A LIFE IN A DAY: Liesl Bernard: Executive Search Expert: CEO Kalon Wellness & CannabizTeam

Here, in A LIFE IN A DAY, Liesl Bernard shares with Highly Capitalized, what life’s like for them outside their busy working week.

With over 25 years of global executive search experience, Liesl is the founder and CEO of CannabizTeam, which now focuses exclusively on executive search & recruitment in the cannabis industry after selling its temporary staffing division to Vangst. Liesl also leads Kalon Executive Search and Staffing, a firm specializing in the wellness industry. Previously, Liesl held multiple leadership roles at Robert Half and began her career as a Big 4 CPA. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. For more information, visit www.cannabizteam.com and www.kalonstaffing.com.

What’s your morning routine, and what do you think about in the mornings?

I tend to wake up between 5-6am depending on what I have planned for the dayl. After I have my ritual cup of coffee I meditate for about 30 minutes in order to set my intentions for the day and appreciate all the elements in my life for which I am truly grateful.  

Then I am off to workout. I alternate between a SmartFit Method workout, spin class or weights.  On Saturdays I do a long bike ride to train for my upcoming cycling trip to Spain.  I also play a round of golf at a nearby golf course, at least once a week. 

Liesl in training for an extensive bicycling holiday in Spain

What part of the world do you wake up in the morning, and what is it like where you live?

I live in beautiful Cardiff by the Sea, Encinitas CA – not far from the beach.  I am blessed to live there and just love the Pacific sunsets.

What’s the first thing you do each day, and what do you eat and drink in the morning?

After coffee, meditation and some exercise, I usually make a protein shake. I have a little recipe that works for me: I blend the protein and collagen powder with healthy hemp seeds, AG1, some avocado, functional mushrooms, and then I sweeten it with frozen berries for a delicious start to the day. I also think of my sons in college and it’s a big motivation for me to work to support them.

How do you work and plan your day, what’s your job? 

I am a big planner. I admire that quote from Abraham Lincoln who once said: “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax.’ I plan the night before and prioritize searches that our team is working on, follow up with clients, take business development calls and do team training whenever we can.  I have a call with my teams each morning where we prioritize and plan our goals each day. 

Do you exercise or meditate, and what do you think about when exercising, meditating?

Exercise is a big part of my day and I feel best when I get a workout in before the day starts.  Exercise releases those endorphins which helps boost your mood and provide a positive mindset.  I have always been a competitive athlete and always have a personal athletic goal I am working towards.  At the moment I am training to do a 6 day bike ride in Spain that I plan to do this year.  I also try to play golf once a week – which I love. Golf is a favorite hobby. (I am pictured below with my work colleague and golfing buddy, Clayton Wilkins).

Liesl’s favorite hobby: Golf

Meditation has been a big part of my life for the past 12 years.  I have attended five 7 day silent meditation retreats over the years and have come to realize that meditation is probably the most important thing I can do for my happiness and success each day. I am part of a mediation group that meets monthly to practice and discuss mindfulness which I really enjoy. 

What do you wear these days? 

I love clothes and fashion, but these days I gravitate towards tailored jeans and a great t-shirt and perhaps a fitted leather jacket as my go-to day wear.  The cannabis/wellness industries are quite casual so I can usually get away with a modern casual look.  I certainly don’t miss wearing suits every day, like I used to do working for KPMG or Robert Half most of my career. 

What’s for lunch and describe the rest of your day like up to dinner time? 

I live a pretty simple and intentional life. My workday starts with connecting with my assistant at 8.30am to get my calendar for the day and talk about priorities.  At 9am I hold a company call with all my amazing team of recruiting managers and we discuss our top recruitment searches, business development initiatives and placements we expect offers from for the day.  I usually have about 25-30 calls scheduled with clients each day. 

Depending on the day – I usually have 25-30 calls with executives scheduled to discuss their talent needs. I often do lunch meetings with local clients.   I also connect with my Recruiting Managers for training once a week to continually improve the skill sets and abilities.  We have an end of day meeting to review results around 3pm PST each day to accommodate my east coast team.   

I intentionally stop a few times a day to be mindful, remind myself of the bigger vision and to appreciate the amazing life I get to live.  It really helps me to put things in perspective and not sweat the small stuff! 

What are some thoughts you might have about your cannabis job–compared to previous jobs?

I love what we do and am super grateful that we make such a positive impact on so many companies’ success by helping them find great talent. Helping someone get a great job that they are super passionate about is the best feeling ever and it never gets old!  

There’s definitely an art and a science to what we do and I know we are exceptional at it.  Any recruiter can match a resume to a job description,  but what sets us apart is finding talent that matches the culture of each client we work with.  That is the art of what we do and that comes with years of experience. 

 I love working in the wellness industries and I believe health is wealth. I feel cannabis is a strong sub-category in the wellness space and  I try to incorporate many of the products and principles in my daily life.   From meditating, to taking natural supplements, using cannabis to enhance my meditations /sleep and exercising and playing daily.  

I’m very intentional about making time to play which I feel is very important for creativity, a mindset and not taking things too seriously.  I love to play golf, tennis, ride bikes, paddle board, wordle, swim in the ocean, kayak and hike – and I try to incorporate these activities in my week as often as I can. 

I’m excited too that the cannabis industry is globalizing.  Having lived in four countries including Australia, South Africa, Singapore, Hawaii and Alaska, I am excited about working with more companies globally.  I traveled to Thailand this past year and we made our first placements there. We have also made placements in Switzerland, Germany and Puerto Rico. I plan to do more work abroad in the next few years as the global wellness industry continues to flourish. 

What’s your evening routine like after work? What’s your commute like? 

Most days I go to the beach at sunset to meditate and to put my feet in the sand and water with our dogs. It feeds my soul to connect with nature and I look for moments to do that often.  Dinner is usually meat or fish with vegetables and chocolate for dessert.  I am not a tv watcher, so I love getting in bed early with a cup of tea, the fireplace  on and reading a great book or journaling.

When do you consume–during the day or at night?  I love having an edible at the end of the day before I head to the beach to go for a long walk and meditate.  I find that cannabis helps me to get into alpha brainwave states faster – so it has been helpful for my meditation practice.  I also take a Papa and Barclay cannabis tincture to sleep.  

What’s your bedtime routine, and what are your thoughts as you drift off to sleep? 

I live a simple life and am not a tv watcher, so I love getting in bed early with a cup of tea, the fireplace on and reading a great book or journaling after I review my plan for the next day.  Before I drift off to sleep I intentionally think about the many things I appreciate in my life, some of which include: my two amazing sons, the beautiful place I live in, our cute dogs, my amazing team, places I look forward to travel to and the many companies and people we get to help by finding great talent and jobs.

Copyright © 2024 HCN. The Editorial team thank Liesl Bernard for her Life in a Day. You can reach Lisel via LinkedIn here and through her company email address which is [email protected]