCoffee side effects (yes, including that one)The creatine variable (and why it complicates the experiment)Sleep deprivation, parenting, and surviving on medium-to-go energyWhy mushroom coffee works brilliantly before midday and terribly afterHow to make mushroom coffee taste genuinely good (no grim watery nonsense)Mushroom coffee & ingredients mentioned We talk about:Mushroom coffeeFunctional mushroomsNootropics and adaptogensLion’s ManeCordycepsChagaReishiMacaCreatine and cognitionBrain fog, focus, and fatigueCoffee alternativesBrands mentioned (not ads):SpacegoodsDIRTEA / DirtyHow I actually drank it (the non-feral version)Full mug of oat milk (yes, the whole mug)Microwave for one minuteOne tablespoon mushroom coffeeStirDrinkOptional (if you’re feeling fancy):Hazelnut or pistachio crème (M&S)Do not bother with waterDo not add washing-up admin to your lifeFind of the WeekMushroom coffee made properly — creamy, hot, and not vaguely punishing.Fail of the WeekDrinking it after midday.Absolutely wired.Absolutely no sleep.Do not recommend.What’s nextI’ll be back on Monday with:the first proper Ask Guru & Grannyanother thing I’m actually tryingand a report on whether any of this is helping or just rearranging the exhaustionSee you then. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show More Show Less
    19 mins
  • How Do We Improve Focus When We’re Exhausted? Coffee, Mushrooms or Microdosing?

    How Do We Improve Focus When We’re Exhausted? Coffee, Mushrooms or Microdosing?
    Jan 19 2026

    Tiny cultural translation (for non-UK / under-25 listeners)

    •Bargain Hunt: British daytime TV where people buy antiques and act like it’s a pension strategy.

    •Wordle: a daily five-letter word game we all got hooked on in lockdown.


    New listener segment starting next week: Ask Guru & Granny


    From next week, we’ll be answering listener questions — anything you’re stuck on, spiralling about, or quietly panicking over.


    You’ll get:

    •a chronically online take (me)

    •and a chronically offline take (Old Ma)


    Send your questions to: rosefieldnotespod@gmail.com

    Or DM me on Instagram: @rosehoneymorgan or @field.notes.pod


    Tell us if you’d like to be anonymous or named.


    Neither of us are licensed psychologists or counsellors. My mum’s main credential is “a life well lived” and several decades of being unimpressed by nonsense. Mine is that I'm now a guru.


    We are all exhausted. Properly frazzled. Brain-fogged. Running on caffeine, habit, and whatever scraps of motivation are left after bedtime.


    And then you open Instagram or TikTok and get hit with the most infuriating contradiction imaginable:


    Drink coffee for energy.

    No — coffee is ruining your nervous system.

    Try mushroom coffee.

    No — you need to microdose psychedelics.

    Actually, you just need perfect sleep, perfect routines, and zero stimulants (good luck with that).


    So today, I’m trying to work out what we’re actually supposed to do when we’re tired, overwhelmed, and drowning in wellness advice that can’t agree with itself for more than eleven seconds.


    This episode looks at energy, focus, and brain fog through the lens of:

    •coffee vs no coffee

    •mushroom coffee / nootropics / adaptogens

    •microdosing psychedelics

    •and why optimisation culture often collapses in real life


    I react to some of the most common reels doing the rounds right now — doctors, nutritionists, biohackers, and internet experts all offering wildly conflicting advice — and try to slow the whole thing down enough to make sense of it.


    What we cover

    •Why so many of us feel permanently tired and mentally scattered

    •Coffee on an empty stomach: cortisol, hormones, gut health — fearmongering or fair warning?

    •Mushroom coffee explained (what it is and what it definitely isn’t)

    •Common functional mushrooms and adaptogens you’ll hear about online, including:

    Lion’s Mane, Cordyceps, Chaga, Reishi, Maca, and other “brain-boosting” blends

    •Nootropics vs stimulants: focus without the crash?

    •Brian Johnson, extreme optimisation, and the fantasy of total nervous-system stability

    •Psychedelics and microdosing: potential benefits, real risks, and why this conversation has gone so strange online

    •The Stoned Ape Theory (and why archaeologists absolutely love an unprovable idea)


    This episode also introduces my mum — Old Ma — an archaeologist, lifelong observer of human behaviour, and proudly chronically offline control group. She brings a very different perspective on psychedelics, energy, and the idea that modern life can be “fixed” with powders and protocols.


    This is not medical advice. It’s an honest attempt to translate modern wellness culture for tired people who don’t have the bandwidth to fact-check every reel.


    ⸻


    Follow for clips, extras & deleted scenes

    •Podcast Instagram: @field.notes.pod (deleted scenes, extra bits, behind-the-scenes chaos)


    Next up: I’ll actually test some of this advice in real life and report back.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show More Show Less
    37 mins
  • Field Report: I Tried a Dopamine Detox (It Was Grim)

    Field Report: I Tried a Dopamine Detox (It Was Grim)
    Jan 16 2026

    Absolute lol Brick have given me a code : https://www.getbrick.app/ROSE90330

    It may not get you any more of a discount that you can get yourselves (I haven't clicked it yet), and they may request that I take it down after listening to this episode. But hey ho. The show notes are looking professional this week.


    Field Report of the dopamine detox experiment. I tested three “highly scientific” methods in my most dangerous scrolling window: 7–10pm after the girls are asleep.


    What I tried:


    • Night 1: full raw-dog detox (no phone, no TV, no music, no book… just vibes and existential dread)
    • Night 2: reading instead (Kindle + a dangerously moorish fantasy romance)
    • Night 3: TV without the phone (feat. the Bonnie Blue documentary and a sudden moral debate I wasn’t prepared for)


    We also cover:


    • why “doing nothing” is a rich man’s hobby
    • the weird way scrolling has ruined reading
    • why watching a whole film now feels like personal growth
    • sex being transactional across human history (lightly… then not lightly)
    • Flatmate’s Field Notes: my husband’s unhinged business analysis of Bonnie Blue
    • Find of the Week: Brick (a physical gadget that blocks apps unless you walk to it)
    • Fail of the Week: realising I’m not enjoying reading like I used to (rude)


    If you tried a dopamine detox too, I want your results. And if you’ve used Brick, please report to the group chat (my DMs).


    Follow: @rosehoneymorgan

    Podcast IG: @field.notes.pod


    New Monday episodes + Friday Field Reports.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show More Show Less
    25 mins
All stars
Most relevant
Very much looking forward to Rose dismissing and disproving the effectiveness of every self-help instagram post I’ve ever saved and ignored. Enjoyed the first episode!

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