Our interview with soccer star and Mendi athlete ambassador Megan Rapinoe

All right. We got Megan Rapinoe here, Mendi Athlete Ambassador and Board Advisor. We have a few questions to ask her. But first, how you doing twin?

Doing great. How are you?

Given that CBD is banned in most leagues, was this a motivating factor for you to join Mendi and disrupt the status quo?

Well, I'm not one to stir the pot…

As an athlete that has gone on this journey with CBD and cannabis and trying to figure out what it is and how it works and obviously what's becoming legal in a lot more states. I live in Washington state and it's legal here. And so I kind of have my own personal journey with it. And I also had a personal journey with prescription drugs, opiates and sleeping pills and all of that kind of stuff. Not that I ever abused it, but just the regularity with which it’s been handed out for athletes who aren’t sleeping well due to jet lag, sore muscles, hurt or whatever. I just absolutely think that CBD as an alternative can help athletes be the best that they can at their craft.

And also just in general, the kind of societal effect in terms of social justice that weed has had on this country is just absurd. And there's so many people sitting in jail for 10 or 20+ years for weed. And that's just stupid. From a social perspective we're long overdue for legalization of cannabis. So I want to kind of validate cannabis and CBD and put my name on it and do it for the right reasons.

Do you still think it's taboo for athletes to team up with cannabis brands or is it becoming more accepted?

I think CBD is becoming much more accepted, but I still think that there's a taboo around cannabis and THC in general. I think it is still kind of like, OK, what does that mean? You're just like getting high every night? Whereas, if you partner with an alcohol brand as an athlete, people aren’t assuming you're getting hammered every night. I think CBD is starting to make a lot of inroads in becoming more socially accepted and just more widely accepted especially among athletes. I think the THC part of cannabis is still a little taboo, but it is starting to turn.

What were some other factors that went into your decision to join Mendi versus joining another cannabis or CBD brand?

Cannabis in general has always been a very politicized issue, especially with the legalization of it. I find it to be really important to be extremely thoughtful and careful about who I’m partnering with. There are a lot of social justice implications, a lot of status quo implications. There's big pharma companies coming in. There's alcohol beverage companies coming in. And there's a lot of people who have been on the front lines, whether they're growers or manufacturers or activists trying to get cannabis legalized who don’t have millions of dollars in capital. They’re kind of just getting usurped. So I like the idea that Mendi is building the brand from the ground up. It's obviously, predominantly female founded and female run, there's a female CEO and a huge focus on athletes. I can tell they’re being very thoughtful and maybe took a bit longer to build the brand. Mendi is just taking every step with intention. In the long term, I think that will pay off and have a greater impact. Ultimately, I wanted to partner with a brand that is showing to be more thoughtful and impactful than the rest, and I can help grow and really be a part of. From the ground up and not just be the face of some conglomerate. Or doing media in the name of some company that is just like scooping up cannabis and CBD brands and don't really have a heart and soul behind it.

What do you want to tell other athletes in your sport or even outside of your sport about CBD and Mendi in particular?

I mean, from the brand perspective, it's just all about taking care of the athlete and being that support system for the athlete on and off the field. I think that in terms of what you're trying to build and really get to the heart of what makes each player better on and off the field, the commitment is just there from the brand, which is really cool. And that's coupled with the commitment to educate people on what cannabis is, what CBD is, how it can be used effectively, how it can be used in your recovery and your training and all of that. And then just from, you know, the plant perspective, educating people on what it is, you know, CBD just by itself, you're not gonna get high. Just debunking some of those cultural myths about it. Basically, Mendi has your back on and off the field and they really are there to support the athlete.

So for athletes out there who maybe aren't using Mendi and choosing to go with another brand, although we think Mendi is the best, what do you recommend they look for before choosing a CBD brand?

It seems like almost in the past if you could party and then still do your training in the morning, then you're a really good athlete. But I think you're seeing athletes playing much longer and extending their careers and, you know, not having their careers come to an end just because of injuries by getting old. We all want to play as long as we can and be able to do what we love. So I think athletes are starting to see some pretty simple ways to extend their careers. If you have a set, methodical plan, there's some pretty simple ways I think you can extend your career.