In this episode of the Canna Curious Podcast, Kyla slows things right down and returns to the foundations. Before conversations about strain names, dosing, or delivery methods before stigma, shame, or opinion this episode asks a simpler question: What is actually happening inside your body when you take cannabis? This episode is for patients. For women who turn to this plant not to escape their lives - but to cope with pain, stress, hormonal change, burnout, grief, or nervous syst...

As the year draws to a close, Kyla pauses - not to summarise, but to sit inside what this season of listening has actually revealed. Recorded from Melbourne, in a softer and more honest state than usual, this solo episode reflects on thirty-three conversations about women’s health, relief, regulation, and the quiet ways women learn to manage their bodies inside imperfect systems. At the centre of the episode is a question Kyla has been carrying since the very beginning of the podcast: What ac...

What does a good medicinal cannabis clinic actually look like in Australia - and how do you spot the ones that should make you pause? This episode was sparked by a moment many of us have had lately: seeing cannabis clinic advertising out in the wild that feels… off. Kyla shares a story about walking down the street with her 11-year-old when they spotted a very obvious (and very questionable) clinic poster - which opened a bigger conversation about regulation, ethics, patient care, and h...

In this deeply honest conversation, Kyla sits down with Shaye Topaz a mum, insomniac, and long-time cannabis consumer to explore what happens when the plant that helped you cope becomes something you rely on. Shay shares her 12-year relationship with THC, from rolling joints at 18 for sleep, to mothering through stress, heartbreak, and survival… all the way to the moment she realised she was dependent, not addicted, and decided it was time for a reset. This episode moves through insomni...

In this episode, we get real about something most parents are quietly struggling with: how to talk to kids and teens about cannabis in a world where edibles, vapes and oils are everywhere and often invisible. Kids today are exposed earlier, more frequently, and in more confusing ways than ever before. Gummies look like lollies. Wellness-style bottles sit on shelves. TikTok jokes about edibles have millions of views. Whether you use cannabis, avoid it entirely, or sit somewhere in between, the...

In this episode of Canna Curious, Kyla sits down with Alli Bannister, a mother, nurse practitioner, and survivor of an exceptionally rare form of appendix cancer. One so uncommon it affects only one in a million people. What began as unexplained pain, bloating and digestive changes quickly escalated into emergency surgery, a Christmas Day hospitalisation, and the devastating discovery that cancer had spread across nearly all of Alli’s abdominal organs. Within days, she was facing a radical tr...

This week on the Canna Curious Podcast, Kyla sits down with Kaylee, a young woman whose journey with her body, identity, and the plant is as complex as it is courageous. From navigating early puberty and intense body-image scrutiny, to experiencing schoolyard bullying and being dismissed by the medical system, Kaylee’s story shines a light on what it feels like to grow up “different” and how the plant became a source of relief, regulation, and finally, self-agency. Together, we explore: Early...

In this episode, Kyla sits down with Irena Katz - naturopath, educator, and pioneer of Australia’s herbal vape industry. From opening one of the first hydro stores in the country to helping shape a new understanding of plant medicine, Irina’s story is equal parts science, grit, and heart. She shares how a heartbreaking moment when her one-year-old whippet, Lux, faced leg amputation led her to experiment with CBD almost two decades ago. What followed changed everything: not only did Lux ...

Today’s episode is raw, real, and deeply human. Kyla sits down with Sam Clohessy, a personal trainer from Western Australia, who shares her story of strength, survival, and self-discovery after being diagnosed with breast cancer at just 34 years old. From her early days working on remote mine sites to building a fitness business and navigating the breakdown of her marriage, Sam opens up about how years of stress took a toll on her body and how she found resilience, healing, and hope through m...

In this conversation, nurse and educator Megan Mbengue walks us through her path from hospital wards to cannabinoid care. We break down the endocannabinoid system in plain language, why CBG is her daytime go-to for anxiety and focus, and how to use THC without wrecking your nervous system. We dig into cannabis hyperemesis syndrome (CHS), the problems with high-THC vapes, why flower still matters, and what her team is seeing in a suppository study for period pain. We also touch on ...

Painful sex is common but not normal. Kyla and sexologist Lillie Brown unpack the fear–pain cycle, pelvic pain, arousal and lubrication, and practical steps to heal without pushing through pain. We also touch on how cannabis may help some women reduce pain and increase pleasure, plus when to bring in a pelvic floor physio or sexologist. Key Takeaways Pain is information, not something to “push through.”The fear–pain cycle can be broken with slowness + safety + pleasure.Arousal matters: ...

In this week’s episode, Kyla sits down with Bee and Ray to explore one of the biggest questions that’s ever come through the Canna Curious community: Does cannabis bring you closer to God? What started as a social media poll quickly turned into an avalanche of DMs, reflections, and debates. In this conversation, we unpack what “God” means to each of us from traditional religion to personal spirituality and how the plant has long played a role in deepening our connection to self, source, and t...

In this episode of the Canna Curious Podcast, Kyla sits down with Crystal White from Northern Rivers Hemp to unpack her inspiring journey from working in the disability sector to running a 75-acre hemp farm in Nimbin with her husband. Crystal shares how a hemp license unexpectedly arrived in the mail during the pandemic, sparking a complete career pivot and eventually leading to the creation of a hemp farming co-op. Together we explore: What hemp really is, and the differences between hemp, C...

When Christie's husband, Lei, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, life as they knew it turned upside down. With two young boys, a global plandemic unfolding, and a devastating diagnosis, their family was thrust into a whirlwind of hospitals, misdiagnoses, and impossible decisions. In this conversation, Christie shares openly about: The early symptoms that were missed and the persistence it took to finally get answers.The harsh realities of cancer care, from mis-prescribed chemo to navigatin...

In this episode, I take you on a journey through the history of cannabis prohibition, from the powerful industries and political figures who drove it, to the propaganda and international treaties that locked it in place. This is not a deep academic lecture, but a story about how we got here and why a plant that was once widely used for pain, sleep, women’s health, and everyday ailments became criminalised across much of the world. We’ll look at: The early uses of cannabis in medicine and dail...

In this episode, we pull back the curtain and share some our own stories of how the plant called us into this space. From harm reduction and patient advocacy, to chronic pain, migraines, and the quiet frustration of being dismissed in the doctor’s office each of us followed a different road. But the common thread is connection. The plant didn’t just relieve symptoms; she shifted our perspectives, revealed truths we couldn’t ignore, and opened the possibility of healing on deeper levels. This ...

In this solo episode of Canna Curious, Kyla gets personal about grief, self-care, and the choices we make when life gets heavy. She unpacks one of the oldest debates: alcohol versus cannabis. What You’ll Learn in This Episode Why alcohol is responsible for 2.6 million deaths a year globally, while cannabis has zero overdose deathsrecorded.How cannabis-related harms are often tied to polydrug use or accidents, not toxicity alone.The gender double standard: wine marketed as “self-care,” cannabi...

What does it mean to grow up in a medical household, rebel against it, and then return to plant medicine as the very thing that brings peace, presence, and healing? In this episode, I sit down with my friend Christina McMullan, an instigating rebel and the voice behind Aus Canna Reviews and the Aus Canna Podcast. We start by going back to the 90s, when cannabis first entered her life on a hill in Texas, and follow her journey through grief, motherhood, and advocacy. Christina speaks candidly ...

Lena Mariana (Mary) 11/04/1928 - 03/08/2025. This week’s episode is raw and unpolished, recorded during a tender moment as my Nanna Mary was nearing the end of her life. It's a conversation wrapped in love, loss, and legacy. I explore: What we inherit beyond genetics like patterns of silence, sacrifice, and self-denialThe cost of “being strong” and what it means to choose softness insteadHow the silent generation of women carried so much without ever being allowed to fall apartReclaiming nerv...

In this episode of The Canna Curious Podcast, we’re talking about t- breaks also known as tolerance breaks. Whether you use cannabis for anxiety, pain, migraines, or perimenopause symptoms, sometimes it’s worth pausing to ask: Is my medicine still working the way I need it to? Together with Bee and Ray, we dive into the why, when, and how of taking a break from cannabis. We explore what to expect physically and emotionally, how to avoid white-knuckling your way through it, and why planning, j...