In 2009, I opened a cannabis store in a red county with almost no capital, no road map, and no guarantee the federal government wouldn't show up at my door. I wasn't motivated by money. I was motivated by a vision I couldn't shake, and the refusal to let anyone talk me out of it.

What followed were eleven years of doing the impossible, repeatedly: building professional, customer-centered operations in a stigmatized, all-cash industry; winning over law enforcement and local officials who had every reason to be against me; lobbying California state legislators as a solo operator and Chief Policy Advisor of a fledgling cannabis trade association when the only other voice in the room was law enforcement; speaking before members of Congress and Canadian regulators.

I learned early that the only way forward was to make myself impossible to ignore.

And so I did.

This talk is for anyone who has ever had a vision that didn't make sense to anyone else and needs proof that impossible is negotiable.

The arc of this talk

Nothing is impossible→Disruption is the doorway→Stop shrinking.

Take up space.

Best suited for

• Women's leadership and entrepreneurship conferences

• Chambers of commerce and civic organizations

• Corporate leadership and innovation events

• University entrepreneurship programs

• Advocacy and policy organizations

• Rotary and professional associations

At 49, I had a $15 million exit, a stable relationship with a prominent California legislator, and a book about to be published. By most measures, I had made it.

But then I moved across the country alone, to a place where I knew no one, realized I’ve been a closeted lesbian my entire life, ended the power-couple relationship, and started over.

Fast forward just a couple of years, and I’m married to my first girlfriend, watching my life’s work of $12M in private shares go up in smoke, undergoing a spiritual awakening I never thought I'd ask for, and filing for divorce. And starting over. Again.

By tearing down everything I ever thought I knew about myself, I discovered a pattern of self-abandonment I had been living for decades without ever seeing it clearly — and I began the most disorienting, most liberating chapter of my life.

This talk is not about bouncing back. It is not about resilience in the way that word usually gets used — as if the goal is to get back to who you were before. It is about what happens when you finally stop running from yourself. The grief of that. The anger of that. And the astonishing, almost unreasonable freedom on the other side.

It is for anyone who has spent years being fine — and knows, somewhere underneath it, that they weren't.

Best suited for

• Women's conferences and retreats

• LGBTQ+ organizations and Pride events

• Midlife transition and reinvention audiences

• Wellness and personal development events

• Faith communities open to progressive voices

• Mental health and identity-focused organizations

Book Jamie

Ready to give your
audience permission
to take up space?

"Permission to stop shrinking and start taking up space."

I speak at conferences, retreats, corporate events, civic organizations, and universities nationally. Both tracks are available as keynotes, breakout sessions, or half-day workshops, all customized to your audience and event goals

hello@jamieandreagarzot.com

The arc of this talk

Nothing is impossible→Disruption is the doorway→Stop shrinking.

Take up space.

What to include in your inquiry

• Your event name, date, and location

• Approximate audience size and composition

• Whether you're interested in Track One, Track Two, or both

• Your budget range for speaker fees

• Any specific themes or outcomes you're designing toward