Chaikuni grew up in the farm country of Western New York. He studied film at NYU after which he spent several years traveling the world. He subsequently returned to North America to work as a filmmaker in the US and Jamaica. Since 2012, Chaikuni has apprenticed under Peruvian indigenous shamans in the Shipibo tradition, and is currently a student of Ricardo Amaringo at Nihue Rao Centro Esprititual He has been running Shipibo Plant Medicine retreats since 2014. He also works as a transformational coach and runs Men’s Retreats.

Chaikuni writes and speaks on many topics, including masculinity, race, and Plant Medicine. He is in the early stages of opening a BIPOC-centered plant medicine retreat center in Mexico.