"I didn't respect the plant, and when I finally learned to respect it and appreciate it, I was then able to find love and appreciation in myself to feel better and become a better version of me." - Kim Flores Everyone needs a minute, even if you're one of the top cannabis influencers. In this episode, Kim Flore shares how she started making treats …

"Our mission is to bring cannabis back to its pre-prohibition status, where it's a widely accepted plant medicine." – Peter Barsoom What does it take to be a pioneering brand in the rapidly changing cannabis industry? In this episode, I chat with Peter Barsoom, co-founder of 1906 New Highs. Tracing 1906’s origin story and unique path through the em…

"We push boundaries far past the status quo. We're not going to accept the status quo, but we choose to do that in a safe and calculated manner." – Chris Fontes In this episode, Shayda chats with Chris Fontes about his career journey in hemp, from initiating Hemp Exchange in 2018 to navigating challenges and market shifts. His innovations led him t…

“We produce cannabis where it should be produced and we sell cannabis where it should be sold – That's our thesis. That's what we've been fighting for. That’s our strategic pathway.” – Andrés Fajardo In my chat with Andrés Fajardo of Clever Leaves, we discuss how this Colombian-based company excels in the international cannabis market. Clever Leave…

“It was basically a perfect storm – There was only the black market. There was nothing legal about cannabis whatsoever. And so, thus began a fourteen-year journey of acquiring, dispensing, packaging, and transporting; Everything all in one. We were everything.” – Barry Foy Barry Foy, CEO of Gentlemen Smugglers, began his involvement in the cannabis…

"I think Texas has one of the most accountable medical programs in the country. Meaning we can tell you who prescribed that prescription, what their pain program was, who bought it, what day it was bought, and who provided it." - Pat Davis Tune in with Pat Davis from Weeds as he talks about the rigorous data analysis shaping the future of Texas' no…

"We were able to successfully train a system that could predict reasonably the outcomes that you might expect to feel from an arbitrary profile. And today we utilize that to do recommendation in store." - Joshua Mallett Ever wondered about the DNA testing or the power of terpenes in shaping your experience? In this episode, Joshua Mallet of BudBoar…

"We have this new appreciation for combining the CBD and the THC; historically, we made it a big deal to separate them. And it turns out when you put them together, the brain receptors like it." - Dr. Morris of Duber Medical From the early days of 1996 to the intricate landscapes of cannabis in medicine today, Dr. Morris delves deep into the transf…

"People should be able to make an informed choice about what they consume, especially when it has a potential therapeutic benefit." - Lara Fordis Knowing your target market is the first step in every successful business. In this episode, Lara Fordis, a consumer market research consultant specializing in insights related to CPG and the cannabis indu…

"I'm a free market guy, but I look at this much like alcohol where you don't want 10 distributors of Bud Light in a specific market. So it's very similar to that." - John Mueller Jump into the latest 'To Be Blunt' episode with Shayda Torabi and cannabis bigwig John Mueller, co-founder and CEO of Greenlight - a vertically integrated, multi-state can…

"At the end of the day, I don't care what anybody tells you. Is a better experience, whether that dabbles concentrate, whether that's an edible tincture, you are capturing the true essence of the plant with this extraction. We're not adding anything; we're not taking anything away." - Cliff Haney Explore the Art of Solventless Extraction with Shayd…

"I don't want us to have beverages go stagnant with beverages that are moving because they're high dose and cheap on the West Coast. Let's come up with some more functional beverages, whether they're high dose or low dose, and let's incorporate other pieces of the plant. I think that's a key differentiator." - Diana Eberlein Dive into cannabis beve…

"The brand is kind of the representation of all of the good or bad things that the customer or the purchasing public perceives around the brand" - Seth Gardenswartz In this episode of To Be Blunt, host Shayda Torabi and guest Seth Gardenswartz, founder of Black Garden Law, explore the art of creating and safeguarding a compelling brand, understandi…

"Data is the new oil data is the new goal. So what we have in our database is a direct tie between COA and user outcome on a person-by-person basis. That's a highly valuable data set." - Eric Mercado Are you ready to tune in for a glimpse into the future of personalized cannabis shopping? In this episode of To Be Blunt, join Eric Mercado, the Co-Fo…

"You better get ready to play your A-game, and you'd better get tough and get a strong backbone and figure out who you can align with that can help you succeed because you can not succeed alone in this business." - Kim Prince Want to know how to get your Cannabis brand in the spotlight? In today's episode, Shayda Torabi shares valuable insights on …

"There are many ways to kind of establish and build your brand. I think if you don't have these things, now is a great time to be inspired to figure out: ¿What is my brand? ¿Why? ¿What are my brand values? ¿What's my mission statement? To continue to get that buy-in internally for your team to live and breathe it." - Katherine Wolf With more compet…

"The more that we de-stigmatize cannabis, the more that we all win." - Brianna Kilcullen Are you aware of Hemp's Potential to Revolutionize the Textile Industry? Welcome back to the To Be Blunt podcast! In this episode, Shayda Torabi welcomes Brianna Kilcullen, who offers valuable insights on how hemp can reshape the US textile market and contribut…

"We want to bring integrity and efficacy to an industry where there are a lot of people who choose to operate in a gray area and cause it's so consumer-driven, we have to be on the front lines." - Jesse Kerns Join Jesse Kerns, co-founder of New Bloom Labs, as he discusses about the critical role of lab testing in ensuring the safety of cannabis pro…

"It's not that synthetics are inherently bad. It's there are bad ways to synthesize, and there are good ways to synthesize." - Shayda Torabi Do you want to know how Cannabis and Psychedelics Converge? Join Shayda as she explores the overlap between cannabis and psychedelics. Experience her accounts from the MAPS Psychedelic Science Conference and t…

"Follow your passion. There's room for it in the space, and may not be in a direct role and may be consultative, but it exists, and you just have to lean into what you're passionate about." Are you ready to unlock the hidden potential of cannabis SEO? Join us on the "To Be Blunt" podcast as Matthew Shterenberg, CEO of Deeproots Partners, reveals th…

"The only difference between an entrepreneur who's successful and an entrepreneur who is not successful is that an entrepreneur who's successful doesn't quit." - Willie McKenzie Ever wondered what it takes to thrive in the ever-evolving world of cannabis entrepreneurship? Join Shayda as she interviews Willie Mackenzie, an experienced cannabis entre…

"Know your why. Who is your target audience, and what is your why? Not your what, not your how." - Christina Wong Embark on an inspiring journey with Christina Wong, a cannabis business owner and brand marketer. Discover how she transitioned from publicist to content creator for cannabis brands. Gain insights into cannabis content creation, marketi…

"For a customer and for a consumer who's looking for a really consistent experience you need to be able to deliver that dosage consistency. And I think that's the thing that has really differentiated us against other products and where we continue to push towards" - Robert Holland Welcome to a captivating episode of the To Be Blunt Podcast featurin…

"What they would do is they would come to a tissue culture lab, like conception, and then we create a clone through a different process than traditional cloning. It's done in a lab, It's done with hormones, mixtures. It's a sterile environment. And through this process, you can actually turn back the clock. It's like you're growing from a seed ever…

"It is on us to push this industry forward." - Guy Rocourt "What got us here what got us through a prohibition is what was grown in grandma's garden and made in grandma's kitchen natural simple formulations." - Guy Rocourt This episode of the To Be Blunt podcast features an insightful conversation with Guy Rocourt, co-founder and CEO of Papa and Ba…

"It was something that could help people feel better. And so I thought involved and basically went state to state to state. I helped entrepreneurs put together their request for proposal request for application, and then I helped the legislators craft a lot of the rules in the regulations back in the day because nobody really knew what was going on…

"The amount of consumers in America that don't consume alcohol has been relatively consistent for the last 50 years. Consumer habits are shifting, but alcohol consumption's not going away. I don't think it will out. Our hope is that consumers are making more responsible choices and that we're engaging with a whole new group of consumers." - Jason D…

"With cannabis being inhaled directly rather than eating it, a small amount of contaminants can have a lot, potentially more toxic effect in your body than if you ate those same contaminants. So I think it's really important, and I think now the upside is we have one of the cleanest consumer products even with some of the issues" - Josh Wurzer Welc…

“Any day that goes by that someone is arrested for marijuana possession, it's a day of injustice. And if for no other reason, but that I'm happy to do whatever I can to legalize marijuana.” - Jason Tarasek In this episode, Jason Tarasek, founder of Minnesota Cannabis Law, shares his legal expertise and insights on the current state of marijuana leg…

“By making something illegal, you're making it more dangerous. It's a classic effect of that. It's similarly with cannabis and what we were talking about with THC, it's about the lack of education and telling people just don't do any drugs, don't do anything.” - Miyabe Shields In this episode, Miyabe Shields shares insights on cannabis as medicine …

“The only way to determine what is in a product is through proper lab testing, which even in the lab can be difficult. It's a challenge for law enforcement officers to determine if a product is legal or not without these tests.” - Griffin Lott In this episode, former law enforcement officer and cannabis advocate Griffin Lott discusses his experienc…

“You're not gonna get anyone to listen to anything you have to say until you understand where they're coming from.” - Arend Richard In this episode, Aaron Richard joins the conversation to discuss navigating censorship in the cannabis industry and his upcoming high-end cannabis lounge, Cirrus Social Club. We also explore global cannabis legalizatio…

“So what a synthetic is, you start off from a derived cannabinoid, so just CBD and then manipulate it to give you another cannabinoid of interest such as THC delta nine or THC delta eight, depending on the environment that you subject in.” - Chris Hudalla In this episode, we explore the future of chemically driven cannabinoids and how to ensure the…

“It's hard when you want to pay attention to what the system is saying or what your lawmakers are saying, or what the regulation is saying, and they're not making it, I guess, accessible or fair or really understanding.” - Coss Marte In this episode, Coss Marte shares his inspiring journey from being a multimillion-dollar drug ring leader to becomi…

“If you wanna play the game, do your research.” - Reagan Hatch In this episode of To Be Blunt, Reagan Hatch, co-founder of CannaSite, shares her knowledge on the importance of performative websites for businesses and how to optimize them for speed, plugins, SEO, email marketing, blogging, and content integrations. She explains the value of web host…

“Cannabinoids are not toxic as we know today.” - Alleh Lindquist “Everyone's trying to come up with the right way to move forward because I think everyone knows that we need to move forward.” - Robert Jensen, Ph.D Join us on this episode of the Be Blunt Podcast as host Shada Torabi sits down with Rob Jensen, CEO and Co-Founder of Floor Works, and A…

“You gotta go into this with eyes open, and if you're gonna go into it, you need to make sure that you're well educated.” - Rod Kight Join us in this episode as Rod Kight, a seasoned cannabis lawyer and cannabis entrepreneur, discusses the challenges of THC-A hemp flower in the market. He delves into the complexities of THC-A flower and its similar…

“There's a gift in you and there's a talent that you're still not sure about that you have, but you have it.” - Manny Cuevas Join us on this episode of the To Be Blunt as we delve into the story of Manny Cuevas, a fashion designer in the western wear industry. We'll cover his journey, from learning from his dad to showcasing their work in Denver an…

“You just gotta get super clear on who you're marketing to and you gotta get super clear on who you're messaging to and you have to be super clear on what are you trying to get outta of this and like who are you trying to connect with.” - Max Juhasz In this episode of the To Be Blunt podcast, Max Juhasz shares his journey of doing door to door sale…

“I think we're all so silent in our states that people kind of need a little reality check. Like having these conversations [about cannabis] are a wake up call to people.” - Liz Udell Welcome back to the To Be Blunt podcast! In this episode,Liz Udell shares opportunities and challenges of self-employment in the cannabis industry and how people who …

“Hire when you're able to, the most important thing you can do is like, hire people to do the things that you suck at or the things you don't wanna do. So you can free up yourself to still have time to do the things you want.” - Jenna Owens Welcome back to the To Be Blunt podcast! In this episode, Jenna Owens shares how she established Fitish and c…

“I know sometimes people are like, I don't wanna toot my own horn. Well baby toot your horn. This is your chance. Like this is the whole point of getting featured in an article or speaking at a conference. ” - Shayda Torabi Welcome back to the To Be Blunt podcast! In this episode, Shayda talks about relaunching her website and why it's important as…

“We know that cannabis is a remediator , so it's sucking up things that are in the soil and so how it's grown, if it's organic living soil or, or there are pesticides used, you know, those are all factors that determine the end product. ” - Shayda Torabi New Website: https://theshaydatorabi.com/ Free 20 min call: https://calendly.com/theshaydatorab…

“So to me, having partners, having media partners, having those people have a bigger audience. Getting them involved allows you to have a bigger audience so that they can accomplish what they wanna accomplish. ” - David Tran Welcome back to the To Be Blunt podcast! In this episode, David Tran shares how he was inspired to create a magazine for the …

“The most important thing that people should pay attention to is just being in store and actually being blunt in their education.” - Jarell Wall Welcome back to the To Be Blunt podcast! In this episode, Jarell Wall shares how he hustled his way to be on the top and make a name for himself in the cannabis space. He shares how he was able to connect …

“The whole purpose of all of this is that everybody eats, everybody has an opportunity to participate if they want to. Everybody has access to information that should be readily available. And if you wanna participate, you work with people where the whole goal is everyone eats together.” - Lulu Tsui Welcome back to the To Be Blunt podcast! In this …

“Go through all old social media posts and make sure there's not any high risk word lurking. This includes infographics, and hashtags, because the FDA and FTC go back several years on company social media posts.” - Asa Waldstein Welcome back to the To Be Blunt podcast! In this episode, Shayda Torabi welcomes Asa Waldstein. Asa shares about his “War…

“But this industry is very fragmented. There are a lot of egos at play. There's a lot of money at stake, and it makes people crazy. We have to stop stabbing each other in the back and doing stupid things, and we have to come together as an industry to make a happier planet, a healthier planet, to help people live happier, healthier lives, and to ge…

“There's nothing more important or more powerful than staying fresh and staying relevant. There's just a lot that you have to do with your communication and your marketing and your branding to achieve that.” - Kristi Palmer Welcome back to the To Be Blunt podcast! In this episode, Shayda Torabi welcomes Kristi Palmer of Kiva, currently the number o…

"Selfishly, it’s about growth, whether it's revenue or relationships. Externally, it's about content output, showcasing what legal cannabis looks like, the nuances of experience for consumers, and patients, and the brands that are available, the products that are available, the discussion…” - Mitch Pfeifer Welcome back to the To Be Blunt podcast! I…