Ep 65: High Herstory- An advocate for Cannabis and Women with Jenny Joslin

You are listening to episode number 65 with Jenny Jocelyn.

If you're someone who wants to make major changes in their life, someone who wants to achieve their goals, or maybe you're someone who knows this is not as good as it gets but you have no idea where to start, on the Reinvent You podcast, we explore different types of people, their successes and failures, and how they reinvented themselves to create the life they love. It's our hope that from hearing their stories, that you too may have more insight into what it takes to build a life that you envision for yourself. Here to help you do that is performance and life coach Travia Steward.

You guys, my guest today is a cannabis advocate. Cannabis, yes, I said cannabis. A ride-or-die supporter to women. Future Moira Rose forever New Yorker who believes that therapy and real butter are worthy investments. She's also the co-founder of Mercury Road Media, a full-service production house creating space for women and femmes behind the scenes and on set, bringing to life meaningful stigma-changing visuals at the intersection of cannabis and women via media brand and original TV series I, Her Story. I, Her Story Season 1 is currently available via Social Club TV, which is the largest cannabis lifestyle connected TV network in the world with a distribution in over 150 million homes across 15 or more networks with direct distribution on Apple TV, Roku, Android TV, Amazon Fire, Samsung, and PS4 and PS5. In distribution and programming on Pluto TV, Plex, TV Pass, and others. Hi, Her Story Season 1 is also available in cannabis dispensaries nationwide via Enlightened TV. So welcome my guest today, Miss Jenny Jocelyn. On the Reinvent You podcast, we get to hear Jenny's story and the transition of how she realized that she wasn't meant to do, to follow the path that's most traveled. She wanted to find her own voice. We hear how she actually was motivated to do that. We talk about how she found her place in the world, how she became an advocate for cannabis, you know, and we need more of those people in the world. We also talk about her, her show through Mercury Road Media, "I, Her Story." We talk about all the ways that she's trying to impact others with her mission, with her voice. And we also talk about how much she is empowered for women's rights. Just— she just has such a mighty voice within her that it makes you— it's commanding. It makes you want to listen and to hang on to every word she says. So welcome to the episode. You don't want to miss one single moment of this. Ladies and gentlemen, right now I have with me a very special guest, and you never realize what evolution transpires when you meet this person for the first time in your classroom as a theater student, and now you look at the evolution of what the kind of woman that she's blossomed into who's doing some incredible things in the world. She's making an impact. She's definitely letting her voice be heard. So Jenny Jocelyn, welcome to the Reinvent You Podcast.

Thank you so much, Trey. It's such an honor to sit here with you. Um, you have inspired me since I was a teenager, and that's a very rare thing to be able to say. And, um, you came into our school in Longview, Texas at our little high school and completely revolutionized our theater department. And I can't tell you the impact that your coaching and your direction gave me as a young person. So thank you for that guidance for so long. It's like, it's such an honor to be here.

Yeah, I'm so touched by that. 100%, I'm so touched by that. So you know what? Let's dive right into it. So I'd like to start off with giving my audience a bit of context is to, They know a little bit about Jenny, but that's not at all how she shows up in the world. Give us a little bit about your story because you've gone through some stuff, you know, with Texas Shakespeare, going to Texas State, New York. Tell us a little bit about your story and how you became Jenny Johnson that we know today.

Definitely. So I grew up in small town Longview, Texas. I wanted to be an actress. So after graduating high school, I went to Texas State University. I got my BFA in theater. I ended up studying Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon. I played all kinds of Shakespeare characters at school. I ended up moving to New York. I got an agent from the showcase that my university put on in New York City, and he said, if you can move here in a couple of months, I'll represent you. And so I spent the summer in Austin waiting tables and saving money. I moved to New York with like $1,000 and my guitar, the classics. Story. Yeah, yeah. And I ended up auditioning for plays. I was cast in a few off-Broadway shows, some commercials, and I did the acting thing. I was a bartender, I was an assistant, I was working so many jobs, and it was really fun. I ended up having my story included in New York Magazine's book My First New York alongside Liza Minnelli and all of these incredible celebrities. I ended up meeting Parker Posey at the party and she gave me advice. She was like, the industry is terrible for women, just watch out because there are snakes. And, you know, looking back at the Me Too movement that transpired years later, I kind of understand what she was talking about. But ultimately I decided that the lifestyle of a theater actress was just not for me. I really didn't enjoy the repetition. I really missed the spontaneity of doing new things and it just was not the way that my brain really worked. And I do believe there's so much like incredible insight and healing and knowledge in plays. Like, I will forever be a fan of the theater.

Absolutely.

Plays are where it's at. But at the same time, it just, it wasn't stimulating enough for me. I got bored and I got bored of the kind of roles that were available to women. I found that the majority of things that I was auditioning for were the wife or the girlfriend and I really became very dissatisfied and almost depressed because it wasn't really what I wanted to do. So I started to audition more for film and TV, and I really enjoyed it. I really love that spontaneity. I love that present moment. I loved the directors that I was able to work with. I was lucky enough to be directed by Jodie Foster in a movie, and that was one of the highlights ever. Getting to see her in action. And it really inspired me to want to start creating my own content. So I started a production company with my co-founders Kendall Watkins and Anette Mia Flores to create content that really put women at the center. And we were able to create these parody videos and these short films that were stories that we wanted to tell.

Yeah.

And that became game changer for us. So we had a few viral videos that were covered by MSNBC and the Huffington Post, and we started to create branded content for companies and actually make it into a business. So I shifted from being an actress who people told me what to do and what to say into somebody who made the decisions, who was directing, who was producing, who was also starring in my own content. But it was something that I wore all the different hats and I learned about the industry in an entirely new way.

Absolutely. Thank you for that. There's so much there that I want to unpack. So first of all, generally when we grow up, we watch these examples in our lives, our parents, our friends, the people who are in our circle, and we go, oh, this is what's possible for me. It's, I'm going to go to college. I'm going to do the thing I said I was going to do. And I'm probably not going to branch so far from that because the other stuff is not what it was expected. What do you think it was about Jennie that said, you know what, I don't have to do what's expected. If I don't want to do theater, I'm not going to do theater. Like, you just branched off at such a young age and had the confidence that this could happen for you, which I find is missing from a lot of women. What do you think was different with you and being able to make those bold moves?

It's a really good question. I think For me, I saw the choices that other women in my life growing up had made where they weren't happy. And I thought, I'm gonna take risks. I'm gonna try to be an actor because I want to, and I will regret it for the rest of my life if I don't try. I had people that tried to discourage me from moving to New York. I had people that told me I should get a more reasonable job. I had a lot of people that were worried about me being okay.. And I think I just saw the alternative, which was to be forever miserable and always wonder what if. And I think that transition from, you know, okay, I did the acting thing, into I'm gonna do something else, but I'll still have that as something that I did and something that I might try to do again if I want. I might try and bring that part back of myself alive even now. And it's incarnation, but I just think seeing that, um, that alternative and just believing in yourself even when you don't believe in yourself.

Yeah, yeah, making it till you make it and then you believe it.

A lot of that, definitely a lot of that.

You know, I've always thought that you were such an old soul, you know, like I just remember like you always seem like you were well mature, like beyond your age. And so, Jenny, it took me like 45 years of my life to get to that point. Like, it wasn't until I had taught for almost 20 years and I was like, is this as good as it gets? I mean, I've loved this chapter and I know I've impacted a lot of people, but I still feel like I have so much left to give and I don't think I'm doing it on at this level anymore. But you we're asking about regrets. What, in your 20s?

Yeah, it's funny that way. I, I think I had to grow up and be a little adult when I was a kid. And I think that that definitely impacted me. I've had a lot of therapy. I've grown a lot. I think that's one thing that I would encourage any person to do, especially women, is to go to therapy and to really look at your limiting beliefs and to really look at the things that you're you're doing to like hold yourself back and like sabotage yourself because we've all done those things. Like I'm very cognizant of the things I've done in my life to hold myself back at the same time. And I really like try to know what those things are and be able to name them and recognize them because when you identify that you can stop it in yourself and say, oh, am I not responding to this email because I'm actually scared of this opportunity? Am I not— jumping on this opportunity because I think I'm not good enough. And I think therapy has really helped me to be able to see that in myself and then to say, no, no, no, no, no. Feel the fear and do it anyway.

Do it anyway.

And get in there and get messy and just go. Because once you do it, you're going to feel so much better.

Absolutely. And that's so easier said than done. And I think that's the difference between, like, your generation and my generation is that therapy— and especially, like, a lot of Black people are like, therapy? You crazy? You going to be in a straitjacket?

You know, that's what they think therapy is.

Well, the work that I do as a coach is all about empowering women to stop sabotaging themselves, which really is in all of their thinking, because we create our reality. Our thoughts create our reality. So, my God, when you even use the two words limiting beliefs, because most people are like, what's that? That's woo-woo language. I totally get that. And Jenny, the funniest thing is, and it's not even haha funny, but As a coach, the reason why I am specializing in the mind, in creating the reality through thought, is because that's been my journey. And that has been my journey of limiting myself, like you're— exactly like you're saying. It's like, well, who am I to think that I could put myself out there, you know? Like, you started all this content branding and stuff. Like, there are some days when I go I shouldn't post on Facebook right now because what are people going to think if I post this? So again, young Jenny who's taken on the world, Joan of Arc here, you know, what was— how did you transition into creating your content and knowing and finding the voice? You're an actor, a theater, a theater actress, theatrical actress, you doing movies, but there was still something missing. What was that thing, that catalyst that said, I got to find my own voice? And how did you find that?

That is such a great question. And by the way, thank you for sharing that you still have that feeling of hesitation before you post. I feel that every time I post something. I have felt it throughout every step of my journey. There is a voice in my head that says, "No one's gonna like that. You're not gonna get the likes. What's the point? This is futile." And it's really funny because I've posted content on my own channels and on Hiverstory that people have said, "This really helped me. Thank you for posting." And it's so funny because a lot of the things that people respond to, I have doubted myself before I posted it. And I think it really goes back to listening to what part of myself is this coming from? Is this coming from my ego? Is this coming from something I genuinely am giving to people? And I think that that's what's given me the courage is this could be helpful to somebody. This content could actually give. And so I try to post in a way that will give information, that will give back, that will give benefit to an audience's life and to try to come from that place rather than look at me, look at me, because we're so saturated with content these days. There's so much of it. There's a lot of it. And I think what really pushes through all of the noise of the internet and the technology that's constantly, I mean, pulling us in is things that can give back to people and that can help them, whether that be humor, inspiration, entertainment, or education.

Perfect. How do you know when you're on the right path? Is it external validation or is it something internal?

It's hard not to let it be external validation.

It's real. I know. Yeah.

I think we all crave validation. We're social creatures and we want that feedback and it's hard to not get it or to not feel like you're getting enough of it. But at the end of the day, you have to feel it in yourself. You just have to. And I've really come to love, um, some of the influencers, not even influencers, some of the people that I follow on Instagram that have really inspired me. Serena Kerrigan is one of them. She's great for confidence, but she has a method where you look yourself in the mirror and you talk to yourself like you are a friend, your own friend, and you just say, I'm a bad bitch. Like, I am hot, I am smart, I am capable. And once you start to say that to yourself as your you would a friend.

Yeah.

It's remarkable what it does for your confidence. And so I started doing that every morning, like when I feel like insecure or I'm feeling bad about something, or I'm like upset that somebody didn't respond to my email, I just look at myself. I'm like, you're a bad bitch. That's right. You got this. You're smart. You're hot.

Yeah.

Like, get it, girl. You know, that's, that's been really impactful for me recently.

I love that. Jenny, I feel like, like we were at the same time, the same place in our last life. Like, right? So much that you're saying, I go, oh my God, I could talk to Jenny about this all day long. And so when you're saying that about her, it's like, that is one of the main foundations of my coaching. It's like, because I recognize that I have an internal— I have a, you know, we all have an inner critic. My inner critic came from a childhood friend who was overly critical of me. My inner critic's name has a name. It's Inez, because Inez was going, who do you think you are doing that? Dare you. That's a stupid idea. But so what do I carry around? So I, I did— I had some NLP done on me.

I was like, oh shit, that's where that shit come from.

That's— so you know what, every time that voice comes up, I go, fuck off, Inez.

Haha.

In third, you know, and then she goes, okay. But you know what? Sometimes I need her. Sometimes I say, okay, I'm feeling a fear about posting this really personal thing. Would you post it? And she goes, post it. And then I post it because she's the badass version of me. I'm all into the alter ego. You know I am. I'm theatrical, girl. You know that.

Oh, I know that.

Yeah. So that alter ego side of me is like, post that shit. Oh my goodness. Yeah. Totally. Would—

yeah. That's going to help so many people because there's not a person on this planet that doesn't have that voice in their head, whether that be coming from their family, a friend, themselves, a circumstance. There's not a person on this planet that cannot use that information.

Absolutely. Absolutely. So Jenny, I know that you are advocate for cannabis, right? I know that is a lot of the work you're doing right now. What's the story in your path to, you know, it's kind of like if I, if I, if I had to make up my story, I was like, okay, Jenny went through this hard time where she used cannabis and she saw the great need for it. And now she's an advocate for it, but I wanna hear your better story.

Well, I grew up with the D.A.R.E. program. So I learned that cannabis was this very terrible substance. It's a gateway drug. It makes you stupid. It makes you lazy. And I didn't even try cannabis until I was in my— in college, in my 20s. And I really saw the way that it really impacted people that were dealing with depression and PTSD. And I saw it being used as medicine. And I kind of changed my perception then in a really big way. And then I moved to New York and I I am a part of this community in New York City of super driven, highly motivated, highly functioning, achieving people that utilize cannabis to take control of their own happiness. Women that are super successful. And it again changed my perception. Um, and I really saw this lack of the way it was being portrayed in the media. And mind you, Canabis is not for everybody. Do I recommend everyone use it? Do I recommend people drive with it? Do I recommend that people use it while operating heavy machinery? Hell no, I do not recommend it. I am an advocate for responsible usage. And let me tell you something about cannabis. If you have other issues in your life that you haven't addressed and you're using cannabis, it's not going to fix everything. And it can really take people and they can like rely on it too much and it can become harmful, but that's not the cannabis. You see that with alcohol, you see that with pharmaceuticals, you see that with everything, but can be this incredible health tool that science is telling us. The science is there that it's super helpful and yes, we need more research that's not founded by or not funded by religious organizations or pro-cannabis or anti-cannabis. We need just science to back it. But yeah, um, it really is a powerful tool. And so I began to make cannabis content as part of my production company because we wanted to reflect how the women in our lives were that were using it. And we wanted to let women feel okay about using it in their own lives as a tool for wellness or as an alternative to alcohol.

Right. So that's, um, yeah, that's powerful, Jenny. I love that, you know. And my own story with cannabis is, um, the, the time in my life when I found it to be the most beneficial for me without just doing it just to have a good time was last year, you know, after being diagnosed with breast cancer. And every time I would have a doctor's appointment, I would just be like a nervous wreck. Like the weather's bad today and my dog is shaking like that. Well, I felt like that's what I was doing internally. And then I would catastrophize. Oh my God, what are they going to tell me when I get there? And I'm a coach. I know all the tools and stuff, but I still struggle with that. So what is it we got? We had— we went to Telluride a few years ago and we bought gummies. And then when I would have an appointment, I'd pop a gummy and would be like, whatever you say, doctor, you know? And it helps. So I am an advocate for reducing anxiety, reducing stress, because I mean, I'm a testimony for that absolutely works. I totally get that, Jenny.

It's interesting. I hear so many stories of people that got into cannabis because they had a medical issue, whether that be cancer or PTSD or any other medical condition. And just the way that the plant has impacted so many people has really been inspiring for me to witness being a part of the industry.

Perfect. So speaking of how cannabis affects some people, I know that you are well aware of it because it's been on the news everywhere. You know, we watched the Olympic trials and fell in love with Sha'Carri Richardson and her personality. She's from Louisiana, she went to LSU, she was the— she broke a record running the 100, and now she smoked cannabis and she's banned from the Olympics. What's your opinion on that?

It pisses me off without a doubt. I think that we need an overhaul with drug policy, not only in this country, but internationally. I think it's completely ridiculous and ludicrous that she was kept from an opportunity that she deserves because she utilized a drug that's not even performance enhancing.

So true. It would slow her down, if anything.

Yes, exactly, exactly. Come on, like, what are we talking about here? And Michael Phelps would be the first one to say, I use cannabis and it's not a performance-enhancing drug. Like, I— it's just so very frustrating. And I think it highlights a real issue that we need to look at globally because I talk a lot about how the racist history of cannabis in the United States is very important for everyone to to look at and understand, which is in the 1930s, it began with the federal narcotics commissioner needing to have a new job after alcohol prohibition was repealed. And Harry Anslinger started this racist campaign tying cannabis to Mexican immigrants. And he worked with newspapers and he worked with the government and that carried over into the Nixon era and it carried over into the Reagan administration and it's started the war on drugs, and this propaganda that we were all fed has very racist origins, and I think that the Olympics Committee is definitely a part of that. It's extremely frustrating and something that— the only benefit to this is that so many people are talking about it. It's in the forefront of conversations right now, and more and more people in the mainstream are really looking at this narrative and questioning, why does this drug policy exist? Why do these rules exist? And I think it's time for us to really reevaluate this in a modern perspective, because it's completely ludicrous.

Yeah. Let's say you have been given the task. There's a magic wand where someone has said— Joe Biden and the Senate and the House have said, Jenny Jocelyn, whatever you say, we're going to implement this. You are all-knowing. You have the power. To change the rules on cannabis, what is it that you will change? And what, you know, what are the changes that you would implement?

Criminal justice reform, decriminalization, expungement of all of the records, and an opportunity for people and communities that have been impacted by the war on drugs to enter the industry and to build generational wealth and to make money off of something that right now Wall Street is profiting off of. It's beyond frustrating to see people being shut out of the cannabis industry by expensive licenses and regulations and rules while rich white people are making a ton of money. And this veteran that was just driving in the state of Alabama is put into jail for doing the exact— from having a joint that he got in a legal state in his car. Like, those two separate worlds just really highlight what's going on in our society and the injustices. So I think we really have to have a human-first perspective when it comes to drug policy. And I think it's— I think it encompasses so many things in our society that need to be examined: sustainability, human rights, criminal justice reform. And I I think that that's why I'm so passionate, the empowerment of women. There are so many women that in 2015, there were more women that were in powerful leadership positions than in any other industry in the cannabis industry. That number has gone down. And now we need to really evaluate the hiring practices of these big cannabis companies and make sure that women and people of color are not being shut out.. But I do think that the cannabis industry has so much potential and that we have so much potential in this country to really right those wrongs and really make that at the forefront of changing this narrative. So I would just drop— if I could do anything to answer your question, if I was in, you know, had a magic wand, I would hand over the mic to all of the incredible leaders that I have had the pleasure of getting to know and work with, um, in this industry. Dr. Shonda Macias, who is an entrepreneur and here in Louisiana, she's the CEO of Women Grow, which is an incredible organization that puts women at the forefront. Canaclusive, which is an organization that really promotes inclusivity in the industry.

Yeah.

40 Ton Brand, which is an organization that's like fighting for criminal justice reform through selling merchandise. I mean, there's so many people I could go on and on, but I think that those in the cannabis industry really need to. I really hope the Biden administration can really listen to community when it comes to drug policy reform. That was long-winded, but that's okay.

I love it. I think from your— in your previous life, you were a sassy Black woman. That's what I think.

That is an honor.

Absolutely, because you have a passion for this topic is— it's like, you know, and especially when you said earth white people, and it's like, you know, and guys, if you can't see Jenny right now, you're not watching the video. Jenny's white, you know. And so for her to be so passionate about a problem that affects mainly minorities is so impactful, you know. And it's— it's— I just— I'm so very touched by that, just the whole story and what you want to do and how you would implement change. So now you have, you have this, this podium, you have this platform right now, you have a media company called Media One. No, no, it's— I have it—

Media Mercury Road Media.

I apologize for that. I, as a matter of fact, I was on your website, but I just drew a blank and I marked it on my favorites. And so you have this platform and you have a voice, and now you start Mercury Road Media, which is a tongue twister. Now, what is your focus? Because I know you started it with two other partners. What's your focus? And just tell us a little bit about the media company, its impact that you want to have, and how it's serving your voice right now.

Definitely. So We started the company because we wanted to tell more stories where women were at the center of the story. And we have several big projects that we really want to make. Historical fiction has kind of been our real passion because we believe that if you can look at history and pull out the stories that have traditionally gone untold, there's so much that we can learn about our current society. One of the statistics that really drives us is that only 0.5% of women— I'm sorry, only 0.5% of the historical dialogue includes women. That comes from historian Bettany Hughes, who's one of my idols. She's a historian from the UK. But if you really think about that, only 0.5% of the historical dialogue includes women, and the stories of women of color even less than that. So we really want to pull out those stories so we can all reframe our belief. And that's going on right now with, you know, critical race theory. Like it's very topical, more than ever, but we just hope to, whether we're doing cannabis content or whether we're doing our mainstream work, to highlight voices that have gone untold. And stories that have gone untold.

Well, how does— so someone's listening to this episode right now and going, I want to get involved with that. I want— how does someone get involved with you and your company and the stories you're telling? How does that happen?

They can reach out to us. Our email is contact@mercuryroadmedia.com. Please reach out. We are currently going into production on season 2 of High Herstory, so we're featuring women in the cannabis industry this time. So just to give you a little bit of context, High Herstory is a TV series that features women telling stories from history under the— while they're consuming cannabis. And then we create those stories with actors and animation. And it's very similar to Drunk History, but we reclaimed that narrative because we're like, why are we celebrating alcohol? Why are we telling mostly stories of men, which they've gotten a lot better, to be completely honest. They've really opened it up in recent seasons, but we wanted to reclaim that pop culture narrative and just retell it with stories of women and cannabis. So we're going into season 2 and people can submit their stories. We are opening it up if anyone wants to potentially go on the show. We have kind of a waiting list of, you know, applicants so people can tap into that.

Right. So I'm old school. Some people listening to this are old school. And I know that Her High Story, Her Story is on Social Club TV. What is Social Club TV?

So Social Club TV is the largest cannabis network in the world. They are an OTT platform, which basically just means they're an app, they're a streaming app. So you can find them on your Apple TV, on your iPhone, Samsung, LG, PlayStation, Amazon, whatever TV you have. Basically you can download the app. And why they're so important is because cannabis content isn't really allowed to exist in the mainstream way that I think people think it might be. Yeah, we have High Maintenance and we have these shows on HBO, but the majority of networks are really afraid of cannabis content. They're afraid to see women consuming. It's considered too much. It's shut down on social media. So Social Club TV provides a solution to that by giving not only cannabis companies the ability to share their products and advertise, but the ability for cannabis consumers consumers to watch this culture unfold and to be able to watch it without getting shut down or getting restricted or censored.

Yeah. Oh, that's incredible. So how old are you now, Jenny, if you don't mind me asking?

I'm 34.

34, but a baby.

A little baby.

A little baby. And look at the impact. Look at the voice that you have. What is the hope If you had to say, if I can do this one thing with my platform, with my voice, what would that answer be?

Wow, that's, that's a big question. That's a really big question. Um, I, I would hope to be able to open up people's minds to have more empathy, whether that be considering someone's perspective that has another gender than they have, or is another race than what they are, and being able to step into somebody's shoes through the power of media. I think that storytelling, I think that film and TV and content really does have that power that can drive empathy, and that's really what I'm interested in, is bringing together like The divide, like changing people's perceptions and we are more divided as a nation and as a world than maybe we've ever been. The haves and the have-nots, the races, the social classes. And I just hope that people can watch our content and watch people that are doing similar things to us and have their minds expanded to really consider a different perspective, whether that be for cannabis or for any human being.

Yeah. Oh, wow. That is impactful. So at 34, you're not thinking about, you know, another 76 years because, you know, we're all going to live to be 100. You're not thinking about those things. You're not thinking about the— you know, one of the most powerful things that Les Brown talks about is, you know, when you are 100 and maybe you are you know, you have a couple hours left to live and you're on your deathbed and you are now scanning your whole life and you're going, am I proud? Or are there ghosts standing around your bed going, I was the ghost of that song that you never wrote. I am the ghost of that role that you never played. I am the ghost of that book you never wrote. What ghost going down the path that you're traveling right now would be— what ghost would be standing around your bed?

Damn, you're bringing some hard-hitting questions over here. Woo! I feel like, I feel like we're having an Oprah moment right now. I'm shook. For me, there's a lot of those. For me, I still have a passion for music that I have yet to really explore. I love to sing and I have kind of let that sit to the sidelines while I've been an entrepreneur. So one of the things I'm really looking forward to is I've kind of set up my business, um, to be able to run on its own. I've gotten this baby, you know, to the first grade.

Yeah.

So I'm really excited to carve out creative time for my music. Um, I'm writing several screenplays right now as well that have been neglected. But that encompass my love for historical fiction and the empowerment of women. Um, one's about Old Hollywood in the 1930s, and another is one I'm writing with my co-founders, which is about, um, women in Montana in the turn of the century that were, um, uh, working women, as we say they were. Prostitutes and carving out this life for themselves that was rough, but they were empowered, and it's fascinating history. So we're working on that. And also, I mentioned earlier that I want to do acting again. I want to bring that out. And, you know, going back to talking about that self-sabotage voice in your head, I definitely can say that I self-sabotaged my acting career when I was in New York by insecurities that had to do with my appearance. I have really bad rosacea. You can't really see it in this light, but I have basically like red bumps all over my face. And I had a makeup artist on set of a Netflix show tell me that, "Oh, like you're a lot of work because I really have to like do a lot with your face." Wow. That— I can't tell you how much that comment impacted me. I stopped making my auditions on time. I'm very responsible, but I was not telling my agent back. I didn't get new headshots because I didn't want to be on camera. And I really wish that I had just been like, that's somebody having a bad day. It's really her job to do that. It's nothing to do with me. And I really look back and I'm like, wow, like, you are so much more than just the way your face appears on camera. Like, you're so much more than just being pretty. Like, what the hell? Like, you have stories inside of you. You have the ability to transform. Like, I'm more than just, you know, sitting here looking good. Like, yeah, I really want to be able to utilize myself as a canvas and be able to, to act again. So that's, that's another thing of my ghosts. That up. That's a great question. Oh, I'm inspired by that.

Yeah, to get rid of all of those ghosts. Oh, that's so cool. Yeah, that's so cool. So I know that you are in New Orleans right now, and guys, you may have heard the thunder that was going on in the back, and so there's a little bit of a storm. You talked a little bit about in your intro that real butter, you love real butter, but let's talk about New Orleans. What is it that you love about New Orleans? I mean, if you're talking about Real Butter, I would have to assume food has a lot to do with that, but highlight a little bit of what keeps you in New Orleans.

That's such a good question because I never thought I would ever leave New York. I thought I would die there because I loved it so much. I still love it. I still go there frequently, but New Orleans pulled me in. In a way that it's— a lot of people say that about New Orleans, that you just fall in love with it immediately. There's a magic in the air. And I started coming here a couple of years ago, and it just— it was like the universe wanted me here. I had this opportunity to buy property here. I had this opportunity to be here. I started making friends here. And what I really love about it is, first of all, it's a very diverse city. It's a very international city. It doesn't feel like America. It feels like a third world country meets Europe meets the South. People are dancing on the streets here. There is a lot of work to be done here. There's a lot of inequality here. There's a lot of corruption here. There's a beautiful danger about it. And I felt needed here. I felt like, you know, a lot of people in the cannabis industry can't believe I live in Louisiana because they say, you know, cannabis in Louisiana, like you—

yeah.

How can you have an industry here? But for me, I think the most work is needed here. Louisiana has a leading incarceration rate for cannabis and we have more people of color in jail for cannabis in Louisiana than we do in anywhere else in the United States. I was about to say a curse word, but not gonna say that. The entire United States.

Yeah.

So for me, I'm like, there's more work. There's more needs, need for advocates here than anywhere else. And I see this industry being formed here and I'm getting to, I'm lucky enough to be able to be a little bit of a part of it. And that makes me really, really passionate. And to be able to help to change people's perspectives here in the South. I kind of consider myself a little like a secret agent You know, because I can talk to these like Southern white people and I don't look scary, but then I start, you know, slowly chipping away at some of their perceived notions and getting them to kind of open up their minds. So as well as just loving food, that also keeps me here.

And especially real butter, right? No fake butter for you?

Real butter. I can't. That gets me so mad when people have that fake I can't believe it's not butter. No, get your real butter out. What are you doing? Yeah, it's better for you. I really believe that.

Oh my God. I'm so inspired by you, Jenny, your story, your, the impact, the voice that you found in the world, because it would just be easy for you to go off and live the dream life and let it just be easy and comfortable. But that's not what you're doing. And the work that you're doing, is so meaningful and it's going to change lives. I 100% know that. Absolutely.

Thank you. I'm going to tell myself that on those hard days when you're just like, what does it all mean?

Yes. So as we wrap up, how can people who have already fallen in love with Jenny— she's beautiful. She has a beautiful voice, guys. She's such a spirit, like a kindred spirit to just like we're talking right now. And I feel like, again, you're right across the table from me like we were at lunch. And to just get to know you again and on a different adult level. I feel very honored that we've reconnected and that we will forever be a part of each other's lives. So the other people who are wondering, how can they— what is your preferred method of people getting in contact with you?

I am a big Instagram person. I love me that Instagram. Um, you can find me at @JennyJoslin for my personal and then @HiHerstory for my cannabis work. And otherwise my email is Jenny@MercuryRoadMedia.com and feel free to reach out.

Okay. And I will have all of that information in the show notes. So Jenny, this has been one of my all-time favorite podcasts and I love this and I believe that people will get a lot of value from it. So thank you so much. For giving, giving us some time in your schedule today and just blessing us with everything that you dropped today.

It is an absolute honor, and I really appreciate your incredible questions, and I am just so excited that you are a Coach and that you are available to the world because so many people can find inspiration and guidance from you. I am really, really excited for everyone that gets the honor to work with you. So, Very excited about things to come.

Thank you, Jenny. Thank you. If you like what you're hearing and perhaps you're interested in having a complimentary conversation with me, click the link at the bottom of the show notes. Thank you so much for listening. If you even want to know more about what I'm up to, head over to traviestewart.com. And if you like seeing the videos of the podcast, every episode is on my YouTube channel. Take care, guys.