The matter of pace, the call of the career, the challenge of finding balance and honoring priorities. Every mom has her trick, her own rituals that help her go through the day, achieving everything.
To celebrate Mother’s Day, Benzinga wanted to spotlight moms doing amazing jobs in the demanding cannabis industry. We reached out to Crystal Millican lead SVP of retail and marketing at one of the most popular marijuana brands – Cookies.
Before joining the Cookies team, Millican was a consultant to Fortune 100 retail and business-to-business companies and an analyst at tech giant Google . Her skills and passion for the sector were crucial to the company’s strategy, helping its reach 23 markets, spanning six countries.
“Achieving this level of growth, along with accolades like AdAge’s Hottest Brands of 2021, has put Cookies on the map, and yet our most important work is being actively involved in advocacy and social impact,” Millican told Benzinga. “There is still a long and winding road toward legalization ahead of us, and too many communities disproportionately impacted by the War on Drugs.”
Here is the story of how is she juggling career and motherhood, and what inspires her to fight for this industry.
Benzinga: Do you think that society is ready to accept moms who use marijuana?
Millican: “I’m worried less about societal acceptance of moms who use marijuana than I am about the industry ignoring us as cannabis consumers. To bring awareness and shift stigmas, it really starts with curiosity about our experience as moms, listening to the reasons we use cannabis in our lives and being willing to weave our stories into the fabric of weed culture.
“There were a lot of shifts when I became a mom. Recreation and self-care opportunities are simply fewer and further between. Being a working mom is not always easy—at times I feel like a human pretzel leaning in, out, upside down and sideways trying to grow a business while caring for my girls, but it just makes me all that more grateful for cannabis, as it helps me tap into connecting body, mind, heart and humor.”
Benzinga: What about the people around you? How do they comprehend the work you do, or how do they look upon cannabis consumption?
Millican: “I’ll just say this—I became the most popular parent on the soccer field once team moms and dads found out what I do for a living. I’m very lucky to have incredibly supportive friends and family, as well as to live in Los Angeles, where I seldom encounter judgment. That is not the case everywhere and those of us in the retail cannabis biz know how much time, energy and investment goes into educating communities about the benefits of cannabis and the great care we take in our conversations with neighbors to move individuals to overcome stigmas, stereotypes and misplaced fears.”
Millican: “It takes a village. I couldn’t juggle my career and motherhood without my partner, our incredible nanny Haley, our preschool community and the talented team we’ve built at Cookies. I thank my stars every day that I don’t have to write to-do lists for my husband when I leave on a business trip, or to-do lists for my team when I’m in family mode.
“It is difficult and there are certainly days I find myself feeling ‘lesser than’ at work or home. In those moments, I take a deep breath and remind myself that I know more about scaling a global cannabis brand than almost anyone on Earth and I’ve built that muscle while raising two daughters that are already making the world a brighter and better place.”
Benzinga: What inspires the most to push hard in this industry?
Millican: “I truly believe in cannabis. The opportunity is in front of us to leave behind the glass ceilings, pay gaps, bias, stereotypes and other constructs that have historically made it harder for too many individuals to achieve their dreams and ambitions. The solution is going to start at the top—executive teams, boardrooms, investors are on the hook for profitable growth. But we also are on the hook to be an ally in this paradigm shift. There are so many of us doing our damnedest to build this industry with DEI as a core value from the start, because we know there is potential to change the world for the better, set an example for other industries to follow and achieve progress.”
Benzinga: What are your favorite cannabis products? Why do you use them for (relaxation, sleep issues, unwinding, fun, etc.)?
Millican: “Any and all of our That Badu products. The cultivar Erykah Badu selected lightens my mood, her gummies are delicious and formulated to perfection, her CBD topical cream relaxes and soothes and her functional mushroom tea is comforting like a warm embrace. Erykah Badu took such care in developing her products with our team, and I can’t wait to bring her products to more markets so more people can enjoy and experience them.”
Benzinga: What is your advice to all the women pushing hard to make a name for themselves in cannabis?
Millican: “Be yourself. What I know to be true is that the women I’ve had the honor of working with in cannabis are all striving to pave a smoother path, so with every generation of women there are fewer bumps and bruises along the way to making a name for ourselves. The bruises we are encountering in the workplace today will heal so long as we stay true to who we are, rely on each other, cry when we need to and laugh as often as possible.”
SOURCE: Benzinga