This Female Entrepreneur Thinks Every Woman Should Microdose — Here’s Why 

“Women are always looking for a way to unwind,” says Tess Finkle. “It’s a tale as old as time.” As the founder of a high-powered Los Angeles agency with 20 years of PR experience, she knows stress firsthand.

But while the quest to relax hasn’t ended, the tools have changed. Alcohol isn’t as huge as it once was, beta blocker prescriptions are on the rise, and traditional options like the spa are often too time-consuming or expensive.

“Women are looking for healthier, more affordable options,” Finkle says. “A $20 cocktail can leave you feeling bloated and sluggish the next day, especially as you get older.”

Her solution? Microdosing mushrooms. Now, she’s bringing it to market with Besties, a company she co-founded with William Alcott.

The Epiphany  

Like so many people in today’s society, Finkle struggles with depression and anxiety. Before trying traditional medications, Finkle decided to start with alternative treatments like Biofeedback, which is how she met the woman who introduced her to microdosing.

Finkle wasn’t exactly a ‘shroom connoisseur before she started microdosing. In fact, her last experience back in 2004 culminated in chasing an imaginary fly around an apartment for hours, only for it to dissolve the moment she “caught” it. Needless to say, she was skeptical when a friend first suggested microdosing.

“I was like, I run a business, I can’t be out of my mind,” Finkle recalls.

But when her “healer” introduced her to low-dose psilocybin capsules, she says she felt the difference almost immediately.

“Microdosing felt like the deepest, most overdue exhale,” Finkle says. “I told myself that if it didn’t work, I’d explore a more traditional path. But not only did it work, it completely changed my life and became something I wanted to share with others.”

The formula behind the feeling 

William (Billy) Alcott has known Finkle for years, and the two had often discussed starting a brand together. A consultant in product manufacturing, formulation, and white-label, Alcott previously founded the natural supplements company Be Natural after becoming disillusioned with his LA day job.

“That’s how I developed a passion for creating my own healthy products,” he says. “I had two of my best friends pass away from dirty pharmaceuticals, and I wanted to create something that could actually help people, but be natural.”

He got an early education in emerging wellness trends through his work with CBD, but by his own admission, he was late to that party.

“Just like the body has CB1 and CB2 receptors for cannabinoids like CBD and THC, it also has receptors that respond to psilocybin,” Alcott explains. When consumed, psilocybin is metabolized into psilocin, the compound that interacts with serotonin receptors in the brain.

“We developed a blend featuring lion’s mane and reishi, combined with a proprietary mix of nootropics that act as the active ingredients,” Alcott says.

The formula is designed to mimic how psilocin engages those receptors, aiming to produce similar mood and cognitive effects while minimizing some of the downsides associated with traditional psychedelics, like nausea or a harsh comedown.

Are mushrooms a girl’s best friend? 

For Finkle, the effects have been life-altering — but not mind-altering in the way people might assume.

“I start my mornings working from home and move through back-to-back video calls without issue,” she says. “The tension in my neck is gone, my irritation levels are at an all-time low, and my tolerance feels almost superhuman.”

The goal of Besties isn’t to get users tripping. Finkle describes her microdose tablets as something you can take anywhere and trust to deliver a consistent, positive experience, hence the name Besties.

“It’s about the culture we want to build. A real connection to the product, something you cherish like a best friend, but also a healthier sense of community among women,” Finkle says. “This isn’t about preying on insecurities; there’s already plenty of that. It’s about saying, ‘I know what you’re going through, because I am you. I’ve been through it, and I’m still going through it.’”

An industry on the come up  

Psilocybin is currently classified as a Schedule I drug, defined by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration as having “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.”

However, President Trump recently signed an executive order to expedite the drug’s reclassification, saying he expects the FDA to move quickly toward approval.

Alcott believes the space is following a familiar playbook. In its early days, cannabis operated under tight restrictions and a fragmented regulatory landscape, with brands forced to navigate where they could sell and how they could market. Today, it’s a billion-dollar industry, with dispensaries on seemingly every corner in major cities. 

At the same time, he and Finkle point to a parallel shift happening in another legacy category. “The alcohol industry is navigating a new type of culture around wellness, and our goal is to have this brand be something that would make sense for the portfolio of a liquor brand as they continue to explore ways to stay connected to their core audience,” Finkle says.

For now, the product exists as a workaround within a still-evolving legal landscape. “There are places where psilocybin is decriminalized,” Alcott notes, “but you can’t really sell it.” However, as regulations continue to shift, Alcott and Finkle see a path toward eventually transitioning to fully authentic psilocybin products.

Besties currently offers three SKUs: Job Interview (2mg), Work From Home (4mg), and PTO (6mg), with each tablet costing $3-$4. 

“I look at brands like Cookies as the blueprint,” Alcott adds. “They got in early and grew alongside cannabis legalization. As more states come around on psilocybin, the goal is to build a household lifestyle brand that can scale market by market, and eventually across the U.S. as legalization catches up. From there, who knows what could happen?”

“Women are always looking for a way to unwind,” says Tess Finkle. “It’s a tale as old as time.” As the founder of a high-powered Los Angeles agency with 20 years of PR experience, she knows stress firsthand.

But while the quest to relax hasn’t ended, the tools have changed. Alcohol isn’t as huge as it once was, beta blocker prescriptions are on the rise, and traditional options like the spa are often too time-consuming or expensive.

“Women are looking for healthier, more affordable options,” Finkle says. “A $20 cocktail can leave you feeling bloated and sluggish the next day, especially as you get older.”