Healing Hearts

SHOW OUTLINE

Intro

• Opening Quote: "I told my dad I got a job for a medical marijuana dispensary group in Pittsburgh.
  He said, 'Well, is it legal?' I said, 'Yes, dad. It is legal.'"
• "Welcome to Healing Hearts, a podcast created by The Healing Center, voted 'Pittsburgh's Best Dispensary.'"
• Host Mike Flick introduces the episode and starts the conversation.

Body

Mike Flick, The Healing Center Pharmacist Jill Zimbicki and General Manager Michael Butler talk about the healing powers of medical marijuana and how each of them started their journey into the medical cannabis field.

Segment 1 - Jill Zimbicki and Mike Flick

• Jill talks about how she's seen first-hand the positive, and seemingly miraculous, effects medical cannabis has on people.
• She continues to say how the medication is very personalized and flexible for each patient.
• Jill details why she enjoys her work and how she finds joy in helping others.
• Jill gives advice to a new patient coming to The Healing Center.

Segment 2 - Michael Butler, Jill Zimbicki and Mike Flick

• Mike talks about how his journey in the pharmaceutical field started at a young age.
• He also talks about his shift to medical cannabis after seeing the opioid crisis and how patients were racking up pills to take.
• He continues by saying how there is no pathway in standard medicine to decrease medication burden.
• Mike, Jill and Mike all take turns sharing medical marijuana success stories.

Segment 3 - Michael Butler, Jill Zimbicki and Mike Flick

• The group tells their "Cannabis Coming Out Stories." Mike, Jill and Mike share their loved one's reactions to when they announced they would be entering the medical cannabis field.
• Mike Butler mentions how the stigma behind marijuana in the past was unsubstantiated.
• Everyone shares their answer to the question: "If you were a strain, what would you be?"

Close

• Host Mike Flick summarizes the episode and tosses to the outro, thanking the listeners for joining them.
• "Healing Hearts is presented by The Healing Center, voted 'Pittsburgh's Best Dispensary.' Healing Hearts is recorded at the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University. More information is available at thehealingcenterusa.com."

Credits

Host: Mike Flick, The Healing Center
Guests: Michael Butler, General Manager - The Healing Center; Jill Zimbicki Pharmacist - The Healing Center
Executive Producer: Lisa Craig, Marketing Director - The Healing Center
Editor: Nicholas Ruffolo, Center for Media Innovation

Intro Song:
Antidepresseur by Patchworker f.k.a. [friendzoned] | https://soundcloud.com/patchworker
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en_US

Outro Song:
Bittersweet by | e s c p | https://escp-music.bandcamp.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

SHOW OUTLINE

Intro

• Opening Quote: 

"The most common first time patient is someone in their 50s, 60s or 40s."

"It's not the 20 to 30-year-old college kid? You know? We all kinda have that image in mind."

"We do. We do. It's like something I said before, 'Everything you ever learned about marijuana was wrong.'"

• "Welcome to Healing Hearts, a podcast created by The Healing Center, voted 'Pittsburgh's Best Dispensary.'"
• Host Mike Flick introduces the episode and starts the conversation.

Body

Host Mike Flick, The Healing Center Pharmacists Alina Teplitskaya and Jennifer Krasnicki, and General Manager Michael Butler talk about the healing powers of medical marijuana and how each of them started their journey into the medical cannabis field.

Segment 1 - Mike Flick, Alina Teplitskaya and Jennifer Krasnicki

• Alina Teplitskaya shares her journey from Kiev, Ukraine to the U.S. and how she ended up in the Pittsburgh area.
• She continues to talk about her transition from traditional pharmaceuticals and how she felt like she was part of the problem.
• Mike turns to Jennifer for some background on her early life and career up until the Healing Center.
• Both pharmacists discuss their early perspectives on cannabis and how things have changed after seeing how well it works.

Segment 2 - Mike Flick, Michael Butler, Alina Teplitskaya and Jennifer Krasnicki

• Michael Butler shares his change in perspective on medical cannabis and how past stigmas initially clouded his judgement.
• His love of chemistry at an early age helps fight through those inaccuracies and now he can explain how cannabis works on a molecular level.
• Michael explains the endocannabinoid system and how it plays a large role in cannabis as medication, working similarly to normal pills, with less drawback.
• However, he tells the group that it is slightly different in the sense that it can target synaptic processes directly and has been used to stop seizures by calming the rapid firing of the nerve.
• Alina, Jennifer and Michael then share their healing stories of how medical marijuana has helped improve chronic problems significantly.
• The neurological disorders especially see vast improvement because of that manipulation of the endocannabinoid system.

Segment 3 - Mike Flick, Michael Butler, Alina Teplitskaya and Jennifer Krasnicki

• Mike Flick asks Michael Butler what the typical first-time patients are at The Healing Center, disproving some of the medical marijuana stereotypes.
• The group discusses the process of entering a store for the first time and finding the right medication for each patient.
• Michael Butler further elaborates on how dosage and THC-CBD balance works.
• Butler mentions how much uncharted territory there is with the endocannabinoid system and how the medical marijuana industry is learning and improving every day.
• The group tells their "Cannabis Coming Out Stories." Alina, Jennifer and Michael share their loved one's reactions to when they announced they would be entering the medical cannabis field.
• Everyone shares their answer to the question: "If you were a strain, what would you be?"

Close

• Host Mike Flick summarizes the episode and tosses to the outro, thanking the listeners for joining them.
• "Healing Hearts is presented by The Healing Center, voted 'Pittsburgh's Best Dispensary.' Healing Hearts is recorded at the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University. More information is available at thehealingcenterusa.com."

Credits

Host: Mike Flick, The Healing Center
Guests: Alina Teplitskaya and Jennifer Krasnicki, Pharmacists - The Healing Center; Michael Butler, General Manager - The Healing Center
Executive Producer: Lisa Craig, Marketing Director - The Healing Center
Editor: Nicholas Ruffolo, Center for Media Innovation

Intro Song:
Antidepresseur by Patchworker f.k.a. [friendzoned] | https://soundcloud.com/patchworker
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en_US

Outro Song:
Bittersweet by | e s c p | https://escp-music.bandcamp.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

SHOW OUTLINE

Intro

• Opening Quote: "All decisions are made from two places, love or fear. That's it. That's all there is to it.
  So, if you're afraid, dig down deep, think about what you're afraid of, and is it real?
  Because I don't think it is."
• "Welcome to Healing Hearts, a podcast created by The Healing Center, voted 'Pittsburgh's Best Dispensary.'"
• Host Mike Flick introduces the episode and starts the conversation.

Body

Host Mike Flick, The Healing Center Co-Founder Chris Kohan, General Manager Michael Butler, CEO of Compassionate Certification Centers (CCC) Melonie Kotchey and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Bryan Doner talk about the growth of medical marijuana in Pennsylvania and how the state programs continue to innovate and positively influence people's lives.

Segment 1 - Mike Flick, Chris Kohan, Melonie Kotchey and Michael Butler

• Melonie discusses a whitepaper from CCC detailing a key research study on medical cannabis in the state of Pennsylvania.
• The study surveyed thousands of subjects who are current or past participants in the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program who were asked to answer a variety of questions based on their first-hand experience.
• Results showed over 99% of patients surveyed said they were able to reduce their symptoms with medical cannabis.
• The group shifts to talking about how patients get started in the program and how they need to overcome fears to find a better quality of life.
• Melonie draws on her own experiences signing up for a medical marijuana card and how she found the right dose/strain for her.
• Chris Kohan talks about the whitepaper further and shows passion/pride when discussing the PA medical marijuana program.

Segment 2 -  Mike Flick, Chris Kohan, Melonie Kotchey, Bryan Doner (Via Zoom) and Michael Butler

• Kohan starts by asking Doner about the whitepaper and why they wanted to conduct this patient-centric study.
• Doner is then asked about how patients are having trouble transitioning to medical marijuana. They find several roadblocks along the way with many systemic issues relating to either insurance or the shift from opiates to treat pain.
• Melonie Kotchey clarifies that medical cannabis databases do not sync with government databases like Medicare and they would not know that you have your card unless you tell them.
• Doner discusses education next, saying that the endocannabinoid system is not taught in medical school and that is part of the problem.
• Kohan goes into more detail on the whitepaper, listing some numbers from the study.
• Melonie talks about success stories with cannabis that she personally witnessed.

Segment 3 - Mike Flick, Chris Kohan, Melonie Kotchey and Michael Butler

• Mike Flick brings it back to Melonie to go more in-depth with her personal story applying to be a medical marijuana patient.
• She says she did not get her card until she was in her late 30's because she was afraid of the repercussions, despite all of the chronic pain she was in.
• Melonie shares that her negative experience early on in Arizona was inspiration to start CCC in her home state of Pennsylvania to help others get started.
• The group starts to wind down by talking about how much this medicine has helped people.

Close

• Host Mike Flick summarizes the episode and tosses to the outro, thanking the listeners for joining them.
• "Healing Hearts is presented by The Healing Center, voted 'Pittsburgh's Best Dispensary.' Healing Hearts is recorded at the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University. More information is available at thehealingcenterusa.com."

Credits

Host: Mike Flick, The Healing Center
Guests: Chris Kohan, Co-Founder - The Healing Center; Melonie Kotchey, CEO - Compassionate Certification Centers; Dr. Bryan Doner, Chief Medical Officer - Compassionate Certification Centers; Michael Butler, General Manager - The Healing Center
Executive Producer: Lisa Craig, Marketing Director - The Healing Center
Editor: Nicholas Ruffolo, Center for Media Innovation

Intro Song:
Antidepresseur by Patchworker f.k.a. [friendzoned] | https://soundcloud.com/patchworker
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en_US

Outro Song:
Bittersweet by | e s c p | https://escp-music.bandcamp.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

SHOW OUTLINE

Intro

• Opening Quote: 

"You know on that packaging exactly what you have in that product. Everything. That's the biggest recommendation we give to anyone about anything in your life. You don't put anything in your body that you don't know what you are putting in."

"Just like knowing the ingredients of a recipe."

"Right. I like to make that joke, if the food just said 'meat?' (Laughs)"

• "Welcome to Healing Hearts, a podcast created by The Healing Center, voted 'Pittsburgh's Best Dispensary.'"
• Host Mike Flick introduces the episode and starts the conversation.

Body

Host Mike Flick, The Healing Center Co-Founder Chris Kohan, General Manager Michael Butler and guests Gabe Perlow (PurePenn - McKeesport) and Michael Bogniak (Liberty Wellness/Holistic Industries - New Castle) chat about different products available from local growers in PA.

Segment 1 - Mike Flick, Chris Kohan and Michael Butler

• Mike Flick starts the group in a short discussion about the history of grower/processors in Pennsylvania as they get ready to welcome the first guest of the show.
• They point out that PA has one of the best medical marijuana programs in the country, largely due to the surge in quality grower/processors to keep the shelves full and fresh.
• The Department of Health regulations on showing ingredients on the packaging leads to peace of mind when purchasing.

Segment 2 -  Mike Flick, Chris Kohan, Michael Butler and Gabe Perlow (Via Zoom)

• Mike points out right away to Gabe that PurePenn is in McKeesport, right in The Healing Center's backyard.
• He continues to say that having that local presence was huge in the location selection for PurePenn and he was able to bring Moxie products to the area via partnership.
• Mike shares a cancer treatment success story with cannabis as a supplement to chemotherapy. The patient was given a death sentence and instead went on the make a full recovery.
• He goes into more detail about the products at PurePenn.
• The group shifts the conversations to terpenes (organic flavor/odor compounds) and how the ones used in medical marijuana flavors come straight from he plant itself. I.E. Mangoes.
• Mike and Chris ask Gabe, "If you could be a strain, what strain would you be?"
• Mike then asks Gabe for his message to patients out there listening to the podcast.

Segment 3 - Mike Flick, Chris Kohan, Michael Butler and Mike Bogniak (Via Zoom)

• Mike Flick starts the questions for Bogniak just like Gabe, mentioning Liberty Holistic Farms' local roots in New Castle.
• Flick then asks about Mike's products and what sets them apart from the other grower/processors.
• However, Bogniak mentions that even though there is competition, all of the growers are one Pennsylvania family at the end of the day.
• He also talks about how the medical marijuana success stories keep him going every day.
• Mike asks Bogniak "If a patient was here right now, what is your message to them?"
• The group then asks Bogniak, "If you could be a strain, what strain would you be?"

Close

• Host Mike Flick summarizes the episode and tosses to the outro, thanking the listeners for joining them.
• "Healing Hearts is presented by The Healing Center, voted 'Pittsburgh's Best Dispensary.' Healing Hearts is recorded at the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University. More information is available at thehealingcenterusa.com."

Credits

Host: Mike Flick, The Healing Center
Guests: Chris Kohan, Co-Founder - The Healing Center; Michael Butler, General Manager - The Healing Center; Gabe Perlow, PurePenn; Mike Bogniak, Liberty Holistic Farms
Executive Producer: Lisa Craig, Marketing Director - The Healing Center
Editor: Nicholas Ruffolo, Center for Media Innovation

Intro Song:
Antidepresseur by Patchworker f.k.a. [friendzoned] | https://soundcloud.com/patchworker
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en_US

Outro Song:
Bittersweet by | e s c p | https://escp-music.bandcamp.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

SHOW OUTLINE

Intro

• Opening Quote: 

"Each one of the different products we have on the shelf at the dispensary I look at as a different collection of keys and each of our bodies as a different collection of locks."

"That's a good analogy."

"This collection of keys is going to unlock some in Mike Butler that is not in Chris Kohan and not unlocked in Mike Flick. That's why some things seem to work better for some people than others."

• "Welcome to Healing Hearts, a podcast created by The Healing Center, voted 'Pittsburgh's Best Dispensary.'"
• Host Mike Flick introduces the episode and starts the conversation.

Body

Host Mike Flick, The Healing Center Co-Founder Chris Kohan, General Manager Michael Butler and guests Eric Miller (Vireo Health - Scranton, PA) and Marisa Liuzzi (Ilera Healthcare) chat about different products available from local growers in PA.

Segment 1 - Mike Flick, Chris Kohan and Michael Butler

• Mike Flick starts the discussion with some of the scientific sides of medical cannabis, discussing cannabinoids and terpenes with former traditional pharmacist and current Healing Center pharmacist, Michael Butler.

Segment 2 -  Mike Flick, Chris Kohan, Michael Butler and Eric Miller (Via Zoom)

• Mike talks to Eric about being a Phase One grower/processor and starting from scratch in Pennsylvania.
• Michael Butler gives Eric a shout out for Vireo Health being physician founded as Miller talks about current products.
• The group briefly discusses terpenes and how the ones in medical cannabis are the same as the compound it smells like. I.E. Lemons.
• Eric talks about the multiple refinement processes that Vireo Health uses to infuse terpenes, adding consistency to the product.
• Miller talks about a new product known as soft gels that you can chew to take medical cannabis.
• Mike asks Eric "If a patient was here right now, what is your message to them?"

Segment 3 - Mike Flick, Chris Kohan, Michael Butler and Marisa Liuzzi (Via Zoom)

• Mike Flick introduces Marisa and talks about how in the recent whitepaper by Compassionate Certification Centers it lists Ilera as the brand most liked by patients.
• Liuzzi then talks about her journey to growing in Pennsylvania.
• She mentions an anecdote where their labeler broke and all of the employees had to stay up all night labeling product.
• Liuzzi talks about having an all-indoor grow as the business expands; Mike prompts her to talk about the Ilera products.
• Flick asks Marisa what keeps her going every day.
• Mike asks Liuzzi "If a patient was here right now, what is your message to them?"
• The group then asks her, "If you could be a strain, what strain would you be?"

Close

• Host Mike Flick and the group summarize the past two episodes of grower/processors and tosses to the outro, thanking the listeners for joining them.
• "Healing Hearts is presented by The Healing Center, voted 'Pittsburgh's Best Dispensary.' Healing Hearts is recorded at the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University. More information is available at thehealingcenterusa.com."

Credits

Host: Mike Flick, The Healing Center
Guests: Chris Kohan, Co-Founder - The Healing Center; Michael Butler, General Manager - The Healing Center; Eric Miller, Vireo Health; Marisa Liuzzi, Ilera Healthcare
Executive Producer: Lisa Craig, Marketing Director - The Healing Center
Editor: Nicholas Ruffolo, Center for Media Innovation

Intro Song:
Antidepresseur by Patchworker f.k.a. [friendzoned] | https://soundcloud.com/patchworker
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en_US

Outro Song:
Bittersweet by | e s c p | https://escp-music.bandcamp.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

SHOW OUTLINE

Intro

• Opening Quote: 

"One last thing for you today. We've talked a lot about strains right?"

"Oh! My favorite question!"

"If you could be one of your strains, which one would you be?" 

"Cherry Diesel, because I am a little bit sweet and not always sweet. 

"A little bit sour too! (Laughs)"

• "Welcome to Healing Hearts, a podcast created by The Healing Center, voted 'Pittsburgh's Best Dispensary.'"

Body

• Host Mike Flick introduces the episode and helps us take a trip down memory lane with some of the best moments from the first season of the Healing Hearts Podcast!

Clip 1 - Mike Flick, Jill Zimbicki and Michael Butler (Episode 2)

• The group talks about their "Cannabis Coming Out Stories."

Clip 2 - Mike Flick, Alina Teplitskaya, Jennifer Krasnicki and Michael Butler (Episode 3)

• The group talks about their "Cannabis Coming Out Stories."

Clip 3 - Mike Flick, Chris Kohan and Jay Richards (Episode 1)

• The group answers the question, "If you could be a strain of marijuana, which strain would you be?"

Clip 4 - Mike Flick, Jill Zimbicki and Michael Butler (Episode 2)

• The group answers the question, "If you could be a strain of marijuana, which strain would you be?"

Clip 5 - Mike Flick, Alina Teplitskaya, Jennifer Krasnicki and Michael Butler (Episode 3)

• The group answers the question, "If you could be a strain of marijuana, which strain would you be?"

Clip 6 - Mike Flick, Chris Kohan, Michael Butler and Gabe Perlow (Episode 5)

• The group asks the guest, "If you could be a strain of marijuana, which strain would you be?"

Clip 7 - Mike Flick, Chris Kohan, Michael Butler and Michael Bogniak (Episode 5)

• The group asks the guest, "If you could be a strain of marijuana, which strain would you be?"

Clip 8 - Mike Flick, Chris Kohan, Michael Butler and Marisa Liuzzi (Episode 6)

• The group asks the guest, "If you could be a strain of marijuana, which strain would you be?"

Close

• Host Mike Flick summarizes the season, thanking the listeners for joining them throughout all seven episodes.
• "Healing Hearts is presented by The Healing Center, voted 'Pittsburgh's Best Dispensary.' Healing Hearts is recorded at the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University. More information is available at thehealingcenterusa.com."

Credits

Host: Mike Flick, The Healing Center
Guests: Chris Kohan and Jay Richards, Co-Founders of The Healing Center; Michael Butler, General Manager - The Healing Center; Jill Zimbicki, Alina Teplitskaya and Jennifer Krasnicki, Pharmacists - The Healing Center; Melonie Kotchey, CEO - Compassionate Certification Centers; Gabe Perlow, PurePenn; Mike Bogniak, Liberty Holistic Farms; Marisa Liuzzi, Ilera Healthcare
Executive Producer: Lisa Craig, Marketing Director - The Healing Center
Editor: Nicholas Ruffolo, Center for Media Innovation

Intro Song:
Antidepresseur by Patchworker f.k.a. [friendzoned] | https://soundcloud.com/patchworker
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en_US

Outro Song:
Bittersweet by | e s c p | https://escp-music.bandcamp.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/