When I think about evolution, I think about mostly men’s bodies evolving. Maybe it’s because every image I’ve ever seen depicts MAN moving from knuckle-dragging primate to upright-standing, prefrontal cortex-wielding Super Species. But what is the story of women’s bodies? Deena Emera, PhD, is an evolutionary geneticist, author, and teacher. She earned a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley, a master’s degree from NYU, and a PhD from Yale. She currently serves as a senior scientist at the Buck Institute’s Center for Reproductive Longevity and Equality. She’s with us this week to talk about her new book, A Brief History of the Female Body: An Evolutionary Look at How and Why the Female Form Came to Be.  Deena draws on her expertise as a biologist and experience as a mother of four to explore the mysteries of the female body through an evolutionary lens.  We covered a LOT of territory, including pressing questions like … • Did our bodies evolve to give us choice in our reproductive systems? (THIS BLEW MY MIND) • What’s the evolution of the female orgasm? Why is it so different from men’s? • Why are women more prone to auto-immune diseases? • Is the “martyr mother” archetype something that evolved because of our biology, or is it the culture at play? I could not get enough of this conversation … my jaw was on the floor for most of it, so just prepare yourself. ;) Find Deena on Instagram, Twitter (X?!), or LinkedIn @deenaemera . Shine on, my friends.

Today, my friends ... we are talking about … wait for it … WEED. CBD. THC. Why? Because I have noticed, as have many other friends who are my contemporaries … that at a certain point in life, alcohol stops being helpful as a method of winding down. For the longest time, I was able to have a nice glass of wine or cocktail to mark the end of the day … I would sip it and make dinner, and then go to sleep. No big deal. Now? It’s like my body has decided to go on strike. If I drink alcohol, I get terrible sleep, I instantly gain weight, and even just a single drink can make me feel like the bottom of the bird cage the next day. But here’s the thing: I don’t have positive associations with marijuana. I just don’t.   And then, as fate would have it, I met today’s guest, June Johnson who is a WEED DOULA. Yes, you heard that right. June is here to teach us the *right* way to think about and navigate the world of CBD. June Johnson is an entrepreneur, model, and advocate. She is the founder of The Weed Doula, a self-care concierge that curates cannabis routines for her clients to seamlessly integrate cannabis into their lives for better living. She is also the Co-Founder of Collective High, a woman-owned company that creates unforgettable experiences with cannabis education, consumption, & culture at the forefront for the canna-confident & canna-connoisseur. Her mission is to make cannabis an exciting, accessible, & culture-forward experience for all and her goal is to create impactful changes & cultural representation within the fashion & cannabis spaces.  Prior to producing cannabis events, June created successful events for brands such as Paul Smith, Hennessy, Moët & Chandon, Deleón Tequila, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Fred Segal, adidas, Shiekh Shoes, etc. Though she has experience in numerous verticals, she specializes in producing events in the fashion, cannabis, entertainment, art & culture scenes. She has produced parties for exclusive clients during NYFW, NBA All-Star, Outside Lands, & The Grammy's. But even with a bio as cool and compelling as that, what it doesn’t capture is June’s spirit. She is an angel on earth, and a blessing to everyone who knows her. I consider myself so lucky to have crossed her path, and I want to share her with you too. If you’d like to connect with June directly, which I highly recommend, book her at calendly.com/junejohnson; follow her on Instagram at @theweeddoula.com, and find her on her website theweeddoula.com.