Weed Queen: Diana Krach
Title: Host and Creator of Your Highness Podcast
I had the great opportunity to interview, Weed Queen, Diana Krach, a freelance writer, content creator, editor, and digital publicist the host and creator of the Your Highness Podcast. A podcast with a focus on inclusiveness, equality, and accessibility in cannabis. Your Highness is about getting comfortable with the uncomfortable, having conversations not widely discussed, and honoring those women who are making this space and plant available to everyone in a fair and equitable way. Diana discusses topics such as the intersection of veteran and accessibility in cannabis, how to avoid gatekeeping in the cannabis space and have interviewed brilliant women such as Halle Pennington, Products Executive at Humboldt Seed Company, Tekisha Harvey and Diana Sanmiquel of CannCurious Magazine and other dope trailblazing women in the cannabis space.
Check out our interview below, where Diana Krach talks about her podcast, her involvement and impact in the cannabis community, and shares her advice for fellow women looking to pursue the cannabis industry.
How would you describe yourself and what you do?
I’m a freelance writer, podcast host, content creator, editor, and digital publicist. Being a freelance content creator means a lot of different things, depending on the timing and current media trends, but it’s the best way to put all that I do under one umbrella. As far as my writing is concerned, I could be considered a generalist in cannabis, because I cover a wide variety of topics for outlets like The News Station, CannaCurious Magazine, and Vanguard Media Online.
What makes Your Highness Podcast unique?
It’s a podcast that has lasted for over 4 years without any kind of funding or sponsorship, which is nothing short of a miracle. A lot of that is the result of some powerful networking through previous guests, as well as a series of mistakes that served as learning opportunities.
What’s your favorite part about your job? Least favorite?
My favorite part is that I’m constantly learning things and meeting fascinating people. My least favorite is the unpredictability of my schedule at times. I try to stay flexible but it’s important to me to stay organized as a freelancer, so I try to stick to some type of structure. But there are so many moving parts in the cannabis space that can lead to a lot of last-minute changes.
What inspired you to start your podcast and how did you get started?
The podcast began as a way to garner more attention for a (now defunct) women’s cannabis alliance, but it quickly evolved into a show about women in cannabis. Podcasting was still nascent at the time, so there were a lot of learning curves.
What is your vision and mission for Your Highness Podcast?
In 2017, Your Highness Podcast was born from the premise that women-identifying folks can find more opportunities, both professionally and personally, in the cannabis industry. Subsequently, the podcast featured women industry leaders and fearless entrepreneurs from all over the world. Over the years, the show continues to evolve, with a strong focus on accessibility and inclusiveness.
Season 4 got comfortable with uncomfortable (but much-needed) conversations about the intersection of cannabis and other social, political, and environmental issues. Guests in season 4 discuss topics like food literacy, custody concerns, racial injustice, cannabis education for children, and toxic positivity. There will be many new developments in season 5, including a global conversation series with other cannabis podcasters.
What were you doing before you started Your Highness Podcast?
Freelance journalism, digital marketing, and general content creation that included copywriting.
How did that influence what you do?
I do a lot of research for my writing, so I utilized that when I searched for potential guests, as well as when I developed episode topics. I also had a lot of previous experience interviewing strangers, so I was prepared for that on some level.
Did you ever expect a career in the cannabis space?
No. If you told me this is what I’d be doing 15 years ago, I would’ve thought you were hallucinating.
Were your family and friends supportive of your venture?
Some of them were, but it is a small group.
What has your personal experience with cannabis been?
I have been a cannabis user since I was about 13, though there was a bit during my early adulthood where I refrained. That was mainly because I was on pharmaceuticals for my chronic pain and autoimmune diseases, and I didn’t believe the two mixed at the time. Very long story short, I switched from pharmaceuticals to plant medicine over 8 years ago.
Did you ever feel like you weren’t taken seriously because you are a woman?
In other industries, such as real estate and cosmetology, I felt this way constantly, but not in cannabis.
How/do you think your involvement in this industry is going to positively impact your community?
I think the podcast has created some opportunities for conversations among those in the cannabis parenting community.
What has been your greatest obstacle in this industry to date – and how have you overcome it?
I think the biggest obstacle for a lot of people in this space is the staggering amount of moving parts – things constantly changing. I’m a fairly adaptable person, but it can be jarring sometimes how quickly the rules change.
What’s the biggest change you want to see in the cannabis industry?
I want to see deeper discussions about how to make workplaces more accessible and equitable for women and marginalized communities: on-site daycare or reimbursement, remote positions, paid family leave, and affordable benefits to start. For consumers, more accessibility to affordable cannabis.
Now that cannabis is legal, what excites you most and what worries you the most?
I’m excited that more people will try the plant to medicate, but I worry that big business will soon overshadow and monopolize.
What would be your best piece of advice for fellow women looking to pursue the cannabis industry?
Be flexible, and don’t assume compatibility with a future business partner or colleague based on a mutual admiration of the plant.
What would you consider to be the most effective way or initial steps of breaking down barriers and ceilings to pave this path for women in the industry?
Pay women and non-binary folks the same as white cisgender men.
There’s still a perception or stigma attached to the people involved in the cannabis industry or just consumers that partake in recreational or medical use, as being stoners- if you have encountered this kind of close-minded perspective, what would your argument be to shift the conversation to one of the importance of the weed market and why it should be celebrated/normalized?
I would say that pharmaceuticals have caused irrevocable damage to my body, cost me jobs and relationships, and made me act like a different person, but cannabis has done none of those things and has helped me thrive in many ways. If I’m talking to someone who claims to care about me, I point out the many ways that plant medicine has positively impacted my autoimmune diseases, and if they want what is best for me, the stoner stereotype doesn’t enter the discussion. But even if it does, I find the trope to be so hyperbolic and laughable that it is difficult to engage with someone who holds onto that belief. There is far too much evidence to the contrary everywhere you look online, so I feel like if that’s your reference point, you aren’t paying attention or you’re being willfully ignorant.
Do you have any suggestions on how we can help normalize cannabis?
Start with children, because D.A.R.E. is still very much a real thing. Help younger generations unlearn the many myths we were taught growing up. Also, refrain from the “productive stoner Olympics”, and make it more about the plant. We shouldn’t need qualifiers to safely medicate with a plant.
Where can we reach you?
IG: yourhighnesspodcast, on Twitter: @HighnessPodcast
Name 4 of your favorite women in weed that you’d like to give a shout out to. What do they do and where can we reach them?
Tiffany Watkins, CEO of Vanguard Media, tiffany@vanguardmediaonline.com
Tekisha Harvey, co-founder of CannaCurious Magazine, tekisha@cannacuriousmag.com
Dr. Desta Meghoo, AKA Mama Desta, artist, creative consultant, and long-time cannabis activist, desta_meghoo@yahoo.com
Monica Donovan, founder of Heady Vermont, monica@headyvermont.com
Key takeaways from Diana Krach:
- Be flexible, and don’t assume compatibility with a future business partner or colleague based on a mutual admiration of the plant.
- Help younger generations unlearn the many myths we were taught growing up
- Pay women and non-binary folks the same as white cisgender men.
- We shouldn’t need qualifiers to safely medicate with a plant.
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Huge shout out and big thank you to Diana Krach for taking the time to chat about her experiences in the cannabis space, for giving us great advice and tips on how to be successful in the weed world and for shouting out other dope Weed Queens!
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