Pleasure as Medicine: Self-Love, Cannabis, and Healing in Community with The Weed Auntie aka Solonje Burnett

In this episode of The Unfolding: Presented by The Loveland Foundation Podcast, host Rachel Keener is joined by Solonje Burnett, also known as the “Weed Auntie,” for a conversation on care, grief, and community.Solonje shares how the “auntie” archetype shapes her work, grounded in nonjudgment, guidance, and collective care, and how her experience in the cannabis industry centers education, advocacy, and destigmatization. Together, they challenge individualistic wellness culture and explore what it means for self-care to extend into community care.Rachel and Solonje also reflect on the loss of a parent, speaking to how grief reshapes connection, ritual, and daily life. Solonje shares the practices that support her, journaling, honoring family traditions, and staying connected to both solitude and community, while also making space for pleasure, boundaries, and more sustainable relationships.Throughout the episode, they name the realities Black women continue to navigate and the importance of showing up in tangible ways.Listen in for a thoughtful conversation on grief, care, and building community that holds.More about Solonje Burnett:Specializing in brand development, intersectional community building, pleasure activism and holistic wellbeing, Solonje Burnett is the Weed Auntie and Marketing Director at SASS. Weed Auntie centers cultivating moments of plant infused mindful connection + experience centric education. Here for people, plants and planet, her foray into eco-fashion launched in Spring 2025 with a limited edition, NYC produced hemp jumpsuit encouraging people to wear their weed. She has sat on the Advisory Board of CUNY’s workforce development program, From Cannabis to Culinary as well as the board of Broccoli Magazine’s Floret Coalition, anti-racist cannabis collective. Solonje has been featured in publications like the New York Times, them, Marie Claire, Forbes, High Times, Instyle, PAPER, Refinery29, Girl Boss, Black Enterprise, Atmos, Well+Good and VICE.–The Unfolding: Presented by The Loveland Foundation podcast is an additional resource not only to the public but also to our therapy fund cohort members. The Loveland Foundation therapy fund and resources are only made possible through support from our community. At The Loveland Foundation, we are committed to showing up for communities of color in unique and powerful ways, with a particular focus on Black women and girls. Our resources and initiatives are collaborative and they prioritize opportunity, access, validation, and healing. Since our founding, the Therapy Fund has provided financial support for therapy to over 13,000 Black women, girls, and non-binary individuals across the country.Links:Join The Abundance Collective: https://thelovelandfoundation.org/abundanceSupport the show: https://give.thelovelandfoundation.org/give/436656/#!/donation/checkoutFollow Solonje on Instagram: http://instagram.com/solonjeburnettFollow The Loveland Foundation on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelovelandfoundation/Visit the Loveland Foundation’s website: https://thelovelandfoundation.org/Support the show