Our Story

YANA stands for You Are Not Alone

YANA is a women owned plant medicine alternatives company focused on social and mental wellness. Our team has carefully curated a blend of plant based alternatives that help reduce the need for pharmaceutical dependencies and addictive drugs. Our founder, Ariana Tokes, (pictured on the left) also opened a physical YANA location as a Holistic Wellness Center and Cannabis Dispensary in her hometown of Washington, DC. While opening the retail location, she simultaneously spent 2 years on research and development of the YANA product line. 

Meet The Founder & Creative Director - Ariana Tokes

Our Founder, Ariana Tokes, spent 7 years working in private equity building business portfolios for people with core values that were not aligned with her own. She came to a breaking point during COVID due to a decline in her mental health and her self fulfillment not being met. In 2021, she decided to take a leap of faith and quit her job to pursue a career that created positive social impact. She knew her story was not unique and wanted to connect with people that felt the same. After Ariana took a break from the corporate grind to cultivate her mind and body, YANA came to fruition as her soul purpose. Learn more about Ariana Tokes full story here.

 "Adderall and Alcohol. This is normalized in todays’ society. My doctor prescribes me Adderall for the work daytime. Then at night, the most common social spaces only sell alcohol. Alcohol completely impairs my memory and makes me feel so sick the next day. Why is this lifestyle so normalized? Why is using a natural herbs still kept quiet and not socially acceptable in public? My goal is to change the stigma of how we view these medicinal plants. They are already clinically proven to be a medicine and provide so many with life changing benefits for so many. And yet, highly addictive drugs and anti-depressants are marketed as safe to use for children, such as Aderall and Xanax.

We just aren't commonly told these things because the alcohol and pharmaceutical industries want you to be addicted. They want to control how you spend your money, even if it kills you. It's time for this to change." - Ariana Tokes

Our Mission

YANA’s mission is to connect creative communities through plant medicine alternatives and holistic wellness.

Our Core Values:

Inclusivity, Creativity, and Mental Wellness

Connect with our community in person more through our social wellness events at YANA's Wellness Center in Washington, DC here. 

Stay tuned into new updates, the culture, and education in plant medicine through the YANA cast podcast here. 

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