Felicia Hunter Women's Cannabis Chamber of Commerce

Felicia Hunter

Felicia Hunter has extensive experience in all controllership functions including transactional accounting, GAAP accounting, cost accounting, entire month end-close, and reporting and analysis. In addition to her controllership experience, she has worked in process design and improvements, system implementation and automations, and management of financial controls and internal controls. She uses this experience when working with growing companies to build scalable processes and derive value from the accounting and reporting function. She holds a CPA license in the state of New York and Texas. Felicia Hunter is the founder and CEO of Euphoric Accounting

Felicia is a member of Women’s Cannabis Chamber of Commerce and is one of hosts of By the Numbers: Q&A with Certified Cannabis Accountants. She is one of the Cannabis Accounting for Accountants facilitators.

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Jaqi York Women's Cannabis Chamber of Commerce

Jaqi York

Jaqi York became an investment broker at the age of 19, becoming the youngest CFP’s in the industry. Jaqi has worked with high end clients providing world class financial planning and has built multiple businesses in diverse industries over  the past 25+ years, grossing up to 8 million in sales a year. She understands what is involved in starting and growing a company in an ever-evolving industry. Focus is on tailoring accounting for growth and continual success. Jaqi has studied and worked with the best in the cannabis industry, DopeCFO. She is the founder and CEO OF  Blooming CFO

Jaqi Yorkis a member of Women’s Cannabis Chamber of Commerce and is one of hosts of By the Numbers: Q&A with Certified Cannabis Accountants. She is one of the Cannabis Accounting for Accountants facilitators.

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Dorothy Kolb

Dorothy Kolb  Fractional CFO combines her decades-long career leading finance, accounting, and operations for Fortune 500 companies with her NYS CPA and certification with the National Association of Cannabis Accountants & Tax Professionals to serve the cannabis industry. She is a member of Women’s Cannabis Chamber of Commerce and is one of hosts of By the Numbers: Q&A with Certified Cannabis Accountants. She is one of the Cannabis Accounting for Accountants facilitators. Dorothy Kolb is on a mission to transform what the cannabis industry looks like for women. With deep knowledge of how the “big guys” grow and maintain financial success, and as a serial entrepreneur advising small businesses since 2017, Dorothy translates business and finance strategy effectively – and with results. Using her expansive network, she helps her clients get in front of the right people and leverage the right resources to grow their businesses with confidence. Dorothy is the founder and CEO of  Planet Earth CFO Advisory

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Angelita Green Women's Cannabis Chamber of Commerce

Angelita Green

Angelita Green, EA has worked with cannabis clients for over 7 years from seed to sale. She is a founding member of National Association of Cannabis Accountants where she received her Cannabis Certification and is also the Southeast Committee Leader.  Angelita is also part of the DOPE CFO VIP network which brings a network of world class service to her clients.  She has been an expert speaker at several events and has sponsored several social equity clients helping them get traction in this industry. She is on the NCIA committee for Hemp and was on the DEIC committee. Angelita is a member of WCCC and is one of hosts of By the Numbers: Q&A with Certified Cannabis Accountants. Angelita Green is one of the Cannabis Accounting for Accountants facilitators.  Her constant up to date knowledge in this industry and experience has given several entrepreneurs the compliance and tax strategies needed to optimize profitability. Angelita is the founder and CEO of  New Leaf EA Corporation

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Women's Cannabis Chamber of Commerce WCCC Vanessa Palacios

Vanessa Palacios

Vanessa Palacios had a successful 20 year career with the Public Service Company (PNM) Her entrepreneurial husband, Oscar, encouraged her to make a career change and to consider opening a business. 

Vanessa’s career with PNM gave her the opportunity to develop and perfect skill sets that would secure her an executive position with any company. She coordinated program implementation, including developing participation forecasts, designing promotions, managing contracts, tracking participation and budget, working with participating vendors, retailers, and contractors, and preparing regulatory compliance reports on programs.

Vanessa’s skill sets are the skill sets needed to develop a business plan, s.o.p.’s, and launch a cannabis dispensary.

Vanessa Palacios is a co-owner and Chief of Operations for Lemon Cannabis Co, located in the Nob Hill Neighborhood of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Lemon Cannabis Co is an integrated microbusiness that has just opened their first dispensary storefront. Lemon Cannabis Co. focuses on premium products and knowledgeable Budtenders to ensure both the novice and the connoisseur finds the perfect product.

Lemon Cannabis Co is working towards a more sustainable cannabis industry. They use glass containers for single pre-rolls and sturdy boxes for pre-roll 6-packs. Lemon Cannabis Co has a refill program: Bring the glass container and/or the pre-roll box back to be refilled and receive 10% off the purchase. They were surprised by the lack of biodegradable packaging and have begun working with companies to develop biodegradable packaging for Lemon Cannabis Co products. 

Although Lemon Cannabis Co is new to the area, Vanessa and her team are native Albuquerqueans with strong ties to the community. 

Creating a positive experience is what Vanessa strives to do in all interactions. As a past customer satisfaction trainer and 20 years of interacting with consumers to understand their needs, she brings a wealth of knowledge to the cannabis industry to meet consumer needs. 

Her passion also lies within the community she serves, “I love Albuquerque! The people make it a beautiful place to live and I hope to be a part of all the wonderful and positive things happening here.” 

Vanessa has been involved with United Way Worldwide for over 20 years. She has been an

avid contributor and was selected as a PNM Co-Captain in 2013 and 2014 to assist in raising money for the Annual Campaign.

Vanessa and the Lemon Cannabis Co. team continue the commitment to serving their community. They are creating a foundation to improve the community and have pledged to donate 5% of all Lemon Cannabis Co. profits.

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Women's Cannabis Chamber of Commerce

Meaka Brown

Meaka Brown recently received a five year appointment to the Massachusetts Cannabis Social Equity Fund Advisory Board. Her cannabis industry resume includes cannabis banking regulatory specialist, Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission.

Meaka did not appear to be on a career path that would lead her to becoming the first WOC to manage a dispensary in Massachusetts. She was a City of Boston Constable for eleven years.

It was during this time that her entrepreneurial spirit led to developing body care products, lotions, bath scrubs and tea blends. When her grandmother had multiple knee surgeries, Meaka wanted to create a product to help reduce her pain. 

In 2015 her sister in-law passed from Cervical Cancer, her medical card arrived on the morning she passed away.

“ I was deeply disturbed by this fact and became activated from there to learn more about cannabis and the industry and the laws that surrounded it. I started to research and eventually began to study herbal medicine with Karen Rose of Sacred Vibes, Brooklyn NY and Tammi Sweet of Heartstone Center for Earth Essentials, Ithaca, NY. I learned the principles of Herbal medicine with Karen and Cannabis Science and Medicine from Tammi.”

The love of the plant and her passion for healing has inspired her to relaunch her Babes Handmade Brand incorporating CBD and THC into the Babes Handmade Body Care and Wellness Line.

Meaka’s love of the plant and passion for healing has evolved into healing communities. She is working on a cannabis curriculum specifically designed for ADI communities that aims to educate, uplift and restore the people of those communities. 

She is also working on a Social Equity Webinar to help banks understand why banking the underserved in the industry is vital and necessary to create a truly diverse cannabis space.

And, she is working on a project to bring more Minority Depository Institutions in the Cannabis Banking Space. 

“If we can introduce them to the ways in which they can safely participate in the industry, then they can begin to have a meaningful impact on the cannabis businesses in their neighborhood and begin to generate more wealth in their communities. Why should BIPOC led cannabis businesses have to leave their communities to bank in other towns and in some cases other states in order to access services.”

Meaka Brown is a woman paving the path and opening doors for women in the cannabis industry. She is setting the standard for women in cannabis in Massachusetts.

Meaka Brown is a Woman Cultivating Success.

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Women's Cannabis Chamber of Commerce

Alexis Berends

Alexis Berends job title is Chief Visionary Officer at Union Chill Cannabis Company llc. In Lambertville, NJ. The title fits her. 

Alexis has lived in Lambertville, NJ, (Nishowmensa, Lenapehoking) most of her life. At best calculation, her son is the seventh generation to call her beloved river city home. Hailing from a line of activists, musicians, and artists, she deeply believes in inclusivity and change, and that the fledgling NJ cannabis industry can be utilized as a catalyst to shape our collective future. 

 After receiving a Bachelors of Honors in Globalization, Development and Human Rights from Arcadia University in 2009, Alexis continued on to pursue her Masters in International Peace & Conflict Resolution. Her studies brought her to the Middle East where she studied the plight of the Palestinian people in the context of environmental justice. Her research was focused on water access and indigenous rights through the lens of international law. After a series of divine interventions – including a vision quest with an AWOL Israeli soldier and a kidnapping in revolutionary Egypt – her life path was forever altered. 

 Upon returning to the United States, Alexis promptly moved to St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands. During her time in the USVI, Alexis began to immerse herself in the Rastafarian culture and their deep relationship with cannabis. After leaving the USVI, Alexis found her way to Humboldt County, California where she was introduced to the cultivation side of cannabis. Not dissimilar to the USVI, in California Alexis gained an intimate glimpse into the lives of many of our Native American brothers & sisters who have been so negatively impacted by the war on drugs and industries at large.  

 It is Alexis’ goal to create a cannabis industry that honors the First Nations Peoples of the world and a shared commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship, as well as one that offers sincere equity to the communities most impacted by the War on Drugs. 

 Alexis Berends is also a Divemaster, Master Shark Diver, Yoga Teacher, and Reiki Master. She enjoys anything related to vampires, the ocean, and the spacetime continuum. Of her revolving titles at Union Chill Cannabis, Chief Visionary Officer seems to best encompass her passions and vision. She deeply believes in the medicine of cannabis, especially in treating PTSD in conjunction with mindfulness and intention. 

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Suzan Nickelson

Suzan Nickelson

Suzan Nickelson made history when she was awarded a New Jersey medicinal dispensary license in the NJ RFP 2019 round. Then she made news when Holistic Solutions opened on February 10th, 2023, in Waterford Township N.J.

Holistic Solutions is a 4,000 square foot dispensary with 11 POS stations for seamless purchasing, a private consultation room for discussions with onsite medical professionals, and a drive-thru window. Holistic Solutions provides compassionate care and education to patients enrolled in New Jersey’s Medicinal Cannabis Program. 

Suzan Nickelson has curated an assortment of THC and CBD products, including flower, pre-rolls, edibles, tinctures, vaporizers, concentrates, ingestible, topicals, accessories, its own strain called “Girlie” after Suzan’s mother, Elaine Campbell-Cohen.

Holistic Solutions stocks its shelves with products from independent entrepreneurs such as Miss Grass cannabis, artisan jewelry from Jamaican designer Kristie Stephenson, and women and BIPOC-owned cannabis brands.

“When you walk in, you’ll see art, culture—you’ll see some great cannabis and you’ll feel welcome,” Suzan said. “Cannabis teaches that out of many people we are one. We believe cannabis is a universal incubator. It’s a connector and we’re looking to connect.”

Holistic Solutions opened with 10 employees including women, minorities, veterans, and others who are normally underrepresented in the workforce. Suzan’s business plans include keeping about a third of its payroll for people living in the immediate area. She understands the value of investing in the community and in people.

Suzan started developing Holistic Solutions five years ago while working full time and raising three children as a single mother. She had been working in the cannabis market for over twenty years. And is the CEO of Ital Daughters LLC, a cannabis and hemp consulting company that helps minorities, women, and veterans understand the compliance and regulatory aspects of the industry.

“Like the women who raised me, I believe cannabis is a plant of reverence and spirituality that has been given to people to heal – however intentional stigmatization led to what we went through in the War on Drugs that disproportionately hurt entire communities of Black and brown people. This is what fueled me to work relentlessly to open the doors of Holistic Solutions,” stated Suzan Nickelson. “The women in my family passed down generational knowledge of working with various herbs for healing and spirituality to me, and I look forward to using that knowledge to run my own cannabis business so others can understand just how powerful this plant can be in a pursuit of wellness and healing.”

“I used my own seed money and started my company on my iPhone 6,” Nickelson told MarketWatch. “We felt that plant-based medicine was an option that many people should have, so we pursued that.”

Suzan, attributes Marissa Edmonds, chairwoman of New Jersey-based optical components maker Edmund Optics Inc. with helping to open doors for her in the business community. 

Holistic Solutions also received backing from The Collective. The Collective was launched in April 2022, by Patrick Jonsson, a former Northeast Regional President for Curaleaf.

Suzan  has done more than opening a dispensary; she is dispelling the myths and stigma around cannabis and paving the way for women entrepreneurs. She is honoring her rich Jamaican heritage and the generations of women herbalists in her family. Suzan Nickelson has just begun her journey into the history of women of color trailblazers in the cannabis industry.

Read more about Suzan in:

NJ.com

Market Watch

Black Cannabis Magazine

Ganjapreneur

Benzinga

Shine My Crown

Cannabis & Tech Today

MJ News Networ

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Women's Cannabis Chamber of Commerce

Larisa Bolivar

The Washington Post called Larisa Bolivar  “one of the city’s [Denver] most well-known proponents of decriminalizing marijuana nationally,” Larisa came to Denver in 2001 as a medical cannabis refugee. She immediately began assisting patients in navigating the early and complicated process of finding doctors who would recommend cannabis and matchmaking them with registered caregivers in an effort to create safe access in a legally ambiguous space. A cannabis career and company began.

Larisa founded Caregivers for Safe Access and helped thousands of patients with registering for medical marijuana cards. Caregiver for Safe Access was renamed the Colorado Compassion Club and in 2005 the first dispensaries in Colorado prior to 2008. (Regulations were created in 2010). In 2008, she returned to the DC area where she’s from and continued her cannabis advocacy work while simultaneously working for a billion dollar valued clean tech company.

Her activism, advocacy, expertise and commitment to patients’ rights moved her into the national spotlight. She has published articles in respected publications such as the Denver Post, and in 2017, she published the Cannabis Consumers Coalition: 2017 Report on Cannabis Consumer Demographics and Consumption Habits that was mentioned by Forbe’s, Entrepreneur and Investing News. A well-recognized global expert on cannabis policy, industry and business, Larisa Bolivar has been featured and quoted in multiple publications and speaks on a variety of cannabis business and advocacy topics at major conferences around the globe.

Larisa was named one of the 2019 “Top 100 People You Should Know”by Hemp Connoisseur Magazine. She has been recognized as an industry pioneer by Sensi Media in the first issue of Sensi Magazine, Colorado 2016. In her 2020 interview with Westword, Larisa talks about the realities of the Colorado cannabis industry. 

In 2014, Larisa founded the Cannabis Consumer Coalition, 501(C)(3), which promotes consumer advocacy and education.  She has also served as co-chair on the board of the National Diversity Inclusion Cannabis Alliance (NDICA) and on the board of Colorado NORML.

The mission of the Cannabis Consumers Coalition is to provide cannabis consumers with a voice in the growing cannabis industry, and to ensure consumer rights and ethical behavior on behalf of cannabis-related businesses. 

In 2020, Larisa helped write and push for Colorado House Bill 1424 Social Equity in Regulated Cannabis Businesses to lay the groundwork for creating statewide social equity. Larisa’s father is a Peruvian immigrant and her multi-racial has been targeted in the War on Drugs on two continents.

Larisa has been consulting independently as Bolivar Consulting since 2008. She began writing business plans before there was market data, becoming a contributing thought leader. 

Over the years Larisa has been instrumental in winning licenses for clients in competitive states, including Nevada, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. She has written standard operating procedures and other company operating documents across multiple highly regulated markets, assisted companies in becoming more efficient and profitable, has successfully helped businesses get organized and prepared for mergers and acquisitions and further provides organizational development support.

Larisa Bolivar is the owner and founder of Bolivar Hemp Company. Bolivar Hemp Company was years in the making, starting with a dream, and then bringing that dream to a reality in December 2018. The company launched with 9 products and two lines and is in the process of a reorganization in Oklahoma.

Currently, Larisa is also the chief operations and compliance officer for HPF Productions which produces flower for Moss Greenery under the brand Higher Power Flowers, which is marketed as Higher Power Flowers produced by Moss Greenery.

Larisa Bolivar continues to advocate for consumer rights, accountability in the cannabis industry and social equity and justice. 

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Celebrating

Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories, is the  2023 theme for Women’s History Month.

We are celebrating women who tell our stories, stood up and SHOUTED OUR STORIES. Women who used their voices, their pens, and their lives so all women would be heard; so all women would be seen. We are celebrating women of courage.

Telling our story has been dangerous. “Modern research points to roughly 40,000 to 50,000 witch executions in Europe between 1450 and 1750, and an estimated 75%-80% of those executed were women. That would put the number of executed women witches at 40,000.”

Denying girls an education ensured our voices and visions would not be valued. Without the ability to read or write we had little control over our future. There were men who taught women to read, who in turn taught other women and girls to read and write. In the 17th century boarding schools for girls were founded. Girls were taught writing, music and needle work. In 1678 there was only one woman in the world with a Ph., Italian, Elena Piscopia.

The education of women has  varied from civilizations, cultures and regions, to explore this more follow this link. 

In the United States women had no property rights until the mid-1800’s, New York passed the Married Women’s Property Act in 1848 and the Act Concerning the Rights and Liabilities of Husband and Wife in 1860. This gave women the right to conduct business and contract without a husband, father, or male guardian’s consent and the right to own property. The laws gave women legal authority over their own children.

Ancient history? No, its current history. Prior to the 1974  Equal Credit Opportunity Act a woman could not get a credit card without her husband’s signature. When writing about the evolution of women’s rights the words married and husband dominate. The stigma and obstacles of being a single woman lasted into the 90’s. 

The consistency in our history and our story is control, dehumanization and fear through rape and brutality. 51% of rape victims report being raped by an intimate partner and 40.8% by an acquaintance. One in three women are sexually abused or raped the first time between the ages of 11 and 17.

We all know “our story.” As a child I heard our story whispered by mother and her friends over coffee and donuts. I heard our story whispered in my grandmother’s quilting group and in the backseat of the car as my aunts drove us to church. As an adult I’ve heard “our story” as a rape counselor, over cocktails with friends, and in the feminist movement. I have heard “our story” in the quietness after an expo or conference. I know the story well, it is every woman’s story. It is my story.

The women we are celebrating for Women’s History Month did not tell “our story” alone. The women who whispered “our story” supported them in their own way. You do not have to lead a march or protest to have your voice heard. You have to stop whispering, speak up and stand your ground. You are making history by being a strong woman for your family and the women who have not found their voice. 

One woman can change the world. Together we can ROCK the World!

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Brianna's

Brianna’s Insights

Brianna’s position as the National Executive Director of The Women’s Cannabis Chamber of Commerce and Founder and CEO of SunBaked Goods provides her with insights into multiple aspects of the cannabis industry.

Too many companies forget, or fail to realize, how deeply rooted culture is within cannabis. A majority of conversations I have had recently revolve around the frustration felt by employees who seek genuine leaders, but feel as if their requests are falling on deaf ears. With the industry professionalizing at a rapid pace, it’s crucial for recruiters to understand that leading a successful team in another industry cannot be a copy-paste experience when developing teams in the cannabis space.

This is an industry that is on a path to become substantially lucrative, but was built by the efforts and sacrifices of many who must not just be included, but made whole. The current landscape of corporate cannabis lends itself to those with no prior industry experience securing leadership roles because “they have done it before, and can do it again” in another arena. But this line of thinking does a disservice to the progress made by those who have put in years of hard work to build the infrastructure now being relied upon by these organizations.

These are professionals who have knocked down barriers, fought for reform, and continue to lead through their unique perspectives that can only come from lived experiences. To create successful teams, it is important to remember that while there are similarities between managing any type of business, this is still an incredibly nuanced industry with its own complexities. Companies who wish to be at the forefront of innovation should start by valuing the importance of having a team that reflects the incredible diversity within the cannabis community.

To learn more about Brianna’s business career in cannabis visit the Our Team page, and SunBaked Goods

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Madison and Montana Marzario

Madison and Montana

Madison and Montana Marzario story of what inspired them to enter the cannabis industry begins like most women’s stories, with a health crisis. Sisters, Madison and Montana learned first hand there was nothing natural that could help with all the trauma that comes with a head injury. 

Montana grew up as a competitive ski racer and eventually competed at a D1 level. She was an All-Star and Athlete of the Year for the Alpine skiing team at the Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy in Colorado…She had 11 top-five finishes in FIS events in 2014-15, including a first-place finish in the National Junior Slalom race in December 2014. After suffering from an injury, she came across CBD, this is when she gained the passion and desire to give people more knowledge about it.

During this time, she earned a double major in Business and Economics. at St. Lawrence University, providing her with the framework and passion to open a company. After seeing incredible and promising benefits from CBD, Madison and Montana knew they needed to share this discovery with others. This is when the Care Division was created, based on a mission to create the highest quality products and an affordable price.

Inspired by traditional herbalism, utilizing modern science with development in a CGMP facility, Care Division creates all of their products using pure CBD isolate sourced and processed in Colorado. Care Division formulas are designed to enhance the effects of hemp by blending it with synergistic compounds from plants, nootropics, and nutraceuticals while ensuring affordability. 

“Care Division tinctures are handcrafted to enhance the effects of THC and CBD by pairing them with synergistic compounds from other herbal extracts, nootropics, and nutraceuticals. Our products aren’t about getting you high, we are trying to improve your quality of life. Not your standard tincture.”

FYI:  Montana’s favorite Care Division product is the Dream tincture.

Madison was first introduced to the legal Cannabis industry in 2011 when her parents became owners/operators in the legal Colorado market. This early exposure to navigating the emerging legal cannabis ignited her passion for industry.  Madison began her career by disrupting the market with a product line focused specifically on health and wellness, Care Division. She had played on her high school ice hockey team and was aware of the chronic pain endured by active adults. Madison and Montana understand the importance of high quality, effective, natural pain relief. Care Division has become one of the most reputable brands based on their innovation, transparency and partnerships with several Doctors, Professional Sports Teams and pharmacies.  

Madison co-founded Wyldfire Concentrates in Colorado with the same goal in mind, quality, and affordability.  Wyldfire Concentrates became the first female-owned/operated extraction company in the state of Colorado with an emphasis on proceeds towards wildfire containment in the state.  

Wyldfire Concentrates was founded  in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, with a mission to help the Forest Service prevent and remediate wildfires.  In doing so, Wyldfire proceeds benefit National Forests and Firefighter Relief Funds. Protect the forest we all love, smoke Wyldfire.”

Their state-of-the-art facilities located in Colorado and Michigan are equipped with the highest grade machinery, including closed-loop-hydrocarbon systems, proprietary techniques and high production standards. Wyldfire Concentrates pride themselves on producing clean, high potency, flavorful concentrates with the highest quality starting material and cannabis-derived terpenes to ensure a smooth draw, however, you consume. Wyldfire Concentrates contain no additives, such as MCT Oil or Vitamin E Derivatives and are thoroughly tested to ensure potency and the absence of any harmful compounds.

Madison’s relationships and experience led her to start her own consulting company, Vedas Consulting.  Since launching Vedas Consulting, Madison has supported over 30 unique licenses, including cultivation, manufacturing, and retail.  Her projects have consisted of, SPACs, acquisitions, lease agreements, Cannabis real estate buy/sell, internal audits, granted license to operate, Metrc/POS training, compliance, SOPs, restructuring business models, license buying/selling and more. Madison continues to expand their brands in multiple states while encouraging those who are less familiar in the industry to seek her support.  

Both Madison and Montana Marzario embody the entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to creating cannabis products and companies built on integrity. Madison echoes the sentiments of other young women in the cannabis industry –  

“We are a female-founded, locally owned and operated company,” Madison said. “This is our whole life. I used to work in a corporate office and Montana graduated from an amazing college with connections to work anywhere. We took a risk to jump into this industry because we believe in it. We’re a family that’s built our health and lifestyle around these products.”

Follow Care Division on Facebook LinkedInInstagram

Follow Wyldfire on Facebook LinkedInInstagram

Join the conversation with Madison and Montana Marzario, Wednesday, October 05, 6:30 Est

Women Cultivating Success – Conversations with Women in the Cannabis Industry Details & Registration

Madison and Montana Marzario

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Ashley Hill Women Cultivating Success

Coach Ash Winning llc

Ashley Hill, founder of Winning Coaching, is a native Californian who has been in the cannabis industry since 2013. After obtaining her B.S. Degree in Hospitality and Tourism, she has boldly transitioned and become an influencer into the Cannabis Industry. She now seeks to educate and empower people into this industry and business through her frequent media outlets.

Hill gained 51⁄2 years of experience in cannabis cultivation and shares the behind the scene operations. She has managed several multi – million dollar commercial indoor and greenhouse facilities and produced a flower product entered into the High Times Awards. She subsequently has transitioned to the culinary aspect of the industry as a Cannabis Entrepreneur, International Selling Author, and the Co-Owner of Green Light Project (an infused catering and event service).

A Domestic & Global Extreme Execution Coach certified by the No 1 Speaker in the world, Dr. Eric Thomas (also known as E.T. the Hip-Hop Preacher). Coach Hill is a results-driven leader who seeks to empower others to increase self-awareness, create alignment, and execute at a high level. She has been considered by many in Leadership as a Coach’s Coach within the Extreme Execution Leadership.

Ms. Hill continues to advance her scientific research by enrolling in the Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics Master’s Degree program. This is the first and only M.S. program of its kind in the United States of America.

She is also the Southern California meetup coordinator and West Coast Accountability Lead for Dr. Eric Thomas’s Breathe University. She hosts and moderates calls with community leaders, business owners and multimillionaires giving her the opportunity not only to be exposed to their success habits but she has created her own along the way. She continues to expose and share with her personal clients – so they too, can operate, perform and execute like the top 1% of our world. [email protected]

Coach Ash and Lisa Pickett developed and facilitate the HIGHer Executive Leadership Development Course.

Join guest, Coach Ash, September 28th, 6:30 est at Women Cultivating Success Conversations with Women in the Cannabis Industry Online – Interactive – Free. Hosted by the Women’s Cannabis Chamber of Commerce.

Join In The Conversation. Register Here

 

 Women Cultivating Success

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Destiny Simon

Destiny Simon

Across the country there are women working at the local and state level to:

  • Provide education to help medical marijuana patients make informed decisions.
  • Create a community where women can come together to share their experiences.
  • Build support systems for caregivers and patients. 
  • Offer business resources and mentoring.
  • Advance local and national legislation. 

Destiny SimonDestiny Simon is one of those women. She is a founder of Canna Events by Leo

“Canna Events was founded in 2020 due to the overwhelming request from clients, organizations, and cannabis supporters to help be connected with industry resources. Now we have a team dedicated solely to meeting those needs while planning incredible events.

When we first got involved with the cannabis industry we immediately noticed the amount of vultures & frauds trying to come into the industry is absolutely insane! We work to not just serve the cannabis industry but to protect the industry with these three steps;

Elevating Educating Empowering.”

Launching an event company during a pandemic would appear to be a difficult task. Destiny,  (Amanda and Jess) have produced innovative and interesting virtual events. Canna Events by Leo is energizing and educating the cannabis community in Kansas City. 

Destiny is a masterful organizer. She is the chapter founder and leader of Tokeativity Kansas City. Tokeativity is The Global Feminist Community for Active Cannabis Culture. She is the Women+Weed founding Kansas City leader. Women+Weed mission is to connect women, grow a strong healthy cannabis community by sharing resources for women and their families.

Destiny is the treasurer for Canna Matriarchs of Mo., a non-profit organization supporting mothers across the midwest.

2020 has been Destiny’s year of fully committing to the cannabis community and industry and to having a positive impact. Her company, Leo Accounting, helps cannabis companies stay in compliance. 

I have over a decade of experience in the accounting field, working in positions ranging from basic data entry up to auditing & reconciling multi-million dollar corporate accounts. This has been a priceless opportunity to gain a vast knowledge of not only how to implement and complete day to day tasks, but also to see the effects of those tasks on a corporate level!

I have taken all my knowledge, experience, passion for accounting, and unquenchable thirst for knowledge and focused it on the Cannabis Industry! I am passionate about the cannabis movement as I have seen first hand the incredible benefits of medicinal usage. I am not only an expert of cannabis accounting services but also a supporter of this revolutionary movement in the US today.

Destiny Simon does more than bring women together  – she inspires women. She is a Woman Cultivating Success

 

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Landon's

Sierra Riddle

Landon'sIn September of 2012, Sierra Riddle could not have imagined the direction her life was about to take and that she would be fighting for her son’s life under the scrutiny of national media.

Sierra was a young single mother of a beautiful two year old boy, Landon. Landon had developed a sore throat and swollen lymph nodes. The emergency room doctor diagnosed it as a virus and sent him home. Two days later Landon’s armpits were also swollen. “They thought it was either a virus or infection in the lymph nodes, so they gave him some antibiotics.” By day five his groin, abdomen and throat were swollen and he was having trouble breathing. “His whole chest was full of leukemia tumors, which is why he couldn’t breathe,” his mother says.  Landon was diagnosed with T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at just 2-years-old.  “They started him on chemo, but told us that he probably wasn’t going to make it. Landon’s cancer had quickly progressed, leading doctors to give him an 8% chance of survival.” Landon was originally given only a 10 percent chance of living through the first two days of treatment.

Doctors put Landon on a four-year treatment plan. The first two months of chemo went fairly well, but then Landon became extremely ill.  He had been prescribed medications like OxyContin and morphine — medications with significant side effects. Landon suffered from stomach failure, and “the OxyContin made him so miserable, when he had hair, he would literally try to pull his hair out.” Sierra watched her toddler becoming dependent on narcotic pain killers. “Around the clock, he was usually on liquid morphine, Ativan, Promethazine,” Sierra told CNN. “And it just really didn’t seem to be helping.” 

Sierra was determined to do more than safe her son’s life, she wanted a quality life for Landon. Her journey led her to the Realm of Caring. Landon began with what’s called CBD oil from marijuana containing a very low level THC, the psychoactive ingredient. Wendy Riddle, Landon’s grandmother, says the effects “were almost immediate”.

This is not the end of Sierra’s story, it is the beginning. It is the beginning of a battle that propelled Sierra Riddle into the national spotlight. 

She quickly connected with groups of patients and began speaking at local events. Sierra and Landon’s story became part of Dr. Gupta Sanjay’s documentary on Medical Marijuana. Except 

Fueled by her passion to provide access to safe, natural cannabis and education to people diagnosed with cancer Sierra became an activist for patients’ rights and sought after national speaker. She was instrumental in the founding of CannaMommy. 

CannaMommy Clinic is a free online resource that establishes a bridge between the patient and provider, eliminating the fear of CPS or law enforcement.

Sierra and Landon had moved to Colorado where Landon, who would become the youngest medical marijuana patient in the state, could have access to his medicine. 

Landon’s oncology team began reporting Sierra to Child Protective Services for refusing to give Landon chemotherapy despite the documented improvement in his health. She was being accused of medical abuse and neglect. The oncology team was advocating to put Landon in medical foster care in order to resume his chemo treatments. Face to face with the director of CPS, her son’s team of doctors, top administrators from the Children’s Hospital Colorado oncology department and lawyers Sierra began a second battle for her son’s health and well being.

“Listen: Here’s all this chemo you told CPS he cannot live without, and if I didn’t give it to him, he would relapse and die.” Sierra dumped a bag of prescription drugs onto the table. 

It had been over a year since Landon had taken the meditation. The doctors’ could not argue his improvement. 

“I just want to say, no matter what I am not going to give him chemo, but I’m not going to risk losing him either.  I’m not going to push it that far.”

Sierra was prepared for this battle. Realm of Caring provided the opportunity to educate herself on cannabis and cannabidiol therapies. She relentently sought out every piece of research on cannabis and cannabidiol therapies. Sierra has become known as an expert in Pediatric Cannabis/CBD Therapy and speaks at medical conferences throughout the country.

A passion for providing her son with health coupled with her passion for the plant inspired Landons Health Hut. 

“Landon’s Health Hut provides natural and organic CBD health products created right in my own kitchen. As I researched natural and alternative health, it was crazy to me that people thought they had to rely on such harsh pharmaceutical medicines to feel better. They couldn’t recognize the ingredients and they had side effects that were so severe. In the beginning stages, I found old-time remedies that I knew I could enhance with my newfound knowledge of healing.

I used ingredients from my own kitchen and made them into powerful healing agents. And you know what? There was nothing scary about my formulations, because the ingredients were REAL and authentic.”

2019 the first harvest of a boutique strain, Landon’s Legacy from Green Seed Farm. It yielded half a pound as was popular with the patrons of Steve’s Greens Cannabis + Wellness.

“Landon’s Legacy is a high-THC medicinal cannabis strain, and it is something that we are very proud of and have worked on for quite a few years and it will be marketed as a strain that is fantastic for children with a multitude of health issues and terminal illnesses and will always be grown organically,” Sierra Riddle said. “I’m only allowing contracts with dispensaries that are going to do it the right way as well as give back to their local communities there because that’s what it’s all about. Part of my partnership agreement is that they — whoever wants to carry my genetics and have access to all of these amazing things — will donate 10 to 20 percent of those sales for those specific genetics back into my nonprofit, which will then continuously be able to help people in their communities. As well, we are an international nonprofit and so we help families all over the world with plant-based medicine as well as plant-based education.”

“Landon’s Revenge is the second strain, and it’s just about ready to go as sending it across state lines and being ready for a full-blown production grow,” she said. “And that is going to be a high-CBD strain with a healthy amount of CBG, CBN and THC. And that will be also marketed mainly as a safe medication for children with illnesses and everything else but obviously works fantastically for adults as well. It’s just here at Landon’s Health Hut, we like to focus on children with terminal illnesses and life-threatening diseases.”

Sierra Riddle was an ordinary young woman who through her battles evolved into an extraordinary woman shaking things up and making change happen.

Landon's“Landon now is going to celebrate seven years cancer-free this year, which also will mark five years past any medical treatment, which is what the medical community considers cured,” Sierra said. “For Landon, we’ll be cured medically this year, and he is the first and only child to have successfully survived childhood leukemia without the treatment.”

 

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