Apples in Winter

Oleg Maryasis entered the cannabis industry in 2012, beginning with vaporizer technology before shifting his focus to cannabinoids, education, and the science behind cannabis. Today, he serves as Director of Education at Lock and Key Remedies, Director of Education and Compliance at NYCBUD, a licensed New York dispensary, and earned his Master's Degree in Medical Cannabis Science & Therape...

Fresh off a trip to Mary Jane Berlin, now the world's largest cannabis trade show and conference with more than 85,000 attendees from around the globe, I've been reflecting on one of the things that always stands out at events like this: community. As cannabis continues to evolve through research, policy reform, medical programs, and expanding markets around the world, it's easy to foc...

David Sergi is a Texas-based attorney who has spent decades working at the intersection of hemp, cannabis, and regulatory law. In this episode, we unpack the legal battles shaping the future of hemp, from the high-profile fight unfolding in Texas to the broader questions surrounding THC definitions, federal oversight, enforcement actions, and regulatory uncertainty across the United States. We als...

Micaela Machado is a sustainable designer, hemp building advocate, and artist whose work sits at the intersection of creativity, natural materials, and environmentally conscious building. This conversation explores hemp as a building material, what makes it so unique, and the growing momentum behind hemp construction. We also discuss the incredible projects Micaela is involved in through her work...

John Roulac is the founder of Nutiva, one of the earliest companies to help bring hemp foods into the mainstream in the United States. Over the course of several decades, his work has spanned entrepreneurship, regenerative agriculture, environmental advocacy, policy, and media, including serving as an executive producer of the film Kiss the Ground. More recently, he’s focused on rethinking everyda...

Attorney David Bush has practiced law for more than 34 years and is widely considered one of, if not the first, hemp attorneys in the United States. Having represented both cannabis and hemp clients through major periods of industry change, David offers a rare firsthand perspective on the early days of cannabis legalization, the emergence of hemp regulations, and the rapid rise of the Colorado hem...

James Johnson’s path moves from military service into the evolving world of hemp and cannabis, carrying with it a perspective shaped by discipline, structure, and lived experience. In this conversation, we get into the realities of cannabis and hemp within military culture, the contradictions surrounding alcohol, and how those systems influence perception and access. We also touch on his work in h...

Priya Mishra is the founder of Hempvati, working at the intersection of industrial hemp and medical cannabis in India, where the conversation around the plant is still layered with stigma, history, and complexity. Her work spans farmer education, patient support, research, and policy, all grounded in a deeper effort to reshape how cannabis is understood and accessed. In this conversation, we get i...

Rachel is a first-generation farmer in Illinois and one of the grassroots forces behind hemp’s return in the state, working at the intersection of farming, policy, and community organizing. As founder and president of the Illinois Hemp Growers Association, she has helped shape legislation, educate growers, and build a regional hemp movement from the field to the policy table. In this conversation,...

Rick is a fourth-generation farmer in North Carolina, carrying forward a family legacy that dates back to 1865. After time away building a life in DC, he returned to the land and helped lead a transition from tobacco to hemp, working across both fiber and CBD production. In this conversation, we get into what that shift actually looks like on the ground, what it means to rework a generational farm...

Gordana Stevancevic was born in Belgrade and moved to Italy with her family after the bombing of Serbia in 1999. She studied economics and entrepreneurship, and later completed postgraduate work in medical cannabis at the University of Padua. Her path eventually led her into textile hemp, where she’s focused on rethinking materials through a lens of sustainability, function, and design. In this co...

Beach has been involved in the hemp world since the early days, founding Hemptations in the mid-90s, long before hemp re-entered mainstream conversation in the U.S. In this conversation, we get into what those early years actually looked like, what it meant to build a store centered entirely around hemp products in Cincinnati, Ohio, and how his perspective has taken shape over decades of advocacy,...

Apples in Winter. A conversation podcast. Launches March 20.