MDW is delighted to feature Holly Teegarden, a beautifully candid human being who sidelines the bullsh*t and talks straight about everything from wellness to the misconceptions surrounding cannabis.
Holly's story resonates with so many women because it's one we can all relate to. After massive burnout in corporate America, Holly took a step back to heal herself and opened a small hemp dispensary in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, called Moodporium.
As Holly supported many of her customers with solutions to a variety of issues like anxiety, pain, cancer recovery, sleep, and addiction, many people around her criticized her efforts. But Holly saw value in helping people like herself, who wanted to be free to use plant medicine and have a better quality of life.
Holly pressed on, despite the naysayers, and made space for these women. As Moodporium grew, Holly created an in-person community in the form of safe weekend retreats for those looking for a way to refresh and recharge. I hope you enjoy this excellent Q&A with Holly and consider how a weekend retreat would benefit your health and well-being...
MDW: Tell us your origin story and how you landed on the idea of retreats.
Holly: I was in corporate America, specifically doing digital marketing. I had a mental breakdown after pushing myself too far on the hustle train. I reset and found that my healing journey could help others, so I opened the store, Moodporium.
The store was doing well, and I thought, "How can I make a more significant difference?"
I noticed that 40+ women are underrepresented in the cannabis space, yet when you looked at a hashtag like #cannamom they were all over the place. I started to explore retreat spaces and thought, this isn’t me. The spaces were either camping (which is cool but not so cool for my back) OR a party scene. But there was nothing that was more on the wellness side.
I took some of my loves which are Airbnb (I surf it like TikTok), traveling, outdoors, cannabis, good food, and connections with other chill women, and combined it all into the retreats.
MDW: Some readers might be new to the Cannabis scene, so what can you share that can help dispel misconceptions and break the stigma around cannabis?
Holly: OMG. I recently wrote a blog post about this. I think many people in the cannabis space are perpetuating the stigma. I went to a cannabis convention, and every stigma was there, but no one was pushing the wellness side. And that’s where we need to show how cannabis (CBD or marijuana) can be part of your wellness routine.
It isn’t about getting f’d up. It’s about functioning. My friends are surprised when they realize I’m not a partier. I’m sleeping by 9:30, seven days a week.
MDW: What is a “Cannamood?”
Holly: I use the word “mood” in every business that I do. The goal of each company is to help people achieve whatever mood they are looking for. Cannamood Apparel is about being comfortable with expressing your love of cannabis without it being blatant and stereotypical. It’s a vibe of being unapologetically yourself.
MDW: I love that you team up with female artists to create Cannamood Apparel and own Moodporium. What are the most common reasons people visit your shop?
Holly: It was important to me that the Cannamood Apparel designs be actual designs drawn pen to paper vs. computer designed. There is still room for old-school designs. There’s an imperfection to them and a purity that feeds into our purpose. It was always going to be female designers too. The cannabis space is predominantly male, so the more women we can loop into it, the better it will be.
People come into my shop for three main reasons: anxiety, sleep, and pain.
I have helped many customers stop drinking alcohol, get off highly addictive drugs, and even save their marriages with their sex life. I take everyone’s stories to heart and pray for many of them.
For people who have never tried CBD, I spend time with them about dosing and overdosing, ways to take it, etc. Even if they walk out still on the fence, at least they are educated to make the right decisions.
MDW: What makes your retreats different?
Holly: I thought about myself and what I would want if I went on a retreat. The current cannabis retreat landscape is more about getting f'd up vs. the wellness aspect of cannabis, which is why I named it MoodRXtreats. The RX was for the plant medicine and healing we get from it. Great food, cannabis, woo-woo activities, a chill environment (hello, sweats!), a beautiful home, and hanging out with like-minded women.
Another difference is the target audience is older than the typical late twenties - early thirties. I'm cringing writing this, but our retreats are sophisticated, like our customers. They're elevated, and I haven't seen that in this space.
MDW: Let’s talk about judgment and how you create a space with your retreats that promote safety and exploration.
Holly: This is on my mind a lot because I want to ensure that I create a space where everyone feels comfortable. In terms of cannabis, we will have an education component for our newbies who are canna-curious, so they're empowered to make decisions based on their mood goals. We don't bring alcohol. I'm not an alcohol user, and when you combine cannabis and alcohol, things get sloppy. Finally, we do not take pictures of women at these events UNLESS they are okay with it. I want women to feel 100% comfortable over the weekend to do, say, and wear whatever they want.
MDW: What else would you like readers to know about you? About your mission to bring community and relaxation to our respective worlds?
Holly: With all of my businesses, I give at least 3% of my sales (gross) to charity. It’s important that I give back to the community. We pick four charities each year and that will never change.
I’ve created four core desire feelings that represent all the brands.
Nurtured - Create a space that people (including myself) feel nurtured and safe.
Inspired - whether that’s customers, products, and events. Feeling inspired is such an amazing feeling.
Seen - For me that’s being seen as a businesswoman, a force in a predominately male-driven vertical as a mom who is almost 50. For my customers, they can purchase anything from us (shirts, retreats, products, etc.) and they know they are seen. We got you. We value you. We respect you.
Belonging - We are one community. You have found your people.
MDW: If you could sum up a weekend retreat in one sentence, what would you say?
Holly: We’ve created a tagline that sums up the weekend well; escape, relax, and recharge.
We’re allowing women to escape and hang out with non-judgmental women while dabbling in cannabis and doing fun woo-woo things in a beautiful locale.
MDW: Where can people follow you on social and shop the Moodporium?
Holly: I swear it feels like a grocery list now:
MoodRXtreats:
moodrxtreats.com and @themoodrxtreats (Instagram)
Moodporium:
moodporium.com and @moodporium (Instagram)
Cannamood:
cannamoodapparel.com and @cannamoodapparel (Instagram)
I’m turning 50 in September, and I’ve come to accept and embrace my authentic self. I feel like I’m on the other side of figuring out who I am vs. what people think I should be.
- Holly Teegarden
Disclaimer: None of the advice or medicinal suggestions shared on The Modern Domestic Woman or any of its platforms should be a substitute for professional treatment.
While some of the contributors provide a narrative of their own mental health experience, the goal is to help the reader find supportive resources in their specific geographic location.
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