Gem Ogsten

Meet Gem – chef, author (The Self-Care Cookbook & The Healing Cookbook), plant-based nutrition advocate, and proud mum of two teenagers.

Before creating Mama Shrooms, Gem spent over 10 years working as an addiction therapist, supporting people through recovery and learning how deeply nutrition, brain health, and emotional wellbeing are connected. Later, she retrained in whole foods and plant-based nutrition, published books, and built food businesses before launching Mama Shrooms.

Gem was recently diagnosed with ADHD, after struggling with focus and overwhelm for much of her life. Looking back, she believes functional mushrooms were already helping her — supporting her clarity, calm, and energy — long before she even knew why she needed them. That’s why she founded Mama Shrooms: to harness the power of Lion’s Mane, Reishi, Chaga, Tremella, and Cordyceps – to help real people feel clearer, calmer, and more supported every day. 

Gem will be sharing her love of supporting people’s mental health through the brand and her cooking in the talk: ‘Science Meets Soul’, as well as her books and mushrooms within the Village at the festival.