Behind the Stems

For years, I told myself I didn’t want high-budget weddings. I said they were boring. Too basic. Too polished. Too “not me.” But the reality was they scared me and I was avoiding doing the hard workSo I criticised them instead of chasing them. In this episode, I unpack the stories that kept me stuck under $10K weddings and the mindset shifts that helped me move into higher-spend work, work less, and enjoy my business again. If this hits close to home, I’ve left a free resource for you with 3 simple caption tweaks to help your marketing start attracting higher-budget clientsClick here to grab it!

I’ve been starting my mornings with coffee, headphones, and a blank page, just writing instead of scrolling. One morning, a single journal prompt cracked something open in my brain and sent me straight down memory lane. This episode is about the years I wore my chaotic creative energy like a badge of honour, especially at the flower markets. No recipes. No plan. Just vibes. And while it looked romantic from the outside, behind the scenes it was costing me money, sleep, confidence, and my nervous system. I’m sharing the moment I realised that “winging it” wasn’t intuitive or artistic, it was just expensive. How cutting out imported flowers forced me to face my avoidance of systems. And why learning to plan my flower orders didn’t kill my creativity… it actually made me a better designer. This is a story about spreadsheets I swore I’d never use, the mindset shift that changed everything, and the principle I live by now: creativity thrives within structure, and profit needs planning. If you’ve ever felt like systems weren’t “you,” if flower ordering gives you anxiety, or if you secretly worry you’re losing money even when you’re booked out, this one’s for you. (And yes, this is also the story of how The Bunch Cruncher was born.)You can get it here:https://stan.store/wildfloweracademy/p/the-bunch-cruncher-floral-calculator

In this episode, I’m talking about how I survive insanely hot wedding days as a florist who is, admittedly, a delicate little flower who wilts the second the temperature hits 30. I share why I blocked out December and January from my calendar, what it took to design my business so I could afford to do that, and how I still end up at sweltering weddings anyway. I walk you through everything I did for a recent 40-degree setup at Redleaf – from hiring a last-minute cool room, bringing on extra freelancers, reworking the ceremony design to get every flower into deep water, and creating shade with umbrellas, to packing snacks, electrolytes, trolleys, and misters so none of us died in the process. I also chat about client expectations, timing strategies, choosing hardy ingredients, and little hacks like sneaking bouquets into drink cool rooms. Mostly, it’s a very sweaty reminder that you’re allowed to protect your health, build systems that support you, and design a business that doesn’t require you to suffer through heatwaves to prove anything to anyone. Tune in, stay cool, and know you’re not alone if you’d rather be at the beach than in a paddock with crispy flowers.

I’m sharing a behind-the-scenes story from a scorching hot Redleaf wedding where the entire ceremony location changed the day before and how I pivoted the design without any stress (or crispy flowers). I also answer a Wildflower Academy member’s question about what to do when a venue gives you incorrect information, the client wants something physically impossible, and you have to make a call on the day. We chat about: How I handle last-minute changes with confidence The questions I ask early to avoid surprises later Why understanding a client’s intention matters more than the exact inspo photo My go-to backup structures and on-the-day prep How to communicate clearly with clients when things can’t go to plan A short, practical episode that will help you stay calm, flexible, and in your leadership energy — no matter what the wedding day throws your way.

In this episode, I’m talking about something I never thought I’d have to learn: how to be a leader. Not a corporate manager, not a clipboard-wielding supervisor… just a wedding florist who suddenly had people relying on her and absolutely no idea how to direct them. For a long time, I felt like I was doing it all wrong. I hated the idea of telling people what to do, so I over-explained everything. I didn’t want to come across as bossy, so I softened all my instructions. And then I wondered why people didn’t know what I meant. Every drive home was a spiral: was I too much? Not enough? Did I make someone uncomfortable? Did I make sense at all? It took one uncomfortable moment for me to realise the truth I’d been avoiding: I was the bottleneck. My team wasn’t confused because they were incapable. They were confused because I was trying to lead in a way that kept everyone comfortable… except myself. So I started asking better questions. What would actually help my team do their best work? And what do I love or hate when I’m freelancing on someone else's wedding? From there, everything started to shift. I stopped trying to be liked and started trying to be clear. I stopped filling the silence with explanations and just said what needed to be said. And for the first time, leading a team didn’t feel heavy, it felt supportive, collaborative, and surprisingly simple. This episode is the behind-the-scenes of that turning point: what changed, how I changed, and how it made every wedding week run smoother than ever. If leadership has ever felt awkward, overwhelming, or just not your thing, I think you’ll feel really seen in this one.