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In March, I had the pleasure of interviewing Stacy Zeal, a wellness coach specializing in cannabis and the host of “High on Self Care” Podcast. If you missed the interview you can check it out here: Epi 141: Cannabis & Self-Care with High On Self Care Podcaster Stacy Zeal.

Today, Stacy shares more of her story on creating a mindfulness practice using cannabis and how she is helping others create and prioritize their self-care routine.

Hey Stacy, thanks for the interview! Tell us about your wellness journey. How did it influence the launch of the High of Self Care Podcast?

My cannabis wellness journey started with me falling asleep driving after years of ignoring my sleep problems. I have insomnia and for years I ignored it to the point where I fell asleep driving one time and that was my wake-up call. I decided to use that time to really take my sleep problem seriously so I started to Google all the things and try all the things. After trying everything from melatonin to cutting caffeine to sleeping pills and nothing working, I decided to try cannabis and that changed my life.

Cannabis is the only thing that consistently helps me sleep and after I fixed my problem I realized that I can help other people so I started a blog and a podcast where I talk about cannabis as self care.

Can you tell us more about Mary Zeal and the different services you offer?

Mary Zeal is a community mainly for women of color looking to get education, inspiration, and encouragement about using cannabis and self-care to live their best abundant lives. We offer education and product recommendations for things like CBD and any other cannabis and self-care related things you may need for your wellness journey. 

How do you prioritize your mental health? How has including cannabis in your self-care routine helped you be more mindful?

I prioritize my mental health by starting my day with my self-care and cannabis-infused morning routine and ending my day by getting plenty of restful sleep. My morning routine includes cannabis, yoga, and meditation and it really helps me to start the day with gratitude and feeling grounding in my purpose. 

Including cannabis in my self-care helps me to be more present, calms my mind, makes me feel more centered throughout the day.

In launching your business, what are some of the challenges you’ve had to overcome? How have you stayed motivated?

In launching my business some of the challenges I’ve had to overcome are really self-inhibiting challenges so things like perfectionism and imposter syndrome. The way I stay motivated is by reminding myself of why I launched this business, how much cannabis has helped me, and how much joy I get out of shifting someone’s perspective about the plant.

What’s one idea or resource you’d suggest to other creatives and entrepreneurs?

One idea I would suggest for other creatives and entrepreneurs, especially the multi-passionate ones like myself, is to batch your content. The way I say on top of my weekly podcast is by blocking off specific time during the month to record all of my episodes for the next month or to create content for the next month. That helps me to meet my deadlines and stay consistent.

About Stacy Zeal

As the CEO of MaryZeal.com and host of the High on Self Care Podcast, Stacy Zeal is on a mission to help women of color live their best abundant lives by creating a mindful cannabis practice.

Cannabis literally changed Stacy’s life by becoming her only consistent solution for her insomnia. After being prescribed sleeping pills that only worked for 2 weeks, she turned to cannabis while living in Las Vegas and it has been the only thing that consistently helps her sleep peacefully every night. Getting consistent sleep has been a game-changer creating the energy needed to live the life that she desires. 

As a yoga teacher and self-proclaimed high functioning stoner, Stacy understands that combining the amazing benefits of self-care with the uplifting benefits of cannabis leads to a deeper connection to self. 

Connect with Stacy

Website: MaryZeal.com | High on Self Care Podcast

Links to socials:

• Instagram.com/StacyZeal
• Twitter.com/StacyZeal

Keetria is an entrepreneur, wellness advocate, and brand strategy coach for creatives & entrepreneurs with 16 years of public relations expertise working with some of the world’s leading brands, startups, media personalities, and entertainers. If you would like to work together, don’t hesitate to reach out!

The annual SlyFox fest, hosted by production company SlyFox entertainment, is a multicultural and multigenerational music festival, which aims to bring international artistic expression together in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in the five days leading up to New Year’s Eve.

The festival celebrates the cultural mix between countries that converse as much as America and Brazil.

By bringing together business, music, urban art, visual art, and fashion, the SlyFox fest aims to create a culturally rich space, making everyone present shine. From the cultural agents and managers of small businesses to owners of larger businesses – everyone has the chance to showcase their work; display it on a catwalk or on a stage or in an open-air art gallery – even on the skateboard.

The SlyFox fest is also a potential market mover for the economy, and a networking event, where people can rub shoulders with like-minded individuals, creating opportunities for all those present.

For more information on the festival, sponsorship opportunities, and event schedule visit www.slyfoxfest.com

Keetria is an entrepreneur, wellness advocate, and brand strategy coach for creatives & entrepreneurs with 16 years of public relations expertise working with some of the world’s leading brands, startups, media personalities, and entertainers. If you would like to work together, don’t hesitate to reach out!

For years entrepreneurs have paved the way for innovation and transformation leading to significant and lasting impacts across a multitude of industries. It is this same entrepreneurial drive that inspired Angelo Vassiliades to put his background in start-ups, 15-years of consumer marketing experience, and long-time passion for the sports industry to work. Vassiliades is re-imagining what the race & sporting events industry looks like.

As an entrepreneur and competitive athlete who has invested much of his time and resources advocating for the wellness of others, his aspirations for healthy living and serving a global community led to a much larger mission. One that allowed him to utilise his skill set to create a platform for athletes and race participants around the world. Having lived on three different continents and traveled to 44 countries, Vassiliades’ keen sense of cultural understanding is unmatched.

The founder of the online sporting event platform activity.me, Vassiliades’ interest in the great outdoors and cross-cultural exploration help shape the framework for his new venture. After recognising the void that existed in the Middle East and Africa region for mass sporting event listings and athlete participation, Vassiliades sought to create a free, all-encompassing solution for individuals seeking events in their area. In the past, discovering marathons and other mass participation races has required several online searches across multiple websites. Vassiliades’ platform has simplified this process by allowing participants to easily discover and register for upcoming events without the hassle. It features a user-friendly interface that allows for quick and effortless participant sign-up and event organisers can also list and manage their races and fitness events.

In a recent press release, Vassiliades shared how activity.me’s global platform fills a massive industry void, “Finding events was historically a challenge as if they were not shared through word of mouth, coming to know of these involved laborious Google searches and navigating through complex sites. Participants can now discover and register for thousands of sporting events across the globe through activity.me,” said Vassiliades. Serving a global community of athletes from all fitness backgrounds the online platform features thousands of sports events in many countries. From paddleboarding and cycling to 5K fun runs and swimming events, activity.me connects active individuals to the events they enjoy.

In addition to his competitive spirit, Vassiliades’ philanthropic pursuits fueled his mission to make fitness globally accessible to everyone. Through his youth mentorship in the UK to taking part in charity and fund-raising events in the UAE and Australia, Vassiliades has pushed boundaries to contribute to the welfare of others. In 2014 in the UAE, and again in Oman in 2015, he spent two consecutive years competing in the three-day, intensive paddling marathon known as Capital Paddle. These events raised funds to support communities struck by natural disasters. Vassiliades’ enthusiasm for bringing people together and giving back also inspired his participation in the Hawkesbury Canoe Classic in Australia, a charitable paddling ultramarathon that raises funds for patients with blood diseases.

Now, with the launch of activity.me Vassiliades’ vision for helping others achieve their personal best expands across borders bringing people together one fitness event at a time.

About activity.me

Based in Dubai, activity.me is a mass sports event marketplace that helps participants discover and register for thousands of sporting events across the globe. The platform includes a mass variety of sports including cycling, running, swimming, walking, triathlons, and paddling. Launched in 2019, activity.me caters to individuals of all fitness levels and is dedicated to helping athletes achieve their personal best.

Keetria is an entrepreneur, wellness advocate, and brand strategy coach for creatives & entrepreneurs with 16 years of public relations expertise working with some of the world’s leading brands, startups, media personalities, and entertainers. If you would like to work together, don’t hesitate to reach out!

In our latest interview, Metamorphosis life & business Coach Angela Lee joins us to discuss the importance of renewing our mind, body, and spirit through self-care and self-love. Be sure to check out the interview below!

Q: Let’s start with your background! Share with us the work that you do as a healthcare professional and what led you to this career path.  

I grew up in the “home and deathbed of the Confederacy” in a poverty-stricken Trailer Park in Abbeville, South Carolina, where no support is offered for a black girl to aspire to be anything. I faced every hardship and setback that you can think of: Molestation, absentee father, teenage pregnancy, domestic violence, toxic relationships, failed marriage, poverty, suicidal ideation, and being held at gunpoint by the police. So needless to say the odds were against me. I was contemplating returning to college after quitting two times prior, but I didn’t know what I should major in since I would be the first in my family to attend college. I was urged to become a nurse from a nonblack co-worker who was a nurse at the time while I was working as an insurance co-payment clerk. Yes, a poor black girl with no foreseeable future can create her own path to be success with the right guidance.


Q: You’re also a life & business coach! Tell us about The Metamorphosis Life Coach and the types of programs you offer.

I was eating out one day on a patio, reflecting on my life to that point, and I noticed a caterpillar crawling on a plant, and then a bright butterfly landing on the same plant. I felt that was the revelation from God telling me you must be transformed into something and not stay STUCK! I realized even though I wasn’t where I wanted to be in my life, I couldn’t allow my hardships and setbacks to stop me from moving forward. So, I titled my business Metamorphosis to reflect that transformation.

I am an Experienced Life Coach who has overcome several traumatic experiences, and I help my clients who have also had traumatic experiences, do the same.

 I offer five types of programs, all of which start with a free 15 minutes consultation.  After that I determine which program will best help my client achieve the result they’re looking for. I also assist people that are currently in a “bad place,” that feel hopeless and at a dead-end with life due to the devastation of a lost job, ended relationship/marriage, or just want to explore other avenues in life.  Frequently my clients have a “popcorn brain” (as my mother-in-law refers to me) but are fearful are about how to create the blueprint to succeed to transform their dream into reality. That’s my job as a coach to help you focus to gain clarity to develop a plan that will help you execute today to achieve your desired outcome.

Q: Speaking of career and business, tell us about your guides “Business Etiquette & Success” and “Metamorphosis Coaching Curriculum” – who do they work well for?  

These programs work well for individuals who are ready to excel with high performance in their personal life and/or business. 

The Metamorphosis “Life” Curriculum addresses your current life framework to help you become more confident, build your faith, and teach you to examine want you really want out of life and what’s hindering you from getting it.

The Metamorphosis “Business Etiquette & Success” Curriculum is to enhance your business by evaluating the framework of your business model to help you dominate your area of expertise territory. This curriculum is a must have if you are a startup or expanding your business that requires help with professional business etiquette that includes proper dress for success attire and social media written communication.

Q: Within your programs, you focus on self-care & self-love through your acronyms A.S.K, – What does A.S.K. stand for and why are these areas of importance to you? 

The acronym A.S.K. stands for A-acknowledgment, S-seek resources to help create an action plan, K-kicking those bad habits to replace them with healthy new ones.

Based on my research from my case studies along with my own experiences, the results revealed we care more about pleasing others while neglecting ourselves.  When I reflect over some of my “sunken place” moments it was due to the rejection of a person I trusted and admired. I started a sabbatical in November 2015, I overdosed on personal development books, and I took charge of my life after a failed relationship. I held myself accountable to not retaliate by impulsively jumping into a new relationship off my emotions but evaluating my hopes, dreams, and desires to live life on my OWN terms. I had an extraordinary 2016 which was the result of me embracing self-love while applying self -care.

Q: Recently, you mentioned noticing many of your patients were suffering in silence – can you tell us about some of the issues you were seeing and why you felt compelled to serve as a resource?  

Suffering in silence is my definition of depression, isolation from family or friends, mental breakdown or those negative -self-talk sessions between yourself after a traumatic experience or setback.

Here’s a Patient Example:  a 22 year-old with markings on her arm from a failed suicidal attempt because she was being bullied; a 65 year-old woman who is newly divorced after 50 years of marriage and has no desire to live because she can’t cope with the loneliness; and the 45 year-old old man that lost his job and now feels unworthy to be a provider for his family.  These patients wanted their hope restored and resources to help them to move forward in their life.

It’s devasting as you build your life based on someone else and when they don’t live up to your expectations you immediately think, “What’s wrong with me?”  I also offer my personal experiences such as having suicidal ideation, giving my son up to his maternal grandmother as I got my life together, and looking for love in all the wrong places because I desired to be loved so I settled in toxic nonproductive relationships. 

I am the billboard for the twisted side of things after my negative perception of myself.  I encourage people by giving them a handwritten note with affirmations to recite. Most people work off visual representation so once I exposed my “dark valley” moments, they stop crying, smile, and hug me for being transparent.

Q: Why do you think some people have a hard time putting themselves first and making their self-care a priority?

People have a hard time making themselves a priority because it wasn’t implemented in their childhood, so they fail to incorporate it now mostly due to the lack of time. Many people see self-care as a reward after a completed task and due to this negative thinking, it effects both our mental and physical health.

Q: What do you enjoy most about helping others transform their lives? I get elated when they have achieved their goals & the feedback from others.

I am the bridge to get my clients from where they are to transform their mindset to attract better than they ever thought they could be. I rejoice when my clients push past their fears and accomplish so much more then they anticipated.

Q: What’s your favorite self-care ritual?!

P.M. R. R. > Pray, Meditation, Rest to rejuvenate or journaling & Recite daily affirmation

Q; How has your career background as a nurse contributed to your business success as a life coach?

My nursing profession duties help me express the urgency to live your life to the fullest by executing your plan now. I have witnessed the birth of a heartbeat then watched as the heart monitor goes from a wave pattern to a flatline. Because of this I use it in my coaching practice to offer alternatives to those that feel early death is the answer because they feel emotionally unstable and unable to cope with life’s challenges.  I reference the quote by Les Brown: “The richest place in the world is the graveyard because many people died with their dreams unfulfilled.”

Q: What advice can you share with those who are looking to practice self-care but don’t know where to start?

First remove money as an excuse then A.S.K. yourself: Am I happy with where I am right now?  What is standing in my way? How can I get there? Now reflect over areas of your life that you don’t feel 100%.

Mentally -Do you experience mental overload or have a scatterbrain with emotions or ideas? Are you constantly angry for no reason? Physically – Are you overweight due to poor eating habits with related health issues? Are you surviving off medications to get up, to function through the day & go to sleep?

I don’t want the excuse of a lack of money on the table for an answer because it doesn’t take money, it takes clarity, that’s why you need a coach to help you assess your daily or yearly activity.

 Complete an assessment form here: www.coachangielee.com