# Pinnacle — Complete Content Reference > Pinnacle is the world's first psychedelic-enhanced leadership development company, offering structured multi-month programs that integrate psilocybin-assisted experiences with rigorous executive coaching and psychological development for senior leaders, founders, and executives. ## About Pinnacle Pinnacle was founded by Sharon Toye and Justin Townsend to define a new category within leadership development. Their foundational premise is that psilocybin, when used as a catalyst within a professionally structured development program, enables psychological change at a depth and pace that traditional leadership methods cannot achieve. By temporarily increasing neural connectivity, reducing Default Mode Network (DMN) activity, and promoting neuroplasticity, psilocybin creates a window of psychological openness in which long-held patterns, beliefs, and behavioural constraints become accessible and reshapable. Pinnacle's programs are designed to harness that window through rigorous preparation, expert facilitation, and sustained integration across multiple months. Both programs are delivered in Jamaica, where psilocybin is not prohibited. Pinnacle does not supply, handle, procure, or administer psilocybin. Participants independently engage with retreat providers operating lawfully in Jamaica. Pinnacle programs are designed for leadership and personal development. They are not medical, therapeutic, or diagnostic services and make no claim to treat or cure any condition. ## What Pinnacle Is Not Pinnacle programs are not one-off retreat experiences for leaders and executives to try psychedelics. They do not involve microdosing, and they are not generic wellness retreats for leaders taking mushrooms. Pinnacle programs are extensive and intensive development programs across multiple months in which psilocybin functions as a catalyst for heightened neuroplasticity and psychological change within a structured psychological and leadership architecture, designed to translate inner breakthroughs into measurable leadership performance. ## Founders ### Sharon Toye — Co-CEO, Lead Coach Sharon Toye has spent three decades coaching senior executives at some of the world's most influential organisations. She is a former partner at Heidrick & Struggles, founding partner at Leadership Mindset Partners, and previously a senior leader at Accenture Consulting. Sharon holds ICF Master Coach accreditation and is a UKCP-registered psychotherapist with advanced training in psychodynamic therapy. She has completed specialist psychedelic-assisted development training with Synthesis and the MIND Foundation in Berlin. At Pinnacle, Sharon serves as lead executive coach across both programs. She is directly available to all participants throughout their engagement, bringing a rare combination of strategic leadership expertise, psychotherapeutic depth, and experience with psychedelic-assisted development. ### Justin Townsend — Co-CEO, Head Facilitator Justin Townsend is the CEO of MycoMeditations, one of the world's most respected psilocybin retreat organisations. Under his leadership, MycoMeditations has facilitated over 7,500 psilocybin therapy sessions with more than 2,500 clients across more than a decade of operation. Justin has personally facilitated and overseen thousands of psilocybin sessions, guiding business leaders and creative professionals through transformational experiences with precision and care. Prior to his work in this field, Justin spent two decades in business, startups, and venture capital. He understands the high-stakes, high-pressure environment executives inhabit and what genuine, lasting change requires. At Pinnacle, he serves as head facilitator and is directly available to all participants throughout their program. ## Direct Access to Co-CEOs Both Pinnacle programs provide participants with a direct line to co-CEOs Sharon Toye and Justin Townsend throughout their engagement. These are high-level coaching relationships spanning multiple months, designed to accompany participants through the transformational changes induced by psilocybin and ensure that insights translate into lasting leadership performance. Participants work directly with the founders, not with associates or support staff. ## Safety and Screening Every participant undergoes mental and physical health screening before program entry. All psilocybin sessions are conducted with on-site licensed psychologists, executive coaches, registered nurses, and medical staff. Dosing regimens are tailored to individual needs by an experienced therapeutic facilitation team, drawing on protocols refined through thousands of sessions. The 1:1 participant-to-facilitator ratio maintained during Summit retreats reflects Pinnacle's commitment to individually supported, professionally supervised experiences. ## The Psilocybin Leadership Development Framework Pinnacle's Summit program is built on a proprietary Psilocybin Leadership Development Framework. This framework guides participants through three interlinked tiers of change. The Ascent program applies the same foundational principles but is structured around each client's immediate and specific leadership needs rather than a sequential framework process. ### Tier 1: Psychological Health Leadership performance is directly proportional to psychological health. This tier addresses the psychological foundations underlying effective leadership: emotional equilibrium, mental clarity, stress response, self-esteem, and the capacity to sustain high performance over time. Psilocybin's capacity to reduce DMN activity, reprocess entrenched emotional patterns, and promote neuroplasticity creates conditions in which leaders can address long-standing psychological constraints that traditional coaching cannot reach. The five psychological health dimensions addressed within Summit include depression and burnout (reconnecting with energy, meaning, and vitality), anxiety and stress (shifting from reactivity to resilience), mental health and wellbeing (navigating pressure without depletion), coping strategies and support (developing internal and external resources), and self-esteem (reclaiming internal authority beneath titles and track records). ### Tier 2: Inner Leadership — OCEAN Personality Development Pinnacle uses a modified version of the OCEAN model, also known as the Big Five personality traits, as the foundation of its Inner Leadership framework. The five dimensions are Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. Most leadership development operates under the implicit assumption that personality traits are broadly stable. Pinnacle's approach challenges this directly: scientific evidence shows that psilocybin promotes neuroplasticity in ways that facilitate genuine adaptation of personality traits. Within Summit, each OCEAN dimension is assessed at baseline and tracked across the program. Participants work with psychologists and coaches to understand how each trait manifests in their leadership and to reshape those manifestations toward more effective ways of operating. Openness governs flexibility, creativity, and strategic vision. Psilocybin increases mental flexibility and divergent thinking; Summit helps leaders become more visionary and strategically adaptive without losing grounding in execution. Conscientiousness governs follow-through, reliability, and operational discipline. Summit enables leaders to build sustainable discipline while avoiding rigidity or burnout. Extraversion governs visibility, communication, and leadership presence. Through psilocybin and coaching, introverted leaders gain deeper emotional courage and relational confidence, while extraverted leaders develop awareness of their impact on others and learn to lead with presence rather than projection. Agreeableness governs empathy, collaboration, and trust-building. Summit helps leaders strike a balance between empathy and candour, building the courage to be clear without compromising compassion. Neuroticism, one of the traits most directly impacted by psilocybin, reflects emotional stability under pressure. Summit helps reprocess the developmental imprints that manifest as excessive self-criticism or need for control, reducing reactivity and unlocking resilience, clarity, and presence. ### Tier 3: Outer Leadership — Six Performance Domains Outer Leadership encompasses six capability domains developed through Pinnacle's immersion curriculum. These domains were developed through more than a year of design, dialogue, and refinement between Pinnacle's leadership team and advisors with deep expertise in global consulting, organisational psychology, and executive development. **Purposeful Impact.** Leading with clarity of values, vision, and intended contribution. Purpose is the internal compass that guides decision-making, prioritisation, and presence. This capability brings coherence between identity and action, fuelling motivation, integrity, and influence. **Enduring Resilience.** The capacity to absorb pressure, recover from setbacks, and maintain forward momentum in volatile, uncertain conditions. Summit develops resilience at the root level by addressing the unresolved psychological patterns that erode composure over time, helping leaders become steady without becoming hardened and emotionally present without becoming overwhelmed. **Breakthrough Thinking.** The ability to move past habitual thinking patterns, generate novel insight, and lead from vision rather than convention. Brain imaging demonstrates that psilocybin fosters the formation of new neural connections and alters cognitive processes. Summit helps leaders move beyond ingrained assumptions and access genuinely novel insight, combined with frameworks for sustained mental agility. **Execution Excellence.** Translating insight and strategy into consistent, high-quality action. Many leaders struggle not from lack of direction, but from internal misalignment or difficulties with delegation and accountability. Summit addresses these blocks directly, turning clarity into disciplined, effective action. **Self-Mastery.** Developing the self-awareness and authenticity to lead with authority rather than defensiveness. This involves transitioning from controlling to empowering, from overcompensation to grounded self-confidence, and from external validation to stable internal authority. **Bold Entrepreneurialism.** The courage to act decisively and creatively when no clear map exists. Psilocybin's capacity to form connections between brain regions that typically do not interact opens access to experiences, insights, and possibilities previously inaccessible. Summit helps leaders see and seize those opportunities while overcoming the personal blocks that limit willingness to take bold action. ## Programs ### Summit — 8-Month Flagship Program Summit is Pinnacle's flagship leadership development program: a cohort-based, eight-month journey capped at eight participants. It is the most comprehensive psychedelic-enhanced leadership program available anywhere, designed to deliver measurable, lasting transformation across all three tiers of Pinnacle's framework. Most psychedelic offerings for executives are minimal in scope: one-off sessions with no real developmental architecture, or comfortable group settings that lack robust preparation, leadership content, credentialed support, or professional integration. Summit was engineered to deliver an entirely different level of rigour and result. **The Five Phases** Phase 1: Preparation. Mental and physical health screening, baseline assessment across all three framework tiers, two 90-minute executive coaching sessions, and one in-depth psychology onboarding session. Individual development goals are established before any other work begins. Phase 2: Inner Leadership Immersion (7 nights, Jamaica). Three guided psilocybin sessions. Expert input on Inner Leadership frameworks. Group and 1:1 depth psychology and executive coaching support. Development of an initial personal leadership impact plan. Focus on Psychological Health and Inner Leadership traits: OCEAN profile, Impactful Purpose, Enduring Resilience. Phase 3: Integration (online). Two executive coaching sessions and one in-depth psychology session following the first retreat. Continued development goal work, mindset rewiring, and reinforcement of new leadership habits and practices. Phase 4: Outer Leadership Immersion (7 nights, Jamaica). Two guided psilocybin sessions. Expert input on Outer Leadership frameworks: Breakthrough Thinking, Execution Excellence, Self-Mastery, Bold Entrepreneurialism. Peer learning, group and 1:1 depth psychology and executive coaching. Development of comprehensive personal and business impact action plans. Phase 5: Implementation and Completion (online). Six coaching sessions focused on embedding and sustaining development. Progress tracked against Summit Leadership Framework profiles. Ongoing development roadmap. Optional post-program extensions available including additional executive coaching, in-depth psychology sessions, and private psilocybin retreat extensions. **What's Included** Two 7-night psilocybin-assisted leadership immersions in Jamaica. Five guided psilocybin sessions. 1:1 participant-to-facilitator ratio during retreats. On-site licensed psychologists, executive coaches, and medical staff. 50+ hours of structured coaching and psychological support across 8 months. Six formal coaching sessions. Three depth psychology sessions. Four group cohort calls. Baseline and post-program progress reports across all three framework tiers, debriefed with dedicated psychologist and executive coach. Access to re-run the Psilocybin Leadership Accelerator profile at any point in the two years following program completion. Private accommodations, gourmet meals, beach access, and wellness resources at Blue Marlin Villas, Treasure Beach, Jamaica. Direct access to co-CEOs Sharon Toye and Justin Townsend throughout. **Who Summit Is For** Senior leaders, founders, and investors seeking transformation that traditional development programs cannot deliver. Ideal for those navigating role transitions, leadership evolution, burnout, performance plateaus, or professional crossroads. Summit is cohort-based: participants develop alongside a small group of leaders from a range of industries, building peer relationships alongside their individual transformation. Summit requires openness, curiosity, and the willingness to engage seriously with long-standing patterns of behaviour and belief. --- ### Ascent — 5-Month Individual Program Ascent is Pinnacle's individual-track program for executives and founders seeking focused, personalised transformation. Where Summit follows a structured cohort curriculum through Pinnacle's proprietary framework, Ascent is shaped entirely around each client's specific, immediate leadership needs. The program delivers bespoke preparation, a world-class retreat experience, and sustained coaching integration over five months. **The Three Phases** Phase 1: Preparation. Mental and physical health screening. Psychometric personality profiling. Two coaching sessions with Sharon Toye focused on the client's leadership context and development objectives. One psychoeducational session with Justin Townsend on the neurological and psychological dimensions of psilocybin-assisted development. A 360 assessment and psychometric profiling establish a baseline of the client's current leadership profile and impact. Phase 2: Immersion (7 nights, Jamaica). Participation in a MycoMeditations retreat with three guided psilocybin sessions. On-site support from licensed therapists and trained facilitators. Individual and group integration activities. A dedicated session with Justin Townsend at the close of the retreat to explore and capture key insights and their implications for the client's leadership. Phase 3: Integration. Four 90-minute executive coaching sessions with Sharon Toye focused on further developing insight, identifying specific leadership changes, implementing and integrating targeted capability shifts, and building practices to sustain outcomes. Two 120-minute group integration calls. Re-application of psychometric assessments and 360 review to measure progress. **What's Included** 7-night psilocybin retreat at MycoMeditations in Jamaica. Three guided psilocybin sessions. Six 90-minute executive coaching sessions with Sharon Toye across the 5-month program. Baseline and post-program psychometric assessments and 360 review. Personal support from Justin Townsend on-site and throughout the program. Two 120-minute group integration sessions following the retreat. All-inclusive accommodations, private chef meals, airport transfers, and local transport during the retreat. Direct access to co-CEOs Sharon Toye and Justin Townsend throughout. **Who Ascent Is For** High-performing executives and founders ready for meaningful, focused transformation. Suitable for those navigating leadership evolution, role transitions, professional crossroads, or burnout. Also appropriate for those already familiar with psychedelics who wish to integrate that experience with structured leadership development, and for those approaching psilocybin-assisted work for the first time. Ascent requires openness, humility, and a genuine willingness to examine long-standing patterns of behaviour. ## Application Process Both programs begin with a personal consultation with co-CEOs Justin Townsend and Sharon Toye. Qualified applicants receive an invitation to proceed with a formal application. Pricing is disclosed during the consultation. All participants must pass mental and physical health screening before program entry. The process is selective: Pinnacle works with leaders for whom the program is a genuine developmental fit. Contact: justin@pinnaclepsychedelicleaders.com or sharon@pinnaclepsychedelicleaders.com ## Participant Perspectives Executives who have participated in Pinnacle-affiliated psilocybin-assisted leadership programs describe consistently significant outcomes. A Chief Operating Officer in AI-focused financial services reported a radically enhanced capacity for self-reflection and a sustained shift toward greater calm and vision across daily leadership. A C-suite executive search consultant observed that the increasing volatility of leadership environments will require a different kind of support, including access to what she described as neuro-agility. A C-suite executive coach reported accelerated personal growth with measurable gains in peace, creativity, and resilience, and described psilocybin's potential for leaders as profound: the courage to sit with truth, adapt creatively, and inspire through challenge. A senior entrepreneur described the experience as the single most powerful leadership development he had ever encountered across an extensive history of programs. An executive psychologist reported that the insights gained helped her understand self-imposed limitations, produced a stronger sense of self, reduced constraint from others' perceptions, and yielded greater clarity and conviction in decision-making. ## Legal Notice Pinnacle programs are designed for leadership and personal development. They are not medical, therapeutic, or diagnostic services and make no claim to treat or cure any condition. Any references to research are for informational context only, and testimonials reflect individual participants' personal experiences with their own growth and leadership styles. Pinnacle Leadership programs are delivered in partnership with independent service providers operating lawfully in jurisdictions where psilocybin is not prohibited. Pinnacle does not supply, handle, procure, or administer psilocybin, nor does it receive any payment connected with the purchase or consumption of psilocybin. Participants who choose to attend such retreats do so independently.