July 29, 2025 • 25 mins
Caroline Biesalski hosts Len May, who shares his personal journey with ADD and the role of cannabis in managing it. The discussion explores personalized health and wellness through DNA testing with endoDNA, highlighting the importance of genetic predispositions in dosing and insights from Len's books. Len delves into the neurodivergent spectrum and how personalized cannabis use can be beneficial. He shares his future goals and offers ways to connect with him. The episode concludes with final thoughts on finding meaning and purpose, emphasizing the impact of tailored approaches to health and wellness.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:02):
Hello, and welcome, inspired podcast community.
This is your new episode.
My name is Caroline, and my today's guest isLen May.
And I'm so happy that he said yes to ourinterview.
How are you doing today?
I'm great.
Thank you for having me on.
Appreciate it.
Thank you so much.
And I would like to introduce you to theaudience with a quick sentence today, and we
(00:27):
will find out the rest later.
You are the author of "Making CannabisPersonal" and "ADD Is a Superpower," and you
host the "Everything Is Personal" podcast.
Share your insights that push the boundaries ofpersonalized wellness.
Welcome to the inspired podcast, Len May.
(00:47):
Thank you so much.
Appreciate it.
Wow.
It is you.
And there are you know, when I when I wroteyour bio or or I I read your bio or and I I
transmuted it to introduce you.
Of course, there were so many new words for me,so this is why I I reduced it to the to, books.
These are books.
(01:07):
And and my first question to you is and youhave to help me with the pronunciation if I'm
wrong.
How does EndoDNA's DNA-based technologyrevolutionize the way individuals approach
their health and wellness?
Yeah.
It's an excellent question.
So and you got it right.
It's EndoDNA.
One of the challenges I always thought about iswhen you go to see a doctor, the doctor tells
(01:33):
you, okay.
Now take two of these, whatever they are.
And I always question, you know, why am I beingtold to take two?
The person next to me is being told to taketwo.
Why am I not taking four?
Why is this person not taking one?
So I thought about how can we approach healthand wellness as really a personalized approach
(01:57):
because we're all individuals.
And what makes us different?
Well, it starts with your genetics.
So your DNA, you know, you get your 50% fromyour mother, 50% from your father.
But what others need to understand is that yourgenetics, think about it as a bunch of on-off
switches.
And you have certain genes that are turned onwhen you're born.
(02:21):
So your hair color, your eye color, your skincolor, some of the, you know, the
predisposition of how tall you're gonna be.
All these different things are in your genes,but then the rest of your genes, it's lifestyle
choices that turn those epigenetic expressionsof your genes on or off.
(02:42):
So you're not locked into your genetics.
You can then follow that, your genetics, assort of your GPS of life.
So when you do your DNA test, you can see wherein your own road of life, where your potholes
are, where there's a traffic jam, where there'san accident.
(03:05):
So you can avoid those areas, so you canmitigate your own, you can work on mitigating
your own possible adverse events so you can geta personalized experience with your health and
wellness.
So doing your DNA test first, helping ahealthcare professional create a personalized
treatment protocol that's specific to theindividual, and in measuring that, what is
(03:29):
being expressed?
We also, as individuals, have the power tocontrol our epigenetic expression.
And how do you control that?
Through lifestyle choices.
So the food that we put in our bodies, they canhelp turn those switches on or off.
The exposure to heavy metals, pesticides, allthese different things, they also can turn
(03:52):
those switches on or off.
And then our own neurochemistry, and what Imean by that is stress, hormones, all these
different things can also trigger theexpression of our DNA.
So that's what the company does.
We do genetic testing, analysis, and epigenetictesting to make sure that people have a
(04:15):
personalized experience with their health andwellness.
Wow.
What a great answer.
Thank you so much for explaining it to me.
I did not know this.
I only know, like, what we learn about DNA, butalso about finding out about your ancestry.
I think this is the word.
Right?
You can do a DNA test.
I did this once.
(04:36):
It was funny.
But now when it comes to health or choices,then it's a little bit serious as well.
Of course, I have another question for you.
What inspired your mission to integrategenomics and the endocannabinoid system into
personalized medicine?
(04:56):
Yeah.
It's a long answer because it has to do with myown genetics and my own background.
So when I was a kid, I would sit in class andsort of daydream.
My brain would go elsewhere, and the teacherwould call on me, and I wasn't there.
(05:17):
I was thinking because I wasn't stimulated.
I was bored in class, so I wasn't payingattention.
So at some point, I became disruptive maybebecause I was still not being stimulated.
So I got diagnosed with ADD, attention deficitdisorder.
And I think we do a disservice to people whenwe diagnose them with a disorder.
(05:40):
That means that something is wrong with you,and we stigmatize them and put a label on them.
And I was given prescription medication forthat.
And I can't say it didn't work depending onwhat you mean by work.
Like, it actually helped me to focus, but itremoved my sense of self.
So I had a disattachment to my own feelings.
(06:02):
And I would go through the day, and there wereno real feelings.
It was a numbing sensation.
So I was hanging out with some older kids, andthey asked me if I wanted to smoke a cigarette.
I was like, oh, cool.
I'll hang out with the cool kids.
I'll smoke a cigarette because that was thething to do where I was, you know, going to
(06:23):
high school.
And they had one cigarette, and they passedaround one cigarette.
I never questioned why it was one.
And when I took a drag, it tasted differentthan the regular cigarette that I consumed.
So I took another hit or a drag, and they werelaughing at me, and they put cannabis in the
cigarette.
(06:44):
And when I went back to class, the windows thatwere in my head narrowed, and I could focus.
So it sort of became my go-to medicine.
And I was able to get rid of all the othermedication I was on and use cannabis.
My parents didn't really care for that thatmuch.
They, in my later teens, ended up kicking meout of the house, actually calling the police
(07:09):
to have me arrested, which they didn't do, butthey kicked me out.
And the irony of this is my parents consume,you know, formulations and products that my
company has patents on now, so it came fullcircle.
So the idea was, you know, it's medicine forme, and I didn't know there was medicine for
anybody else.
(07:30):
So I got a job at a music store called TowerRecords, while I was, you know, trying to go to
college.
And, I was invited to a music festival.
And I saw there was a banner.
These kids had a banner called the CannabisAction Network.
And, I came up and I said, what are you guysdoing?
They said, we're registering people to vote.
(07:51):
I said, oh, what else are you doing?
And that was it.
So I became the president of the CannabisAction Network.
I held a rally in Philadelphia where I'm from.
I live in Los Angeles now, but I grew up inPhiladelphia.
And I held the rally at Independence Hall, forlegalization.
My keynote speaker was this woman named ElvyMusikka.
She was one of the first people to getfederally prescribed cannabis for her
(08:15):
degenerative glaucoma.
So long story, a little bit longer.
The next morning, everybody stayed in my house.
The next morning, we got woken up to a loudnoise, and Elvy walked into a sculpture that I
had in my house and broke it.
She felt really bad, but she was legally blind.
She couldn't see until she medicated withcannabis.
(08:36):
So it gave me sort of a light bulb moment.
I said, well, wait a second.
This plant works for her, for her glaucoma.
It also works for me for my ADD, but it'sdifferent.
So how does it work?
So I really took a deep dive into theunderstanding of the endocannabinoid system,
which I can describe if you would want.
And then years later, through going throughcorporate journeys and a lot of different
(09:01):
things, I was a commercial real estate broker,moved to Los Angeles, and I got into the
dispensary business.
And one of the things that I've noticed is twopeople will consume the same varietal of
cannabis and have a completely differentexperience.
So I started working on the genetic side of theplant and then focusing on the human side, and
(09:23):
then had an idea.
Like, we have plant genetics here.
We have human genetics here.
Let's bring those two together to help guidepeople to a more personalized experience so
they can avoid a possible adverse event thatthey may be genetically predisposed to.
So that was sort of my journey.
Wow.
That was a long answer, but I understood.
And what I love most was the term personalizedexperience.
(09:47):
And when you talked about first the doctorprescribing for the same for two persons or two
different persons, and I thought how it is withthe cannabis.
Is it because yeah.
You mentioned they have different experiences,but you did not talk yet about the doses?
(10:09):
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's interesting, so the thing that people needto understand, it's not about the cannabis, the
phytocannabinoids.
It's about your own endocannabinoid system.
So we have this system.
It was discovered in 1992 by an Israeliscientist, Dr.
Raphael Mechoulam.
(10:30):
And this system, the endocannabinoid system, isa primary modulating system.
So its goal is to maintain balance orhomeostasis within the individual bodies.
And the way that it does that, it gets signalsfrom the other system, sends it up the central
nervous system like salmon swimming upstream tothe brain, and your brain makes a decision
(10:54):
which endogenous, means that we createourselves, which endogenous endocannabinoids to
excrete.
So the first one is called anandamide.
So the word ananda in Sanskrit means bliss.
So this is our bliss molecule.
And this is what we excrete when we have, like,when we're running and we get the runner's
(11:15):
high, we're at the gym, or we're doingsomething exciting.
We release that endogenous endocannabinoid.
The other one is called 2-AG.
So when we have deficiencies in our ownnaturally producing endocannabinoids, there's
an imbalance in our system.
(11:36):
So the plant, phytocannabinoids from the plant,when you heat it, it binds to your CB1
receptors, which are located in our brain andcentral nervous system, and it releases
anandamide.
And, so that's delta-9 THC.
And when we consume CBD, in its decarboxylatedform, it has an affinity for the CB2 receptors,
(11:59):
and it actually releases 2-AG.
So when you understand your geneticpredisposition, there's a couple of things in
terms of dosing that come to mind.
What does your overall endocannabinoid systemlook like?
Where do you have potential deficiencies?
Are you prone to anxiety and stress?
So if you're taking something that can promotethat, it'll turn that expression on.
(12:24):
If you're prone to more depressive states, samekind of thing.
What are you trying to address?
Are you having sleeping issues?
These are the things that you have to remember.
And the plant itself has over 400 differentcomponents in it.
So to match the cannabinoids and the terpenes,the essential oils in the plant to the
individual, that's part of the art that you'redoing as well.
(12:46):
And the second part of dosing is we have ametabolic function.
So how we metabolize different things and, youknow, those two pills versus one that the
doctor tells you, that's controlled by how wemetabolize.
So there's a series of genes called cytochromep four fifty, c y p four fifty.
(13:07):
Each 1 of these produces an enzyme that helpsmetabolize something.
So there's 1 for gluten.
People have the gluten sensitivities.
That is a a genotype for that.
Some people, have lactose sensitivities.
There's a gene for that, how we metabolizelactose.
Well, there are specific ones for cannabinoidsas well, CYP 2 c 9, 1 9 3 8 4.
(13:29):
So understand your genetic predisposition alongwith the, metabolic function that'll help to
guide an individual on exactly how to dose andwhat type of ratio of cannabinoids and terpenes
to put in their bodies.
Wow.
What a great answer.
Again, yes.
So that means, first, we have the notdiagnosis.
(13:53):
I don't like the word.
So you do DNA tests with the people to find outtheir let's say predisposition or disposition,
something like that.
And so how can we connect with you if we areinterested in working with you?
Yeah.
I mean, EndoDNA, e n d o d n a dot com, that's,our website.
(14:20):
And, I'm available on all social platforms,LinkedIn, Lenmay, l e n m a y.
On Instagram, I'm Lenmay DNA.
So anywhere that you, can reach out, I'm I'mavailable on all the platforms.
I love it.
Thank you so much.
(14:40):
You have at least one follower more.
It's me now.
I'm very interested.
Thank you for our interview.
Of course, I have more questions for you.
Let's take a look.
What insights do you hope readers gain fromyour books, "Making Cannabis Personal," and
"ADD Is a Superpower"?
(15:00):
Well, the reason why I wrote the book in thefirst place was twofold.
"Making Cannabis Personal," the reason why Iwrote that is that I have a personal story, and
I want people to understand my story.
And then the other thing is I wanted tohighlight other people's stories.
They had experiences with cannabis thatsomebody else may be able to relate to.
(15:25):
So, like, to give you an example of a story,there was a woman I call Grandma Mary.
She was living in an assisted living facility,and she was diagnosed with cancer.
And she was getting her chemotherapy andtreatment.
And she was experiencing really bad adverseeffects from her treatment.
So her doctor suggested, you know, cannabis, tohelp her with those symptoms.
(15:49):
So she went to a store dispensary, and, youknow, the budtender there told her, take these
gummies, but don't take too much.
So she went back.
I don't know how many she had.
One, two.
And she said nothing was happening for a while.
And then she had such an extreme experience.
She said she was almost hallucinating.
(16:11):
She was high for two days, and she really had areally bad experience and then went around and
started telling people to stay away from thedevil's lettuce.
Well, until she did the DNA test, understoodthat first of all, she was a poor metabolizer,
so eating was probably not the best choice.
(16:32):
Number two, she had predispositions to stressreactivity, to PTSD, a slow rate of fear
extinction.
So she had trauma in her life.
Under duress, that trauma could have beenpulled up, and she had to deal with that in the
ongoing present.
So when she got her cannabinoid-to-terpeneratio, there was more aligned with her.
(16:54):
The method of consumption was a tincture.
So it was sublingual delivery under her tongue,so it would bypass her liver.
So she didn't have to worry about being a poormetabolizer.
It could just go through the sublingual cavityinto her bloodstream.
And then when she got her ratio, she wouldactually walk around the facility where she was
(17:14):
getting her chemo, and she would give out ourbusiness cards for other people to say that
this can help.
So the book, I wanted to have this notion of,you know, part my story, part the story of
other people, veterans, like Grandma Mary, etc.
And somebody may be able to say, that's me.
(17:35):
I had this experience.
So now they can have the relationship with theindividual that I wrote the book about.
So that's the impetus.
And the second book on ADD, that was what Imentioned before.
This notion of we have a disorder, and I thinkof it as an advantage.
(17:55):
It is a superpower.
So when you're able to create structure foryourself that you know that you have this, you
know, ability to multitask more effectivelythan others.
Well, if you create structure for yourself, youcan actually use that as a superpower instead
of being labeled with somebody who has adisorder.
(18:17):
So those are the reasons why, you know, thebooks were out.
Oh, thank you so much for sharing also for thesuccess story.
This would have been my next question, by theway, if you can share the success story you
already did.
And I also love how you talked about this wasearlier about the effect that cannabis had on
(18:40):
to help you to focus more.
And I heard it before that those medicine let'ssay medicine in general can have the opposite
effect, whether you are neurodiverse orneurotypical.
How is the word?
Yes.
Yeah.
What would you say about this?
(19:01):
Yeah.
And that's why, you know, that's why you do thetest because neurodivergent people, they have a
different cannabinoid and terpene profile.
Like, there's one single FDA-approved drugusing phytocannabinoids for Dravet, or it's a
form of epilepsy, seizure disorder, I guess,seizure condition.
(19:26):
So when you look to see how cannabis and that'swhy I was talking about LVME, we're both using
cannabis to address different kinds of things.
So when you know your cannabinoid terpeneprofile, it'll help to alleviate some of those
symptoms.
But for other people, that same ratio canactually exacerbate some of those
predispositions.
(19:47):
So when you are taking a formulation that'smore aligned to the individual, the idea is to
know what to avoid, what doesn't work for you.
So if you know that gluten isn't good for you,that it may give you inflammation, then you
avoid that.
But without you understanding and knowing that,that becomes the challenge.
So you have to be able to understandindividually what things may be more aligned,
(20:11):
which may work better or worse, and also thesymptomatic condition that you want to address.
So from a neurodivergent spectrum kind ofapproach, we have a woman, there's a
testimonial on our site, but we have a womanthat reached out to us.
She has two kids, both on the spectrum.
And the challenges she was facing with her kidswere very, very disruptive, especially one in
(20:37):
school.
And the school, you know, gave them warningsthat they may have to leave the school if this
continues.
And the second thing was sleep.
The kids are not sleeping through the night.
They're overly stimulated or whatever that is.
So when we did their DNA test, the formulationsthat were suggested based on the platform, she
was able to give that to her kids.
(20:57):
Very low THC, more CBD, but different essentialoil terpene profiles.
She sent us a testimonial, said the schoolreached out.
She goes, I don't know what you're doing, butkeep doing what you're doing.
The kids totally changed.
They have a different approach in class.
They're paying attention.
They're not disruptive.
And then she said, it's a miracle because we'regetting nine, ten hours of sleep a night.
(21:20):
So that's why we have to figure out what worksfor the individuals specifically and make those
recommendations accordingly.
Wow.
This is a great story that helps a lot of,let's say, parents because they decide for
their kids.
Yes.
I am one of them, by the way, and we hadseveral years in finding out what helps and
(21:44):
what doesn't.
And, yeah, thank you so much for sharing.
I have one last question for you.
It is about your goals.
Do you set goals for yourself or intentions,and what is one of your next projects?
Well, I definitely set goals for myself, veryfocused on setting goals.
(22:05):
And, you know, the next project is the abilityto have a conversation with your genetics.
And what I mean by that is, we have a patent ona machine learning algorithm.
Our test is not only the endocannabinoid systemtest.
So it's precision health and wellness.
We have a test for female hormone health calledmenopause biotype.
(22:25):
So it allows doctors to know if somebody's agood candidate for hormone replacement therapy
or if they have predispositions to things likehot flash severity.
We also have a male hormone health test.
We have a skin test.
We have a nutrient genomic test to understandwhat nutrients and vitamins are more geared to
the individual.
We even have a canine test.
(22:46):
So the next iteration of where we're going isthe ability to dynamically create DNA reports.
So based on your genome, you can interact, or adoctor can interact with your genetics and say,
show me all the inflammatory markers for thisperson.
Now from there, you can say, cross-referencethat with any drug interactions.
(23:09):
So it'll create dynamic reports on the fly forindividuals and will really change the way
health and wellness is done.
So my overall mission this year is to have thelargest repository of efficacy data for health
care professionals to use because the nextperson that comes through will say, well, there
(23:30):
are 100 people that have used this protocolthat have similar genetics to this person, and
this will make a suggestion to the health careprofessional that they can learn based on that
experience.
So that's the next step in our business.
Wow.
Thank you so much for sharing.
I love your project.
It's a great contribution for, I would say,health and humanity.
(23:52):
Of course, thank you for doing this, and thanksfor our interview.
Now is time for your final thoughts to theaudience, please.
Final thoughts are, you know, I've done a lotof things in my life, and you have to do things
that light you up.
(24:12):
And this is the main thing that gives you thatpleasure, that purpose, that sense of, you
know, puts a smile on your face.
And, you know, I had a lot of coaching, andI've been a coach myself.
And one of the things that people talk about ispurpose.
You have to discover your purpose.
And I agree with that.
I actually think that passion and purpose havean association with meaning.
(24:38):
So if you find meaning in the work that you'redoing, you can then find a purpose and get
passionate on your own by doing that.
So I don't think everybody needs to, you know,live your life, try and discover your passion.
Be passionate, find meaning in your work, andif you no longer are getting that, it's okay to
(25:01):
do something else outside of that.
So don't feel that you have to put yourself ina box, and this is the box you have to stay in.
It's one life, and we can navigate.
There's not a straight line journey.
The journey can be, you know, going all overthe place until you find where you need to be,
and that being may not be a permanent space tobegin with.
(25:24):
So be flexible and give yourself love.
Wow.
That's the best message.
Thank you so much.
I'm inspired now.
Alright.
Thank
you.
And I'll see you in the next epi
Hello, and welcome, inspired podcast community.
This is your new episode.
My name is Caroline, and my today's guest isLen May.
And I'm so happy that he said yes to ourinterview.
How are you doing today?
I'm great.
Thank you for having me on.
Appreciate it.
Thank you so much.
And I would like to introduce you to theaudience with a quick sentence today, and we
(00:27):
will find out the rest later.
You are the author of "Making CannabisPersonal" and "ADD Is a Superpower," and you
host the "Everything Is Personal" podcast.
Share your insights that push the boundaries ofpersonalized wellness.
Welcome to the inspired podcast, Len May.
(00:47):
Thank you so much.
Appreciate it.
Wow.
It is you.
And there are you know, when I when I wroteyour bio or or I I read your bio or and I I
transmuted it to introduce you.
Of course, there were so many new words for me,so this is why I I reduced it to the to, books.
These are books.
(01:07):
And and my first question to you is and youhave to help me with the pronunciation if I'm
wrong.
How does EndoDNA's DNA-based technologyrevolutionize the way individuals approach
their health and wellness?
Yeah.
It's an excellent question.
So and you got it right.
It's EndoDNA.
One of the challenges I always thought about iswhen you go to see a doctor, the doctor tells
(01:33):
you, okay.
Now take two of these, whatever they are.
And I always question, you know, why am I beingtold to take two?
The person next to me is being told to taketwo.
Why am I not taking four?
Why is this person not taking one?
So I thought about how can we approach healthand wellness as really a personalized approach
(01:57):
because we're all individuals.
And what makes us different?
Well, it starts with your genetics.
So your DNA, you know, you get your 50% fromyour mother, 50% from your father.
But what others need to understand is that yourgenetics, think about it as a bunch of on-off
switches.
And you have certain genes that are turned onwhen you're born.
(02:21):
So your hair color, your eye color, your skincolor, some of the, you know, the
predisposition of how tall you're gonna be.
All these different things are in your genes,but then the rest of your genes, it's lifestyle
choices that turn those epigenetic expressionsof your genes on or off.
(02:42):
So you're not locked into your genetics.
You can then follow that, your genetics, assort of your GPS of life.
So when you do your DNA test, you can see wherein your own road of life, where your potholes
are, where there's a traffic jam, where there'san accident.
(03:05):
So you can avoid those areas, so you canmitigate your own, you can work on mitigating
your own possible adverse events so you can geta personalized experience with your health and
wellness.
So doing your DNA test first, helping ahealthcare professional create a personalized
treatment protocol that's specific to theindividual, and in measuring that, what is
(03:29):
being expressed?
We also, as individuals, have the power tocontrol our epigenetic expression.
And how do you control that?
Through lifestyle choices.
So the food that we put in our bodies, they canhelp turn those switches on or off.
The exposure to heavy metals, pesticides, allthese different things, they also can turn
(03:52):
those switches on or off.
And then our own neurochemistry, and what Imean by that is stress, hormones, all these
different things can also trigger theexpression of our DNA.
So that's what the company does.
We do genetic testing, analysis, and epigenetictesting to make sure that people have a
(04:15):
personalized experience with their health andwellness.
Wow.
What a great answer.
Thank you so much for explaining it to me.
I did not know this.
I only know, like, what we learn about DNA, butalso about finding out about your ancestry.
I think this is the word.
Right?
You can do a DNA test.
I did this once.
(04:36):
It was funny.
But now when it comes to health or choices,then it's a little bit serious as well.
Of course, I have another question for you.
What inspired your mission to integrategenomics and the endocannabinoid system into
personalized medicine?
(04:56):
Yeah.
It's a long answer because it has to do with myown genetics and my own background.
So when I was a kid, I would sit in class andsort of daydream.
My brain would go elsewhere, and the teacherwould call on me, and I wasn't there.
(05:17):
I was thinking because I wasn't stimulated.
I was bored in class, so I wasn't payingattention.
So at some point, I became disruptive maybebecause I was still not being stimulated.
So I got diagnosed with ADD, attention deficitdisorder.
And I think we do a disservice to people whenwe diagnose them with a disorder.
(05:40):
That means that something is wrong with you,and we stigmatize them and put a label on them.
And I was given prescription medication forthat.
And I can't say it didn't work depending onwhat you mean by work.
Like, it actually helped me to focus, but itremoved my sense of self.
So I had a disattachment to my own feelings.
(06:02):
And I would go through the day, and there wereno real feelings.
It was a numbing sensation.
So I was hanging out with some older kids, andthey asked me if I wanted to smoke a cigarette.
I was like, oh, cool.
I'll hang out with the cool kids.
I'll smoke a cigarette because that was thething to do where I was, you know, going to
(06:23):
high school.
And they had one cigarette, and they passedaround one cigarette.
I never questioned why it was one.
And when I took a drag, it tasted differentthan the regular cigarette that I consumed.
So I took another hit or a drag, and they werelaughing at me, and they put cannabis in the
cigarette.
(06:44):
And when I went back to class, the windows thatwere in my head narrowed, and I could focus.
So it sort of became my go-to medicine.
And I was able to get rid of all the othermedication I was on and use cannabis.
My parents didn't really care for that thatmuch.
They, in my later teens, ended up kicking meout of the house, actually calling the police
(07:09):
to have me arrested, which they didn't do, butthey kicked me out.
And the irony of this is my parents consume,you know, formulations and products that my
company has patents on now, so it came fullcircle.
So the idea was, you know, it's medicine forme, and I didn't know there was medicine for
anybody else.
(07:30):
So I got a job at a music store called TowerRecords, while I was, you know, trying to go to
college.
And, I was invited to a music festival.
And I saw there was a banner.
These kids had a banner called the CannabisAction Network.
And, I came up and I said, what are you guysdoing?
They said, we're registering people to vote.
(07:51):
I said, oh, what else are you doing?
And that was it.
So I became the president of the CannabisAction Network.
I held a rally in Philadelphia where I'm from.
I live in Los Angeles now, but I grew up inPhiladelphia.
And I held the rally at Independence Hall, forlegalization.
My keynote speaker was this woman named ElvyMusikka.
She was one of the first people to getfederally prescribed cannabis for her
(08:15):
degenerative glaucoma.
So long story, a little bit longer.
The next morning, everybody stayed in my house.
The next morning, we got woken up to a loudnoise, and Elvy walked into a sculpture that I
had in my house and broke it.
She felt really bad, but she was legally blind.
She couldn't see until she medicated withcannabis.
(08:36):
So it gave me sort of a light bulb moment.
I said, well, wait a second.
This plant works for her, for her glaucoma.
It also works for me for my ADD, but it'sdifferent.
So how does it work?
So I really took a deep dive into theunderstanding of the endocannabinoid system,
which I can describe if you would want.
And then years later, through going throughcorporate journeys and a lot of different
(09:01):
things, I was a commercial real estate broker,moved to Los Angeles, and I got into the
dispensary business.
And one of the things that I've noticed is twopeople will consume the same varietal of
cannabis and have a completely differentexperience.
So I started working on the genetic side of theplant and then focusing on the human side, and
(09:23):
then had an idea.
Like, we have plant genetics here.
We have human genetics here.
Let's bring those two together to help guidepeople to a more personalized experience so
they can avoid a possible adverse event thatthey may be genetically predisposed to.
So that was sort of my journey.
Wow.
That was a long answer, but I understood.
And what I love most was the term personalizedexperience.
(09:47):
And when you talked about first the doctorprescribing for the same for two persons or two
different persons, and I thought how it is withthe cannabis.
Is it because yeah.
You mentioned they have different experiences,but you did not talk yet about the doses?
(10:09):
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's interesting, so the thing that people needto understand, it's not about the cannabis, the
phytocannabinoids.
It's about your own endocannabinoid system.
So we have this system.
It was discovered in 1992 by an Israeliscientist, Dr.
Raphael Mechoulam.
(10:30):
And this system, the endocannabinoid system, isa primary modulating system.
So its goal is to maintain balance orhomeostasis within the individual bodies.
And the way that it does that, it gets signalsfrom the other system, sends it up the central
nervous system like salmon swimming upstream tothe brain, and your brain makes a decision
(10:54):
which endogenous, means that we createourselves, which endogenous endocannabinoids to
excrete.
So the first one is called anandamide.
So the word ananda in Sanskrit means bliss.
So this is our bliss molecule.
And this is what we excrete when we have, like,when we're running and we get the runner's
(11:15):
high, we're at the gym, or we're doingsomething exciting.
We release that endogenous endocannabinoid.
The other one is called 2-AG.
So when we have deficiencies in our ownnaturally producing endocannabinoids, there's
an imbalance in our system.
(11:36):
So the plant, phytocannabinoids from the plant,when you heat it, it binds to your CB1
receptors, which are located in our brain andcentral nervous system, and it releases
anandamide.
And, so that's delta-9 THC.
And when we consume CBD, in its decarboxylatedform, it has an affinity for the CB2 receptors,
(11:59):
and it actually releases 2-AG.
So when you understand your geneticpredisposition, there's a couple of things in
terms of dosing that come to mind.
What does your overall endocannabinoid systemlook like?
Where do you have potential deficiencies?
Are you prone to anxiety and stress?
So if you're taking something that can promotethat, it'll turn that expression on.
(12:24):
If you're prone to more depressive states, samekind of thing.
What are you trying to address?
Are you having sleeping issues?
These are the things that you have to remember.
And the plant itself has over 400 differentcomponents in it.
So to match the cannabinoids and the terpenes,the essential oils in the plant to the
individual, that's part of the art that you'redoing as well.
(12:46):
And the second part of dosing is we have ametabolic function.
So how we metabolize different things and, youknow, those two pills versus one that the
doctor tells you, that's controlled by how wemetabolize.
So there's a series of genes called cytochromep four fifty, c y p four fifty.
(13:07):
Each 1 of these produces an enzyme that helpsmetabolize something.
So there's 1 for gluten.
People have the gluten sensitivities.
That is a a genotype for that.
Some people, have lactose sensitivities.
There's a gene for that, how we metabolizelactose.
Well, there are specific ones for cannabinoidsas well, CYP 2 c 9, 1 9 3 8 4.
(13:29):
So understand your genetic predisposition alongwith the, metabolic function that'll help to
guide an individual on exactly how to dose andwhat type of ratio of cannabinoids and terpenes
to put in their bodies.
Wow.
What a great answer.
Again, yes.
So that means, first, we have the notdiagnosis.
(13:53):
I don't like the word.
So you do DNA tests with the people to find outtheir let's say predisposition or disposition,
something like that.
And so how can we connect with you if we areinterested in working with you?
Yeah.
I mean, EndoDNA, e n d o d n a dot com, that's,our website.
(14:20):
And, I'm available on all social platforms,LinkedIn, Lenmay, l e n m a y.
On Instagram, I'm Lenmay DNA.
So anywhere that you, can reach out, I'm I'mavailable on all the platforms.
I love it.
Thank you so much.
(14:40):
You have at least one follower more.
It's me now.
I'm very interested.
Thank you for our interview.
Of course, I have more questions for you.
Let's take a look.
What insights do you hope readers gain fromyour books, "Making Cannabis Personal," and
"ADD Is a Superpower"?
(15:00):
Well, the reason why I wrote the book in thefirst place was twofold.
"Making Cannabis Personal," the reason why Iwrote that is that I have a personal story, and
I want people to understand my story.
And then the other thing is I wanted tohighlight other people's stories.
They had experiences with cannabis thatsomebody else may be able to relate to.
(15:25):
So, like, to give you an example of a story,there was a woman I call Grandma Mary.
She was living in an assisted living facility,and she was diagnosed with cancer.
And she was getting her chemotherapy andtreatment.
And she was experiencing really bad adverseeffects from her treatment.
So her doctor suggested, you know, cannabis, tohelp her with those symptoms.
(15:49):
So she went to a store dispensary, and, youknow, the budtender there told her, take these
gummies, but don't take too much.
So she went back.
I don't know how many she had.
One, two.
And she said nothing was happening for a while.
And then she had such an extreme experience.
She said she was almost hallucinating.
(16:11):
She was high for two days, and she really had areally bad experience and then went around and
started telling people to stay away from thedevil's lettuce.
Well, until she did the DNA test, understoodthat first of all, she was a poor metabolizer,
so eating was probably not the best choice.
(16:32):
Number two, she had predispositions to stressreactivity, to PTSD, a slow rate of fear
extinction.
So she had trauma in her life.
Under duress, that trauma could have beenpulled up, and she had to deal with that in the
ongoing present.
So when she got her cannabinoid-to-terpeneratio, there was more aligned with her.
(16:54):
The method of consumption was a tincture.
So it was sublingual delivery under her tongue,so it would bypass her liver.
So she didn't have to worry about being a poormetabolizer.
It could just go through the sublingual cavityinto her bloodstream.
And then when she got her ratio, she wouldactually walk around the facility where she was
(17:14):
getting her chemo, and she would give out ourbusiness cards for other people to say that
this can help.
So the book, I wanted to have this notion of,you know, part my story, part the story of
other people, veterans, like Grandma Mary, etc.
And somebody may be able to say, that's me.
(17:35):
I had this experience.
So now they can have the relationship with theindividual that I wrote the book about.
So that's the impetus.
And the second book on ADD, that was what Imentioned before.
This notion of we have a disorder, and I thinkof it as an advantage.
(17:55):
It is a superpower.
So when you're able to create structure foryourself that you know that you have this, you
know, ability to multitask more effectivelythan others.
Well, if you create structure for yourself, youcan actually use that as a superpower instead
of being labeled with somebody who has adisorder.
(18:17):
So those are the reasons why, you know, thebooks were out.
Oh, thank you so much for sharing also for thesuccess story.
This would have been my next question, by theway, if you can share the success story you
already did.
And I also love how you talked about this wasearlier about the effect that cannabis had on
(18:40):
to help you to focus more.
And I heard it before that those medicine let'ssay medicine in general can have the opposite
effect, whether you are neurodiverse orneurotypical.
How is the word?
Yes.
Yeah.
What would you say about this?
(19:01):
Yeah.
And that's why, you know, that's why you do thetest because neurodivergent people, they have a
different cannabinoid and terpene profile.
Like, there's one single FDA-approved drugusing phytocannabinoids for Dravet, or it's a
form of epilepsy, seizure disorder, I guess,seizure condition.
(19:26):
So when you look to see how cannabis and that'swhy I was talking about LVME, we're both using
cannabis to address different kinds of things.
So when you know your cannabinoid terpeneprofile, it'll help to alleviate some of those
symptoms.
But for other people, that same ratio canactually exacerbate some of those
predispositions.
(19:47):
So when you are taking a formulation that'smore aligned to the individual, the idea is to
know what to avoid, what doesn't work for you.
So if you know that gluten isn't good for you,that it may give you inflammation, then you
avoid that.
But without you understanding and knowing that,that becomes the challenge.
So you have to be able to understandindividually what things may be more aligned,
(20:11):
which may work better or worse, and also thesymptomatic condition that you want to address.
So from a neurodivergent spectrum kind ofapproach, we have a woman, there's a
testimonial on our site, but we have a womanthat reached out to us.
She has two kids, both on the spectrum.
And the challenges she was facing with her kidswere very, very disruptive, especially one in
(20:37):
school.
And the school, you know, gave them warningsthat they may have to leave the school if this
continues.
And the second thing was sleep.
The kids are not sleeping through the night.
They're overly stimulated or whatever that is.
So when we did their DNA test, the formulationsthat were suggested based on the platform, she
was able to give that to her kids.
(20:57):
Very low THC, more CBD, but different essentialoil terpene profiles.
She sent us a testimonial, said the schoolreached out.
She goes, I don't know what you're doing, butkeep doing what you're doing.
The kids totally changed.
They have a different approach in class.
They're paying attention.
They're not disruptive.
And then she said, it's a miracle because we'regetting nine, ten hours of sleep a night.
(21:20):
So that's why we have to figure out what worksfor the individuals specifically and make those
recommendations accordingly.
Wow.
This is a great story that helps a lot of,let's say, parents because they decide for
their kids.
Yes.
I am one of them, by the way, and we hadseveral years in finding out what helps and
(21:44):
what doesn't.
And, yeah, thank you so much for sharing.
I have one last question for you.
It is about your goals.
Do you set goals for yourself or intentions,and what is one of your next projects?
Well, I definitely set goals for myself, veryfocused on setting goals.
(22:05):
And, you know, the next project is the abilityto have a conversation with your genetics.
And what I mean by that is, we have a patent ona machine learning algorithm.
Our test is not only the endocannabinoid systemtest.
So it's precision health and wellness.
We have a test for female hormone health calledmenopause biotype.
(22:25):
So it allows doctors to know if somebody's agood candidate for hormone replacement therapy
or if they have predispositions to things likehot flash severity.
We also have a male hormone health test.
We have a skin test.
We have a nutrient genomic test to understandwhat nutrients and vitamins are more geared to
the individual.
We even have a canine test.
(22:46):
So the next iteration of where we're going isthe ability to dynamically create DNA reports.
So based on your genome, you can interact, or adoctor can interact with your genetics and say,
show me all the inflammatory markers for thisperson.
Now from there, you can say, cross-referencethat with any drug interactions.
(23:09):
So it'll create dynamic reports on the fly forindividuals and will really change the way
health and wellness is done.
So my overall mission this year is to have thelargest repository of efficacy data for health
care professionals to use because the nextperson that comes through will say, well, there
(23:30):
are 100 people that have used this protocolthat have similar genetics to this person, and
this will make a suggestion to the health careprofessional that they can learn based on that
experience.
So that's the next step in our business.
Wow.
Thank you so much for sharing.
I love your project.
It's a great contribution for, I would say,health and humanity.
(23:52):
Of course, thank you for doing this, and thanksfor our interview.
Now is time for your final thoughts to theaudience, please.
Final thoughts are, you know, I've done a lotof things in my life, and you have to do things
that light you up.
(24:12):
And this is the main thing that gives you thatpleasure, that purpose, that sense of, you
know, puts a smile on your face.
And, you know, I had a lot of coaching, andI've been a coach myself.
And one of the things that people talk about ispurpose.
You have to discover your purpose.
And I agree with that.
I actually think that passion and purpose havean association with meaning.
(24:38):
So if you find meaning in the work that you'redoing, you can then find a purpose and get
passionate on your own by doing that.
So I don't think everybody needs to, you know,live your life, try and discover your passion.
Be passionate, find meaning in your work, andif you no longer are getting that, it's okay to
(25:01):
do something else outside of that.
So don't feel that you have to put yourself ina box, and this is the box you have to stay in.
It's one life, and we can navigate.
There's not a straight line journey.
The journey can be, you know, going all overthe place until you find where you need to be,
and that being may not be a permanent space tobegin with.
(25:24):
So be flexible and give yourself love.
Wow.
That's the best message.
Thank you so much.
I'm inspired now.
Alright.
Thank
you.
And I'll see you in the next epi
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