Meet Summer Hanson | RN, co-owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Summer Hanson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Summer, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I was really encouraged and inspired by my husband and best friend (and, now, business partner). My husband, Tyler, had just finished his EMBA and had identified cannabis as an industry on the rise. My best friend, Brittany, had opened her shop House of Healing after a personal search for natural stress and anxiety relief. As a stay at home mom to 2 small kids (1 and 3 when we opened), I felt a yearning for purpose outside our home. My professional background was as a nurse – first in the ICU setting recovering heart and lung transplant and open heart surgery patients; then, for a medical device company – helping heart failure patients who’d received a mechanical heart pump re-enter their communities safely, by educating their primary care physicians, emergency room staff, and first responders on how to manage their unique care. I missed the opportunity to help people and improve patient outcomes, but knew that 12hr hospital shifts or demanding travel schedules were no longer compatible with my current role as a mother. With the support of Tyler and Brittany, I felt confident that we could successfully expand the brand to House of Healing Dallas. Having maintained my RN license, I was excited to offer customers a consultative approach to navigating CBD and the other medicinal properties of hemp, and help instill a sense of confidence and clarity around an often stigmatized plant.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
This is certainly not the direction I imagined my career taking when I started working as a nurse almost 18 years ago. I have always had an open mind about cannabis use, though, being a user myself for much of my adult life. I recognized a superiority over alcohol for recreational use, as well as a therapeutic option with far fewer side effects than pharmaceutical medications, and I felt like it was an opportunity for me to leverage my medical field background and personal use experience to help de-stigmatize the industry to those I could reach. I find incredible joy in helping others, especially in health and wellness. Along with my team, we emphasize a holistic approach to health management, while staying informed of current laws, studies, and anecdotal experiences related to cannabis and it’s derivatives. We offer a consultative experience to each and every customer in an effort to improve our community’s understanding of and confidence in hemp as an alternative to recreational drugs and alcohol, or for the benefit of relief from sleeplessness, anxiety, and other common complaints. This was always the “pie in the sky” idea, but getting here wasn’t as easy. In the three years since opening, we’ve had many employees come and go as we figured out how to identify and recruit the kind of people who share our vision. This happened in parallel to my development as a business owner and team leader (a role I’d never had professionally). Thankfully, another friend, who believed in the plant and our vision, eagerly accepted the management position and has served as a mentor to me for 3 years. Tracy brings over 20 years of corporate sales and management experience and has advised me and our employees through countless obstacles to growth and success. Additionally, my business partner and husband offer continuous support to me and my team through their proven sales strategies and successes. We strive to exude excellence in customer service and product quality and purity. Brittany has, over the years, built vendor partnerships to ensure we stay as relevant as possible in industry while never sacrificing on quality. I feel lucky to have the benefit of those relationships in our Dallas store. I have confidence that everyone on our team, from owners, to spouses, to employees, have the absolute best intentions to grow the business and continue reaching people in need of natural relief.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would show them beautiful East Dallas. It’s an escape within the city, boasting established neighborhoods, thriving small businesses, excellent restaurants and bars, and nature and exercise trails around White Rock Lake that connect you to the whole city. We’d have brunch at White Rock Ale House, lunch at Good Friend, dinner at Smokey Rose. We’d take a trip to the Dallas Arboretum and hope to catch some live music on their outdoor stage. We’d go for a walk on the trail around the lake and enjoy a stunning sun set from one of benches there. We might even drive by the funky, cool residence of our neighbor, the iconic Erykah Badu. In greater Dallas, we’d want to get some culture by visiting places like the Nasher Sculpture Center, Perot Museum of Nature and Science (including the dinosaur exhibit!), or the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. For shopping we’d probably need to hit both Northpark Mall and The Galleria, then go window shopping at Highland Park Village.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Tyler Hanson, husband, life partner, greatest cheerleader and believer that I can do anything
Brittany and Brennon Manske, business partners, great examples of how small businesses can excel through constant hustle, strategic business development
Tracy Bowen, store manager, personal mentor

Website: https://cbddallas.com

Instagram: @cbd.dallastexas

Facebook: https://facebook.com/cbd.dallastexas

Image Credits
Brandon Parscale, Parscale Photos
Fe Aguilar, SpadeCraft Marketing