A Pause For Recognition

Having come into my position as CEO right at the end of Women Grow’s second year in business, I will admit that I had some difficulty in deciding what direction to take with this second year anniversary message. I wrote numerous drafts, and spent many hours mulling over what I would say to you, our incredible members and community who continue to champion us. I decided, ultimately, to do some recognition.

First, I have to thank Jane West and Jazmin Hupp for creating a brand that is consistently recognized worldwide as the voice for women in cannabis. They had the vision and the determination to do the hard work (and it is lots of work) to form a company, open chapters in two countries and market a brand that has spread like wild fire. They also had the selflessness to step away from leading the brand (this baby they had raised) and hand it over to me and the rest of our incredible leadership team to take to the next level.

Second, I am blessed to have been gifted with a crew of incredibly talented women at the national office who work tirelessly to make sure that events run as smoothly as possible, chapters get their revenue on time, the ticketing platform works, social media works like a well-oiled machine, the website is polished and our message is cast far and wide, all the while maintaining the steadfast belief that the purpose of our mission to connect, educate, and empower women in the cannabis industry is valuable and worthwhile. Our days at the national office are not easy. The hours are often long and hard and the staff continue to work with positivity and optimism. They make my job easy, and I am eminently thankful to each of them. In the upcoming months, the newsletter will reintroduce the staff at the national office and I hope you reach out to them and let them know that you appreciate all their efforts.

Third, I am continuously proud of the vast network of women on the chapter level who hold our monthly Signature Networking Events. I know that putting on these events is time consuming. You are the face of our brand and I thank you for being those brand ambassadors on the local level. This is one big ship we are steering and we need all hands on deck to make sure we continue moving in the right direction.

Finally, I’d like to thank our members. In the two short years that Women Grow has been in business, the membership department has been perhaps one of the most fluid. We started in 2014 with our Founding Members. These women (and man) jumped in early to support the vision of Women Grow. We then added our First 50, followed not too long after by our Cornerstone Membership program. All of these members have supported Women Grow in more ways than I can enunciate in this short letter and I am thankful for all of those contributions. You are our community, the tribe that allows newcomers to our meetings to feel safe and welcomed into the cannabis space. I was, and am, one of those members and I am forever grateful to my sisters and brothers in the industry for welcoming me with open arms.

I know that this year has seen lots of change to the Women Grow leadership. I also know that change is scary. Change is also important. Socrates said, “The secret to change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” In the upcoming months, you will see many new offerings from Women Grow. We will be launching a new Chapter Program in the Fall, adding new membership levels and expanding across the country and Internationally. What won’t change is our mission to connect, educate and empower women in the cannabis industry. I am looking forward to the upcoming year!

With Much Gratitude,
LEAH HEISE
CEO, Women Grow