We’re looking forward to introducing you to Connor Western. Check out our conversation below.
Connor , we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: When was the last time you felt true joy?
The last time I felt true joy was this morning. I was on a long run in the wet heat of Miami when I waved at a man setting up a guard net on a basketball rim. We locked eyes in an authentic way, having never seen one another…we smiled together and then we waved. I continued on my way but it filled me up.
Strangers fill me up everyday in the most simple and profound ways.
During this period of my life, I am able to see true joy in most natural things.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Marion Brooks, and I walk with hemp as both teacher and ally.
My mission is to take part, however small, in restoring balance to the earth’s living systems.
Through cultivating hemp flower for everyday smoking, I offer an alternative – one cigarette at a time – for those seeking to shift away from tobacco and nicotine. My mission is not only to support the earth’s healing, but to help people transform their relationship with smoking and find freedom from addiction.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
What breaks the bonds between people is fear.
Fear of being seen, fear of vulnerability, fear that someone else’s truth will expose our own.
Fear of loss, pain or torture.
We lose each other in judgment, in ego, in the distractions that keep us curating instead of connecting.
What restores those bonds could be ones beautiful expressions of honesty.
To be honest is to be brave.
It is brave to be together without pretense, it is brave to share something as simple as a cigarette and let the silence speak.
Bonds are restored when we remember we’re not here to perform for each other, but to witness each other- fully, without conditions. I find that being a human is one of the most psychedelic adventures – the only thing more fascinating than being alive – is to witness life with others – to understand and to be understood.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes. The closest I ever came to giving up was at the end of 2024, after a traumatic experience that broke me in ways I didn’t know were possible.
I felt incapable of continuing, and for the first time, I truly walked away.
I vacated my home, moved to Mexico, and tried to imagine a life where I no longer carried the weight of my former identity.
The time and space lended to my soul in many ways, as they say it does.
Even in my most broken state, I couldn’t forget my path and I was lucky enough to have one person offer me a tether back to my previous reality.
One person can change your whole life.
When I came back to the United States, my path became clear.
Out of the fog of recovery I was shown a way through.
The hemp plant guided me to Virginia and I introduced myself to my manufacturers.
They have been the key to this magic door – the owner of the company and I don’t even know how we found each other… truly something out of the blue.
I will never forget that time in Mexico… it was the moment I almost gave it all up, but it was also where I began to reclaim myself and remember why I started.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
Smart people get it wrong when they assume logic alone is what drives change.
Addiction, culture, desire – these aren’t rational forces, they’re emotional and ritualistic.
The smartest minds in tobacco and cannabis think they’re selling products, when really they’re selling identity and belonging.
What they miss is that people don’t want to be lectured into quitting, they want to feel good about what they’re choosing.
They want beauty, ritual, rebellion, community. That’s where the real shift happens- not in telling people what not to do, but in giving them something better to reach for.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What will you regret not doing?
I only have one regret and he knows who he is.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.fullmoonsclub.com
- Instagram: @fullmoonsclub
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marion-brooks-692347255/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FullMoonsClub
- Other: https://www.amazon.com/Full-Moons-Premium-Herbal-Cigarettes/dp/B0DPGKSVKX
Image Credits
Peter Baratti Fotografia
