We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Joey Coleman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Joey, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
Unlike most ventures and adventures in my life, I came to the cannabis industry by the way of trauma. I had spent the better part of a decade chasing adventure around the globe, coaching tennis professionally in Australia and Singapore, captaining and running a charter sailing business in Nicaragua, climbing icy peaks in Russia, and a number of other wild adventures. I was enthralled by the unknown and relished the challenge of making a dream a reality, and building a business. But in 2017 my direction changed, when a paragliding accident in Colombia nearly left me paralyzed.
After the crash, I couldn’t move my legs, and was rushed into emergency surgery in Colombia. Spoiler alert, I was incredibly lucky, and an amazing neurosurgeon managed to take an unstable spinal cord and an exploded vertebrae and piece it back together. But far from being the end of my recovery, that is when the true battle began.
Over the next year and a half I had to rethink what was important in life. I left the hospital in a wheel chair, then upgraded to a walker, then crutches, and finally just my own two feet. Step by step, I learned to walk again. My incredible wife was suddenly thrown into becoming a nurse for me, and it is a debt I will never be able to repay.
But even after I was able to walk again, I was left with agonizing pain radiating out from my now fused spine. I had nerve damage and pain that kept me up at nights. When I first left the hospital I had pain meds that numbed it all, but it also left me foggy, without appetite, and ultimately reliant on them. So when I decided to look to alternative options in pain management, the road led to cannabis.
Finally I had a solution that helped with the pain that didn’t leave me feeling like a zombie. I still had an appetite, an important key in a good recovery, and perhaps most importantly- I was sleeping again! The quality sleep helped me recover in a way I didn’t know possible after over a year of nearly no sleep.
After seeing the remarkable ways CBD & THC helped me in my road to recovery, I saw an opportunity to join the space and add my voice from my unique experience to the conversation of cannabis in recovery. First I started in CBD products in my home state of Colorado, growing high quality hemp and creating products with KAI cbd. It was amazing to see the good our products had done for others, whether it meant pain management, better sleep or less anxiety.
Then, after some 3 years in hemp and cbd, I saw my opportunity to enter the recreational thc market. My hometown of Grand Junction in Western Colorado was one of the last major markets in the state that had not allowed recreational dispensaries. So after working with city council to help move legislation forward, the time finally came for a lottery to be held to grant 10 licenses in the city. It was a gut wrenching experience as the applicants and media all huddled into city hall, watching as a bingo style gold cage was spun and winning balls came out. One by one the winners were announced, and I felt the hope for an exciting new venture fade. A year and a half of work all for nothing. Then, like from a Hollywood movie scene, the tenth and final ball was selected, and our winning number was called.
The question of how I found my purpose is a long one. Some of it was searching for relief after a major accident left me grappling for a solution to my pain. Some was me then wanting to help others in similar situations. Some of it was the adventure of building a new business. Some came down to a little bit of luck, or dare I say fate? Ultimately, my life experiences put me in a position where I could clearly see a road that allowed me to share something I felt was important with others, and it’s been a journey I will forever be grateful for.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I have built cbd brands and a recreational cannabis dispensary from the ground up in Grand Junction, Colorado. We look to offer our customers the best products on the market, while escaping the dreaded, “seedy pot shop” persona. We are currently building a state of the art dispensary that is also a gorgeous piece of modern architecture.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Grit. Enthusiasm. Curiosity. With those three qualities in business, the sky’s the limit. To sharpen those skills and qualities, make sure it’s not just business you apply them in. If you’re trying to stay fit, get a schedule and work hard to become a better you. You’ll build grit along the way. If you’re in a new industry, a new town, and new group of people, be curious and enthusiastic. Put yourself out there wherever and whenever you can. The benefits will be outstanding and you’ll meet amazing people along the way.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
My wife. The biggest decision you’ll ever make in life is who you share it with. Find someone who pushes you, supports you, is someone you can escape the chaos with, but also is willing to blaze a trail into the unknown when needed.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kaicbdco.com
- Instagram: KAIdispensary
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colemanjoey/
Image Credits
Jeremy Poland
