I had the upmost absolute pleasure in getting to know the powerhouse that is Elana Frankel. Now you have the chance to get to know her too!

 

Q: What is your name and where do you live? 

 

A:  Elana Frankel, New York

 

Q: What is the name of your company and what do you do in the cannabis Industry?

 

A: My company, Indigo and Haze, focuses on access, education and inspiration with a healthy dose of science and truth.

 

Q: What is Indigo and Haze in detail.

 

A: Indigo and Haze is really more of a movement rather than a traditional company. What began as a fact finding mission—traveling around the country, speaking with women about cannabis, what they learned (and unlearned) about the plant—turned into an e-commerce site, magazine, book, videos, social media content and a home grow club. All revolving around the mission statement: Focus on access, education and inspiration with a healthy dose of science and truth. Also, I consult with brands and organizations that align with this mission and hold creativity as an important factor in sharing not shilling information.

Q: I fell in love with Women and Weed magazine when I was standing at the checkout in Whole Foods. Immediately, I thought: ‘Wow a magazine for me.’ Tell our viewers about the history of the magazine snd your inspiration behind it.

 

A: LOVE to hear that it resonated with you! I spent my public professional life in magazines, from editor to creative director, so producing print content comes naturally. After my fact-finding mission, I realized that most of the women I spoke with were canna-curious but were either too shy to ask questions; didn’t know who to ask; or simply got pot from their boyfriends/husbands/male friends. Once I sat and talked with them, listened to their need states and provided information about the plant and plant-based therapeutics, the women actually bought product and felt empowered. 

 

I am also an activist and advocate so am very aware of the plant’s history and how we got to be falsely wrapped up in a war on a drug that should never have been. So, I wanted a magazine that could provide education and inspiration; reflect all fo the voices and faces of women who are making their way from outlaw to pioneer in a community that is becoming an industry. I pitched it to a publisher and he agreed to test an issue. It did really well so off we went.

 

However, after 4 issues, I stepped away and gave someone else a chance to create content. I moved on to lecturing and videos, giving my voice a bigger audience and working with brands and organizations that appreciate my voice.

 

Q: What’s your favorite CBD or THC or are you a hybrid girl? 

 

A: I have different favorites for different need states. 

For sleep: Rest Well from FloralReleaf.com (CBG +CBN) or Midnight c/o1906 New Highs

For day and yoga/mediation: Commons Day Gummies (CBD + B12)

Flower for stress: Rosedale Kush 1:1, home grown (we got seeds)

 

Currently testing FloralReleaf.com THCv for focus, when my mind isn’t still.

 

Q: Are you a wake and bake kinda woman and how do you start your day? 

 

A: I am not a wake and bake woman. I start my day at 5am (ish), alone with a cup of tea and the horoscopes and the obits (you learn a lot from reading about people’s lives).

 

Q: What does your day look like? Take me into the life of Elana and her team.

 

A: Love that you think there’s a team! As I mentioned, I am up around 5am and after 7am, each day is different. Writing or filming any assignments I have for sites, brands, magazines, books, film, video. Zooms, meetings in real life or site visits for collaborations and partnerships. In season, I am out in the garden or visiting a farm. Evenings, sometimes I run events or attend one to support the community. I also teach yoga and meditation so have my weekly clients on Mon, Wed and Fri. And somehow, I also find the time to parent and partner; ski; and have friends.

 

Q: What  was your inspiration to start this company? 

 

A: The plant. It always comes down to the plant—it’s abilities to be therapeutic and spiritual as well as spark creativity and community.

 

Q: What made you start smoking and eating cannabis? 

 

A: I moved from recreational to medicinal when I suffered a traumatic bran injury (TBI) and CBD-dominant cannabis was the only protocol that reduced the swelling in my brain and supported me as I learned to realign my body, mind and spirit.

 

Q: Has your company joined the fight for social justice in the cannabis industry ? 

 

A: If you are in this community, fighting for an industry, then you better be joining the fight for social justice and equity. I listen to and work with women like Dr. Rachel Knox, Dasheeda Dawson, the team at Cannaclusive and HumbleBloom, Kristin Jordan, Amy Deneson and Dr. Junella Chin for guidance. I support their work, vision and expertise. “Equity requires the ongoing collaboration of an equitable distribution or redistribution of resources and power; and recognizing, reconciling and rectifying historical and contemporary injustices.”

 

Q: What are the changes you noticed in the Cannabis Industry since you started ?

 

A: Pricing.

 

Q: I know that’s right! Tell me a story about a strain you love and why? 

 

A: I love what I grow—Rosedale Kush, an easy 1:1 with a great terpene profile. There’s joy, love and pride that comes from growing your own cannabis. Spending time in the garden slows me down; forces patience; and connects me to the plant on another level.

 

Q: “The Productive Stoner Blog” will high-light all of the people who use cannabis and still get things accomplished. How has cannabis impacted your life?

 

A: Cannabis enhances my creativity, my ability to produce original ideas that override the norm. I worked on a book with Shawn Gold of Pilgrim Soul and he puts it perfectly. “Creativity drives social progress and affects all aspects of life, from science to the arts. However, the muse, the inspiration, the impulse, the spark for creative expression doesn’t just magically appear. It is nurtured through a series of diligent, systematic daily efforts; stimulated by personal drive; and unlocked from the mysterious recesses of the brain. Cannabis’ ability to stimulate blood flow to the frontal lobe and allow neurons to fire in a more uninhibited way are just a few of the potential scientific explanations for the creative prowess that cannabis appears to bestow upon people.” And that includes me.

Q: Has your company done any charitable work in the name of cannabis?

 

A: When we get the call, we do the work. 

 

Q: Love it! Have you experienced any discrimination being a women in the cannabis industry?

 

A: Have I experienced anger, sadness or embarrassment? Yup.

 

Q: Any last words or wisdom for a person who wants to know more about cannabis but is hesitant because of the stigma surrounding it…. 

 

A: Come find me.

 

Please tell our followers where they can find you! 

 

Instagram:

@elanafrankel  my personal page

@indigoandhaze my business

@seen_noted my art work

 

indigoandhaze.com