The Power of Perspective: A New Way of Seeing the World Danielle Simone Brand is a cannabis writer and journalist who wrote a book called Weed Mom. She joins Susan Burns to discuss her journey into the world of cannabis, which began with her writing assignments. Danielle, who was initially judgmental of cannabis, eventually became curious and tried a vape pen containing two and a half milligrams of THC. She had an embodied experience and fell in love with the plant. She talks about her experience with plant medicine and working with flower, and offers suggestions for different entry products for those who are not as comfortable with cannabis. Produced by PodConX Bodacious Women in Cannabis - https://bodacious-women-in-cannabis.simplecast.com/ Susan Burns - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sburnslegal/ Danielle Simone Brand - https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-simone-brand/ Website - https://www.daniellesimonebrand.com/ Weed Mom - https://ulysses.oygdev.com/books/weed-mom/ Recorded on Squadcast
The Power of Perspective: A New Way of Seeing the World
Danielle Simone Brand is a cannabis writer and journalist who wrote a book called Weed Mom. She joins Susan Burns to discuss her journey into the world of cannabis, which began with her writing assignments. Danielle, who was initially judgmental of cannabis, eventually became curious and tried a vape pen containing two and a half milligrams of THC. She had an embodied experience and fell in love with the plant. She talks about her experience with plant medicine and working with flower, and offers suggestions for different entry products for those who are not as comfortable with cannabis.
Bodacious Women in Cannabis - https://bodacious-women-in-cannabis.simplecast.com/
Susan Burns - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sburnslegal/
Danielle Simone Brand - https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-simone-brand/
Website - https://www.daniellesimonebrand.com/
Weed Mom - https://ulysses.oygdev.com/books/weed-mom/
. [00:00:00] Hello, this is Susan Burns. Welcome to Bodacious Women in Cannabis Today we are really excited to have a special guest. Danielle Simone Brand, and she is a cannabis writer and journalist, and she wrote a novel or a book called Weed Mom, and we're going to hear about that and then some other journeys too.
Welcome, Danielle.
Thank you so much, Susan. Great to be here.
So agreed to have you here. So you're a writer to shorthand it. And you used your writing skills to write a book on called Weed Mom, so you must be a mother
Yes.
and you must like weed
That happens to be true too.
well. What an interesting combination. So tell us about, tell us a little bit about your background and, [00:01:00] and, and how did, I mean, I know you didn't just wake up one day and say, I'm gonna write a book called Weed Mom. So talk to us a little bit about your, your journey and, and how did we, how did, how did you arrive here that we were able to have this conversation about you and your journeys?
Yeah. You know, um, I do tell the story of my book because it's kind of a, an unusual cannabis love story. I say, um, and the fact is that I really didn't like it or understand it for many years before I finally did, before I had an epiphany and an ex. Experience of my own, um, and realized that it's a really useful tool.
Um, so backing up a little bit, I was, I went to school for International Peace and Conflict Resolution. I was in a sort of academic and policy oriented career in Washington dc Um, burned out on that pretty quickly and became a yoga teacher to the lobbyists and the lawyers on Capitol Hill, and really enjoyed that actually for several years.
Um, you know, bringing sort of that little bit of peace and conflict resolution to the personal side. You know, to help people who [00:02:00] were working on these big, really stressful issues, um, actually find a moment of peace. Yeah. Um, and you know, cannabis to me was just not a wellness tool. I didn't, you know, I didn't really understand its value in that way.
Um, and actually I saw my husband overusing it for many years and I was pretty judgmental about it actually. And you know, when I say overusing, I mean just. You know, relying on it exclusively as, um, you know, mental health support basically, instead of actually. You know, relying on a lot of tools that we all need to use right to, to help ourselves be healthy, well whole, all those things.
So for years I really didn't understand cannabis, did not appreciate it. And then finally when I did, um, it was through the, the lens of freelance writing. So I actually got a couple of assignments in cannabis. Before I cared, uh, or wanted to learn anything myself, but in the process of writing those stories, I interviewed people who were getting benefit.
Um, I was reading about studies and new research and realizing, wow, there's a lot more to this plant than [00:03:00] I thought, or, than, you know, most people previously thought. So, you know, I kind of, I came at it through the intellectual route, through writing and then, I was living in California at the time.
Cannabis was just becoming legal. It was like right at that moment in 20, uh, 16 is when we voted for it, and I did vote for legalization. Um, in 2018 is, uh, January is when it took effect. So, you know, there was now, there were now dispensaries opening up all around where I was living, and I became curious because of this intellectual pursuit.
So I had, I had an experience on my yoga mat, just, you know, check a one puff of a vape pen. I was so cautious and so, Such a newbie. Um, and I had this really beautifully embodied experience in my yoga mat. And, um, from there it was just a, a journey of exploration where I fell in love.
Interesting. And so when you did take your, when you did your puff, what was it a particular strain? Was it a particular or just something that somebody said, here, try this.
It was, um, a vape pen. [00:04:00] Um, a brand called Doist that, uh, was in California. I, I don't, I don't know if they're still there actually, but, um, it had the advantage of dispensing just two and a half milligrams of THC per puff, so you know what you're getting. Um, and I really wanted to microdose, um, initially because I just.
I, I was curious and cautious, and I was a mom and I wasn't, you know, caring for my kids at that particular moment when I took my, my puff there. But, um, you know, but I, I wanted it to be able to fit into my lifestyle in a healthy way.
Mm-hmm. And so that began your own personal journey with the plan.
Absolutely. And then, you know, I, I've come a long way since then and absolutely plant medicine is what I prefer now, and I prefer working with flour these days. But, um, you know, there's all these easier entry products I think for folks who, um, you know, are not as comfortable with, you know, burning flour, which is something that, that I do now quite frequently.
Okay.
So, anyway, so, so in, in, in short, I, yeah, go ahead.[00:05:00]
I said she's laughing. No, I'm, I'm just joking about. Um, so yeah, so, so talk to us. When did your book come out? How long did it take to write? What was the inspiration for weed mom? What's it about? I have so many questions. Talk to us.
Well, you know, so the inspiration was the fact that I was going on this personal journey of exploration and, um, like I said, cannabis was just becoming legal where I was living. And as I was writing about it more and more I found myself kind of gravitating toward the parent stories and the mom stories.
Um, and so I was interviewing a lot of women about how cannabis has helped them physically, you know, with a medical condition or, you know, just be, feel a little bit healthier or maybe lean on alcohol less. Because as we know, alcohol has a lot of negative consequences and a lot of physical toxicity. Um, so, you know, so as I was learning all of this and realizing like, okay, there are people benefiting, especially women and moms that I'm interviewing, and women and moms in my own community started coming to me with [00:06:00] all their questions like, Will you go to the dispensary with me?
It's overwhelming. I don't know what to choose. You know, how, what does the research say about anxiety and cannabis? You know, all these different questions, and I realized there's a thirst for knowledge and a real need for this like wellness oriented perspective. So that's why I wrote the book.
it is really complex. The, the human body is complex, everybody's system is different, and then the plant is, I mean so amazing and all the derivatives and combinations and everything, so there is a huge need for that. I've been working in this area for quite a while and I still, I mean, I've learned every day new things and I, I don't know if I'll ever get it.
Let's see your book.
Oh yeah, I know. Same, same. I'm still learning too. And um, I mean actually I just heard this definition of humility being the realization that we still have more to learn and that's very much how I feel in cannabis. I know a lot and I still feel humble because there's so much I don't know and we don't [00:07:00] know.
Yes. Lots to learn.
Um, so, but yata what it was about, sorry.
go ahead. So
You asked what it was about. Yeah.
Cur Curious Woman's Guide to Healthier Relaxation. Half your parenting and chilling TF out.
T f o. That's right. Um, so, so I broke it down into, um, you know, exploration of the, how cannabis works in the body and ways to shop, you know, different ways to consume, first of all, different, um, Reasons you might be consuming how to shop at the dispensary. Um, how to look at products for un evaluate products for wellness purposes.
But then I also wanted to really get into kind of the cultural conversations that we're having now and how these are changing. Like now that it's legal in so many places and access is improving and more people are open about their use. Like, we have to talk about this, you know, among, in our communities, with our kids, um, with other people in our lives, you know, friends, social circles, parents, et cetera.
So, you know, I just don't wanna be part of this changing cultural [00:08:00] moment in regards to cannabis.
Yeah. So in your book has been out for a couple of years, or
Yes, it has. Mm-hmm. It came out in, uh, December, 2020. So fun time to publish a book.
for Christmas? Yeah.
Well, it was also just, you know, that year 2020 a really, uh,
Oh
year for so many folks. Yep, yep, yep.
it was a wild year for sure. And, and, um, so tell, talk to us about the, the hidden benefits of having written this book and, and embarking on the journey of, of working with moms that are interested or consume cannabis.
Ooh, hidden benefit, so you know. W women and moms have come out of the woodwork really to, um, you know, to say, yeah, like I, this is something that, it speaks to my heart that ma gives me some sense of [00:09:00] permission. Actually. A lot of women have come to me saying like, I, I thought I was kind of doing something wrong, or I felt a little guilty, even though I knew that it was helping me and I knew that I was actually parenting to my best with cannabis in my life.
Um, and so it's. It's really gratifying to me to hear people say, I feel more confident now. I feel, or I feel like I can have conversations finally with the skeptics in my life, or, or the folks who had no idea, or even my kids, because, you know, responsible conversations with kids is part of this like changing, uh, cultural context we're in.
Yeah.
It is. It is indeed. And have there been. Any moments along the way here and in writing your journey and writing your, your book in the publication process? I don't know if it's self-published or not, but it isn't. So have there been any periods where you're like, you know what, this is crazy. What am I doing? I just wanna give up. And if so, talk to us about [00:10:00] that and how, how did you manage the challenge?
Yeah, for sure. I mean, the last few years since the book has come out, I've been talking about it a lot. I've been promoting it, but also just talking about these issues in general. It's not centered only around my book, but you know, I've become part of this conversation around parents and, and cannabis and, um, it's.
Yeah, there are moments when it's pretty disheartening, right? Um, when, uh, legalization efforts get rebuffed in a state or when really negative press comes out, or there's an increase in misinformation about cannabis, which happens like in the news, um, you know, equating cannabis with. Violence and mass shootings, like that's been something that we've been seeing more lately come out and just, you know, so there are plenty of reasons to get discouraged.
Also, the fact that social media just hammers us and, you know, my Instagram for instance, is that's the place that I've reached the most to my readers and my d my can has been deleted three times there. Each time I've been able to [00:11:00] get it back, to get it reinstated, but it takes time and it's not guaranteed.
So, you know, these things. Or disheartening. Absolutely. But you know what keeps me going is the fact that, you know, people respond so positively and cannabis changes lives. It gives people, in some cases, back their lives. And that's something worth fighting for
Agreed, and thank you for doing the, for the good fight, being part of the effort. Thank you so much for that.
You too. You too. It's, you know, it takes so many of us working in so many different capacities to push the needle forward.
Yes, it does. It does. And that whole, the whole, uh, thing about the stigma and the, you know, all the sort of baggage that we've attached to this beautiful plant. I mean, I had it myself and I was a consumer in, in, uh, high school and college. But then I say I stuffed it in the pocket of my B overalls and I left at college, [00:12:00] at the campus.
When I, when I left there, you know, I just, it was like, okay, now I have to be real. Um, and, but, and I remember the first time I went into a dispensary in Colorado and I had to give my license and I was like, oh my God. You know, you feel like a criminal, even though it's legal, but I'm a lawyer and you know, like, oh, can I do this?
And it's just so nerve-wracking. And when you, when I think when you do, when you take a journey like you have and um, do a gentle exploration and try it on yourself and try different things, I think it, it reveals itself to you. In a different way. Would you agree with that?
Hmm. Yeah, I would. I think that at different moments in life it can reveal itself very differently and you know, have a different effect on the person because, you know, honestly before my [00:13:00] sort of cannabis awakening and epiphany, it's not like I had never tried it before. You know, certainly high school, college, there are opportunities and I did here and there, but I didn't.
Understand it, and it didn't speak to me in the same way. It didn't have the same, uh, you know, it didn't meet my needs in the same way that it did a bit later. And I think some of that is just knowledge, right? Like when you're kind of consuming off of the illicit market and you have no idea what you're getting, what the potency is, you know, any of the characteristics of it, it's, it's hard to sort of, You know, calibrate how you wanna feel.
I think with the legal marketplace and, and labeling and testing and all these things that we have access to, all this information we have access to, it's easier to sort of meet your needs with cannabis. But I do think that over your lifetime, you know, your relationship will change. One's relationship with cannabis will change.
It certainly has for me, toward the, uh, you know, the, the more, the closer side of things.
Can you describe that for us a little bit? Your journey and how, how, how your relationship has changed. [00:14:00] Or is that in your book? And, and you'll, you'll, you'll re wreck the story for us if you tell us.
Well, I mean, I mean, quite simply just the, the fact that I didn't see it as a, as a tool for wellness and then, you know, I, I came to understand it as one and to really integrate it into my lifestyle. I mean, that has absolutely changed. And also I think just the way that my body physiologically responds has changed.
Um, and I think that over a. Over a lifetime. I've heard that many times and I've heard scientists talk about how yeah, your endocannabinoid system is in flux, and so the, the cannabinoids that you take in are going to affect you a little differently, um, over time.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And do you have advice for. I'm gonna stick since you're a weed mom. I'm going to, with this question, I'm gonna just stick for moms. Do you have advice, any advice for moms who want to start exploring but maybe are a little tentative for all the reasons we know, or maybe some we [00:15:00] don't.
Um, yeah, well, reading my book is a good start. Um, and also getting some support, joining some kind of community, whether it's online or in-person. There are so many more groups now dedicated to helping people feel comfortable with plant medicine, you know, and that could be just cannabis or that could be some other plant medicines too.
But, you know, there are communities now. And we can, we don't have to be alone, even if you're living in a state where, a place where you feel pretty isolated in terms of your interest or relationship to cannabis. So I'd say, you know, educate yourself, um, you know, read and, and talk to folks and definitely join a community.
And obviously for, for moms, my advice is always start low and go slow. It's, um, you know, high thc. Uh, concentrations are not necessary to shift your mood, to support your, your wellbeing physically, emotionally, and spiritually, all these things. So less is often more.
You can always take more, right?[00:16:00]
You can always take more
Yes. and what about, uh, women who want to. Uh, enter the profession working in cannabis. Have you talked to women, whether they're mothers or not? Have you talked to any women in your journey?
Oh, so, so many. I know a ton of cannabis entrepreneurs who are women, many of whom are moms, and it's a tough space. I mean, we, let's be honest, it's tough right now. Um, I think that very similar, I would say very similar to, just to the kind of curious person I, my recommendations would be learn a lot because cannabis is complex and there are wonderful resources to educate yourself.
Now, great books depending on, you know, where, what aspect of the business you want to work on, but really get to know the cannabis plant and. People's long history with it, long relationship with it, the many wonderful benefits and uses. Um, so educate yourself, obviously the, also the legal [00:17:00] environment and the, you know, all the regulatory pieces are so, so important.
So there's a lot to learn. And then secondly, find community, especially if you're a mom or a woman, find other female entrepreneurs, other women entrepreneurs who want to help support because. I actually have seen a lot of, um, well in, in cannabis. There can be sort of that, like the cutthroat, uh, con competitive feeling between folks and there can be really a supportive, collaborative environment too.
So find those people who wanna support and collaborate because they're there.
They are, and that's a, that's, it's an awesome community once you find it.
It really is. It really is. I have been so uplifted by the other cat moms and Canna, you know, cannabis entrepreneurs that I've met.
Is there, I, I know it's an evolving relationship. Is there, is there something that you're really, um, loving right now, type of product or, or, uh, a strain or something that you personally [00:18:00] are.
oh. Well, I love playing with the, you know, different cannabinoids that, that, uh, come out. So, C B G is something that I'm enjoying right now for, its like really, um, mellow level-headed, um, just slight anxiety reduction. And then I like to layer my cannabinoids in. So, uh, my THC flower, my, my favorite flower is usually high in laine. So I like those lemony strains. I like sour diesel jack hair. Um, yeah, those are, those are my faves at the
Those are nice. I just recently tried a product that's was a, uh, T H C C B G combo and I'm in love with that. Yeah, it's a very nice combination. Pardon?
Mm-hmm. Was it edible? Yes. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Hello. So
Yeah, I have C B D C B G, and I've seen other combos like, like three cannabinoid combos too, which I love.
yeah. [00:19:00] Hey. Um,
Hey, um,
so talking about your book, where can we find it?
it can be, it can be found on Amazon, um, barnes and noble.com. Any place you buy your books online or you can go into your local bookstore and say, Hey, can you order a copy of Weed Mom? And then maybe they'll get a couple more. And, um, it's always just wonderful to support your local bookstore
you go. That's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna go to my local bookstore.
Awesome. Yeah, they can easily order it and then maybe they'll stack a couple copies for their shelves, so I love that too.
so tell, tell us, Danielle, what makes you Bodacious? What's your unique brand of Bodaciousness?
You know, I think my, my unique brand of Bodaciousness is, is being willing to just show myself as a mom, as a person, as someone who's health oriented and cares about the, uh, future of our planet and who uses cannabis [00:20:00] every day in healthy ways, and is starting that conversation among women and moms in North America.
I love it. So Danielle, where can we find you?
Danielle, where can find you? I can be found on my website, Danielle simone brand.com or Instagram. Same thing. Danielle Simone brand. I also have a Weave Mom book at Instagram.
All right. Awesome. Thank you so much for spending time with us today, and we appreciate everything you're doing, keep on doing it, and wishing you the utmost of success and impact on your journey.
Hmm. Thank you so much, Susan. I really, really enjoyed talking to you.