Meet The Founder of YANA

Ariana Fleishman, also known as “Ari Tokes” in the cannabis industry, is a dynamic force in Tech Startups and in the East Coast Cannabis industry. Ari was born, raised, and educated throughout the DC Metropolitan area. Her educational background is as diverse as her professional journey, holding a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Maryland with a focus on Human Computer Interaction (HCI). She then went on to receive a Master’s in Technology Management from Georgetown University. During graduate school, she worked full time as a Managing Director of an Intellectual Property Consulting Firm. Ariana's expertise spans over 10 years in start up culture environments and in Private Equity.

During COVID, Ariana came to a breaking point due to a decline in her mental health and her self fulfillment not being met. She realized she had hit a “glass ceiling” and quit her job to focus on a purpose driven career path. She knew her story was not unique and wanted to connect with people that felt the same.

After taking time off to cultivate her mind and body, YANA came to fruition as her soul purpose. YANA stands for “You Are Not Alone”, it is also the nickname her mother has called her since birth. YANA’s mission is to connect communities through plant medicine alternatives for social and mental wellness.

YANA Wellness Center is now opened as a medical cannabis dispensary that also offers mental health services and social wellness community events. While opening the physical retail location, she spent 2 years on research and development of the YANA Wellness Product line that is available in retailers across the nation and through their e-commerce platform. She develop these products to reduce her own pharmaceutical dependency on Adderall during the workday and to stop using addictive drugs, like alcohol, to socialize at night. Ariana knew she was not alone in this journey of holistic healing. YANA became her sole purpose. Read her full interview in CannabisNow Magazine.

Continue to follower her journey on social media and on her new podcast, The YANAcast. Join the YANA family at their upcoming events in the DMV area here!