Looking for the perfect book to read this Spring Break? Look no further than Ashley Picillo and Lauren Devine’s new collection of interviews with top female leaders in cannabis, Breaking the Grass Ceiling: Women, Weed and Business, A Biographical Collection.
These stories weave a beautiful tapestry of the foundation of the legal cannabis movement.
I recommend it to anyone – male or female – looking to get into the cannabis industry, or just interested in learning what all this hullabaloo over legalization and medical marijuana is about.
The compilation of stories is inspiring, and the sheer wealth of advice given in this one read is staggering.
The ‘sheroes’ of the book include: Wanda James, Kristi Kelly, Heidi Keyes, Karin Lazarus, Jaime Lewis, Maureen McNamara, Genifer Murray, Amy Poinsett, Meg Sanders, Sue Sisley, Susan Squibb, Betty Aldworth, Giadha Aguirre de Carcer, Jessica Billingsley, Amy Dawn Bourlon-Hilterbran, Diane Czarkowski, Amy Dilullo, Julie Dooley, Diane Fornbacher, Rachel K. Gillette, and Karson Humiston.
If you spend more than 24 hours in the Colorado cannabis market, you’ll quickly hear all of these names.
This book will show you how the modern-day cannabis industry was built upon these strong, compassionate, and intelligent women. Women trailblazers are overcoming obstacles and using their strength to create juggernaut companies in the cannabis space.
The reader is taken through a journey of trials, failures, successes, and continued personal growth. From the founder of the critical cannabis industry data firm, New Frontier Data, to founder of one of the most successful cannabis talent agencies, Vangst. This book covers every niche of the industry.
Want to learn more about the woman behind the 6630507 Hand Campaign? Just turn to page 30 and read Amy Dawn Bourlon-Hilterbran’s story.
Ever hear of Mountain Medicine edibles? Read about chef and businesswoman Jaime Lewis on page 12.
Interested in knowing who had so many barriers to fight, that it made her even more determined to overcome them as way of saying ‘f*ck you’? That’s Diane Czarkowski’s story. She’s a founding partner at Canna Advisors and her interview begins on page 22.
I really enjoyed how the authors broke up the interviews with asides, filling in the gaps for better context, and building up to the next quote. The exchanges between the authors and the women they were interviewing were candid.
From the synopsis on the back of their book; “These profiles reveal what happens when women persevere, battling old schools of thought in their quest for equality, respect, and a voice at the top…Not only has their work helped shape the cannabis industry as it exists now, they have opened a door through which other women can follow and continue to build the industry into one with no ceiling at all.”
“In the meantime, watch out for falling glass.”
Breaking the Grass Ceiling at SXSW
The book and its authors made a successful debut at the SXSW this year, where Picillo and Devine developed and spoke at their Breaking the Grass Ceiling panel series.
The book is currently available in paperback on Amazon, or through Create Space. Also watch out for opportunities to meet and network with the ladies who wrote the book at book signings in Denver, Colorado at the end of May.
