When most folks hear “PR,” they think of pitching reporters, chasing press, or spinning narratives. Sure, some of that is true. But the real perk, the part that keeps me fired up, is access. Access to the people whose ideas are bending this industry’s reality. I put being a student ahead of being a public relations professional, and I believe more people in this role should do the same.
Every interview, every kickoff call, every pitch prep is a chance to learn. In cannabis, where change is constant, that seat matters more than any byline. What makes this industry special is the type of people you cross paths with. These are true pioneers, often building solutions in an environment where rules shift every six months and where stigma still lingers. Watching them think out loud, pivot on the fly, and solve problems in real time has been like sitting in a living, breathing MBA program.
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Curiosity as Currency
PR works when curiosity drives you, not just for content but for genuine understanding. If you aren’t genuinely interested in what your clients are building, reporters and audiences will feel that disconnect instantly. Curiosity is the bridge between “another press release” and a story that actually matters.
From Will Read, Founder & CEO of CannaPlanners, I learned that leadership in uncertain times often feels like navigating in the dark. He described it as carrying a lantern in a pitch black cave. You may only see a couple of feet ahead, you may even be scared yourself, but your job is to lead with steadiness so others will follow. That reframed how I think about guiding not only my own team, but also the companies I work with. What matters is how you show up in uncertain moments. In cannabis, especially, where regulations change, capital dries up, or new competitors appear overnight, curiosity about what is next and the courage to step forward anyway are two of the most valuable tools you have.
Lessons That Stick With You
The real value of PR is not just having access to the experts. It’s in the moments that stay with you, the lines or ideas that creep back into your mind long after the call ends.
Take Stacy Litke, VP of Banking Programs at Green Check. She has been in the trenches of cannabis banking longer than most. She has seen banking evolve from a “store the cash and pay taxes” model to one where full cash management and lending are becoming the norm.
Stacy has taught me that compliance and legitimacy are not just burdens to manage. They are the foundation for banking relationships, legitimacy in regulation, and growth. If you show up with the right systems, data transparency, and proof you belong in the regulated financial ecosystem, you start opening doors rather than simply hoping regulators do not shut you down. That was a shift for me: compliance not as a cost center, but as trust you build.
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Then there’s Nohtal Partansky, Co-Founder & CEO of Sorting Robotics. Most people think about robotics as cold efficiency, machines taking over tasks. But Nohtal flipped that idea on its head. He talked about how robotics can actually give people more room to be creative by removing repetitive work.
And then he dropped a one-liner that hit me right between the eyes: when a problem shows up, ask if you can simply outgrow it. That idea has become a weekly gut check for me. Not every obstacle is meant to be smashed to pieces. Sometimes the smartest move is to grow bigger than the problem until it no longer matters.
Darren Gleeman, Managing Partner of MBO Ventures, pulled me into a whole new way of thinking about ownership. Normally, tax structures and ESOPs are topics that likely sound foreign to someone not fluent in finance. But Darren reframed them as tools that do more than save money. They build loyalty by giving employees real equity and a true stake in the mission behind a business. In cannabis, where margins are tight and turnover is costly, that shift in perspective changes everything.
Brendan McKee, Co-Founder & COO of Silver Therapeutics, made me see retention in a new light. We were talking about what it means to scale with soul across state lines, and he reminded me that retention is not about patching holes in a broken system. It is about building a culture that people want to be part of. Create an environment where your team feels valued, and they will choose to build the company with you, not just for you.
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That has nothing to do with the latest tech stack. It has everything to do with showing up for your people as human beings—cheering on their personal milestones, celebrating when their children are born, or congratulating them as they step into marriage. Culture is built in those moments, and loyalty follows.
None of these lessons felt like classroom lectures. They were real, lived insights, shared in passing but sticky enough to reshape how I think and work. That’s one of the realest gifts of working in PR: getting to sit front row while brilliant people casually hand you wisdom you would never have found on your own.
Turning Insights Into Stories
Absorbing insights is one thing. Sharing them is another. My role is to take what I learn from brilliant minds and translate it into stories that resonate. The best founders often speak in technical or niche terms. An engineer might talk about robotic precision. An investment banker might break down tax structures. A banking leader might walk you through compliance and banking programs.
The audience, whether it is consumers, regulators, or other operators, needs to hear the heart of the story. What problem are you solving? Why does it matter? How does it actually change the game?
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That’s where the power of storytelling, narrative building, and PR comes in. PR has helped turn conversations about robotics into stories about unlocking creativity, conversations about ESOPs into stories about empowerment, and banking regulations into stories about growth and social equity. Done right, PR amplifies the voices that are pushing cannabis forward and making sure their ideas do not stay trapped in Zoom calls or Slack threads.
An actionable tip for anyone trying to tell their brand’s story: strip the jargon and start with the impact. If you can explain it to someone outside of cannabis and have them nod with interest, you’re right on track!
Closer to the Source
If you ask me, the best part of working in PR is not the metrics. It is not the placement or the impressions (although those are all pretty sweet). It is the court-side seat that gets you to the action. The seat next to the sharpest minds in cannabis, learning in real time as they solve problems and build the future. For me, as much as I love the work, I love the people more. At its core, PR is about honoring the people who are building this industry and making sure their truths are heard.