Aaron Rodgers doesn’t seem to have any regrets about his past relationship with NASCAR star Danica Patrick.
On Wednesday’s episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast,” the Packers quarterback reflected on their two-year relationship and recalled taking a trip to Peru together to do ayahuasca — a plant-based psychedelic tea containing the hallucinogenic drug DMT — which he said helped him to perform better on the football field due to its mental benefits. It is unclear if Patrick also experimented with the concoction.
“I was dating Danica [at the time Rodgers met Marcus] and that relationship was great for me because she is on her own journey, and spirituality is important to her,” said Rodgers, who also recalled “the best day of his life” when he did mushrooms on a beach with friends.
“We both were finding our way, learning about different things, practicing meditation techniques.”
Rodgers and Patrick called it quits in July 2020 after dating for two years.
“So Danica and I planned a trip down to Peru with some friends to go do it,” Rodgers recalled, referring to the start of his ayahuasca journey.
The two-time NFL MVP said the pair “had an incredible experience climbing Mount Machu Picchu” before going right into “an ayahuasca ceremony.”
Rodgers, who discussed the details of his emotional ayahuasca experience, explained that the psychedelic “gave [him] a deep and meaningful appreciation for life.”
“My intention the first night going in was I want to feel what pure love is. That was my intention and I did. I really did,” Rodgers said. “I had a magical experience with the sensation of feeling 100 different hands on my body imparting a blessing of love and forgiveness for myself and gratitude for this life from what seemed to be my ancestors. I came back and the pandemic hit.”
The couple isolated together amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rodgers went on to explain that ayahuasca helped him discover self-love after an intense part of the journey, in which he sat with negative thoughts and criticism about himself.
“To me, one of the core tenets of your mental health is that self-love. That’s what ayahuasca did for me, was help me see how to unconditionally love myself,” he said.
Following their split, Patrick said she “learned a lot” from her relationship with Rodgers.
“I think we learn the most about ourselves through relationships, but there’s nothing like heartbreak to really throw you in the deep end of that,” Patrick said in a 2021 episode of “Running Wild With Bear Grylls.”
“I’ve learned a lot, and as broken open as I was on the sad end, I have felt so much joy in so many more instances and so many more unlikely places than I ever have, so it’s like my heart got broken open to both ends of the spectrum.”
Rodgers went on to date actress Shailene Woodley, whom he met sometime during the coronavirus pandemic. They announced their engagement in February 2021, with the two reportedly calling it quits for good in April.
Patrick, meanwhile, confirmed her breakup with Carter Comstock in March, after nearly a year of dating.
Rodgers — who is returning for his 18th season in Green Bay this coming season — signed a three-year, $150.8 million extension in March. He also told reporters in June that he “definitely” wants to finish his career with the Packers.
