Botanical Brouhaha Podcast

Today we're visiting with Felicia Alvarez, owner of Menagerie Farm & Flower in the Sacramento Valley of California. Felicia returned to the prune farm she grew up on to raise her own children there —and decided to add a rose farm and nursery to the property. She's a committed advocate for fellow flower farmers. Join us as we talk with Felicia about: Breaking into rose farming Staffing for the ebb...

TODAY'S GUEST: Hitomi Gilliam AIFD TODAY'S TOPIC: FREESIA Summit Today I've invited our friend Hitomi Gilliam back to the podcast to talk about the FREESIA Challenge & upcoming FREESIA Summit she co-founded with Gregor Lersch and Colin Gilliam. Since the summit is right around the corner, I've asked Hitomi to give us the scoop because it's an incredibly affordable educational opportunity with a to...

Today we're visiting with Brooke Snodgrass, owner of Seventh Stem in Portland, Oregon. Brooke entered the flower world while working for a flower farmer as a side hustle to her career in finance. An avid gardener, she grows varieties that make her happy while using her private garden as inspiration for her designs. Join us as we talk with Brooke about: Finding her footing in the floral profession...

From YOUR HOST, AMY MCGEE: While I could go on and on about Hitomi Gilliam & Gregor Lersch — the things they've accomplished, the books they've written, and the competitions they've won — I'll leave the details of their stories to them. I want you to hear it in their words. What I really want to tell you about first is how I met them and how they've each impacted my life not only as a floral profe...

Today we're visiting with Melissa Sullivan, owner of Le Bloomerie in Los Gatos, California. Melissa jumped into the floral profession with enthusiasm after a career in healthcare. She believes in dreaming big and tuning out any negativity as she pursues her dreams. Join us as we talk about: Her thoughts on creating, paying for, and collaborating with other vendors for editorial work The role edito...

At Botanical Brouhaha, we've spent over a decade sharing our belief in the power of flowers to change lives and impact communities. Today's bonus episode of the BB Podcast not only supports that notion, but also serves as a call to action for us to continue using our artistic medium for the healing of our communities. After reading The Power of Dignity: How Transforming Justice Can Heal Our Commun...

Today we're visiting with Hannah Lowery, owner of Edges Wild Studio in Houston, Texas. Hannah has been honing her craft and finding words to describe her unique style for several years and we love the direction she's headed! Join us as we talk about: finding her first loves at the intersection of humanities and earth science learning 3 dimensional art creation while working at Anthropologie her ca...

Today we're visiting with Jenny Rausch and Katie Allen, owners of Anthousai in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It's no secret that many business partnerships simply don't work out. But, Jenny and Katie have built a friendship as they've built a flower business and they have some great insights into the reasons they believe their partnership has worked. Join us as we talk about: How they learned floral design bef...

TODAY'S GUEST: Joseph Massie author of The Flower School: The Principles and Pleasures of Good Flowers the youngest person ever to win 5 consecutive RHS gold medals at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show Founder and Creative Director at Joseph Massie Flowers Founder of The Flower Class Host of the Flowers After Hours Podcast TODAY'S TOPIC: Becoming a Published Author   You're in for a treat! In this episo...

Today we're visiting with floral designer Ginny Early, owner of Enemies of the Average in Gainesville, Georgia.  Join us as we talk with Ginny about: Flowering for weddings, museums, and editorial shoots Using the painful experiences she's walked through as a catalyst to support other women in feeling valued Building a business that reflects her talents, values, and interests The challenges that l...

Today we're visiting with floral designer Sophie Felts, owner of Sophie Felts Floral Design which services the Washington DC area.  Join us as we talk with Sophie about: Building a flower business from the ground up with a business degree and a passion for flowers Starting and running a business with small children The framework she used to create a great team structure How she defines 'freelancer...

Today we're catching up with our very first BB Podcast guest ever! Join us for a conversation with Susan McLeary aka Passionflower Sue — author, educator, wearable florals innovator, and self-appointed corsage ambassador.  A few of the things we're chatting about in this episode: the process of writing a book her curiosity around figuring out sticking points in the floral industry and how to impro...

Today we're visiting with floral designer Pili Fuentes, owner of Las Floristas in Mexico City, Mexico.  Pili is also the founder 0f Flower House Mexico and co-founder of the European Association for Flower Growers . Join us as we talk with Pili about: Transitioning from kindergarten teacher to floral designer The learning opportunities she's found in freelancing Her interest in biodynamic farming...

TODAY'S GUESTS: Lauren & Leah Palmer | The Wild Mother TOPIC: Send Flowers to MMIW In May 2022, the Palmer sisters, owners of The Wild Mother , will embark on their annual Send Flowers To project. This year the project will surround MMIW (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women) Awareness Day, on May 5th. Send Flowers To MMIW is a requiem and response to this crisis through a floral outpouring which...

Today we're visiting with John Gibbons, owner of Lakes & Rivers Flower Farm in Liverpool, England. Join us as we talk with John about: transitioning from makeup artist to flower farmer how his time at Dior inspired his career in flower farming utilizing an allotment to get a taste of flower farming overcoming challenges without losing vision and enthusiasm the reality of farming on leased land sel...

Today we're visiting with Sarah Shell, owner of Fern Studio Flowers in Columbia, South Carolina.   Join us as we talk with Hannah about: her "tiny career detour as a lawyer" and how she found her way back to flowers finding the education she needed to learn floral design techniques why she added a retail shop to her existing wedding/event business opening a retail shop during a pandemic building a...

Today we're visiting with Hannah Brannan, owner of California-based Gather Flora — a platform for farmers, florists, grocers, and resellers that provides the tools you need to connect your business to flower sales in a streamlined, local, and even more sustainable way. Join us as we talk with Hannah about: finding inspiration in her grandmother's Texas garden incorporating her non-profit translati...

Today's Guests:    Natalie Gill | Native Poppy   Twyla Reimer | Remi + Gold Jen Donohue | Juniper Lane Floral Design Kori Gervasio | Colly Flowers In this episode, we're chatting with Jen and Kori about their experiences as part of CIRCLE 2021 and we're sharing some exciting opportunities for 2022. We're especially excited to introduce you to a new member of the CIRCLE team, as well. Twyla Reimer,...

Today we're catching up with Sylvia Bustamante Gubbins, owner of Madrid Flower School . You may remember our conversation with Sylvia in Episode 42 (2019) when she had just opened MFS. So much has happened since that conversation, we thought it would be fun to sit back down and see how Sylvia has guided the school through growth in the midst of a pandemic and where she's headed in 2022. JOIN US AS...

Today we're continuing our conversation with Twyla Reimer, owner of Remi + Gold in Austin, Texas. We were nowhere near done asking questions when our last conversation with Twyla concluded, so we asked her to come back and tell us more! We hope you find the second half of our visit helpful and encouraging — especially if you're wanting to break into the destination wedding market. Twyla doesn't ho...

Today we're visiting with Twyla Reimer, owner of Remi + Gold in Austin, Texas. From a slight obsession with TLC wedding shows to working behind the scenes on events along the Las Vegas strip, flowering in California, and opening a business in Texas,  you'll want to fasten your seatbelt for Twyla's story. She's not afraid to follow a dream. But, her love of people and the intentionality she shows i...

TODAY'S GUEST: Jesse Camargo | Flo. ReaL | IG: @jesse.flo.real TOPIC: Becoming a Floral Freelancer Join us in this episode as we talk about: landing his first freelancing job negotiating freelance work while maintaining a full-time job the moment he realized he wanted to pursue floral freelancing the importance of setting boundaries and saying no the perks of being a freelancer what it's like to b...

Today we're visiting with Hannah Bonham Blackwell of Southside Blooms in the Englewood community of Chicago, Illinois. Southside Blooms, which is a project of Chicago Eco House (a 501c3 nonprofit with a mission of using sustainability to alleviate poverty) , is a farm-to-vase florist providing unique and fashion-forward arrangements, while maintaining an uncompromising dedication to both the envir...

TODAY'S GUESTS: Corrine Heck (CEO) + Parie Donaldson (Certified Design Associate) Details Flowers Software TOPIC: Do More and Earn More with the Help of Details Flowers Software Details Flowers Software is a platform specifically designed to help florists and designers.  The app streamlines proposals, ensures profitability through careful attention to each arrangement, and simplifies the payment p...

Today we're visiting with Paulina Nieliwocki, owner of Blue Jasmine Floral in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. Paulina was a high school language arts teacher and translator looking for a new adventure that challenged her while still feeding her creative soul. Remembering her love of flowers as a young girl, she made a plan, took a risk, opened Blue Jasmine Floral and never looked back. Her love of f...