We recently connected with Jessica Lewis and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessica, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

If I had to sum up my life it would be random leaps of faith. Risk with big rewards. I’ve never been the type to stay in the lane people expect of me. In fact, I secretly think I have a thing for trying to do the opposite. Especially as a woman and as a black woman, it’s immensely important to set the tone. Don’t ever let anyone write your story for you. From serving in the Marine Corps to becoming a Registered Nurse, and then on pure instinct, randomly deciding to get a Master’s in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics, every major turn in my life has started with the thoughts, “Why not? Looks interesting. Let’s see if I can do it.”

When I enrolled in that program, I don’t think anyone, including myself, knew what I was going to do with it. But that leap opened doors I couldn’t have imagined, introducing me to an industry centered on healing, advocacy, and community impact. It was the bridge I needed to bring together my nursing and public health background, my experience as a veteran, and my passion for helping others.

And even now, I keep taking chances, learning new trades, building my own business, and trying to step into the property development world, using sustainability as a vehicle to put something positive and healthy in the community around me . None of my journeys has been linear by far, and for many people they have a goal that leads to one point in time. However, I think the reason I have gravitated towards so many different things in life, is because I’m a “living chameleon” and every path I take, answers part of my purpose in this world. So, why not?! Let’s be a little risky.

I don’t need to have it all figured out, I just trust myself enough to see if I can, and as a black woman, I always bet on black! With raising 2 daughters, they are my reasons to push and to keep claiming all the “dopeness” in the world that I can possibly collect, because they see me and will grow up and walk even further then I could, claiming everything they deserve plus more.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Jessica Lewis, MS, BSN, RN, a Marine Corps veteran, registered nurse, and founder of Structurally Sound & Co, a sustainable housing company based in Baltimore focused on educating and building healthier, eco-friendly homes using hemp and other biogenic materials. I’m also the co-founder of Prism Processing, a women-led cannabis processing company that emphasizes wellness, innovation, and community care.

My journey has been anything but traditional. I spent years as an emergency and surgical nurse before pivoting into the world of cannabis and then sustainability, two spaces that at first glance seem unrelated, but for me, they share the same heartbeat: healing and rebuilding from the ground up.

This path kind of grew from both my personal and lived experience, working with veterans and patients struggling with chronic pain and trauma, and going through my journey toward healing after injuries from my time in the Marine Corps. It also comes from growing up in Baltimore, a city that’s vibrant and strong, yet home to neighborhoods that unfortunately have faced decades of disinvestment and neglect. I’ve witnessed firsthand both the resilience of my community and its rightful demand for better. Better housing, better health, better resources and better opportunities and I want to be apart of that legacy of change in a place that I’ve grown up and I’m raising my daughters.

At Structurally Sound & Co, we’re in the early stages, but we’re laying the groundwork for something bigger. Our mission is to restore dignity to overlooked neighborhoods by not just transforming vacant homes. But transforming them into sustainable, eco-friendly, energy-efficient properties that improve the homeowners health, are environmentally conscious, and create pathways for jobs and ownership. With Prism Processing, we are carrying that same sense of purpose into wellness, creating high-quality, intentional cannabis products designed by women and rooted in science, care, and empowerment.

What sets me apart in my work is that by design, my spirit has always been guided by empathy, advocacy, and impact. I don’t just want to build homes or develop products, I want to build bridges between science, service, and community. What I’m most proud of is turning my life’s experiences into platforms that help others heal, learn, and thrive while always being able to foster genuine connections along the way. I want to create space for people, especially those who look like me. I want for us to see ourselves reflected in innovation, preservation, and ownership.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Outside of training and formal education, I think the most important factor in succeeding in this field is developing real business acumen. I say all the time, “You don’t know, what you don’t know”. And the truth is, these are not things most of us were ever taught in school and that’s a shame and quite frankly a systematic disservice to all the youth that will eventually become adults.

If you spend a majority of your time of formal education focused on health, science, or service-based disciplines, like I did, business principles often aren’t part of that foundation. But when you’re running a company, those skills become everything. Understanding finances, operations, partnerships, contracts, and strategic planning is the backbone of sustainability. That’s something I had to learn and if your in business should continue to learn every day.

It requires humility and a willingness to be a fly on the wall around people who’ve done it successfully before you. It requires flexibility, patience, and the ability to laugh and give yourself grace. Because trust me, there are moments where you’ll think, “This would’ve been much easier to learn years ago.” lol But here I am, learning it in real time, while being a mother, a veteran, a founder, and still balancing multiple other roles and responsibilities.

You can’t hand off what you don’t understand or that will be the quickest way to failure. Even if you hire others and delegate tasks, you still need to know enough to make informed decisions. True leadership is about staying teachable and never being too proud to learn. For me, business acumen isn’t just a skill; it’s an act of empowerment. It’s how you ensure that your vision, your values, and your mission remain in your own hands at all times.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

When I think about what’s helped me build my reputation, it’s not just my work, it’s my relationships. I didn’t realize until recent years that one of my greatest strengths is the ability to build real, authentic connections with people, often in a very short time. It’s not something I plan or try to do, it’s just who I am.

I’ve always been able to connect with people from all walks of life very easily, whether I’m in a professional space or a chilled kickback type of vibe. From a Colonel in the military to the little old lady next door, connecting from the top down has never been a problem. I show up the same way everywhere I go: genuine, intentional, fun and carefree no matter whose in the room. I’m blessed that many of the opportunities I’ve had of recently, have come from those authentic relationships. People I supported without expectation, celebrated in their wins, or simply took the time to understand. In return, they’ve shown up for me offering advice, introductions within their networks, and opportunities that have helped move my life vision forward, often times without me even asking. One thing I’m going to always do is speak life into people in my circle, so it’s all love when I can feel that in return.

For me, networking has never been about strategy; it’s about sincerity. When you lead with authenticity and kindness, your reputation builds itself. The people I connect with, not only believe in my ideas, they believe in me; so I go hard in everything I do to make sure my reputation as a person not only matches, but exceeds my reputation on paper.

That’s why the businesses that I am building mean a lot to me. They are extensions of who I am, service-oriented, community-driven, and rooted in purpose. I don’t separate the person from the brand, because at the end of the day, I am the brand! Everything I’ve ever done has been built around people, and that’s the foundation of any lasting reputation, how you make others feel, how you show up, and how you carry their trust forward.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: jessythecanna_rn
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jessicalewisa