Neil Markey

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

Attributed to Albert Einstein

His Role

Neil Markey is the Co-Founder and CEO of Beckley Retreats, a wellbeing company that brings together psilocybin experiences and contemplative practices. He works alongside the team to build a business rooted in integrity and care for the guests and communities it serves.

His Story

Neil served as a Captain in the U.S. Army's 2nd Ranger Battalion, with three combat deployments, one to Iraq and two to Afghanistan. After returning home, he began a dual MBA/MIA program at Columbia University. During this time, his experiences with PTSD and depression led him to explore mindfulness and psychedelics. These practices became an important part of his own life and, eventually, the reason he helped start Beckley Retreats.

In 2015, Neil earned his teacher's certification in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) from Jefferson University and has since taught the practice to groups and individuals. Before Beckley, he worked at McKinsey & Co., where he helped lead the firm's internal mindfulness initiative, and later served as Chief Growth Officer at a private equity-backed company.

He is currently a part-time master's student at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, studying how integrative health programs can support individual and community wellbeing.

His Why

Neil's work at Beckley grows out of his own experience with meditation and plant therapy. He remains curious about the relationship between science and spirituality. “Yes, there are miraculous things that are difficult to explain,” he says, “but that doesn't mean they don't exist. We see miraculous phenomena everywhere.”