On today's Alpha Woman Podcast we interview  Vivianne Wilson, Founder of GreenPort Cannabis, a retail store in downtown Toronto. As a Jamaican Canadian, Wilson’s earliest memories of cannabis involved her grandmother steeping cannabis leaves to make a pain-relieving tea. Her journey towards opening up her own cannabis store was green-lit when this same grandmother approved of her plans to bring this beautiful plant into the light and share her ancestral knowledge with others here in Toronto.

Vivianne chose Nanny of the Maroons as her inspirational Alpha Woman. Join us today as we learn more about Queen Nanny, Vivianne's entrepreneurial journey with GreenPort and more!

TimeStamps:
1:16 Inspirational Alpha Woman: Nanny of the Maroons
5:07 Start of Interview with Vivianne
7:47 Her company GreenPort Cannabis
12:14 Growing up in Jamaica
16:47 Adjusting to the pandemic
23:18 How we can progress with legalization moving forward
26:30 Advice to fellow entrepreneurs
32:50 What product do women purchase most?
36:24 Treating health issues with cannabis
39:37 What's next for GreenPort?

Podcast researcher Anvi Sethi

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Jenna, a recent graduate in Political Science from the University of Western Ontario, co-founded Indorgro with her father after he successfully transitioned from an opioid dependency to medicinal cannabis. This experience made her a passionate advocate of cannabis as a natural alternative medicine that aids in managing both physical and mental chronic health conditions. 

Out of this transformative experience, Indorgro was born as a personal production service for medical cannabis patients. As a visionary leader, critical thinker, and entrepreneur, Jenna is committed to helping the medical community improve overall quality of life through the use of plant medicine. 

Jenna chose Nina Simone as her inspirational Alpha Woman. Join us today as we learn more about Nina Simone,  Jenna's journey as a young entrepreneur, the why behind the launch of her business and more!

Inspirational Alpha Woman - Nina Simone (1:17)
Start of interview with Jenna (11:18)
Her company Indorgro and how they help medicinal cannabis patients (13:25)
The origins of Indorgro (19:13)
Her 3 biggest challenges in launching her company (36:25)
The opinion of her peers in regards to her career in cannabis (41:42)
Feeling empowered launching a business being inspired and motivated by other strong women (43:46)
The effects that COVID has had on her business (47:25)
What's next for Indorgro in 2021 (53:18)

Podcast researcher Anvi Sethi

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Sponsorship enquiries email: [email protected]

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Today in The Alpha Woman Confab Room we welcome  Sherri Kogan, the co-Founder of BLifted, a company with the goal to improve the dry herb cannabis consumer journey. Sherri grew up in the age of D.A.R.E. but has seen the benefits of Cannabis first hand. Firmly believing in harm reduction she believes in the wellness potential of vaporizing - you’ll hear more about this in detail during our interview. Sherri and her husband (who is also her co-founder) live north of Toronto, Ontario with their two daughters and fur babies.

Podcast researcher Anvi Sethi

Sign up to Alpha Woman Co at: https://alphawomanco.com

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Show Markers:

Inspirational Alpha Woman - Sue Johanson (1:17)

Start of interview with Sherri (7:12)

Her cannabis accessory company BLIFTED (8:54)

The importance of temperature variance when vaporizing (10:41)

The process behind naming their most popular product: The Gibson (11:58)

Her biggest hurdles in starting BLIFTED (17:49)

Having their Instagram account deleted (19:01)

The post-purchase support you receive when you purchase a product through BLIFTED (22:07)

The ups and downs of going into business with her life partner (26:36)

Educating her children about cannabis (28:23)

Advice for fellow entrepreneurial women (31:16)

Where you can purchase BLIFTED products (32:58)

Take it from Tijen and Ashley, launching a legal cannabis-infused topicals business in Canada is not easy. These two powerhouse women went up against  corporate behemoths and won a coveted spot on legal retail shelves in Ontario, and much of that is due to their single-minded focus on buildings products that they're proud of and a brand that remains true to their vision and mission. Learn more about their 10 year journey with EKS and how they navigate life as both romantic and business partners in this Alpha Woman interview.

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Click here to read our The Wellness Duo on Alpha Woman

For more information on EKS, click here

Podcast researcher Anvi Sethi

Sign up to Alpha Woman Co at: https://alphawomanco.com

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Timestamps:
Inspirational Alpha Woman - Lucille Ball (1:41)
Start of the interview (7:55)
Why they chose Lucille Ball as their Inspirational Alpha Woman (9:29)
The April 2021 launch of Earth Kisses Sky's new products (13:03)
The process of getting approved for retail (19:47)
Staying true to their brand (27:56)
Balancing being both business and life partners (29:11)
"Enjoying the process" (35:10)
How they got started in the cannabis business (40:37)
Newly acquired skills over the pandemic (43:27)
What's next for Earth Kisses Sky (EKS) (48:26)
Outro (51:32)

On season 2, episode 1 of the Alpha Woman podcast Leslie Andrachuk interviews Serena Donovan, Founder and CEO of Because You Cann, a cannabis micro cultivation in Alberta. Because You Cann is the 2nd Health Canada licensed Micro Cultivation facility in Alberta and 25th in Canada.  Join us as we talk entrepreneurship, family, community and how cannabis changed Serena's life.

Time Stamps:

Celine Dion intro (2:48)

Serena Donovan intro (7:51)

Raising a family rurally (9:21)

Her introduction to cannabis (15:30)

The health benefits she's received thanks to cannabis (22:37)

Coming out to her family about her cannabis use (25:43)

How she started growing cannabis (27:44)

The response from the locals (34:00)

Her biggest challenges getting started in the cannabis industry (36:03)

The importance of International Women's Day and Women's History Month (41:21)

WeCann's retail launch (44:10)

Her post-COVID plans (50:56)

Show notes:

Click here to read our interview with Serena on Alpha Woman

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Kat Merryfield is the owner and founder of Kat's Naturals, a CBD company that formulates therapeutic grade hemp-derived blends with quality and consistency in mind. Kat was an herbalist, homeopathic consultant, and homesteader in Tennessee when she began to look into  solutions for her veteran husband’s PTSD, as well as her own aches and pains. Kat’s Naturals was born in 2015 after she stumbled upon the healing powers of CBD.  Join Alpha Woman today as we explore Kat's journey to becoming an entrepreneur.

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Dr.Olga Chernoloz has 10+ years experience in pre-clinical and clinical research, and biotech project management. A Registered Pharmacist, Dr. Chernoloz specializes in psychopharmacology, neuroscience and applied cannabinoid research. She has developed educational modules on cannabis for healthcare professionals, industry and other shareholders. Dr. Chernoloz is also an entrepreneur and leader in research in the cannabis and psychedelic spaces.

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Leslie Andrachuk, Founder and CEO of Alpha Woman interviews Rebecca Brown, the founder of Crowns, a full-service consultancy for the global cannabis industry. Crowns is writing the playbook for cannabis marketing and designing solutions to grow cannabis brands within the constraints of regulation.

Originally published June 2020
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Leslie Andrachuk, Founder and CEO of Alpha Woman interviews Mara Gordon. Mara specializes in the development of cannabis extract treatment protocols for seriously ill patients in California. She is the co-founder of Aunt Zelda’s and Zelda Therapeutics. Prior to Aunt Zelda’s, Mara worked as a process engineer, helping Fortune 500 companies create intelligent software by utilizing the Rational Unified Process. 

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Leslie Andrachuk, CEO and Founder of Alpha Woman interviews the dynamic Rosie Mattio, Founder and CEO of Mattio Communications.

Originally published June 2020
Visit https://www.alphawomanco.com for more Alpha Woman!