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Jesse Michels

Creator and host of American Alchemy, a YouTube series and podcast that has become one of the most influential platforms bridging UAP research, consciousness studies, simulation theory, and suppressed science for mainstream audiences — functioning as a translator between niche research communities and the broader public.

FieldDetails
Full NameJesse Michels
Born— (grew up in Santa Monica, California)
StatusACTIVE
Current LocationLos Angeles, California
Current AffiliationThiel Capital (venture investor); American Alchemy (creator/host)
CategoryJournalist / Interviewer / Filmmaker / Researcher
EducationB.A. in History, Columbia University (John Jay Scholar)
PlatformAmerican Alchemy YouTube (~1M+ subscribers); American Alchemy Podcast (Apple/Spotify); X (@AlchemyAmerican)
Notable WorksAmerican Alchemy series (2021–present); Joe Rogan Experience #2331 (June 3, 2025); Modern Wisdom #982; Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal; Danny Jones Podcast #287; Julian Dorey Podcast #240
FamilySon of Barry Michels, author and therapist (The Tools, co-authored with Phil Stutz)
Evidence StrengthSTRONG EVIDENCE

Assessment: STRONG EVIDENCE​

Jesse Michels is one of the most important new voices in UAP and consciousness media. His American Alchemy platform has interviewed many of the most significant figures in UAP research, consciousness studies, and frontier science — including Jacques Vallee, Diana Pasulka, Garry Nolan, Hal Puthoff, David Grusch, Avi Loeb, Eric Weinstein, Lue Elizondo, Richard Dolan, and Joe McMoneagle. His significance to this project is threefold: (1) he consistently frames consciousness as central to the UAP phenomenon rather than a peripheral curiosity, drawing connections between CIA consciousness programs, remote viewing, the Monroe Institute, and modern UAP encounters; (2) he operates from inside the Silicon Valley investment world — specifically Peter Thiel's orbit — giving him unique access to elite figures who privately take UAP and consciousness research seriously; and (3) his production quality and mainstream appeal have brought suppressed consciousness research, simulation theory, and interdimensional hypotheses to audiences that would never encounter them through academic or alternative media channels alone.

His June 2025 appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience (#2331) significantly expanded his reach, bringing his synthesis of UAP, consciousness, and suppressed science to Rogan's massive audience.

Current Situation​

Michels continues to produce American Alchemy episodes weekly as of 2026. He maintains his position at Thiel Capital while running the show, a dual role that gives him access to both the venture capital world and the research communities he covers. His platform has grown from a niche YouTube channel to one of the most recognized brands in UAP and consciousness media, with episodes regularly featuring guests who have security clearances, academic credentials, or firsthand experience with classified programs.

He has not reported being targeted, threatened, or surveilled, though his platform's growing influence and his coverage of suppressed government programs (particularly CIA consciousness research and classified UAP technology) places him in a space where other journalists and researchers have historically faced pressure.

Background​

Early Life and Education​

Jesse Michels grew up in Santa Monica, California. He is the son of Barry Michels, a psychotherapist and co-author of the bestselling book The Tools (with Phil Stutz), which was later the subject of a Jonah Hill-directed Netflix documentary. This background in a household that took the inner life seriously may have contributed to Michels' later interest in consciousness.

He attended Columbia University as a John Jay Scholar, earning a B.A. in History. While at Columbia, he interned for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Charlie Rose, gaining early experience in interviewing and media production.

Career in Tech and Venture Capital​

After Columbia, Michels worked in Operations in Artificial Intelligence at Google, where he also conducted interviews for Google's "Talks at Google" series — an early precursor to his later interviewing career.

He subsequently joined Peter Thiel's family office, Thiel Capital, in Los Angeles, where he manages a venture portfolio investing in startups. Beyond traditional venture investing, his role at Thiel Capital involved organizing intellectual salons and events connecting diverse thinkers from religion, politics, economics, and unconventional science. This environment — Thiel's well-known interest in contrarian thinking, frontier technology, and heterodox ideas — provided the intellectual seedbed for American Alchemy.

Creation of American Alchemy​

Michels launched American Alchemy as a YouTube channel dedicated to "highlighting the most heretical thinkers and ideas of our time." The show's tagline — "Exploring the nature of reality" — captures its scope: it covers UAP, consciousness, suppressed science, simulation theory, psychedelics, hidden history, and the intersection of all of these with mainstream science and culture.

The show's production quality, longform interview format, and Michels' ability to translate technical and esoteric subjects for general audiences rapidly built a significant following. American Alchemy became a gateway platform — many viewers encounter UAP research, consciousness studies, and classified government programs for the first time through his interviews.

Their Consciousness Thesis​

Michels does not advocate a single rigid thesis. Instead, he operates as a synthesis-oriented interviewer who connects threads across multiple domains. His emerging framework, distilled across hundreds of hours of interviews and podcast appearances, includes these core positions:

Consciousness as Fundamental​

Michels consistently returns to the idea that consciousness may be fundamental to reality rather than a product of brain chemistry. He has explored this through interviews with physicists, consciousness researchers, and UAP insiders who argue that the materialist paradigm — consciousness as an emergent property of matter — is incomplete or wrong. His coverage of Tom Campbell's simulation theory, CIA research at the Monroe Institute, and Dean Radin's psi experiments all point toward consciousness as a primary feature of reality.

The UAP-Consciousness Connection​

Michels frames consciousness as one of three converging legs of unexplained phenomena — alongside antigravity technology and UAP encounters. He draws on parapsychological studies, CIA remote viewing programs, and modern contact reports (including the "Telepathy Tapes" phenomenon) to argue that consciousness itself may play a role in UAP manifestation, detection, or communication. This aligns closely with Jacques Vallee's interdimensional hypothesis and the control system theory.

Simulation Theory and Reality​

Through his interviews and public statements, Michels has engaged seriously with simulation theory — the idea that physical reality may be a computed or information-based construct. He has featured Tom Campbell's work proposing that reality is a virtual simulation computed by a Larger Consciousness System, and has discussed how quantum mechanics, observation effects, and the fine-tuning of physical constants all point toward an information-theoretic rather than materialist universe.

Psychedelics as a Communications Protocol​

Michels has explored what he frames as "psychedelics as a communications protocol" — the idea that substances like DMT may not produce hallucinations but instead tune consciousness to receive information from or access other dimensions. He has discussed Terence McKenna's work, the Stoned Ape theory, Brian Muraresku's research on ancient psychedelic use (The Immortality Key), and the consistent reports of entity contact under DMT, framing these as potential evidence for accessible non-physical realms.

The Deep State and Consciousness Suppression​

Michels has documented how intelligence agencies — particularly the CIA — have simultaneously researched and suppressed consciousness phenomena. His coverage of the Monroe Institute's CIA-backed research, Project Stargate's remote viewing program, and the pattern of classification followed by public denial connects his work directly to this project's core thesis: that the deep state has actively manipulated humanity's understanding of consciousness.

Key Quotes​

"If this methodology and this level of skepticism and scrutiny were applied to any other field of science, it would be accepted immediately... Because of the stigma, this field is not accepted." — Jesse Michels, on the double standard applied to consciousness and UAP research

"A lot of people focus on [UAPs] as a circumvention of reality itself. It's an escape mechanism." — Jesse Michels, on why some people are drawn to the phenomenon

"There's a 'triangle' connecting AI, quantum computing, and the UAP disclosure issue." — Jesse Michels, referencing a CIA figure's statement to Matthew Pines, Joe Rogan Experience #2331

Key Interviews and Episodes​

UAP Researchers​

  • Jacques Vallee — The interdimensional hypothesis, the control system theory, UAP as a consciousness phenomenon spanning millennia
  • Hal Puthoff — Remote viewing research at SRI, zero-point energy, advanced aerospace concepts
  • Garry Nolan — Stanford immunologist analyzing UAP metamaterials and studying brain anomalies in UAP experiencers
  • David Grusch — Intelligence community whistleblower on alleged UAP crash retrieval programs
  • Lue Elizondo — Former head of AATIP, Pentagon UAP research, and the "deep dimension" concept
  • Richard Dolan — UAP historian, national security state analysis
  • Avi Loeb — Harvard astrophysicist, interstellar objects and the Galileo Project

Consciousness Researchers​

  • Joe McMoneagle — CIA Remote Viewer #1, Stargate program, Mars remote viewing sessions
  • Diana Pasulka — UAP as emergent religion, the Invisible College, Vatican archives and consciousness
  • Tom Campbell — Simulation theory, the Monroe Institute, consciousness as fundamental

Podcast Appearances (As Guest)​

  • Joe Rogan Experience #2331 (June 3, 2025) — UAPs, ancient aliens, government secrets, AI, Mars anomalies, antigravity, consciousness
  • Modern Wisdom #982 — UAPs, aliens, antigravity, and government secrets
  • Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal — UAPs, David Grusch, venture capital, consciousness
  • Danny Jones Podcast #287 — UAP whistleblowers, NASA time travel, psychic soldiers
  • Julian Dorey Podcast #240 — UAP physical evidence, aliens and the Vatican, Nazi secret experiments
  • Third Eye Drops (Mind Meld) — "UFOs, Consciousness, and the Hidden Architects of Reality"; "UFOs, Hidden Ancient Wisdom & the Consciousness Link"
  • Infinite Loops Podcast EP.145 — Transmission theory of consciousness, mushrooms, the Boomer reawakening
  • Lehto Files — What Silicon Valley really knows about UAPs
  • Sky King's Mental Playground — The nature of reality

Why Michels Matters to This Project​

Jesse Michels occupies a unique position in the consciousness-UAP landscape:

  1. Access: His Thiel Capital position gives him access to Silicon Valley insiders, venture-backed researchers, and elite figures who take UAP and consciousness seriously but operate outside public view — a modern version of Diana Pasulka's "Invisible College."

  2. Translation: He functions as a translator between niche research communities (parapsychology, remote viewing, interdimensional theory, simulation physics) and mainstream curiosity. His episodes often become the entry point for newcomers to these topics.

  3. Synthesis: Rather than advocating a single theory, Michels connects dots across UAP research, consciousness studies, simulation theory, psychedelic research, classified government programs, and ancient history — creating a composite picture that the deep state has both investigated and suppressed humanity's understanding of consciousness.

  4. Production and Reach: His professional media background (Daily Show, Charlie Rose, Google Talks) and high production values make American Alchemy accessible to audiences who would dismiss lower-production alternative media.

  5. The Rogan Effect: His June 2025 JRE appearance brought the consciousness-UAP synthesis to millions of listeners, representing a significant mainstreaming of ideas that were fringe even five years earlier.

The Counterargument​

  • Selection bias: Critics argue that Michels selects guests who confirm a predetermined narrative rather than rigorously challenging claims. His interview style tends toward deep exploration rather than adversarial questioning.
  • Extraordinary claims without sufficient verification: Some American Alchemy episodes feature guests making claims that cannot be independently verified — alleged Nazi UFO programs, consciousness-based UAP propulsion, telepathic communication. Skeptics argue this approach lends credibility to unsubstantiated claims.
  • Venture capital bias: Michels' position at Thiel Capital raises questions about whether his coverage is influenced by investment interests in frontier technology or defense-adjacent companies.
  • Topic breadth vs. depth: The show covers topics ranging from verified military UAP encounters to highly speculative subjects, and critics argue this conflation makes it harder for viewers to distinguish between strong and weak evidence.
  • Platform as evangelist, not investigator: Skeptics note that American Alchemy functions more as a platform for guests to present their views unchallenged than as investigative journalism that independently verifies claims.
  • Jacques Vallee — Michels has interviewed Vallee extensively; Vallee's interdimensional hypothesis and control system theory are central threads in American Alchemy's consciousness framework
  • Diana Pasulka — Michels featured Pasulka's research on UAP as emergent religion and the Vatican connection; both explore the intersection of belief, consciousness, and nonhuman intelligence
  • Dean Radin — Radin's experimental evidence for non-local consciousness supports the psi framework that Michels frequently discusses on the show
  • Tom Campbell — Campbell's simulation theory and work at the Monroe Institute are key reference points for Michels' exploration of consciousness as fundamental to reality
  • Joe McMoneagle — Michels interviewed McMoneagle about his CIA remote viewing career, connecting classified government consciousness programs to modern UAP research
  • Graham Hancock — Michels explores ancient history and suppressed knowledge themes that overlap with Hancock's work on lost civilizations and altered states of consciousness
  • Robert Monroe — The Monroe Institute's CIA-backed consciousness research is a recurring topic in American Alchemy episodes
  • Simulation Theory and Consciousness — Michels frequently explores whether reality is a simulation and what that implies about the nature of consciousness
  • Interdimensional UAP Hypothesis — The thesis that UAP phenomena represent interdimensional rather than extraterrestrial contact, a framework Michels regularly features through guests like Jacques Vallee
  • DMT and Consciousness Travel — Michels' treatment of psychedelics as a "communications protocol" connects to DMT research documenting consistent entity contact and dimensional access
  • Other Dimensions / UAP / Religious — The bridging of UAP research and religious tradition is a recurring American Alchemy theme, particularly through Diana Pasulka's work

Other Coverage Worth Reading​

  • UAP Juan (@planethunter56): X thought leader connecting Tom DeLonge's interdimensional malevolent entity thesis with Rudolf Steiner's century-old writings on parasitic spiritual...
  • Michael P. Masters: Biological anthropologist who proposes the "extratempestrial" hypothesis — that UAPs and their occupants are future human descendants traveling...
  • Book: Mockingbird: The Subversion of the Free Press by the CIA
  • Book: The Stargate Chronicles: Memoirs of a Psychic Spy

Sources​

This information was built by Grok and Claude AI research.