#works best if it's specifically 5 times his love interest gets the shovel talk & 1 time Tim gives the shovel talk though methinks

[h-i-raeth]

Every scenario of "5 + 1" style fics combined with Batfamily Shovel Talks™ is extremely good.

[journaloftomfooleryandjapery]

All the TOP 10 OF THE DECADE posts made me want to make one of my own, so here’s my 10 fave games this decade:

Yakuza 0  Shovel Knight  Nier Automata  Metal Gear Rising  Gunvolt Chronicles Luminous Avenger IX Final Fantasy XV   Scott pilgrim vs the world the game Undertale Persona 5  Doom

Danganronpa 2, New Vegas, Touhou Luna Nights, Katana Zero and Mario Odyssey all only barely missed out, and it was a tough decision not to include them. I loved the shit out of those games but thinking it through I decided they were just slightly less loved by me than the above.

Below the cut are some extended thoughts (of varying length) on the games included:

Just CTRL F if you wanna find a specific one

Yakuza 0

Every Yakuza game is delightful and this is definitely the best one, in my opinion. The Yakuza games appeal to me for a lot of reasons: the combat, the story, the variety of activities, the look of it all and the music. I feel like its a very unique game experience with its blend of weird in-depth side activities, serious crime drama, manly man masculine combat friendship melodrama, metal gear-esque convoluted conspiracies and a surprisingly compassionate view of the world it takes place in. 

The combat is what drew me in initially because it just feels good, the feedback of stomping on a dudes face in yakuza is delivered perfectly, and the attacks are brutal, hard and flashy. Its a very solid and satisfying combat system and in 0 its the best it has ever been. The ability to switch between 3 different and equally fun fighting styles on the fly really lets you mix things up and adapt your approach, every style feels fun and useful. If i had to pick a favorite it would be slugger, but its a tough choice, and they are all very viable and FUN.

Yakuza 0 also gets big points for having the best story in the series. The protagonists feel much more interesting in this era, the fights feel more earned in this game than others, the relationships are incredibly touching (I’m almost mad majima didnt stay with makoto) and the substories (and some parts of the main story) are the funniest they’ve ever been. Stuff like the quasi-stealth mission where you have to make sure women don’t see you buying a porn magazine for a child, and the extended scene of kiryu trying to guess the right business manners for a meeting had me laughing so much i was i was almost in physical pain.

The extensive business and host club substories get you tons of extra game content and are good enough to almost be there own game. The other games in the series have extended side activites of varying quality, but i think 0 had a rare case of all of these being, basically, perfect. The team obviously agrees since host club management came back repeatedly, but never as good as it was here.

Being set in the 80s elevates almost everything in the game because of the outfits, money flying out of every enemy you attack, the classic sega games you can play at the arcade (Outrun is so much fun and I’d have never have given it a proper go otherwise) and the disco minigame everyones made a meme out of (that music is so catchy).

As a final note this game has the best boss fights and music in the series, which is a very high standard to surpass when you look at the rest of the series. The dual final boss fights, the recurring boss for kiryu and almost every majima fight are highlights of the entire series for me. 

0 is going to end up being one of the few games I’ll never sell my copy of because i want it available for me to play forever, its a complete delight.

Shovel Knight

This game has been analysed to hell and back, so i wont have much original to say i suppose. Admittedly i did enjoy the first campaign but it didnt completely win me over, plague knights campaign and beyond was what really made this an all time greats for me. It’s one of very few games that gets the NES+SNES platforming appeal 100% right and essentially surpasses most games of the day, with almost perfect pacing, challenge and level design. IT helps that the whole world and story and look is charming as all hell. It’s an easy game to love and the more you play it the more that feels justified. Being PACKED with great content is also a plus. If you liked the first campaign you can just keep going through a set of campaigns about as good that only really rehash some level assets. I would say its one of the best 2D platformers ever for me, if not quite my true number 1.

ALSO JAKE KAUFMAN KNOCKS IT OUT THE PARK WITH THIS SOUNDTRACK

Since i have little else to add to the shovel knight discussion, here’s my ranking/thoughts on each campaign

Plague of shadows. BEST storyline, great levels with a really cool gameplay gimmick, the characters are all cute and the ending really makes me feel for him. both sorry for him at first and then a very real AAAAAAAWWWWWWWWW for LOVE

King of cards. king knight is just fun as hell to play as, he doesnt have that many tools but his movement is just crazy fun and i love the flair in all his animations. also has that rad final boss. joustus is ok i guess.

Shovel of hope. uuuuuuh what can i even say about this. its good, and the melancholy dream bits add a lot to the mood of the story. we’ve already analysed this campaign within an inch of its life i dont think i can say anything new. wish we could fight the battletoads on pc.

Specter of torment. still fun and i appreciate the tone change, but i didnt care as much for the characters and the mega man-esque level select doesnt suit shovel knight imo. specter knight has a lot of fun movement options though. mainly i just love GRINDING and the diagonal slash. i dont give a fuck about reize

Nier Automata

I feel a tiny bit ashamed i have so little to say about this considering it is one of the most emotional experiences i have ever had with a story. If i lsten to the final version of weight of the world i still cry just from remembering this game and how it made me feel. i think its one of the greatest narratives of the century but i can barely get across the appeal to anyone who hasnt already played it. its a story about hope, despair and the nature of the human race that never feels like its preachy or pretensious or taking on more than it can handle. it made me feel all kinds of emotions deeply and intensely, it genuinely made me burst into tears about 10 times, maybe more. even putting aside the ggrand narrative, theres so many cool character moments and bits of world building and visual eements and tragic little side stories that you would need a whole book to talk about them all while doing any real justice to them. i loved it so much that im paying £70 to see an orchestra do the soundtrack live. I want to hug and kiss 2b and 9s better. i just love it deeply and i find it hard to explain why it makes me feel that way, but its a dark beautiful and hopeful story where every moment feels earned. the despair of the story giving way to genuine hope with the rest of the world helping you fight for it is such an intensely emotional moment that you could never replicate outside of this kind of story and medium. how the fuck do i explain that to anyone that doesnt already get it. I’m glad this game exists

Metal Gear Rising 

Well, complete tone shift here. Platinum made a lot of great action games in the last decade that all dig into that same itch for DODGE SLOW MOTION BANG BANG BANG alongside great soundtracks, visuals and awesome set piece moments. Just intense, flashy, awesome combat. Picking a favorite of the decade was the hard part, because a platinum game had to be one of my faves of the decade. The closest was transformers, but mgr has a couple of things about it that put it above the rest of the platinum catalog for me.

The story actually works very well at still being metal gear while in the platinum formula, its about the cycle of violence and FINDING YOUR OWN PURPOSE and it works weirdly well. The strangest part is that it feels like a legitimate sequel to metal gear 4 tonally while still being the crazy action game it is

Raiden is just super fun to play as, while I’ll always miss the DODGE SLOWMO in a platinum game parry and zandatsu give a great flow to fights and there’s real exhilaration to parrying a hard chain of attacks and tearing out a bunch of enemies spines at once every time

raiden is also just  a fun protag, it truly allows me to embrace that kind of stereotypical edgy cool anime swordsman he embodies

BEST PLATINUM SOUNDTRACK DO NOT @ ME

Bosses just rule

one of the best final bosses ever, in my opinion? maybe that’s controversial, but armstrong gets an insane amount of characterization and pure PRESENCE out of such a small amount of screen time and the fact he feels like such a perfect rival to raiden so quickly is kind of nuts to me. within about half an hour you are ready for the ultimate final showdown with everything at stake, and then the gameplay 100% delivers on that with a fight that is challenging as hell and just feels climatic and intimidating. its a little thing, but having this dude just smack you around with his hands and almost no fighting skill after a game filled with crazy flippy cyborg ninjas makes him feel TOUGH and the way you finish him off? it just rocks, plain and simple. I don’t think i need to justify slices a massive dudes chest open and ripping out his giant still beating robot heart as the music climaxes and our cool edgy protag literally says WE’RE DONE HERE. truly, it has to be this way.

Gunvolt Chronicles Luminous Avenger IX 

For fast twitchy 2d platformers this barely beat out Katana Zero and Touhou Luna Nights, but i think its just a little better. The skill ceiling on this game is high as hell and once you really get to grips with it, its an experience you cant find anywhere else. its just satisfying as hell to be able to get through the point where you can ZOOM  through these levels by making use of copen’s dash and lock-on and weapons well enough. once you get good enough to get through a hole level without touching the ground, you just cant go back. I liked this enough to get an S rank on almost every level. this game just rules, man.

story, art and music are all great as well. but they pale in importance next to zippy jetpack zoom zoom fun time.

also great for having a cool twist that i genuinely did not see coming at all

Final Fantasy XV   

For context, my experience of FFXV was not the base game so i cannot personally address the concerns of the version at launch, which i hear from others was a total mess! The game has been updated and changed so much that it is probably almost unrecognizable aside from the absolute base aspects of it. The version i am talking about is, as far as we know, the “final” version released right before Episode Ardyn. There was of course an update after this, but it only added DLC compatibility and a few items, so it means very little in the grand scheme. I also played all of the dlc and watched all the periphery material to get the full, messy disjointed experience. it is also worth noting that the only other FF game i have played is the classic title Mario Hoops 3 on 3 Basketball. I feel it important to tell you this before getting into things so that you can have a full idea of the perspective i come at the game from.

This was chosen over Mario Odyssey and someone will probably kill me for that. I just think its a great emotional story that does a fantastic job of making you care for all the characters, and the world feels massive and full of cool stuff to see. It’s my favorite open world game and i love The Boys.  its not the kind of thing i usually play but i think it genuinely had a great story and its a very fun game to just explore and spend time in. ffxv truly understands the emotional bond between The Lads and it is fun to kill big monsters with your party

(they kinda ruin the last cutscene in english, in japanese he says I LOVE YOU GUYS and it makes me cry but in english he goes U GUYS ARE THE BEST which just isnt the same. a small nitpick though. a lot of this game made me cry regardless, its just great at creating an emotional bond)

I admire the insane level of ambition in the visuals and scope, and i bought every dlc for it because it was just that good. the ifrit boss fight and all the giant monsters are just amazingly epic in scale. the “found a cool rock” post is what i truly admire about this game summed up. 

all the ancillary material for the game is great and worth getting into, with the exception of the Comrades multiplayer expansion. Everything else adds depth to the story and the world without being entirely necessary for you to get through the story. the anime and the dlc all really feel worth getting into without being something you have to see to get The Full Experience

the giant monsters are cool

Scott Pilgrim vs the World: The Game

Being from 2010 this game only just makes it in, but it was my favorite beat em up this decade and a source of great nostalgia for me. It had a pretty big impact on music and art tastes in regards to games, and in retrospect this games existence was very much a dream team scenario. Paul Robertson is a great sprite artist who does a lot of good work, Anamanaguchi have gone on to become one of my favorite bands (another winter is still one of their best tracks imo) and at the time this came out i was obsessed with scott pilgrim. That plus the beat em up gameplay makes this kind of a perfect blending of a lot of my specific tastes. Playing this brings me back to the time in my school life that i played it very distinctly, a more comfortable time in my life for sure, and i think the game still stands up excellently. I hope that someday it will get a rerelease so others can enjoy it. I give this another play through every year or so, but i wish id gotten the dlc while it was still available

Doom

ITS VIOLENT ITS FAST ITS FUN ITS METAL

i like this game because of the intense adrenaline rush and violent catharsis it gives me, essentially a constant dopamine rush

fun game good

Undertale

I’m glad i got to this before the massive wave of spoilers and popularity came about. It’s a great story with some fun gameplay, and i think SANS UNDERTALE was one of the best boss fights this decade. Its a shame that for so many new players this experience is going to be ruined by spoilers

Persona 5 

Danganronpa 2 and fallout new vegas were close contenders for this last spot. I actually made a post about my thoughts on this game before https://journaloftomfooleryandjapery.tumblr.com/post/184341270554/nue-is-great-love-his-goofy-design-when-life-will but essentially 

Essentially, its got a great cast of characters, a cool slick look, great monster designs, a fun gameplay loop of collecting monsters and grinding stats while waiting for the next big event, and a surprisingly good story

No idea if royal is any good, but its on a pretty small list of games that i might actually take the time to replay

[foursprouthappiness-blog]

This Is How To “Work Smarter Not Harder”: 3 Secrets From Research

New Post has been published on http://foursprout.com/happiness/this-is-how-to-work-smarter-not-harder-3-secrets-from-research/

This Is How To “Work Smarter Not Harder”: 3 Secrets From Research

***

Before we commence with the festivities, I wanted to thank everyone for helping my first book become a Wall Street Journal bestseller. To check it out, click here.

***

“Work smarter, not harder.” Sounds good. But how do you actually do that?

*crickets*

Well, luckily someone finally took up the challenge of finding a clear answer…

UC Berkeley professor Morten Hansen looked at 200 academic papers, interviewed 120 experts, ran a pilot study on 300 subjects, and built a framework which he then tested on 5000 participants from various industries and backgrounds.

He found 7 behaviors that made up 66% of the difference in how people performed. (By comparison, standard metrics like education, age, and hours worked were only responsible for 10% combined.)

His new book is Great at Work: How Top Performers Do Less, Work Better, and Achieve More.

We’re gonna look at 3 of his findings so that we can get better work done in less time — and even achieve that mythical “work-life balance” unicorn everyone is always talking about.

Let’s start with the single most effective strategy he uncovered…

  1) Do Less — Then Obsess

Everyone agrees we need to quit trying to accomplish 9000 things at once and stop multitasking. But when Hansen looked at the data he found that this was only half the solution.

Top performers definitely focus on fewer goals — but they also obsess like crazy over them.

From Great at Work: How Top Performers Do Less, Work Better, and Achieve More:

Once they had focused on a few priorities, they obsessed over those tasks to produce quality work. That extreme dedication to their priorities created extraordinary results. Top performers did less and more: less volume of activities, more concentrated effort. This insight overturns much conventional thinking about focusing that urges you to choose a few tasks to prioritize. Choice is only half of the equation— you also need to obsess.

This strategy alone took your run-of-the-mill performer at the 50th percentile and shot them into the 75th percentile. So how do you do it?

By using a variation on a classic scientific principle. “Occam’s Razor” says the simplest answer is often the best. So start ruthlessly cutting all the activities in your workday that aren’t producing value.

From Great at Work: How Top Performers Do Less, Work Better, and Achieve More:

Shave away unnecessary tasks, priorities, committees, steps, metrics, and procedures. Channel all your effort into excelling in the remaining activities. Ask: How many tasks can I remove, given what I must do to excel? Remember: As few as you can, as many as you must.

Cut things and see what happens. Do you have to check email every 5 minutes? Will the world end if you don’t go to that meeting?

And if you’re really scared, do as Georgetown professor Cal Newport recommends and have a conversation with your boss about priorities. You’re probably making a lot of inaccurate assumptions about what “must” be done and how important some things are.

Reduce the number of activities you perform — and reallocate that time to intensity.

(To learn more about the science of a successful life, check out my bestselling book here.)

Alright, so you’re doing less and obsessing more. Another way to “work smarter, not harder” is to get better at your job. But how do top performers keep improving — with a minimum amount of effort?

  2) Use “The Learning Loop”

Everybody knows about the 10,000 hour theory of expertise. What most people forget is that it’s 10,000 hours of “deliberate practice” — challenging yourself — not 10,000 hours of sleepwalking through your job.

Deliberate practice seems straightforward in sports, music or chess. But how do you do it in the modern workplace? Hansen offers some clear steps:

Pick one and only one skill at a time to develop. It’s “do less and obsess” all over again. Trying to get better at everything at once gets you nowhere. Right now you want to be better at giving presentations. So creating better reports will have to wait.

Carve out your 15. Dedicate 15 minutes a day to reviewing your performance on a workplace skill. Evaluate what you’re doing and how you could get better. What do those people in the best TED talks do that you don’t when giving presentations?

Isolate micro-behaviors. Just like a baseball player might try to improve a specific element of their game (batting, fielding, or running), you want to break down what goes into a good presentation and set a goal. “I’m going to make more eye contact” or “I should speak more slowly.”

Get feedback. After the presentation, ask people how you did and what you can do to improve.

Some might think this sounds like a lot of work. And trying to improve means inevitably making some mistakes. Why not just do what you’re already good at and always look competent?

Because the research is clear: that works in the short term but it’s a path to mediocrity in the long term.

Doctors that only worked on easy cases performed better initially… but those that took on difficult problems improved their skills and went on to surpass those who didn’t challenge themselves.

From Great at Work: How Top Performers Do Less, Work Better, and Achieve More:

For a clinic’s first 100 cases, doctors who stuck with less complicated patients enjoyed a higher success rate. After 100 cases, doctors who had treated more difficult patients all along snuck into the lead, because benefits from their learning kicked in. At 400 cases, their success rates surpassed those of the “easy case” doctors by 3.3 percent, and their learning continued.

Hansen found that those who pushed themselves to get better ranked 15 points higher on performance metrics.

(To learn the seven-step morning ritual that will make you happy all day, click here.)

This all sounds great but where do you get the energy to obsess and engage in all this deliberate practice?

  3) Feel Passion & Purpose

Top performers didn’t merely “follow their passion.” They also had a sense of purpose in what they did. This combo produced huge results. It boosted energy levels and increased the amount of effort they were able to exert.

From Great at Work: How Top Performers Do Less, Work Better, and Achieve More:

Analyzing our data, we discovered a strong association between intensity of effort and having both passion and purpose. We performed an additional analysis called “structural equation modeling” where we disentangled two types of effort— the number of hours worked per week, and effort during those hours. The analysis showed that passion and purpose strongly predict effort during working hours, and not the number of hours worked per week

But some people will say they’re not passionate about their work. Here’s where things got interesting. Hansen found that there were people with passion and purpose in every industry and job he studied.

At least 10% of people in every arena and role examined had passion and purpose. How is this possible? Some jobs just don’t seem all that exciting and sexy…

It’s because people think passion has to come from being excited about the tasks you perform. It doesn’t. Hansen found there were 6 ways to derive passion from your work:

Task passion: The obvious one. What you do excites you.

Achievement passion: A salesperson might not be keen on the product, but they get a high every time they close a big deal.

Creative passion: An engineer might not be thrilled about the project, but they love solving hard problems.

People passion: The company or the job might not be that great, but you love supporting and interacting with the people around you.

Learning passion: We’ve all heard someone say that they love what they do because they learn something new every day.

Competence passion: We all get excited when we’re doing something we’re good at.

And purpose is about creating value for others in a way that is personally meaningful to you. Like passion, this is less about the actual tasks you perform and more about how you frame them.

Shoveling elephant poop does not seem terribly meaningful. And when looked at in that limited frame, it isn’t. But when you love animals, it can be deeply meaningful — as a study of zookeepers revealed.

From Great at Work: How Top Performers Do Less, Work Better, and Achieve More:

In a 2009 study of zookeepers, researchers found that some saw cleaning cages and feeding animals as a filthy, meritless job, while others saw it as a moral duty to protect and provide proper care for the animals. Same job, different feelings of purpose.

Passion can come from many angles. And purpose is all about how you see the value you create for others.

(To learn 6 rituals from ancient wisdom that will make you happy, click here.)

We’ve learned a lot. Let’s round it up and see how these “work smarter, not harder” tips can lead to better work-life balance…

  Sum Up

This is how to work smarter not harder:

Do Less, Then Obsess: As Mark Twain quipped, “Put all your eggs in one basket — and watch that basket!”

Use The Learning Loop: Push yourself now and your job gets easier later.

Feel Passion & Purpose: You don’t have to play in the NFL or be the next Beyoncé to feel passionate about your job. And purpose can even involve elephant poop.

“Do less, then obsess” had huge positive effects on work-life balance metrics — a whopping 26 percentile points. However…

“Passion & Purpose” actually reduced work-life balance. Makes sense though: when you’re passionate about your job, you spend more time doing it, and those hours have to come from somewhere.

From Great at Work: How Top Performers Do Less, Work Better, and Achieve More:

Previous studies of employee engagement— a concept similar to passion— have also suggested a link between passion and poor work-life balance. A study of 844 firefighters, hairstylists, educators, caregivers, bankers, and other working adults in the United States revealed that employee engagement— measured by an employee’s degree of vigor, dedication, and absorption in work (“when I am working, I forget everything else around me”)— increased work’s interference with family life (“my work keeps me from my family activities more than I would like”).

But this is one of those problems that’s good to have.

When we think about work-life balance, we’re usually worried about being overwhelmed by stressful duties that interfere with our personal lives.

If you’re filled with passion and purpose in your work during the day and finding joy with friends and family during the evening, well, that’s a work-life balance problem we’d all be lucky to have.

Balancing “work” and “life” is stressful — but balancing two different sources of passion can be wonderful.

Join over 320,000 readers. Get a free weekly update via email here.

Related posts:

New Neuroscience Reveals 4 Rituals That Will Make You Happy

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How To Get People To Like You: 7 Ways From An FBI Behavior Expert

The post This Is How To “Work Smarter Not Harder”: 3 Secrets From Research appeared first on Barking Up The Wrong Tree.

[theherblifeblog]

Spotlight Series: Journalist Kelly Coulter Covers the Cannabis Industry

Kelly Coulter first met with Justin Trudeau in the fall of 2012 with only one goal, to convince him that the legalization and regulation of cannabis was good for communities. In the summer of 2014 he credited that meeting with his new approach to how cannabis should be legalized and now Canada is on its' way.  

After spending 3 years in Ottawa advising politicians and policy makers on cannabis she now lives in Victoria, British Columbia where the industry is growing and blossoming. Her relationships with industry leaders, cannabis artisans, politicians and advocates for sustainable cannabis growth have brought her to many fascinating opportunities. Her focus is on women as a long-time advocate both with the NORML Women Alliance of Canada, Women Grow and now in her writing. Kelly has cultivated a strong women-centered approach to cannabis with her on-going encouragement of women in the industry, her published work and her personal approach.

How long have you been writing about the Canadian Cannabis industry?

I wrote a film script about 14 years ago about a small group of seasonal cannabis farmers which essentially was a significant part of the industry at that time. Of course "the industry" has taken on a whole new meaning in the past 5 years. I would say I started writing regularly in the past couple of years but began contributing to major publications like The Hill Times in Ottawa about 6 years ago. The conversations were quite different then and it is amazing how much has changed in terms of subject matter. I find myself writing things I would never have dreamt of putting into print a few years ago.

What is it about cannabis that your readers find so fascinating? 

I try to explore ideas and new ways of thinking as opposed to reporting on events, although I do that also. So I think it is less about cannabis and more about the times and challenges we are facing right now. I think the folks who read and like how I write enjoy different perspectives and the conversations that ensue. People don't often agree and there is a great deal of us vs. them narrative going on. I like strategy and finding solutions and articulating the path there. I think there is satisfaction in that for the reader. I also like to weave a good folk tale. I admire so many people who are really doing epic stuff and I think it is important to share the good stories. 

You focus a lot on sustainable growing, do you think that this is the future of the industry?

Well, everything has to be sustainable or it's in big trouble. Ha! That is the first question of any business, but sustainable as in environmentally friendly, yes.  I just spent a few days with a writer from Colorado and the environmental impacts that are negative and avoidable down there are becoming an ever-increasing problem. Cannabis cultivation is consuming 1% of the states' power grid.  Only one county in Colorado allows for outdoor/greenhouse cultivation.  This is not sustainable.  I am extremely hopeful that Canada will have a different approach and it is what I focused on when I presented to the Federal Task Force.  Thankfully they have recommended it in their final report to the government so hopefully, it will be included in the legislation.  From, a consumer standpoint I would also suggest it will be a part of the "cannabis conversation." if the food and beverage industry is any indicator.  Organic, local and ethically produced food is becoming a bigger part of the market share every year.  Micro-breweries are increasing their annual sales every year. I believe cannabis consumers share similar values to these movements but it isn't across the board.  Now is the time to be talking about it though and that's why it is an important subject for me. You kind of have to respect the planet as a cannabis enthusiast or something is askew, don't you think?

"You kind of have to respect the planet as a cannabis enthusiast or something is askew, don't you think?"  -- Kelly Coulter

Are current indoor growing practices problematic in terms of environmental impact, and if so, how?

What has really led to problematic growing practices is prohibition and greed.  Using dangerous pesticides, de-forestation, water diversion, indoor and costly covert cultivations are all a direct result of cannabis being illegal.  So I answered part of this question when I talked about Colorado.  I think the writing is on the wall for the industry in general and even if we initially don't see more effective environmental considerations at the core of policy, we will definitely see it in the very near future. The real question is why wait?  Let's just go ahead and get it right out the gate.  Once again consumers will be a part of that equation if there is the demand which is why I write about it as much as I do. I only recently found a group of cannabis farmers in the US who are completely devoted to promoting permaculture and this is fantastic. 

You have worked with politicians in the past, including our prime minister Justin Trudeau whom you had the opportunity to discuss cannabis with. What was that like?

I've spoken with Justin Trudeau specifically about cannabis on three different occasions and each time it's been different. 

The first meeting was very casual and friendly, the second meeting was in his office and quite formal and the third meeting was the most fun because at that point the cat was out of the bag.  I was very shocked when he referenced our meeting in an interview with the Huffington Post a few years later but I do believe that the material we provided him with and our arguments came at just the right time for his own agenda. At the third meeting there was no convincing to be done and it was fun because he related to me some of the same frustrations I have experienced and so it was almost a commiseration. We were laughing and crying at our shared experiences in a strange but good way. Since those meetings I have met him again at events and socially and he has remained an ally and pretty true to his words so I am very thankful for our initial conversations. As much as some folks continue to criticize what he is doing now, I believe he knows exactly what he is doing.  Very smart man.

"I have always said that if we don't lobby for women in the industry there will be no women in the industry.  It's up to us."  -- Kelly Coulter

As a founding member of Women Grow Vancouver Island you have been a big advocate for women in weed, how will women fare in this industry going forward?

Well, I have just written a piece about that so let me just say that women are going to have to be vigilante and hold people including politicians and local community leaders accountable.  Women Grow was a great way to connect with other women but political action was not at the top of the radar and it is probably the most critical thing we need to be doing right now.  I also know that the role women have right now is not anywhere near where it should be even though there has been some media hype. Women are their own best allies so start there and support and lift each other every single day. Also, look to other sectors for allies.  Finally, read my article when it comes out...ha! I have always said that if we don't lobby for women in the industry there will be no women in the industry.  It's up to us.

What trends are you noticing in the industry as we move toward federal legalization?

So much is happening it is head-spinning and we often joke about the newness of each and every day because you just don't know what that day will bring.  It's beyond exciting but can also be quite demanding and not for the timid. 

My focus being on cultivation and women I am watching that mostly so with respect to the cultivators the amalgamations which are happening are interesting. Greenhouses are becoming more the norm which is fantastic. I think once we see the legislation in Canada we will see the real trends start to take root. I am also most interested in California and how progressive they are and this is encouraging especially for the West Coast in general. Regions are particularly relevant to the cannabis conversation more so than most realize. There are two other very important trends that I hope will be disruptors but I am writing about them now so you can read about them soon.

How do you think legalization will affect Canada and Canadian cannabis businesses?

It remains to be seen since so much will depend on what the rules and regulations will be.  Will medical dispensaries be different that recreational as is what is likely to happen in California. The dispensaries really are the big cannabis business in Canada right now as there are so many of them across the country. Technology is going to be interesting also. Once again, regions are going to be wanting to take advantage of tourism, but will they be allowed? Ancilliary businesses, the picks and shovels are going to be tapping into the boom once they figure out their places in the market.  Many have already started of course. There are a lot more lawyers talking cannabis these days for example.  I think one of the bigger stories that could happen will be how this will all impact the hemp industry, very exciting.

What advice would you give to a woman interested in getting started in the industry?

A few things.  Integrity should be your number one priority for obvious reasons but it will also lead to success not just within the industry but will be what keeps you sane along the way. Keep your ears to the grindstone, be a good neighbour, give props and amplify other women's voices and missions, find good advisors and do what you love. Loving cannabis is not enough to sustain a job you don't love doing. Ultimately this is a portal to where we all need to go in our relationships to plants, nature and within ourselves and each other.

You can find Kelly writing about cannabis for Lift, The Ottawa Hill Times, her own site KellyCoulter.ca and right here on The Her(B) Life!

Follow her on Twitter too for ongoing cannabis coverage.