Kim Kesterson is the founder of The STLCannamoms, a community created to give mothers who consume cannabis a place to connect, learn, and feel supported. What started as a small online group to help others feel supported without judgment has grown into a meaningful network and real-life relationships for moms across the St. Louis area.

Her mission has earned attention from major media outlets, including Fox News, NBC, CNN, and Feast Magazine, helping spark a new conversation around motherhood, cannabis, and community.

The most inspiring part of it all?

“It was never supposed to be a business.”

Kesterson’s path into the cannabis industry started while she was deep in motherhood, raising four children, including twins. She began working as a budtender at Feel State, where she found support as a mother navigating breastfeeding, childcare, and life outside of parenting. That experience helped shape the way she viewed the cannabis industry and the potential for community inside it.

Today, The STLCannamoms has grown from a Facebook group into a community of more than 4,500 moms, with events, support drives, educational opportunities, and real-life friendships at the center of its mission.

We caught up with Kesterson for a deeper look into her story, her work, and what comes next for The STLCannamoms.

For people just getting introduced to you, tell us who you are.

“Hi, I’m Kim! I’m a mom of four. I had twins right before my fourth child, and that was my whole life. After my fourth child, I realized I needed something outside of motherhood.

“I just wanted to kind of find me again and just something to do outside of motherhood part-time. That search is what led me into the cannabis industry.”

How did you first get into the cannabis industry?

“I started as a budtender at Feel State, and I was still very much in the thick of motherhood, breastfeeding, childcare, and all of it. What stood out to me was how supported I felt at that job.

“Being able to take those 20-minute breaks to pump every two hours and be accommodated for that and not looked at sideways for doing that … I will always deeply appreciate them for that.

“I never really felt judged or treated differently, and that experience shaped how I saw the cannabis industry.”

Tell me about STLCannamoms. Where did the idea come from?

“My manager at the time, Nick Wegman, suggested I start a Facebook group for moms who consume cannabis.

“So I created a Facebook group. It started out with just moms that I had gone to school with or just in the Florissant-Hazelwood area where I grew up.

“At first, it was simple, a place for mothers who consume to connect, but I quickly realized I wanted it to be more than an online space.

“I wanted to take it a step further and kind of give these mothers an opportunity to meet moms outside of a Facebook group and in real life, so I hosted my first event.”

What was that first event like?

“It was a brunch. About 20 to 25 moms showed up. We hired a chef and had a few pre-rolls on each table. We honestly didn’t have much at the time.

“But the moms loved it. And at the end, they were all like, ‘When’s the next one?!’

“And from there, it just started growing.”

When did you know STLCannamoms had become something bigger?

“Honestly, not until maybe two years in.

“It was never supposed to be a business, and I think that’s why it’s so successful.

“I think that is why I am always so humbled by what we do in this group. I never intended to make money.

“It was me just really trying to find myself outside of motherhood.

“I tried doing other things I was passionate about, like becoming a lactation nurse because that was important to me as a mother of twins, and hosting pop-up picnics because building those memories for my children was important to me, too. I knew there was an outlet for everything I cared about, and that other mothers felt this way, too. I just had no idea how big it would be.”

How do you describe what STLCannamoms is today?

“I kind of took motherhood, cannabis, and events and made it all one thing … The STL Cannamoms.

“It’s about giving moms a place where they can meet people, have fun, learn something new, and not feel judged. It can be hard to meet new people when you have kids, and then you think they might judge you for consuming cannabis and being a parent, but not with our group.”

What makes the STLCannamoms group feel different from other parenting groups or spaces?

“A lot of mom groups can be really harsh. People are quick to judge each other’s parenting choices.

“But somehow that just doesn’t really happen in our Facebook group. Maybe it’s because we’re all too high to get upset if Susan chooses to vaccinate her children and Sally is un-vaxxed. The bigger thing is that we’re all on this journey together.”

What made your mission to bring these women together successful?

“The level of emotional and physical support, and the inclusivity.

“That was huge for me, seeing women feel safe enough to open up. I didn’t always have that space. At the beginning of the group, I was losing a loved one to stage 4 cancer and felt I needed to keep showing up for my community. I realized I also really needed their support.

“We’ve had yoga and healing events where moms are holding each other, crying, and to see that I was able to create a space that felt safe enough for these moms to open up and truly let go … for me it was like, okay, I have to keep doing this.”

It sounds like your own experience inspired your journey to creating STLCannamoms.

“Absolutely. When I had my first child, I was a single mom and in an abusive relationship. I had to make the decision that I didn’t want my daughter growing up watching that. Now, when another mom in our community is struggling, the response is immediate.

“When I see other moms going through that … the moms come out and say, ‘What do you need? Do you need us to help move you out? Do you need resources? Do you need a place to live?’ It’s so beautiful how they come together.

“Seeing that kind of support for women in that situation means everything to me because I know what it would have meant to me if I had that when I needed it.”

Have you faced challenges with The STLCannamoms trying to grow and become more than an online group?

“Yes and no. I feel that sometimes, because I am a mom and not a president or owner of a company, I am not always taken as seriously, but I get so much love from everyone. Still, I have some financial barriers with events.

“Venues are expensive. Events are expensive.

“My ultimate goal is creating experiences that feel meaningful but are still accessible to parents of one or more children.

“I want to spend the money to be able to give the moms an experience where I’m not having to charge them an outrageous price. As a mom, I get how buying an event ticket every month could be hard on people’s budgets.

“We are extremely grateful for Feel State, VIBE, Teal, Robust, and the other brands that continue to help support our mission and treat our moms.”

What kind of experience do you want moms to have at your events?

“I don’t want it to feel thrown together.

“I give it my all to give our moms an experience to help them actually take that break and find a way to get out of the house, have fun, meet new friends.

“That could mean brunch, yoga, pottery, learning about new products, or even something that gives our moms tools to feel more prepared for motherhood.

“This Mother’s Day, we are doing an event where we are having a cake decorator come in to give a lesson, and we are supplying each mom with a kit to decorate her own cake. Cakes can be expensive, especially if you have multiple kids. It’s such a good feeling to be able to teach moms a skill that they can take home to create a memorable experience for their kids’ birthdays without breaking the bank.”

What did last year look like for The STLCannamoms?

“I think last year was tough for a lot of people, especially in St. Louis. A lot of things were happening, and I think that it’s super important when you have the resources and connections to do something good with that.

“At our event space, we created the Cannamom Closet, a place where moms can access essentials like clothing, school supplies, toiletries, and pantry items. When the tornado hit St. Louis last year, we were able to empty out the Cannamom Closet completely. It was emotional, but it meant those resources were there when people needed them most.

“We also hold annual Thanksgiving meal drives. This past year, we fed over 50 families for Thanksgiving, even delivering groceries to moms without transportation when needed. We also worked with VIBE to run a canned food drive when SNAP benefits were in limbo, and we collected over 1,000 cans to donate to local pantries. Then, this past Christmas, we selected 10 moms from our group who were going through hard times and shopped for their families for Christmas. All this support comes from our brand partners and our moms in the group, and that kind of support matters.”

What has been your greatest professional achievement?

“I would still have to say my greatest professional accomplishment was Milk Money.

“I worked with Amar, VIBE’s director of sales, to create a rosin mix for The STLCannamoms and even got to name it ‘Milk Money.’ I was involved in every step, from picking the genetics for the mix to being featured in the cultivar art created for it.

“Moms were so excited about the product, some drove from hours away to pick it up. We were able to donate all proceeds from this mix to the Megan Meier Foundation, a foundation created by a mother who lost her teen daughter to cyberbullying, with a mission to provide resources to parents of children experiencing bullying and mental health crises.”

Have you faced barriers as a woman or a mom in the cannabis industry?

“Honestly, I’ve been lucky.

“I mean, I know it happens, but for me, honestly, I feel like everyone, Amar and Johnathan from VIBE, Nick Wegman, and so many others, truly believed in me.

“From early managers to leaders in the industry, I’ve had people who saw what I was building and encouraged it. Maybe because whether you are a mom, husband, son, or friend, you can appreciate the role of motherhood in some way.”

What has building The STLCannamoms taught you about yourself?

“That I’m more capable than I realized.

“Everything as far as marketing, sales, creating pitch decks, sponsorship decks, and investor decks, that was all self-taught.

“I learned all of that after putting my kids to bed, just figuring it out one night at a time.

“At the end of the day, I’m just a mom and just wanted to create a happy place for moms and teach them about cannabis.”

What are you most passionate about right now?

“Cannabis, events, taking care of moms.

“That’s why I love The STLCannamoms. It lets me bring together all the things I care about most.

“I also really have a passion for educating and coaching moms who struggle to breastfeed. There is, statistically, a very small percentage of women who can actually breastfeed, and it can be a really defeating feeling.

“You feel like you are biologically supposed to do this thing, and you’re not able to.

“Formula can also be very expensive, so it is empowering to help women through that journey and educate them so they can advocate for themselves and know they have that choice.”

Any advice you would give another woman trying to enter the industry based on your experiences?

“My advice would be don’t be afraid to do something that isn’t being done yet.

“Back when we started events, it was still rare to see multiple brands coming together at events, but we never had issues getting them together for the moms. No one was really tailoring events to moms, and we wanted to do exactly that.

“Stay humble and understand your ‘why.’”

Is there something I didn’t ask you that I should ask the next person I interview?

“What makes you stand out? I had the passion and the experience as a mom, and that was different. It made me stand out.”

What’s next for The STLCannamoms?

“Growth.

“Right now, it’s rooted in St. Louis, but I really believe this can exist anywhere. If you’re a mom who uses cannabis, you’re a Cannamom!

“And I want more women to find that connection, wherever they are. I hope to expand our group and eventually host events in Kansas City, Columbia, Springfield, and the rest of Missouri. We started a KCCannamom group on Facebook already, and we would love for that to start growing. Join our page or find more information at STLCannamoms.com.”

It is no surprise to anyone who has crossed paths with Kesterson that she has carried this group from a small online community to a following of thousands of Cannamoms.

What began as a place to connect quickly has turned into a meaningful resource for mothers who consume cannabis.

With her mission in one hand and the connections she has made in the other, there is no doubt about both Kesterson and the group’s growth.

Women like Kesterson are helping create a more inclusive, authentic community, with room for everyone.