“ It's definitely something that gives me the opportunity to take the edge off, but I have a lot of control. It's like you're telling me there's no calories. Within two hours, I'm gonna feel good. I can be productive, creative, and my kids love playing with me when I'm high. I don't think people talked about that enough.”

Welcome to the Mama Chill Club podcast. I'm Elizabeth, mama of two boys and no stranger to the heaviness of motherhood. I face challenges every single day and found that I handled the load so much better leveraging cannabis. Whether you're new to cannabis or an avid consumer, join me as I sit down with experts, OGs and mamas to share stories and education to help make our days just a little more chill.

My guests today are Charlotte and Vicky, two women that are pioneering style in the cannabis industry to help elevate the cannabis experience. And it's not just about being stylish or using a stylish product. It's the confidence that comes for us mamas through postpartum with beautiful products that help us feel like ourselves again for an intentional moment.

We talk about our first time using cannabis, a cannabis wedding, and how to ease into it with products to help bring confidence in your journey of motherhood and cannabis con. These two are so genuine in what they do and their hearts are for the greater good of cannabis and all it can do to help.

Charlotte and Vicky are the two women behind Hot Box. Hot Box is a beautiful and functional box that is the best way to stash your pre-rolls and lighter, safely and fashionably, known as the joint and lighter case that floats Hot Box, keeps the goods pristine and portable and is only $25. I actually have one and it fits nicely in my diaper bag, Ash Free next to crunched up. Goldfish two Crowns and a Pop Patrol Figurine. Charlotte Welch has been dressing and shaping the style of high profile professionals, commercial clients, and the halls of Fashion Week for years. Today, she has her very own Charlotte Welch brand with a focus on stylish but affordable cannabis accessories.

Her cannabis centric lifestyle brand focuses on giving people mamas ways to carry cannabis discreetly and chicly her need for an on the Go Cannabis Companion led her to design and create her first product hot. Thanks for being here today. Please enjoy my conversation with Charlotte and Vicky.

Charlotte and Vicky, welcome to Mama Chill Club podcast. Thanks so much. We're so excited to be here. Thank you. Yeah, thanks ladies. I have to start this off talking about Charlotte because you just did a thing that is very unique and is something that if I could go back and do it myself, I totally would.

You just got married and it was. A cannabis in, well, not themed, but tell me about how you brought in cannabis into your wedding. Yes, absolutely. Um, thank you so much. It was kind of an experiment, but it was something I knew that I wanted. Cause alcohol has been, It's my secondary, uh, form of, of showing joy

I like to smoke with my friends and have that kind of atmosphere, um, in social settings. And my husband is also in the cannabis industry, so it felt like it was also part of our connection. One of the ways I felt like what was a great way to bring it in was through, um, my, the product I made, which was Hot Box and having it as something that could be displayed discreetly on cocktail tables or next to floral arrange.

In a way that felt like it. Something that could be accessed by those that were there and not like the main point, right? Like us getting married was the point of the day. Canvas is a big part of our lives. It's one of the, how we connect, it's how our community connects. And I wanted that piece of things to be, to be there that day.

We wanted to dress up the hot boxes a little bit, you know, we put bow ties on them because yeah, it was a formal wedding. And coming from the Sasha world, I, I love a fancy bougie. Bring a little bit of, uh, a little b bougie, wedding esque attire to the table. But it was a great day. It was really fun about the connection piece with cannabis.

Totally feel that. Um, so my, my husband and I, when we first started smoking together, we were trying to sleep hack and make our sleep better and monitor it and feel better, but it ended up being like couples therapy for. because we would sit outside after we only had one son at the time, and we'd sit outside and share a joint or smoke a bowl and it ended up doing wonders for our relationship.

Like we call it weed therapy all the time because it just was amazing. That's awesome. And that's really, it's really cool that you embrace that in your wedding. , the, you know, there, there was some pushback from some people, like it didn't come completely fluidly. Cannabis is still something that I feel like it's a conversation and, and it's a conversation that's evolved through the years and people that have known it from a time past where it was really considered something bad that you do.

Mm-hmm. , you know, some of them can really hold on to that even. Science and modern ideas coming to the forefront. The perception of, uh, using cannabis or being okay with people using cannabis can be enough to send some people to make certain people uncomfortable. It was so important to us, and honestly, everybody, I don't think anybody that didn't want it there noticed that it was even there, right?

Like, I think that's, and it is such a great connector that re any type of relationship, a friendship or a romantic relationship. , it can kind of open you up, let like, let you know. The same way I think other resources that help you relax do. But cannabis has a certain. Sense of like, yeah, I feel like I could share a little more now, or I feel like I could, you know, open this door and I had so many people from so many different parts of my life coming into Yeah.

This setting. Wedding. Yeah. Wedding. Exactly. Anyone who's been through it knows, it's like kind, daunting. You're like, oh my God. Like these corners of my life that would never touch each other. Mm-hmm. are all gonna be in one place. If I couldn't smoke half a joint after before dinner, I would've probably been.

Well, what a better way to get everyone happy and together than a joint at a wedding. a better way. I know. Yeah. I feel like people have to use cannabis at wedding. I mean, I feel like I've been to weddings and smoke joints with people before, but it was like, to kind of give it its own place I think felt special.

And I'm hoping that people, we've said we've heard, some people have taken inspiration from it, but mm-hmm. , I hope more do. , our guests really in the end enjoyed it and the ones who weren't interested in it didn't have a, a negative thing to say about it. I came from high-end weddings in the Napa Valley, uh, wine country.

Mm-hmm. , that's kind of how Charlotte and I met, was I basically wasn't seeing cannabis represented at all on a level of. Presentation that you kind of expect as a tourist when you come here. I felt like there was an opportunity there, and Charlotte's Wedding was a great example of we're in this beautiful place in wine country and we're presenting cannabis in a way that feels approachable, but there's presentation and it's discreet and it's in your control.

It's not in your face. And yeah, that's exactly what she did. Yeah, and not pushy too, because I feel like that's a misconception as well as part of the stigma going from high profile fashion and weddings in Napa. How did that bring you to Hot Box? Going from these industries that there's a certain presentation and look and feel, and you have to act a certain way to creating this product.

Hot box that holds two joints and a lighter in there that is burn proof, waterproof, smell proof. How did you get from doing what you were doing to Hot Box? . Yeah. The idea, it took a few years. It, it really came from cannabis was a connector in my life. Being in the fashion world, like it brought me other creatives, like in a space, because we kind of find each other.

I felt like how it. Getting it to match my lifestyle was always a conundrum. It was like, do I pack a bag, like one of my sheet bags full of like a pipe, and do I clean, I have to clean this first? Do I bring all my at at home stuffed with me to this place, or do I pack a couple joints and just not worry about the smell in my bag?

At times, like the, the Clash was, it was kind of actually not at times, consistently, it was apparent in my life, like bringing cannabis. to the table in settings where I wanted to be seen as like Charlotte, the designer and stylist, not Charlotte, you know, the girl who wanted to smoke weed outside the party.

They kind of clashed with each other and I thought about it and thought about it. Eventually, after enough time, I, you know, and with legalization in California where I'm from, I just thought, I, I, I gotta bring my world together. I gotta, there's gotta be other women, or at least I. I should say other people, at least definitely other women who are thinking about all of the things they have to do and not wanting cannabis to have to be the next one.

They wanted to when they had a break, when they had a chance to go outside and have their moment, like when I was on set filming and. , you know, they were like, oh, okay, this actor's done. You got 35 minutes. I could grab a little kit and go have my moment, and then not be a production. It's a production in itself.

Another thing I had to like put together, and that's kind of where it came from. It came from being a busy person who, mm-hmm. used cannabis, but didn't feel like there was, the people in cannabis were thinking about me, that there were products out there coming out on how I could bring flour with me. All of the, all of the pieces of it.

From the perspective of you, Vicky, of carrying around a diaper bag, cause you have two kids. Mm-hmm. , where did, where did you come into play with this is like the mom perspective of this product. . Oh, well, definitely hotbox changed the way I smoked because before it was a very experimental process. Um, the only thing I saw out there that I was supposed to be doing, because for context, I started smoking when my daughter was around two.

So I am a new smoker. Charlotte has many years on me and experience, so I talk from a place of this is still something. I am learning and experimenting with, do I feel much more confident in how I smoke and what I do? A hundred percent. I was leaning towards going online, going on YouTube 2016, 2017.

Legalization wasn't like as big as it is now in California, so the stigma really kept me to just be like, I guess I have to smoke out of this bong in my living room. And on top of that I was, I'm a creative too, and I just wasn't seeing, I just, it wasn't working like kind of what Charlotte's saying about like, she was running into these obstacles.

It's like, I'm not, I don't wanna smoke out of this big piece. I can't, I have little kids. This isn't convenient. No way. I'm hiding those. Another thing, another thing, I have to clean another thing that I have to hide. Yes. You know, like put away or. Smells. It's just, it was all really inconvenient. And so as I searched and Charlotte searched, we kind of found each other.

And as I was introduced to Hot Box, it was like, oh, I'm a pre-roll person. This is it. Like this is really convenient. I'm on the go. I live on a small farm, so I'm just like, I don't have time to sit in my living room and smoke sometimes. So being on the go is just super important component to that. And as a mom running around with two kids, , how did you start utilizing cannabis?

Were you struggling through postpartum or was it something where you're not sleeping or just getting through the day? Almost like, I know for me, my postpartum was rough and I had taken a break when I was pregnant, and once I was done breastfeeding, because there's not enough information, there's not enough studies.

Mm-hmm. and you kind of. err on the side of caution sometimes and through postpartum I had intrusive thoughts and just mm-hmm. panic attacks while I was driving. I wasn't sleeping. It was a sleep deprivation that really got me. I wasn't getting quality sleep. I was waking up every gosh, every two hours.

Yeah. Cuz I was co-sleeping with him and he knew I was right there. I know that once I, I stopped all that and I was able to utilize it again. , I could finally breathe and I was no longer surviving. Mm-hmm. , as a co-creator of this, how did you utilize cannabis in your day-to-day? Being a mom? Yeah, it didn't come easily.

I think it was sparked by a lot of my own curiosity. I grew up in Sonoma, which. Drinking wine at 10:00 AM for people, it was a totally normal thing. It was always alcohol, alcohol, alcohol. And I saw people using that as a tool. But as I got older, I was an athlete in college. My dad was a cop in San Francisco and.

if you smoked weed, you were a criminal. So when I first became a mom, it wasn't really, I didn't find it to be an option, and it took seeing other moms and other people, like my curiosity just began to blossom. But after I had my daughter, I had really severe postpartum depression and anxiety to the point where before when I was pregnant, the doctor called me in and was like, you're probably gonna get this.

And I was like, you're crazy. I'm so excited for this baby. There's no way I would feel that. And I had to swallow a large pill, but when I had my. My, my daughter, I ignored a lot of it cuz I didn't know what it was postpartum wasn't talked about. Yes. I just felt like I was failing as a mom. Mm-hmm. and I didn't have any tools in my toolbox.

And at the same time I was, I lost a loved one to the opioid epidemic. So at the same time of me having I should probably get help, I was very sensitive to watching the system fail somebody and just prescribe and prescribe. With my previous curiosity of cannabis, you know, I basically said, I think I need to give this a shot, and it was life changing.

I think C B D is a really good way for people, especially moms to start if they are. , you know, curious about it. But I, my husband tells everyone that it saved me. He's like, if you didn't have this, like I just can't imagine you wouldn't be who you are right now. It's definitely something that gives me the opportunity to take the edge off, but I have a lot of control, especially with smoking, pre-rolls or flour.

It's like you're telling me there's no calories. Within two hours, I'm gonna feel good. I can be productive, creative, and my. Love playing with me like when I'm high. Like it's a definitely, I don't think people talked about that enough. They talked more about you're a bad mom if you smoke. And it took watching other moms really push the industry standard on that stigma for me to be like, okay, this is for me.

And once I tried it, it was really. , I was angry that like, people kept me from this for so long. Yeah. Um, because I can't, I can't imagine people not having access to that as a tool. So you're, you said you're a pre-roll person, so do you smoke throughout the day? Do you mostly smoke in the morning? Mm-hmm. or at night?

Like how do you, you pre-roll so, Yes, pre-rolls. Uh, Charlotte is my joint roller. I'm not very good at it. um, you're the snoop to Yeah. The joint roller, yeah. Yes. She presents them very nicely. It's, it's just about convenience for a mom. I. Hardly get any time for myself. So if I can set myself up in ways where it's a cone with flower or a pre-roll, um, having more access to dispensaries with more options and more delivery options.

I know that not all moms, that's not easy for them. Us living in California, it's very easy to drop my kid off at daycare and swing by the dispensary on the way home. Very normal here. Uh, so for me, it's very much the convenience of how I. . It's quick. I have my hot box. It's, I can pop it in there really quick.

I'm on the go. Or if I don't smoke the whole thing, then ugh, I guess big deal. I don't have a big, smelly piece of glassware to clean. Convenience is the most important as a mom and pre-rolls really, really do that for me. like from morning, afternoon, and night. after. Yeah. . It's definitely an, yeah, definitely kids go to bed.

It's definitely my moment to myself, but I, I wanna be intentional about my smoking as a mom. I think that's really important. So when I feel like it creates a space for me to, yeah, like this is, I need this right now. I think moms really get to a point where they kind of explode. and, uh, I think smoking gives me like this preventative kind of approach to motherhood where when I use it, it's with intention.

Mm-hmm. , I feel like it helps me respond and not react. It helps me just come down to their level a little bit and hear them instead of just freaking out for something that's spilled that is so harmless. But when I'm elevated, it just seems like the worst. And with hormones and everything going on, I mean, there's a heaviness every single day to being a mom and whatever can alleviate that just a little bit.

I think that smoking throughout the day, Is something that really changed my life because I'll take a little bit of a, I won't even smoke a whole joint. Like I, I've been smoking for a while, but my tolerance just is not super high. So I'll do a couple, which is why I love the hot box, because you can just throw it back in and then finish it later.

But it, it gives me like a micro high almost. Like I feel like I get this deep breath in my lungs and I, and then I can just kind of keep going. , whatever was happening next, or make believe or pretend I'm a Pokemon or something and carry on Charlotte, how do you utilize during the day? Do you use it for creativity, like running your business?

How do you, like what do you use, how do you use it? And, you know, it's so similar. Um, obviously different, but yeah, like I was not have access to, you know, um, like smoking. I, I would say I use it to, for creativity and then to relieve anxiety. You know, running a business is stressful. and, uh, design is stressful too.

Like the two things. I love , I wanna take that journey. So I think, yeah, it's my way of kind. When I have a break around lunch or basically when I need it, there's meetings that I'll take to where instead of, you know, doing it over food or, or drinks, like you can share a joint and talk about it, or hotbox, I think can't wait, wait for that day.

where I can just share a joint with a mom, not in front of our kids, obviously, like depending on the age, but I just, I live for that day. I think that that's That's so awesome that you're doing that. It's, it's nice being in California too, because you guys have burned a couple years of reps and it's becoming normalized, but there's still stigma.

Like I'm out here on the East coast. In Maryland and the stigma is so real. Like I call my hat a social experiment because it has the pot leaves and the A's, and I feel like there's certain days like I'm walking around and people talk to me less, like it's just so stigmatized out here. Yeah. And I'm a friendly person, like I'll go up to anyone, but I, I have found that when I wear the hat or my Mama Chill Club sweater with.

the pot leaves and the A part, I just, I get talked to less. I can't wait for it to change. And every time I'm in California, it's like such a breath of fresh air. Cause like people smoke like everywhere. People are so chill when they're smoking and you automatically almost have a friend in that person because you can have a conversation with anyone.

But being in the industry now, do you feel more stigma now that you are allowed with, Hey, I have a cannabis company? Or do you feel less stigma because you've brought value to the. . Well, thanks for saying that. We like to think we're bringing value, you know, we, and getting that reflected back by the people that use hotbox and have bought it is such a great feeling.

It's definitely, it's still alive and well, you know, it's, uh, I think being a woman in a cannabis user is still, um, like definitely stigmatized, even though California's kind of. , it's grown, its reach. Yeah. I, I still feel a certain sense of, I, I think that's one of the reasons I, I love hotbox in a way. It's like, I, I still feel like they're going outside the bar to have a joint instead of joining somebody and having a martini can create a little bit of friction.

But being in the industry, it's great to find, I find more like-minded people. And That's helpful. Yeah. You know, being in it and having something that I can use is like a way to start a conversation. Like something as simple as hot. You know, I was hoping that this would connect me to women all over that felt the same way, but I didn't know.

But cuz part. . We do kind of feel like we have to be in the shadows in a way, just by nature. But yeah, getting out there, um, we're hoping to squash that. Like that's part of our message and our, like, now that we're in it, like we, we kind of use the doubts and the people who are judging us as fuel. We're in here and people are loving what we're doing, and they're in, you know, smoking half joints and putting 'em out inside and mm-hmm.

feeling great that there's a product for them, and we're just gonna keep on pushing, keep on trying Moms. are so vulnerable that mm-hmm. , they need people to help them. Like, I really think the cannabis industry needs to show and help moms more. I think it's kind of, they're, they're getting lost, right?

Because they're not the main consumer. And I think there's a lot of moms out there who are curious and who wanna consume, but. , it's about the education around them that helps them and gives them that momentum to be okay with your identity. You're a mom, you can smoke. It's totally okay. Like you don't need to feel ashamed of that and.

You know, the more that we put imagery and new products out there that speak to those people, I think the stigma will eventually begin to change. With that, you guys are on so many lists on the internet. If you just Google hotbox, you, you pull up on so many different lists of like the best smoking products or the most chic ways, uh, best ways to be discreet about smoking.

So the word is definitely getting out and people are catching on, and it's just gonna be so fun to see as things become more legal. Like, where are you gonna go? Cause I'm sure you guys have some other stuff up your sleeves that you're crafting and we'll be out if you're able to say anything. Oh yeah, definitely.

Yeah, we're at it all day. We've had lots of great partners reach out as well, so we've gotten to try things. Do have a new product. We have a lot of women who have talked to us about, Their husband stealing their hot boxes. . Yep. And we also sell to a lot of men. It was an interesting thing, Mickey and I do a lot of popups in store.

We like talking to people, introducing them to the product and being like the front lines. They see the value in hot box, like for their golf bag, for their car, for their, they carry like a messenger bag or a backpack, but they always mentioned the pocket. I, I wish I could put this in my pocket. So we have a product that we're gonna be launching this spring called Hot Pocket.

Nice. That will, yeah. Yes. I like that. Be, um, a fun variation on the hot box. I feel like what you guys are doing is just elevating the experience. We've come a long way from smoking out of an apple, a strain that you got from someone else who got it from someone else, or an edible where you have no idea what the dosage is and you kind of just roll with it and you're like, oh shit.

It's, I'm way too high. I feel like, Now that there's such intentional use, like we've kind of talked about like being intentional about smoking and it's becoming more legal. Your product has totally elevated the cannabis experience in a way because we we're so far beyond, yeah. The apple and it's now these intentional products that you can use to intentionally smoke.

But how important is it to you both to utilize products that elevate that experience coming from stylist background, high profile weddings in Napa? Like how important is it to start elevating product. . Oh, it's super important. I think in relationship, what we were just talking about with the stigma. . Um, it's a way to help change that.

I like my style. I want things that match my style. I don't wanna have to match cannabis style. And I think that there's a lot of people out there that feel that way, but there's a lot of repetition of creating the same things with like a different angle, which is, you know, has its place as well. Like optimizing and iter re iterating on what exists has its function.

But I. I think that this should be a creative setting. The doors are wide open and I think that there's a lot of room for products to be, um, kind of like a, a way to help people feel capable, like we are partnering with a compassion brand because. , like, what about a patient? You know, somebody who's going into a hospital all the time, who needs cannabis afterwards so they don't get nauseous.

I think they should have a slew of products that are built for them that are, you know, that have intention around their experience of feeling a little bit better after having to go through treatment. . Yeah. And I, I like nice things. . I'm just gonna say it. , we, it's in our blood. . We like presentation. I think it speaks to the experience and the ritual of smoking.

Part of why I like smoking is because it is my little moment. There's something about the motion of smoking, a pre-roll, and I either play music or it's like, you know, I'm with myself. But I think elevating that experience either on your own, or with friends is o only going to help the stigma? Because it literally took me seeing other people like me smoking weed for me to go, okay, I think it's okay.

And as crazy as that sounds, we're still seeing that in the industry. We're see still seeing people missing the mark on style and us getting ignored in terms of what we're looking for. And so definitely trying to trailblaze, you know, style and what that means in. Yeah, it definitely feels stylish from, I remember when I received the package, there's a handwritten note in it and it was like very much Apple-like to me, where it was clean and just beautiful and the whole experience of opening.

Cause you know when you get an Apple product, AirPods or a new MacBook, the presentation with Apple is like something you look forward to seeing what's in there and how beautiful it all comes about when you open it. Having, having that moment, elevating to the point where you kind of feel like yourself again, just for that brief moment, like coming as a mom, being with my kids all day and having just a thousand things throwing at me all the time.

When I do smoke and I have that moment where I'm like, Hey, get the kids for five minutes. I'm just gonna go outside, reset, having something that is stylish and just looks cool and is nice. Those moments make me feel like. and I just appreciate like a product like that that may from just unpackaging it to using it, um, to the point where, yeah, like I said, my husband steals mine all the time.

I've talked to so many moms that like, through the struggle of postpartum, you lose your identity a little bit. You're trying to figure out like who you are. 2.0, what's this next version going to be? How can a mom bring out her personal style with cannabis? . I definitely think it starts with, you have to start somewhere.

I think that a lot of moms out there are stuck right now on what they should do, and I think they need to start with finding education because part of my identity crisis was where do I get this information style? And being cool is important to me sometimes. And when you are a mom coming out of having a kid, maybe you're past a bit, a little bit postpartum, your identity really goes.

it changes completely after you become a mom. So you kind of go like, who am I? What are my values? What am I doing? What? What is it that I need to help me be the best version of who I can be? And sometimes it's as simple as your little ritual, something that makes you feel like you. It's, it's, it can be playful.

Like one of the reasons why the price hot boxed the way we did is let yourself have some fun, like what she's saying, like, you are vulnerable. Let yourself go shop and see, go around like a, an outfit or smoke section and see what speaks to you. It's like, you know, putting it on a sweatshirt or other types of things, you know, you kind of gotta go.

um, be playful with it if you have something that, if you like things with polka dots, see if you can find something that has polka dots. You know, and style gives you confidence just in general. Mm-hmm. . And I think moms need all the confidence they can get, especially after having a baby. If a small chic box with mommy needs a minute, but I can still feel like I'm confidently cool.

That's important to. Yeah, it's super important cuz you go through that whole journey and having a baby and getting rid of the maternity clothes even though they're super comfortable and you wish you could just keep wearing them cuz they're all worned and comfy and bring that new self out and how you can compliment that and buying nice products and products that reflect what you're doing.

Okay, Vicky, I have a question. Yes. When, okay. You're talk, you talk about how you just had to try it, you just had to try it with your friends. What was that first experience like for you because it's so fresh? Um, . Well, the first experience was actually with my husband. It was very much, uh, well, I would say like high school, college.

I would definitely say that of course, cannabis was around, but it. . I wasn't intentional about what that experience was. It was just you either got super high or you didn't, it wasn't like a medicinal type of thing. So when I first really said, okay, like I am gonna start smoking weed, I went to my husband and told him, he is like, okay, let's try this out.

And we started with a C B D joint, which did nothing. And I was like, okay, I can do more. Like, let's go. Mm-hmm. off of the ratios and. , you know that education around like a 20 to one and like a 10 to one. I was exploring with tinctures and all that kind of stuff, but the actual first time I smoked was like a one-to-one ratio, so half C, B D, half thc.

Um, so you're getting more balanced. It's not like you're gonna be super high and I felt I could control that if I'm. , three glasses of wine deep sometimes on the weekends. And I think I can control like a mildly euphoric feeling. And so we did it and we were like, this is great. Why haven't we done this sooner?

This is so fun. And oh, like in the morning, I'm not hungover and I'm not like mildly like depressed. Mm-hmm. like that's great. This is a win. And I think that aha moment happened, but until. . Just, you have to just experiment and, and just like you would with any medicine, honestly, like anything that you would take, like take it slow and try and find people you're comfortable with, your husband, your friends, other people who smoke, like Charlotte's taught me so much just because she's like here, like, do this.

And I'm like, . Okay. Like I think it takes your confident stoner friends and your supportive partners to be like, this is not that big of a deal. You're gonna be okay. And if you get too high, like you learn something. And if that's the worst case scenario, then you know, you take it to the next time you go to smoke mm-hmm.

and you're like, okay, now I know. Just like you would alcohol. Like, okay, I can't, that strain doesn't work for. , this strain works for me. It, and it takes a while and I think that it does. You'll, yeah. It's different for everybody. Mm-hmm. . So don't think you hear someone's story like mine or whatever, and be like, okay.

Like that's what I should do. I think if you know how you might wanna consume it works into your lifestyle, then start there. . Yeah, I think what you did was on point though. You started with C B D, which is not psychoactive, but it has a lot of great anti-inflammation properties and it does really good things for you.

Like I know, I just started taking CBD b D gummies 250 milligrams and like I felt great actually. Like I didn't think it would do anything but like, just something about it. I was like, man, like I like my brain fog kind of went away. . This actually feels really good, but easing into it and trying it, I was a big fan of journaling when I started, so I wrote down every strain.

I wrote the terpene profile of each one and wrote, like, made me pass out in 10 minutes, made me have a great sleep, energize me. All I wanted to do was draw or like whatever effect it gave me. And then, but that took a while. It took, gosh, maybe like six to eight months to like really hone in and educate myself and.

about what? Each strain and then the components of each strain, and then going deeper, but starting off slow because just because you take one puff doesn't mean you're gonna get blitz. Mm-hmm. . Yeah. I like doing one puff and then I get maybe the slightest head change, like a glass of li a Winewood. Mm-hmm.

And then I can go up from there and kind of paste myself. But I feel like that's what's. So intimidating for people about, about it cuz you're like, just because you smoke green edible, you're not gonna get just super, super high and not function. Like there's ways to ease into it and learn about it. And as long as you're educating yourself and being open to it's boring, like where it could take you, it could really lead to great things.

Like when you do increase the dose and you're like, I'm gonna go journal, or I'm gonna go watch Pixar movie with my kid, and wow, this looks really cool this time. Mm-hmm. exactly. when it comes to resources and education, where do you both look to learn more, to read more watch videos on? Like what are your go-to resources?

I like to read blogs. Um, to go out there to see what, you know, I use LinkedIn a lot. When I was first saw that they didn't really take things down when people were posting about cannabis and business of cannabis. So I've read a lot of articles from LinkedIn. Um, I signed up for a lot of different of the social media platforms too, like, leaf wire, which was supposed to be like LinkedIn specifically for cannabis.

Uh, there's another one that just launched called Social, it's like done by weed Ma. I like LinkedIn in general. Mm-hmm. . So I kind of started looking at hashtag cannabis on LinkedIn and then it started feeding me more information and then YouTube, um, social media in general is definitely where I would get.

I mean, I was telling Charlotte today, like the first time I went to smoke, I YouTube did . I was like, nice. That is, that is how much I didn't know. I just wasn't that type of person. In high school or college. I was very on the straight and narrow. So for me it was typing it into the internet and basically going, what is the best way for me to consume?

How do you smoke a joint? How do you pack a bowl? How do you clean a bong? What is happening? Podcasts, I would find cannabis podcasts, and I would listen to women talk about this is a successful woman. who smokes weed and she has a business and she's a mom, and I resonated with that. So finding education on Instagram, even TikTok, you, it's all out there.

Mm-hmm. , you really just have to search for it. Mm-hmm. , like I would just say like start in a platform that you use, whatever you resonate with. Start by typing it in. Yeah. All right. Let's hear a memorable experience that you've had smoking, ingesting Charlotte has really intense stories. I have wild stories.

I Okay. . I, um, I, when I lived in Italy, you know, I, I, I couldn't, I didn't have access, uh, to cannabis while I was there. Um, it was the first time, you know, growing up in Northern California, um, you know, I started smoking early on. I, I, , I guess it was a little rebellious. I went to an , an all girls Catholic school and some guy brought out a diet coke can like inside of a vineyard and was like, don't you wanna smoke weed?

And I was like, yeah. Um, and that was like, and I was like 14 . So smoked Candace for a long time before I moved there, you know? Um, cause they were there when I was 19 and. , I, so I had already had five years of experience and there wasn't access anywhere. So, um, friends of mine took on the mission on to send me cannabis to Italy.

and, um, oh my God. , I remember I had all my friends over to my Italian flat and when it arrived they had addressed the package to Mary Jane Charlotte Welch Smith. For some reason. Yes. So my, the head of my school yes. Got a package and was like, is this potentially for you? And I was like, oh my God. My friends in San Francisco have a crazy sense of.

Anyways, I had everybody over and they had sent me like, you know, wrapped up. And so I was breaking it all down and I started rolling this joint and my Italian male friends were like, what are you doing? And I was like, what do you mean, what am I doing? And they were like, that's just, there's a bunch of, that's just all weed.

And I was like, yeah, I, what are you? And they're like, you're not gonna put any tobacco in there? And I was like, no. And they were like, oh my God, are you? They thought I was gonna have like a whole psychedelic experience. And I was, this is gonna Saturn I'm from Yeah, yeah. . Um, so I, I rolled a joint for us, for everybody and they, it was their first time all smoking, just cannabis and California cannabis at that.

And it was like an, um, it was always a memorable experience. It was like, it's all about a connection. Like my friends still bring that up. Like, it's like this moment where I got to introduce them to my world. also where I, we got to have this kind of funny, like them assuming that it was supposed to be one way and me being like, this is how we do it out there,

And um, that was a good one. Like Cali Weed. Yeah. I've, I've used a few celebrities to find weed when I was traveling, so I would ask like celebrities. I was dressing that lived in the city. I was in New York City and I would. Do you have a cannabis hookup? And I had a few of them who were like, yeah, absolutely.

You know, call amazing, call this guy. And I was like, really? And so then I would call and uh, and I would be like, wow, I just used an A-list celebrity's cannabis guy to come deliver. They'd always think I was somebody important. And uh, you know, sometimes they would get a little let down, but other times they would just think I was hilarious cuz they, you know, I'd just be like, can I get an eighth of like your best weed?

And they'd be, . Um, what like that's what we that's what you want. We were expecting some, you know, fashion girl type of order of cannabis. Yeah. Or of non-cannabis essentials. Um, Charlotte's stories are crazy. She's just touching on them. I'm just touching on them. But I have a lot of crazy stories. I wanna hear all these one day.

Then . My crazy stories are I put the kids to bed and then I smoke weed. Yeah. . I feel like it's like the, it's, it's different. I think that for me, memorable in a sense of like, I get to create these new, like, like everything is better sometimes with cannabis. And so for me, like that's real. Every, everything for me is this new type of experience I'm taking on.

So smoking with Charlotte and her husband, like sitting outside, I'm like, look at us. We're smoking together outside sharing a joint. I'm like, look, this is cool. But like to Charlotte and Nick, they're like, this is, this is what we do, you know? And I'm just like, newer. So I think that, yeah. Um, yeah, like that's kind of my most memorable is just the normal kind of like things that we do with cannabis where we just get a talk and hang out and I'm not by myself.

Like I think that's pretty. . It just really brings people together. It makes you think differently about things. I feel like for me, it, it takes all my thoughts and I just, I'm on one channel. It's not like 800 things going at once, and it just put me, I feel like I'm very similar to you, Vicky, like I just am more in the moment just appreciating everything.

Something as simple as sitting down with a good friend and sharing a joint, like it's just like the best moment in the. Yeah, it, it means a lot. And that's what cannabis does like, and that's why we do hotbox, is because like we wanna be able to take that feeling that we're talking about and almost take it outside of the house.

Mm-hmm. , I feel like we're all living these secret cannabis consuming lives in our homes, and I really think the next step is like bringing it outside the home. Mm-hmm. , socializing, finding other moms who can find an environment they feel comfortable and confident. Ask the questions they wanna ask, and oh my gosh, that's how you smoke your joint.

Or that's how, oh, okay, I'll try that. But if you're not getting out there and, and doing that, then I, I just, I think there's more opportunity out there. I think so too. And that's what the whole point of this podcast is like. We gotta keep talking about it. We have to normalize it. We need to share our stories and kind of be a community in this together supporting each other because for the person.

Doesn't talk to the community, doesn't talk to bud tenders. This industry is so friendly and everyone really has each other's. Back when I reached out to you guys to talk about Hot Box and your stories, I mean it was like an an instinct. Yes. All that we can do to like band together and make it better and help someone else.

We all have our struggles. We all have that heaviness every day. And it's like, well, if one person found something that helps that and passes that on, and I just think it's so cool and it's so unintimidating and. Every time I go to dispensary, it's a good time. Like I'm catching up with people and I'm talking to people and it's recommendations and like, it's just good vibes all around.

So where can people find these beautiful discreet boxes? Ooh, we sell on Urban Outfitters. Uh, elevate Jane, uh, para Shop. Uh, and you can come to our website, uh, charlotte welch.co. And we're, and then we're at home of Hotbox, um, on Instagram and TikTok and Pinterest. . Yeah. And you can expect, expect a lot of really exciting content for 2023.

Yes. Really exciting. Vicky has some excellent ideas and I can't wait to see them all. Oh, I'm so excited. Yeah, I'm so excited. I need to scoop up a couple more hot boxes too, because I, I gotta, I gotta bring out the style. I gotta have it match the outfits and the purse and everything. I will say my son uses them for his.

So you also can just have them around. Little catchalls for your kids entertainment. Yeah. Yeah. That's actually, that's a good, a good thing to have when you're sitting at the doctor's office and you stick some crayons in it or something. Yeah, ex, there you go. Exactly. Yeah. Everything You guys thought you'd be developing crayons and rocks in a hot box.

People pull golf tees. Yeah, golf tees, jewelry, earrings, leg. Oh, grandson puts his Legos in them. Mm-hmm. , I mean, they come as an empty box, so you can fill it with whatever you want, but um, yeah, we like to have it as a place. We like to put weed in there. , we like, yeah, we like to put weed in it. Well, this has been super fun.

Thank you both for sharing your stories and how you utilize cannabis. And I think that, you know, there's so much power in. and sharing that and being vulnerable to share that. I just wanna express a little gratitude to you both and thank you for sharing and being open and just talking about it and of Of course.

Yeah. I just appreciate you both and thank you for coming on with me today. Thank you so much. Thank you. I appreciate it. It was such a pleasure meeting you. You too. Thank you again for being here today. If you got value out of this podcast, do me a favor and share this with five other mama. That, you know, need to hear this.

Let's be there for each other and be that safe space for whatever stage of motherhood we're in. You can find Mama Chill Club on Instagram, YouTube, and our website, mama chill club.com. If you have a specific follow up question to this episode, please go to the website and fill out the question form and I'll answer them in an upcoming episode.

Again, I'm Elizabeth with Mama Chill Club. We'll see you on the next episode.