Showing Up for Midlife Women: Q&A with Kate Miller, Co-Founder and CEO of Miss Grass

Ellen Wilcox , our Head of Listening, sat down with a few of our founders to discuss learnings from Mindsets from the Middle, our latest consumer research deep-dive. First up, a conversation with Kate Miller , Co-Founder and CEO of Miss Grass , a cannabis brand and community for women.

We believe nearly every consumer brand stands to learn from this audience and body of work. We also believe that as a brand built by and primarily for women who weed, Miss Grass is uniquely positioned to address some of the specific needs of midlife women today. Let’s dive in...

Ellen Wilcox: After reading the report, what insights or learnings are you most eager to bring back to the Miss Grass team — and why?

Kate Miller:
Women account for 42% of cannabis consumers in North America, and they’re the fastest growing consumer segment. Mindsets from the Middle provided insights into why that is. Midlife women’s barriers — ill-equipped medical resources, gaps in medical studies, juggling-it-all mom life — makes her turn to self-treatment and alternative medicine. CANNABIS ;) 


This also inspired me to have us think through a body of research we can lead on women and cannabis. The limited medical studies on women coupled with the limited studies done on cannabis (due to its Schedule I classification), is a big understanding gap that we can help color in. It re-emphasized the value of empowering through education.

EW: What does this mean for how you’re thinking about Miss Grass as both a community and a brand?

KM: Our community is the most important thing. This report reinforced that belief, and validated our efforts in creating safe spaces for honest, vulnerable connections. And to prioritize continually tapping into our community to make sure we know and understand them (e.g., surveys, community interviews) so we can better meet their needs.
This also means thinking of our community less from a demographic point of view, and more from a life stage / psychographic point of view.

When we’re thinking about product development and other offerings, we should be thinking of it through the lens of how we can benefit her and her entire orbit — being of service as thought leaders and clearly articulating value propositions. Also creating something that enhances her life and integrates into it, rather than being additive. Our brand positioning: Weed for the Times, aligns well with this and the value of contextualizing solutions for users.

EW: What do you wish midlife women knew about Miss Grass? Cannabis more broadly?


KM: Cannabis is medicine. Not saying it’s the solve for all women’s problems. But I’ve found that there are many people, women in particular, who have ill-informed perceptions of it. Especially for those that live in a legal state and have access to a myriad of products. There’s a lot that can support many of these midlife women’s struggles, and you can truly feel the mind and body shift and results. That’s different from so many other wellness modalities we’re marketed that require a larger financial and time commitment.

EW: Do any insights, stories, or perspectives resonate with you personally as a female founder?


KM: I resonated a lot with the overwhelm that is the wellness category for women. All the things I — as a female founder and a woman — am “supposed to do” to be healthy, sane, high performing, fit, successful, and live a balanced life. From meditation to acupuncture to chemical peels to diet and exercise routine. It’s a lot, and a BIG market and opportunity, hence why there is SO much. 


This year I’m entering the age range you studied (37!). While I don’t think I’m entering the life stage just yet, this gave me an understanding of happenings in this life chapter. Somewhat wild I had to google some stuff because it was never taught to me. While some of it doesn’t sound fun, this also left me feeling excited, especially for the soul work and growth that happens when we invest more into our own self.

Entrepreneurs…. How are you building your brand for this audience? We invite you to share your thoughts on the Mindsets from the Middle report. Sign up to download the report and stay up to date with all of Listen’s consumer research here. https://bit.ly/listen-mfm