Meet Kelly Perez | CEO and cofounder, Cannabis Doing Good & Cannabis Impact Fund cofounder & Satya Yoga Coop Instructor/Member

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kelly Perez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kelly, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
The concept of live work balance in a racialized, unequal capitalist system is a little bit of a trap; like it’s a concept that we can use as another way to judge ourselves if we aren’t careful. Balance is largely a privilege of economics. Struggling to make due doesn’t leave much space and time for ourselves and caring for each other. Folks hustle so hard, especially the women I have known, to attain a rather unattainable concept I’ve watched so much wisdom and unique living come from my community, where living ones values is a constant juggle, but these women inspire me by centering Spirit/God their children, our community. We remind one another to rest. We are not our productivity. We are gifts. This life is a gift. I had the benefit of getting my perception completely changed 9 years ago when I knocked myself out snowboarding. It changed me from identifying with my head to moving more to my heart, where acceptance and surrender were my only choices. The re-orientation, the re-learning, the absolute necessity to take care of myself, (and my family) with a deeply impacted capacity, has become a gift. I have daily pain still from the spinal damage associated with that injury (and subsequent car accident), so I am forced to care for myself in a way that I would not have if there was a choice. Recently I thanked the pain; sincerely understood and accepted it as an opportunity to surrender my control. Pain reminds me to care for myself like I am recovering. I am recovering, so balance is not optional. There is no output from me without a commitment to my joy, my creative spirit, my spiritual practices, yoga and dance. If I don’t care for myself, I can’t function, so I remain grateful for the requirement to center my care. It’s challenging when you come from a community sense of self. We heal together, so I am responsible for myself, and for my family, but my community’s health is not separate from my health. If I can’t serve, I am lost. Being love is part of my ethos. I wish that I could do more. I would without limits, and it would probably not be what’s best for me. With grace, I seek to balance me so that I am balanced working, playing, community-ing, and family-ing. Grateful for every single bit of it. Ase

What should our readers know about your business?
Our business is a business of principle and hope that as a locally controlled, eventually federally legal sector that represents the best of what is possible in business; not same old, same old extractive capitalism. At Cannabis Doing Good we build a socially responsible and racially just cannabis sector. We began as kindColorado back in 2015 working with cannabis businesses operating in communities that were not set to benefit from cannabis in their neighborhoods. We crafted the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (otherwise known as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)) not to apologize for the harm created by the industry, but rather to collaborate, recognizing that the prohibition of cannabis was by and large anti-Black. The Drug War had political and economic drivers, and it was used as a means of social/political control that de-powered peace and civil rights movements. This seriously built the prison industrial complex, and came to mean another modernized state of Jim Crow in the US. Whole communities were devastated by political disregard, over policing, etc., With the implementation of a regulated cannabis industry (that wasn’t focused on racial equity), we saw that there was an opportunity to move policy and practice forward to benefit our communities, and operate a good businesses. In fact, focusing on racial equity, caring for your employees, the community, the land and water where you are is good for business. By doing this in cannabis you also fulfill licensing requirements and build culture at a business that people want to be a part of, and one where customers want to shop because you have brand loyalty as a purpose driven business. We have an opportunity in this industry to create a racially equitable industry. There aren’t currently any sectors that can brag about this, so there’s not a lot to lose, and so much to gain. Both our for profit and our sister nonprofit are national organizations. Cannabis Doing good works with companies making the right thing easy, and Cannabis Impact Fund, raises money from cannabis for organizations connected to the Movement for Black Lives, inside and outside of cannabis, as well as creates unique racial equity content specific to our sector. I also serve at the federal level, serving on the board of directors for the Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA), the primary advocates for BIPOC businesses in cannabis at the national level.

What we have learned over nearly a decade at this, is that this is a VERY challenging industry and the need to pivot and re-assess is constant. If one doesn’t center their health, family, their joy, it is easy to get swept away. We have learned that doing what we do, and sticking to our values is never a mistake. We want to make good trouble and make good money to do it. We are the drivers of our destiny and get to choose how we run our lives/businesses. I will be forever grateful for this freedom. We created something out of nothing and we never stop making the right thing easy in cannabis, when nothing is easy. We have also learned that working with who inspire you is everything. The BIPOC women, in particular, in cannabis across the country are a privilege to work with. I have never felt so aligned and inspired professionally. Getting to work with Courtney, (who has become a dear friend), and is an actively anti-racist white woman is a gift. She’s unassuming and her stature is tiny, but she is a fierce anti-racist, working hard on “fixing her people.” She has a world in mind for our kids to grow up in and she get’s deep and uncomfortable doing it. She’s not afraid to put herself in front of me, and she doesn’t quit when it’s hard or uncomfortable. Racism sucks for everyone and working toward equity is in her bones.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love Denver, but my bubble is small; we like to move on foot and by bike. We are so lucky to live between Colfax and City Park, so everything is walkable!? When my best friends are in town, we love to take them to sunset behind the new City Park golf course and the Museum of Science and Nature. It’s gorgeous! Yoga at Urban Sanctuary in 5 Points, then stop by Mo Betta Greens Farmer’s Market at Sonny Lawson park. We’d be sure to go to Alchemy Ritual Goods for all of our metaphysical needs (and Satya BIPOC yoga on Sundays). We’d swing by Casa Brewja for a lavender lemonade and have lunch at City ‘O City, as I am addicted to BBQ seitan vegan mac and cheese wrap. I’d need a cupcake at the Cake Bar (Black/LGBTQIA-owned and vegan). What a night we’d have after dinner at Satchel’s on 6th, and if Los Mocochetes is playing at the Blue Bird, with Brothers of Brass, (like last week), we’d shake our booties hard. My best friends would love all that, since I am a serious outdoors/nature woman, we’d spend a lot of time in Avon, CO, just past Vail in the mountains. We’d be on the river, paddle boarding at Rancho and Two Bridges on the Colorado River. Avon has amazing music and movies free all summer, and the leaves are changing now. It never gets old. Thank you Earth. My Love is a ski instructor part-time at Beaver Creek, so the outdoors, year round is deeply, deeply important to our souls. We love Colorado and feel so lucky to be on this land. Red Rocks, I can’t forget about Red Rocks…love it so; seeing shows there kind of ruins nearly everywhere else for me. The gratitude the artists feel comes through so hard; its a love fest every time. While you are there, be sure to stop by Meadowsweet in Morrison. It’s a magical spot to get some healing herbs and more. No visit is complete without stopping by Simply Pure to purchase cannabis from a Black-owned dispensary! I’d stock up on some flower and some Joy Bombs!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My cofounder/coCEO, Courtney Mathis deserves a big shout out. I had acquired a brain injury (wicked snowboarding accident) just a few months before we met. I have had pretty high levels of pain and been trauma impacted for our entire working relationship, and yet working with her has been healing for both of us, and impactful in our industry. She didn’t know me before–as a policy advisor, health equity or racial equity experienced professional–and that was a boon. I was quite impaired. I had to relearn how to read at advanced levels again, I couldn’t drive, but thought it was a good idea to start a company centering racial justice in cannabis. She was working on cannabis philanthropy at the time. We were introduced by her mentor Rich Male (who was a huge hero and force for good), and she accepted me as I was and allowed me the space that I needed to do good work and to focus on healing myself and caring for my family. In fact, I think that she’s followed some of my lead, and I follow hers. We are 15 years apart, different races, at different places professionally, and personally in our motherhood responsibilities, and beyond, and yet we have moved in sync, with kindness and respect for nearly a decade. Satya Yoga Coop deserves a huge shout out for holding my heart and providing me an opportunity to learn and share yoga which adds to my life daily. Lakshmi Nair the founder and leader of Satya has changed so many lives with this BIPOC coop. I am forever indebted to Satya which has opened me up to the spiritual, physical, and religious science practices of yoga. My love and I are fairly new Bhakti yoga (the yoga of love) practitioners, and our lives are changing. I am deeply grateful.
My Love, Matt, well my gratitude, love and respect for him are beyond words. Fourteen years, 5 kids, a few businesses, numerous adventures, a spiritual practice that centers and grows our relationship…I will thank him for the rest of this life, and it won’t be long enough.
Shout outs finally go to our kids; always rolling with our love. We made a family–Jewish, Black, Puerto Rican–we don’t share culture, class, or much of anything, except for love. We share love. Shout out Perez Jaffe adult kids. You are loved beyond measure. It’s all God in the end for me. My spiritual life is everything, and I am grateful for every single dang bit of this life. Shout out to God!

Website: https://cannabisdoinggood.com/ & https://cannabisimpactfund.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cdgsocials/ & https://www.instagram.com/cannabisimpactfund/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/

Facebook: @cdgsocials & @cannaimpactfund

Image Credits
Courtney and Kelly headshot, highly informed