A LIFE IN A DAY: Guy Rocourt: CEO of GR Consulting and Papa & Barkley

In this edition of A LIFE IN A DAY, we catch up with Guy Rocourt, a pioneering force in the cannabis industry with more than 25 years of experience.

Guy Rocourt is the Co-Founder and former Chief Product Officer of Papa & Barkley, where he revolutionized cannabis wellness products and championed clean manufacturing practices. Now, as the Founder of Guy Rocourt Consulting, he continues to shape the industry, providing expertise in formulation, cultivation, and strategic consulting for emerging cannabis brands.

Living in Humboldt County, California—a historic epicenter for cannabis cultivation—Guy balances his deep-rooted commitment to the industry with a passion for craftsmanship and innovation. Join us as he shares his daily life, offering insights into his personal routines, reflections on the evolving cannabis landscape, and his unwavering dedication to advocating for whole-plant, chemical-free cannabis products.

A Life in A Day with Guy Rocourt

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

GR: Most days, I wake up quite early—around 5:30 AM PST. My routine starts with brushing my teeth, then immediately weighing myself. I’m a big fan of tracking metrics and using logic to build discipline, especially when it comes to diet and fitness, so I use an app to track my progress.

After that, I gather my gym gear and pre-workout. I’m usually still in a bit of a haze and not thinking much. One of the things I love is how my wife of 20 years and I have grown even closer through our shared routines. While we hardly speak for the first 30 to 40 minutes, we are getting ready for the gym together. Our conversations usually don’t start until we are parked at the gym. During those last few minutes before heading in, we’re typically on our phones, checking calendars, skimming emails, and scrolling through the political news of the day.

Once we finish our 90-minute workout, we are pressed for time to get back home. My wife handles taking our youngest daughter to school (she’s in her junior year of high school), while I feed and take care of our four-year-old, 100-pound black lab. I take him on a 1.5-mile walk, which gives me time to clear my head. Although I’m not actively on my phone, I start thinking about my calendar and strategizing how to be most effective for the day.

By the time I return from the walk, it’s time for a much-needed cup of coffee, usually with some eggs and toast. After breakfast, I head to my office, where I try to fit in a 30-minute Dr. Joe Dispenza meditation session. After that, I’m ready to take on the day.

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

GR: I am blessed to live in Humboldt County, in a small town called Arcata. I’ve been here for the last four years, and it’s the first time I’ve lived in such a rural environment. Originally, I’m from New York City, and I moved to Los Angeles when I first came to California in the mid-90s.

Humboldt is a beautiful place. I live close to the coast and experience the unique Pacific Northwest weather, which often feels like being out at sea. One minute it can be sunny, and the next, it’s hailing. The area is truly amazing with its varying coastal climates. As you move inland, you encounter different microclimates, which the incredible legacy growers in the region skillfully take advantage of.

Many of us are familiar with the term “OG” in cannabis. In the South, some people think it stands for “Original Gangster,” but here in the North, we know it means “Ocean Grown.”

My family and I live on a suburban 2-acre plot that borders a beautiful community redwood forest. These aren’t the 1,000-year-old trees, but they are still several hundred years old and tower hundreds of feet into the sky. I’ve never felt so blessed, and every time I look out the many windows in our house, I’m reminded of how grateful I am.

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

GR: As I mentioned earlier, the first thing I do after getting out of bed is brush my teeth. After that, I weigh myself and proceed with my workout. When I return, I often grab a cup of coffee, either to take with me while I walk the dog or to enjoy when I get back.

I prefer to eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch because it makes it easier to track my calories and macros. Over the past few years, I’ve really gotten into tracking those details. Every morning, I have two slices of my own homemade bread with four eggs. I’ve also switched my coffee to “protein coffee” by using Fairlife milk, which contains 42 grams of protein, instead of regular milk.

I’ve been trying to cut back on sugar, but I still use about 4 grams of sugar in each of the two cups of coffee I drink. However, I feel okay about it since each cup contains 21 grams of protein.

What publications do you recommend to read in cannabis? 

GR: I don’t regularly subscribe to any particular magazine on a consistent basis, but luckily, having been in the industry for quite some time, I receive just about every blog, newsletter, and article related to it. I have a bit of OCD about having any mail in my inbox. While I know some people have hundreds of unread emails, I try to keep that number at zero.

First thing in the morning, I go through all my emails, skimming the headlines and the latest news. If something catches my eye, that’s when I’ll dive deeper.

Whether it’s Cannabis Business Times, Ganjapreneur, Highly Capitalized, MJ Biz, or any other outlet, I’ll follow up and do my due diligence on the topic if it seems interesting.

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

GR: After finishing breakfast and my morning walk, I typically go through all my emails. I don’t like having a lot of unread emails, but some mornings, the number can be quite overwhelming—though much of it is junk. I go through and sort the emails, identifying which ones need responses and when, and I take notes on the urgency of each. I also use flags to help organize my inbox.

Once I’ve addressed any immediate fires, I check my Google Calendar to see what meetings have been added. I use Calendly, and my team members also manage my schedule, so things can shift without my knowledge. That’s why I check it regularly.

Once I know what meetings are on the agenda, I plan my day around desk work, which usually includes calls, meetings, and initiatives like building my pitch deck, working on the pro forma, or calculating COGS for a consulting client. At least once or twice a week, I like to get into the lab and get my hands dirty—whether it’s creating a new scent profile, flavor profile or something simple like making a candle for the house. I make sure to get in the lab and work with the beakers at least once a week.

When I think of my role, I still see myself as a Chief Product Officer at heart. Cannabis products are always top of mind for me. However, a lot of my work involves consulting, thought leadership, and long hours on Zoom calls, phone calls, and emails. Because of this, it’s important for me to take creative breaks and actually make something tangible.

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

GR: I exercise and meditate regularly. When I’m exercising, I focus on being the best version of myself to keep me motivated. I use every mirror in the gym, constantly checking myself out.

My wife and others at the gym—people I see more regularly and consistently than anyone else—often tell me I’m in my own zone, and it’s true. I usually have my headphones on, listening to either classic punk rock from the ’80s and ’90s or some type of folk or black metal. My music tastes are definitely eclectic—loud and powerful—but in my head, I’m focused on strength and bringing intensity to my workouts.

On days when I’m not feeling motivated, I know that just showing up is the first step, and that’s often the foundation I build on to increase my intensity throughout the workout.

Even if I start off slow some days, I always end with great intensity, as each successive set builds my confidence and deepens my gratitude for being strong and healthy.

When it comes to meditation, I have a similar mindset: I focus on being the best version of myself. Fortunately, I’ve had the chance to receive meditation training through Dr. Joe Dispenza’s retreats. While I wouldn’t advise anyone on how they should meditate or approach their spiritual journey, I definitely recommend people check out Dr. Joe’s methods, which I refer to as “communing within.”

Through meditation, I’ve come to realize that everything leads to a state of change, or as I like to call it, the “delta of change,” which ultimately points to joy. Joy is something we’re constantly striving for in life, and when I meditate, I focus on cultivating an abundance of it. I reach out to the universe, inviting it to bring joy in whatever form it sees fit.

What do you wear these days? 

GR: Interestingly enough, I think I still wear the same style of clothes I wore back in high school. That said, I should mention that I’m a bit of a clothes horse—I have a larger closet than my wife, and it even spills over into a spare bedroom. I love getting dressed up and having the right outfit for the right occasion.

On a typical day, I start with my gym outfit. Lately, I’ve been exclusively wearing “super suits” from a company called Super X Apparel. I highly recommend checking them out. It’s also a bit of a hint that I’m into cosplay, as the super suits are modeled after superhero characters.

When I return home, I switch to my dog-walking outfit since I take my dog for walks in the redwood forest. It can get a little dirty, and I’m reluctant to wear my super suits out there. I have some awesome hiking outfits that include utility kilts, and most recently, an “overkilt” from a company called Damn Near Kilt ‘Em. I highly recommend them as well. I also wear the same trusty hiking boots every day, which are always right outside my front door.

Speaking of my super suits, I should mention I have a collection of sneakers that match most of them.

Now, I know I said I wear the same style as I did in high school. So, once the bulk of the day begins, I usually change into my everyday outfit: jeans, a T-shirt (either with my current company’s logo, a friend’s logo, or a metal band), and of course, Dr. Martens.  I’ve been wearing Dr. Martens, jeans, and T-shirts since high school—it’s just how I think of myself.

However, as you can tell, by 10 AM on any given day, I’ve already gone through three outfits, and who knows what the evening will bring!

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

GR: For lunch, I typically have a meal prep that’s protein-focused. This often includes ground chicken, ground bison, salmon, or tuna, paired with roasted vegetables, sometimes rice, steamed broccoli, and occasionally a slice of bread. Recently, I’ve also been making my own power protein meat buns, using my own bread dough recipe. These meat pockets are designed to meet my protein and carbohydrate goals.

After lunch, I might have a small snack, like an apple, to hold me over until dinner. By this time, I still have a lot of work to do, but I’m already thinking about how the day will end and how much I can realistically accomplish.

I’m often responsible for picking up my daughter, although lately, since the weather has been nice, she’s been walking home from school, usually around 4:00 PM. After coming back home, a couple of days a week, I take her to practice—she’s on her high school’s skeet and trap shooting team.

Around 4:30 or 5:00 PM, I feed the dog and take him on our second 1.5-mile walk through the forest. On some days, at least once or twice a week, I also squeeze in a steady-state cardio workout, typically between 5:00 and 6:00 PM. Sometimes, I’ll go to the Humboldt State University track and run a mile, followed by 100-yard sprints, or I’ll hop on the Peloton for a 30-minute ride.

At some point during the afternoon, while I’m out with my daughter or exercising, my wife will usually communicate with me about the necessary components for whatever we’re having for dinner. We discuss and vary our dinner plans each evening—dinner is not something we preset in our house, and it’s often a topic of conversation throughout the day.

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

GR: I’ve been blessed to be in the cannabis industry for 25 years, and at this point, it’s so much more than just a job. I first started cultivating in the early 2000s while still working in the entertainment industry. I had an office on the Paramount lot and was attending all the fun Hollywood  events at the time. Back then, California’s Prop 215 program was just starting to gain traction, and I was getting my first cultivation projects going.

When my entertainment contract was up for renewal, I thought, “Cannabis will be legal any day now. I really should focus on switching into that industry.” That was in 1999. By 2000, I had made the decision that cannabis was going to be my focus. As I like to say, two lights became four, and before long, we were expanding rapidly, providing safe access at scale.

Since leaving Paramount Pictures in 2000, cannabis has always provided for me. In that regard, I’ve been my own boss for over 20 years, and it’s difficult to compare this to my previous job in the entertainment industry. Cannabis has allowed me to be an independent grower for decades. My first compliant company saw me take on the role of Chief Product Officer, commuting from Los Angeles to Colorado, using VC money, flying first class—truly experiencing the entrepreneurial lifestyle.

When I met my partners at Papa & Barkley, we raised millions and built an amazing company. I realized that I had a passion for building teams to execute a vision. Now, as I manage my consulting practice and work on the plan for my next exciting cannabis brand, I realize this is so much more than just a job—it’s my life.

To say that I live and breathe cannabis is an understatement. Every aspect of cannabis, from seed to sale, deeply interests me. Over the years, I’ve created not just a job or career for myself but a persona and a lifestyle. I’m truly blessed to be riding the cresting wave of cannabis legalization and reform.

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

GR: While I have some skills in the kitchen and I’m ready to assist when asked—especially when it comes to managing the grill—my wife cooks most of our dinners, and she’s an amazing cook. We usually eat dinner as a family,  though I’m a little ashamed to admit that we often watch TV while we eat. It’s usually some sort of procedural crime drama, like Elementary, Dexter, or more recently, Matlock—something where they catch the bad guy in the end.

After dinner, some days we continue watching TV, and other days I game. I enjoy playing video games, though I don’t have as much time for them as I used to. I’m drawn to large, open-world games, though they can be a bit of a trap, causing me to unknowingly lose track of time and routine.

Occasionally, my wife will call a family meeting to discuss upcoming travel plans or family matters. As for commuting, I don’t have a typical commute anymore. Since the pandemic, I’ve established an amazing home office and even a small home lab in addition to the compliance spaces I maintain in town.

Sometimes, I need to go into Eureka, which is about a 12-minute drive from my home, but for the most part, commuting doesn’t factor much into my day—unless I’m traveling, which I do quite a bit.

When do you consume–during the day or at night? 

GR: As I’ve gotten older, my cannabis use has become much more ritualistic. When I’m not on the road and following my typical daily routine, the first time I consume cannabis is during my second dog walk of the day. This provides a profound experience that I can only describe as a walking meditation. I usually roll a fresh 2-gram joint that’s approximately half an inch in diameter and 2.5 inches in length. In fact, it’s exactly that size because I like to be consistent—my experience in creating SOPs has led me to apply them to certain aspects of my life, especially when it comes to rolling my evening joint.

Some days, if I remember that I didn’t finish a joint from the previous day, I might get a little lazy and just smoke whatever is left. However, I usually finish my cannabis cigarillo during the walk or later in the evening when I step outside, so there’s rarely any leftover. It’s interesting how I never forget about it—I’m still quite aware of the value of cannabis.

At night, I occasionally have some cannabis chocolate or a gummy if it’s around, but it’s not something I actively seek out. While relaxing on the couch, either gaming or watching TV, I use either the Puffco Peak,  Puffco Proxy, or my  Ispire device, as my family allows me to use those low-temperature vaporization devices in the house—as long as I don’t call it “dabbing.” After all, I’m an adult engaging in some “aromatherapy” (laughs).

When I decided to stop drinking daily, I converted my beer fridge into a hash rosin fridge and a club soda fridge. Now, in the evenings, I find myself sampling all kinds of amazing cannabis essential oils and drinking loads of club soda. I also take CBD capsules before bed.

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

GR: My wife and I typically start feeling sleepy by 9:30 PM, which still astonishes us since it’s such a huge departure from our old LA lifestyle. However, it often brings a smile of gratitude to our faces. We’re usually in bed well before 10:30 PM. Around 10:00 PM, I like to reset the coffee maker, lay out my super suit for the gym, and get my pre-workout and other essentials ready so that everything is set for the morning, allowing me not to think about it.

After washing up before bed, I usually wind down with a late-night program for about 10 to 15 minutes on my phone or iPad. It’s usually something like The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Late Night with Seth Meyers, or Jimmy Kimmel Live! My wife and I typically drift off to sleep with the same thoughts—either appreciating the cool breeze flowing through the window, which we keep wide open regardless of the time of year, or wondering when the cool breeze will start flowing in.

That’s usually the last thing on my mind before she wakes me up early the next morning to head to the gym.

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Guy will be moderating the panel “What’s on Your Shelf & Is it Safe for Consumers?” on Tuesday, November 5, from 11:00 AM – 11:40 AM in the Grand Ballroom ABC.

He’ll be joined by a panel of industry experts to discuss the pressing concerns of product safety and consumer trust in today’s market. Join Guy for this vital conversation on protecting consumers and raising industry standards.

Highly Capitalized Network will be on-site as a proud media partner of MJ Unpacked, capturing the latest industry developments and connecting with leaders across cannabis and psychedelics. To learn more or to register, visit mjunpacked.com.

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Highly Capitalized Network © 2024 All Rights Reserved. Highly Capitalized thanks Guy Rocourt for sharing his LIFE IN A DAY. Stay tuned to Highly Capitalized for more people, news, and perspectives in the cannabis and psychedelics industries.

Join the Cannabis Clean Label Movement! Are you passionate about transparency, quality, and accountability in the cannabis industry? If so, we invite you to join Guy‘s new LinkedIn group, Cannabis Clean Label Movement, dedicated to fostering discussions on clean label cannabis, whole plant medicine, and building a better, more transparent future for cannabis. Moderated by Guy Rocourt, connect with like-minded professionals, share your insights, and stay at the forefront of cannabis!