Hi there. My name is dr.
Presenta, and I'm the host of the doctor nurse podcast.
I'm an advanced nurse practitioner and I want to be
your guide into the world of nursing professions.
This podcast is a platform for nurses to share their Journeys
as they made their way in the diverse field of nursing as
either entrepreneurs, Academia private, practice or even the
corporate world. I think we should celebrate just
how diverse the field of nursing is through mentoring one.
Another, with the stories of our career.
Our Journeys, nothing is too mundane because each journey is
unique. This podcast will showcase
career options to encourage nurses to view their degrees
with a business mindset. After all we work in the
healthcare business and ultimately I hope I might
inspire you to make a change. If you're looking for something
different, I am motivated to see you live, your best, nursing
life and that looks different for everyone.
Thanks for joining me on today's podcast.
And let's get started with today's guests.
Hi guys. Welcome to the doctor nurse
podcast. Today, I have a special guest.
Ashley Grimes is a BS n, RN. And the founder of cannabis
nursing Solutions LLC, she's an advisor to the Cannabis nurses
of color and the author of a children's book and 2021, she
was chosen for Baltimore's Business Journal leaders in
healthcare and native to Baltimore.
She is dedicated to empowering patients in nursing
professionals to make informed Formed medical cannabis care
choices with impactful education and medical programs.
She serves to promote diverse representation and medical
equality in cannabis. She has experience as a
registered nurse for over 12 years, and she has a bachelor's
degree from coppin University and a master's degree in nursing
education from Townsend University.
She has a certification in professional development and is
a certified lean Six Sigma Black belt.
She's worked in various Healthcare settings, including
Telemetry quality improvement and professional development as
a nurse. And she is responsible for
pioneering non-traditional. Cannabis patient care programs
in Maryland. That offers standardized
approaches to dispensing cannabis for nursing
professionals and children in schools.
Welcome to the doctor nurse podcast.
Thank you so much. Let's Dive Right In and let's
get started with kind of what your current.
It job title, is it, what you're, what you do in a day to
day basis at your job? So I work for myself right now,
I am the owner, CEO marketer, social media poster, everything
for cannabis, nursing Solutions. I recently quit my job in 2020.
I was working in quality looking at crunching numbers and things
of that nature. So not so exciting but it did
allow me to work from home for the last year.
I was working there. But anyway, I digress.
So day-to-day like I'm constantly looking for Nurses to
bring to educate them on cannabis medicine.
I'm constantly trying to empower the nurses that I've already
worked with so that way, they can be more comfortable with
talking about cannabis medicine, educating their patients about
cannabis medicine and finding ways for them to make money.
Like that's literally what drives me every day.
Take me through your journey to how you got to this specific
spot in your career. It's been a long one.
So, I actually wrote a book about it, it's an editing right
now is called stigmatized, it'll be out in the next month or two,
but, you know, long story short, And I work on the floors just
like every other nurse when I graduated from my nursing
program. They said, hey you need to go to
med surg so I was like, okay I'm going to follow instructions.
I went to med-surg my work there for quite a while.
I had some great experiences. I met some great people and then
I had some, not so great experiences and traumatizing
experiences and anxiety written experiences too.
And of course, I moved around, I went from, so I think I said in
my first job for about four or five years, and then after that,
I started working on my master's degree in nursing education.
And it was this the med-surg job that you stayed you stayed out
for for 25 years. When I went to go get my
Master's Degree. I moved around, I started
floating and I had like three different flow jobs.
I mean, true. The nurse fashion, you find a
million jobs, and you work them all.
I'm and that's what pay for most of my master's degree or took
care of us. While I was doing my Master's
Degree. And then when I graduated, I
ended up doing a transition to practice program.
But once new nurses graduated from their degree, I was the one
who was helping them, but I think those are called, like,
Residency program. Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yes. Nurse residency program, I will
wash them, basically, just making sure that they were.
Okay, that's where I discovered professional development.
Understanding that, I love nurturing, you nurses young,
nurses people who are learning to people who are trying to
grow, and they weren't all areas of the hospital they from Ed to
ICU. So, I understand every aspect of
the hospital. And even if I didn't work there,
like, I know what, it's like to be ICU nurse.
I know what it's like to be a needy or med-surg laughter.
That, at that point, I was considered Hospital leadership,
which I didn't realize That at the time I just thought I was
babysitting new nurses and then I ended up going to corporate
and working as a project manager in the corporate office, I was
the only nurse there. I was only brown person there it
was very few females in that environment.
So definitely interesting experience to say the least and
it just had a lot of bumps and bruises along the way but I did
learn a lot just about how systems run looking at the
hospital from not just, you know, to caring for a patient
point of view. But the Overall perspective,
that makes the hospital. So what were you doing in that
professional role and that leadership role from
babysitting? Nurses, you go from ABC nurses
to. Now, what's your role described
to me? Kind of what you were doing in
that job. I was responsible for running
projects, I'll say it like that running projects to make the
hospital money. So one of my projects, for
example, was to implement a cardiac stent into the surgeons
list of supplies I guess. And so almost kind of like, a
drug rep, but for the state No, I was supposed to help manage
the drug raps, you see I'm saying?
Okay, okay, okay, you were managing, the drug raps that
we're trying to push this stint to the new cardiologist, right?
So I had to help compare and contrast the cost, and then they
would help me compare and contrast the quality.
And then we had to work with supply chain and help bring it
in. So really, really, really my job
was to save one point four million dollars by using this
new Step. Yes.
That was my job to figure out how to like Like get the best
quality for the best dollar and then push it out amongst all 14
hospitals. I think that's really
interesting actually because a lot of nurses might think.
Okay so I can only work at the bedside or I can only do this
but when you hear about nurses and how again what our skills
translate into other jobs here you are like helping create
almost like a quality improvement project.
You're pushing through a hopefully better state that
actually cost last. Is going to cause less patient
mortality and morbidity. Like, they're all these factors
that we actually get to play a role in because of the fact that
we are at the bedside, we do understand the whole process and
they're very little holes that we need to fill.
And I think that's really neat. And I think that's also a really
cool aspect to your career that hopefully another nurse can hear
about. I didn't even know I could do
something like that. Yeah, they pulled me in just
because I was a nurse like you said, I was babysitting nurses
in one moment and the next moment I mean this whole
corporate Environment where they're like, we want you here
because one, your diverse to your nurse and you come with
this clinical experience. So we want you to do these
things or insert your opinion here.
So we think you're about you. Yeah, that's really cool.
During this process. You said you were getting your
master's degree or you just finished your master.
I haven't. So by the time I got to the
corporate professional role, I was already like two or three
years, post, my Master's Degree. So work, a couple years and that
transition to practice program and then I went to the the
corporate job and I see, Two years there.
And at this point, I'm working in this corporate job.
I'm making the six figures, right?
Like most nervous. Nurses are like, I wish I wish I
could make this six figure salary.
And here I am. I'm making it.
And I first, it was fun. It was exciting.
It was overwhelming. You know, I was a little fish in
a big pond. It was 14, hospitals.
I was trying to push these ideas and procedures and policies
through, you know what? I mean.
It was a lot and I was like, I don't want to do this.
I was like, this is not gonna work for me.
This just cannot work. What was it that you didn't?
Like, well one the expectation was to work about 50 hours a
week. Yeah.
So and I also have two small children.
The other thing is so you heard me say really my job was to save
one point four million dollars. So that was the priority amongst
all the other things. So you listed all the quality
factors that for me where the priority because I'm a nurse
like I care about the trickle-down for the patient.
So it was a lot of like friction in a way that I saw things.
So you brought me on because I'm valuable because I'm a nurse.
But Exert my opinion from the nurses point of view that was
never really value when I expressed it.
That's interesting that you say that because I think that what
you're describing is exactly what a lot of nurses are
starting to see in the hospital right now with like covid and
how they're treating nurses. And this trickle-down effect
from the hospital Administration, where nurses
don't feel like, are the patient's even the center
anymore. Like, what are we doing here,
when the companies bring his on, they have to realize that like,
truly the reason why we went into medicine, the reason why we
We do our jobs is because we do care about people genuinely when
you then start creating this dynamic between cost and patient
care and patient outcomes, the nurse is going to always pick
the patient outcomes in the patient care aspect and so
you're almost asking us to operate outside of our gifting
and in our hearts. It's almost like our convictions
are this, the patient care. And now you're asking us to put
money before that, and we're just not designed our training.
Doesn't teach us that Right, we're trained from the moment.
We are baby nurses to put people above all else.
And that's pretty much why I do what I do on a day-to-day basis.
All together, it might be in this is probably where you're
going with your next question. But it may seem a little
counterintuitive that like I decided cannabis to be medicine
because of the stigma being a business owner.
Now the money does come first in order to run the business, we
have to have the money to do it and I see it now I see the why
behind the money driving certain aspects of things but I'm I
believe that there's a way to find balance when I describe my
business. Yeah, I talk about cannabis
being medicine but really is cannabis.
Creating this this alternate opportunity to make money and
Alternate opportunity to care for patients in a way that we
don't traditionally see it an opportunity to release yourself
from Hospital Systems. So that way now you can help
create your own. And yeah.
So take me through when you decided to go ahead and start
your own thing because you're getting burned out from this
corporate job that you got actually working in as a
clinical coach between the Job and the transition of practice
program, and that was just fun. And I also talked about that in
the book, like a lot of bullying, a lot of like, you
know, kind of crazy culture. So, when I left that job
actually took a two-week Hiatus. So, because when I switch from
the transition to practice program, I didn't take any time
Friday left that job Monday. I went to the next job.
But then, when I left the eight-month job, the clinical
coach job, I took two weeks off when I took a few weeks off, let
me tell you something. I have never used my PTO.
I never liked Like knew what it was like not to be working
because like I said, I was getting my Master's Degree.
I was working three, float pool jobs, I was, you know, like I
had my two children, like I was constant constant Constable
going and when I took those two weeks off, I was like, hold on,
wait a minute, like people that can choose what they do with
their day and I didn't even know what to do with my time.
I didn't, I had no idea what to do.
So that was just the first taste of like getting sort of this
freedom of choosing. What I got to do with my own
body, my own time, my own space. And when I went into that
six-figure job, And I went went went went because I was excited.
But then, when I started to realize, it's not as exciting as
it seems in. This is not how I can spend the
next 20 to 30 years of my life. I'm still young.
I'm in my 30s, I decided to explore.
I started to research. I started to, like, learn
different things. I went through a period of time
where I thought I was going to stop startup.
It was called the yogi Journey, right?
Like, I had gotten to yoga during those two weeks off.
It was life-changing, right? And it's like, wow, you know how
amazing this thing like I'm now feeling.
My body, I'm paying attention, my fingers, my toes with simple
things. Like it's crazy how often you
don't pay attention to it. So you were discovering that you
had margins and that you were operating so close to the edge
that you didn't even have time. And I just got done having a
conversation with another nurse about the same thing.
You don't even have time to breathe to focus in on the
breath moving in and out to focus in, on the tension, in
your shoulders and these things a lot of nurses are describing
to me that they are so busy. So worn out, that they are
ignoring what I call the little whisper inside of you.
The little thing that's inside your soul that tells you slow
down, pay attention, and we just get so distracted by all the
noise and all the hubbub, and all the activity for creating
that, I believe, there needs to be a recent erring of people to
the little quiet still voice that tells you, you were meant
for something else. You are not meant to do this.
That's kind of what I found and I And I have these conversations
and discussions with nurses is that they have these pivotal
life-changing moments where like you're describing, you started
listening to the fact that you're like, this feels nice.
Yeah. Don't need to be crazy.
What can this look like? What can I create?
That will give me a balance between both?
I like the way you put that, that is beautiful.
A lot of time. Talking about developing Concept
in my mind because I'm trying to look at the themes.
The things that are Man in the threads that are common in.
Everyone's story, everyone describes that moment that you
just had. And so in these two weeks when
you're processing through, oh my gosh, I need margins in my life,
take me through, what your next steps were.
So we started to research, I started to research on just
different things, like just holistic medicine.
Like I said, I had gotten into yoga, so it really just kind of
yoga was the door that opened my awareness to a lot of other
aspects of what health and wellness is, you know, like what
true homeostasis means. Things that I need.
So I discover cannabis, I went to a training and it was across
the country and I was like, oh, this is interesting.
I went and I learned about the endocannabinoids system and I
was like, whoa, wait a minute, like what is this whole system
that we know nothing about? Yeah.
So what did you learn? So the endocannabinoid system is
the largest neuroreceptor system in our bodies and it is
responsible for homeostasis. A lot of people attribute it to
cannabis just the plant. For just smoking weed, but there
are a lot of ways that you can impact it exercise yoga being
one of them, meditation, all those kind of things, I believe,
I heard that breast milk actually, interacts with the
endocannabinoid system with babies, I believe I've for when
I'm understanding again, very basic knowledge.
That it's because the milk and the consistency or whatever's.
In the breast milk works on the endocannabinoid system, which I
thought was incredible. So, we actually have two
cannabinoids that live in our body, there called
endocannabinoids. And they're released through the
breast. That's what I heard you were
just saying you would on this two weeks you're learning about
endocannabinoids, your learning. Like, what is this system?
And yeah, it's opening you up. Yeah, so I just decided
everybody else needs to know it. Like, I was like, how am I going
to tell everybody about what I know?
So, in project management, fashion, I sat down and I
organized everything, and I had to like systemize it.
So, when I was sitting there with my patients, I would know
exactly what was here and we like streamlined and all those
things and I started Doing like putting out there where I was
doing consultations and everything like that, just
friends family, things of that nature.
And what I realized or what I figured was that I needed more
people to it, couldn't just be me.
So I made it into like a class format and, you know, I just put
it on a PowerPoint slide. Put all the little documents
that I created for myself, you know.
I make them available to other nurses and I just started like
just telling people come to my class for day and I made it
super super cheap so that way anybody can get it because I
don't feel Like nurses should have to pay for it even though
I'm being yeah. Otherwise but so what is your
program teach nurses or other Healthcare professionals.
So it starts it talks about the history, it talks about the
cannabinoids, you know, a little facts, like the breast milk and,
you know, the endocannabinoids, and it talks about, you know,
just generally plant genetics, but then implementation into
nursing practice so treatment care planning.
Anybody can use it in any area for if you're interacting with a
patient who chooses to consume can you assess that patient?
Properly. So that's pretty much it in a
nutshell and then, after they're done, they can get access or an
opportunity to sell a product and get commission off of it.
So, you know, what is your product is not mine?
It's actually associated with a large hospital system in my
state. So they are looking for nurses
to be able to offer the patient's a solution.
So what we decided we partnered up and I was like hey I teach
these nurses and that like we will need educated people to
talk about. The cannabinoid adjunct
therapies. So why don't we give them money
to sell it? And I'm like, yeah, what does
the product do for the patient? And what type of patient are you
marketing this to? So what's the patient population
that you're marketing to? And what does it bring about the
product that you're selling? Can you can you name the
product? Yes.
It's called Caribbean cvd. Okay, care, beyond CBD.
And so what is it offer who you offering it to?
And then what does it do for the it is for anybody.
Suffers from sleep insomnia, anxiety or pain.
And so because all of the nurses who have gone through my
training are from different areas Specialties they can
Market to whoever their patients are the game.
For me is that it gives them more motivation to talk about
cannabis as an option for their patience and being able to
assess them properly. So if that is something that
they need and need to get relief from they can they have
something that they don't have to invest more money in, they
don't have Have to whole bunch of product on hand.
It's super easy for the patient that kind of thing.
So really just taking that nurse through, I'm interested.
I'm learning and I've learned and now I can do something with
it. It can be the way that it helps
fund their freedom if they take that money.
And that's how I coach them, you know, like if you make two
thousand dollars a month, take that money and invest it into
whatever it is that you want to do so fun and get you where
you're trying to go, gotcha, what have you seen in your
treatment process of patients? Are you seeing people being
affected by The CBD, is it a CBD oil or CBD capsule or liquid or?
So I have picture and they have gummies.
We usually stick with a tincture because as usually medical
grade, we try and stay away from the more smokable forms,
although it can be something that patients need just because
of the, the quickness of the relief.
So really cannabis medicine is is an individualized medicine
and everybody can benefit in different ways.
So sometimes it's a combination of cannabinoids AIDS or methods
of consumption. That is needed.
This product though is really cool because they don't have to
get a medical card for it. It's totally legal.
It takes away that extra barrier of trying to access it.
Most people who reach out, who want cannabis medicine are
suffering from Pain and sure that that's the number one
reason why people ask or are at their wit's end or, you know,
frustrated, they don't want to take opioids because they hear
all about the micro terrible. Or they are taking opioids and
it's just not working. So No, when they're talking to
Providers, we're not offering them.
The vast array of solutions. We just only offer them,
opioids. So this is just another solution
that these nurses can all hold on one second, okay?
Hey baby. It's okay, I'll be right there.
Sorry about that. Yes, he's too.
But go ahead. You're saying, yeah.
So most people reach out for pain.
And yes, if they are using it intentionally, they do see
results. Yeah.
And this down and Other thing about this product is that it is
very fast acting where it's like most TV products are lipid vase,
and it doesn't absorb as quickly through the body, everybody that
I know that have tried this product.
It has like I slept well, the pain is gone, like period.
So wow, that's incredible. What are the drawbacks of taking
this CBD therapy? That you're offering?
It does it has its effect on the liver so definitely monitoring
interactions with the body. The other medications.
Yeah, yeah. Actually, like with opioids, if
you're taking CBD and opioids at the same time, it can increase
the amount and amount of opioids in the in the blood and can
increase the risk of overdosing on the opioid.
So wow, really Bringing Down the amount of opioids.
If you're going to be increasing, the amount of cat
cannabinoids and different medications as well because they
could see beauty Vines, the different receptors in the body.
And a lot of our hormonal based medications also buying with
those same receptors, so it blocks in that way.
So just be mindful of those kind of Of things, which is why
Healthcare Providers and you can argue about this.
But I think that's the biggest one.
I mean, most people, the other thing that people kind of shy
away from CD is because some CD contains THC in it and if it
shows up in their bloodstream, then they may not qualify for
the job they won. So but there are isolates out
here really for the maximum health benefit, having a
combination of all the cannabinoids is most optimal for
my own edification, the endocannabinoid system and the
drug and the In the CBD that your company offers is that does
it have t c in it? Or is it it does?
Yeah. So it has Okay, small amount.
So the legal amount of THC that across the country that you can
ship and do everything is point three percent.
So, and this company, actually, they adhere to the point three
percent. But then, they also take
advantage of Delta 8th. See in some of their products or
so. It's a, it's a very chemically
Through process that I'm not aware of.
I'll put it that way, got it. Got it.
There's things that are going on in the manufacturing level of of
the medication. Gotcha, very cool.
So give us as you been going through this journey and now
that you're teaching nurses about the endocannabinoid
system, you're teaching nurses and other Healthcare
professionals and I'm assuming patients as well.
How to use safely? These medications that can help
mitigate pain, sleep? And all the other things that
there might be dealing. What is as you've been going
through your career? What would you say?
Has been a really big challenge that you've had to overcome just
the general stigma because as soon as I say the word cannabis,
like, people either shut down or their eyes light up, because I
used to smoke weed back in the day or something.
You know what I mean? And they already have this,
like, preconceived notion about what they think I'm about to say
to them. And even if I say something
exact opposite, they still think.
I've, you know, I've had people get mad at me because I say that
cannabis as medicine, if he had people shy away from me, just
because I say, That I educate about cannabis and like, oh, cuz
you smoke weed all day. No.
Really. I don't, you know, like so just
all of the assumptions that are made based on the media stigma,
the messaging that went out. You know back in the 80s and 90s
is your brain on drugs. Cannabis is a gateway drug, you
know, the War on Drugs. You know we got to condemn it.
Whatever you know, whatever the Mantra is that you play in your
head. What is your response when
people say those things? So in my own personal growth
that I've learned that not, everybody's going to be willing
to hear what? Have to say and just being, okay
with that is not here for you to receive, but you do know that I
exist and when you're ready to receive it, you'll probably
reach out down the line. I mean, we have more than 30
states that have legalized cannabis.
So, I mean, it's hard to not hear about it in the media.
So at least give me any time that you felt like was a really
big win. It was a peak, it was, this is,
this is a good moment for us or for me or for my family or
whichever I have actually have quite a few.
So I have really Ali really low lows and I have equally High
highs, like that's just kind of where things have gone for me.
But I have to say when I was acknowledged as an honorary for
the Baltimore Business Journal, 20, 21, and then the realization
that in 2021, I actually was in high times and Baltimore
Business Journal, which are completely opposing media
Outlets. Like I was like, wait, who does
this? So that was super cool.
Yeah. Awesome.
And anyone Mentor you along your career Journey has any Come
along side and just said, hey like, you know, let me help you
build this thing that you're building or let me take you
under my wing and teach you about professional development.
A lot of people, I have some very key people that have kind
of come and gone and stayed and love, you know what I mean?
Like, I have a lot of people I can list out, like the person
who hired me for that transition to practice program.
If I could, she is, I'll do anything for her bend over
backwards for her. Because I was a key moment where
I was a staff nurse and then transitioned into leadership and
she mentored me throughout the process, I remember feeling a
lot of culture shock when I first went into Hospital
leadership and she was able to kind of help me shift my mindset
and helped me kind of move in confidence, and she was also a
fellow fellow Brown woman. So we shared a lot of you know
the issues with confidence in a lot of ways.
It was, I mean I've had people help me with my writing
throughout the years I've had The person who nominated me for
the Baltimore Business Journal, like, definitely is a key
person. And one of my favorite
girlfriends actually met at one of my jobs or favorite person to
talk to you in this moment. She she mentions me every single
day. She is she's a person who
reminds me that I am Ashley a you need to remember that your
Ashley and you need to walk in this purpose that you got that
has been placed before you and keep going.
Yes, I love that. Yeah, it's so true.
So what if Vice, do you have for a new nurse who starting off in
her career that you wish you would have known when you would
have gotten started? I wish that I would have known
to just be patient. I think that a lot of us tend to
be very driven individuals, and I thought I was I needed to go
somewhere. I need to do something.
I need to be like the Superstar like things had to be perfect.
Like and I think that's that's what contributed to that go, go,
go mentality. Like I had to get my Master's
Degree, I had to get to the 6th I had to get here, get there,
get there. And I think in a lot of ways I
checked out like I wasn't in my own body when I was on the
floors, like I'm here to care for people and I was allowing
like the pressures of the job not.
Let me care for people the way that I care for the mess.
I'm a very empathetic person, but because I wasn't present, I
probably didn't show that empathy for a lot of papers that
I care for, but self-awareness, that's pretty good.
So the last part of the interview is the rapid fire
questions. No.
Oh, this is a good one. Do you recycle?
Are you recycler? No, no, either, sometimes, I'll
be honest. I don't recycle sometimes, I
don't, I just don't. Okay, I'm gonna do take my
boxes, but I do get them out to on recycle day, but like, I
don't have a separate bin or anything.
Alright. And then what's the best age to
be 23? You think, 23 and 0?
This is, I like this one. What do you say when you answer
the phone? What's your greeting?
D. Hello well hello.
Okay my answer for my business or my answer of my personal
phone. Just answer your phone when you
say, I say hello? Yeah.
Hi. I don't even know how I do it.
That's a really hard question. It was a close girlfriend.
Girl. Oh my gosh, Ashley.
Thank you so much for coming on and sharing about your journey
and how you are growing your business and hopefully educating
more nurses and other and patience to be free themselves.
Where can people find you if they're interested in kind of
what you're doing right now and they want to possibly see if
they can learn from you. So I'm on Instagram and
Linkedin. But Instagrams.
Easiest to find me, so it's cannabis nursing Solutions.
You can email me, gratitude, a cannabis nursing Solutions, LLC
deaf, Or on my website, which is www.hyken.com is nursing
Solutions LLC.com. Okay, wonderful, well guys,
check her out at remember to enjoy the journey.
Yes, we are at the end of our time together.
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