16 minute read
THE LIFE
Ruff Life
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How to start training pets for your return to work.
TEXT NATALIE RAGLAND, DVM, GUEST CONTRIBUTOR AT HONEST PAWS
With quarantine restrictions lifted and more people getting vaccinated, many of us are returning to offi ces for work. This change aff ects not just us but our pets too.
Natalie Ragland, a veterinarian and contributor to Honest Paws, shares insights and tips to help pet owners prepare their pets for life after the pandemic, shedding light on how pets are going to react when we stop working from home and go back to the offi ce.
If you are like most of the world, sheltering in place took on a new meaning because of the COVID-19 pandemic. For pets, the extra time with you has been welcomed. But, as we begin to trickle our way back to working in our offi ces, the shock of absence may impact them more than we realize. There are a few things we can do to make the shift easier. Here are a few tips that might help the transition for your pets, as well as decrease separation anxiety and unfavorable responses brought on by the change in company.
1. Leave more often during the day as “D-day” approaches.
As departure day approaches, leave your space more frequently. If you need to run an errand or go for a walk, block out time away from the house to acclimate your pet to longer absences. If you are going back to work in person without much notice, consider using a few vacation half-days in order to build in a daily routine before implementing your original schedule.
2. Develop your routine.
If you are given ample notice before returning to work, remember that most animals, including our pets, are creatures of habit. Pets know when you are due home and what time you usually leave each day. Reestablishing your routine a few days beforehand may be necessary. You can start by: • reestablishing walk times. • reinstituting normal feeding schedules. • leaving for the day and placing a camera in the house to monitor for any signs of separation anxiety.
—CNN
3. Look for signs of stress and anxiety.
If your pet is more prone to being stressed out or anxious when you leave, watch out for such behavior as going to the bathroom in the house and destroying household items such as window blinds and furniture. Seeing these signs may warrant a call to a veterinarian or a tele-health appointment with a behavioral expert. If you are pressed for time as we are all these days, consider increasing your pet’s exercise to release stress hormones and increase endorphins, leading to longer napping times.
4. Consider in-home or daycare service.
If you can arrange for someone to come to your home to either sit with your pet or walk your animal as needed, this may be the best option to start. Some local daycare centers for animals may off er inhome services and drop off and pick up. An even better option would be to have a relative or loved one come visit; coordinate the time when you will be out of the house so that there is some company when you exit.
The Life and Times of Shawn Carter
A new campaign for Jay-Z’s Monogram cannabis brand reimagines the iconic photos of mid-20th-century American photographer Slim Aarons through a contemporary lens.
This is a scene from the Life and Times of Shawn Carter, Volume Two. (Volume One, if you missed it, was that hard-knock life you heard Jay-Z —Carter’s public persona—rap about in a track that samples the famous line from the 1982 Annie movie.) It’s a good life, a high life, and the people depicted living it are good and high on cannabis.
The image is the fi rst installment of a threepart campaign for Jay Z’s (also known as HOV) new Monogram cannabis line, which launched this spring in California. The campaign is a modern take on the legendary work of Slim Aarons, a midcentury photographer who built his fame by photographing “attractive people doing attractive things in attractive places,” as he famously described it.
The photographs Aarons captured during the Rat Pack era have become synonymous with midcentury luxury, beauty, and leisure. Carter’s Monogram tapped legendary hip-hop photographer/ director Hype Williams to reimagine a series of Aaron’s most notable vignettes. Shot at the stunning Frank Sinatra House in Palm Springs, the series has been cast with a diverse group of creative talents like Grammy nominee Chika, Ghetto Gastro, Curren$y, designer Aleali May, and model Slick Woods—all styled by High Snobiety fashion director Corey T. Stokes. The creatives are seen lounging on fl oats with Monogram product in hand, basking in outdoor opulence.
The resulting imagery illustrates the dynamic, expanding landscape of modern luxury, and how it intersects with a new chapter in cannabis culture. “The perception around cannabis has shifted a lot since the 20th century. If you were to ask me and my peers how we’d defi ne the good life today, weed would defi nitely be a part of it. Whether we’re smoking to inspire creativity or to celebrate an achievement, cannabis has a rightful place in modern-day culture,” says Williams. “HOV has a vision for the industry that he’s bringing to life through Monogram. His focus for this campaign was to showcase how beautifully cannabis fi ts into the good life today, and I am honored to be a part of it.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mona Van Joseph is a professionally licensed intuitive reader in Las Vegas since 2002. Author, radio host, and columnist, she created the Dice Wisdom app and is available for phone and in-person sessions. mona.vegas
JUNE HOROSCOPE
What do the stars hold for you?
TEXT MONA VAN JOSEPH
MAY 21–JUNE 20 GEMINI
Yes, you typically like to have a plan. However, this is the month to see what presents itself while you focus on what gives you peace and purpose. What you need will be easily found.
JUNE 21-JULY 22 CANCER
Avoid highly emotional people this month because they are just a toxic void that seeks attention. Detach from anyone who tends to dump emotional baggage on you. Ask them, “So, how are you going to handle that?”
JULY 23-AUG. 22 LEO
No one can take away what you’ve ever learned or earned. You have created your reality; you can change or recreate that reality. You are still the hero of your own story.
AUG. 23-SEPT. 22 VIRGO
The thorn is out! Past pain is no longer a re ection of your future. It’s time to act as though all things are opening up for you to have the clients, personal relationships, and good vibes you deserve.
SEPT. 23-OCT. 22 LIBRA
You will ultimately become so skilled at a creative project that other people will want to learn from you. Let nature inspire you even further. You are creating your future with your expertise.
OCT. 23-NOV. 21 SCORPIO
Be the ultimate politician this month. Recognize people around you for the skills and bene ts they present. This is the month to seek value, not to be cheap or thrifty. You are establishing your long-term goals now.
NOV. 22-DEC. 21 SAGITTARIUS
Handle high-maintenance people on your own and shield them from the people they bother. You are a leader. It’s time to step back from people you have no power to change.
DEC. 22-JAN. 19 CAPRICORN
You are being guided toward your priorities, and they may not align with what you’re doing now. It’s time to let go of anything that causes you pain. Things are lining up for the outcome you desire.
JAN. 20-FEB. 18 AQUARIUS
When you realize that no one does what you do exactly the way you do it, you are magic. It is time to enjoy what you’ve created and allow the big rewards to manifest for you later this year.
FEB. 19-MAR. 20 PISCES
Do what you love, be with the people you love, and decide your next step based on that vibration. You will be tapped for a project where your awesomeness is actually appreciated.
MAR. 21-APR. 19 ARIES
Be open and imagine some people as though they are a slot machine that doesn’t pay o . It’s di cult for you to stay still, so transfer that energy to nally tackle forgotten home projects.
APR. 20-MAY 20 TAURUS
Your actions and words represent the truth. Step onto that soapbox with the right group and keep expressing your truth. Your writer’s block is suddenly lifted, and words ow from you now.
Changing THE
hanging THE CONVERSATION Just Cannabis founder Riqua Hailes talks about how women- and BIPOC-owned businesses can succeed and amplify underrepresented voices.
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it's no secret that the cannabis space is not well represented when it comes to women and
BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color). So when a savvy, successful, woman-founded, Black-owned business comes on our radar, we want to know more. This month, we had the pleasure of talking with
Riqua Hailes, founder of the female-owned cannabis lifestyle and events brand, Just Cannabis.
Hailes is one of the only female
BIPOC-owned and operated executives in the cannabis space, and her expansion into cannabis was motivated by two personal connections: seeing how cannabis helped her mother cope with cancer and witnessing how social injustice for non-violent cannabis crimes disproportionately impacts BIPOC.
Her goal is to amplify more BIPOC voices as a Black-owned cannabis brand, and change the stereotypes far too often associated with people of color and cannabis.
Just Getting Started
Hailes’ success began when she founded Shoe Addict in her hometown of Washington, D.C. In 2009, she entered the hair extensions industry and opened Weave Express. Having found success with that company, in 2012 she launched Just Extensions on the West Coast in Los Angeles.
“The success of Weave Express led me to LA to open Just Extensions and document my journey with my fi lm Just Extensions.” The documentary fi lm exposes mediocre hair products and Hailes’ determination to travel to the source until she found the best products for her clients. Making the documentary opened Hailes’ eyes to so much more. Her global travels led her to villagers who cut then sold their hair for survival, women and children who sacrifi ced their hair for religious beliefs, and vendors who unapologetically manipulated the system for fi nancial gain. Just Extensions educated viewers on how hair is processed, marketed and sourced from the beginning to when the product reaches consumers.
After the fi lm’s success, Hailes was ready to tackle something even bigger and more impactful: cannabis. And in 2018, Just Cannabis was born. A fi rm believer in the power of the plant, it began with her stylists whose hands would tire and cramp from putting extensions on all day. “I started developing the product with my team of hairstylists I worked with.” With the intention of easing her stylists’ discomfort, the product development was really coming along … until Hailes’ mom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2019. She knew then that she needed to press pause on product launch. “When Mommie got sick, I paused the launch to care for her full-time, but I continued to formulate products,” says Hailes. Her mother was struggling with painful neuropathy ignited by the cancer. “The neuropathy was so annoying. We tried everything the doctors suggested—nothing helped. I insisted my mom try using some of my CBD products and it immediately eased her pain. It gave her more sensation in her fi ngers and toes. That’s how the name was created. I knew the formula was eff ective.”
Hailes’ relationship to cannabis started long before her mother was diagnosed, but that journey was pivotal in her decision to devote her time to developing Just Cannabis. “I was involved in cannabis before my mother’s illness, but it was her illness that allowed me to see how powerful and useful the plant can be,” she says. “Pancreatic can-
cer is painful and she handled that well, but the neuropathy pain was nagging and trying. Once I started to use the product I developed, I could see how it relieved her pain. That’s when I embraced being a true believer in the power of my vision and product. I began sharing it more with people who had intense pain, and the results were continually great. That word of mouth led to launching the company and going to market.”
Justice and Racial Equity
Growing up in D.C., Hailes saw fi rst-hand the inequities and continued arrests Black and Brown communities face when it comes to non-violent cannabis crimes. Witnessing these communities marginalized and stigmatized by a system in need of reform was one of the primary reasons she wanted to get into the space. She wanted to be instrumental in changing the narrative, to help destigmatize and decriminalize cannabis.
“Society generally sees Black people, especially Black men as a threat. Just Cannabis is a Blackowned brand built on education, resources, and funding by Black people. Once people of color are at the table, we can start to change the narrative and Just Cannabis will be at the forefront of that change.”
Despite similar cannabis usage rates between whites and non-whites, Black Americans are arrested for cannabis off enses at a rate of nearly 4:1 compared to whites. And in a nation with nearly 700,000 cannabis-related arrests each year (a number that was over 800,000 a few years ago), these policies aff ect an enormous number of Americans. Passionate, driven, and determined, Hailes has a clear message. “The wave of cannabis legalization eff orts has put a spotlight on the war on drugs related to racist policies that harmed communities of color for decades. Just Cannabis is uniquely positioned to reinvest in these communities.”
With 12 percent of Americans (who admit it) using cannabis, the market is primed for growth, and that is immeasurably true of BIPOC and female-owned cannabis companies. Hailes knows there are challenges and victories that happen along the way, and navigating through those is how you gain momentum. “The awesome thing about Just Cannabis is I have a passion for the product and the industry,” she says. “The challenges are the policies that are ever-changing, and an industry led by men. The victories are my business experiences in California and my consultant team.”
—Riqua Hailes, Just Cannabis
As for her advice to those looking to get into the space, she cautions, “Always have a plan of action. Many entrepreneurs I speak to have the passion and vision, but they lack a plan-of-action and realistic budget goals. I know it’s hard and frustrating but it’s the key to having a successful brand.”
Hailes has been an active board member of Girls With Gifts for the last 10 years, committed to helping raise others up starting with education and leadership. “I enjoy paying it forward,” she says. When we asked her how the media can play a more critical role in helping spread that message, she responds, “The media can start by highlighting everyday women that are relatable. The media focuses too much on celebrity life which creates unrealistic life goals.”
When it comes down to what makes her happiest? “I love my family and friends—they make me so happy,” she says. “Especially my soon-to-be husband, a wonderful life partner. That is happiness.” As for what’s next and what is most important to her, Hailes tells us, “I am super excited about the growth of Just Cannabis Beauty, which will include a men’s grooming line from shampoos and scalps treatments, to beard oils. Just Cannabis will also specialize in non-toxic, eff ective products for men and women.”
Returning to the things her mother taught her and what her mother has meant to her, Hailes says, “I am mostly inspired by my mother because she walked it like she talked it—and that’s rare. I am a black woman born and raised in D.C. I have built a legacy with integrity, passion and love. Even through my mother’s death I am still inspired by her and her words every day.” That ethos shows up in every aspect of how Hailes continues to build her empire and product line. “The proof is in the products. I believe people can appreciate an alternative to traditional medicine.”
Just Cannabis launched in April with its Ease the Pain balm, a hemp-infused CBD, soothing salve made of organic lavender + patchouli fl avors from Oregon that is a cold-pressed and full spectrum extract that is 100mg, high-potency, 100% organic, and retails for $32 on the Just Cannabis website. The brand will expand into live beauty and cannabis events featuring THC and CBD products this summer.
