We are Spiritleaf: Meet Anna!
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This interview is with a staff member from one of our Calgary stores, located in the residential community of Kensington. As part of the Indigenous People’s community in Manitoba, she is proud of her holistic roots and has a passionate view about consuming cannabis with intent. Continue reading below to find out more about this individual.
Tell the audience your first name and a bit about your background. Like where you are currently located and what past profession or schooling you have taken etc.
Hi, my name is Anna. My pronouns are Her/She and I am a proud Metis Canadian from The Painted Feather Woodland Metis Tribe. I am an Alberta-born gal that hails from the Prairies. North West Alberta, Grande Prairie to be exact. GP is a small city and when I say small, I mean small. Education drove me here to Calgary, about a decade ago and I continue to love it here. I went to school for Medical Aesthetics and Business. I continued my career here in a lot of Natural Spas in Calgary with a passion for everything plant-driven. Plant power is where it is at!
What inspired you to work in the cannabis industry?
My background in health, wellness, aesthetics, and my passion for natural products is what lead me to the Cannabis industry. Seeing firsthand how medical cannabis helped my father-in-law with his Cancer symptoms and treatments spoke volumes to me. I wanted to learn and grow more. Cannabis has great potential to bring us together. Like any cannabis user, I look for new education on anything new and relevant to the industry especially when it comes to topicals.
What position do you currently have with Spiritleaf and what do you like best about working for the company?
I currently am the Store Manager of the Spiritleaf Kensington location, and I love working with my team and our community. Helping every person find what they need or what they are looking for is so rewarding. I enjoy hearing our community come back and personally let us know what they loved about our recommendations.
In your opinion, what are the main responsibilities of a cannabis concierge or budtender?
I believe our main responsibilities are to serve our community with a positive outlook, a passion for our industry and to further educate and break down barriers within the industry.
What question do you get asked the most either at work or when people learn about your career?
The most common question I personally receive is, what is your most popular cannabis product? Dried, Pre-roll, Edibles…ETC. Which usually comes from new users or my friends and family.
The stigma surrounding cannabis consumption is still present in society. How do you help normalize its use day-to-day? Do you educate people on social media or some other way?
I let people approach or contact me directly. I never push people into talking about cannabis. Either for or against cannabis, I am always open to the discussion. If they have a question, I will always answer and if I do not know that answer, I will try to find it out. I do post about cannabis on Social Media platforms, including my own personal pages.
Working in a regulated industry can be challenging. Give an example of how you overcame a particular restriction and give some advice to newcomers to the industry.
Talking about the potential benefits of cannabis is one area I have found challenging in this industry. By trying the products for yourself or having feedback from other people you know, that have tried said product(s) in question, personally is a great way to pass along to those who are looking for more information on how it could help them personally. Using the right language is key.
For example, “I have heard that it could help you sleep at night. I know my friend tried this one out and it helped him with his body issues. I use this and I know it works for me, but you should try it and see if it will work for you because what works for me might not work for you.”
Was there a certain ‘transferable skill’ that helped you to be successful in the industry? If so, tell us more about it.
I have a personal background and upbringing in plant medication and in all-natural health alternatives. This helps me navigate the CBD and THC of cannabis more from a medical perspective in which helps with better finding a product that would be of more benefit to those seeking to use it for a more specific reason.
Do you have a story to tell about a fav cannabis brand or strain?
I really love the more unique cultivators in Canada like Qwest, Natural History and Good Buds, to name a few. I like that they use different bud lineage and are driven to set themselves apart with a smaller, more hands-on, detailed process. This sets them apart for not only THC percentages but more importantly terpene content and that is what cannabis is all about to me.
If you had some advice about responsible consumption or consuming with intent, what would it be?
For a responsible consumption, the old ‘go slow and start low’ is always good advice, even before it was legalized. To consume with intent is much different, to me, it is anyway. I would say that one should clear the space, with sage, get comfortable, have your intention affirmation ready and speak it out loud. For added intent, I would also say to put out stones/gems to assist you and have your desired music playing in the background.
As a certified Aesthetician, you have developed a passion for all things topical. Tell our audience why this topic has become so important to you?
Topicals are my life. I have spent over 15 years in the beauty and health industry. It is my passion. I love how plants can be used to help treat skin concerns and conditions. So why not cannabis too. Once cannabis became legal, of course, topicals were on my mind and this led me to pursue a career in cannabis. I hope to see more increase of innovated topical products in the market over the next few years. I have personally made my own cannabis-infused topicals and have gifted some to my co-workers. It is my desire to work in the cannabis industry to develop and make the best organic topicals.
Due to government regulations, we are unable to show images of our staff and encourage you to check out their personal links for more. Connect with Anna on Instagram and Facebook for more.
We are Spiritleaf. Find out what makes Spiritleaf’s office culture unique in this previous article on The LEAF, follow this link here! To read this first feature, click here.
