Thought Leaders

Elias “The Spartan” Theodorou, is a top-ranked middleweight fighter who amassed an impressive 8-3 record during his time in the UFC. Elias is committed to fighting the stigma of medical cannabis in athletics, being the first to compete in Canada in professional competition as a ‘cannabis athlete.’ In January 2020, he became the first professional athlete to receive a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) for medical cannabis, the first in combat sports or professional sports. Elias has transcended the stereotypes of a fighter by employing his advertising degree and corporate experience in the development, creation, and production of personal and corporate brands, including The Mane Event™, The Ring Boy™ and Weedbae™ When Elias is not busy training or competing, he’s working on several films and various TV projects. Elias is committed to using his growing platform to expand his reach beyond MMA and to fight for acceptance of medical cannabis in professional sports.

Mr. Anand has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the global cannabis industry. He is a public speaker and is regularly engaged with Canadian and International media on all subjects related to the Cannabis industry.

He holds a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) and Management from Vancouver Island University. He is a recognized thought leader and brings 15 years of leadership experience in the health, charitable/non-profit, and private sectors in Canada.

Within the global cannabis sector, Mr. Anand has worked with senior government officials, politicians, policymakers, health professional organizations, clinical practitioners, educators,
investors, patients as well as producers. He has also served on the boards of various pharmaceutical associations across Canada, the United States and Europe.

Dynaleo is an Edmonton, Alberta-based licensed processor that is focused on manufacturing cannabis-infused adult soft-chews. Dynaleo’s purpose-built manufacturing plant contains specialized production equipment to produce precisely dosed cannabinoid infused edibles for the Canadian market. Dynaleo’s mission is to create the finest infused soft chews that enable consumers to enjoy cannabinoids, without the negative health effects of inhalation. Learn more at www.dynaleo.com and follow progress on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Nicholas Nedin is currently the Product Development and Quality Assurance Manager at Greenway Greenhouse Cannabis Crop. Nicholas has been working in the Canadian Cannabis Industry since 2016, starting as a Research and Development consultant, he leveraged years in an array of positions in hospitality, manufacturing and beverage alcohol to provide insights for cannabis companies on how to bring unique cannabis products and brands to market, while fitting their operations into government based grant structures and tax incentive programs.

In his free time, Nicholas produced more than 150 podcast episodes for The Cannabis Act Podcast, The Flower Hour Podcast, and The Cannalysts. He is also a regular contributor to Inside The Jar, writing about Cannabis, food and popular culture. He was also an executive member of The Podcast Mashup along with The Cannalysts, CFAMM, Lift & Co, and Ernst & Young, helping raise over $30,000 for Cannabis related charities in 2019.

Nuveev is the health and wellness brand that empowers you to discover the benefits of cannabis for targeted health concerns and everyday wellbeing. Nuveev offers a wide variety of innovative, user-friendly cannabis-infused products that are aligned with your lifestyle.

At Nuveev, we firmly believe there is always something you can be doing to proactively improve your physical and mental health. We work with industry-leading experts to develop safe, high quality products that help you live to your fullest potential and make more positive choices for your own well-being.

Tabitha is a lifelong teacher and learner who is passionate about empowering and helping others, from cultivating business relationships to bringing quality cannabis products to the people who will benefit from them.

She first started consuming cannabis around the age of 30, when she was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.  After finding that the medication she was prescribed left her feeling disconnected from life, she discovered that cannabis gave her the mental and emotional space to start working on her anxiety, and the change in perspective she needed for recovery. 

With years of experience teaching MBA students to apply model-based decision making and working as a cannabis educator, Tabitha takes this expertise to the legal cannabis market to help facilitate research, mentorship and product development while working on bringing Fritz’s unique and innovative family recipes to market.

Athletes for CARE (A4C) is a not-for-profit organization launched in 2016 by passionate retired professional athletes who recognized the need to advocate for the health, safety and wellness of more than 2 billion people of all ages who compete annually in sanctioned sports globally. Through that advocacy, we are improving health and wellness options for the billions of people around the world living with mental and physical illnesses including chronic pain, depression, anxiety, PTSD, CTE, TBI, substance abuse and opioid dependency. For more information, please visit www.athletesforcare.org.

Their upcoming celebrity golf tournament on May 6 in Denver, Colorado remains open to sponsors and foursomes. Special guests include Al Harrington, Omar Bolden, and Roger Steele.

Bestselling author, cannabis advocate, philanthropist, Psoriasis warrior, dad and husband.

Jordan’s unique culinary journey began over campfires in Northern Ontario and progressed to the kitchens of some of the top chefs in the culinary world. At the age of 12, Jordan was diagnosed with Psoriasis, an often debilitating autoimmune disease. Subsequently every decision he made since that diagnosis revolved around his health. In 2014, fed up with dealing with the effects of his Psoriasis, Jordan sought the help of a naturopath; from this one meeting he removed gluten, dairy and refined sugar from his diet and began taking natural supplements and consuming cannabis. Jordan’s life changed almost immediately; within sixty days thirty pounds melted off his body and his Psoriasis became manageable.

With a renewed focus on food, health and wellness; Jordan offers 15 course tasting menus in his private dining space highlighting simple, seasonal ingredients prepared with love. Jordan is a cannabis advocate and cites the use of cannabis as a pillar for his health. Jordan is most proud of his philanthropic endeavours advocating for mental health, Psoriasis, and his involvement with several Foundations.

Angelina is a Muaythai fighter and CEO of Blessed Ventures who has spent 13 years training and fighting in Thailand and Canada. Ript runner, Calisthenics athlete and the first Canadian female to fight Muaythai in China. She is now building her company for legalization and plans on helping athletes and women worldwide.

With multiple injuries and dietary restrictions she had a lot to learn about the recovery process and that the sugary edibles available aren’t a viable option to fight inflammation in the body. Learn about her journey with healthy cannabis edibles, oils and how floating all became an integral part of her recovery and allowed her to train, treat and repeat like a lady boss.

The Entourage Collective Founder and CEO Christina Michael has a wealth of experience ranging across multiple verticals. Her cannabis career began to take off as she took on a CBD project for North America in 2016 that sparked her passion for the cannabis industry. She went on to develop retail platforms for notable brands in the regulated space in 2018 including founding and opening her own licensed retail cannabis store Marigolds Cannabis in Vancouver in 2020. As an advocate and philanthropist Christina also dedicated her time as Director of Canadian Activation for Athletes for CARE, advocating for the acceptance of cannabis use with athletes as well as veterans, making waves for the program from 2019 to 2020, and has continued as the founder of Cannabis for Harm Reduction a national non-profit providing support to those who need it most. Aside from her many accolades as an entrepreneur and career driven woman, Christina is a loving mother, life partner, friend and colleague. She spends her private time in nature enjoying a wide range of activities and spending time with those who mean the world to her. Christina is our driving force with The Entourage Collective, creating space and opportunity for women and allies within the cannabis space. Christina currently sits on BC Craft Farmers Co-op as a member at large, participates in industry associations and co-hosts Lit Conversations, a monthly platform focused on women in cannabis. A true visionary, connector and trailblazer Christina never stops working on new ideas with thought leadership enthusiasm.