Lifestyle

Ayurcann Holdings Is Leading in The Canadian Cannabis Industry By Creating New Ventures

Published

4 years ago

October 6, 2021

A Toronto-based company is making their mark in the Canadian cannabis sector by creating a niche in the booming market.

Ayurcann Holdings Corp has a unique business model that provides post-harvest solutions for licensed producers. Their B2B processing facility located in the GTA offers many services for Canadian licensed cannabis producers. These services include extraction, white label manufacturing and refining cannabis into oil.

Ayurcann has created an exclusive Marketplace where they sell oil-infused products, which include vape products, topicals and tinctures (herbal extracts) thereby giving licensed producers an opportunity to sell their product.

The company was founded by Igal Sudman and Roman Buzaker in 2018 who was granted his license in 2020. His company went public earlier this year and now can be found on the stock market (AYUR).

“As an entrepreneur to recognize opportunities is paramount to success, being able to run a profitable and successful growing company in the cannabis space has not been done until Ayurcann,” Sudman said.

With Sudman’s 20 years of experience in founding and developing businesses featured on Canadian Profit 50 and knows what it means to be a visionary.

We had a chance to speak with Sudman and discuss what differentiates Ayurcann from other companies and his new ventures within the Ayurcann Marketplace.

Can you tell us what differentiates your company from other cannabis companies?

“We are focused on value and growth. We understand that running a successful company is being focused on the bottom line and being responsible to create and sell products that the consumers demand, our ability to run a profitable and growing company has not been done in the cannabis space in Canada.”

What is the Ayurcann Marketplace and how can the public access the marketplace?

“The marketplace is a patient only portal where medical patients with prescriptions can learn more about the cannabis products available, interact directly with our patient support staff and select value life enhancing cannabis products. It is available online now. Ayurcann takes its responsibility very seriously when it comes to patients, their security, privacy, and requirements. To use the marketplace, a potential patient needs to register by filling out the Patient Registration Form and be able to provide their medical documents. An Ayurcann Marketplace patient support staff then verifies and confirms the provided information with the health practitioner that prescribes the use of cannabis and if confirmed, approves the use and purchase ability of the patient. “

Can you go into detail about Ayurcann Marketplace and how it helps potential licensed producers?

“The ability to offer a variety of products directly to patients, create your own marketing and set your own prices helps other Licensed producers to move products quickly and more profitability then dealing with only one monopolized system in the recreational space.”

How is the marketplace bettering patients who are using medical marijuana?

“The marketplace is a patient only portal where medical patients with prescriptions can be educated and learn more about the various cannabis products available, interact directly with our patient support staff and select enhancing cannabis products. It is available online now. It helps concentrate the offerings from a variety of producers throughout the country, providing selection and better value to patients, like an Amazon model.”

What are some opportunities or gaps you saw when it comes to providing patients who need to use medical marijuana for medicinal purposes?

“Current structure of patient uses, and purchase patterns works where the patients deal with one Licensed producer and their offerings only, an Amazon model like Ayurcann marketplace enables for a more competitive and wider selection for the patients and enhances their ability to be more selective and save money on their cannabis consumption.”

Can you go into details what are the six new products from Fuego and your new Xplor brand?

“We make recreational and medical based products that bring a wide variety of brands into the Canadian marketplace, The Fuego brand specializes in a high potency recreational use vape products and the Xplor brand is focused on the oil-based tincture products for medical use.”

Can you tell us what’s the Xplor brand and the concept behind this new brand?

“We felt that having a medical based product and brand will distinguish us from the current market offerings. The Xplor is intended to provide a variety of products with THC and CBD in high potency dosage for medical patients.”

Lifestyle

When Seasons Shift: Dr. Leeshe Grimes on Grief, Loneliness, and Finding Light Again

Published

3 days ago

February 22, 2026

Michelle Langton

Some emotional storms arrive without warning. A sudden change in weather, a holiday approaching, or even a bright sunny day can stir feelings that don’t match the world outside. For many people, the hardest seasons are not defined by temperature; they are defined by what’s happening inside, where grief and loneliness often move quietly.

This is the emotional terrain where Dr. Leeshe Grimes has spent her career doing some of her most meaningful work. As a psychotherapist, registered play therapist, retired U.S. Army combat veteran, and founder of Elevated Minds in the DMV area, she understands how deeply seasonal shifts and unresolved grief can affect people. Her upcoming books explore this very space, guiding readers through the emotional weight that can appear during different times of the year.

What sets Dr. Grimes apart is her ability to see clearly what many people overlook. Seasonal depression, for example, is usually tied to winter months. But she often sees it appear during warm, bright seasons, the times when the world seems happiest. For someone already grieving or feeling disconnected, watching others travel, celebrate, or gather can create its own kind of heaviness. Sunshine doesn’t always lift the mood; sometimes it highlights what feels missing.

The same misunderstanding surrounds grief. Society often treats it as a short-term experience with predictable phases and a clean ending. But in her practice, Dr. Grimes sees how grief keeps evolving. It doesn’t disappear on a timeline. It weaves itself into routines, memories, and milestones. People learn to carry it differently, but they rarely leave it behind completely. And that’s not failure, it’s human.

Her approach to mental health centers on truth rather than pressure. She encourages clients to acknowledge the emotions they try to hide: sadness that lingers longer than expected, moments of joy that feel out of place, and the waves of loneliness that return even when life seems stable. Instead of pushing for quick recovery, she focuses on helping people understand how emotions shift and how to care for themselves through those changes.

Much of her insight comes from her military years, where she witnessed the emotional toll of loss, transition, and constant survival. She saw how people continued functioning while carrying pain that had nowhere to go. That experience shaped her belief that healing requires space, space to feel, to speak, and to move through emotions without judgment.

In her clinical work today at Elevated Minds, she encourages people to build small, steady habits that anchor them during difficult seasons. Journaling helps them recognize patterns and name what feels heavy. Community support breaks the cycle of isolation. Therapy creates a place where emotions don’t have to be minimized or explained away. And intentional routines, daily sunlight, mindful breaks, and calm evenings help rebuild emotional balance.

Her upcoming books expand on these ideas, offering practical guidance for navigating both grief and seasonal depression. She focuses on helping readers understand that healing is not about escaping pain. It’s about learning how to live with it in a healthier way, honoring memories, acknowledging loneliness, and still allowing room for moments of light.

What makes Dr. Leeshe Grimes a compelling voice in mental health is her ability to bring language to experiences that many struggle to explain. She reminds people that emotional seasons don’t always match the weather and that there is no single path through grief. But within those shifts, she believes there is always a way forward.

The seasons will continue to change. And with the right tools, compassion, and support, people can change with them, finding steadiness, softness, and light again, one step at a time.