Dr. Leslie Apgar & Gina Dubbé - Founders, Greenhouse Wellness
Dr. Leslie Apgar & Gina Dubbé
Dr. Leslie Apgar, OBGYN, and Gina Dubbé, are the founders of Greenhouse Wellness. They’re changing the national conversation surrounding the burgeoning cannabis industry by talking about the potential it has to treat women's health issues (breast cancer, PMDD, Postpartum Depression, etc.) with medical cannabis, asking questions about gender-specific taboos for cannabis use, and seeing the vast potential that cannabis could have to end the opioid epidemic.
Together, the two have written a book that chronicles their personal, medical, and entrepreneurial journey from best friends and suburban moms to vocal advocates for shifting the narrative on medical cannabis: High Heals: How Two Women Found Their Footing in the Medical Cannabis Industry.
Dr. Leslie Apgar is a board-certified OBGYN with 17 years of experience in direct patient care. She is also the Co-Founder and Medical Director of Greenhouse Wellness, a medical cannabis dispensary, as well as Co-Founder of Blissiva, a female-focused cannabis line. Dr. Apgar is also the Founder of PuraVida, a Maryland-based cosmetic spa and laser center, which continues to thrive well into its tenth year of operation.
Gina Dubbé is a serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist. Currently, she serves as the Managing Director and Co-Founder of Greenhouse Wellness, an award-winning dispensary in Maryland, and is also Co-Founder of Blissiva, a female-focused cannabis line. Dubbé was also the Co-Founder of TheraPearl, a revolutionary hot and cold compress. Her work with TheraPearl led the company to rank on the Inc. 5000 list and she received accolades, including Forbes Magazine’s Women Who Built Outstanding Companies.
I’m so excited for you to connect with Leslie and Gina, check out their work with Greenhouse Wellness,, and follow along as they continue to help individuals from all walks of life can feel safe, comfortable, and assured as they seek cannabis products to help treat their qualifying conditions.
I'd love it if you'd introduce yourself, what you do, and what you're working on.
LA: I’m Leslie Apgar, M.D. I’m a board certified OBGYN who has been listening to women talking about their various social and physical issues for over 20 years. My practice expanded into aesthetics in 2008, when I opened a medical spa called Pura Vida. When my best friend and I won a medical cannabis dispensary award in 2016 and then opened it in 2017, I gave up the practice of gynecology to focus on education at our dispensary, Greenhouse Wellness. We created a dispensary that has physician oversight with medical training that is then passed down through our on-staff nurses and to the Wellness Consultants, who as a team, deliver top-notch care to our patients on a daily basis. We have gained national recognition for doing things a little differently, and we couldn’t be prouder. These days, I am working on the next formulations of Blissiva, our female focused cannabis product line, and on education to other providers, patients, and the community both locally and nationally.
GD: I’m Gina Dubbe’. I am an engineer and former venture capitalist. I have been a serial entrepreneur and was retired when the opportunity to get into cannabis arose. As Leslie mentioned, we decided to create an oasis of calm for those who would like to try medical cannabis. We elected to have a team that is filled with people from all walks of life, but largely medical. In addition, we elected to create a dispensary that our mothers would like to visit, filled with natural light, chandeliers, and beautiful décor. We wanted the experience to feel like a visit to a medical spa.
How did you get started?
LA: I met Gina when I moved into her neighborhood in Western Howard County Maryland in 2002. We were back door neighbors and one day, she baked me an apple pie and hand delivered it. As a single mom, hardly able to keep it together, that gesture made a big impact on me, and we became fast friends. Many years later, when a patient of mine casually asked if I was interested in bidding on a cannabis proposal as Medical Director, it lead to a bigger conversation that included Gina, and ultimately, Gina and I decided to bid ourselves, even though neither of us had any experience in the cannabis space. Imagine our surprise and delight when we learned we had won over a year later.
What inspired the work that you're doing?
LA: Western medicine is in a real transition period presently. I found it increasingly unsatisfying to practice medicine when constrained by electronic medical records, laptops instead of patient faces, ICD-10 codes, and metrics that had absolutely nothing to do with caring for patients holistically, and everything to do with financial compensation. Fighting with big pharma and insurance companies to pay for necessary procedures and medications was a constant drain and finally, I had had enough. I wanted to heal patients differently, so cannabis medicine was a welcome change. Though terrifying to leave my traditional gynecology practice, watching the healing happen in front of my eyes on a daily basis at the dispensary has made a huge impression on me. It has become the most important medicine I have ever practiced. And that fuels my fire to do more, learn, share my knowledge with others, and to inspire continued evolution and change inside and outside of the cannabis space.
GD: It has been a large education working within the cannabis industry. First, it is really hard! My personal bank tried to cancel all my accounts when they heard that we won a dispensary. But truly, the interesting part for me is the fact that we are in a sea change….disruption provides the highest risk and largest reward. Remember the internet boom? The gold rush? The cannabis boom, also known as the ‘green rush’ is a time of great disruption in our country and lives. With that disruption comes the greatest opportunities.
What is your biggest passion? Do you feel like you're living your passion and purpose?
LA: My passion is caring for others and making a positive difference in their lives. I am humbled to have been such an integral part of families’ lives when caring for thousands of women through their lifetimes, their pregnancies, their births and even their deaths. Now, I am seeing the impact that cannabis as medicine is making on those with chronic illness in ways that traditional medicine could not do. I cringe when I think of the oxycodone prescriptions I wrote for postoperative pain, never having been taught any other way to approach and treat pain. Now, instead of being part of the problem, I am part of the solution as we are helping those addicted to opioids get off them completely with the help of medical cannabis. It turns out that cannabis isn’t a gateway drug at all, but an exit one. My purpose moving forward is to educate those around me in every way I can.
GD: My passion has always been solving problems. Being part of a medical environment is so new to me. I am humbled by the fact that we are at the center of lives….we cheer for those who get better and cry for those who pass. It makes a huge impression and really brings what is important (your health!) to the front of your thoughts every day.
What is your joy blueprint? What lights you up, brings you joy, and makes you feel the most alive?
LA: Being true to myself and showing up in the world wherever I am as me, and not as a chameleon trying to fit into the specific situation has been the most important gift to myself. True joy surrounds me when I am unapologetically and impeccably myself in every way. Like attracts like, and I am humbled and eternally grateful for the amazing souls that surround me. From my family, to my friends, and my staff, I am surrounded by love and support. Living my best life is contagious to those around me, and the reciprocity only adds to the energy that infects a bigger reach around all of us. Helping to lift women up in all ways is the fuel to my fire.
GD: We always say, “empowered women empower women.” We try and live that every day. We try and be kind, honest and open to those that need our help and those that don’t agree with what we are doing. We cheer every day for those who have the courage to try new things and live outside the guard rails that society imposes.
How do you live intentionally? Are there tools/resources/practices that you rely on to help you stay mindful and grounded?
GD: We have had to work hard to separate ourselves from the “shoulds” and ignore the naysayers and listen to ourselves. To do that, we have learned to be quiet and listen to the little voice that resides inside of your core. It means being still and tapping into the deep “knowing” inside. To say no when you mean no, to stay at home and recharge your batteries instead of attending another social event, to have protected time during the week, and to try to disengage from whatever negativity comes your way.
LA: What other people think of me truly is none of my business, and I try to remind myself of this when things get tough. Nature has always grounded me, and I am drawn to the water, the mountains, trees, and animals. Riding horses has always been a way for me to completely disengage and stay grounded, and I have created protected time for this just this year. My husband and I also love taking the dogs for hikes off the beaten path so they can run free, and their exuberance and absolute love of life is contagious. I try to tap into that whenever possible.
GD: I am an introvert, so I need stillness…. quiet. A quiet walk or reading a book allows me to stay grounded.
What would your younger self think about what you're doing now?
LA: My younger self would think I have had some sort of mental breakdown. My younger self was caught up in coloring inside the lines, especially because western medicine enforces that. Now, Gina and I gleefully run with scissors, knowing that we are following our hearts, our minds, and our passions. While we respect others’ opinions, we listen to and trust ourselves to live our best lives, even if it’s in a nontraditional way.
GD: Are you kidding? As an engineer, we color inside the lines…….in cannabis, we are truly running with scissors!
Do you have a go-to mantra or affirmation?
LA: My dad used to tell me when I was a kid, “you can DO IT!” like in the book, The Little Engine that Could. At this point in my life, if I am not a little terrified, I feel that I must not be doing something right. I like to say that in most every way I come from a place of yes and try to creatively solve problems with that in mind. When faced with challenges, I channel my dad’s words and know that I CAN do it, and I surround myself with those who can help me to that end.
GD: I always think, “Everything looks smaller in the rear-view mirror.” Today’s problems will be insignificant tomorrow!
What is your biggest dream?
LA: My biggest dream is to live a big life, full of impact, experiences and love. I hope I continue to have good health, and I wish that for all of my loved ones as well. Life turns out to be not at all what we expected, and I have learned to take advantage of every opportunity that comes to me. My dream is to be able to continue to live this way for a very long time.
GD: I totally echo Leslie on that!
To learn more about Leslie and Gina and Greenhouse Wellness visit their website www.greenhousewellness.com www.blissiva.com www.highheals.biz and www.puravidamedspa.com and you can contact them at leslie@greenhousewellness.com and gina@greenhousewellness.com
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