Grace Under Pressure: Balancing Leadership and Wellness in Cannabis

By Marie Saloum

Founder and CEO of GreenPharms Dispensary

In the ever-evolving world of cannabis, there are few constants. Regulations change, public perception shifts, and the market demands constant innovation. For someone like me, a first-generation American, a mother, a Hispanic entrepreneur, and the CEO of GreenPharms Dispensaries, grace under pressure is not a concept. It’s a daily practice.

My path into this industry began with something deeply personal. My husband survived a devastating car accident, and his recovery journey introduced us to the healing potential of cannabis. We witnessed firsthand how this plant could reduce his pain and anxiety, where traditional medicine had fallen short. That experience changed everything for me. It inspired a career and a mission to bring compassion and credibility to an industry that is still finding its place in the mainstream.

Leading GreenPharms means managing multiple dispensary locations, overseeing product lines like Cigaweeds and Mad Terp, and driving community education through Marijuana Doctors. It also means navigating a complex, often male-dominated industry where proving your credibility can be half the battle. I have had to assert my expertise in ways many of my male counterparts never have to consider. That reality shaped how I carry myself, and more importantly, how I lead.

Maintaining grace under pressure starts with structure. I prioritize tasks with military precision, carving out time for everything from compliance meetings to bedtime stories with my children. My calendar isn’t just filled with work commitments. It includes self-care practices, family dinners, and moments of reflection. Because the truth is, burnout doesn’t just impact productivity; it affects people. I lead better when I’m whole, and that requires making space for wellness.

Self-care is about intentionality. Whether I’m spending time with my children, checking in with staff on the dispensary floor, or hosting a Trap Culture event, I try to be fully present. 

Trap Culture, in fact, is a great example of wellness meeting joy. 

I created it because I wanted an event that celebrated cannabis the way alcohol is celebrated at concerts: with vibrancy, music, and a sense of fun. One of our proudest moments was throwing the first cannabis event at a water park. It was groundbreaking, yes, but it was also a moment of pure joy that reminded me why I do this.

Still, the pressure is real. The cannabis industry is tightly regulated, and as someone who started in Arizona during the medical-only era, I’ve experienced the full arc of legalization. We were among the first to open certification clinics and used that platform to help fund the 2010 medical cannabis ballot initiative. As the founder of one of the state’s earliest dispensaries, I’ve seen the stakes rise with each policy change, each expansion, and each new competitor. Through it all, I’ve learned that resilience isn’t about never feeling stressed. It’s about learning how to move through stress with clarity and integrity.

That means hiring well and leading better. I prioritize diversity and emotional intelligence when building my teams. I want people around me who not only understand the work but also care about the mission. I make it a point to be on the floor with staff, to listen, to ask questions, and to create an environment where feedback flows both ways. Inclusivity isn’t a corporate buzzword to me. It’s how we sustain grace under pressure together.

And yes, there are days when it feels like too much. There are long nights spent preparing for launches, negotiating lease terms, or brainstorming how to break into new markets. There are tough calls, like when I renovated our Mesa location into a grab-and-go retail concept, something the Arizona market hadn’t seen before. It was a financial and reputational risk. But I believed in it, and I had a team that believed in me.

Grace, to me, is not about perfection. It’s about steadiness. 

It’s showing up for my family with the same energy I bring to the boardroom. It’s knowing when to push and when to pause. It’s creating a company culture where wellness isn’t an afterthought; it’s baked into how we operate, from how we care for our patients to how we care for each other.

The work we do at GreenPharms is deeply personal. It’s about healing, empowerment, and community. But it also asks a lot from those of us at the helm. Balancing that responsibility with grace requires intention, boundaries, and the constant reminder that leadership is not about doing it all. It’s about doing the right things, with the right people, for the right reasons.

In a world that often values hustle over health. One where success is measured not just by sales but by impact, not just by growth but by grace.

Connect With Marie

www.linkedin.com/in/marie-saloum-21972b5