I was born and raised in Maumee, graduating from Maumee High School in 2012. Music has always been a huge part of my life having come from a family of primarily drummers and spending lots of summer evenings at Drum Corps shows. I was in the band and indoor drumline and had the privilege of being asked to come back after I graduated to be on the staff.
I went to UT for a year, convinced I was going to be a psychologist, then a musician, and then ended up down a different path entirely. I was the Assistant Store Manager at White House | Black Market, then the Visual Merchandising Manager at Pottery Barn for several years, followed by some time spent at Arhaus as a designer. After that I ended up as the Director of Operations for Luxion Home Team, which is where I am now. It is not at all where I ever expected to be and it’s always a surprise that something so unexpected could be a great fit for me.
During my time in retail, which can be a particularly hellish career field, I took some time to reflect on what I was actually passionate about, with the intent of then trying to get out of retail and into whatever the field of passion would be. I immediately thought of plants. The lucky bamboo I had in my bedroom as a kid – it was very trendy in the early 2000s, – the seeds my friend and I tried to save from a bell pepper to plant when we were young, and the handful of carnivorous plants that I had gotten – and killed – over the years. The carnivorous ones really stuck out to so I started Googling. I found a book, bought it, read it, and my life has been changed ever since. If you’ve ever met me then you know it’s my obsession. Garden design, vegetable gardening, landscaping, houseplants, decorating with plants, plant science – you name it, I love it. I now have well into the hundreds of plants, including a large collection of carnivorous plants from around the world.
In my spare time I run a small business called Colonie, selling plants and handmade concrete pots.
Q: What do you love most about what you do?
I love the idea that we are all both garden and gardener. I think the world would be a better place if we thought more like gardeners; tending with care and love and aiming to create the most growth possible, enriching the world around us. We’re the soil that new seeds can sprout in and we’re the one planting the seeds and tending to them. For me this is usually in the form of cultivating knowledge. I love seeing someone’s face light up when they give me an update about a plant of theirs that I’ve helped them with.
Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met here in our community?
If you get to know them well enough, most people are interesting. So the most interesting people to me are the ones I know the best, my friends. I’ve been lucky enough to have become friends with musicians, professors, counselors, executives, teachers, and more. Toledo isn’t always looked on positively. It certainly is hard to compare it to Cleveland or Columbus, but if you look for them, there are really incredible people here and many of them are doing incredible things.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?
Italy. I’ve always thought Britain, France, or Germany sounded more appealing to me. But every time I see a show or movie or read a book that takes place there, I instantly feel this sense of resonance. I just finished watching season 2 of The White Lotus and I’m back to daydreaming about Mediterranean vistas.
Q: What advice would you give to people?
There are no bullet points for life. – The world is a big place and humans always want condensed information that’s easier to understand. There is no short list of rules for life or the world we live in, but the best place to start is to learn to be comfortable with, even to celebrate, how vastly complex every single thing is.
Q: What is something on your bucket list?
I love getting to see plants growing in the wild that I grow at home. I’d love to travel and see different types of carnivorous plants in their native habitat. I’d also love to stay in one of those domes that lets you sleep under the northern lights, but I can’t say I love the idea of a 15 hour flight into northern Canada.
Q: If you could choose anyone that is alive today and not a relative; with whom would you love to have lunch? Why? And where locally would y’all meet for this lunch?
Stefano Mancuso. He’s a professor at the University of Florence and founder of the International Laboratory of Plant Neurobiology. He does incredible research on how plants “think” and what kind of intelligence they have. The team at his lab has shown that plants can remember, smell, hear, and even see! His perspectives, and results of his research, have completely changed how I view plants and in turn how I view the entire world.
Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique about our community?
Lucas County has the largest number of rare or endangered plant species of any county in Ohio. We have some incredibly unique biomes and combined with our extensive, free park system, it’s so easy to get to see and experience them.
Q: What would you rate a 10 out of 10?
Plants. I just don’t get sick of them. Landscaping, gardening, house plants, parks, gardens. They’re my hobby, they’re what I read about, and they’re also how I relax. One of my favorite quotes is “Look deep into nature, then you will understand everything better.”
Q: Who inspires you to be better?
So many people. Above all, I would say my friends. Whether it’s letting go and having more fun, being weirder and more authentically me, more actualized and rational, or as deeply kind as I can be.
Q: Finally, what 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?
Shelter. Growth. Welcome.
