October 15, 2025 • 24 mins
Dr. Leroy welcomes Brianna “Blazin with Bri” Ash — content creator, marketer, and mom — whose brand began with one simple mission: to normalize cannabis consumption for mothers and women. Together, they explore how intentional use can promote wellness, why “start low and go slow” is the golden rule, and how education empowers safer choices. Brianna breaks down the art of branding — from color palettes and logos to community-driven merch — and shares her path from influencer to industry professional. It’s a masterclass in authenticity, connection, and creative entrepreneurship in the modern cannabis space.
Knowledge is Power.
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Be sure to visit MarchandAsh.com for the latest brands and discounts.
Some notable moments from this episode are:
00:00 – Dr. Leroy opens with gratitude and introduces Brianna Ash
00:02:27 – Building “Blazin with Bri” and breaking stigma for moms
00:04:35 – Intentional consumption and mindful strain selection
00:05:50 – “Start low, go slow” — Brianna’s golden rule
00:07:22 – Wellness over intoxication: topicals, tinctures, and balance
00:08:23 – Knowledge is Power: safe, legal, and informed use
00:09:28 – Branding yourself: color palettes, logos, and consistency
00:13:46 – Merch before marijuana: growing a lifestyle brand
00:15:36 – Community, collaboration, and women’s leadership
00:24:38 – CBD:THC balance, education, and gratitude close
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Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
S1 (00:29):
Hey, everybody, welcome again to Cannabis Enlightened. This is your host,
Doctor Leroy. And I am so happy to be with
you again at Cannabis Enlightened man, this this show and
really gets me jazzed up and excited and even more
so because of the guests that I have today. I
(00:50):
can't wait to get into it. But as usual, our show,
our podcast is sponsored by March and Ash. And, um,
you know, sometimes when I'm out in the community, I
hear people talk about the fact that they visited March
and Ash for the first time, and they're so happy
they did. And I tell them, yes, and tell your
(01:10):
friends to to visit March and Ash. But I do
have a very, very nice and a very beautiful guest
with me today, Brianna, ash and Brianna is new from, uh,
new to San Diego. Uh, she's going to tell you
where she's from in a few minutes. But she's new
(01:32):
to San Diego and she's in the cannabis industry in
a different way that we're going to also talk about.
So without any further ado, Brianna asked, welcome to Cannabis Enlighten.
S2 (01:45):
Thank you. Thank you doctor. I am so glad to
be here. I'm very, very blessed. Thank you for inviting
me to your platform.
S1 (01:52):
Well, you're certainly welcome. And I got to tell you
before she gets going, she's got this smile here that
will break down a brick wall. I mean, you know,
she's really got the smile going on here, so whatever
she wants, I'm at the position now. Whatever she wants,
I'm going to give her. Okay. Yeah.
S2 (02:09):
Yeah, yeah. Yes.
S1 (02:10):
Okay. So, uh, Brianna, last time we talked, um, we
were talking about, um, products that customers deserve the best
representation of products. Right. Um, but, you know, this time,
what I'd like to talk about is something that a
(02:31):
lot of people don't hear a lot about, and I
don't think, I don't know if they really think it's significant.
And that's branding. Correct branding. Um, how important branding is.
S2 (02:42):
Yes.
S1 (02:43):
But maybe I'm going to put that. Have you put
that like on the side or in the back of
your mind? And I want to talk a little bit
about the kind of work that you've done in the
cannabis industry over the last few years.
S2 (02:56):
Yes, yes. So it started off when I became a
new mom. I decided to create a brand called Blazin
with Bree, which was a brand dedicated to breaking the
stigma surrounding cannabis consumption with mothers. I feel like when
you become a mom, people think that your cannabis consumption
should just stop. But nobody thinks twice about being called
(03:19):
a wine mom or anything like that. So I just
wanted to build a platform for that because I knew
so many moms who did consume, but felt like they
had to be shamed of it, or, you know, or
hide it. I'm just like, no, we shouldn't have to
do that. So I started that doing content creation. My
platform started to grow. So then cannabis brands started to
reach out to me to do some influencer work, promote
(03:41):
their products, you know, try out some things. And that's
what landed me my first marketing job in the industry
doing digital marketing. So specializing in social media, content creation,
graphic designing, field marketing, so doing the events and the
photo shoots and being interactive with the community. And I
was just doing so much. It's like it grew overnight.
(04:02):
It's like I turned from just building something out of,
you know, having fun to a serious career. And it
wasn't until I entered this industry officially that I realized, like, okay,
this is what I'm supposed to be doing.
S1 (04:13):
And where did you come from?
S2 (04:15):
So I was in the Phoenix, Arizona market.
S1 (04:17):
Phoenix.
S2 (04:18):
Yes.
S1 (04:18):
Pretty hot there.
S2 (04:19):
Pretty hot. Had to get out of there. Unbearably hot.
S1 (04:24):
Okay, okay. And you mentioned you're a new mom.
S2 (04:27):
Yes.
S1 (04:27):
So new mom to a little boy, a little girl.
S2 (04:31):
A little boy. He just turned three a couple days ago, actually.
S1 (04:35):
And I got to tell you, ladies and gentlemen, you
can't see what I see naturally, because this is a podcast.
But whenever she when she talked about her child, she
just kind of melted. You know.
S2 (04:46):
My baby, I miss him.
S1 (04:49):
You miss him, and you just left him.
S2 (04:50):
I know literally, it was like you. You beg for
a break, right? A little five, ten minute break. As
soon as I'm gone, I'm like, no, actually, I want
to be with him all the time.
S1 (04:58):
So. So how do you handle the being a mom
and consuming? How does that work?
S2 (05:05):
I would definitely say when I became a mom, that's
when I changed my intentions surrounding my cannabis consumption. I
would definitely say before it was more of an oral fixation,
just smoking, because I could, you know, it was just there.
But now I'm like, okay, when I'm consuming, what do
I want to achieve? You know, am I tired today
because I'm stayed up late with my baby, but now
(05:25):
he needs me, you know, to be energized this morning,
to play with him and do the things. Okay, well,
I need to make sure I'm finding a strain specific
for that. You know, I don't want to be even
more lazy or just kind of, like, groggy if he
needs me to be active with him, you know? Or
on the flip side, like, maybe I'm trying to wind
down after a long day with my baby. He's finally asleep.
(05:46):
Now I just want to get some good rest, okay?
I need to find a specific strain for that. So
it's like now I'm thinking deeper about which products I
buy and you know what result I want from that consumption.
So I think becoming a mom really put that into
perspective for me.
S1 (06:01):
So okay. And you, like a lot of us, have
to determine how much you take to get to the
point that you need to be at.
S2 (06:10):
Correct.
S1 (06:11):
And that's something that a lot of listeners, a lot
of people have a little problem with. What what kind
of advice would you give them?
S2 (06:19):
Start low, go slow every time because you never know.
You could be consuming cannabis for years and you might
come across a strain one day that just doesn't give
you that, you know, desired effect that you want. So
I just felt like always when you're trying new things
or you're trying to push the tolerance a bit more,
just really start slow, as low as you can and
(06:41):
just work your way up gradually waiting about ten minutes.
You know, microdosing, right? I say microdosing is key, especially
with edibles, because I feel like edible high can surprise
you and come out of nowhere. So I feel like
just waiting in between and just measuring it out. You
have better luck with that.
S1 (06:57):
A lot of people like to compare, um, cannabis to.
And you mentioned a little bit ago about, um, you know, wine,
they like to compare cannabis to wine or cannabis to alcohol.
What would you what kind of advice would you you
give folks with respect to that?
S2 (07:12):
Well, no shade, but as far as we know, nobody
has ever died from consuming cannabis alone.
S1 (07:18):
Not that I know of.
S2 (07:19):
Yeah. No, I feel like that would have been a
thing by now. They would have been glad to publish that.
But we're losing thousands every year to alcohol related deaths,
so I just feel like it is a plant. But
there are, you know, what's the word I'm looking for?
You still have to be just safe and careful. Even
though it's a plant, it's natural. It doesn't still react
(07:40):
well with everyone's body. So I feel like people, especially
if they're new to cannabis, you definitely really just want
to start off low, or maybe even starting off with
just CBD and seeing how that works, and then maybe
gradually moving to the THC root.
S1 (07:52):
Now we're kind of talking about the enjoyment of it.
One of the things that we talk about on this
program is that cannabis is is a health thing, is,
is is more for wellness.
S2 (08:06):
Mhm.
S1 (08:06):
Um, have you found that as you've been using.
S2 (08:09):
Yes. For sure. I would say now I never get
really migraines that I used to get. It's definitely really helped. Um,
especially just trying out different forms. You know people I
feel like are sleep on the topicals like creams and droplets.
They have bandages. So I feel like people are just
a lot of people are just uneducated. They just feel
like they have to smoke it. And smoking is not
(08:30):
necessarily the most healthiest way to, you know, consume, even
though that seems to be the go to for a
lot of people. You can expand your options, and there's
plenty of ways, you know, you don't have to smoke,
you don't even have to eat it. You can just
apply it and, you know, call it a day. So
I feel like people should just expand on that because
it can help a lot of different things that maybe
you wouldn't have to go the pharmaceutical route if you
(08:51):
don't want that. You know.
S1 (08:52):
I love your, um, mentioning education because one of the slogans,
the slogan for this program is knowledge is power, right?
And that the more you know, um, the more power
you have. Um, so, you know, I'm really happy to
hear you talk about the fact that people need to
know they need to get themselves educated in terms of,
(09:14):
of the cannabis, um, that they that will work well
for them, um, obviously that they can afford, um, and
that they need to consume their cannabis at a legal
cannabis store. Definitely. Completely right?
S2 (09:29):
Yes, because I know a lot of states have like,
you know, Delta nine and things, but you just got
to be careful because it is not regulated or, you know,
so you just got to be careful. You want to
make sure that you are getting from trusted sources.
S1 (09:44):
So Brianna, you talked about the branding that you did
for yourself. Now that was a brand for you as
an individual rather than a product.
S2 (09:57):
Correct.
S1 (09:58):
So was that more a service or just this is
who I am?
S2 (10:03):
Yeah, it was more so me just marketing myself. You know,
I built a brand just off of myself, making mothers
feel comfortable, you know, talking about their consumption. Especially just
as a mom, as a breastfeeding mom as well. I
don't know how much we shake the table on this podcast,
but I feel like that was a conversation that wasn't
(10:23):
really talked about. So I like to bring awareness to
that and showing studies that I found over the years
when I was nursing, but also consuming and just bringing
more knowledge to that topic because you had to dig
deep for it. They don't just they just tell you, no,
you know, don't do it while you're nursing. But they
never say why. So you had I personally had to
(10:44):
just go down and find actual deep studies on, you know, fifth,
sixth page of Google. You know, they're not going to
show anything on the first page. So I had to
just keep going and going. And I just compiled like
a notes app of research and trials and things that
went well and showed that no matter what they say,
there was no harm being done. You know, with that process.
S1 (11:05):
You just gave a great example of knowledge is power.
I mean, because things that you hear that you question,
the only way to debunk that is to do some
research on your own and find out exactly either research
or go ask people. You know, I tell my friends
all the time, hey, if you've got a question, you know,
(11:27):
stop calling me all the time. Go into a dispensary
and talk to some of the bartenders, talk to some
of the concierges and tell them what you need or
what you'd like, and they can help you with respect
to that.
S2 (11:39):
Exactly.
S1 (11:41):
So, you know, um, to follow up on your branding yourself, um,
one of the things that that I've done in my
life and I don't know if we've talked about this,
but I did teach the business of cannabis for about
4 or 5 years. And some of the people that
I spoke with didn't necessarily want to work with cannabis,
(12:06):
you know, just the cannabis. They wanted to, but they
wanted to work in the industry. And I would talk
to them about branding, you know, brand, um, a product
you branded yourself. What other types of things would you
consider a person branding? That would be a good idea.
S2 (12:23):
You know, I feel like the easiest way to start off,
at least just building a brand is the the color book,
the color palette, the hex codes for your brand because
a lot of people don't realize, like colors stick out
to people. For example, when you're shopping in target, if
you need help, you're going to look for somebody wearing
the red shirt. You know, target is red. That's something
(12:43):
that you know is already in your subconscious. So I
feel like when building a brand you want, I feel
like the first thing that you can do is develop
a great color scheme with your logo. March and ash,
they got the crown. I see that crown. I know
it's March and Ash, you know, so it's just building
a bigger pattern. And I feel like once people it's
repetitive when people keep seeing that color scheme, when people
(13:03):
keep seeing that logo, that image, they're going to realize
eventually like, wait, that's such and such, and they'll see
it everywhere. Branding can be stickers. Stickers can be placed
around the city here and there. You know, your advertisements,
your billboards, your keychains. Think about things that people like
on a day to day socks. Like just merchandise. Even
though it's a could be a cannabis brand specifically. Yeah,
(13:26):
you might sell flower, But there's maybe people that you
can reach out to that may not necessarily consume that flower,
but they still want to be a part of that
lifestyle brand wearing the merch. You know, it might look
cool to them. So I just feel like your branding
can just expand your target audience, and it just creates familiarity,
which creates people feeling safe and comfortable with the brand.
(13:48):
And I feel like that's what you want.
S1 (13:49):
So can we unpack for just a minute? I use
a word that a friend of mine uses. Unpack this
for just a second. Um, the difference between branding, um,
a cannabis product and branding a non-cannabis product that might
refer to cannabis. What? What is the difference there?
S2 (14:15):
I would just say not everybody's going to want to
consume the actual product. Like for okay, let me just
bring it down. For example, when I worked in Phoenix,
our I worked for a dispensary, the dispensary, we had
an in-house brand that was our brand toasted. Toasted created
everything but edible. So we had vapes, we had concentrates,
we had flour, but. We had an online e-commerce shop
(14:39):
as well that I ran. And we can't send products,
you know, obviously everywhere. So we had a merch site
where we sold our hoodies, our clothes, lighters, stickers, keychains.
That way that can be reached out because when you're
we have our product only in Arizona, but now toasted
can be shipped to somebody who's maybe interested in our
clothes in Florida. So now you got toasted being represented
(14:59):
over there or now eventually, if it starts to grow
in other states, maybe now you can consider selling the
product now in other states, if that makes sense.
S1 (15:09):
So you've hit on something that I think we need
to clarify for our listening audience. Um, we could sell
or you could, you could cross state lines with a
product like a shirt or a hat or, um, a
pair of socks or something with your brand on before
you could, you know, cross lines with the product with
(15:32):
cannabis because of federal it's federally illegal. So that would
be a benefit to a product that is like a merchandise.
Would you say?
S2 (15:42):
Exactly.
S1 (15:43):
Okay. All right, all right. So that sounds like that's
also kind of like an easier way for a person
to get into the cannabis business.
S2 (15:54):
Exactly.
S1 (15:54):
Is branding. Um, some merchandise or something?
S2 (15:59):
Yeah.
S1 (15:59):
Um, so as they do that, what are some of
the steps they might take?
S2 (16:05):
You know, I feel like community is always everything, so
I feel like you want to have a strong team
because you can't do everything by yourself. You know you
want to, but you need somebody for everything. You want
somebody who maybe can be your graphic designer. They've designed
your logo so they have that. They know future products
that you want. They can design that. Then you need
to have like a supplier for said merch. You know,
(16:26):
who's going to, you know, where these shirts coming from,
where these keychains coming from. So you need like a
wholesale supplier. That's one person of your team. So I
feel like you want to make sure that you have
a strong team and that everyone can get together. So
I feel like that's step one that will help everything
else flow together even better.
S1 (16:45):
How significant would it be to have celebrities with branding?
Is that something that, you know, somebody might say, well,
I got a brand idea, but I need to have
like somebody big to promote it.
S2 (16:56):
You know, influencer marketing is never going to die. It's
just always going to evolve. Personally, I just feel like
as long as they're a part, like if cannabis is
part of their brand, then go for it. Like if
you have Wiz or Snoop Dogg, of course, that'll be
like cool. But if you have like somebody I don't
know who's not really known for just like cannabis kind of,
(17:17):
you know, promoting the brand, it doesn't feel as authentic.
You'll still get a boost. Don't get me wrong, because
being a celebrity, you have some sort of influence, but
is it going to have that longevity and that genuineness
that you would want? I'm not sure. And I feel
like genuine is always going to be the number one thing,
you know, because people people know fake. And I feel like,
once again, you want that connection to your, your clientele.
(17:40):
They want to feel like they can, you know, return.
You want to create that loyalty and that foundation. So
it just feels fake. Then people are going to smell
that from a mile away.
S1 (17:49):
Would it be necessary for a person to, I guess,
be a consumer as they they if they want to
brand something that a non cannabis product, do they need
to be a consumer? Um.
S2 (18:05):
It's so funny because I just have mixed feelings on
this because I know there's people in the industry that
don't consume and I get it. But I also don't
I also don't I don't know, I feel like they'll
never be 100% on like, like know everything. They could
be very knowledgeable and smart. But I feel like you
(18:25):
still won't get that whole entire picture unless you're a,
you know, a part of it. Like if you I
don't know or I guess it could. It's just subject
to change. I won't say that. I won't say they
have to necessarily be a consumer, but I will say
it has to have had impact their life in some way.
I feel like, you know, so even if they know
somebody who's been affected by the war on drugs or
(18:48):
even something like that and that was personal to them,
then I understand. But I just feel like some people
are in this industry just because I don't know, accessibility.
I guess it can be.
S1 (18:59):
Okay.
S2 (18:59):
But I'm not really sure if they really care about,
you know, the wellness side of it or if they're just,
you know, acquiring their capital from it.
S1 (19:08):
So there are there aren't very many people like you,
which you're probably happy about that because your brand, you
want your brand to be specific and different.
S2 (19:19):
Right.
S1 (19:19):
Okay. Um, but I guess I'm referring to, um, women
in the cannabis industry. Um, there aren't that many, um, uh,
at your level. What's some advice that you would give
to ladies that want to get into the cannabis industry? Um,
trying to figure out how to do it because they
(19:40):
go in and they see a lot of men. So
they're thinking, oh, man, this is not for me.
S2 (19:44):
Yeah.
S1 (19:45):
What what would you tell them?
S2 (19:46):
You know, this industry is very tailored toward men, but
I feel like that's why it's up to us for,
you know, for us to just be loud and proud
about what is that we do. So whether that's starting
to create content or starting to go to events, you know,
find women in your community, find like minded, you know,
girls in your neighborhood, you can start small. Maybe it
(20:07):
can just be a group of young women just going
to the park and having a cute little sesh and
wanting to journal every, you know, week. And y'all brainstorm
something big. I just felt like it always starts with
the community. Don't ever think that you are alone because
you're not. There's a lot of women in this industry
and we're just trying to all uplift one another. And
(20:27):
I would say, like the women in this community, from
Florida to Arizona to now being out here in California,
they have been very welcoming. And I feel like that
is what's most important. Just unity, knowing that we're not competing.
We all want the same things and it's great. And
I feel like there's more and more of us emerging
in this industry every day, which is really exciting.
S1 (20:45):
What's your beginning in the industry? Um, a result of
you branding yourself, or had you been in the industry
before then?
S2 (20:52):
No, I was not in the industry. It was literally
a result. My dispensary that I worked in, they found me.
They told me to come in one day and they
offered me a job. I didn't even have to apply
or anything, but it was my dream job. I never
knew I was a marketer, you know, the formal term
for it. I always knew I had influence, I always
knew I had a large following, and now it's just
(21:13):
gotten me to where I am today. So now I know, like, okay,
this is what I'm supposed to be doing. Marketing in
the cannabis industry.
S1 (21:19):
Were you big in social media?
S2 (21:21):
I was, yeah.
S1 (21:21):
Because I hear that word. I hear the social media
and the influencer. I hear those together.
S2 (21:26):
Yes.
S1 (21:26):
Is that the way it's supposed to be, or is
that something that just happened?
S2 (21:31):
Yeah, I would definitely say I've always had like since
high school. I've just always been someone who who's known
a lot of people. And now that I've lived in
a few different places, I've just met even more people.
So I feel like just just go out there and
meet people like that is really the key is not
what you know all the time. Sometimes it's just who
you know and you never know, like who you might
come across in this industry that can see you and
(21:53):
see your talents and see your skills and see where
you can fit in this industry because there's so much room.
You know, you don't you could be corporate, you could
be out in the the labs, you could be out
in the harvest, like at the grow. You know, there's
just so much in retail. I just feel like there's
a lot of opportunities here.
S1 (22:10):
Are you working on anything right now? Are you working
with a company or with a group of people?
S2 (22:15):
No. Right now I am looking for a full time
job out here. You know, I'm new to San Diego.
We just officially, officially, like, got here in January, so.
S1 (22:23):
Oh, wow.
S2 (22:23):
We're still, like, unpacking. We're still, you know, trying to
get it together. But. March, I'm back out here. I'm
going starting to go to more events. You know, meeting
more people out here in the community. So they have
been really nice and welcoming. And I pray that I
find something out here soon.
S1 (22:38):
So chances are, um, folks that are listening to this podcast,
this episode might see you out in the community, uh,
doing stuff.
S2 (22:49):
They might.
S1 (22:49):
Or working for one of the the larger companies or
start up company or your own company.
S3 (22:54):
Or my own. Who knows?
S2 (22:56):
Opportunities are endless.
S1 (22:57):
Okay, so how would folks get in touch with you?
What would they.
S3 (23:01):
Yes.
S1 (23:01):
So they need to do to talk with you.
S2 (23:04):
So my email is blazin blazin with Bri w I
t h b r I at gmail.com. That's my direct,
you know, forum, but also on all my social medias
I'm blazin with Bri. Same thing b l a z
I n w I t h b r I.
S1 (23:20):
All right, all right. Fantastic. Well, listen, Bri, it has
been fantastic talking to you about this, um, branding and and,
if you will, women in the industry. Yes. I'm going
to have to have you. I definitely am going to
have to have you come back, especially when you decide
exactly where you're going to go.
S2 (23:39):
Yes.
S1 (23:40):
And so that you can, you know, give us an
update on what's happening. But what I'd like to do
before we go into, um, the formal part of the,
the program where we sign off is that we have
a little something for you.
S2 (23:55):
Gift.
S1 (23:55):
Okay. Yeah, yeah. Here we go. And kind of like
you to look at that.
S2 (24:01):
Okay.
S1 (24:01):
Yeah. Yeah. To see what you have there.
S2 (24:04):
Okay. Oh. Oh, is it my birthday?
S1 (24:10):
Well, it could be. It could be. We never asked
what your birthday was, but, uh. Or is.
S2 (24:15):
It's today.
S1 (24:16):
It's. Today is your birthday.
S2 (24:18):
Not for real, but it is now. It is. This
is amazing. Can I say what I got? Is it
a mystery? I have some jitter, Jeter. I got juiced. A.J..
I'm excited because I haven't even shopped out here yet.
S1 (24:33):
Well, where are you going? To shop. Where are you going?
To start shopping.
S2 (24:36):
Um, March and ash.
S1 (24:37):
There you.
S2 (24:38):
Go. March and ash, for sure. They have the best brands. Oh,
my gosh, I'm getting edibles. Wait. Sugar plum. This is amazing.
Oh my gosh. And there's so many different products in here.
And I love the ratios the CBD to THC products.
Those are amazing. I always recommend that as well. If
you are new to cannabis and you're trying to switch over, definitely.
(25:00):
Don't you know, be opposed to finding products that have
a mixture of both CBD and THC because it will
provide you a nice balance.
S1 (25:07):
And that's important. Yeah. You know, a lot of people
go into stores and they're going to dispensaries and they
the only word they know is THC. Let me get thc.
S2 (25:17):
Highest THC percentage. And that's not always, you know, the
make or break with good, you know, weed. But hopefully
that comes with just more education.
S1 (25:25):
There you go.
S2 (25:26):
And you know, we'll well it spanned. We'll provide more classes.
We'll have the things because I feel like that should
be a standard course nowadays, like a prereq cannabis ed.
S1 (25:35):
There you go. Yeah, I love it.
S2 (25:36):
I love it.
S1 (25:37):
Well, once again, Brie, thank you for being with me.
Being on cannabis enlighten. Um, and I know that you're
going to get some calls from people interested in what
you do, how you got to where you are, and
who knows, you may get that call from someone that says,
we need you to work for us. Like yesterday. Absolutely.
S2 (25:59):
Well, thank you for having me. This was honestly amazing.
Thank you for making me feel so comfortable. And I
cannot wait to talk to you again.
S1 (26:05):
Well, you're welcome. You're welcome. Thank you again. And if
you want to drop me a line, let me know
what you think, how you like the program I'm at
cannabis enlightened. Com. And remember, as we say, all the time.
All the time. Knowledge is power. See you again next time. Bye.
Hey, everybody, welcome again to Cannabis Enlightened. This is your host,
Doctor Leroy. And I am so happy to be with
you again at Cannabis Enlightened man, this this show and
really gets me jazzed up and excited and even more
so because of the guests that I have today. I
(00:50):
can't wait to get into it. But as usual, our show,
our podcast is sponsored by March and Ash. And, um,
you know, sometimes when I'm out in the community, I
hear people talk about the fact that they visited March
and Ash for the first time, and they're so happy
they did. And I tell them, yes, and tell your
(01:10):
friends to to visit March and Ash. But I do
have a very, very nice and a very beautiful guest
with me today, Brianna, ash and Brianna is new from, uh,
new to San Diego. Uh, she's going to tell you
where she's from in a few minutes. But she's new
(01:32):
to San Diego and she's in the cannabis industry in
a different way that we're going to also talk about.
So without any further ado, Brianna asked, welcome to Cannabis Enlighten.
S2 (01:45):
Thank you. Thank you doctor. I am so glad to
be here. I'm very, very blessed. Thank you for inviting
me to your platform.
S1 (01:52):
Well, you're certainly welcome. And I got to tell you
before she gets going, she's got this smile here that
will break down a brick wall. I mean, you know,
she's really got the smile going on here, so whatever
she wants, I'm at the position now. Whatever she wants,
I'm going to give her. Okay. Yeah.
S2 (02:09):
Yeah, yeah. Yes.
S1 (02:10):
Okay. So, uh, Brianna, last time we talked, um, we
were talking about, um, products that customers deserve the best
representation of products. Right. Um, but, you know, this time,
what I'd like to talk about is something that a
(02:31):
lot of people don't hear a lot about, and I
don't think, I don't know if they really think it's significant.
And that's branding. Correct branding. Um, how important branding is.
S2 (02:42):
Yes.
S1 (02:43):
But maybe I'm going to put that. Have you put
that like on the side or in the back of
your mind? And I want to talk a little bit
about the kind of work that you've done in the
cannabis industry over the last few years.
S2 (02:56):
Yes, yes. So it started off when I became a
new mom. I decided to create a brand called Blazin
with Bree, which was a brand dedicated to breaking the
stigma surrounding cannabis consumption with mothers. I feel like when
you become a mom, people think that your cannabis consumption
should just stop. But nobody thinks twice about being called
(03:19):
a wine mom or anything like that. So I just
wanted to build a platform for that because I knew
so many moms who did consume, but felt like they
had to be shamed of it, or, you know, or
hide it. I'm just like, no, we shouldn't have to
do that. So I started that doing content creation. My
platform started to grow. So then cannabis brands started to
reach out to me to do some influencer work, promote
(03:41):
their products, you know, try out some things. And that's
what landed me my first marketing job in the industry
doing digital marketing. So specializing in social media, content creation,
graphic designing, field marketing, so doing the events and the
photo shoots and being interactive with the community. And I
was just doing so much. It's like it grew overnight.
(04:02):
It's like I turned from just building something out of,
you know, having fun to a serious career. And it
wasn't until I entered this industry officially that I realized, like, okay,
this is what I'm supposed to be doing.
S1 (04:13):
And where did you come from?
S2 (04:15):
So I was in the Phoenix, Arizona market.
S1 (04:17):
Phoenix.
S2 (04:18):
Yes.
S1 (04:18):
Pretty hot there.
S2 (04:19):
Pretty hot. Had to get out of there. Unbearably hot.
S1 (04:24):
Okay, okay. And you mentioned you're a new mom.
S2 (04:27):
Yes.
S1 (04:27):
So new mom to a little boy, a little girl.
S2 (04:31):
A little boy. He just turned three a couple days ago, actually.
S1 (04:35):
And I got to tell you, ladies and gentlemen, you
can't see what I see naturally, because this is a podcast.
But whenever she when she talked about her child, she
just kind of melted. You know.
S2 (04:46):
My baby, I miss him.
S1 (04:49):
You miss him, and you just left him.
S2 (04:50):
I know literally, it was like you. You beg for
a break, right? A little five, ten minute break. As
soon as I'm gone, I'm like, no, actually, I want
to be with him all the time.
S1 (04:58):
So. So how do you handle the being a mom
and consuming? How does that work?
S2 (05:05):
I would definitely say when I became a mom, that's
when I changed my intentions surrounding my cannabis consumption. I
would definitely say before it was more of an oral fixation,
just smoking, because I could, you know, it was just there.
But now I'm like, okay, when I'm consuming, what do
I want to achieve? You know, am I tired today
because I'm stayed up late with my baby, but now
(05:25):
he needs me, you know, to be energized this morning,
to play with him and do the things. Okay, well,
I need to make sure I'm finding a strain specific
for that. You know, I don't want to be even
more lazy or just kind of, like, groggy if he
needs me to be active with him, you know? Or
on the flip side, like, maybe I'm trying to wind
down after a long day with my baby. He's finally asleep.
(05:46):
Now I just want to get some good rest, okay?
I need to find a specific strain for that. So
it's like now I'm thinking deeper about which products I
buy and you know what result I want from that consumption.
So I think becoming a mom really put that into
perspective for me.
S1 (06:01):
So okay. And you, like a lot of us, have
to determine how much you take to get to the
point that you need to be at.
S2 (06:10):
Correct.
S1 (06:11):
And that's something that a lot of listeners, a lot
of people have a little problem with. What what kind
of advice would you give them?
S2 (06:19):
Start low, go slow every time because you never know.
You could be consuming cannabis for years and you might
come across a strain one day that just doesn't give
you that, you know, desired effect that you want. So
I just felt like always when you're trying new things
or you're trying to push the tolerance a bit more,
just really start slow, as low as you can and
(06:41):
just work your way up gradually waiting about ten minutes.
You know, microdosing, right? I say microdosing is key, especially
with edibles, because I feel like edible high can surprise
you and come out of nowhere. So I feel like
just waiting in between and just measuring it out. You
have better luck with that.
S1 (06:57):
A lot of people like to compare, um, cannabis to.
And you mentioned a little bit ago about, um, you know, wine,
they like to compare cannabis to wine or cannabis to alcohol.
What would you what kind of advice would you you
give folks with respect to that?
S2 (07:12):
Well, no shade, but as far as we know, nobody
has ever died from consuming cannabis alone.
S1 (07:18):
Not that I know of.
S2 (07:19):
Yeah. No, I feel like that would have been a
thing by now. They would have been glad to publish that.
But we're losing thousands every year to alcohol related deaths,
so I just feel like it is a plant. But
there are, you know, what's the word I'm looking for?
You still have to be just safe and careful. Even
though it's a plant, it's natural. It doesn't still react
(07:40):
well with everyone's body. So I feel like people, especially
if they're new to cannabis, you definitely really just want
to start off low, or maybe even starting off with
just CBD and seeing how that works, and then maybe
gradually moving to the THC root.
S1 (07:52):
Now we're kind of talking about the enjoyment of it.
One of the things that we talk about on this
program is that cannabis is is a health thing, is,
is is more for wellness.
S2 (08:06):
Mhm.
S1 (08:06):
Um, have you found that as you've been using.
S2 (08:09):
Yes. For sure. I would say now I never get
really migraines that I used to get. It's definitely really helped. Um,
especially just trying out different forms. You know people I
feel like are sleep on the topicals like creams and droplets.
They have bandages. So I feel like people are just
a lot of people are just uneducated. They just feel
like they have to smoke it. And smoking is not
(08:30):
necessarily the most healthiest way to, you know, consume, even
though that seems to be the go to for a
lot of people. You can expand your options, and there's
plenty of ways, you know, you don't have to smoke,
you don't even have to eat it. You can just
apply it and, you know, call it a day. So
I feel like people should just expand on that because
it can help a lot of different things that maybe
you wouldn't have to go the pharmaceutical route if you
(08:51):
don't want that. You know.
S1 (08:52):
I love your, um, mentioning education because one of the slogans,
the slogan for this program is knowledge is power, right?
And that the more you know, um, the more power
you have. Um, so, you know, I'm really happy to
hear you talk about the fact that people need to
know they need to get themselves educated in terms of,
(09:14):
of the cannabis, um, that they that will work well
for them, um, obviously that they can afford, um, and
that they need to consume their cannabis at a legal
cannabis store. Definitely. Completely right?
S2 (09:29):
Yes, because I know a lot of states have like,
you know, Delta nine and things, but you just got
to be careful because it is not regulated or, you know,
so you just got to be careful. You want to
make sure that you are getting from trusted sources.
S1 (09:44):
So Brianna, you talked about the branding that you did
for yourself. Now that was a brand for you as
an individual rather than a product.
S2 (09:57):
Correct.
S1 (09:58):
So was that more a service or just this is
who I am?
S2 (10:03):
Yeah, it was more so me just marketing myself. You know,
I built a brand just off of myself, making mothers
feel comfortable, you know, talking about their consumption. Especially just
as a mom, as a breastfeeding mom as well. I
don't know how much we shake the table on this podcast,
but I feel like that was a conversation that wasn't
(10:23):
really talked about. So I like to bring awareness to
that and showing studies that I found over the years
when I was nursing, but also consuming and just bringing
more knowledge to that topic because you had to dig
deep for it. They don't just they just tell you, no,
you know, don't do it while you're nursing. But they
never say why. So you had I personally had to
(10:44):
just go down and find actual deep studies on, you know, fifth,
sixth page of Google. You know, they're not going to
show anything on the first page. So I had to
just keep going and going. And I just compiled like
a notes app of research and trials and things that
went well and showed that no matter what they say,
there was no harm being done. You know, with that process.
S1 (11:05):
You just gave a great example of knowledge is power.
I mean, because things that you hear that you question,
the only way to debunk that is to do some
research on your own and find out exactly either research
or go ask people. You know, I tell my friends
all the time, hey, if you've got a question, you know,
(11:27):
stop calling me all the time. Go into a dispensary
and talk to some of the bartenders, talk to some
of the concierges and tell them what you need or
what you'd like, and they can help you with respect
to that.
S2 (11:39):
Exactly.
S1 (11:41):
So, you know, um, to follow up on your branding yourself, um,
one of the things that that I've done in my
life and I don't know if we've talked about this,
but I did teach the business of cannabis for about
4 or 5 years. And some of the people that
I spoke with didn't necessarily want to work with cannabis,
(12:06):
you know, just the cannabis. They wanted to, but they
wanted to work in the industry. And I would talk
to them about branding, you know, brand, um, a product
you branded yourself. What other types of things would you
consider a person branding? That would be a good idea.
S2 (12:23):
You know, I feel like the easiest way to start off,
at least just building a brand is the the color book,
the color palette, the hex codes for your brand because
a lot of people don't realize, like colors stick out
to people. For example, when you're shopping in target, if
you need help, you're going to look for somebody wearing
the red shirt. You know, target is red. That's something
(12:43):
that you know is already in your subconscious. So I
feel like when building a brand you want, I feel
like the first thing that you can do is develop
a great color scheme with your logo. March and ash,
they got the crown. I see that crown. I know
it's March and Ash, you know, so it's just building
a bigger pattern. And I feel like once people it's
repetitive when people keep seeing that color scheme, when people
(13:03):
keep seeing that logo, that image, they're going to realize
eventually like, wait, that's such and such, and they'll see
it everywhere. Branding can be stickers. Stickers can be placed
around the city here and there. You know, your advertisements,
your billboards, your keychains. Think about things that people like
on a day to day socks. Like just merchandise. Even
though it's a could be a cannabis brand specifically. Yeah,
(13:26):
you might sell flower, But there's maybe people that you
can reach out to that may not necessarily consume that flower,
but they still want to be a part of that
lifestyle brand wearing the merch. You know, it might look
cool to them. So I just feel like your branding
can just expand your target audience, and it just creates familiarity,
which creates people feeling safe and comfortable with the brand.
(13:48):
And I feel like that's what you want.
S1 (13:49):
So can we unpack for just a minute? I use
a word that a friend of mine uses. Unpack this
for just a second. Um, the difference between branding, um,
a cannabis product and branding a non-cannabis product that might
refer to cannabis. What? What is the difference there?
S2 (14:15):
I would just say not everybody's going to want to
consume the actual product. Like for okay, let me just
bring it down. For example, when I worked in Phoenix,
our I worked for a dispensary, the dispensary, we had
an in-house brand that was our brand toasted. Toasted created
everything but edible. So we had vapes, we had concentrates,
we had flour, but. We had an online e-commerce shop
(14:39):
as well that I ran. And we can't send products,
you know, obviously everywhere. So we had a merch site
where we sold our hoodies, our clothes, lighters, stickers, keychains.
That way that can be reached out because when you're
we have our product only in Arizona, but now toasted
can be shipped to somebody who's maybe interested in our
clothes in Florida. So now you got toasted being represented
(14:59):
over there or now eventually, if it starts to grow
in other states, maybe now you can consider selling the
product now in other states, if that makes sense.
S1 (15:09):
So you've hit on something that I think we need
to clarify for our listening audience. Um, we could sell
or you could, you could cross state lines with a
product like a shirt or a hat or, um, a
pair of socks or something with your brand on before
you could, you know, cross lines with the product with
(15:32):
cannabis because of federal it's federally illegal. So that would
be a benefit to a product that is like a merchandise.
Would you say?
S2 (15:42):
Exactly.
S1 (15:43):
Okay. All right, all right. So that sounds like that's
also kind of like an easier way for a person
to get into the cannabis business.
S2 (15:54):
Exactly.
S1 (15:54):
Is branding. Um, some merchandise or something?
S2 (15:59):
Yeah.
S1 (15:59):
Um, so as they do that, what are some of
the steps they might take?
S2 (16:05):
You know, I feel like community is always everything, so
I feel like you want to have a strong team
because you can't do everything by yourself. You know you
want to, but you need somebody for everything. You want
somebody who maybe can be your graphic designer. They've designed
your logo so they have that. They know future products
that you want. They can design that. Then you need
to have like a supplier for said merch. You know,
(16:26):
who's going to, you know, where these shirts coming from,
where these keychains coming from. So you need like a
wholesale supplier. That's one person of your team. So I
feel like you want to make sure that you have
a strong team and that everyone can get together. So
I feel like that's step one that will help everything
else flow together even better.
S1 (16:45):
How significant would it be to have celebrities with branding?
Is that something that, you know, somebody might say, well,
I got a brand idea, but I need to have
like somebody big to promote it.
S2 (16:56):
You know, influencer marketing is never going to die. It's
just always going to evolve. Personally, I just feel like
as long as they're a part, like if cannabis is
part of their brand, then go for it. Like if
you have Wiz or Snoop Dogg, of course, that'll be
like cool. But if you have like somebody I don't
know who's not really known for just like cannabis kind of,
(17:17):
you know, promoting the brand, it doesn't feel as authentic.
You'll still get a boost. Don't get me wrong, because
being a celebrity, you have some sort of influence, but
is it going to have that longevity and that genuineness
that you would want? I'm not sure. And I feel
like genuine is always going to be the number one thing,
you know, because people people know fake. And I feel like,
once again, you want that connection to your, your clientele.
(17:40):
They want to feel like they can, you know, return.
You want to create that loyalty and that foundation. So
it just feels fake. Then people are going to smell
that from a mile away.
S1 (17:49):
Would it be necessary for a person to, I guess,
be a consumer as they they if they want to
brand something that a non cannabis product, do they need
to be a consumer? Um.
S2 (18:05):
It's so funny because I just have mixed feelings on
this because I know there's people in the industry that
don't consume and I get it. But I also don't
I also don't I don't know, I feel like they'll
never be 100% on like, like know everything. They could
be very knowledgeable and smart. But I feel like you
(18:25):
still won't get that whole entire picture unless you're a,
you know, a part of it. Like if you I
don't know or I guess it could. It's just subject
to change. I won't say that. I won't say they
have to necessarily be a consumer, but I will say
it has to have had impact their life in some way.
I feel like, you know, so even if they know
somebody who's been affected by the war on drugs or
(18:48):
even something like that and that was personal to them,
then I understand. But I just feel like some people
are in this industry just because I don't know, accessibility.
I guess it can be.
S1 (18:59):
Okay.
S2 (18:59):
But I'm not really sure if they really care about,
you know, the wellness side of it or if they're just,
you know, acquiring their capital from it.
S1 (19:08):
So there are there aren't very many people like you,
which you're probably happy about that because your brand, you
want your brand to be specific and different.
S2 (19:19):
Right.
S1 (19:19):
Okay. Um, but I guess I'm referring to, um, women
in the cannabis industry. Um, there aren't that many, um, uh,
at your level. What's some advice that you would give
to ladies that want to get into the cannabis industry? Um,
trying to figure out how to do it because they
(19:40):
go in and they see a lot of men. So
they're thinking, oh, man, this is not for me.
S2 (19:44):
Yeah.
S1 (19:45):
What what would you tell them?
S2 (19:46):
You know, this industry is very tailored toward men, but
I feel like that's why it's up to us for,
you know, for us to just be loud and proud
about what is that we do. So whether that's starting
to create content or starting to go to events, you know,
find women in your community, find like minded, you know,
girls in your neighborhood, you can start small. Maybe it
(20:07):
can just be a group of young women just going
to the park and having a cute little sesh and
wanting to journal every, you know, week. And y'all brainstorm
something big. I just felt like it always starts with
the community. Don't ever think that you are alone because
you're not. There's a lot of women in this industry
and we're just trying to all uplift one another. And
(20:27):
I would say, like the women in this community, from
Florida to Arizona to now being out here in California,
they have been very welcoming. And I feel like that
is what's most important. Just unity, knowing that we're not competing.
We all want the same things and it's great. And
I feel like there's more and more of us emerging
in this industry every day, which is really exciting.
S1 (20:45):
What's your beginning in the industry? Um, a result of
you branding yourself, or had you been in the industry
before then?
S2 (20:52):
No, I was not in the industry. It was literally
a result. My dispensary that I worked in, they found me.
They told me to come in one day and they
offered me a job. I didn't even have to apply
or anything, but it was my dream job. I never
knew I was a marketer, you know, the formal term
for it. I always knew I had influence, I always
knew I had a large following, and now it's just
(21:13):
gotten me to where I am today. So now I know, like, okay,
this is what I'm supposed to be doing. Marketing in
the cannabis industry.
S1 (21:19):
Were you big in social media?
S2 (21:21):
I was, yeah.
S1 (21:21):
Because I hear that word. I hear the social media
and the influencer. I hear those together.
S2 (21:26):
Yes.
S1 (21:26):
Is that the way it's supposed to be, or is
that something that just happened?
S2 (21:31):
Yeah, I would definitely say I've always had like since
high school. I've just always been someone who who's known
a lot of people. And now that I've lived in
a few different places, I've just met even more people.
So I feel like just just go out there and
meet people like that is really the key is not
what you know all the time. Sometimes it's just who
you know and you never know, like who you might
come across in this industry that can see you and
(21:53):
see your talents and see your skills and see where
you can fit in this industry because there's so much room.
You know, you don't you could be corporate, you could
be out in the the labs, you could be out
in the harvest, like at the grow. You know, there's
just so much in retail. I just feel like there's
a lot of opportunities here.
S1 (22:10):
Are you working on anything right now? Are you working
with a company or with a group of people?
S2 (22:15):
No. Right now I am looking for a full time
job out here. You know, I'm new to San Diego.
We just officially, officially, like, got here in January, so.
S1 (22:23):
Oh, wow.
S2 (22:23):
We're still, like, unpacking. We're still, you know, trying to
get it together. But. March, I'm back out here. I'm
going starting to go to more events. You know, meeting
more people out here in the community. So they have
been really nice and welcoming. And I pray that I
find something out here soon.
S1 (22:38):
So chances are, um, folks that are listening to this podcast,
this episode might see you out in the community, uh,
doing stuff.
S2 (22:49):
They might.
S1 (22:49):
Or working for one of the the larger companies or
start up company or your own company.
S3 (22:54):
Or my own. Who knows?
S2 (22:56):
Opportunities are endless.
S1 (22:57):
Okay, so how would folks get in touch with you?
What would they.
S3 (23:01):
Yes.
S1 (23:01):
So they need to do to talk with you.
S2 (23:04):
So my email is blazin blazin with Bri w I
t h b r I at gmail.com. That's my direct,
you know, forum, but also on all my social medias
I'm blazin with Bri. Same thing b l a z
I n w I t h b r I.
S1 (23:20):
All right, all right. Fantastic. Well, listen, Bri, it has
been fantastic talking to you about this, um, branding and and,
if you will, women in the industry. Yes. I'm going
to have to have you. I definitely am going to
have to have you come back, especially when you decide
exactly where you're going to go.
S2 (23:39):
Yes.
S1 (23:40):
And so that you can, you know, give us an
update on what's happening. But what I'd like to do
before we go into, um, the formal part of the,
the program where we sign off is that we have
a little something for you.
S2 (23:55):
Gift.
S1 (23:55):
Okay. Yeah, yeah. Here we go. And kind of like
you to look at that.
S2 (24:01):
Okay.
S1 (24:01):
Yeah. Yeah. To see what you have there.
S2 (24:04):
Okay. Oh. Oh, is it my birthday?
S1 (24:10):
Well, it could be. It could be. We never asked
what your birthday was, but, uh. Or is.
S2 (24:15):
It's today.
S1 (24:16):
It's. Today is your birthday.
S2 (24:18):
Not for real, but it is now. It is. This
is amazing. Can I say what I got? Is it
a mystery? I have some jitter, Jeter. I got juiced. A.J..
I'm excited because I haven't even shopped out here yet.
S1 (24:33):
Well, where are you going? To shop. Where are you going?
To start shopping.
S2 (24:36):
Um, March and ash.
S1 (24:37):
There you.
S2 (24:38):
Go. March and ash, for sure. They have the best brands. Oh,
my gosh, I'm getting edibles. Wait. Sugar plum. This is amazing.
Oh my gosh. And there's so many different products in here.
And I love the ratios the CBD to THC products.
Those are amazing. I always recommend that as well. If
you are new to cannabis and you're trying to switch over, definitely.
(25:00):
Don't you know, be opposed to finding products that have
a mixture of both CBD and THC because it will
provide you a nice balance.
S1 (25:07):
And that's important. Yeah. You know, a lot of people
go into stores and they're going to dispensaries and they
the only word they know is THC. Let me get thc.
S2 (25:17):
Highest THC percentage. And that's not always, you know, the
make or break with good, you know, weed. But hopefully
that comes with just more education.
S1 (25:25):
There you go.
S2 (25:26):
And you know, we'll well it spanned. We'll provide more classes.
We'll have the things because I feel like that should
be a standard course nowadays, like a prereq cannabis ed.
S1 (25:35):
There you go. Yeah, I love it.
S2 (25:36):
I love it.
S1 (25:37):
Well, once again, Brie, thank you for being with me.
Being on cannabis enlighten. Um, and I know that you're
going to get some calls from people interested in what
you do, how you got to where you are, and
who knows, you may get that call from someone that says,
we need you to work for us. Like yesterday. Absolutely.
S2 (25:59):
Well, thank you for having me. This was honestly amazing.
Thank you for making me feel so comfortable. And I
cannot wait to talk to you again.
S1 (26:05):
Well, you're welcome. You're welcome. Thank you again. And if
you want to drop me a line, let me know
what you think, how you like the program I'm at
cannabis enlightened. Com. And remember, as we say, all the time.
All the time. Knowledge is power. See you again next time. Bye.
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