Sometimes the best opportunities are the ones you never planned for.

In this episode of The Canna Connect Show, we sit down with Teresa Sorensen, founder of Unwind, to talk about how a 33-year career in banking unexpectedly led her into Minnesota’s cannabis industry.

What started with THC beverages selling quickly inside her liquor store turned into something much bigger. As regulations changed and consumer demand grew, Teresa saw an opening to build a new kind of retail experience centered around relaxation, education, and a different relationship with adult beverages.

That vision became Unwind.

In this conversation, Teresa shares what it was like to pivot from traditional banking into entrepreneurship, navigate a fast-changing market, and build a cannabis retail brand in real time.

We also discuss:

•  The early THC beverage boom in Minnesota 
•  Why consumers are seeking alternatives to alcohol 
•  Transitioning from corporate leadership into cannabis 
•  Building a brand around lifestyle and wellness 
•  What it takes to adapt in an emerging industry 

This is a story about paying attention, trusting your instincts, and building when opportunity shows up.

Listen in and stay connected with the community.

Join the conversation: #CannaConnectMN

Some people find cannabis. Others build their life around it.

Bridgette Pinder has done both.

In this episode, recorded live at Lucky Leaf Expo, we sit down with the founder of Grounded Gardens to talk about what it really takes to grow something from nothing in Minnesota’s cannabis space.

From purchasing her great grandparents’ land in Hutchinson to building a vertically integrated hemp operation, Bridgette shares the real story behind the work. The long days, the setbacks, and the constant need to adapt in an industry that changes by the week.

This conversation goes deeper than business. It’s about resilience, community, and choosing a different path when the odds aren’t in your favor.

We also get into:

•  Building a cannabis business rooted in family land 
•  The early days of hemp farming in Minnesota 
•  Navigating challenges like banking, websites, and regulation 
•  Why community has always been at the center of the movement 

Minnesota cannabis didn’t just appear. It was built by people like Bridgette, one step at a time.

Listen in and stay connected with the community.

Ryan Ogorek didn’t plan on building a career in cannabis, but once he found it, everything clicked.

In this episode of The Canna Connect Show, recorded live at Lucky Leaf Expo, Ryan shares his journey from traditional sales into the cannabis industry and how that shift gave him a sense of purpose and direction.

Now with Sweed, he’s working directly with dispensary operators across the country, helping them simplify operations, stay compliant, and actually scale their businesses in an industry that moves fast and changes even faster.

This conversation explores what cannabis retail looks like behind the counter, from pricing shifts in mature markets like Colorado to the early opportunities taking shape in Minnesota.

Ryan also breaks down how Sweed is rethinking point of sale by building a fully integrated system that connects marketing, e-commerce, inventory, and payments into one place. The goal is simple: make it easier for operators to run a smarter, more efficient business.

Along the way, we talk about AI in cannabis retail, the importance of community in Minnesota’s market, and why every operator should be thinking about both growth and exit strategy from day one.

If you’re building in cannabis or planning to, this episode offers a grounded, real-world perspective on what it actually takes to succeed.

Listen in and stay connected with the community.

Cannabis markets move fast.

One year ago, Minnesota was still asking basic questions about supply, access, and who would enter the space. Today, the conversation is evolving into something more complex.

In this episode of The Canna Connect Show, recorded live at Lucky Leaf Expo, Gus Sevastos from Dutchie shares a grounded perspective on what happens after a market launches and begins to mature.

Gus has worked across multiple cannabis markets and brings insight from both emerging and established states. He breaks down how early-stage chaos turns into structured operations, and why having the right systems in place becomes critical as competition grows.

We also explore how Dutchie is helping operators manage everything from compliance and inventory tracking to e-commerce and customer engagement, all within one connected platform.

Along the way, we talk about product shortages, pricing shifts, and the importance of strong community in building a sustainable cannabis industry.

If you’re operating in cannabis or preparing to enter the space, this episode offers a real-world look at what it takes to build for the long term.

Listen in and stay connected with the community.

Most cannabis businesses don’t fail because of product.

They fail because of what’s underneath it.

The systems.
 The people.
 The infrastructure.

Live from Lucky Leaf in Minneapolis, we sat down with Shawn Wirth from Paragon Payroll to talk about the side of cannabis that doesn’t always get attention, but affects everything.

From payroll disruption to employee experience, this conversation is really about what happens when businesses grow faster than their foundation.

Shawn shares his path into cannabis, what drew him to Paragon, and why he believes most operators are still too reactive when it comes to HR and payroll.

Learn more about Shawn in our Community Spotlight

We get into:

• Why payroll issues impact real people, not just operations 
 • How poor infrastructure can cause businesses to collapse under growth
 • What Human Capital Management actually looks like in practice
 • Why most cannabis operators wait too long to fix internal systems
 • The importance of building proactively instead of reacting to problems

One of the biggest takeaways?

The businesses that last are the ones that invest in their people and their systems early.

Everything else builds on top of that.

There’s a moment where every cannabis business has to get serious.

Not about branding.
 Not about product.

About the numbers.

Live from Lucky Leaf in Minneapolis, we sat down with Mark Waller and Betsy Mooreham of SAX Advisory Group to talk about what it really takes to build a sustainable cannabis business from a financial perspective.

This conversation starts with their transition from Moore & Waller CPAs into SAX, a national firm with a growing cannabis practice. But what it turns into is something bigger.

A conversation about scale, support, and what operators actually need as this industry matures.

We get into:

• Why joining a larger firm unlocks better tax strategy and support 
 • How stronger financial infrastructure leads to better decision making
 • The reality of tax planning in cannabis and why it’s still evolving
 • What rescheduling could mean for cash flow and compliance
 • Why the most successful operators think like business owners first

One of the biggest takeaways?

The operators who succeed in cannabis aren’t just passionate about the plant.

They understand the business.

Most people don’t think about insurance until something goes wrong.

At Lucky Leaf in Minneapolis, that conversation came to the forefront in a way that felt real, grounded, and necessary.

Cory Lake of World Insurance and Jim McErlean of Cannasure joined us to talk about what it actually takes to protect a cannabis business in today’s environment. Not just policies on paper, but real-world risk, real claims, and the reality operators are navigating every day.

We talked about theft being the most common claim, why cannabis businesses are held to higher standards than pharmacies, and how the lack of shared data across the industry continues to shape pricing and coverage. 

It’s also a story about growth.

As operators scale, their risks evolve. And as the industry matures, so does the need for better infrastructure, stronger partnerships, and smarter protection.

This is one of those conversations that might change how you think about building in cannabis.

Listen in.

Most dispensary websites look good.
 But they don’t actually work.

In this episode of The Canna Connect Show, we sat down with Dan Mondello and Alex Abrams of Rank Really High to unpack one of the biggest missed opportunities in cannabis right now: your website.

From invisible menus to broken data tracking, they explain why most operators are investing time and money into systems that Google can’t even see. And more importantly, what it looks like to fix it.

This conversation dives into native e-commerce, customer funnel visibility, and why your website should be your most powerful revenue driver, not just a digital brochure. 

We also get into real operator stories, early adoption lessons, and how AI is starting to reshape how cannabis businesses connect with customers.

If you’ve ever wondered why traffic isn’t converting, this episode will change how you think about your entire digital strategy.

There’s something about operators from places like Buffalo and Minneapolis.
 They understand what it takes to build through pressure.

In this episode of The Canna Connect Show, we sat down with Nate Geary of Range Marketing at Lucky Leaf in Minneapolis to talk about what it really looks like to grow a cannabis business in emerging markets.

Nate breaks down the realities behind dispensary marketing, from navigating local competition to understanding how market size changes everything. What works in Brooklyn won’t work in Buffalo. And what works in theory often falls apart in practice.

We also get into the overlooked challenges operators face, like licensing timelines, real estate pressure, and the hidden cost of just getting open. 

This is a conversation about adapting, staying realistic, and building something that actually lasts.

If you're an operator, marketer, or just trying to understand where this industry is headed, this one hits.

There’s a moment in every new market where things start to click.

You can feel it in the conversations.
 You can see it in the rooms.
 And you definitely feel it at events like Lucky Leaf.

Live from the Minneapolis Convention Center, we sat down with Mackenzie Ziegler from Surfside to talk about what’s actually happening behind the scenes as Minnesota steps into adult-use cannabis.

This isn’t just a conversation about marketing.

It’s about how brands find their customers in a space where the rules are still being written.

Mackenzie has spent over a decade in cannabis and nearly five years with Surfside, helping operators across the country connect data, advertising, and real customer behavior.

And what she shares here is something a lot of people are still trying to figure out.

In this episode, we get into:

• Why cannabis marketing is more restricted and more complex than most industries
 • How Surfside helps brands reach real consumers across mobile, apps, and connected devices 
 • The power of data and why measurement is everything for operators
 • What makes Minnesota’s market unique right now
 • Why testing and compliance are still major bottlenecks
 • How retailers can actually generate new revenue through retail media
 • The story behind Surfside’s “Third Thursday” events and why community still matters

One of the biggest takeaways from this conversation:

Cannabis businesses are expected to operate at a higher level of compliance, with fewer tools, and less historical data than almost any other industry.

And yet, they’re still building something real.

📍 Recorded live at Lucky Leaf 2026
 📍 Minneapolis Convention Center

Stay connected with the Canna Connect community
 https://cannaconnectmn.com

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 Tag us and join the conversation using #CannaConnectMN