The Origin Story

From Couch Time to The Cannabis Couch

Every good story starts somewhere.

Mine started with my dear friend Jeanie, almost 20 years ago.

Jeanie and I would get together whenever we could. Before she came over, one of us would usually send the other a text or make a phone call and ask the question:

“Do you have time for some couch time?”

That was our thing.

Couch time meant slowing down for a while.

It meant sitting together, smoking a little flower, talking about absolutely everything and nothing at all, and listening to great music.

Sometimes we’d laugh until our stomachs hurt.

Sometimes we’d have those deep conversations that seem to happen when you’re comfortable, relaxed, and completely yourself.

And sometimes we simply sat there enjoying the music and each other’s company.

There was never an agenda.

There didn’t need to be one.

It was just two friends sharing a little cannabis, a little music, and a lot of life.

Looking back now, I realize that couch time was the beginning of The Cannabis Couch.

I just didn’t know it yet.

The Couch Became Something Bigger

Over the years, my relationship with cannabis grew into something much bigger than those early couch-time conversations.

I began working in the cannabis industry. I became a budtender, patient advisor, educator, product specialist, supervisor, and cultivator. I studied cannabinoids and terpenes. I learned about products, cultivation, extraction, and the science behind this remarkable plant.

And the more I learned, the more I realized how many people simply needed a safe place to ask questions.

People were curious.

People were confused.

People had heard things from friends, doctors, television, social media, dispensaries, and sometimes from people who didn’t really understand cannabis themselves.

I kept coming back to that original feeling of couch time.

People learn better when they’re comfortable.

So I started imagining a bigger couch.

A place where people could come to learn about cannabis without feeling stupid for asking a question.

A place where we could talk about the science without making it boring.

A place where we could talk about the culture without losing sight of education.

A place where people could share their own experiences while understanding that everyone’s relationship with cannabis is different.

And eventually, that place became The Cannabis Couch.

Then I Met Two More People Who Changed the Direction of the Story

My journey eventually brought me to Maine and to two very special people: Dan and Iris.

They’re biodynamic cannabis farmers, educators, and two of the biggest cannabis gurus I’ve had the privilege of learning from.

I lovingly call them the hippies.

I’ve traveled to their farm three times to help them, and every visit taught me something new.

They introduced me to Rudolf Steiner and biodynamic agriculture, and they opened my eyes to something I’d never thought about in quite the same way before:

The story of cannabis begins in the soil.

It isn’t just about what happens after a plant is harvested.

It’s about the living soil.

The relationship between the soil, the plant, the environment, and the people caring for it.

Those experiences changed the way I looked at cannabis.

I stopped seeing it simply as a product.

I started seeing the whole picture.

The plant.

The soil.

The farmer.

The science.

The person using it.

The community surrounding it.

And that’s when the vision started getting much bigger than a couch.

What If the Couch Could Travel?

Dan was the first person to really put the idea into my head:

What if we took the conversation on the road?

At first, it was just an idea.

Then it became a dream.

And eventually, it became Buds Across America.

The concept is simple:

Take the Couch to the people.

Instead of waiting for people to find us, we’ll go find them.

We’ll travel across America and meet the people who are growing cannabis, studying cannabis, creating cannabis products, educating others about cannabis, and simply living their lives with this plant as part of their story.

We’ll visit farms.

We’ll meet cultivators.

We’ll talk with educators.

We’ll learn from product makers.

We’ll listen to patients.

We’ll talk with entrepreneurs.

We’ll explore cannabis communities.

And we’ll keep asking questions.

Because I don’t believe anyone knows everything about cannabis.

Not even me.

And that’s okay.

The more I learn, the more I realize how much there still is to discover.

From a Living Room Couch to a Rolling One

And somehow, the little phrase Jeanie and I used almost 20 years ago—

“Do you have time for some couch time?”

—has grown into something neither of us could have imagined back then.

The Couch is no longer just a place.

It’s an idea.

It’s a feeling.

It’s permission to slow down, ask questions, learn something new, and share a little time with good people.

And now…

The Couch is getting wheels.

In 2027, Buds Across America will hit the road.

We’ll start in Florida, travel north toward Maine, and eventually make our way toward the Northwest.

We’ll follow the laws of every state we visit and approach cannabis with the same respect and responsibility that has always been at the heart of this journey.

But we’re bringing something else with us too.

Music.

Stories.

Laughter.

Curiosity.

A whole lot of cannabis education.

And hopefully, plenty of good couch time.

Because after all these years, I still believe some of the best conversations happen when you simply sit down, get comfortable, and talk.

So that’s where we came from.

One friendship.

One couch.

A little flower.

Some really good music.

And a question:

“Do you have time for some couch time?”

Almost twenty years later, that question has become a movement.

Welcome to The Cannabis Couch.

Now let’s take it across America.

— GiGi Dawn