Lisa Varley, CEO of The Entourage Effect and MiDispensary, is an accomplished and forward-thinking leader with over two decades of experience in business management. From an early age, she was fascinated by science and developed a keen curiosity about human physiology and personalized healthcare. Lisa’s career has been dedicated to championing individualized healthcare, driven by her belief in the intrinsic differences among individuals.
Renowned for her commitment to excellence, Lisa has a proven track record of driving growth, fostering innovation, and leading teams to success. Her leadership philosophy, centered on collaboration, transparency, and a relentless pursuit of excellence, reflects her deep passion for creating positive change in the healthcare sector.
Let’s get into the interview details to understand Lisa’s dedication to empowering women and championing individualized healthcare!
What are some of the most significant challenges you’ve faced in your role, and how have you overcome them?
From the early days of my career, being a female has held me back. Further, despite being incredibly successful in the Pharmaceutical Industry, I did not have a degree and was told when I reached the National Sales Manager level that I would never go any further. Therefore, I completed an MBA while working full-time and this opened the door to a higher-level position in a new Company. I have always had to leave and move to a new role to get promoted. In my eyes there were two reasons for this, one, I was always the top salesperson who brought in the most revenue, especially with novel ideas and solutions. Further each time there was a vacancy for a higher position I was always passed over for a man.
How has your organization supported you in your role, and what initiatives are they undertaking to empower women in healthcare?
My current organization is extremely devoted to fairness and equality. I was offered the role of Managing Director with a promise to become CEO and for the first time in my career, Eidan Havas, kept his word. This was after I made a significant difference to the business’s bottom line in just three months and the growth has continued. We strive to ensure that company policies promote gender inclusivity and diversity, and we do this by implementing practices such as flexible work arrangements and equal pay for equal work.
What are the key priorities for your organization in the coming year, and how do they align with empowering change in healthcare?
Our primary focus is on patient care and education. Medicinal Cannabis represents a promising new treatment option that has the potential to significantly improve people’s lives. However, it is often unfairly criticized and not fully understood. At our clinic, we actively participate in clinical trials and observational studies to dispel misconceptions and highlight the remarkable medicinal benefits of this plant. We have witnessed patients who previously relied on opioids and antidepressants thrive, gradually reducing and eventually discontinuing their current medications in favor of medicinal cannabis. This transition has led to substantial reductions in medication usage and alleviation of the numerous side effects associated with traditional drugs.
In addition to our clinical efforts, we are dedicated to improving patient accessibility by offering affordable consultations, continuous follow-up care, and dedicated nursing support to all our patients. We are committed to breaking down stigma and barriers to access, with the aim of enabling more patients to benefit from medicinal cannabis. Moreover, our wholesale business facilitates pharmacy orders and provides education and training to pharmacists.
Furthermore, we heavily invest in conferences and educational initiatives to raise awareness and knowledge about medicinal cannabis. By ensuring the availability of safe products and well-informed healthcare providers, we aim to achieve better patient outcomes through a comprehensive approach to healthcare. Our overarching goal is to support both the industry and patients alike in their journey towards improved health and well-being.
Can you talk about a project or initiative within your organization that you’re particularly proud of?
I started my current role in April 2023 and by the end of June we had grown monthly revenue from $1.2 million to $1.8 million and now a little over a year later our revenue is $2.4 million/month. Further, one area of my expertise is running lean, and I have made extreme savings, cutting the payroll by 40%. Also, we secured two deals in the last month which will see our revenue grow rapidly over $4 million/month, and all of this was achieved in 14 months.
As a leader, how do you inspire and mentor the next generation of healthcare professionals, particularly women?
As a leader, I aim to inspire and mentor everyone around me, with a particular focus on women and achieving workplace equality. Leading with integrity and empathy, I encourage other women to develop resilience through action, not just words. I provide ongoing coaching, personalized mentorship, and opportunities like field trips and conferences to foster learning and networking. Lifelong learning is crucial to me, so I support my team’s professional growth with workshops, courses, and industry events. I prioritize inclusivity, advocate for diversity and gender equality, and support fair pay and work-life balance policies. Through public speaking and writing, I share my journey to inspire others to pursue their dreams. Creating growth opportunities for my team is a top priority, driven by assigning challenging projects, discussing aspirations, and offering tailored training to build confidence and showcase capabilities, especially for women.
What role do you think diversity and inclusion play in the success of healthcare organizations today?
Diversity and inclusion are a vital part of a growing and successful business. We bring together both women and men of all ages in our organization and from across the globe and this diversity keeps us at the cutting edge of what is new and evolving. I am proud to say that we have a 50/50 ratio of women and men in our business and that women hold three of the top five positions.
What advice would you give to women looking to make an impact in healthcare, both within organizations and in the broader industry?
I always start with, never give up. If you are passionate about something you will love what you do. Added to this is the need for perseverance and, importantly, to be objective. Women are said to be more emotional than men however the difference I find between women and men is that women do not seem to have the egos that many men seem to display. Having said that it seems it is not frowned upon to speak like this about women however it is taboo to talk about men and their egos. It seems to be a double standard to me. And I summarize with, go after dreams.
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