It was an honor to give the keynote address 🎤 at InternationalCBC Barcelona! Three insights from my address: “Cultivating Unity: A Global Vision for Cannabis”

2025 is shaping up to be a whirlwind of travel and engaging with the international Cannabis Community, and I couldn't be more excited. It's an honor to participate in the conversations that drive the global industry forward and to see so many of my favorite people from Chicago to Berlin.

I kicked off New Holland’s fall travel and conference season at the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference. I’m grateful that Elliot & Patrick Lane asked me to moderate a panel of  global cannabis leaders—Artemis Growth Partners’ William Muecke, Village Farms CEO Michael DeGiglio, Organigram CEO Beena Goldenberg, and Sanity Group’s Finn Age Hȁnsel.

Reading is one of the most effective ways to develop as a leader and a human. I read voraciously and highly recommend the following eight books based on their significant impact on my life and development as a parent, friend, partner, and leader:

If there is a gap to mind in the cannabis industry, it’s not necessarily the chasm between medical and adult-use markets. I’d say it’s what divides the Roots and the Suits.

Many operators have their eye on Europe and are wondering how to go global by staking a claim for this new, European green rush. 

The German Medical Cannabis Act (CanG) went into effect on April 1, 2024, legalizing cannabis possession and home cultivation. While that is great news for patient advocates, the most compelling part of CanG is the removal of cannabis from the narcotics list.

In my last post, I gave a quick snapshot of Germany’s cannabis legalization ups and downs. 2024 was a big year for German cannabis, with the rollout of both the CanG and KCanG legislative pillars that legalized adult-use possession and home grows, and paved the way for commercial cultivation too.

From moderating a panel discussion about European prospects at the Benzinga's Cannabis Capital Conference, to speaking at the Hemp for the Future Conference in Reykjavik about what happens when countries legalize cannabis, it’s clear all eyes are on international cannabis right now.

It’s been a whirlwind start to New Holland Group’s fall conference speaking tour. I just flew from the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Chicago, where I moderated the heavy-hitting International Cannabis Panel, to Reykjavik, Iceland, for the Hemp for Future Conference, where I spoke to lawmakers, educators, activists, patients, and business owners about what Iceland can expect when it legalizes hemp and medicinal cannabis.

As global leader in cannabis, I’m no stranger to imposter syndrome. I used to doubt myself, wondering why people wanted to hear what I had to say. I mean, I’m just a soccer mom from Absarokee, Montana, right? Like most of us, I was my own worst critic.

With more than 20 tonnes of cannabis exported in 2024 (it was 18,521 kg at the end of the 3rd quarter of this year), Portugal is now the largest cannabis exporter in Europe and the second largest in the world , surpassed only by Canada.

It was inspiring, humbling—and more than a little surreal to be on stage last month. I’ve spoken before about imposter syndrome, but that wasn’t what made it feel a little strange standing shoulder-to-shoulder with an incredible group of powerhouse women at MJBizCon. 

Speaking at the Hemp Future Conference in Reykjavik, Iceland was one of the highlights of 2024 for me. I was invited to talk about what happens when a country legalizes cannabis—a broad and deep topic, and one of my favorites to explore.