In this Business Blast podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews Kristen Yoder, who describes herself as the "bullshit detector" of the cannabis industry. The conversation begins with Yoder recounting a formative teenage experience when her family moved to a remote Eskimo village in Alaska, highlighting the cultural shock and the lesson that individual concerns are small in the larger world. She then shifts to a candid assessment of the regulated cannabis sector, warning that it is far from the idealized, carefree image many hold; it is tedious, costly, and offers no quick return on investment, often requiring a pay cut and significant sacrifices. Yoder shares general business wisdom, emphasizing rigorous due diligence and avoiding assumptions in any deal. She advises her younger self to not stress over uncontrollable factors, noting that such stress can dominate one's life. For personal well‑being, she champions unplugging from technology and spending time in nature, describing it as essential for feeling insignificant and letting go of personal issues. Yoder recommends the book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People," highlighting the habit of seeking to understand before being understood. Her favorite quote, "If you don't build your own dreams, someone will hire you to build theirs," reflects her focus on personal agency. Finally, she provides her online platforms: the website SoilToTheOil.com, the CannabS Detector podcast at Cannabspod.com launching August 1, and her LinkedIn profile.
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Welcome to the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by Authors Unite. Authors Unite provides you with all the resources you need to become a successful author. You can learn more about Authors Unite and join the free community at authorsunite.com. Now let's jump into the episode.
All right everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Kristen Yoder with us. She is the bullshit detector of the cannabis industry, so welcome to the show.
Thanks so much for having me.
Of course, thanks for joining us. Uh, we'll dive into the first one. The first question I have for you, Kristen, is what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message? Spanish?
So I've learned in my life, A, that I'm way more interesting than most people. So I just want to preface that. So when I was 16, my mom got remarried to a guy that, well, he was a pastor, he got a job as a pastor in an Eskimo village in Alaska. And I had no choice in the matter of staying in Arizona where I grew up or going to the Eskimo village. So a little after I found out that, that I had to move with them, we were on an 11-day road trip up to Alaska. Then we got on a 4-hour flight from Anchorage up to Nome, Alaska. And then we got on a 2-hour flight on a 4-seater Cessna bush plane and landed in a village of 350 people that was approximately 1 square mile. I found myself going from having all the amenities of, you know, the normal middle-class teenage life to being in a place with no restaurants, no movie theaters, no paved streets, no fast food, nothing at all, basically. And I also went from growing up in a mostly white town to being literally the only white kid in the entire village. And The underlying valuable message that I learned from that situation is that, you know, all of us in our lives seem so specific to us, like the world revolves around us, but there is an entire world out there that we have no idea about, and that as individuals, we are fairly insignificant in the grander scheme of things. And that was really helpful in putting my teenage attitude in check.
Wow. So if you don't mind, I'd like to kind of go a little deeper. Like, did you go through, like, like when you were in that village, like, were you like happy? Were you depressed at first?
Or like, I was super depressed. Like, I was literally listening to Jay-Z in my headphones while we were flying over a herd of reindeer, like running across the tundra thinking like, oh my god, like, what? Is there like a plane to the school? Like, how does this work? Like, what is going on here? You know, like, it was insane. And it was incredibly isolating because they didn't like white people. And I don't blame them. But I kept being like, hey, man, I'm not trying to take your land. I didn't choose to move up here. Like, let's get along. But it was not easy. That's for sure. And it really put me in my place because Arizona is an incredibly conservative town, especially where I grew up. So going from such a white place to being like a serious minority in the most literal sense was quite the wake-up call, and I needed it. I really needed it.
Yeah. The next one I have for you is, what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that is within your expertise or industry?
Everyone wants to quit their job and get into the cannabis industry with these dreams of hippies and getting high and oh, it's so fun and everyone's awesome and we're saving lives. But I hate to tell you that a regulated cannabis industry is not fun at all. It's incredibly tedious and difficult and expensive. And there is no such thing as a quick ROI if you're trying to start a company and you will most definitely take a pay cut from the job you have now to get into this industry because Everyone wants to get into the industry. So it takes a lot of sacrifices.
Yes, I think that's really important to state. The next one I have for you is pretty general. So like, what's your best piece of like overall business advice? So not necessarily industry specific.
I think overall, always do your due diligence in every opportunity, every deal, every partnership, everything you do, never make assumptions. And that's especially true with the cannabis industry, but in all business, you should always do your homework first.
And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
Don't get stressed out over things you can't control, or they will— those things will end up controlling you.
And in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?
Putting your technology away and digging your hands in the dirt. I think that nature is incredibly essential for us to feel insignificant and to be able to let go of all the shit going on in our lives and in our own personal issues and just to get out there and be in nature. I think it's essential.
And what is the best book that you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from it?
So I feel cliché saying this because I'm sure lots of people do, but the Seven Habits of Highly Successful People. I read the shortened version, just to say that at least, but the one part that is to seek first to understand before seeking to be understood, and that is so true because we all want to be understood. We all want to be heard, and we have to do it for each other. We can't just do everything based on ourselves.
And what is your favorite quote and why?
If you don't build your own dreams, someone will hire you to build theirs. And that is all I've ever done in my life until the past couple years is help others build their dreams. And whenever those relationships come to an end, you walk away with nothing. And no one else is going to help you build your dream unless you start building it first.
Yes, I love it. Thank you so much for coming on and sharing your insights. The last question I have for you before we let you go is where is the best place for people to find you online?
So I have a website, Soil to the Oil, all spelled out, no numbers, uh,.com. I'm also releasing a podcast on Wednesday. What day is that? Because I don't know when you're going to air this, but, um, on Wednesday, August 1st, called the CannabS Detector, and the website is cannabspod.com. And then you can find me on LinkedIn LinkedIn.com/in/thatskristenyoder.
Perfect. Thanks again for coming on, Kristin.
Thanks for having me.
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