Episode Summary:Joyce Gerber is an attorney, creator, caregiver, and author of She's Taking a Break: A Cannabis Romance — the first novel written in a genre she calls cannabis friendly fiction. She joins Ishqa to talk about what it took to write and publish her debut novel, the double standard cannabis advocates face on social media, and why stories are the most powerful tool for changing hearts and minds.

What We Cover:— Joyce's cannabis awakening in Denver in 2016— How she became an advocate through storytelling— Creating the genre of cannabis friendly fiction— The story behind She's Taking a Break and Annie McGrath— What it actually took to finish and publish a debut novel— 804 live interviews taken down and the social media double standard— Cannabis, caregiving, and the generations of parents who didn't have access— Why stories change hearts and minds when nothing else can

She's Taking a Break: A Cannabis Romance is available now in paperback and ebook at thecannamomshow.com

Connect with Joyce:Website: thecannamomshow.comInstagram: instagram.com/thecannamomshowLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joyce-gerber

Episode Summary:Juliana Salazar is a Colombian-licensed attorney with over eight years advising founders and operators across Latin America, North America, and Europe. She joins Ishqa to talk Colombia's evolving regulatory landscape, the global pattern repeating in new markets, cross-border business strategy, and why the industry needs to understand the plant before trying to regulate it. You may recognize Rudick Law Group from our episode with Victoria Cvitanovic.

What We Cover:— Entering the industry at her mom's recommendation— The Colombia Cannabis Investor publication and why it existed— The regulatory rush pattern repeating in Colombia, Thailand, Panama, and beyond— What's happening right now in Latin American cannabis markets— Germany and Czech Republic's measured approach and why she respects it— Taking her health into her own hands after six years of chronic back pain— Synthetic replicas vs. the actual plant— Why vulnerability is the industry's most underused asset— How to do ethical, compliant business in Colombia

Connect with Juliana:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/salazarbonettEmail: jsalazar@rudicklawgroup.comWebsite: rudicklawgroup.com/people/juliana-salazar

The cannabis industry is sitting on a data crisis — and most operators don't even know it. Bad data, no retention strategy, and a decade-long drift away from medical education have quietly been costing licensed businesses their most valuable customers. This week on The Canna Boss Babes®, we're getting into all of it.

Steph Vrona is the founder of HighDef Studio, a cannabis marketing operations consultancy based in Arizona. With ten years inside the industry — from Illinois medical dispensaries to regional marketing roles at major MSOs — Steph now helps cannabis brands and dispensaries build the systems, clean data, and retention strategies they need to survive what's coming next.

In this episode:

• Why cannabis dispensary retention is the most overlooked metric operators have
• The 52-card pickup reality of running a licensed cannabis business right now
• Why medical patients spend more, buy better, and are your most loyal customers
• What happened when recreational markets opened — and what was lost
• Indica, sativa, hybrid: marketing terms, not medicine
• The distillate problem and its real impact on consumers and businesses
• Terpenes, full spectrum, and consuming with intention
• How to build a lean marketing operation that actually works

Connect with Steph Vrona & HighDef Studio:🌐 https://highdef.studio/💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephvrona/

Connect with The Canna Boss Babes®:🌐 thecannabossbabes.com📲 @ishqathebossbabe💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ishqahillman-thecannabossbabes/