Chianti Huang, M.B.A., Ph.D. Candidate
The world's leading researcher on the performance use of psychedelics and leadership
My Story
Chianti Huang, an accomplished entrepreneur and pioneering scholar, emerged as the first female scholar at the forefront of exploring the intersection between leadership and the performance-use of psychedelics.
In the beginning, Chianti established a thriving career in The Big Four Consulting Firms. Following her departure from Deloitte, she embarked on a remarkable journey by founding LadyCan—a global organization and community dedicated to inspire, engage, and empower women in leadership.
Later, she ventured into the realm of AI tech startups, taking the lead on business development of international AI projects under the Dubai Future Foundation. Her work and life in Dubai exposed her to the glaring gender disparity prevalent in leadership roles, igniting her curiosity and paving the way for her academic journey to explore and research in female leadership, not just through business practices, but also through the lens of social science.
In the beginning, Chianti established a thriving career in The Big Four Consulting Firms. Following her departure from Deloitte, she embarked on a remarkable journey by founding LadyCan—a global organization and community dedicated to inspire, engage, and empower women in leadership.
Later, she ventured into the realm of AI tech startups, taking the lead on business development of international AI projects under the Dubai Future Foundation. Her work and life in Dubai exposed her to the glaring gender disparity prevalent in leadership roles, igniting her curiosity and paving the way for her academic journey to explore and research in female leadership, not just through business practices, but also through the lens of social science.
As she started the journey on her independent research during her Ph.D. in Global Leadership at Pepperdine University, her passion led her to broaden her investigation, encompassing leadership study across all genders. During this period, Silicon Valley's innovative thinkers were increasingly exploring the use of psychedelics, not for therapeutic purposes, but to enhance performance and behavior.
Recognizing an uncharted potential for psychedelics in the realm of performance use, she trail-blazed in social science as the first scholar to examine the role of Psilocybin within the context of leadership capabilities. Surrounded by tech founders who harnessed the transformative power of psychedelics to reach higher levels of personal growth and performance, she became acutely aware of the potential for investigating the performance-related aspects of psychedelics.
This inspiration fueled her to initiate an interdisciplinary research, connecting the fields of leadership and cognitive neuroscience, to explore the perceived benefit of psilocybin for potential performance use. Despite the limited existing literature connecting these two fields and the scarcity of peer-reviewed studies on the performance benefits of psychedelics, she identified an opportunity to lead in new field of research and creating new terms and concept (performance use) in academia.
Recognizing an uncharted potential for psychedelics in the realm of performance use, she trail-blazed in social science as the first scholar to examine the role of Psilocybin within the context of leadership capabilities. Surrounded by tech founders who harnessed the transformative power of psychedelics to reach higher levels of personal growth and performance, she became acutely aware of the potential for investigating the performance-related aspects of psychedelics.
This inspiration fueled her to initiate an interdisciplinary research, connecting the fields of leadership and cognitive neuroscience, to explore the perceived benefit of psilocybin for potential performance use. Despite the limited existing literature connecting these two fields and the scarcity of peer-reviewed studies on the performance benefits of psychedelics, she identified an opportunity to lead in new field of research and creating new terms and concept (performance use) in academia.
Her pioneering journey into exploring the potential for psychedelic's performance use has been marked by many challenges, with the slow pace of scientific research and publication. Nevertheless, her commitment has led to the creation of 'The Psychedelic Way' - an unique venture supports entrepreneurs and CEOs in achieving peak performance by seamlessly integrating Eastern philosophy and psychedelic science into their personal and professional lives, whether or not they choose to integrate with psychedelics.
Chianti is set to present her research and preliminary findings at prominent global psychedelics and research conferences. As the pioneering woman who delved into the realm of psychedelics for performance within a leadership context, her groundbreaking theory and framework centered around "Psychedelic Leadership" persistently reshape and challenge the understanding of leadership, as well as the power of psychedelics .
Chianti is set to present her research and preliminary findings at prominent global psychedelics and research conferences. As the pioneering woman who delved into the realm of psychedelics for performance within a leadership context, her groundbreaking theory and framework centered around "Psychedelic Leadership" persistently reshape and challenge the understanding of leadership, as well as the power of psychedelics .