The hemp movement is attracting talent from all sectors. Cait Curley joins Joy Beckerman to talk about combining her passions for photography and social media to help share timely hemp updates to a broader audience. Through her website and social media channels she provides a trend-forward perspective that is both youthful and informative. Produced by PodCONX https://podconx.com/guests/cait-curley
The hemp movement is attracting talent from all sectors. Cait Curley joins Joy Beckerman to talk about combining her passions for photography and social media to help share timely hemp updates to a broader audience. Through her website and social media channels she provides a trend-forward perspective that is both youthful and informative.
https://podconx.com/guests/cait-curley
[00:00:30] Joyce Beckerman
Well, welcome, Cait. Thank you for being with us on Hemp Barons today.
[00:00:33] Cait Curley
Thank you so much for having me.
[00:00:35] Joyce Beckerman
You are taking the Hemp world by storm. We get you everywhere. Your passion for this plant is so contagious and it's so inspiring. You're a true kindred spirit and a soul sister of mine. We get to see you on all sorts of social media at events, educating, educating, sharing, the good news and a good word about delivering on the promise of Hemp and inspiring us in other ways, too, whether it's a life coaching or spiritual guidance or just helping us to remember what's important in life, you're really becoming quite a influence on the Hemp Industries and in the entire scene. So tell us a little bit about what brought you to Hemp. What made you interested in this versatile, valuable plant that is reemerging here in North America and throughout the planet?
[00:01:29] Cait Curley
Well, sure. And thank you so much for having me on and those kind words. I can definitely say that you are a true inspiration and mentor to me. You've taught me so much. And I love just watching you and learning from you. And you're definitely a big piece of my reason for continuing to go on with high hopes and positivity. So my interest in Hemp really stemmed from my overall interest in the Cannabis plant. When I lived in New York, which was about five years ago, I was a health care industry. I was a hearing specialist. So I would diagnose and treat hearing loss. And through that I really started to gain a passion for healing. And in seeing what healing does to individuals, which, you know, in my eyes was really saving their lives. And I loved doing that. But I did feel that inside of me there was a bigger calling. And it's a simple story of just really leaving my job and moving out to Colorado and jumping into Cannabis immediately and immediately. I did see how this plant was changing lives and with the work of advocates and activists, you know, the the healing was definitely happening and I was extremely touch. And so I did move out to Colorado to jump into the cannabis industry, but I didn't realize what a turn my view and connection to the plant would take. I did think I was going to get there. And, you know, I was passionate about the plant, but I definitely had money signs in my eyes. And that turned almost immediately of me getting into Colorado. I really saw what it meant to be part of a community.
[00:03:28] Cait Curley
I saw that the community needed, you know, me along with many others to really just step up and speak truth. And within, I would say probably a month or two of me moving out to Colorado and getting into the industry. I fell upon a Hemp meetup and there are a bunch of hamster's within the building. It was definitely a different crowd from your marijuana and Cannabis a district crowd. And I was connecting and resonating with them in a different way. I remember someone came up to me with a Hemp business card and I was pretty much mind blown. I was like, wow, you can make Hemp can think a business card. I was I was really like wowed by that. And there are other objects that were handed to me within that meetup that were other. Wow. Taken back moments. And I really started learning more about the plant on a dusty hillside prior to that. My thoughts about Hemp were kind of the stereotypical stigmatized views where it's just like rope or baggy clothing that isn't attractive. It looks like a potato sack. I knew it came from Cannabis, but I didn't realize the full potential of Hemp. And so, yeah, that's that's really kind of where it started. And then it just absolutely took off from there. I feel like the plant kind of took over and is using me as a vessel on this planet. And I just continue to learn every day and fell absolutely in love with the movement and the plant and the people around.
START OF TRANSCRIPT
[00:05:17] Joyce Beckerman
You know, it's amazing. Once and once it hits you. The knowledge hits you. It's almost like these light encoded Philomene connecting and turning on in your brain throughout your body. It's just an amazing explosion of awareness and inspiration, because, as I often say on the show, the U.S. government, who really was the bully throughout the rest of the planet, along with other governments, didn't want to just take the plant away from our consciousness if it's thought to and for many decades effectively removed all knowledge of the plant from our consciousness. And so when that happens to us and it's something that we and humanity clearly has a very special relationship with the Cannabis plant, the endocannabinoid system, of course, being proof positive of that. We have this system in our bodies, these cannabinoid receptors, this ETF or endocannabinoid system that's responsible for regulating homeostasis for goodness sake and homeostasis is what regulates all of the systems of our body. So we have this tremendous ethno botanical relationship with this plant. And when we have no awareness as full grown adult, educated at different levels, some highly, highly educated, and all of a sudden this information comes to you that you been literally deprived of. It's just it's just an amazing experience. And it doesn't surprise me a bit that you remember that day very, very well in the same way that I remember the day that I received a flier at a Grateful Dead show in Buffalo, Massachusetts, in the spring of 1990 with excerpts from the emperor has no clothes.
[00:07:05] Joyce Beckerman
Just one page, one page flier that taught about Hemp. The environmental benefits of it brief US history and world history of it. All of the things that you could do with it. Oh, and P.S., it's against the law to plant a seed or even to own a viable speed. And I remember how I felt that day and even reciting the story. Now I still get chills and get goosebumps because I just remember the effect that that had on me. And then it really changed the trajectory of my life. Once it gets up into, it gets up in here. And boy, Miss Kate, we are so lucky that Cannabis and all of its forms, especially Hemp, has come to you, you know. And I think for folks who don't know who you are, listeners who don't know who you are, and I hope they will immediately go to Kate Kirtley dot com and figure it out. See a T curly c, you are l e y because you are unusually, extraordinarily beautiful. Now, what most folks who don't know, you know, they have to learn to know you or admire you from your incredible, gracious and inspiring and educational posts throughout various social media platforms. But you're beautiful from the inside out. You are an incredibly special human being.
[00:08:19]
And what I love is that folks who are attracted to beauty just straight up, they don't have the benefit of knowing you or understanding you were feeling your vibrations. But they see you and you're giving them information that is scientific. And this is what I appreciate about you so much, Kate, is that you you check your work. You do not extoll virtues of facts that you have not confirmed or vetted. And it's so important. It's absolutely key. There is more misinformation about Hemp and all forms of Cannabis out there than darn near anything else other than potentially corona virus. At this point. So still to be able to attract folks eyes, you are so pleasing to the eye and your gorgeous photograph is such a tremendous boon for Hemp. And in fact, we have Kate Kirrily Media, where you do your advocacy and educational efforts and endeavors, as well as brand collaboration brands want to be a part of. Take Carly, can you tell us a little bit about how that started and what you do and how brands can get connected with you? And before everyone gets too excited, it's not automatic. It doesn't live for the mighty dollar. She lives for integrity. So not every brand gets to be with Kate. Currently media. But tell us a little bit about it and what brands can do to be connected with you.
[00:09:50] Cait Curley
Yeah. Well, thank you so much for all of these kind words. I really appreciate it. And it means so much coming from you, too, to hear this, because, again, you definitely are a huge mentor, hero and a sister to me. So I really appreciate you saying all those sweet things. And so, as I had said before, I was in the health care industry about five years ago and I was extremely private as it was asked upon my employer to be so. And also, I really didn't want my patients finding any. Summation about me anyways, as it was a really professional setting. So any form of social media, if you tried to find me, if you really tried hard to find you on social media five years ago, you still wouldn't be able to find anything about me. So when I moved to Colorado and I saw the industry and its strengths and weaknesses and in the holes that kind of needed to be filled, I, I saw that a strength that was, you know, working for the industry was social media. It has been such an incredible platform to connect and educate the masses. Although most social media platforms are still pretty harsh on the Cannabis and Hemp industry, in a sense, you know, blocking them out and suppressing them. It's still such a powerful tool for the community to connect. So I really began my involvement with social media. Slowly but surely kind of coming out of the closet. There were a good amount of people that knew I was a consumer.
[00:11:33] Cait Curley
But then there also was a lot of people that didn't know I was a consumer and weren't really happy with my approach, with being honest and open about consuming. So that that started to change in my life as well, where people were actively pushing against my advocacy for the plant. And I didn't really care. And I continued on with strengthening the message and becoming more and more involved with social media. And I did find a kind of a link between advocacy, education and fashion and beauty. I had a lot of fun modeling while I was out here in Colorado. I kind of did a a change of scenery, a change of life back before I went to school and became a hearing specialist. I was you. I did some modeling and I was a dancer for a huge portion of my life, too. So in a sense, I was reopening this door that I had shot and the creative artistic side of me. And I found that through modeling I was creating art. I
was creating a story behind what I had to say. And yeah, the four, whatever it was within the picture, whatever, you know, captured someone's eye. It did kind of force them to read deeper into the picture and therefore the caption which did and does have some meaningful content. So I saw that it was working. Some of my videos and photos were starting to go viral. And I just was like, OK, I think I'm starting to find a place that I'm really assisting the community, assisting education advocacy, and I'm loving what I'm doing, creating this piece of art, putting it out there, getting a reaction if it's happy, if it's sad, if it's, you know, knowledge, changing perceptions and mindsets and lives in that sense.
[00:13:53] Cait Curley
So that's that's, you know, really how then the media side of the brand started. My social media platforms did become more popular as these photos, videos were going viral and I began to gain a fan base audience. And that just continued to grow. And then I decided to become more official with this media brand. And I created Keep Curlee Media, where it was a place for brands to come to me officially and say, hey, I really like your message. I think we resonate. Would you be interested in doing some promotion for me or my brands? And there is a vetting process. And then based on the results of that vetting process, that's a yes no. So this technically in the marketing world is called influencer marketing. And then I, you know, did I don't call myself an expert, but I definitely do learn the ins and outs of social media, especially within the Hemp and Cannabis industry, how that works, what is allowed, what isn't allowed. And I started managing other social media brands or I should say Hemp and Cannabis brands. I was managing their social media as a side hustle, and I still do that. This day there's about eight brands that I manage social media.
[00:15:27]
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[00:16:14] Joyce Beckerman
Well, you're certainly doing a lot of things right, Miss Kate, because we were together at the World AG Expo to
Larry California in mid-February. That's the world's largest agricultural trade show. Over one hundred and fifty thousand people walk those many, many acres of billions of dollars worth of farm equipment and other materials. And this was the first year that World Expo really embraced Hemp. There was the Hemp Pavilion, the Hemp village. I was so honored to be able to see the world's first international Hemp innovation challenge. It was a really big deal. And then for media, which is a cutting edge, intelligence and digital media company and research company named you as the number one influencer for John Deere in the month of March. So, boy, are you doing something right and influencing folks the right on the heels of your incredible presence and participation at World AG Expo. Boom. We've got John Deere the next month or the number one influence our online. Just so amazing. Now, I also know that Kate Cali's shop is on its way, something that you're developing and working on where you'll be able to and will be able to buy the products of those vetted brands, the products you love so much that have made it through your muster and that you want to share with other people. So we're definitely going to be looking out for that. Now, you travel extensively. You live a charmed life, Miss Kate. You get to see all kinds of Hemp farms across the United States, lots of tours for facilities and infrastructure. Obviously, you live in the heart of Hemp country in northern Colorado, but you're also from Binghamton, New York, which is in itself the sort of center for Hemp in the Northeast and for the great Empire State, a state of New York. And of course, you also travel internationally. You've been to the Caribbean, Mexico and other places. Tell us a little bit about your trip to Tolu, what you saw in Tulum, Mexico, and also to the Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands. And then let's get to some things that are exciting here in the United States.
[00:18:26] Cait Curley
Yeah. Oh, yes, I definitely have. You know, I've placed myself in the heart of the Hemp industry. I'm so lucky to have the friends and peers that I do. I usually say that I know a little about a lot of things and Cannabis and have to. And if I don't know the answer, I have a friend that absolutely does. And so I have been doing some traveling. I had a pretty full schedule this year. And so the corona virus hit.
[00:18:59] Joyce Beckerman
But luckily before that, in January and February, a little bit of March, I did quite a bit of traveling from one of those locations was the British Virgin Islands. And so my friends and I had a bit of a unfortunate situation, but it turned out to be a blessed situation where we missed the ferry from one island to the other where we are staying.
[00:19:25] Cait Curley
And it forced us to stay with a gentleman that was a friend of a friend. And he picked us up and said, well, ladies, I know that you're in the Cannabis and Hemp space. I happen to know the individuals that just created and launched the first CBD Hemp store in the islands. Would you like to go see this? And we said, of course. So it was a random yet historic moment for me to be able to walk into this shop the first Hemp and CBD shop on St. Thomas. And I think it really was considered the first within the islands down there as well.
[00:20:09] Cait Curley
And to be able to just be face to face with the owners and have conversation with them, of course, they've had so many challenges, but it was really beautiful to see their smiles and their hope and positivity for all that this store can bring not only to, you know, the humans walking in and out, but the islands themselves. That was really amazing.
[00:20:33] Cait Curley
And then to loom too little was a magical place of its own. There's there's so much to to that trip and the stories. But one of the most amazing things there was being able to visit the tallest, all natural building on the continent.
[00:20:52] Cait Curley
And this building was made of cocoa, crepe, bamboo and heavy cream. It is literally it probably is the most beautiful building I've ever laid my eyes on. And not because it was filled with fancy matter and gold because it
was not, but because it was literally. Materials taken from the Earth and just build up all the way up to be the tallest building on the continent. And it was overlooking the beautiful jungle.
[00:21:25] Cait Curley
It's just incredible to be sitting within a home of all those beautiful natural properties for the people living within it. And then, you know, the Graham, the ground that it was standing on.
[00:21:36] Cait Curley
I was able to connect with the Cannabis community down there, a small portion. But for those that I did connect with, you know, it's a different country and a different vibe and there's different legality around the plant. But it's just always still amazing to see these people and, you know, connect under the same thoughts and beliefs that it should be a free plant and that, you know, it is the tree of life.
[00:22:06] Joyce Beckerman
Amazing experience to be able to see that building that's, you know, Hemp creat a natural building. And building materials are one of the many things that you and I have in common. I think we both love them so much and share that with other sort of Hemp create lovers because we understand the environmental impact that it will make being able to switch to Hemp building materials along with the performance and the durability and longevity of the structure itself. So it's just such a win win win. And when you said Cocoa Crete, because folks are just learning, of course, about Hemp Crete. And if we could go back and rename Hemp Crete, we call it Hemp Phil or installation or something like that, because, of course, that Crete sort of gives folks the misimpression that Hemp Creed is somehow a substitute for concrete, when really it's an above ground daylight wall construction infill that really has to breathe. And what we love about using what's local, what's near you. We don't want to have to have a huge carbon footprint in terms of importing materials.
[00:23:13] Joyce Beckerman
So what is there in the Caribbean? What is there in South America? There's a whole lot of coconuts. And so if we're talking about using a cellulose to mix with lime because Hemp Crete is Hemp heard the inner woody core of the plant and then a very special kind of lime. It's not your basic agricultural line of the type and hydrated calcium, dramatic lime and water. But you can make these construction enfield's. It doesn't have to be with Hemp Hemp. It's simply the superior cellulose in which to use because of its cellulosic makeup, its high silica content. All of those things. But you can also use coconut shreds. And so that's what when you said Cocoa Creek. So we're talking about Hemp mixed with lime in water, the Hemp Heard's as well as coconut, the outer coconut cellulose mixed with lime and water. Just so incredible. Can you tell us anything else about that building that struck you? Any of the other sort of environmental amenities or methodologies that it use in its construction or even the kind of textiles that you saw?
[00:24:19] Cait Curley
Yeah. So I was super intrigued with Cocoa Creedy as we were just discussing. And all of that coconut is able to do. I was unaware of the strength of the coconut fiber until I went through this visit and was educated on its strength and all of its abilities for industrial uses like clothing and things of that man are things that we use Hemp for. And so another object that I saw there that I was super taken aback by was a cocoa crepe wall. And so this was used, as you just described, how to make Hemp create was actually used in the same way.
[00:25:04] Cait Curley
And there is this Jide enormous wall that was made to block out, you know, the neighbors, I guess you could say, from seeing in on the back backyard. I think that my biggest takeaway and kind of jammed prize in my eyes when I was looking at this structure was the gentleman that built it. I want to say, based on him standing next to me, that he was probably shorter than five foot and, you know, with his two bare hands built this amazing building.
[00:25:42] Joyce Beckerman
Well, it's amazing what people can do when they put their mind to something and when they're given the resources to do it. And when we are really imaginative, we really start to see all the resources that are around us. And so I think these more developing countries, we have so many lessons to learn from that. Now, in terms of the United States, you sure do get to do a lot of traveling. You participate in conferences and visit conferences, lots of
advocacy and activism. I see you everywhere. And and. That's literally coast to coast. And, of course, you participate in the Hawaii Hemp Expo, the Southern Hemp Expo. And of course, no go Hemp Expo, our favorite trade show in North America and beyond. Tell us a little bit about what you're seeing that's exciting in the United States moving outside of Hemp extracts and Cannabis Dialla CBD, more in those fiber and oilseed uses grain and fiber as we build the infrastructure here in the United States to to begin to process the plant for its many, many industries. Human and animal nutrition, body care, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, of course, paper and textiles, bio composites and plastics, building materials, nanotechnology, air and space, energy and fuel, feelin's encodings. I could go on and on. What are you seeing developing here in the United States that piques your interest the most?
[00:27:09] Cait Curley
So as you have just named all of these amazing byproducts of the plant, I definitely thought even three years ago that this movement would be so much stronger today than it is. I can say that I was naive. Even just three years ago, with all this knowledge and understanding of what the plant can do, I I thought that there's no way that this won't take off within the next week or month. What have we been holding out for now? More and more people are finding out. And we know this plant is going to take over, the community is going to take over, and the plant is going to be filled with Hemp.
[00:27:47] Cait Curley
And that has not gone as strong and forcefully as I thought it would. Once I started communicating with more leaders within the Hemp space that really knew what they were talking about and had been in the space for a good amount of time. I started to understand the time that it takes for, you know, even just one innovation to take off. It could be incredible, could be planet saving. It could be life saving. But it still takes time. It takes investment. It takes the education to others to take this and implement it into the world. Time is definitely a factor within this movement where I just again, assume that because everything that this plant can do is so amazing, it would be moving much faster. So I'm starting to really understand through the travels and through the discussions what it takes to build an infrastructure and build a Hemp economy within the United States. And as it is slow, but surely I am seeing quite a few amazing things happen and take place. And I'll just talk about current things as there are so many. I'm seeing clothing and fabrics, textiles beginning to be created within the United States. This is small scale, but it is happening.
[00:29:24] Cait Curley
There are a lot of Hemp experts out there that are trying different ways to play with the Hemp fiber in regards to clothing. You know, there's so many different byproducts of just textiles you have that can be done. So one example is the cotton ised fiber creating tampons out of that.
[00:29:47] Cait Curley
There's also another completely different byproduct is Hemp plastic. I'm seeing the whole industry of the harvesting equipment evolve where there are players that have already been in the ag business that are. Evolving their equipment to fit the Hemp industry or also taking old equipment like tobacco harvesting equipment and adjusting that to work with Hemp Hemp industry. I'm also seeing paper starting to evolve within the United States and from from my travels and connections within the industry. I think that that's probably the one industrial byproduct that is ahead of the others and we'll be taking off sooner than later. There are two people specifically that come to mind that have Hemp paper companies and they've been working on this side of the plant and Hemp paper for a really long time. And they're just starting to hit the ice. But there is this really big interest right now in Hemp paper. And so I think that out of everything I've seen, that's probably at the top player that will move forward before other byproducts like the textiles.
[00:31:21] Joyce Beckerman
Interesting. And and of course, we always say co-product because Hemp Hemp is just we can use that whole plant for all of the main thing. And. And I think, you know, paper is a huge demand, obviously. And as we talk about at the show, when the opportunity presents, it presents itself, you know, paper made from wood.
[00:31:44] Joyce Beckerman
What a ridiculous invention is that based on a patent? I mean, when you punch a tree, you really hurt your hand because there's a lot of Linnean in that tree. Linnean is what gives plants its rigidity and its protection. And it's a thick, gooey, dark glue like substance takes a lot of chemicals to break it down. And then you're left with its dark brown pulp that then you have to use bleach and dioxins, which further poison the water table so that we get a paper that we can write on all in the name of of wood cellulose because somebody wanted to make money on it, when of course, Hemp was what most of the paper supply was made from. Of course, for thousands of years, papyrus Hemp the Declaration of Independence, the very first draft of it. Of course, like most important documents, the final draft was on skin so that it could last longer. But that very first draft was on Hemp paper. You punch a Hemp plant, you're not going to hurt your hand. There's far less need in the Hemp plant than there is in a tree. So we don't need all of those chemicals to break it down. We do not need to use bleach to make it so that we can see what we're writing on.
[00:32:54] Joyce Beckerman
We all just need to get used to nice cream colored paper. And when manufactured responsibly, it's an acid free
paper that can be recycled 100 more times than wood paper. And as we know from our own USDA AIDS research in 1916, life to do is and the USDA bulletin number four oh four. We get four times more paper from an acre of Hemp than we can an acre of trees over a 20 year period. So much exciting stuff that's happening in the United States and oh, does my heart go out, sister? So and as you've come to learn, so many people have lost their fortunes being dedicated to this plant and their innovations and their inventions, their homes, their equity, their retirement funds, every penny that they've worked on. But when the plant when you're inspired by it, you just keep working. And yes, it's amazing. Things can can be invented that will save the entire world, that are efficient, that are economical, that are superior. But without all of the stars aligning and the funding in place and the correct representation, it doesn't develop or go any further than that. And Hemp is seems to collect some of the most dedicated, brilliant, inspired planetary healers. And it's just so wonderful to watch all of this unfold.
[00:34:16] Joyce Beckerman
Now that Hemp has reclaimed its place in the broad light of day with all of America's other agricultural
commodities as a result of the 2018 farm bill, we are just so lucky to have you working for this plant, working for Cannabis and all of its forms. We're just so grateful for everything that you do for Hemp wishing you every wonderful thing as you launch. Take Curley's shop and all good things for Kate curlee media. Please, folks, go to
our website so you can find out how to get in touch with Kate. And if you'd like to do some brand collaboration with Kate or take advantage of her advocacy or educational services, Miss Kate, I cannot wait till our events start up again. So I get to spend time with you in person. I haven't seen you for, I think, three whole weeks now. And that's a long time for us now. I miss you. I miss you back. So we're just wishing you everything good. And I also can't wait to see how your cake curly world unfolds and the many, many impressions that you're going to continue to make as you spread the good word of Hemp and the beautiful, integral way that you do. Thank you for everything you do, Kate.
[00:35:26] Cait Curley
Thank you so much. Thank you for inspiring me. Thank you for having me on. And I'm definitely excited to continue on and honor the plant and do what I can.
[00:35:37] Joyce Beckerman
Thank you. Back. So lucky to have you. Kate.
[00:35:53]
I'm Larry Miskin. I'd like to invite you to join Jim Marty and me on our weekly podcast, the Deadhead Cannabis Show. Each week we explore the latest Cannabis and GM, then to reminisce with other Cannabis industry, Deadheads and jam band aficionados. Lots of great musical acts we've seen and heard. Check out a new episode every Monday at MJBulls.com or wherever you listen to podcasts