Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kayla Fearing. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Kayla, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
Leaving Traditional Healthcare- To Advocate for Plant Medicine: How Healing Fear Consulting, came from Cannabis.
I grew up as a little girl wanting to be a doctor.” By middle school, in 2004, I was considering being an addiction specialist, and then in high school, I wanted to be a Pulmonologist. After attending the University of Minnesota for a year, that transitioned into a Physical Therapist, and I fell in love with sports medicine, and Kinesiology. Anything that would keep someone healthy, without surgery, or addictive pain killers.
The pain killers were personal- I had entered the University of Minnesota as a walk-on hopeful for the D1 Softball Team. I was trying out as a Catcher, and Third Base. During my second practice, warm ups, I slipped on morning dew, and fractured my ankle- at the time, diagnosed with a “high ankle sprain,” leading me to continue to walk on it for a year- even after being cut from the team due to injury. Once I finally tripped again, and shattered my ankle, I needed surgery, adding a plate and nine screws for reinforcement, and a lot of pain killers.
Pain Killers made me opioid sick- I didn’t even drink socially, or smoke cannabis at this time- I was 19, and trying to be the healthiest version of my young adult self. I was staying with my dad who was a huge medical cannabis advocate, and he finally gave me an ultimatum- If I wanted to stay with him and receive his help at “Home Rehab,” I had to try cannabis (which he was a regular user, and craft caregiver), for pain, rather than the opioids that were making me vomit all the time, or, pass out at any hour of the day. He filled up a vaporizer bag for me, and I inhaled cannabis- and it was the pain killer that worked for my body. That was at 19- I am 36 now and haven’t looked back.
Fast forward to 2019, and I end up having a lung biopsy and removal of ⅓ of my right lung. I then was discharged for two weeks before meeting a man from Michigan- my partner, Tyler. Tyler was a huge recreational cannabis user, and was so confused on how Minnesotans had to hide our use, even when it was for medicinal reasons. We started dating, and in June of 2020, I ended up leaving my Physical Therapy Technician job, and moving to Michigan and started working in Cannabis.
Everyday we’d have patients coming in the doors of the dispensary, that described themselves more as a medical patient than a “burn out pothead.” It was hard for me as an ex healthcare worker at the time, to separate medical and retail. That’s when Healing Fear Consulting was born. In July of 2021, I started personally consulting with patients on what cannabinoids and cannabis products to use, coming from a patient standpoint- someone who was using the same products for medicinal relief, herself. Now, in 2026, my business is going on FIVE years of patient consulting. I’ve also gained a pharmacy technicians license to continue to better serve my cannabinoid patients in understanding drug interactions, and how cannabis is truly safe.
Kayla, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Healing Fear Consulting is a one woman consulting service who specializes in Cannabinoid products that are offered in the Midwestern States. We work primarily out of Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois- the same three markets in which I have worked and been a Budtender in. Healing Fear Consulting is also responsible for writing, lobbying, and getting passed Minnesota’s Cannabis Designated Caregivers Program in 2024. HFC is also a huge promoter of Home Growers rights, and Craft Cannabis. Healing Fear Consulting is also a co-founder of the citizen lobbying group, Midwest Cannabis Patients Consulting Association, or the MCPCA. In the 2026 Legislative Session, they are attempting to pass an Anti-Remediation Law in Minnesota.
Healing Fear Consulting was also an original co-founder and Host of the MN Growers Ball in 2024, a now annual formal event celebrating Minnesota’s Craft Cannabis, and Caregivers in the community. This event is held annually at the historic Wabasha Street Caves in Saint Paul, MN.
Healing Fear Consulting prides themselves in understanding Midwest Cannabis Laws, and regulations, as well as Cannabinoids and the medicinal benefits that they carry. When a patient seeks out Cannabis Education a lot of the curriculum is of Terpene profiles; HFC focuses on Cannabinoids, and what their benefits are to each unique medical diagnosis. We then consult, and work with patients, sometimes even personal shopping for them, to help find the products that would work best for their bodies, medical diagnosis or desired high, based on cannabinoids.
Healing Fear Consulting wants others to know that we’re a patient ourselves FIRST, and a consultant second. Advocate and Lobbyist third. We don’t recommend a product we haven’t tried ourselves. We don’t work with or recommend products whose “policies, or politics,” go against ours. Example of this being, folks who are against home grow- We don’t want an association. We believe that if cannabis is legal, home grown should be as well. We want to do our part to “Free the Plant,” and help educate those interested in learning more about cannabis as medicine. Some of our favorite patients in the past were those folks with Alzheimer’s/Dementia, autism, new parents, chronically ill patients, and first time explorers.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Authenticity. I have always remained true to my beliefs in cannabis, and have always spoken out when I feel like cannabis policies are not fair. A big example of this is my battle, and advocacy for Minnesota’s Designated Cannabis Caregivers Program, in which we are still fighting for larger patient and plant counts to advocate for patients, and cannabis as medicine. Lastly, I’ve continued to advocate and fight for the Traditional, “legacy” market- Those people are not criminals- without that market in the past, there would be no legal market now; which sadly has been changed tremendously through big corporate cannabis, taxes, and laws that are written by politicians not patients, or cannabis growers.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
Using the products you advocate for- This is a big controversy in cannabis already. There are a lot of sales or business office folk who work in cannabis, but don’t participate in the usage of plant medicine. Or, BIG cannabis conferences, where there is alcohol being served- but no consumption area? It’s very frustrating to me. Cannabis and cannabinoid products affect every body (or everybody) so differently, how can someone who doesn’t know how it makes them feel advocate for it?
It may sound ungrateful, because I am appreciative of every fighter against the stigma of cannabis, and cannabinoids- but it’s a bad look when we’re not welcoming our own “beloved” products into our daily lives, or cannabis focused conferences with our peers.
When my patients see that I use the products I educate them on, it builds transparency and trust- especially when I personally am working with subcultures that may be stigmatized by cannabis use, ie, new parents, eldery, patients who are used to his presciption counts. When I am able to show another new mom (I’m a new mom as of Aug 2025), for example, that I can consume and still take care of infant son with no issues, and maybe, even be a better mom, that builds the trust and confidence they may need to start their own cannabinoid journey.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.healingfearconsulting.com
- Instagram: @HealingFearConsult
- Facebook: Healing Fear Consulting
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/healingfearconsulting/
- Twitter: @HealingFear420
