Women in Leadership: Interview with Gina Dubbé, MD & Co-Founder, Greenhouse Wellness & Blissiva

Women Are Naturally Blessed With Multitasking Abilities

 

"A crisis usually requires multi-tasking and looking hard at priorities. Women are better at multitasking than men, therefore, in a crisis, they are simply refining their strengths," says Gina Dubbé (Managing Director and Co-Founder of Greenhouse Wellness, an award-winning dispensary in Maryland and Blissiva, a female-focused cannabis line), in an exclusive interaction with HR.com.

Gina is a serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist and works with Dr. Leslie Apgar (a board-certified OBGYN with 17 years of experience in direct patient care and co-founder and medical director of Greenhouse Wellness and Blissiva.) They are the authors of the bestseller High Heals: How Two Women Found Their Footing, in the Medical Cannabis Industry, which chronicles their personal, medical, and entrepreneurial journey from best friends and suburban moms to vocal advocates for shifting the narrative on medical cannabis.

Excerpts from the interview:

Q. How do you think women make better crisis leaders? 

Gina: Women are better at multitasking than men, therefore, in a crisis, they are simply refining their strengths. We are always tossing that load of laundry in while feeding kids and pets and answering the last crisis of the day at work. I know that all women work in parallel while most men encounter life in a serial way…crisis usually requires multi-tasking and looking hard at priorities. Women are natural at these tasks.

Q. What, in your opinion, are some of the obstacles that dissuade women from actively pursuing leadership roles?

Gina: Balance is our challenge. While we say that we are ‘equal’, I have found that to not be true. Women bear the brunt of household responsibilities and add their professional work. While in the best situations, it is rarely 50/50. So, when asked or having the opportunity to pursue leadership, women talk themselves out of being able. Where most men will overestimate their ability, most women underestimate. And when you add the home responsibilities, women take a step back. Covid has demonstrated this, as more women than men are leaving the workforce to home school children. Part of this is because women, as a rule, make less than their husbands, so they are in a support role.

Q. Can you name one woman who has inspired you the most and why?    

Gina: My grandmother was raised in a very traditional manner. I am not sure if she even completed her high school. She, however, realized that women had to be self-sufficient in a different world. She encouraged me to pursue education above all else. Education is the key.

Q. What advice would you give to young women entering the workforce?   

Gina: Try everything. Especially things that scare you. And work hard! There is no substitute for hard work.

Q. Share the most impactful business lessons you’ve learned in 2020 that you will carry forward.

Gina: Plan, but know that things will change. Who could predict Covid? Who could predict how our world would change? Know that you must be prepared, and have the capital, to weather an unexpected storm.

Q. What is your superpower?

Gina: Grit. There is an interesting survey on the web called ‘The Grit Survey and it assesses how you can stay the course with obstacles. It is fascinating. I believe that the difference for me is that extra little bit of work when things get tough.
 

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