Populum’s Holistic Approach to Gender Inclusion

In honor of Women’s History Month, Populum celebrates women leaders in the cannabis space. We value women as executive leaders in our company, as well as desire to be an advocate for women in the hemp business industry.

We salute those in the past who were forerunners for women in the cannabis and hemp industries as we take on the fight and strive for equality in the industry. Bootstrapped and founded in late 2016, Populum has grown a team that is dominantly women in directorial roles, with female led and staffed teams across Marketing, Customer Service, and Sales.

“We have sourced talent across all departments that we feel hold the vision of Populum,” said Greg Parker, Populum’s founder and CEO. “We are proud to employ women who have the exceptional skills, merit, and spirit needed for this brand to thrive.”

Populum has a dominantly female team: 67% of their directorial roles are held by women, and two of their four teams are entirely female-staffed.

“There is nothing more isolating than being the only woman in a meeting,” said Caitlin March, Populum’s Director of Marketing. “Populum facilitates a communicative and open atmosphere where I feel my ideas are welcomed and I don’t feel discrimination on the basis of my gender.”

In addition to a gender-diverse staff, Populum also has policies in place to upkeep a company culture that prevents the existence of workplace harassment or discrimination against people of any identity.

The company also recognizes the existence of mistreatment of women in healthcare, and has policies implemented for their customer service team to treat all customers equally regardless of any identity.

“We pride ourselves on our exceptional customer service and we strive to ensure that only the best assistance is reaching every customer, every time,” said Park.

Populum’s policy of inclusivity extends beyond the customer and forward-facing aspects of the brand -- team members of all genders are able to take advantage of modern office flexibility and are able to take three months of paid parental leave and allocate time for focusing on personal health. Take the days you need to get back to a better you, their handbook reads.

“We believe that if our team is healthy and giving themselves the attention they need, we are able to succeed as a company,” said Park.

Populum also partners with like-minded organizations like Svn Space, a company focused on the beauty, health, wellness, and lifestyle aspects of CBD and hemp aimed at the modern woman. By working with them on videos and events, Populum extends further support to the female community.

History of Women in Cannabis

The evidence of women in cannabis can be dated back to ancient times. Women used the plant for various medicinal purposes in many different countries. Mayan and Aztec women took baths full of medicinal herbs, including cannabis, for menstrual relief. Eleventh century European women used a cannabis ointment for its anti-inflammatory properties. In 1839, Back in 1890, Queen Victoria used a cannabis tincture to ease the pain of her cramps.

Dr. William O’Shaughnessy reintroduced medicinal cannabis use to the West in the form of concentrated extracts and tinctures. Some research shows that the most common female ailments treated with cannabis are symptoms associated with menstruation, especially dysmenorrhea.

Today, women are still continuing to use the magic hemp plant. Research on the bioavailability of CBD has been a catalyst in the discovery of the different ways CBD can be absorbed. With this, Populum has expanded CBD product lines that allow women to benefit from CBD in their everyday routines.

After receiving feedback from our customers, Populum’s Lavender + CBD Face Oil was created. CBD is one of the newest trends in skincare for good reason. Populum's new Lavender face oil is uniquely formulated to provide CBD for your skin, antioxidants that will moisturize your body, and leave your face with a healthy glow.

As we start off 2020, we are proud to be a part of an industry where women are leading the way. Nearly 37% of the senior-level jobs at cannabis companies are held by women, according to a Marijuana Business Daily survey. This is far higher than the national average at 21% for all businesses in the U.S.

The Women Behind Populum

Caitlin March is Populum’s Director of Marketing. In summer of 2018, Caitlin moved from Washington, DC to Omaha, NE, where she was introduced through friends to Populum’s founder, Greg Parker. Having heard so much about the emerging hemp CBD market, Caitlin was excited to join the team at Populum and lead their marketing efforts in what has been a dynamic and constantly evolving CBD landscape. Since taking over as Director of Marketing, she has been instrumental in helping to enhance Populum’s email marketing presence, expand Populum’s subscriber program and develop grassroots efforts informing the public of the benefits and uses of hemp CBD. As a longtime believer in the power of hemp CBD, March uses the products daily and encourages others to give CBD a try.

“I love how resourceful, creative and enthusiastic everyone is at Populum, I thrive on their energy and passion for hemp CBD.”
-Caitlin March

Emily Rockwell is Populum’s Director of Business Development. She started with Populum as a Sales Manager in January of 2019, and her current role involves managing sales, running point between sales and marketing, managing sales-specific software platforms, and staying up-to-date with current market trends. CBD has been life-changing for Emily's family - she feels that it has significantly reduced her husband's tremor, reduced her inflammation issues caused by Lyme Disease, and provides respite for her kids at night who have a hard time sleeping. Emily loves working for Populum for a multitude of reasons, but being able to work for a tight-knit company that truly values.