Category: Featured

Women In Wellness: Maiya Keeling of Pillar On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support…

Women In Wellness: Maiya Keeling of Pillar On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Practice Graditude — Becoming aware of the goodness that exists around you does wonders. Being able to write down the things for which we are grateful shifts the focus from what you are lacking to what you possess.

As a part of my series about the women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Maiya Keeling, Pillar National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach.

Maiya Keeling is a Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist through the American College of Sports Medicine, and a nationally board certified helath and wellness coach (NBC-HWC) through the National Board of Medical Examiners. She earned a BS in Exercise Sport Science from Elon University and then went on to pursue a MS in Clinical Exercise Physiology from the University of North Carolina- Charlotte upon completing her service in the military. Maiya is passionate about using her skills and experience to serve the community and encourage others to lead healthy lives.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?

I grew up just north of Chicago and from the time I was little, I knew I wanted to be in the medical field. In highschool I gravitated towards the health sciences. In college I developed a passion for health and wellness and really discovered the benefits of exercising consistently. In the military, I spent most of my time working in the hospital setting and saw first hand in the patients I cared for the consequences of living an unhealthy lifestyle. Treating patients with chronic disease inspired me to set my focus on prevention. I wanted to be able to educate people about lifestyle modification and the power that comes from being one’s own health advocate. My love for exercise and my skills in health coaching allow me to create space for people to share what stands in the way of achieving their health goals. We work together to make a plan to move forward towards wellness.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?

In my role as a health coach I work with individuals whom have lost their joy in life and feel stuck in their health due to chronic disease and pain. One indivual I worked with was referred by the doctor to manage hypertension, weight, pain and a host of other ailments. Upon meeting with that individual, I learned that what mattered most was bowling. Meeting the individual exactly where they were in our coaching sessions allowed them the opportunity to focus on what it would take to return to bowling. In just a few sessions, this individal had lost weight, lowered blood pressure and had reported feeling more joy in life. What’s more, they were able to return to bowling and even made it to the national championship that year! It reinforced the fact that in order for life change to take place, one has to do their own discovery and find their own motivation instead of being handed an order to change.

Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

When I was first starting, I underestimated the power of silence. It’s often uncomfortable to sit in silence- especially for an extrovert like me! Learning to become comfortable in silence affords the individual I’m working with the opportunity to sit with their own thoughts. It allows me to truly listen and engage instead of trying to fill the space with my voice or attempt to “fix” a problem. I’ve come to recognize what’s being said through facial expressions and body language even when no words are spoken.

Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?

The work I do as a health coach impacts people on a deep and personal level. Those whom have lost joy or feel they have lost control come to a place where they feel empowered to make changes. These changes allow them to become better versions of themselves, and in many cases it gives them the confidence to do things they have never tried before. I’ve seen generations within a family expericnce change through the small steps made by one individal. They discover the courage to break cycles of disordered eating, disease, tobacco use and more!

Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.

Tweak 1 -Practice self care

Learn to be a little selfish. It’s said that you can’t pour from an empty cup. Examine what is needed to “fill” you up so you can then pour out to others.

Tweak 2- Look For opportunities to move

Discover where, when and how you can move your body during the day. Maybe it looks like salsa dancing while brushing your teeth , or maybe doing swats or arm cirlces while waiting on the microwave to heat your food.

Tweak 3- Breathe!

Don’t underestimate the power of your breath. You can decrease stress levels and blood pressure with a few intentional deep breaths.

Tweak 4- See food as fuel

Change the way you think about food by recognizing it either does something for FOR or To you.

Tweak 5- Practice Graditude

Becoming aware of the goodness that exists around you does wonders. Being able to write down the things for which we are grateful shifts the focus from what you are lacking to what you possess.

If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?

I believe that focusing on self-care as a movement will have the greatest impact on our overall wellness as a people. We have to acknowledge all that we have been through in the past couple of years, and the impact it has had on our mental, emotional and physical health. Most people don’t know how to care for themselves or be kind to themselves. It’s hard to have compassion for others when you can’t show yourself compassion. Learning to practice self care shows others it is ok to do so as well.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?

I wish someone would have told me that you can’t help someone who doesn’t want help. I can’t care more about someone’s health than they do. I can’t do the work for them, nor should I try.
People know what to do. As a coach, I don’t need to give them the answers and they don’t need me to fix them. Self discovery is a powerful tool!
Those closest to you will believe in you and invest in you. Knowing your worth is key and you don’t need to discount yourself.
In order to make the biggest impact sometimes you have to make your own way. I spent many hours over many years doing what I loved by helping people but not feeling fulfilled professionally. Instead of waiting for advancement opportunites working for someone else I decided to take a leap of faith and create something of my own.
You don’t have to be good at everything! I’ve learned my strengths and weaknesses professionally over the years. If I want to be successful I have to also recognize when I need to outsource a task or project so that I can free up time and energy to do what I do best.

Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?

The topic of mental health is dearest to me right now. I have seen close friends, family members and patients really struggle through the current events of the pandemic, racial tension, political divides and more. Distigmatizing therapy and mental health services will take time but it is very much necessary. It all circles back to self care and learning that it’s ok to say we are not ok!

What is the best way our readers can follow you online?

Stay connected with me through www.withpillar.com and instagram.com/withpillar

Thank you for these fantastic insights!

Women In Wellness: Maiya Keeling of Pillar On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Women In Wellness: Anne Silsby of Act of Wellness On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help…

Women In Wellness: Anne Silsby of Act of Wellness On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Take care of your skin. A simple rule of thumb is cleanse, treat and protect. Cleansing the skin and regular exfoliation will help keep your skin clean, soft and smooth. Protecting your skin with SPF is so incredibly important to protect it from sun damage. SPF helps protect skin from cancers and other skin aging that is caused by too much sun exposure.

As a part of my series about the women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Anne Silsby.

Anne Silsby is the co-founder of Act of Wellness, a new indie wellness brand launched in 2021. She’s worked as both a brand expert and product developer for numerous top skincare and wellness lines. One thing about the brands she loved working for most, they all inspired true connection and belonging — and sparked genuine joy.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us? What brought you to this specific career path?

I’ve spent my professional career as a marketer working for several well-know brands. My favorite part about marketing and branding is getting to know the customer and how they interact both emotionally and physically with the brand and the product. When I started my career, I worked for a baby products company and it was so rewarding to be a tiny bit involved in such a beautiful and emotional moment in these customer’s lives. That started the spark in me that I wanted to work for brands that really had a true connection with the customer. Most recently, I worked for a wellness company that supported thousands of individuals who were working to improve their own wellness. It was so incredible to experience this sense of community and belonging that was brought together by a brand, the product and the consumer. Over the past few years I was focused on my own wellness journey and it was that experience, plus all the learning from my career that inspired me to create and launch my own brand, Act of Wellness.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?

My business partner, Michael and I have been working on our company for the past several years. We had a roadmap with products and launch timing planned. We hit two major roadblocks before our company had launched. The first challenge was we started working with a manufacturer that we were very excited to partner with. More than six months into the partnership, we were informed that the partner would have to put our work on hold because they had staffing limitations and they could not give us a timeframe on when they could resume our work. This stopped us in our tracks — the decision to stick with them or find another partner would significantly impact our plan. We experienced a range of emotions, but ultimately decided to move on to another partner.

The second interesting event was the start of the pandemic as we were getting ready to launch Act of Wellness. We were facing so many operational and financial decisions at time with so much uncertainty going on in the world. We had recovered from the manufacturing set back only to have another hurdle placed in front of us. We did decide it would be best to reduce the number of products we launched and to start with a smaller quantity because we had no idea how consumers would be interacting with our brand and product during this challenging time.

The main takeaway was that we easily could have walked away from following our dreams because we had some pretty major unknowns that we were faced with. We felt defeated before we even launched, but we knew that there were people who needed to hear our message and encouragement to take small steps journeys towards wellness and happiness.

Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

There hasn’t been a big mistake so to speak thus far. There have been a lot of things learned and modified as we grow. One thing we talk a lot about is not falling into the comparison game. The beauty and wellness space is very competitive, there are new brands launching all the time. There have definitely been moments where we ask ourselves how did they get that many followers so fast, how did get that much press already, etc. The lesson here is we are on our own journey, things will be different and on different timing. It’s all ok and most of the time happens for a reason.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

What makes Act of Wellness stand out is the mission in combination with our product performance. Our message is really simple, focus on taking small steps towards wellness and happiness each day. So many people try to make huge changes or too many changes at once, this often doesn’t work out in the end. People get frustrated and burnt out. Through our own personal journeys to wellness, we realized the importance of just taking small steps forward and in doing so found more happiness.

Our experience led us to dig deeper into how we influence our own happiness receptors, through products combined with life style choices. We developed our line of skincare products that have been formulated to connect our inner and outer self that make us feel happy. The skin is the largest organ so it is so important that we take care of it. Our first product, Euphoric Exfoliation is a 2-step skin exfoliator + serum that delivers results you can see and feel after just 1 use! We have heard from our customers about the compliments they receive from their dermatologists, estheticians and friends about how great their skin looks. It’s a double reward because skin looks and feels great on the outside, but those compliments release dopamine that helps positively impact your mood from the inside.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

The most exciting thing we are working on is how we are reaching customers with our message and products. Over the past couple of years and certainly due to the pandemic, where people are shopping and being entertained is changing. Physical stores will always be important, but we think online social selling will play a big role in future. We have some exciting partnerships we are working on that focuses on where we are reaching people with our products.

Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?

If we could accomplish one thing, it would be to help people take care of themselves. Taking care of our bodies including the products we use, the sleep and activity we get — all play a factor in how we hope to inspire people to make their personal wellness a priority. We hope to create a community both in-person and online where people can support each other and share ideas.

Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.

Take care of your skin. A simple rule of thumb is cleanse, treat and protect. Cleansing the skin and regular exfoliation will help keep your skin clean, soft and smooth. Protecting your skin with SPF is so incredibly important to protect it from sun damage. SPF helps protect skin from cancers and other skin aging that is caused by too much sun exposure.
Try to get enough sleep. I’m not a sleep expert but I try to go to bed and get up at approximately the same time each day. I charge my devices in another room so I’m not tempted to delay my bedtime or scroll in the middle of the night if I cannot sleep. I also try to keep the room dark and cool, these things help me sleep more soundly.
Get moving (and into nature if possible). The first part is about moving our bodies. It doesn’t always have to be continual for 30 minutes or hard core exercise. Sometimes I turn on a couple songs and dance with my kids. I also have found that I can fit in several 10 minute walks throughout the day instead of 30 minutes straight. Part two of get moving is to get into nature if accessible. Nature energizes me both physically and mentally. There is so much beauty outside to be explored and I believe spending time moving in nature spills into so many more aspects in our wellness.
Pay attention to your body after you eat. How does your body feel? A few years back I started removing meat from my diet when I realized it made me feel sluggish and not so great. As I transitioned away from meat, I had more energy and felt much better after I ate. That was my experience and everyone will feel different based on what they eat. It is to illustrate how listening and adjusting what I ate and how much based on how my body felt after eating.
Get an accountability partner. I love Dr. Mark Hyman’s quote that, “Friend power is so much more powerful that willpower.” An accountability partner is someone who is there to support you, cheer you on and go on the wellbeing journey with you. I’m very lucky that I have several accountability partners that I rely on that have absolutely supported me in my own wellness journey.

If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?

If I could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most people it would be changing what we eat. I believe most people are doing the best they can, but there are a lot of dynamics in today’s household that put people in a position to sacrifice healthier food choices for the sake of cost, convenience and commercialization. It’s a complex topic, but people need to demand more of food companies. I see a lot public figures raising awareness and taking some of the food companies head on, this is encouraging to see more accountability demanded when it comes to public health.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?

Expect the time it will to accomplish certain goals to be longer than planned. You have a timeline, but not everyone else is on your same timeline so it timing will take longer so you will learn when to push forward and when you will need to wait.
You will really be pushed outside of your comfort zone. Whether learning a new part of the business or making important decisions, you will be uncomfortable at times.
When you are told no, don’t get discouraged. Either the timing or opportunity is not right at that moment. It will be right someplace else so keep pushing.
Trust your instincts and don’t force decisions you know deep down are not right for the business. Sometimes you think you want or need an opportunity so bad that you are sacrificing somewhere else. If you give yourself some time to reflect, you really do know what is the best decision to take.
Find mentors and utilize their expertise. Mentors are great sounding boards and often have had similar experiences that can help guide you.

Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?

Wow, it’s hard to pick just one because they are all important. I would say mental health is probably the most important to me. It is dearest to me because I’m a mom and I know how important it is to my pre-teen and teenage children. There are so many factors that can induce mental health decline and when mental health suffers, so does overall health. In our household, we do our best to protect our mental health and when we have had challenges, we sought therapy which helped us so much.

What is the best way our readers can follow you online?

Learn more about Act of Wellness at www.actofwellness.com and follow us on Facebook / Instagram @actofwellness

Thank you for these fantastic insights!

Women In Wellness: Anne Silsby of Act of Wellness On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Elissa Hagopian Hambrecht of Napa Valley Fumé: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started…

Elissa Hagopian Hambrecht of Napa Valley Fumé: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Leading a Cannabis or CBD Business

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

This goes for all startups: Make sure you NEVER run out of cash! The cannabis industry is a roller coaster ride because it is so immature. You need loyal investors who will go the distance and plenty of working capital. We’ve had close calls and I can’t wait until we are 100% self-sufficient (should be later this year!). All along the way you cannot give up hope and you must stay focused on fundraising.

As part of my series about “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Leading a Cannabis Business” I had the pleasure of interviewing Elissa Hagopian Hambrecht.

Elissa Hagopian Hambrecht currently serves as the Managing Member and Head of Compliance for Napa Valley Fumé, LLC, a vertically integrated startup in the legal cannabis space. Elissa served as the founding Chief Operating Officer at fumé, and now turns to part-time work, focused on fundraising, business development and licensing for the company.

Elissa is a self-proclaimed start-up junkie and has over twenty-five years of experience launching and operating both proprietary businesses and partnerships. Her first entrepreneurial venture began in 1994 when she opened a Mexican restaurant in Barcelona, Spain. After returning to the Bay Area in 1998 she opened two more restaurants in San Francisco (Vinga and Che).

In 2001 she co-founded Chispa, an Event Production, Marketing and Management consultancy group. While working as the Executive Producer or Conference Manager she produced events ranging from CEO level executive summits to full scale industry trade shows. In addition to restaurants and event management Elissa has deep experience in the wine industry, having served as co-CEO of Belvedere Winery and was VP at the online Direct to Consumer play, TastingRoom.com. Prior to fumé she was co-Founder of NewCo, a disruptive business conference model, in partnership with John Battelle. Company culture and providing a safe and enriching workplace has always been a passion and priority for Elissa throughout her entire career. In 2021 fumé received an industry award for Best Company to Work For, and here is the article that highlights this award. Elissa graduated from UC Berkeley in 1989, lives in the village at Sugar Bowl with her husband and they have three children. She served on the board of the Sugar Bowl Ski Team and Academy Foundation and is a passionate skier.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you share with us the story about what brought you to this specific career path?

My first job out of college was in the corporate/Special Events planning world. In my interview I was asked: “what would you describe as a failure?”. I went on to describe how I failed Spanish not once but twice in college, only to finally pass, but that I still didn’t speak Spanish. My boss, who was my first mentor and later a business partner made sure that I took Spanish classes and took the time to travel to Spain, because she was on a mission to get me to move to Barcelona in time to get a job during the 1992 Olympics. She went as far as discouraging me from taking a promotion from our company in Hawaii! In the end I did move to Barcelona and had an almost yearlong job with NBC. It was in that role that I started cooking Mexican food for the Americans who didn’t get why they got “an egg thing” when they ordered a tortilla, and why nothing was spicy (!!). I attracted the attention of my boss at NBC who said, “write a business plan for opening up your Mexican restaurant here and I’ll invest”. That was my very first start up! After that experience I never looked back, and never worked in a straight salaried position again.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

The story that others find the most interesting was related to the start up in Barcelona. We were negotiating for the lease of our desired location with the heirs of the guy who had died in the bar. These sisters had fancy lawyers with offices on the Passeig de Gracia, and after we negotiated the deal with them, the lawyers explained to us that there would also be a “Dinero B” payment: in cash. As gringas, we had no idea how you physically made this payment, so we asked. “Well, before the meeting you’ll meet me in front of the building”. Sure enough, the slick suited lawyer was there, in his dark glasses. “Do you have the money? If so, just put it in my briefcase”. We had an enormous panic attack after he said “Gracias” and took off… what if we were just ripped off!? But 30 minutes later we were all assembled with the sisters and the lawyers upstairs to sign all the documents. While surreal, this was how business was done in 1994 in Spain, pre-European Union.

As it turned out, our American investor was the snake in Barcelona, and long story short, he ended up locking me and my operational partner out and ignoring our 45% equity stake, because he could in Spain with 55%.

I learned the following important lessons:

You need to take risks in order to get shit done, especially when you are in a foreign country. Be open to ideas that might seem crazy or outside your comfort zone.
The real risks might be from the people you think you trust, who are on your team!
Always ALWAYS have your own counsel/legal advice!

You don’t learn that stuff in Business School, that is for sure!

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Well, not to dwell on my first start up, and it certainly was not funny to lose 45% equity stake in a restaurant that was spinning off cash and packed every night! The lesson was important though: when signing deals, term sheets or anything related to the project, make sure you have your own legal opinion, even if you think you can’t afford the time to slow down and do so, or the lawyers themselves. Find a friend, get crafty, get your own advice!

Are you working on any exciting projects now? How do you think that will help people?

I’ve been focused on Napa Valley Fumé since August, 2017. What is exciting about cannabis startups, is that it is a startup in a startup industry! I have an amazing partner in Eric Sklar and with his experience related to policy and government affairs, we spend time in a very grass-roots/advocacy capacity. There is a lot that needs to be fixed from a regulatory standpoint here in CA, and of course Federal Legalization still must happen! It is exciting that we’ve made so much progress, and there is a lot of work that still needs to be done to open this industry, which provides many jobs. We also strongly believe in the social justice impact the cannabis industry stands to make, hopefully reversing all the wrongs of the war on drugs.

None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

I’ve mentioned my first “real” boss, and later partner, Louise Glasgow. She is really the reason why I strayed from a “traditional” career path and on to being a serial startup gal. I’ve learned something from each partner or colleague at every start up I’ve had the pleasure of working on.

This industry is young dynamic and creative. Do you use any clever and innovative marketing strategies that you think large legacy companies should consider adopting?

It is tough in cannabis, given all the restrictions related to marketing placed on this industry. My partner and our President Ian Hackett was our CMO. All the marketing plans and brand development work is his focus.

Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the Cannabis industry? Can you share 3 things that most concern you?

3 things that most excite:

We are only just beginning to see the very exciting roll-out of new products and experiences that this plant will bring to market! I believe it will revolutionize dieting, for example.
The impact that the legal industry has made in the county where we have licenses is profound. We operate in Lake County, CA, which is the 4th poorest county in the country! Bringing well-paying jobs is just the beginning. The leaders in this industry are excited to work with local high schools, brining mentorship and training programs to the area. The positive energy and “give back” mentality of most leaders is awesome.
Building a new industry is just plain old exciting. I’m sure Al Gore felt this way when he invented the internet… haha! Jokes aside, I think the legal cannabis industry is on par with Henry Ford’s invention and also has parallels with the technology industry’s birth.

3 Things Most Concerning:

There is a “green rush”, and big business is pushing the cottage industry out. It is very sad to see the small growers and legacy players are in a very precarious situation right now, if they are already not dead and unwinding/un-wound. Here in CA Prop 64 really tried to give the legacy players a chance to start and get big enough before big business rushed in, but that plan isn’t working.
There are certain legacy players and others who strongly believe this is a zero-sum game, and to succeed they must step on you and ensure that you fail. I HATE these types! I believe as the tide rises; all boats can float higher!
There is a downside to science and labs re-creating what is found in a plant, in pursuit of new products and R&D. The plant in her natural form, outdoors and in her full 14’ glory is a site to be seen and enjoyed! I hope it doesn’t all become a pharma-play.

Can you share your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Leading a Cannabis Business”? Please share a story or example for each.

If you don’t understand and, in your gut, feel that your security plan makes sense, re-do it! Security can feel scary, and you have real lives on the line! Almost a year into our operations we had a perpetrator hold up one of our employees at gun point. The hired security guard ran off, without his phone, so we did not even get a 911 call out of him! In the end, our staff person had ice in his veins and stayed calm, and our security set up meant that the perp could not see any product, and only saw all the cameras recording his face. He left with no product and there were no injuries.
Related: really make sure your vendors/partners share your values, engage in your operations and treat their employees as you want your staff treated. We fired that security company the next morning and stepped up to a more expensive but rock-solid partner.
This goes for all startups: Make sure you NEVER run out of cash! The cannabis industry is a roller coaster ride because it is so immature. You need loyal investors who will go the distance and plenty of working capital. We’ve had close calls and I can’t wait until we are 100% self-sufficient (should be later this year!). All along the way you cannot give up hope and you must stay focused on fundraising.
“Nimble & Quick” is a requirement, and that is an understatement! There are so many opportunities in this start up industry, and you want to strike the right balance of “staying in your lane” vs “take advantage of opportunities as they arise”. Our mission and point of our spear has always been building a best-in-class portfolio of cannabis brands, products and experiences. But along the way, we had the opportunity to open and run delivery operations for Eaze. Seems like a pivot and/or a distraction, but in the end, it gave us access to the world’s biggest retail channels once we launched our 1st brand.
Make sure your partners are aligned and can create your values, up front, before you begin. And always invest and keep focusing on company culture. As this is my 11th start up, it was not my first rodeo. So, I knew that I needed to start out with a solid Employee Handbook, that covered the legal requirements, but more importantly, set the tone for open communication, transparency and communicating our values. Prior to starting, me and the two co-founders created our values in a meeting that lasted no more than 2 hours. This is when I knew we had the important and up-front alignment, on which to build a great company.

What advice would you give to other CEOs or founders to help their employees to thrive?

Company values and your Mission Statement cannot be after thoughts. You won’t have a company worth anything if you don’t start with these things. And your employees won’t know how and where to row if you don’t lead with these messages.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

Well, the social justice movement as it is part of the newly legal start up industry in cannabis is in need of support on many fronts. We as a company are partners with Last Prisoner Project, for one example. So, I am not taking any claim for inspiring this movement, but we ALL need to get on board here. We need to get everyone still incarcerated for non-violent drug related charges out of jail and their sentences expunged. Ideally, this should go hand in hand with Federal legalization, so that this is not limited to a state-by-state movement.

What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?

My personal LinkedIN profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elissa-hambrecht-7b3b54/

Company LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fume-brands

Company Instagram/LAKE GRADE brand: https://www.instagram.com/lakegrade

Company Instagram/fumé brand: https://www.instagram.com/enjoyfume/

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!

Elissa Hagopian Hambrecht of Napa Valley Fumé: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Women In Wellness: Manisha Mittal On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s…

Women In Wellness: Manisha Mittal On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Practicing gratitude: Being thankful for what we have is a powerful way to balance emotional and mental health. Practice thanking someone everyday of your life, volunteer to help someone in need.

As a part of my series about the women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Manisha Mittal.

Dr. Manisha Mittal is an integrative rheumatologist and ayurvedic practitioner. She founded Moksha Holistic Center to empower and educate people to connect with the soul and enliven healing. She is the creator of Golden Ice-spice turmeric ice cream, featured on TV and wholefoods magazine. Dr. Mittal cohosts a wellness segment at the Central Valley Today show, has been featured by David Lynch foundation podcast on connecting Mind, Body & Soul.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?

I was a talkative and compassionate girl who loved nature and science. I liked playing Sherlock Holmes and solving puzzles and mysteries. I was always inspired by great leaders and scientists who wanted to bring positive change in the world.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?

I was seeing a patient who had osteoarthritis, she had been taking anti-inflammatory medications with side effects. She was looking for natural solutions to manage her symptoms. When I shared about Turmeric- bright orange-yellow spice known for its anti-inflammatory benefits. She inspired me to start wellness classes educating people on holistic care. That was tipping point for me to carve out time to start a Wellness center. After one of my turmeric education classes, my patients inspired me to develop a palatable way to take turmeric. I collaborated with local dairy farmers to start Golden Ice-spice turmeric ice-cream. I listened to my patients and felt they are looking for alternatives to pharmaceuticals.

Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I assumed that everybody knows what they are doing and have their facts right. It turned out not true, most of the time to run a successful practice you want to set protocols in place and make sure everybody understands their expectations. They also need frequent reminders and dedicated team for running smooth operations.

Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?

As an integrative rheumatologist I understand firsthand, the significance of food and exercise for health. Most people assume this requires spending a lot of money. For empowering the community, I founded Moksha Holistic Center where I conduct wellness workshops on cooking, health benefits of spices and connecting with your local farming community. I hold joy of medicine workshops for physicians to prevent burnout and stress.

Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.

Diet: With proper diet medicine is of no need, without proper diet medicine is of no use. It is best to eat in moderation according to your constitution. Eat local, seasonal, and fresh foods. You should cook most of your meals. This allows you to have better connection with food.
Exercise: To be healthy you should exercise regularly low to moderate intensity aerobic exercise is good for most people. You don’t need intense competitive workouts to be healthy. A 30 min walk daily in nature is very beneficial. Key is to feel more energy after exercise not fatigued.
Meditation: Connecting with yourself is a rejuvenating practice. If you are new to meditation, it does not have to be fancy, you just need to sit relaxed and close your eyes for a few minutes daily. Morning and evening times are best to do this.
Body massage: before bathing use warm herbarized oil such as coconut oil, sesame oil, almond oil, or avocado oil for a head-to-toe massage. It is not only nourishing and soothing to your skin but supports gentle detox.
Practicing gratitude: Being thankful for what we have is a powerful way to balance emotional and mental health. Practice thanking someone everyday of your life, volunteer to help someone in need.

If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?

Meditation is the number one thing that will benefit the entire world. It is an effortless and simple way to connect with yourself. It calms down sympathetic system and improves health and wellbeing. You feel more connected to mother nature and your community. It brings on a sense of unity in diversity.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?

We all have a journey to take and a purpose in life. Finding that purpose can unlock the key to happiness. It is the experience that matters not the destination. I don’t think what works for someone will have similar result for another. Connect with yourself to know who you are and let that inner silence guide you.

Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?

Things are more connected than we think.

How we feel affects how we see the world. A balanced outlook and mental health are much needed to appreciate the beauty in nature. When there is more anxiety and stress in the community it is difficult to appreciate aspects of sustainability, climate change and veganism.

What is the best way our readers can follow you online?

https://www.facebook.com/manishamittalmd/

moksha holistic center youtube

Thank you for these fantastic insights!

Women In Wellness: Manisha Mittal On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Founders: Noreen Butler of RUBI On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman…

Female Founders: Noreen Butler of RUBI On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

…Founders may have a great idea but no one person ever has all the answers. I’ve worked hard to surround myself with a team that not only complements my skill set, but also has the courage to challenge me and offer solutions.

As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Noreen Butler.

Noreen Butler was a single mom in search of help to support the busy schedules of her children. With a mission to create a community of drivers for families in need, RUBI was established and has since maintained the highest standards to select its drivers. RUBI understands that transportation is critical to advancing health equity and is dedicated to integrating technology, community, and new solutions to help kids and families by providing a safe, dependable mode of transportation. She resides in Washington, D.C. with her children and enjoys giving back to her community.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

I started RUBI because of a personal need. When a home-based childcare provider left to pursue an educational opportunity, I had no way of transporting my children while maintaining a full-time job. Solving this problem for myself, and others in the community, became a passion and then a mission. RUBI’s real objective is to provide families with a comfort knowing their loved ones will be transported safely and reliably from one place to another.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

The answer to that is easy but defining your brand and establishing a meaningful name is not. Without a budget or a branding specialist on staff, RUBI went through multiple name iterations that ultimately led to a name we love. RUBI has significant meaning to me. Ruby is my birthstone, and I wanted a name that expressed the precious commodity that we are transporting and is encompassing of all ages from seven years old and expanding into seniors as well. We designed a unique ruby pin drop to symbolize the location of your precious gem and in the app you are able to watch your loved ones that are en route from the palm of your hand. My children played a critical role in this process and were not only my focus group, but also a part of my marketing team.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I take the role of transporting children very seriously so there honestly aren’t any funny mistakes I’ve made. Mistakes for sure, just none that I would characterize as funny. To be honest, my math skills have never been a natural strength because of my dyslexia. So, when I started on this mission to create RUBI, I knew I needed to surround myself with a small and trusted team with skills and expertise that would complement my weaknesses. I am not very technical, but I knew what I wanted my app to do. Finding them took a long time, but I now have a rock star CTO and app development team that gets my vision. When I set out on this mission, one of the things that gave me such peace of mind when I hired a driver for my own kids was that he would send me a text when he was en route to get them, standing by waiting for them, when my kids were in the car and when they were dropped off safely. I created a 1,2,3,4 system with my drivers to communicate with me when all of these moments were happening in real time. When we were beta testing, I would relay the same updates to the families and everyone loved the constant communication and reassurance that their precious gems were safe every step of the way. Now that our app is complete, it is amazing to have all of this automated and to not have to hear my phone dinging nonstop! Without making mistakes and validating ideas it is hard to have a business model that is meaningful.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I’ve been incredibly fortunate and blessed to have the guidance, support and mentorship of a very seasoned, humble and well-regarded professional entrepreneur and worldwide motivational speaker. I will forever be grateful to Jeff Hoffman (Priceline.com/Booking.com) for encouraging me to put one foot in front of the other on the difficult days that every entrepreneur encounters.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from founding companies?

Because of statistics similar to the one you quoted, many women, unfortunately, lack the confidence to take the first step. It’s a daunting process for anyone but when venture capital firms, technology vendors, bankers and lawyers are dominated by males, walking into those spheres is intimidating. Surrounding myself with mentors and investors who have a track record of supporting female entrepreneurs has been critical to my growth as a professional woman.

Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?

I really believe that sincere mentorship is critical. Sincere in the sense that a mentor truly understands the personal and professional hurdles in front of someone not only trying to grow a business, but also manage the personal responsibilities of a family.

This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?

I think female founders, and those in positions of leadership, are empathetic, intuitive and naturally supportive as a team is developed. While this may mean there should be more women defined as founders, it also means there should be more women in positions of leadership at established companies. Women make great leaders and as I was interviewing CEOs in the transportation space, I learned it is a male-dominated industry. In fact, someone said to me, “I don’t like being around a conference table unless there is a woman present.” He then went on to say women make great leaders. That resonated with me. I am seeking female investors and advisors. I believe that more women need to empower each other and help work together so we have more of a presence around conference tables, especially in male-dominated industries such as tech and mobility.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?

Founders may have a great idea but no one person ever has all the answers. I’ve worked hard to surround myself with a team that not only complements my skill set, but also has the courage to challenge me and offer solutions.

Is everyone cut out to be a founder? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful founder and what type of person should perhaps seek a “regular job” as an employee? Can you explain what you mean?

Not everyone is meant to be a founder. Founders of a company need to be comfortable failing, leading through periods of uncertainty, able to embrace criticism and willing to work hours outside of the norm.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

Self-confidence with a belief in oneself. Without any expertise or experience in the transportation industry, I needed to educate myself and develop a network of relationships that could be leveraged as the business model for RUBI took shape.
Confident communication skills. With safety at the forefront of everything RUBI does, I am crystal clear in any communication with my driver network about my expectations to provide safe rides for a community entrusting us with their loved ones.
Ability to question the status quo. Many people, family included, questioned my ability to develop a company that would simply transport children from point A to point B with strangers behind the wheel. By developing a comprehensive interview and training process, I confidently can represent to the community that RUBI’s driver network is safe and reliable.
Empathetic. My role as a mother has absolutely helped guide my interaction with RUBI clients. Families of all shapes, sizes and resources need safe transportation for their loved ones and I’ve built a team uniquely qualified to provide this support and peace of mind.
Authentic. I’ve worked diligently to build a driver network that is respectful, reliable, motivated, and eventually an extension of the families that they serve.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

RUBI works in a calculated way to support organizations where transportation is an identified challenge. Relevant examples include after-school and sports-oriented organizations that need to transport inner city or economically disadvantaged communities without direct transportation services.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

One of the biggest barriers for many is transportation. If I could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people it would be for those who are able and can afford to donate rides to those in need. I would like to be able to offer our service to those that need rides to go to medical appointments, to work and job interviews to help make the world a better place.

We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

Oprah Winfrey has always been an inspirational hero of mine. She is from humble beginnings, independently minded and just so thoughtful about the communities she influences. I have a vison of creating a network of safe and trusted drivers around the country to help Bigs and Littles of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America organization to service their needs to get to and from activities, school and any destination to help them be the best versions of themselves. I would love Oprah to be a part of this mission with me. I feel it could be tremendously impactful and is purpose-driven. Incredible endeavors like this take a special village to achieve.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this

Female Founders: Noreen Butler of RUBI On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Founders: Teresa Heath-Wareing On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman…

Female Founders: Teresa Heath-Wareing On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

You have to learn stuff fast — Most people go into business because they are really good at something, normally the service or product they are selling. However, I completely underestimated how much other stuff I needed to know. Things that I didn’t even think about such as systems, finance, managing people or selling! Doing my actual job was the easy bit, it was all the other stuff that was challenging. ⠀⠀⠀

As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Teresa Heath-Wareing.

Teresa Heath-Wareing is an online business & marketing expert who works with small business owners from across the world, helping them to build a business and life they love. An international award-winning speaker, TEDx speaker and podcaster, Teresa is recognised alongside some of the world’s digital marketing thought leaders and is widely regarded as one of the UK’s leading marketing influencers. Teresa hosts a popular weekly podcast called ‘Marketing that Converts’ and has interviewed the likes of Amy Porterfield, Pat Flynn, Michael Hyatt, Jasmine Star, James Wedmore, Mike Stelzner and Dean Graziosi. For more visit https://teresaheathwareing.com.

I have been in marketing for about 17 years now. I did a degree in it and started my career. I was always happy being an employee and never dreamed about having my own business. However, after ten years in various marketing roles I found myself as a single parent of a four-year-old. I was head of marketing for a local agency and after coming through a separation I thought I needed a change. I joke I must have gone through an early midlife crisis because without getting another job I handed my boss eight weeks’ notice, thinking “I am really good at my job I am sure I will get another”. One thing I overlooked was that I was on a good salary and lived in a small town and jobs like that weren’t often available. Three weeks into my notice and no job offers I started looking at other options, including starting my own business. My boss found out this might be the case and understandably asked me to leave! Within one week I had started my new marketing business!

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

This is a tough one to answer because so much happens and as business owners we tend to have a really short memory when it comes to achievements or milestones as we are quick to move on to the next one! I guess one story which springs to mind is when I was at university doing my marketing degree, we were taught from a book written by Dr Philip Kotler, who is known as the father of marketing. A few years back someone got in touch with me after watching my TEDx talk and asked if I would speak at an event. It turned out that it was Dr Philip Kotler’s event and the first and only one he has done in the UK! It was one of the most surreal things ever, standing on the same stage as the father of marketing whose book was my bible when at university.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Well, I made all the mistakes. No plan, no idea what I really wanted to offer and naming my business after my ex-husband’s name and now I am remarried you can only imagine how that goes down when we go somewhere, and people call my husband Mr. Heath-Wareing (which is my ex-husbands name!). Also, when I started my business I set it up as an agency and called it THW Marketing (THW my initials) however when you type that into google it thinks you have made a mistake and auto corrects it to The Marketing! I told you I made all the mistakes.

One of the things I found when I started my business was the general lack of support or even interest. I didn’t have anyone in my world that had their own business and that can be really lonely. However, along the way there have been many people who have supported me get to where I am and it’s really hard to pick one! Firstly, having a cheerleader on your side is super important and for me this is my husband. He is my biggest cheerleader and some days has more faith in me and what I can achieve than I do! I know lots of business owners who don’t have the support of a loved one and that is so tough.

But the other person I must mention is my coach and now dear friend Mary Hyatt. I knew I needed some help and extra support for myself and the business and after listening to a podcast of someone I admired they talked about their coach Mary Hyatt, so I decided to take a look at her site and it just spoke to me. She has been so very important in my world and for my personal development. We worked so much on mindset and self-development and that felt like the key that unlocked lots of my success. If you don’t have a coach then I really recommend getting on and checking out Mary!

This is such a complex area as I think there are loads of things that stop women starting their own companies, however, I don’t think that is helped that males have had almost a 2000-year head start on us! If you look back as recently as the 1960s, American women needed their husband’s permission to open a bank account in their own name. And as Deborah Sweeney in her Forbes article explained — until 1988, women entrepreneurs could not get business loans without a male relative as a co-signer.

It is going to take some time to change that tide, which is why it’s so important for women business owners to stand up and show themselves so they can inspire other women to do the same.

Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?

I think starting in school is a great place to start as when I was at school starting your own business was never talked about, let alone encouraged as an option. As a mum of a 12-year-old girl I actively encourage her to look at how my business is run and include her as often as I can, so that she knows this is an option open to her.

This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?

Having my own business is the best thing I have ever done. I get to manage my time and what I do with it and who I work with. I worked in many male-dominated industries before starting my own business and the way I was treated as a woman was very much different to the other men I worked with. I was not as well regarded or thought to be as capable and in some cases was often there for show! Now I have my own business I feel like I am in control of me, my business and how I am treated on a daily basis!

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?

I think when you first start your own business free time is a myth. When I first started I thought “great I get to work my own hours that I want to work and I can take time off as I need”. That’s not necessarily true! As I said in the last question, I get to manage my time, that is very different from having free time. I worked so many hours when I first started and it is only seven years later and having a team that has allowed me to start to take some of the time I need. But there is always stuff to do and even when you aren’t working your brain never turns off from thinking about what you could be doing!

This is an easy answer — NO not everyone can and will do this and that’s fine — it’s not for everyone. To be a business owner you need tenacity, you need to be able to motivate yourself and get the work done even when you don’t want to. You need to be flexible and quick thinking as things change all the time. And you need to be able to manage your mindset when know money is coming through the door, because these times will happen!

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

#1 You have to learn stuff fast — Most people go into business because they are really good at something, normally the service or product they are selling. However, I completely underestimated how much other stuff I needed to know. Things that I didn’t even think about such as systems, finance, managing people or selling! Doing my actual job was the easy bit, it was all the other stuff that was challenging. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

#2 You may lose friends — Having a business changed me and I found that some of the things I had in common with some of my friends changed. We found ourselves not knowing what to talk about. And some of them didn’t like the new Teresa that was running her own business and reaching for the stars and that was ok. People change and move on and I noticed this happened because of the business. However, I would also like to add that you can’t do it alone — Running a small business can be tough and you need people around you to help. These may not be currently friends and family and you may have to look for new groups to support you but you need those people. ⠀

#3 Your brain never turns off… ever — I never stop thinking about my business and everything surrounding it. In the shower, falling asleep, cooking dinner, on the school run, doing the food shopping, I mean all the time! And this can be really hard to manage, switching off has been very difficult for me especially because I love what I do. You have to make sure you find some way to have down time — Gin helps lol! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

#4 You need to have a good mindset — You need to gather together some good tools, tactics and strategies to use when your mind doesn’t want to. So many things in business can make us stumble and block us from being successful. So mindset work is key! And as part of this you should learn to embrace failing — My resilience has gotten better as time has gone on. The more things went wrong or didn’t go as I had hoped. Or the times that it straight up failed! In business you turn each failure into an opportunity to learn.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

#5 You need systems and processes — Over the first 2/3 years of my business I must have wasted so much time and so many opportunities, through being unorganised and not having the right systems in place. I know systems and processes don’t feel very exciting, but honestly I could not run my business without them. If you do something more than once in your business it can be a system and when you grow someone else can do that thing. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

Over the years I have helped hundreds of women business owners create the business and life they dream of. I have watched them grow and achieve things they never thought possible and that is amazing. Within the business, I have an amazing team who get to grow with me and benefit from our joint success through weekends away and gifts for their children. I have also volunteered my time and expertise to help many charities.

One of my plans for the future is to start my own charity.

My movement would be around helping people in marginalized communities start their own business that would not normally have the opportunity or where it is not as encouraged.

I would love nothing more than to sit down for lunch with the amazing Glennon Doyle — the world is a better place for her being in it.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this

Female Founders: Teresa Heath-Wareing On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Sarah MaHannah of Pure Dharma: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Leading a Cannabis…

Sarah MaHannah of Pure Dharma: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Leading a Cannabis or CBD Business

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Becoming an advocate for self care and the planet is met with such resistance in a world that promotes the glorification of ‘busy’. It’s often challenging to maintain balance between “wellness” and “founder” even with all the tools — the days I’m feeling great as a mom are not usually the ones I’m kicking butt at work and vice versa, but persevering and staying consistent with effort in all areas leads to results that I can feel good about when I take a moment to put my life in perspective. It’s really easy to get sucked into the business or stress of work, but when I take time to see myself from the outside I really am creating the life of my dreams.

As part of my series about “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Leading a Cannabis Business” I had the pleasure of interviewing Sarah MaHannah.

Founded by Sarah and her husband Sean MaHannah, Pure Dharma was created with the mission to optimize personal and planetary well-being through ritualized beauty and wellness practices. By inspiring a conscious lifestyle through intentional practices and sustainable choices, the duo hopes to give others the tools to live a healthier, more joy-filled life. As someone who has long been passionate about beauty and wellness, the evolution of Pure Dharma came naturally to Sarah after years of working in the spa industry and seeing the need for high-end, luxury skincare that blends botanicals with cutting-edge ingredients in a beautiful, clean and non-toxic way.

Sarah was always fascinated with face masks, salt baths and anything pertaining to skincare. In 2006, she began work as an esthetician, and it was at that time she began a deep dive into learning about ingredients. Having sensitive skin herself, she knew first-hand how irritating and harmful ingredients could cause skin to be reactive on a surface and superficial level, but as she did more research, she began to learn more about the effects on a person’s overall health and body. Sarah discovered the lack of safety regulations in personal care products in the US compared to other parts of the world. She delved into continuing education which then led her to open her own skincare studio with a focus on organic and non-toxic treatments in 2019.

A few years later, Sarah had children of her own and became a mother, prompting her to expand her standards of using non-toxic, clean ingredients for household and lifestyle goods as well. Sarah’s background in yoga (both as a student and a teacher), her journey as a clean beauty practitioner, as well as a passion for plant medicine all stem from a personal desire for health and wellness. For her, these aren’t just products to sell, this is the lifestyle she lives and embodies day in and day out.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you share with us the story about what brought you to this specific career path?

As an esthetician and yoga teacher, self care rituals have become a way of life for me over the years and I know how important it is to take care of myself to bring the best version of myself into the world every day. I am passionate about non-toxic ingredients and have an affinity for luxury skincare products and routines. The idea for Pure Dharma was born when I noticed the emergence of CBD and THC topicals coming to market early at various cannabis shows I attended with my husband Sean, a cannabis industry veteran. I saw the unique opportunity to marry my love of modern and cutting edge skincare with my passion for the healing power of

botanicals, but do it in a beautiful and sustainable way.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

The most interesting story is that the pandemic happened and the world completely shifted after we decided to launch Pure Dharma. It was something I didn’t anticipate but it also highlighted the need for self-care and wellness rituals even more. In our personal lives and as a society, we are all being asked to show up in new ways and it can be challenging to move through life with ease and grace. Recognizing the importance of building a brand that can be supportive, one that can give people the tools they need to feel good as they navigate life’s challenges — is more essential than ever.

This is a lesson in trusting in divine timing and not to second-guess my gut instincts. There is always room for excellence and there can only be one you! We are completely self funded and do everything in-house ourselves so it has taken several years to get from inception of the idea to product on shelves. Seeing a surge in CBD products on the market during that time has led to many disheartening moments of second-guessing myself and the vision for the brand. While it’s true there are many CBD companies out there today, there are very few that are doing it to the level of quality and caliber we offer. What makes us unique (in addition to doing everything in-house where we only have high vibrations and high intentions) is using Nano CBD for a greater effectiveness so the absorption of our topicals penetrates deeper, truly setting us apart. Our products undergo third party testing to ensure the CBD isn’t contaminated with heavy metals and pesticides, demonstrating that we hold ourselves to the highest standard and also being transparent about it. We also strive to be as sustainable as we can not only when it comes to ingredients and sourcing but also packaging.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Maybe not funny as in ha ha, but the funniest mistake is probably the level of naïveté I had about what it takes to manufacture your own skincare line and do it all in house — now I understand why the majority of companies use white-label formulations and have co-packers, it’s really hard work! Being an independent brand with conscious values is often at odds with our mom-and-pop budget but I am proud of what we have done so far and the concessions that we didn’t make to save costs at the expense of the environment. Our integrity and values are clearly on display and I also see how the ability to have complete oversight lends itself to a certain level of quality that is unmatched. We have nothing but high vibrations and high intentions in our space, I will even play kundalini mantras to keep the frequency elevated in the warehouse!

To recognize personal strengths and weaknesses early on and not try to do it all! Leaning more into the importance of community and having a good one around you. We all see how society suffers when we are alone and isolated, so doing my best to surround myself with people that elevate and enhance my life experience more, I try to do the same for them, so we can in turn all get more out of this life experience together. When I think back to the early days of planning I see that it would have benefitted Pure Dharma to get help in certain areas sooner because once the right people with the right energy and skills were in place, things just started to click. I am a wife (running a business with my husband which in itself is no easy task, who also has another business he runs!), mom to two small kids, I’m also a daughter, sister, and a friend — I can’t do it all and am still only one person. So even though I want to do so much, trying to prioritize what I am good at AND what I enjoy while getting help with the rest as much as possible proves most beneficial. That’s why more than just products, I want Pure Dharma to become a brand that’s able to serve the community with tools that uplift and elevate the collective as a whole.

Are you working on any exciting projects now? How do you think that will help people?

We are currently working on several formulations to round out our offerings into a more complete skin and body line. We are also looking to expand possibly into gummies because we understand that wellness starts within, so to be able to offer some high-vibe, healthy and unique CBD formulations as an ingestible would be another fun way to serve the collective as a lifestyle brand.

There is still a large population out there that hasn’t been educated on the effectiveness of CBD and why it works so well with our bodies and the ability to enhance overall wellness/ wellbeing, so we are hosting retreats both online and in-person, going to pop-up events, and curating wellness experiences to continue to grow awareness and to promote destigmatization of the cannabis plant as a focus in 2022. Our products are experiential so having that in person opportunity to connect with the community and grow our brand is key.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

I wouldn’t be here or have any of this without my husband, Sean. He has been a constant support of me and my dreams over the past 24 years and being able to co-create with him has been the supreme blessing and also teacher. Having the love and support of those closest to you in life is crucial for creating the life of your dreams. I also receive tremendous support-both emotional and physical — from my parents that live nearby who help out often with the kids. That is priceless support — for real! It really does take a village.

This industry is young, dynamic and creative. Do you use any clever and innovative marketing strategies that you think large legacy companies should consider adopting?

We are still in the early stages of our brand and wouldn’t consider offering advice at this stage of our tenure to legacy brands.…but what I will say as a young, dynamic, and creative brand is we are trying all of the things! Our team is very small but also diverse in age and demographic so learning as we go with traditional approaches in marketing as well as new ones out of my comfort zone (hello TikTok). It’s challenging to know what the next best move is and what will be the best strategy to optimize reach and be able resonate with your particular community so staying open and fluid is what we are doing.

Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the Cannabis industry? Can you share 3 things that most concern you?

1) On a personal level what excites me the most is an opportunity I have in an industry I love and to do something fun that can truly serve the people.

2) I’m also excited about the availability and accessibility of a plant that can uplift and elevate humanity with so many potential health benefits — when I discovered the plant (I just turned 45), I very much had to do it in secret with only trusted friends! There is a positive groundswell happening in regards to cannabis and CBD that has come with legalization and education and that has been great to see over the years.

3) The industry has been a boom for employment and job-creation, in fact cannabis was deemed essential (as it should be!) during the pandemic so was able to remain less affected during the shutdowns. I would have never predicted this years ago!

1) The inability of the federal government to decriminalize cannabis federally as well as seek expungements for people with prior cannabis convictions as was promised during the campaign by the Biden administration. The fact that people remain imprisoned over a medicinal plant while others profit over it is just wrong.

2) The excessive taxation of the cannabis industry results in the continued proliferation of the black market and greater hardships being placed on small mom-and-pop businesses trying to operate and succeed.

3) The massive influx of purely financial predatory motives and operations in the industry since legalization has brought a whole new, negative energy — the ones who love cannabis for plant medicine and who are true stewards of the plant and the planet are far and few between.

Can you share your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Leading a Cannabis Business”? Please share a story or example for each.

1) How the pandemic would affect everything — sourcing ingredients, packaging from overseas, labor for construction, and the state of the world. Things have taken more time and more money to launch than we could have guessed given the current climate.

2) Banking would still be an issue in 2022. Traditional banking and financial services are still not within reach for cannabis business, stemming from the fact that cannabis is still considered illegal on the federal level. This proves costly and inefficient.

3) The cannabis industry moves faster than any other industry I have worked in with new trends emerging constantly. We are unable to reach consumers with traditional advertising and with so many brands emerging it’s difficult to stand out. Having unique points of differentiation in a saturated market is key- it’s not enough to have a great product!!

4) There is still a real need to educate consumers on the healing potential of cannabis as an alternative to conventional healthcare. While I would love to spend all my time being creative and coming up with new formulations, unfortunately we are still dealing with the negative effects of old stigmas and so many people have misconceptions and are misinformed. Even in a culture that glamorizes and embraces alcohol (and so many other substances) to be used as self care and part of bonding and rituals, there is still a resistance to plants from societal conditioning.

5) Becoming an advocate for self care and the planet is met with such resistance in a world that promotes the glorification of ‘busy’. It’s often challenging to maintain balance between “wellness” and “founder” even with all the tools — the days I’m feeling great as a mom are not usually the ones I’m kicking butt at work and vice versa, but persevering and staying consistent with effort in all areas leads to results that I can feel good about when I take a moment to put my life in perspective. It’s really easy to get sucked into the business or stress of work, but when I take time to see myself from the outside I really am creating the life of my dreams.

What advice would you give to other CEOs or founders to help their employees to thrive?

As a yoga teacher (and mom), the advice or guidance I give all humans no matter their occupation to help them thrive is to connect with yourself, and develop a life of excellence. Become a lighthouse so that your presence and your frequency is one that lights you up from the inside and elevates and inspires everyone you come in contact with. Be the light for yourself and those around you! When we work on ourselves, we

have the choice and opportunity to become brighter, shine brighter and show up as our best selves — truly living our dharma. Being of service in a way that feels good and connects us with humanity at large helps us in all areas of life — not just work.

I’m a kundalini yoga teacher and if I could inspire a movement it would be to have everyone connect with themselves via their breath and have a personal meditation practice. Our world needs supportive, nourishing practices more than ever so for everyone to tap into their best self. It would help us all live in a way feeling vital and connected. Breathwork is the bridge to wellness and it’s something we all have access to, and it’s free!

What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?

Instagram : @puredharmaofficial

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!

Sarah MaHannah of Pure Dharma: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Leading a Cannabis… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Elle Cole: 5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Be adventurous even in a small way. If you’re a person that doesn’t like a lot of color in your home, try using one or two colors you like in a space. Possibly a pillow or accessories that have the colors you like. You may discover you like it or you don’t. But, either way you’ve stretched outside of your comfort zone — which is always a good way to help us with personal growth.

As part of my series on the “5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Elle Cole.

Dallas-native Elle Cole, Owner and Principal Designer of Elle Cole Interiors, brings strong architectural and interior design training, a sincere love for creating beautiful spaces, and a healthy dose of Southern hospitality to the table when bringing her clients’ vision to life. She believes that our strongest and fondest memories are made in the home. Elle and her team deliver sophisticated yet approachable interiors that honor the client and their space, while recognizing that this work should be fun!

Thank you so much for joining us in this series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

All my life I’ve been lead to this point in my design career, even though I majored in economics. It’s my childhood that set the desire in motion of creating a beautiful home. Since I was young, I’ve always had a love for creating, but it was the downturn of the market that lead me to seek what I felt I’d really been missing, because I wasn’t happy. And, I knew at that point I needed to make a change in my career.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this career?

When I started my firm, I knew I always wanted to hang my own sign up. I’d been praying for God to lead me to where I needed to be for months. Little did I know the next morning, dreading looking for spaces again that were either too big, wrong location or I couldn’t afford. I happened to go into one of the design showrooms for fabric memos and as I was leaving I had a gut feeling to ask my sales rep (Jayne) if she knew of anyone that had a space available close to the design center. She immediately said, “Yes! Call Richard, he just had someone move out and is looking for a new tenant.” I called him as soon as I left the showroom, met him that afternoon at the office and signed a new lease that day. It turned out to be the perfect design studio…lighting, price, location and size. Call it coincidence or miracle, it was one of best things that has happened to me.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

My goodness, suppose we all make mistakes! I’m can’t say it was comical at the time, but it certainly has been a lesson I’ll never forget. We had a large fabric order to upholster chairs, it was a 22 yard order. I waived getting a CFA (Cutting For Approval) of the fabric — this is when we confirm our memo fabric to the fabric coming from the mill to ensure the dye lots match. Well, we received a call from our workroom asking if we changed the fabric on the chairs. Of course we didn’t! Well, we thought we were receiving a grey fabric and what arrived was lavender in the same pattern. Now, the interesting part is that there was not a lavender colorway to select from, the mills dye lot was way off from the original memo we sourced. So, lesson learned was…always request a CFA or you’ll own 22 yards of fabric you don’t need!

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?

Every project is exciting and brings with it its own challenges. Currently, we’re working on decorating projects — this is the fun part where you select fabrics, furnishings, etc. and really make the space shine, because you have good bones to work with. I absolutely love every aspect of design, but it is a nice treat when all you have to do is dress up the room to make it beautiful vs. create a foundation to make it pretty. The best advice I can offer to help people is taking the time to create a plan for the room. Meaning, decide on the colors that you’d love for the room, how you want the space to feel, the furniture layout, financial investment before going out to buy furniture. Make a plan first in order to achieve the result you’re seeking.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Action breeds more clarity than thought, you can’t think your way into a new life, you have to act your way into one.” Taking action towards the life that you think you want will breed more clarity into the life you really want. So many people think, read, think, read — but they never do. It’s only by leaning into your dreams and being brave enough to take action when you truly find out what’s right for you. Your dreams will never come to fruition by you waiting for them to show up. All you need is the where not the how — you’ll figure things out while you’re flying. I’m still applying this life lesson in my business today. If there’s a business opportunity I want to venture into I keep this quote in mind, it helps me move forward rather than allowing my fears to drive my actions.

Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

There are so many people that help you along the way. But, when I look back it would have to be my husband. He’s been the oak tree that has been a constant in my life. Never wavering of his support in my toughest moments and always believing in me when I didn’t believe in myself. When I first started thinking of opening my design firm, he never doubted its success. He always had the strongest faith, having enough faith for both of us. But, I remember him saying, “you must do this or you’ll regret it. And, don’t worry, because I got you.” Something so simple, gave me all the courage I needed to launch. And, now I’m happily standing strong years later.

What are your “5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

Fill it with the things you love. When you love something it brings you joy every day.

Be adventurous even in a small way. If you’re a person that doesn’t like a lot of color in your home, try using one or two colors you like in a space. Possibly a pillow or accessories that have the colors you like. You may discover you like it or you don’t. But, either way you’ve stretched outside of your comfort zone — which is always a good way to help us with personal growth.

The area of your home that is a paint point, try to view it with a different perspective. Take a moment to envision the beauty it could be vs. what it isn’t. If you change your perspective you may discover a new way to use the space and learn to love it. Or, you may gain clarity around what’s needed to make it more inviting.

Invest in functional items, like good lighting or a professional organizer — when your home functions and you have for example a good reading spot or an office that’s organized it makes a world of difference in your life. Having a functional space will give you time back and provide support when you need it the most.

Clean out the clutter. Give away items that are not serving you well and donate them to a local charity. Giving is always better than receiving.

If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?

Getting others to feel passionate about the written word, hand-written letters. Everyone sends texts, emails, etc. — the art of writing well or even writing in cursive is being lost. I believe partly to blame is that our society has become too accustomed to instant gratification. It would be lovely to see a shift in our communication style, where people began to enjoy the art of the hand-written letter again.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why?

The author Malcolm Gladwell — any scenario (breakfast, lunch or dinner) would be amazing. I’d have so many questions for him. But, what I love about his writing is that he finds magic in the smallest of details and creates a story that allows people to engage and understand the most complex subjects in a simplified manner. How could you not want to be in the presence of someone who has this incredible gift of storytelling?

Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational!

Elle Cole: 5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Women In Wellness: Dr Lynn Anderson On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s…

Women In Wellness: Dr Lynn Anderson On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Your Wealth is Your Health — rather than focus on the accumulation of material things the focus would shift to the accumulation of health. When we are healthy in body, mind and soul we have wealth. Clarity, vitality and creativity are biproduct of good health and are also needed to accumulate material wealth. Material wealth can always be created, but without your health everything else is meaningless.

As a part of my series about the women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Lynn Anderson.

Dr. Lynn Anderson is a naturopath, yoga therapist, fitness professional, karma master, published author, international speaker and video producer with over 30 years’ experience in the field of natural health and fitness. She has been featured in Redbook, Reader’s Digest, Huffington Post, Shape, SELF and various other national publications, TV networks and Podcasts. She is the author and producer of the Soul Walking series; How to Master Karma.; How to Master Prosperity and How to Master Vitality; Doctor Lynn’s Proactive-Aging Workouts; Burnout — it happens to all of us; Sex Matters, and other health and fitness courses.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?

I grew up on a small island off the coast of Maine. At one time there was only one telephone on the island and to see a doctor took over an hour’s ride over rough roads and across a causeway. So many people on the island, including my grandmother, used what was known as folk medicine for minor things like infections, flues and colds. My grandmother taught me how to use herbs and plants, as well as how to make medicinal tinctures, tonics and wines for healing. Everyone had a root cellar with bottles of healing potions. I took it all in stride until I found myself deplete, exhausted and burnt-out as a young single mother struggling to put myself through school while working and raising two children. My collapse (burnout) led me to seek out alternative and natural methods for healing myself and this led to me becoming a naturopath, yoga therapist and wellness professional. Physician heal thyself — Hippocrates

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?

At one time I had toxic people in my life. I asked my Guru what to do. He showed me the tip of his finger and said,

“If you have poison on the tip of your finger and you don’t remove it the poison will take over your whole body. Cut it off and move on otherwise it will destroy your health body, mind and soul.” And so, I did. As I teach my students if it is not useful, meaningful and beautiful let it go.

Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

The biggest mistake I made was listening to that voice of self-doubt and fear that played inside my head. When I began to study Naturopathy, herbology and aromatherapy, these were considered quackery by the main stream. What’s funny is how mainstream it has all become today. Life is a circle. I’ve replaced that voice with trust and courage.

Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?

I have been teaching Karma yoga for over 30 years, as well as Cycle and dance. As a naturopath and yoga therapist I have combined physical movement and exercise with diet and soulful teaching to help my students and clients reach a higher state of health body, mind and soul. The world will always need vital and thoughtful energy to both survive and to thrive. I hope my workshops and classes help. I try to show my students where to look, but not what to see. The journey should be about self-growth and not about a dogma. Teaching healthy self-growth body, mind and soul has the potential to make a big impact on the world.

Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.

At the top of my to do list every day I put workout and eat healthy — it’ the most important thing you can do in a day — Put this at the top of your list and work it into your schedule just like any other task, or appointment
Find a fitness/health class, or a group you can commit to and show up
Pay attention to the three pillars of health — diet, exercise and sleep — all three of these are essential to health and vitality.
Keep practicing and when you think you got it — practice some more.
Be proactive — you are aging from your very first breath to your very last breath, so take charge of your health. Be proactive. No one knows your body, mind and soul as you do.

If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?

Your Wealth is Your Health — rather than focus on the accumulation of material things the focus would shift to the accumulation of health. When we are healthy in body, mind and soul we have wealth. Clarity, vitality and creativity are biproduct of good health and are also needed to accumulate material wealth. Material wealth can always be created, but without your health everything else is meaningless.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?

Time really flies — I wasted so much time
Romantic Love is fleeting — I could have avoided a few heart aches
Don’t sweat the small stuff — I took on too much stress worrying about small stuff
Be grateful everyday — it creates happiness and good health
Enjoy it is life’s greatest pleasure — joy fills the soul

Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?

Mental Health: I believe it is at the root of all our problems — karma — the effect is a result of true cause. When we see the effects of violence, greed and horrific crimes the root cause is mental health.

What is the best way our readers can follow you online?

http://www.doctorlynn.com ad follow me on Instagram http://instagram.com/doctorlaa/

Thank you for these fantastic insights!

Women In Wellness: Dr Lynn Anderson On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Women Leading The Cannabis Industry, With Shatoia Robinson of Budzy

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

One of my goals is to break the stigma around hemp and CBD culture through education. When administered appropriately, cannabis can have a positive effect on one’s health, including reducing anxiety, lowering blood pressure, reducing inflammation, and fighting cancer.

As a part of my series about strong women leaders in the cannabis industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Shatoia Robinson.

Shatoia Robinson was raised by women who taught her to roll up her sleeves and get to work. She graduated from DePaul University in Chicago with a Bachelors in Marketing and Entrepreneurship. Her strong work ethic and motivation have given her the drive to succeed in the medical sales industry for more than a decade, and while working in the industry, Shatoia discovered the benefits of CBD firsthand. The more she educated herself on the power of CBD, the more she wanted to share her knowledge and empower women of color to embrace a holistic, healthy life infused with CBD.

This passion, along with her entrepreneurial spirit, led her to launch Budzy, the first Black woman-owned monthly CBD subscription box that introduces women to a world of high-end CBD products that are beautiful to behold and backed by research. With the experience she brings from her medical sales career, Shatoia possesses the skills to take complicated scientific jargon and express it in relatable terms. This, in particular, has been an important differentiator for Budzy, as one of Shatoia’s goals is to break the stigma surrounding hemp and CBD culture through education.

Shatoia has recently taken her venture with Budzy to the next level and has developed the first CBD infused dry cookie mix to hit the market — The Cake Cookie by Budzy. Her desire to develop a product line of her own intersects with her passion for baking. In fact, back in 2010, Shatoia was the first African-American woman to launch a food truck in the City of Chicago called Mama Green’s Gourmet Goodies, in which she baked and sold delicious cookies based on her family’s heirloom recipes.

Shatoia’s mantra is “attitude is everything” and we see that play out through every aspect of her life, including her business. She’s motivated by the fact that she’s able to inspire other women to take charge and lead their lives in a positive direction, just as her mother and grandmother have inspired her.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us the “backstory” about what brought you to the cannabis industry?

I became interested in cannabidiol (CBD) products while working as a pharmaceutical and medical sales representative. The more I educated myself on the power of CBD, the more I wanted to share this knowledge and empower women to take control of their health and wellness in a natural way.

After losing my job at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I launched Budzy, a monthly subscription box service that elevates the CBD experience with our ever-changing curation of premium products from food to fashion to lifestyle.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

When I first started out, I had deliveries delayed and shipped to the wrong address because I was moving too fast and didn’t take the time to double check my every step. I learned very quickly that attention to detail is incredibly important when it comes to logistics, and this alone has the potential to make or break you when you’re in the subscription box business.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

Carrie Solomon of Greater Goods has been a wonderful help to me. She helped design and co-manufacture our first branded product — The Cake Cookie by Budzy.

Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? How do you think that will help people?

We are very excited about the launch of The Cake Cookie. It is the first CBD infused dry cookie mix on the market, allowing people to make edibles at home in a safe and fun manner!

Ok. Thank you for all that. Let’s now jump to the main core of our interview. Despite great progress that has been made we still have a lot more work to do to achieve gender parity in this industry. According to this report in Entrepreneur, less than 25 percent of cannabis businesses are run by women. In your opinion or experience, what 3 things can be done by a)individuals b)companies and/or c) society to support greater gender parity moving forward?

First and foremost, it’s platforms such as this interview that give us a voice to educate other women on what the possibilities are. Sharing our stories and educating women on how to lead in a male-dominated industry is the first step to breaking down barriers.

Additionally, I believe there is boundless potential in collaborating with larger brands for activations. The idea that a well-established brand can shed light on women-owned brands is very powerful.

And finally, there are several ways that women can enter the cannabis industry through ancillary business, including transportation, banking/finance, etc. As a woman inspired by the industry, I took it upon myself to use my skill set to forge a place within the industry that I could call my own. Now it’s up to other women who are interested in breaking through to harness their strengths and do the same.

You are a “Cannabis Insider”. If you had to advise someone about 5 non intuitive things one should know to succeed in the cannabis industry, what would you say? Can you please give a story or an example for each.

Always being willing to pivot. It’s absolutely essential!
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. If you come across an idea, put your own spin on it and go for it!
Network like crazy. There are a lot of women in the industry with tons of experience, but sometimes, for whatever reason, they are afraid to share. It’s okay to put your guard down and reach out to connect with the women you admire.

Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the cannabis industry?

More diversity in the industry.
More women in the industry.
Seeing more non-violent drug convictions for people of color being overturned.

Can you share 3 things that most concern you about the industry? If you had the ability to implement 3 ways to reform or improve the industry, what would you suggest?

I’m most concerned about big business coming into the industry and making everything cookie cutter. It also really grinds my gears that local governments are doing more to open up opportunities for people of color that want to come into this industry. It’s exhausting seeing the same type of people win licensing lotteries. Cannabis was built on diversity and independence. Now it seems like there are too many former naysayers jumping on board just to make a dollar.

What are your thoughts about federal legalization of cannabis? If you could speak to your Senator, what would be your most persuasive argument regarding why they should or should not pursue federal legalization?

Cannabis is medicine and it can help people heal naturally in so many different disease states. The power of this plant has the potential to heal people all over the country.

Today, cigarettes are legal, but they are heavily regulated, highly taxed, and they are somewhat socially marginalized. Would you like cannabis to have a similar status to cigarettes or different? Can you explain?

One of my goals is to break the stigma around hemp and CBD culture through education. When administered appropriately, cannabis can have a positive effect on one’s health, including reducing anxiety, lowering blood pressure, reducing inflammation, and fighting cancer.

On the other hand, cigarettes contain toxins and have been linked to a variety of diseases, including lung cancer. One of the biggest advantages of cannabis is that you don’t have to smoke it. In fact, edibles have been growing in popularity and are one of the most popular items among the products offered in Budzy’s subscription boxes.

That being said, I truly believe that comparing cigarettes to cannabis is like comparing apples to oranges. With my experience in the medical industry, I’m grateful to be able to leverage my skills to take complicated scientific jargon and express it in relatable terms to help redefine cannabis culture in our country.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

Attitude is everything. Everyone has a choice about how they want to go through the day and respond to the things that happen to them. A good positive attitude can help you throughout that journey.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

I want to inspire young Black women to think outside the box.

Thank you so much for the time you spent with this. We wish you only continued success!

Women Leading The Cannabis Industry, With Shatoia Robinson of Budzy was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.