Retired NFL Green Bay Packers Legend and Super Bowl Champion Gilbert Brown has teamed up with BSN, RN and Founder of Trusted Canna Nurse Megan Mbengue to tackle the whole plant with Thrive and Thrive xL.
Brown made a name for himself early in his career by dominating the field at the University of Kansas. While attending Kansas, he forged an identity for the university, changing the program with his ethos and mantra. Continuing his reign of success, Gilbert was drafted into the National Football League (NFL) by the Green Bay Packers playing 15+ seasons with accolades that include; playing 125 games, recording 103 starts and 292 tackles, playing in 15 Packer Playoff Games and winning Super Bowl XXXI.
Today, Brown and Mbengue are focused on creating sustainable change for individuals and athletes across North America through health, wellness and Thrive.
Shifting the narrative, Gilbert Brown and Megan Mbengue joined Jay Morzaria of Sports Cannabis to take a deep dive into cannabis, athletics and Thrive;
Gilbert Brown
I’m a University of Kansas Hall of Famer, a Green Bay Packer Hall of Famer and a former Super Bowl Champion. If you played as an offensive lineman you didn’t like me. When I was younger I didn’t start playing football until I got into high school and after researching the sport I fell in love with it. The game has been good to me, and I try to be good to the game.
Megan Mbengue
I’m a registered nurse with 11 years of experience and used to work bedside. I’m a few weeks away from completing a graduate master’s degree in medical cannabis therapeutics. Today, I’ve shifted focus and run a company teaching individuals how to use cannabis and CBD medicine. I’ve formulated a line of high-quality hemp products that are offered to individuals nationwide. Unfortunately, I’ve seen Western medicine fail in multiple ways for patients and after seeing plant medicine succeeding with chronic illnesses and symptoms I decided to dive in.
Jay Morzaria
Gilbert, in football the best ability is availability. Speaking to past retired NFL athletes, they often allude to the saying “You can play injured, but you can’t play hurt”. Can you give us a sense of what the wellness atmosphere was like during your playing days?
Gilbert Brown
Today, the game has completely changed. When you look at it today, the way a team addresses concussions is entirely different. When I played, it was take two plays off and then get back out there. It didn’t matter if you got a stinger, it was “Get back out there”.
Jay Morzaria
Looking back on those experiences, when were you ultimately introduced to cannabis for recovery, relief and healing and what was your ah-ha moment?
Gilbert Brown
I’ve never really touched cannabis or even smoked weed. If my mom ever found out I was smoking weed, she would have killed me. I never did anything with it until I met Megan. Fortunately, I met her on a podcast that we were doing and we stumbled onto the subject of pain, brain fog and inflammation. As a retired athlete, you are trying to find ways to do certain things where don’t limit or or mess up your life. Unfortunately, I was a big fan of Motrin I take Motrin for almost everything. However, studies show long periods of Motrin use is detrimental to your body, which is why I was always trying to find an alternative clean modality. Because I wasn’t aware and didn’t have the education, Cannabis, Weed, CBD -it scared me. After meeting Megan, receiving her guidance and getting a better understanding of the science behind the plant, I gave it a shot. Learning about the different compounds and effects it can have from Megan pushed me to try it and ultimately opened up my eyes to this plant.
Megan Mbengue
I don’t have the hero’s story that often a lot of people have. My story isn’t one of personal struggle, but rather, a professional journey that unfolded bedside as a hospice nurse. The turning point emerged when a patient under my care was having intractable seizures, despite being prescribed a regimen comprised of five to six different seizure medications.
After seeing the headlines alluding to CBD’s potential, I found myself at a crossroads. Unfortunately I was unfamiliar with the plant and the effects it could have. However after delving into the education and science behind the plant and the nature of the situation I decided to venture into the uncharted territory of CBD.
The initial effects of CBD proved transformative. We saw immediate relief for the patient, alleviating her discomfort. Through this journey, we also uncovered a deficiency in the medical landscape – a scarcity of professionals well-versed in both the medical and cannabis spheres, especially within the local context. Faced with this dilemma and as a seasoned medical professional, I felt compelled to fill the gap. Today, I’m proud to say that I’ve become a local resource for those, especially seniors, seeking guidance in navigating the realms of cannabis and CBD. Reflecting back, it was that moment that ignited my unique journey to understand the plant and provide it as a natural healing modality for the individuals I work with.
Jay Morzara
Gilbert, despite retiring, you’ve played a lifetime of football and the decades of training and playing at an elite level still impact your body. How does cannabis help you today?
Gilbert Brown
I would have to say that it helps with the inflammation that I have. I have a lot of inflammation in my knees and my ankles. Especially when I’m on trips, driving or anything like that. I think that’s one of the main things and I believe that it’s also helping with my brain fog that I’ve dealt with. There are certain things that I usually forget or where a specific place is located and CBD really helps with those areas. The other thing I’ve noticed is that CBD isn’t just for us athletes, it’s also can be a great tool for anyone, for example, my mother who suffers from carpal tunnel and a variety of other ailments. It’s become an integral part of the healing process for her as well.
I’ve never indulged in any drugs or partnered them in for significant issues. For me to take this leap of faith into CBD, I have to really believe in it. Thanks to Megan, the education she’s shared with me and helping me understand the science behind the plant, I can actually advocate for the CBD products we’ve crafted together. I’m never going to be that guy that puts his name on a product just to collect a cheque, I have to believe in it and be able to stand behind it. Unfortunately, there are a lot of fake products on the market and I’m ready to lead the charge off the field with Megan and Trusted Canna Nurse.
Jay Morzaria
Together, Gilbert you and Megan have partnered to create Thrive and Thrive xL. Talk to us about the new products.
Megan Mbengue
When we say the whole plant, despite what many may think we are not using the entire plant which includes; leaves, stems and stalks. Instead, we are focused on extracting the oil in a way that maintains as many of the bioactive chemicals from the plant as possible. This process allows us to produce a much more effective product which maintains the crucial terpenes, flavonoids and cannabinoids that are integral to combatting ailments. Through the whole plant process, Thrive can target post-head injuries or strokes, full body therapy, intensive therapy, athletic recovery, brain fog, gut health, joint swelling and chronic pain and has allowed us to create a reliable healing tool for any individual, athlete or medical professional to leverage into their wellness approach.
Gilbert Brown
After learning about the whole plant approach from Megan and the science behind it, I became a believer. We are focused on crafting a great product that can help anyone. That’s the bottom line. We’re not worried about the gas station products that are on shelves today or other backed brands. We’re changing the approach and creating a new lane for healing. We’re not saying it’s a wonder drug, but we are saying that it will work, it takes time, but it works and it has for me.
Jay Morzaria
What is the mission behind Thrive, Thrive xL and what can consumers expect?
Megan Mbengue
Our mission is to help people and bring them a quality product from a trusted reliable source. When I started this business, it was supposed to only be about education and product recommendations. Unfortunately, there just aren’t many on the market and I was finding it to be a difficult process. That’s when I decided to cultivate the Trusted Canna Nurse line so that I could provide education and help individuals on their wellness journey. Thrive and Thrive xL are created for athletes as well as patients who suffer from migraines, post-concussive symptoms, GI issues, Crohn’s Disease, brain fog, joint issues and chronic pain. Because Thrive is a whole plant full-spectrum product, it’s not going to taste like candy. It’s gonna taste like a raw plant which has an earthy and hempy taste. It’s meant to be a medicine, featuring the whole plant and all the goodness it offers for healing, recovery and relief.
Jay Morzaria
Looking ahead, the landscape is filled with barriers to be broken. As we venture forward, how can we collectively change the narrative and break the stigma?
Gilbert Brown
There are going to be skeptics out there. It’s about doing your homework, learning about the plant, getting the education and science in front of you. Everyone is scared about what they don’t know. The way forward is using our platforms to share that knowledge, create reliable products and help others heal. Together we can change the world, but we need to collectively take that step forward and advocate for the plant and all the wonderful things it has to offer. I never used Cannabis in my life, but after I met Megan, my life changed and now we have Thrive and Thrive xL because of it.
Megan Mbengue
Our mantra is about breaking the stigma through education. That’s why I use my platform to teach people about the endocannabinoid system and how we can use cannabis to target symptoms and diseases. It’s going to take baby steps, but I fundamentally believe through education and science we have the power to change the narrative of health and wellness.
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