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Amy Chin is a cannabis coach and the founder of Calm Better Days, an online CBD store. In the newest entry of “NY’s women in cannabis,” Chin talks about her motivation for starting in the cannabis industry and advice she’d give her younger self.
Women are vastly underrepresented in cannabis, and not just in New York. From 2019 to 2022, executive-level females have seen their industry wide status drop from 37% to 23%. Yet the MRTA makes things very clear: women-owned businesses are a key component of the state’s social and economic equity plan.
NY Cannabis Insider is seeking to elevate women in cannabis through a hyper-focus on female story sourcing and balanced representation in articles.
This series will last for as long as submissions come in.
Why did you launch your career in the cannabis industry? Were there any women who inspired you to do so? How did you do it?
I launched my career in cannabis because it helped me manage my anxiety and postpartum depression. I had been a long-time THC consumer and was surprised at my own transformation once I was consuming CBD for my mental health. From that moment on I knew I had to let people know how healing this plant can be.
Once the Farm Bill was passed, and CBD was everywhere, I saw that people needed guidance for how and what to consume. That’s when Calm Better Days was born in 2019.
Calm Better Days walks clients through what is plant medicine, what to use it for, different delivery methods, and how to find your dosage. Knowing the essentials is key to maximizing your results. Clients also receive a tailored plant medicine regimen based on their individual needs and lifestyle so they can dive into their plant medicine journey. Calm Better Days has a highly curated selection of small-farmed, women and BIPOC-owned brands.
What do you think is the most significant barrier to women leadership? Are the barriers different in cannabis than any other industry?
It’s still a male-dominated field and we need to see more women in leadership. The most common challenges include: sexism, harassment, bullying, lack of support, lack of benefits, difficulty obtaining funding and resources and low pay. I would say it’s aligned with other industries overall.
Why do you think women are so underrepresented in leadership roles in cannabis?
Men like to hire men or their friends.
What are some ways in which companies can support gender diversity at senior levels?
Have a mentor program and actually hire the person best for the job.
Shout out your other favorite women-owned or women-led businesses in the industry.
Brittany Carbone of Tricolla Farms, Carli from Florist Farms and all the women’s brands I carry: Xula, TribeTokes, Barbari, HustleNflo, Common Ground, Moon Mother Hemp to name a few.
Who/what are your favorite tools and resources in the industry?
Asian Cannabis Roundtable puts out The Maze which lists all the events happening.
What advice would you give your 25-year-old self? What advice would you give to the next generation of women leaders?
That discomfort and imposter syndrome comes with entrepreneurship and is normal to feel that way as there is no blueprint to follow. Practice self care and be gentle on yourself because entrepreneurship needs your mental health on point.
If you’d like people to connect with you, please share your favorite methods of contact.
info@calmbetterdays.co, @calm_better_days, https://calmbetterdays.co/