In honor of National Women's Equality Day on August 26th, we're exploring what it takes to make it as one of the very few female CEOs in the legal cannabis and CBD industry.

Across all US industries, women hold around 30 percent of CEO and C-suite positions. But in the cannabis industry, women only hold 22 percent of C-suite roles and just 8 percent of CEO titles. So how can more women successfully lead in a young, semi-legal industry like cannabis and CBD?

This episode, host Brit Smith sits down with the so-called 'Dolly Part of hemp,' Franny Tacy, the founder and CEO of Franny’s Farmacy, to find out what it takes to be part of the 8 percent.

After studying forestry and working in pharmaceuticals, Franny left what she calls the 'unhealthcare industry' and moved into agricultural education and activism, eventually becoming the first female farmer to plant hemp in North Carolina in 75 years. She's since grown from farming her own hemp and running a single CBD store in Asheville, N.C. to developing a high-end hemp product line and seeing Franny's Farmacy franchises in six states. She's continued to innovate with products like her hemp honey and pasta. And she's built meaningful partnerships with everyone from local farmers to celebrities, including fashion designer Christian Siriano, who's about to start selling Franny’s products in his own stores.

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