Raw, inspiring and real conversations with women leading the worldwide cannabis industry. The emerging economy provides women with an unprecedented opportunity to build an inclusive, diverse, equitable and just industry from the ground up. Kyra Reed the host of Women Leading in Cannabis joins Dan Humiston to talk about interviewing women in cannabis about what it takes to run a successful business, change policy, fight stigma and thrive as a woman in a male dominated environment. She explains that using conversations with women on the front lines will weave the threads of unity necessary for real and lasting success as a community. Produced by PodCONX https://podconx.com/podcasts/women-leading-in-cannabis https://podconx.com/guests/kyra-reed https://podconx.com/guests/dan-humiston
Raw, inspiring and real conversations with women leading the worldwide cannabis industry.
The emerging economy provides women with an unprecedented opportunity to build an inclusive, diverse, equitable and just industry from the ground up. Kyra Reed the host of Women Leading in Cannabis joins Dan Humiston to talk about interviewing women in cannabis about what it takes to run a successful business, change policy, fight stigma and thrive as a woman in a male dominated environment. She explains that using conversations with women on the front lines will weave the threads of unity necessary for real and lasting success as a community.
https://podconx.com/podcasts/women-leading-in-cannabis
https://podconx.com/guests/kyra-reed
https://podconx.com/guests/dan-humiston
Dan Humiston: . [00:00:00] All right, everyone. Thanks for joining us. And welcome back. We have another gray show in store for you today.
Carol Reed is here to talk about her podcast women leading in cannabis. Carol, welcome to the show.
Kyra Reed: Hi, Dan. Thanks so much.
Dan Humiston: I'm glad you could be here because I know how busy you are running a successful marketing company and being the driving force behind women empowered in cannabis and organization that you founded that ensures the building of an equitable, diverse, and inclusive industry. Carrie, you once said that women working in cannabis have a once in a lifetime opportunity to build an industry from the ground up and a table.
Big enough for anyone who wants to see. How is the women leading in cannabis podcast, helping to make this happen?
Kyra Reed: Women leading in cannabis podcast is a place where we can spotlight. Successful women and tell their stories. And when you hear what other women are doing, [00:01:00] not just about their successes, about their failures and their challenges and how they've overcome them. It provides inspiration for other women, from women who are just looking.
At whether they want to get into the industry, to CEOs who are struggling with personnel issues or funding issues, there's inspiration here for every woman in the cannabis industry. And that's really the best way that we can support each other is by being honest about our story.
Dan Humiston: That's one thing I got to say about your show is that you get right down and dirty with these shows. And I think another reason why it's so successful, because you instinctively know your audience, and more importantly, you stay true to your audience. I always wanted to ask you, with all the applications that you received from guests wanting to be on your shows, how do you determine which applications you accept?
And which ones you declined.
Kyra Reed: Any applications that mentioned a [00:02:00] focus or dedication or background to women and or minorities. It says to me that woman holds that as one of her values. So she puts it forward in anything that she does about who she is. And so I want to talk to women like that. A lot of the applications that we get, I'm sure there are really amazing women, but what's coming across as much more of an interest in talking about their business or other parts of the cannabis industry.
Awesome. But on women leading in cannabis, we are specifically talking about what it means to be a woman in this industry. So we are very interested in what you've been able to accomplish, because that is the inspiration and aspiration, but we really want to understand what have these successful women gone through as women in order to reach the place that they are at now, because that is the advice thatthe rest of us need, who are following in their footsteps. And, [00:03:00] I w really do want to hear a little bit about your business, but that's not what my show is about. My show is not necessarily a stop on a promotional tour. My show is you're really ready to reveal yourself and to make yourself more vulnerable in the hopes that it will mean something inspirational to someone coming up behind.
Dan Humiston: That's so well said , in so many times you get. Beyond that first layer, that promotional layer in your interviews, and you get down to some really important information that other listeners need to hear. And I think they appreciate when you take it to that level.
Speaking of one of the guests that you had on your show you brought along a clip from one of your shows which is a really moving clip, maybe you can tell our listeners what they're about.
Kyra Reed: So I think it was my first or second interview was with Whitney Batey and she is an powerhouse in Southern California. She just received a social equity license and she is going to be opening up her dispensary Josephine. And Billy's so huge. [00:04:00] Congratulations to her on that, but they fight that she has had not just in cannabis, but as a woman of color throughout her career has been.
Just fraught with challenges because the door isn't open for her. And not only is the door not open for her, but those that she has seen. And let me say that, I don't necessarily know how much of Whitney's experience this has been truly in the cannabis industry, but for black women as a whole, what is the relationship with white women?
Because we've seen in Canada. That within the community of women and the, within the community of social equity, there's a lot of crossover, but there's not a lot of empathy there. Isn't a lot of support the way that women of color really need it. And it's very interesting being in the position of being a white woman who is running a community that is full of women of color.
And how [00:05:00] do I make sure that their voices are. Equal that they get as much air that they get as much validation and that they are seen and heard in the community. And I realized that the only way to do that is to really educate white women on the experience that the black women in our community are having.
And when you started to peel that back, the layers. I don't want to use the word issues, but the challenges that women of color are forced to deal with in any of their career movesit's astonishing. When you listen to what women of color have to say about their experience, you really start to understand as a white woman, your privilege, , I am surrounded by women of color. I talk with them about their experience constantly, but even when Whitney dropped this bit of information, it was like, God, there's just another layer of it.
So you can go ahead and play the clip
Dan Humiston: there have been an amazing amount of female [00:06:00] governors, 41 white female that were two looking at one child Asian, no blacks. And yet, women think the number is 70% of them still don't support affirmative action now. So it becomes one of those things where black women in that movement through the light, we're not being, we're not being heard.
We March alongside, but our issues are pushed to the back. Talk about. A powerful interview. 41 women governors sounds great. But then whenyou peeled back a couple layers and you find out, well, we might be missing something here.
Kyra Reed: Exactly and that how many white women are against affirmative action and, not to get too into this conversation because it's more about the podcast, but. It, you really begin to see how much we haven't had these conversations and how uneducated women actually are as also being an oppressed group that are sisters are [00:07:00] struggling so much and in so many different ways.
That we never, ever experienced or never understand unless we stop. And we listen to the experiences of other people. So that's what really, what I also want women leading in cannabis to be about is the opportunity for women to get, to share their life and their experiences and the challenges that they have that others may not be aware of.
But if one woman is experiencing it, many women are experienced.
Dan Humiston: And that's the beauty of the podcast is. You can spread this message to exponential number of people and they can understand thisreally from the source, which is, I think so much more powerful and emotional. Before I wrap it up, I was hoping that you could share some of your marketing expertise with other podcasts, particularly about branding.
You're really good at tying everything together from your logos to your fonts, to social media. Why [00:08:00] is it so important to keep everything tight and pointing in the same direction?
Kyra Reed: , well, let me back up, because in order to do that, you have to really understand your audience and you have to choose. One audience that is your main audience that you direct everything to. And it can be really scary when , you want to appeal to everybody, or you think that you appeal to everybody.
No branding appeals to everybody. And when you try to be something for everyone, You have no purpose, you have nothing. You have no ground to stick your flagpole it. And no one knows how to identify you or where to turn to. You understand about my show. It is women leaders in this industry, you know exactly who you're going to be hearing from.
And once you get into it a little bit, you know exactly what you can expect from the episode. So having an understanding of who I'm talking to, because that did takes my colors, it dictates my font. , it dictates the words that I use to explain [00:09:00] what it is. And it allows me to talk directly to them.
. I say ladies a lot. I addressed them. And since women are my audience, I address them directly so that they know I'm talking to you. And it means there are a lot of people that are interested in it, but it also means that the people that are interested in looking for that content. They've got it's right in front of you.
You don't have to look, you don't have to search. You don't have to wonder it's right there. The answer is right there. When you just look at the cover photo of my podcast, and then, there also is something about consistency. I think that, every episode is entirely different because it's a different woman, but you know that I'm going to ask real questions.
I'm going to have honest reactions. I'm going to take my guest and challenge my guest a little bit in what they're willing to express and how vulnerable they're willing to be. And that it's going to be transparent and real. And we're going to talk about issues of race. We're going to talk about LGBTQ.
We're going to talk about. The experience of being a woman [00:10:00] and oppression and what it's like to look for funding and all of the things that are really real for us. But that's my show. Other shows are focused on promotion. Other shows are focused on, funding, whatever that is the focus of your show and stick to it.
But also a piece of advice that I have. Is that when you start to brand and market , if you don't really understand what your values are, then you have to be much more rigid in your communication and conversation. You can't just let things wander, try a different question or get a little deeper.
Your sandbox hasn't been built. So it's just like you, you've just dumped sand everywhere. If you've got a sand box that is a walled off area, and this is your audience, then there's so much you can build within that sandbox. But if you don't have those borders around it, they keep that area.
, that walled garden, you [00:11:00] have a minute. So that's really the best way to think about your brand. Put your walls around it, put your guard rails around it and play like crazy, but don't go outside of those guardrails. Then you have a mess.
Dan Humiston: , that is such good advice. And I think for podcasters it's hard when you're not getting the listenership that you want, you start tweaking, you start changingand before you know, it. You're not something for anyone
so women leading in cannabis podcast airs every Tuesday on all major podcast networks, including pod connects, where you can also apply to be a guest. Kira, always great to talk to you. Thanks for being on the show today.
Kyra Reed: Thank you, Dan. Thanks for having me. And thank you for being such an incredible producer. Being a part of this network has been such an incredible gift and blessing and working with you. And Jamie is amazing. I honestly can't say enough. I will never leave this network. I just adore the both of you and appreciate so much.