In this interview series, we introduce you to the people who inspire us most: creatives, educators, activists, community leaders and the everyday super-humans who keep us on our toes. We’ll take you inside their day-to-day lives, homes and workspaces. We’ll talk motivation and inspiration and of course, all things style.
Meet our April Monthly Muse: Mennlay Golokeh Aggrey, a cannabis entrepreneur and interdisciplinary creative born in New York City to West African parents. She currently resides in Mexico City researching and exploring cannabis and the diasporic connections between Africa and Latin America. She’s the author of “The Art of Weed Butter,” co-founder and creative director of Xula CBD, co-host of Broccoli Talk podcast, and has been working legally in the cannabis industry for 15 years, including working for the likes of Whoopi Goldberg's edibles company.
When we chatted with Mennlay, it’s a coming-home like experience. There’s a familiarity and ease there; a natural comfort and warmth that Mennlay brings even though you haven’t yet breached the frontier between stranger and friend. Read on to learn more about Mennlay in her own words.
There’s still a lot of stigma in the cannabis space, and unfortunately, there are also a lot of racial disparities.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY TO NOW. WHAT’S YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CANNABIS AND WHAT IMPACTFUL MOMENTS LED TO YOUR WORK?
I became involved with cannabis as a young woman, not really knowing that it helped with anxiety or helped with certain things. But it allowed me to appreciate my young life and not be in that place of angst all the time. I say this as if I was smoking all the time; I didn’t have access to it like that. But it transformed and really evolved into something quite beautiful from then on.
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HOW SO?
I moved to Humboldt County, California in my twenties. Moving there was an extension of me being able to live off the grid, to be surrounded by trees, and to really just enjoy nature. That was huge for me. I really connected with the community there, most of which were women who were growing [cannabis]. They took me in under their wing and showed me what the process was like, what the business aspects are like, etc. And even though it was by all intents and purposes legal, it was still a very scary place to be back then, especially for a young woman. I like to call myself a “retired hippie” now because I think there's certain practices and dogmas that are very strict and don't always fit with me. Then finally in 2005, I decided to just go for it and embark on what's now my career.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL STYLE. HAS YOUR WORK-LIFE JOURNEY INFLUENCED YOUR FASHION SENSE OVER THE YEARS?
My personal style is very reflective of my five Gemini placements. I love an ultra-femme look: a red lipstick, the perfect pair of jeans and pumps. Other days (probably more than I'd like to admit), I like to keep it casual and androgynous with neutral colors, comfy sneakers and a casual Canadian tux. I also enjoy leaning into my auntie “tía” mood sometimes: wear a black turtleneck and prescription glasses as my statement pieces. But overall, especially during COVID, I like to keep it casually cozy and chic.
I FEEL LIKE WE CAN’T TALK ABOUT MARIJUANA WITHOUT TOUCHING ON POLITICS.
As a BIPOC woman, it's impossible to not be political. It's impossible to not be inclusive. It's impossible to not have those things ingrained in you because of our lived experiences. There’s still a lot of stigma in the cannabis space, and unfortunately, there are also still a lot of racial disparities happening.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN THE CANNABIS SPACE FOR WOMEN—PARTICULARLY WOMEN OF COLOR—THIS YEAR AND IN THE COMING YEARS?
Black women are collectively building and evolving the industry, and it’s necessary to have a baseline for equity. When we align the Black Lives Matter movement and the Women’s Liberation Movement with the idea of abolition and defunding, cannabis can be a funder of the future we want to see. The money is there, and I believe it’s a great resource for those larger social changes.
The beauty of social media is that—albeit distracting and noisy—it has so many creatives out there sharing their work, but also reminding us to be gentle with ourselves and to take a break when needed.
HOW ARE YOU STAYING INSPIRED DURING THESE EQUALLY HYPHENATED PANDEMIC-SOCIAL REVOLUTION-ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION TIMES?
The beauty of social media is that—albeit distracting and noisy—it has so many creatives out there sharing their work, but also reminding us to be gentle with ourselves and to take a break when needed. Those things have been really helpful to me, no matter how small that may seem.
LIKE ALL INDUSTRIES, THE WELLNESS INDUSTRY HAS ALSO BEEN MORPHED BY CAPITALISM AND THIS IDEA OF CONSUMPTION. WHAT’S ONE THING YOU DO AS SELF-CARE THAT COSTS NOTHING?
What these past 12 months has shown me is that the power of meditation is invaluable. I don’t fully subscribe to Christianity, Buddhism or Rastafarianism, but in some ways, my form of meditation is a strange mix of all three. Meditation has been my rock and one of the most precious relationships I have—and it costs absolutely nothing. It’s free, accessible to all, and is more valuable than gold. Meditation holds me, suspends time, and allows me to deepen my practice of faith—whatever that looks like. It also complements CBD, THC and other cannabinoids perfectly. ;)
Meditation has been my rock and one of the most precious relationships I have—and it costs absolutely nothing.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE WHO’S JUST STARTING OUT TO USE CANNABIS OR SOMEONE WHO MAY BE INTIMIDATED BY IT?
HOW DO WE ENSURE THAT WE’RE NOT JUST CONSUMING CANNABIS, BUT DOING SO CONSCIOUSLY AND THOUGHTFULLY?
I think this goes back to my relationship with meditation. Although this time in lockdown has increased my cannabis intake, I am reminded through pause that there are other ways to experience cannabis. Whether that be sipping tea, rubbing it on my womb while menstruating, taking a shot of cannabis-infused cider tonic, or through Xula's herbal tinctures of nonintoxicating cannabis compounds. These methods remind me to be mindful, but also, I think it’s okay for folks to use herbs recreationally as it has a way of being medicinal, even if it sometimes feels fun. The takeaway is to always be mindful of anything one puts into one's body—whether that be food, herbs, alcohol, energy, or a person (LOL).
