Are you from Lexington? If not, where?
I am not from Lexington, but I love going to school here! I am from the Northwest suburbs of Chicago, about 30 minutes outside the city.

How did Gatton help prepare you for success?
Gatton served as a tremendous help to me throughout my college experience. The Gatton core curriculum provided me with an excellent foundational understanding of the business industry across a variety of disciplines. More specifically, my marketing courses reaffirmed my love for creative business and inspired me to pursue a career around relationships and effective communication.

In addition to your life as a student, you are also an entrepreneur. Tell us more.
I am the co-founder and director of branding and operations of 3rd Eye High, a Nashville-based, subscription box company focusing on women’s health, wellness, beauty, and lifestyle. Through the CBD space, 3rd Eye High works to better the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of women of all ages. Each subscription box is uniquely curated to be unlike anything in the industry. 

What inspired you to start this business?
I became inspired to start 3rd Eye High because women-empowerment and overall health and well-being have always been incredibly important to me. My dad, Josh Joseph, is one of the four co-founders of Grassroots Cannabis, which was the largest privately held medicinal cannabis company in the U.S. In July of 2020, Grassroots was acquired by Curaleaf – the largest publicly held cannabis company in the U.S. – which then created the largest public cannabis company in the world. My mom, Tara Joseph, was a jewelry designer for Claire’s and had her own fashion line. I have looked up to two incredibly entrepreneurial people, and knew that one day, I wanted to combine their skills and create something of my own. 3rd Eye High was an unbelievable opportunity that, with good luck, great fortune, and hard work, has turned into a dream come true. 

What is one thing you wish more people knew about CBD?
CBD is the non-psychoactive component or cannabinoid found in marijuana, and is also referred to as Cannabidiol. CBD is considered safe, and no lethal overdoses have ever been reported.

How do you manage a healthy work/life balance?
I heavily rely on my planner to ensure that I allocate enough time to my friends, family, school, work, and extra curricular activities. I spend most of my days on school and work, so I have my evenings to spend with my family and friends. I am fortunate that a lot of my obligations overlap with the people who are important to me. In other words, I am in classes with a lot of my friends, and I run 3rd Eye High with my mom and best friend. Therefore, I rarely feel that I am not giving sufficient attention to a specific part of my life, rather I feel blessed to have so many things to juggle!

What is your advice for current students or recent graduates?
Do not be afraid to go against the grain! Some of the most incredible opportunities arise from uncertain situations. Being uncomfortable generates growth, and growth creates success.

Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten?
Five years from now, I see myself married to my high school boyfriend, Jordan, and living in the city of Chicago. I will be an entrepreneur working for myself at 3rd Eye High. At this point, our company will hopefully be doing business nationwide which will allow me to travel and take meetings around the country. Ten years from now, I will have one, if not two, young kids. I will have had many years of travel and work experience under my belt and will be ready to settle down. Hopefully, I will be living close to a big city – preferably Chicago or New York – and will continue to work for myself while raising my children.

Which living person do you most admire?
Out of anyone in my life, I always have, and always will, admire my dad the most. There are few people who truly demonstrate his intrinsic motivation, an entrepreneurial spirit, global perspective, and unconditional love. My dad is the man who would take a 5 a.m. and a 5 p.m. flight in the same day to make sure he never missed a piano recital or dance competition while I was growing up. On the other hand, my dad is the guy who built every bit of his career from the ground up, and recently has sold one of his companies for nearly $1 billion. He is humble, generous, intelligent, and hilarious, but over anything in the world, he is my best friend. To my dad – thank you for everything; I love you more than you will ever know.