How one company is helping females in the cannabis industry break the 'grass ceiling'
Women are continually breaking down barriers in their respective professions and one former finance pro is digging into an unexpected field while finding ways to cultivate industry growth for females.
At first glance, emerging industries are often assumed to be more diverse. But black markets and farms are often dominated by men, and cannabis traditionally has roots in both – which is why Gia Morón is concerned about women taking a back seat.
Morón spent her fair share of time as the only woman in the room while working at Goldman Sachs for 15 years. But even now, after leaving the finance industry, for the marijuana industry, she has noticed a predominantly male presence.
"Coming to the cannabis industry I thought 'Oh wow this is familiar, I know what this is about,'" she told ABC's Brad Mielke on the ABC News' podcast "Start Here". "The experience hasn't been unfamiliar to me."
Morón is the executive vice president for Women Grow, an organization based in Denver, Colorado that focuses on female leadership in the cannabis industry, and hopes that the boom of growth in the industry means more opportunity for diversity.
"I also know how I can help to bring more women leadership and bring the interest that women and women of color would like to see in the workplace. I'm actually thankful for those prior years on Wall Street and at Goldman because I learned a lot and I've been able to bring that skill set to Women Grow," Morón said.
As laws legalizing marijuana – both medicinal and recreational – spread across the nation, Morón believes that women in this burgeoning growth sector seem to be hitting a "grass ceiling."
"Especially with cannabis going legal in new states, I know we're going to see more women entering into the industry," Morón explained. "There [is] also a lack of diversity in terms of communities of color across the board."
Morón continued, "I like to call them 'canna-boomers' -- the women who are seasoned professionals or those who had careers in other industries and then decided that there's something about cannabis, there's something about this industry where I can take my skill set."
"Start Here" is a daily ABC News podcast hosted by Brad Mielke featuring original reporting on stories that are driving the national conversation. Listen for FREE on the ABC News app, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play Music, iHeartRadio -- or ask Alexa: "Play 'Start Here.'"
Follow @StartHereABC on social for exclusive content, show updates and more: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.
ABC News' Suzie Liu contributed to this report
