Blair Lauren Brown has made it her mission to “embrace the process.”
The talismanic jewelry designer and lifelong seeker was raised with a strong sense of compassion and healing. Trained in ayurveda, the Sadhana yoga philosophy of spirit in everything, theta waves and vibration, she hosts workshops to explore meditative and dream spaces.
Brown first became aware of the use of medicinal cannabis when her grandfather—a Stanford MD—prescribed it to her mother in the 90s as chemotherapy relief. In 2004, she helped her brother build his first medical grow. But it wasn’t until 2016 that she finally ventured into the space herself with an eye towards creating a plant medicine line infused with premium hemp extract: Just like that, Verté Essentials was born.
Here, the alchemist talks CBD, creating rituals and embracing the beauty of the journey:
Live The Process: Your grandfather was a doctor and your mother struggled with cancer—were those factors formative in your gravitation towards healing?
Blair Lauren Brown: Of course. But let’s be clear, my mother doesn’t struggle with anything! She’s an incredible model of strength, patience and presence. I think that, regardless of that positioning, my grandfather and mother were, and are, incredibly influential in all of my choices. Not only because I can now see them with reverence, but also because they were—and continue to be—excellent examples of the way you can see beauty in the world.
My grandfather was incredibly open, compassionate and worldly. He treated those who no one else wanted to treat and served his community in charitable ways, as well as continued to see his pediatric patients well into their later years. And he told the most beautiful stories with the lens of love for everything. My mother operates that way also, with more of a quiet humility. And I would hope that those influences are very clear in everything that I do.
The nature of their experiences certainly sparked curiosity in me, but, more importantly, I would say that it is the way that I was raised—and by whom I was raised—that allowed me to see all of the different opportunities for expressing compassion and connectivity, which is ultimately what I believe Verté Essentials is all about. The products speak to supporting people and the planet as holistically as possible, with the underlining integrity of minimalism and the idea that less is more; cleaner is better.
LTP: You first became interested in the power of cannabis early on. How did your involvement evolve over time?
BLB: My entree into the space was slow and calculated. I’ve been around it for almost 20 years now, but I didn’t touch it in a professional capacity because of uncertainty about how it might affect my jewelry company. So, I watched from the sidelines and took in what everybody else was doing. Two years ago, when we approached state majority, I decided it was time. I intended to maintain a slow approach, knowing that often what happens in emerging industries is a race—not necessarily to the top or for quality or a good product. So, we spent a lot of time doing meticulous research, which ultimately led us to Verté. Originally, the plan was to use full-plant, all of the molecules, THC included, thinking that we could approach best efficacy there. But, in the research, we discovered that we could do everything we wanted and more with CBD and other plant botanicals.
It’s really an extension of my life philosophy: patience and process help identify the best potential outcome.
LTP: What ultimately inspired you to launch Verté Essentials?
BLB: There is a South African word, ubuntu, which—much like “reverence”—is about honoring that which came before you, knowing that you are where you are now because of it and that it’s also a part of what shapes the future.
If I look back on the history of cannabis in our culture, I can’t help but also reflect upon and respect its history within other cultures and traditions. With my 20 years experience and knowing the incredible healing properties of cannabis, I had to create something that honors our past and embraces our future. There’s no question that it deserves its time and the reverence that every other culture in history gave it. We have the opportunity with cannabis to support health and healing, to support women in business, to support minorities that have been marginalized in the process of illegalizing and to create opportunities for regenerative farming techniques that help support all of us—in both food and health capacities.
For us, education is a priority. We believe that we can empower by virtue of getting our product out there: the larger we are as a company, the more people we can impact with a product that is far more powerful than a lot of other things that sit on the shelves. We’re not trying to be a fluffy artisanal brand; we want to reach and serve more people.
We recommend using it every day—as often as possible! Make a ritual out of it. We apply skincare and take supplements habitually. And, while habits are what they are for a reason, if you can convert it into a ritual, it feels more beautiful and empowering every time you engage with it. Don’t make it mandatory; just make it important!
LTP: What are some of your current beauty, healing and/or wellness obsessions (including a favorite product of your own)? What rituals keep you feeling balanced and healthy?
BLB: There are so many—literally too many to list. I think the most important thing is that I remind myself frequently that everything is a ritual if you allow it the space. I find myself most often now, being in Sun Valley, taking my dog for a walk at night and stopping to look up at the stars. The sky here at 5,000 vertical feet—with darkness in every direction—is immaculate. To see the sky, to really see it and feel the expansiveness of looking out into space—people have been saying it for generations, but there is nothing that makes you feel more a piece of something and connected.
And every morning I drink One World Cacao with our Rise or Elevate Vital Oil. So delicious.
LTP: What does happiness look like to you?
BLB: I feel like happiness is allowing yourself space. Because then you have room for opportunity, to explore your curiosities, to engage in a process to actualize your goals or to do nothing, if you want! To be honest, happiness isn’t really something I think about because I feel like it’s just another state of being to be present in.
LTP: What does it mean to you to “Live The Process” and how can we all do that more each day?
BLB: This is the perfect question for me! My personal motto for the last nine years has been to “embrace the process.” Fortunately, it’s now ingrained in my body, mind and soul!
It means being fully present and engaging in every piece. Keeping your eyes and ears and heart wide open to experience everything that makes it all what it is. You can’t truly listen or be informed or engage with the world if you don’t “live in the process.” For Verté, specifically, we’ve gone so far as to say that beauty is in the process. Every step along the way is what makes it beautiful.