Spotlight Series: Angelina Blessed
Cannabis edibles are thisclose to being legal and available in Canada and many savvy entrepreneurs are looking to get in on the excitement of a brand new industry. Angelina, the founder of Blessed is an athlete who understands pain. She also knows that cannabis can be an effective, natural way to treat pain and help promote relaxation - key after a gruelling workout. She started with infused edibles like the handmade Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookies and will soon be adding a line of salves that can be applied topically to soothe sore muscles.
We wanted to get an idea of what it looks like to run a Canadian edibles company under the Cannabis Act and what Angelina plans to do with her brand moving forward.
Image courtesy of Taylor Oakes Productions
How did you get involved in the cannabis industry?
After initially feeding my teammates infused cookies, I was contacted by the producers at VICE to be in a documentary about the edibles industry. That’s where the path started and gained speed. We really loved talking to people about dosage and how to medicate properly for a new consumer. But my journey was primarily based from my own recovery.
Tell us a little bit about your product or service
We will be launching Blessed in time for edibles legalization. We are the first health and wellness products that focuses on lower sugar, low dose, and creating wellness. We believe in full spectrum CBD oil for healing and that the #traintreatrepeat philosophy everyone can benefit from.
What time does your day typically start and what does a normal day look like to you?
My day starts at 7 AM with a cup of high fat coffee. This fuels my brain to get cracking on business matters, like answering emails and calls for a couple of hours. It also gives me the energy boost needed to run several kilometers or train muay thai until the early afternoon. The rest of my day revolves around meetings and I make sure to feed myself properly, take time to stretch and recover from training. My pace has changed a lot now that I can focus solely on bringing my business into the legal market and put all of my attention on Blessed.
Image courtesy of Taylor Oakes Productions
What is your vision for your company going forward?
Our vision is to take Blessed worldwide and reach as many athletes and lovely humans a possible. We are so excited to have the platform to talk about all of our favourite things. Training in muay thai and educating on how cannabis helps with recovery and performance is what drives this passion forward. The energy is contagious when we are performing at our best.
What would an ideal post-prohibition society look like to you?
A place where all cannabis-related criminal charges are dropped, old stigmas are broken, and athletes are given better options than opiates and painkillers.
What was your first experience with cannabis like?
We all have a high school story of consuming questionable weed, but that isn’t what brought me here. I’d like to say the real experience started when I felt the real difference when my sleep, eating patterns, and rest all improved. I had horrible cortisol issues but once I found myself sleeping through the night, I knew my life was going to change.
Tell us about some of the challenges you face working in the cannabis industry
Leaving the grey market. It was beautiful to be a part of but moving forward has been a hard transition. I wanted the brand power of Blessed to be recognized and present opportunities to work within a legal framework without having to ‘sell out’.
What are some solutions you've found?
By finding other craft cannabis connections that love the plant as it should be. Finding authentic brands to share the space with and to feed off of each other’s knowledge. Old medical users understand the plant. It’s about opening the conversations and being heard. Not just as a craft producer but as a female athlete in the space.
What is one thing you wish everyone knew about cannabis?
I wish that fear could be removed from cannabis and for everyone to know how safe this plant is. When used correctly, it’s safer than aspirin.
What is one thing you wish everyone knew about your product or service?
We are really excited to be able to talk about the big changes that will be coming for edible legalization. Things will be very different. But still blessed. We are keeping the love of cannabis authentic while crafting products that can actually make a difference in your life.
If you could go back in time and do it all over again, what (if anything) would you do differently?
If I could do it all again? I’m not sure if I would change the path. I wouldn’t have wanted this journey to have been easy, because the twists and turns and ups a downs of it is what gives it character. Perhaps I would have listened a little more because this path was a hard one that I handled mostly alone. I’m grateful for the support that I received from some very good humans. Always lean on your humans.
What is your favourite way to consume cannabis?
My favourite way is a combination of infused oils that I take pre and post-training. One is more stimulating, higher in THC and lower CBD with adaptogens for energy. The post-training formula is higher in CBD and adaptogens for brain health and recovery. Always with a good healthy fat. For me, this is the most efficient way to medicate.
Concentrate or flower? Why?
Depends on what I need it to do. It’s important to understand THC:CBD and what works for you or what you are trying to do with it. Concentrates are easiest to dose edibles but I believe that a whole plant extraction process is the key with isolating the medicinal benefits.
Do you think cannabis legalization will change the world for the better? Why?
Of course. Once the world catches on I believe it will be a better place. We are in a state of opiate apocalypse and it will get worse if we can’t find a way to bring cannabis to the forefront of research and healing.
What advice would you offer to another woman who is looking to get into the industry?
DO NOT QUIT. I'm not sure how many tears I shed in the process of bringing this dream to life. Handling the painful growing pains, even when nothing else makes sense. If it’s a passion, people will feel it Thank gawd for the people that I am surrounded by.
If there’s one takeaway that I can give to your readers: always surround yourself with people that can hustle like you and support that grind. Find legit partners that you’re proud to stand with.
Follow Angelina and Blessed Edibles on Instagram: @angelina.blessed, @blessededibles
All images provided by Taylor Oakes Productions.
Training studio: @SouthsideMT on Instagram.