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High Hopes: How Realm of Caring is Changing Lives One Patient at a Time (Podcasthon 2026) · Bite Me The Show About Edibles

• 1:14
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome back, friends, to episode 343.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_01: Today we are doing something a little bit different.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_01: Bite Me, the show about edibles, is happy to participate in this fourth edition of Podcast On.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_01: For one week, thousands of podcasts from around the world will highlight a charity or nonprofit of their choice.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_01: And today I have the pleasure of welcoming the Realm of Caring.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_01: The Realm of Caring is bettering lives through research, education, advocacy, and community.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_01: And in today's conversation, I had the distinct pleasure of sitting down with Sasha, the executive director of the Realm of Caring, to talk about the organization, its impact, and how they are improving the lives of others through education, research, and support.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_01: So without further ado, please enjoy this conversation with Sasha of the Realm of Caring.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_01: Hello.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_01: I just wanted to welcome you, Sasha, to Bite Me The Show About Edibles.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm really excited that you're here with me today.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_01: Could you just take a minute to start off our conversation to introduce yourself and the realm of caring to the listeners of Bite Me and then also share a little bit about your core mission that drives your organization?
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: Well, thank you so much for having me.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, my name is Sasha.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: I'm executive director at Realm of Caring.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: And we've been around for about 13 years now.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: So we were formally founded in 2013 by two moms who were both dealing with, of course, you know, the unimaginable.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: Both of their kiddos were in hospice receiving palliative care, had exhausted all pharmaceuticals, all treatments that were available for their diagnosed forms of epilepsy.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, both just simultaneously looking into what is the last thing that could help our kids live out a quality of life.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: And they were introduced by their hospice nurse because they were both simultaneously looking into cannabis, specifically high CBD cannabis, uh, given there was some old research that they had dug up to look at epilepsy and CBD.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: And so they both tried it.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: And then both kids got out of hospice, went back to school, rode bikes, uh, you know, walking, being becoming independent versions of themselves.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: And so when they saw this, they started talking in these epilepsy mom groups and word spread.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: They started helping families move out to Colorado.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: So they set up this uh fund to help families move out for access.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: Because if we're talking in the states, um, that was one of the only places that, you know, you could medically uh have cannabis for pediatrics.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: And so they um and then once they, you know, they saw the overwhelming response from people who are just looking for some support and some one-on-one help.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: And what does the research say?
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: Uh how do I get started?
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: How do I find product?
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: They opened up a call center, which is now globally open.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: We've helped over 76,000 people across the globe with just free one-on-one support.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: And then we also conduct research because we know that's a very key missing component in the space is understanding how people are using on a global scale, how people are using commercially available products in their everyday life.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: So, in a nutshell, that's us.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_01: That's incredible too.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_01: I like to think that these children were on the precipice and in hospice care and then they're out riding their bikes, like what a story.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_01: So the fact that they like channeled that positive energy into something that's helping so many people is really wonderful to hear.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_01: And obviously, the foundation of the realm of caring is deeply connected to the story of Charlotte.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_01: And can you share how her incredible journey inspired the creation and direction of the foundation?
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: So those two kiddos uh were Sakai Jackson and Charlotte Figgy.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: And so uh Charlotte would be patient zero who tried CBD and um and found that success.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: And and she went on, she was the one who you know, she she's our North Star.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: We we honor her bravery every day.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: Uh her mom Paige was a co-founder with Heather Jackson of our organization because they they recognize that this medicine is, or I should say that that this should be treated as a medicine for people.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: It should be available and accessible to people.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: They should have more options, they should be able to talk to their doctors about this.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: And and so, you know, Paige really went into uh an advocacy route to because she saw the magic with her own kiddo and she wanted to go on and spread that advocacy and and help other kids access it as well.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: And so with her and Heather together, you know, on behalf of their kids, they went state to state just passing medical laws and they're still active today.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, we still exist today as just that um, you know, that place where people can share stories and they can talk about their successes and ask their questions, and then we can then bring that to state leaders, federal leaders, uh, different country leaders, and and talk about the power of this plant as a medicine and how we can increase access and how we can look at Charlotte's story of success and translate that to people of all ages.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that was such an important time because there is that high times um cover where it's a you know the face, the change the face of cannabis, right?
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: Or the face that changed uh the way we think about cannabis.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_00: And it's so true because it's, you know, we hear about the benefits, you know, maybe in the past it was somebody who had cancer and they might be using the cannabis to alleviate some symptoms.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: But then when you see a child go from hospice to school, riding a school bus because and pharmaceutical free, other than the one tincture that they're taking, it's it's kind of unbelievable.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: And it starts to change your mind and and you know, just eradicate that stigma that surrounds it.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's such a that's so beautiful.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_01: It gives me chills just hearing about that and that advocacy work is so important because a lot of the lawmakers probably don't understand cannabis the way that you or I might, or the people that you're serving.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_01: So being able to share these stories with them is incredibly important.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm sure it helps your your clients also feel not so alone because they have somebody to talk to and other shared experiences that they can that they can just share.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's really important.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_01: So your motto is taking the confusion out of cannabis.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_01: What are some of the most significant misconceptions that you've encountered?
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_01: And how does the realm of caring work to educate the public, patients, and the medical community?
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I would say that there's a lot of misconceptions that still exist.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, despite how far we've come in the medical allowance from different various countries or states, depending on where you're living, uh we've seen progress made, but you know, for every one story of progress, there's 10 stories of how this ruined somebody's life, that they, you know, my neighbor's son, you know, and not to say that those stories don't have legitimate value, but those are the stories that are louder than the stories of progress, which is very unfortunate.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_00: And and um I would say like one of the biggest misconceptions, I just had a conversation with somebody about this.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: I was at a women's health conference last November, and it was not an a cannabis space by any means.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_00: It was, you know, a lot of um AI and technology and uh, you know, different, not a lot of holistic health care.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_00: But so I was entering a space that I knew I would come against some confrontation, maybe.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: And thankfully there really wasn't a lot.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: It was very welcoming in a in a great conference.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I did have one woman who came to the table and talked about how she just despised it and she had teenage boys and they legalized in her zip code, and so you know, now she smells it all the time.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_00: And and I said, Yeah, I have a I have an issue too, because this is an unregulated plant.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: People don't know if they're getting quality, safe products.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: Doctors can't talk to their patients about it.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_00: People are using it as medicine, but we're not treating it like a medicine.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, I agree.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: There are a lot of problems.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_00: And so by the end of the conversation, she said, okay, I'm interested, but I still don't like it.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: And that was a that was how if I could bottle up the like the misconceptions, you know, that's still what that it would be that conversation because it's the people who are have these stigmas and ingrained in their minds that it's it smells, it's a drug, it's it gets people high.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_00: But if what we're working towards at realm of caring is uh bringing forth the science and the anecdotal data of how people are using it, why they're using it, and what success they're finding without the without feeling intoxicated.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: There's the therapeutic the therapeutic value is is what we're hitting home to.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_00: So um across a myriad of conditions.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's just really our role is you know, we hear right now people, of course, are still demonizing THC, the single mole singular molecule in this beautiful plant.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: And so it's our role to talk about what the science is saying about the benefits or the the benefits of ratioed products, C B D to THC, CBC, C BG to THC.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: You know, what it what it what does the research show and and how is it helping people?
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think that's uh I mean, just getting out in the world and talking about this stuff, as long as people have a little bit of curiosity around it, because it's easy to forget when you're in the space so much, so much stigma still exists.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_01: And but sometimes it's just like one conversation at a time.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_01: And it's painfully slow sometimes, but I guess when you're putting on a larger, like when you have a larger network like the realm of caring, that is pushing the agenda forward a little bit faster, hopefully.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: We're trying, we're trying, but yeah, I agree with you.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_00: It's definitely easy to be jaded by it or stuck in the echo chamber.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: And then I think what's important right now, especially just in the political sense, it's getting outside of that echo chamber and talking at mainstream conferences or events, or you know, bringing this conversation into the healthcare space, into the book clubs, into you know, these where you wouldn't normally, you know, have it, or people are afraid to.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: They don't have a safe space to ask questions or they feel stupid.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_00: Or if you look at our uh some of our metrics on our website, some of our highest uh search queries that lead to our website are blogs on how to roll a joint or what is RSO.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_00: It's these very basic questions that us who are you know, quote unquote in the industry, we're like, of course everybody knows this, but we're it's it's not true.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_00: People are still confused and they don't want to go into a dispensary and not know the language.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_00: And so they Google it and we see that and we see that people are coming to our website because of that.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_00: And so we want to keep that elementary or the rudimentary knowledge, you know, there and available for people.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: So they don't they have a safe space to go to.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's wonderful.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_01: So I mean, I'm glad you touched on that.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_01: The realm of caring offers a range of free services, including one-on-one support.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_01: So when somebody finds your site through maybe what is RSO or how to roll a joint, can you walk me through what happens, like the typical journey of an individual or family who reaches out to you for the first time?
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, yeah.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah, that's I would say that blogs are a big driver to the site from Google.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: But as far as our referral sources to our free call center, it's doctors, it's friends of family, it's other companies.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, I can't tell you how many times a person has come and they said, My doctor gave me the clear to try it, but they don't know how to help me.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_00: And so they referred me to you, which is great.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we love to be a part of that conversation and also give uh so we get on the phone with individuals who who will we meet them for the first time and they say, I had no idea you existed.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_00: I wish I knew about you sooner.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, my aunt who passed away would could have benefited if only we knew something like this, you know, was available for help.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_00: So we we meet people kind of where they're at.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_00: It's just giving a free space for people to talk and ask questions and just what's your story?
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_00: What's going on?
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_00: And we're non-medical, and that's by design.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_00: We're researchers and educators.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_00: And our intention is that we give you the tools then so you can make the informed decisions about your health.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_00: So then you can go and bring a summary of a few research articles to your next provider appointment and you talk with your physician about incorporating uh cannabis or some ratio of cannabinoid profile into your regimen, but understanding the um, you know, the metabolism pathways and the drug-to-herb or drug-to-drug interactions that take place.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_00: So I would say, you know, that's a big part of what we're talking to people about is like, here's the tools, this is now you can go and have these conversations with your doctor.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_00: Or here are the tools, this is how you find a quality product.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_00: Make sure there's a certificate of analysis.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_00: You know, make sure that you're asking questions about um consistency in product.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then also helping people to scour dispensary menus sometimes and just try and help them narrow down a few different products that they could choose from based on their condition.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: So that way when they go into the retail store to buy, they don't feel so overwhelmed by all of the options that are available to them.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, just kind of setting expectations also that this is a plant.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_00: It's not something where magically you're gonna feel a hundred times better.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_00: And so we also talk about the power of journaling a lot and because it could be such a small and significant, what you might see as insignificant change, but it's all of a sudden, you know, oh, I slept through the night.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_00: I woke up to use the bathroom and I was able to go right back to sleep.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, so it's just, you know, so just kind of having those small wins along the way too.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_00: So making sure we're really holding their hand and supporting them throughout their process.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_01: So it sounds like you're giving them the tools to advocate for themselves when they're seeing their medical practitioners, which is a pretty big deal because a lot of doctors, if they don't understand the plant or don't know how to work with it, then they often don't want to advise you on it.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_01: But I guess if you're providing them the tools to do that, and uh the education research, I think, is so key because, like you said, you're clarifying all these, which seems tricky at first because you know, health is always a tricky thing.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_01: But I think that's uh I think that's fantastic.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_01: And now you've mentioned already research, and that's obviously a big piece of the work that you're doing, and uh you have a major partnership with John John Hopkins University.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_01: Why is the scientific validation so critical?
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_01: And what are some of the most impactful findings that you have found emerge from your studies so far?
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, I think um it's so impactful because what is truly missing that we've been working at for the last decades, decade with Johns Hopkins is real-world data, how people are utilizing cannabis in their everyday lives from commercially available products.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we see controlled trials, we see trials with synthetically derived or synthetic formulations.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, there's a lot of survey-based, you know, data for, you know, just a single survey.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_00: How are you finding experience?
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_00: What are you using this for?
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_00: But having a longitudinal, very in-depth uh observational study that's self-reported for people, where they're every three months they're reporting on how their their progress is going for a year to two years, depending on which study that we have with Johns Hopkins, um, is very critical because that is that's giving us trends, that's understanding cannabinoid ratios, that's understanding, you know, what what are the conditions that we can look deeper into so we can we're setting the stage for those clinical trials to take place.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_00: And some of the most impactful findings that we've seen that I have really enjoyed to look into, and we're gonna dive a little bit deeper in this year, are of course like the health outcomes, uh you you know, like less seizures, less anxiety, better sleep.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_00: But what I really love to see is um the caregiver burden decrease.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_00: So if we're thinking about not caregivers necessarily who are utilizing cannabinoids, but if you're a caregiver of a child or an aging parent and you're helping them use cannabinoids, your burden lessens because their quality of life improves.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't think we I don't think we treat diseases often enough as a whole family issue.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_00: It's not, it's not singular to any one parent or spouse or child.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_00: It is the whole family that's affected by it.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_00: And so if we're welcoming something into the person who's suffering, we welcome something into their life that has low adverse events, low risk and you know, benefits that improve their quality of life and help them to walk and talk and go to school and go to work and lit less missed workdays and less school days missed, then we're having an effect on the whole entire family unit.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_00: And we're we have more, you know, contributors to society.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_00: People want to go get up and go back to work, work out, live healthier lifestyles.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_00: It's a it's a complete ripple effect.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's one of the best gifts that I've received in my role here is seeing the parents who grew our organization and just how their whole family gets stronger when the person that they're caring for is on a safe medication.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_01: And that actually really hits home for me because I live with my 94-year-old father who was recently diagnosed with lung cancer.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_01: And I've talked about that on the show already, but they did catch it early.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_01: But I started him right away on a CBG CBD blend based on some recommendations from somebody who does this kind of work.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_01: And uh, you know, we started really slow.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_01: We've worked our way up, and he's already reporting like sleeping better, which, you know, he has been has told me numerous times.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_01: He gets up like four or five times a night sometimes, especially earlier in the morning.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_01: And I ask him regularly because I keep notes on his dosing and how he's feeling, but just the improved sleep is right there, like something that's been very elusive for him uh for a long time, actually, long before the cancer diagnosis.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_01: So the fact that he's willing to do that because of my own advocacy, uh, of course, because he was never a cannabis consumer, but the quality of life, obviously, his quality of life affects my quality of life.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_01: So just focusing on that with your clients, I think, is something that often doesn't get talked about enough.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_01: Because yeah, when somebody gets sick, it does affect the whole family unit or the people that are in your circle.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_01: And uh yeah, I'm really glad that you touched on that.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, yeah, it's so true.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's and you know, and yeah, we just don't think about our health enough ourselves when we're caring for somebody else.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_00: And that's always the first thing people say to you, like, Well, how are you taking care of yourself?
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like, how am I supposed to do that?
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, when do I have the time?
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, right, exactly.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_01: Now you've served over 10,000 clients and you've had a pivotal role in legislative work, and obviously your impact is clear.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_01: Can you share a specific story that illustrates the life-changing effect of your work on an individual family?
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_01: And I recognize the whole founding of this organization was based on that same work, but are there any other stories that really stand out to you?
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, yeah.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_00: We've had um, I've I've talked about some of these um publicly before.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but there's yeah, there's been so many great stories.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_00: Like just if we had a a a kiddo who had an autism diagnosis and she was mostly nonverbal.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_00: And one night she asked for to get up from the dinner table because she was finished eating in her own way.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: And the parents were like, oh my gosh, that's it's working, it's helping.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_00: That they, you know, just shocked at the fact that she was able to do that.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: Or uh one of our care specialists had a conversation with a man and his wife had suffered with dementia, and it had been nearly a decade since they had a good conversation or, you know, a real conversation.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_00: And one day she turned around and she said, When did we get a new stove?
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_00: And it was, you know, the first time he got to have a conversation with his wife in almost a decade.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I think those are always some of the most beautiful and impactful stories because it's just something that's we take for granted, you know, and then it's you lose it, and then it's so and it comes back in a way that's so natural and organic.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_00: And and it, and those are the ones that are are really cool.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_00: And uh just through our research, we've seen recently um a woman who claimed um that she went on vacation with her family.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_00: She forgot her pharmaceuticals.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_00: She was, of course, getting very anxious about it.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_00: Her husband convinced her to they were in a in a place where they could purchase cannabis.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_00: And so he he convinced her to try something.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_00: I guess he had used it.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe that story wasn't included.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_00: And she said just in the days that she's been on vacation, she's felt better than she ever has.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_00: And when she got back home, she started conversations with her doctor about titrading off of some of those narcotics and heavy medications that she was taking.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, just really, really beautiful stories that we get.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of um, you know, our our we work on a four-day work week, our care team does uh anyway, because it's just a big, it's a big job.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_00: You're wearing a lot of, you know, um, or you're carrying a lot of weight, I should say, and in these stories.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_00: And even though they can be very happy sometimes, there's a lot of struggle that comes with it too, that we're navigating through.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, it's it's been a it's been a great joy, I think, for all of us to see the success that people can have at a global scale by introducing something so simple into their into their routine.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_00: So simple but complex because of all the constraints around it.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_01: Of course.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, it's definitely complex.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_01: But I and I'm sure it's hard to pick out, like you picked out a few beautiful stories there, but I'm sure you see the impact of the work that you're doing every single day.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_01: And it's gotta feel really good.
• 24:17
  unknown: Yeah.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_00: It does, yeah.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_00: It does.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's I I I think I've said this before, like the addicting um just kind of task of working for a nonprofit where you're just, you know, it's it's difficult and it's hard and there's ups and downs, but it's gosh, helping people, I mean, what's better?
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, absolutely.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_01: Now you do a lot of advocacy.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_01: That's a key pillar of your organization.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_01: What are some of the most significant policy changes that you're tackling right now?
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_01: And I know there's a lot going on in the US in particular.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_01: And what would a major victory look like for the ongoing fight for safe and legal access to cannabinoid therapies?
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's a good question.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, yes, to right now, there are currently a lot going on given what's going on at the federal level and the states.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um, every legislative year we're used to state-to-state restrictive laws taking place because they they open up the floodgates and then some state leaders, you know, start to pull back, and then we start to see restrictive policies happen.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_00: But what's happening at the federal level is pretty significant in removing in the pathway to move cannabis from a schedule one to a schedule three.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_00: Because while that doesn't, I understand the argument from a lot of people that it doesn't necessarily change a whole lot as far as allowances and purchasing and accessibility, but it does create a pathway towards research, towards acknowledging for the first time at the federal level in the states that it has medicinal value, which is massive.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_00: And what I hope to see continue through a lot of a lot of work, and it has to be a very collaborative effort, is moving towards that medical allowance and understanding why we have an industry of in the first place and where it came from, where was it bred from?
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_00: And it was bred from the patients who are relying on it, who are vulnerable, who are at risk, who are sick and dying, not to be too dramatic about it, but it, you know, that's the truth of it.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_00: And understanding that as an industry, we stand on their shoulders and we need to keep on pulling them up and including them in conversations and bringing the conversation back to their access and their affordability and their quality and safe products and ensuring that that happens.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think it's gonna take we've all worked very hard, but it's gonna continue to take a lot of work to make sure that we do it right.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_00: We have this window of opportunity.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_00: We were given the okay, you know, we understand it has medicinal value, let's keep on going.
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_00: So let's ride that, let's ride that train and and keep acknowledging that and making it a priority for the healthcare industry, for physicians, for um, for for companies to be held to a very high standard.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then just making accessible laws.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, crossing state borders, for example, for medical patients.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_01: Because what do you do when you have a client that comes to you, but they're in a state where there is no medical program or rec program either.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and that happens a lot.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_00: And um, so they'll they might ask questions like, oh, I'm close to this place.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_00: And so we give them the information that they need, the we let them know, um, still what the science says, what the research says, because it also, I mean, you know, talk about a global scale.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_00: We've had whenever the the weed documentary from Sanjay Gupta and CNN comes out in Weed One, where Charlotte Figgy's story is told, we can always tell when it gets on YouTube in a different country because we'll get calls, we'll start to get calls from them.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_00: So this happened a few years ago where we were getting inundated by calls from France, and we found out oh, the YouTube documentary just released the the weed one documentary there.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_00: And so people are gaining interest, but we couldn't help point them to any CBD product or any dispensary to purchase and make their own.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_00: So it was very hard.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_00: But what we could do is still explain the science behind it.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_00: And hopefully by that, we're just creating more advocates in these spaces that can, you know, start to fight for fair.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, make change in their own jurisdictions, wherever they happen to be.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_01: Cause that's, I guess, how it happens over time.
• 28:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_01: Now you've cultivated a global community.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_01: You mentioned already that you've served over 73, 76,000 people, which is incredible.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_01: How vital is the sense of community for the individuals and the families that you serve?
• 28:49
  SPEAKER_01: Many who've probably felt really isolated in their struggles until they met the realm of caring.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's so important.
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_00: And I I we call them our OG families, our OG kiddos.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_00: And because and I say kiddos a lot because we in the beginning, we of course were helping a lot of pediatrics and their families, but now we're about 70% adult and 30% pediatrics.
• 29:09
  SPEAKER_00: But in Colorado, uh, where we're headquartered and where we started, uh, we have a great community base of families who had moved out from there from Pennsylvania or from Georgia, their respective states, to come to Colorado from North Carolina to access the plant and get care.
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_00: And um, because we have, you know, of course, we had some doctors who are willing to help pediatrics as well.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_00: So that was really important.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and we have try every year to do a gathering or a couple of times a year to do a gathering with our community, but also trying, you know, to create those communities in other places too.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_00: And that could be aligning with other nonprofits who are not necessarily in the cannabis space.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_00: They might be in the pain, the chronic pain space or epilepsy or autism spaces, but aligning with them so that way we're we're collectively providing a support system to our joint communities that we're helping for different reasons.
• 30:07
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, it's incredibly important because we do also still get a lot of calls from people who are wondering if we have an somebody we can connect them to who have gone through the same thing just because they want to talk to somebody who can relate to their experience.
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_00: And even though we can relate to, you know, we can tell them the stories, they want to just talk to somebody one-on-one.
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_00: So we try to do that a lot too, is connect people in community spaces or virtual support groups or whatever it might be.
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's that's great because obviously community is everything.
• 30:36
  SPEAKER_01: And when you have people that you can rely on and they can rely on you, then it changes everything for sure.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_01: Now, looking to the future, what is the long-term vision for the realm of caring?
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_01: And what are the next major milestones you're aiming to achieve in terms of research, education, advocacy?
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_00: So I would say currently we're just still in the thick of providing a very needed resource and making sure that the patient is included in every conversation that happens that has to do with their access.
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_00: So at the policy level, the medical conversations, whatever it might be, but just including their voice, their story, uh, because if it's not included, we won't, we won't get anywhere when it comes to policy.
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_00: And um so I would say that's the intermediate or the immediate goal.
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_00: But then also with that, it's making sure that we're continuing to collect this very ethical, rich data to showcase how and why people are utilizing cannabinoids and the outcomes that they're witnessing from these products that are available commercially.
• 31:49
  SPEAKER_00: And then so through that, making sure that we're compensating people who are dedicating their time and energy to give their data and give their information to the cause.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_00: So that's, you know, we have a couple of can ongoing campaigns where we're constantly fundraising so that way we can just get compensation to the patient.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_00: So for every survey, they get a$25 Amazon gift card.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_00: In some cases, it's a raffle, depending on how much you know spend we have that month.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_00: But um, we have a couple of surveys that are a guaranteed$25 gift card.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_00: So just trying to do our part the best way that we can and increasing some affordability.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_00: So even if it's not directly paying for their medicine, it's paying for, you know, baby wipes.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_00: So then they can, you know, spend some extra on their cannabis that month.
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then with that, you know, making sure that we're taking that data and being very mindful and purposeful with it to use it for good to make sure that we are moving change forward because long-term, if we're thinking long-term goals, it is insurance coverage.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_00: It is a conversation that a doctor can have in with their patient.
• 32:58
  SPEAKER_00: It is um making sure that all of the gaps that we're currently filling in are filled by the entities that are in place to help provide health care to people.
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's just the nature of a nonprofit, right?
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_00: We're just filling in those gaps until it exists at a at a level that you don't even need a nonprofit to care for it anymore.
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_00: But right now we're just so needed and necessary.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_00: I don't see a day where we're we don't exist.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I don't want to say that, but I do see that we're, you know, filling in these necessary gaps until these other systems can catch up.
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_01: So this episode is part of a podcast on.
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_01: And for the listeners, it's a global event designed to unite podcasters for charitable causes.
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_01: Why was it important for the realm of caring to be a part of this event?
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_01: And what do you hope to achieve by sharing your story with podcast audiences worldwide?
• 33:50
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I think that it was important, and this goes back to what we were sort of talking about earlier, and it's bringing the conversation out of our echo chamber and into the mainstream space.
• 33:59
  SPEAKER_00: And so if we're having podcasts on to even feature a nonprofit that is cannabis aligned, I think is is such a big step.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_00: And it's so cool that, you know, we there's just so many opportunities.
• 34:12
  SPEAKER_00: We have research grants that we work on, but there's so many other grants we get denied for, likely because we are cannabis affiliated.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_00: And even if we're non-plant touching, we're delivering education and and conducting research.
• 34:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so we don't get picked for a lot of things.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_00: So it was nice to see that we're in this place where you know people are starting to consider what it is that we're offering here and that, yeah, it is actually a real thing that people need help with.
• 34:38
  SPEAKER_00: So, so my goal here in with Podcast On is to make sure that people know about us, that they know we're a resource that exists for them.
• 34:45
  SPEAKER_00: So that way they can call us and ask questions because we are 100% free.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then if they feel so inclined to support our initiatives, such as our research, so that we can continue to gather that legitimate data to prove that there is uh medicinal value in this beautiful plant and we can keep on pushing policy and access forward.
• 35:06
  SPEAKER_01: That's beautiful.
• 35:08
  SPEAKER_01: Now, for our listeners who've been inspired by your mission today, what's the most effective way that they can get involved and support the work of the realm of caring?
• 35:18
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's a that's a good one because I had immediately three answers go into my head.
• 35:23
  SPEAKER_00: But I would say uh first, get involved in research because even if you are a non-user, there we have a place for you because you can serve as a control.
• 35:32
  SPEAKER_00: But we have uh two great studies.
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_00: One is a national cannabis study that is only United States-based, and that is with Johns Hopkins on behalf of a NIDA grant that was awarded to Johns Hopkins, and that is for new users to cannabis.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_00: The other is uh our observational research registry, which is a global observational research registry where anybody, as long as you have computer access and you can read and write English fluently, that's just one of the eligibility requirements, you can take this survey and start, you know, accumulating that great body of data.
• 36:06
  SPEAKER_00: So that would be the one great way to get involved.
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_00: Another great way is giving, you know, monthly.
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_00: If you wanted to give$25 a month, then that is getting one person every single month through surveys so that way they can get compensated for their time.
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then I would say another way is just spreading the word, just letting people know that we exist, um, because there's a lot of people out there who could use some help.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_00: And even if you, I know how uncomfortable it is when you have a family member and you know something about cannabis and they they're going through something, whether it's chronic or you know, not, but they're going through something that you believe cannabis might be able to help with, but you don't really want to bring it up to them because you don't know how they'll react.
• 36:49
  SPEAKER_00: Because again, still very highly stigmatized and there's a lot of misconceptions.
• 36:54
  SPEAKER_00: Send them our way.
• 36:55
  SPEAKER_00: We'll help them.
• 36:55
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, don't worry about that.
• 36:57
  SPEAKER_00: We're we're here for that.
• 36:59
  SPEAKER_00: So um, yeah, just letting people know that we exist.
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_01: So it sounds like there's a few different ways that people can get involved to help and support the realm of caring and the work that you're doing.
• 37:08
  SPEAKER_01: Now, Sasha, where can people find you?
• 37:10
  SPEAKER_01: Like these studies and the realm of caring, where can people find you?
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_00: We are our website is realmofcaring.org.
• 37:18
  SPEAKER_00: And we don't try not to get too overwhelmed because there's a lot of information there.
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_00: But we do have a beautiful research library of all of these peer-reviewed articles that you can search by condition.
• 37:31
  SPEAKER_00: We also have our published research there featured at the top.
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_00: We have you can access our care team from there to get your free one-on-one support.
• 37:38
  SPEAKER_00: We have all of our blogs, our previous webinars.
• 37:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um, every everything is there at your fingertips for you to access.
• 37:46
  SPEAKER_00: And if you ever want to just contact us directly, it's just info at realmofcaring.org.
• 37:51
  SPEAKER_00: Send us in our email.
• 37:52
  SPEAKER_00: That will go straight to our care team and we'll be able to help you out.
• 37:55
  SPEAKER_01: That's amazing.
• 37:56
  SPEAKER_01: So, Sasha, I just want to thank you so much for your time today and sharing the story about the realm of caring and the work that you're doing.
• 38:03
  SPEAKER_01: I think it is absolutely vital, the work that you're doing in the world, and I really appreciate all your efforts.
• 38:09
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, thank you so much.
• 38:10
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for having me in Realm of Caring.
• 38:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
• 38:13
  SPEAKER_01: And that wraps up this special episode as part of Podcast Thon.
• 38:17
  SPEAKER_01: If you enjoyed it, feel free to visit podcaston.org and discover many other charities and nonprofits through the voices and talents of other amazing podcasters.
• 38:27
  SPEAKER_01: And of course, I hope you enjoyed this conversation with Sasha and learned something new about the realm of caring and the important work that they're doing in the world.
• 38:34
  SPEAKER_01: To help spread awareness, consider sharing this episode with someone that you think would love to hear it.
• 38:39
  SPEAKER_01: As always, you'll find the links in the show notes so you can easily find podcasts on in the realm of caring.
• 38:45
  SPEAKER_01: And with that, my friends, I'm your host, Margaret.
• 38:48
  SPEAKER_01: Until next time, stay curious and stay high.