The Shift — A Cannabis Podcast by Headquarters

Filip Gacic hosts The Shift from Headquarters: cannabis operations, distribution, compliance, and the stories behind the industry. Watch episodes and get notified when new ones drop.

All episodes

• Ep 1: Mother of Cannabis — with Jennifer Muñoz
  Industry veteran on building cannabis distribution, working the events circuit, and why people - not software - still drive this business.
• Ep 2: Systems First, Chaos Never — with Marco Pizano
  Why durable cannabis operations come from disciplined systems, not heroics. Filip and Marco get in on what separates teams that scale from teams that stall.
• Ep 3: Inside Cannabis Sales Ops — with Dusan Markovic
  How modern cannabis sales teams really operate — order entry, inside sales, account coverage, and the data behind every closed deal.
• Ep 4: Teachable Operators Win — with Jessica VanDeWalle
  In Episode 4 of The Shift Podcast, Jessica VanDeWalle of Ethos Cannabis breaks down what it really takes to last in our industry.
• Ep 5: From Compliance Startup to Acquisition — with Michael Elkin
  Michael Elkin on founding Cannabis Compliance, global licensing, and what separates operators who last from those who burn out.
• Ep 6: Inside Cannabis Finance — with Alex Ceja
  An inside look at how F&A Services Lead Alex Ceja helps Headquarters’ clients navigate finance and accounting while growing their businesses.
• Ep 7: Cannabis AR: From Spreadsheets to a Video Game — with Milos Stankic
  Headquarters' most experienced AR manager breaks down how data, dashboards, and a healthy collections-to-sales ratio are reshaping risk and cash flow in California's cannabis market.
• Ep 8: Marketing Cannabis at Scale — with Josh Karchmer
  Former Glass House Brands VP of Marketing Josh Karchmer on treating marketing as the connective tissue of a cannabis company - budgeting from zero, cutting the waste that quietly kills margins, and why storytelling and brand trust win in an AI-flooded market.
• Ep 9: The Cannabis Shift: Stop Waiting, Start Building — with Filip Gacic
  Host Filip Gacic breaks down three signals shaping cannabis: why DEA rescheduling keeps dragging on and what operators should do instead of waiting, Germany's quiet rise into a pharmaceutical-grade powerhouse, and the widening split between consumer and pharmaceutical cannabis.
• Ep 10: Why Cannabis Needs Quality Signals — with Claudio Miranda
  Budist COO Claudio Miranda breaks down why cannabis lacks the quality signals - ratings, awards, origin - that guide wine and coffee buyers.
• Ep 11: Cannabis Is Growing Up: Why Execution Now Beats Hype — with Filip Gacic
  DEA hearings end with a surprising Schedule III concession, as Europe prepares to launch its first cannabis medicine for chronic pain.
• Ep 12: Fixing Cannabis Companies from Diagnosis to Execution — with Jessica Ferranti
  Scaling or scaling chaos? Jessica Ferranti on the three warning signs - culture, revenue, operations - and fixing them, not just naming them.
• Ep 13: Will 'Let's Grab a Drink' Still Mean Alcohol? — with Filip Gacic
  THC drinks are chasing alcohol's social occasions, not other cannabis products. Plus: hemp's regulatory reckoning and the end of 'one' industry.
• Ep 14: The Cannabis Industry Is Growing Up — with Filip Gacic
  Cannabis is entering a new era - consolidation, sales beyond dispensaries, and blurred lines between regulated cannabis and hemp THC.
• Ep 15: AI Doesn't Smoke Weed — with Kit Kenney
  Kit Kenney explains why AI-generated cannabis branding misses the mark - and how Minnesota brands can earn trust through authentic design.
• Ep 16: Cannabis in the Mail, and the FDA on TikTok — with Filip Gacic
  Regulators are listening to Reddit, the Postal Service may deliver medical cannabis in Georgia, and Cambridge adds a piece to the health puzzle.
• Ep 17: Roots, Suits & Skills: Who Gets Hired in Cannabis? — with Stephanie Pow
  Cannabis recruiter Stephanie Pow explains why the industry's best hires combine plant knowledge, business skills, and a trusted reputation.
• Ep 18: Weed Stopped the US Open: Cannabis Etiquette After Legalization — with Filip Gacic
  Weed smoke stopped the US Open. A new study flipped the munchies stereotype. And AI is coming for cannabis jobs.
• Ep 19: How to Build a Career in Cannabis: Trust, Growth & Ownership at HQ — with Vedrana Pavicevic
  Discover how HQ turns curiosity, reliability, and ownership into real career growth while helping shape the future of cannabis, together.
• Ep 20: Nobody's the Villain: Cannabis' AR Crisis — with Filip Gacic
  Retailers, brands & distributors are all stuck financing each other's cash flow. No villains - just a broken AR system. Here's why.