In Conversation with Tori Rerick
AFROPUNK partnership
EVERY THURSDAY AT 8PM ET, HEAD OVER TO THE AFROPUNK IG LIVE CHANNEL FOR THESE WEEKLY CONVERSATIONS CURATED BY HUMBLE BLOOM'S SOLONJE BURNETT WITH THOUGHT LEADERS AND ENTREPRENEURS IN MUSIC, AGRICULTURE, BEAUTY, MINDFULNESS, NUTRITION, SUSTAINABILITY, SEXUAL EMPOWERMENT AND MORE.
Tori Rerick, PharmD, is a recovering type-A who now prescribes mindfulness. She left traditional pharmacy in September 2018 to become a holistic guide and help people heal at the levels of mind and spirit. Her mission is to support each person's unique healing journey and does so through her self healing membership, Well Connected. Self care shifted her life trajectory during a time that she felt beyond burnt out as a new mother and pharmacy manager. Tori believes helping leaders prioritize their wellbeing is essential for the health of the collective. Part of Tori’s holistic work is advocating for cannabis as medicine. She works as Director of Press Relations for Moon Mother Hemp Co. Through her podcast, @6degreesfromcannabis, she opens the conversation about the power of cannabis for use in the healing arts.
What's your current theme song? If you have a reason, please share.
Electric Life by Azizi Gibson with Hippie Sabotage -- it feels like a hip hop anthem for being completely you and the power of connection that is generated through that rebellion. I’m totally in this reclaiming worthiness phase and hip hop helps with that confidence boost tremendously.
What are you working on?
Personally, I’m currently working on taking my self care and nourishment to a deeper level. With the pandemic, I was living like many, in survival mode. I am beginning to regain my power and choosing to reinvest it in my own health. I expect this focus on home cooked family meals and deep quality time to translate professionally and improve the content for my self healing membership, Well Connected. I am always working to improve the member experience and increase their return on investing in themselves!
Tell me about your journey to now. What impactful moments led you to your work?
After reaching my healing limit with antidepressants while in pharmacy school, I decided to go natural with my anxiety treatment.
I was dedicated to feeling better for real, not avoid the very triggers caused me agony in the first place. I had also graduated a cycle of talk therapy and was preparing to conceive. I had started opening myself to natural living in terms of buying organic and caring about what I put on and in my body. I started embracing making decisions based on my needs and not the norm. In the span of 9 months, I graduated as a doctor of pharmacy, moved from North Dakota to Colorado and welcomed my son into the world.
Motherhood initiated a new sense of resiliency within me and I started truly believing in and studying the power of the mind on healing. As my passion for and success with mindfulness grew, I followed the call to help others heal in ways that worked deeply for me — namely self awareness, self care and self love.
Who and/or what motivates your passion each day?
For one, my peace and satisfaction and two living and creating from that place. I have trained myself to find inspiration from within. I am so grateful to lean on my communities when needed but it is truly myself + the connection I have with source that fuels my day. When accessed, the feelings of satisfaction and doing your best make me want to GIVE and SHARE. Seeing others witness my self-recognition and try it for themselves brings it full circle.
How do you define Radical Self Care?
Radical Self Care is the prioritization, focus, commitment and fulfillment of returning to yourself to support your own wellness needs as an essential rhythm of life.
What rituals do you have to help maintain homeostasis of mind, body, and spirit?
Different versions of expressive journaling and mindful movement are my everyday practices. I take my time and I take up space when praying, writing, visualizing, creating, cooking, tidying, dancing, walking and so on. Each day looks different but the intentions are the same — find harmony within.
How do you incorporate plants into your well being routine? How is the cannabis (THC, CBD, CBN, etc) a part of your plant ritual?
I’m always striving to add MORE plants into my diet. I do this through exciting vegetable dishes and mainly herbal teas. I incorporate full spectrum hemp and cannabis into my rituals and relaxation. I practice right relationship with her and she guides me to open and follow my highest good. Recently I’ve added more plants to our home and planted seeds which feels intimidating but necessary for my remembrance of unity with the plant world.
Who would you like to experience an altered state (dream elevation + discussion) with and how would you achieve this flow state?
I have long wished to elevate with priestess, Lizzy Jeff in Cannabis Ceremony. This week that vision is coming true in a way! I will be attending her master class and achieving the flow state through showing up with an open heart to receive wisdom as my most radiant, rested and cared for self. Cannabis spirit will be present to facilitate flow. So excited!
Love the phrase "slow down to speed up", what does that mean to you personally and within the present global pause?
To me this means pausing is actually more efficient then powering through. There’s a time for everything and having moments of deep rest is necessary for proper healing. There are so many ways we’ve been trained to be faster and busier when the power really lies in organic timing and proper alignment before taking action. The current global pause is an invitation to shift our awareness to rhythms that are sustainable.
What is the gift you bring to community?
My magic is seeing people, like really witnessing them. I honor others by recognizing them and holding them to the frequency of their innate worth.
What has been the most challenging for you during this time?
The balance of motherhood and nurturing my son. I was beginning to lean more and more on his schooling to feed his curiosity while I focused on work throughout the day. As a very driven person I often feel I’m splitting my energy between work and family. I’m trying to focus on presence in all that I do and interacting with my son mindfully in the way I always intended.
What made you become an advocate in the space and for the plant?
Feeling disempowered as a pharmacist. We didn’t learn about the herb in school. Uncovering the science behind cannabis medicine as I was witnessing the healing in my life juxtapose to avoiding talking about the plant with co-workers or patients for self protection was terribly uncomfortable. It felt out of integrity to be keeping the plant’s power unspoken and hidden. Most health professionals I know are highly interested in serving patients and helping them heal. Cannabis is a huge part of that conversation!! I believe cannabis is medicine and will share her good news to normalize the use and guide her into mainstream healing.