Dr. Alyza “Beast” Brevard-Rodriguez is a dynamic industry strategist, professor, CEO/CMO and multi-hyphenate creative entrepreneur leading at the intersection of cannabis, wellness, and qualitative research in leadership.
An OEF/OIF decorated, decade long, 2x U.S. Navy combat veteran and public service worker turned business architect -- Dr. Beast is the visionary behind The Other Side Dispensary & Lounge, Beast Anatomy, SW3AT Wellness, and Coffee & Cannabis / Flowers & Tea podcast platforms. As New Jersey's first Black, Latinx, LGBTQ, disabled female veteran licensee to operate in the legal cannabis market, Dr. Beast has spent the last four years shaping a new standard for what community-rooted cannabis entrepreneurship can look like. Her leadership blends data-driven strategy with lived experience, cultural intelligence, and a deep commitment to building generational infrastructure.
With a doctorate in Leadership, Management & Policy and work focused on women’s leadership and institutional power systems, she now serves as professor of cannabis science and business studies at Hudson County Community College. Her classrooms, like her businesses, function as incubators for knowledge, opportunity, and empowerment. Her academic practice is widely recognized for bridging industry, policy, and lived experience into accessible, real-world education.
Her efforts have collectively served thousands, generating over $250,000+ in direct community giveback, and created spaces centering wellness. In 2020 she was named in NJ Biz (40 Under 40), awarded wellness awards through Mindbody, ClassPass, Hoboken Girl (Best in Wellness 3 consecutive years), and highlighted through partnerships with organizations such as the NHL New Jersey Devils. A decorated veteran, she was also named Sailor of the Year in 2018.
As a speaker, host, and culture critic, her podcast platforms reach a growing audience navigating the realities of entrepreneurship, equity, woman/motherhood, mental health, and the future of the legal cannabis industry. She dabbles in side work as a specials abilty actor being featured on Manifest, Succession, Cash Cab, The Equalizer, and other prominent shows.
Today, Dr. Beast continues to build - and teach others to build- by empowering underserved communities with education, access, and inspiration. She is committed to shifting culture on both sides of the table: in how we lead, how we serve, and how we create systems that leave our communities better than we found them.
