2018

The Year that Changed Everything

After breaking her femur in 2018, my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. I became her primary caregiver — a role that meant navigating an unrelenting cycle of uncertainty, witnessing medical racism firsthand, and learning what it means to advocate within a system that wasn't built for us.

Cannabis became essential. Not as a lifestyle choice, but as a medical necessity: appetite stimulation when her weight dropped to 106 lbs, industrial-strength topicals for chemo-induced neuropathy, moments of relief in an otherwise consuming journey.

That experience taught me something formal training never could — what it means to trust the plant when the system runs out of answers.

2019

The Year I Came to Understand "Health is Wealth"

My mother's chemo sessions ended around the time I accepted an Event Manager position with a cannabis delivery startup in San Francisco. I had never imagined I would work in cannabis, however, I was excited to apply my skills and experience in crafting creative and educational narratives through experiential events and storytelling.

I received my educational onboarding from Nurse Practitioner Eloise Theisen, a board-certified Adult Geriatric Nurse Practitioner who specializes in cannabis therapy. What I learned helped me understand the complex and dynamic ways plant medicine can change our lives medicinally and recreationally.

2021

The Year I Said Yes to My Vision

The global racial reckoning of 2020 catalyzed my own. I realized I needed to leave an environment where I wasn't being treated with equity or respect, and I began examining how I could serve the communities I cared about most — work that extended beyond the scope of what my employer was prepared to support.

On March 7th, we learned my mother's cancer had returned. On March 8th, without another job secured, I gave my two weeks' notice. It should have felt terrifying. Instead, it felt like freedom.

Within days, a colleague reached out about co-producing a cannabis event for 420. That conversation became Collective High — proof that when you say no to what's not working, serendipity steps in.

2023

The Year I Birthed Weed Doula

Collective High events are incredible at providing entertainment and education for the canna-curious and canna-confident crowd. However, what I noticed is that there is still a strong need for a basic level of cannabis education for those who aren't familiar or comfortable with cannabis so that we can destigmatize usage and have people making informed and empowered decisions.

I founded The Weed Doula as a means of providing individualized cannabis education that centers clarity, compassion, and cultural context — the kind of guidance I couldn't find when I needed it most.