How psychedelics have inspired Whole Foods founder John Mackey

smiling man in white button-down shirt (Credit: Buster Jetter)

For John Mackey, popping into a Whole Foods while he's traveling elicits a twinge of nostalgia. “It’s a little bit weird,” says the founder and former CEO of the empire, who stepped down in 2022 after 44 years at the helm. 

“I don't feel relief,” he says. “I don't think I really feel sad, either.” Instead, explains Mackey, who recently stopped into Fortune’s New York office to discuss his new memoir, The Whole Story: Adventures in Love, Life, and Capitalism, “It's like a child. When the child is grown up, I still love my child. But the child has its own life, its own destiny. And I'm really proud of how it's grown up and how it's how it's leading its life.”