We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lauren Wilson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Lauren, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I found my purpose when the world was ending (2020), and I was so unhappy at my job. I looked around and asked myself, what is something I have always loved. I have always loved perennials and landscape design. I let not having a degree stop my passion for years and when the world is ending and you have nothing else to lose, you find the will to push through and make it happen.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
What do I do? I take care of gardens. I take care of yards. i take care of weeds with no chemicals. The most exciting part of it is seeing how happy my clients are with the blooming gardens, no weeds and a fresh mowed yard every two weeks. Its a treat to have me come out and take care of these tasks for them.
Next year I will be offering Christmas decorating. I have had a few clients that just don’t have time to do it and it was so much fun to go through their decorations and get to put them out for them.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three qualities that where impactful were 1: knowing when you are at the end of the road. I knew I wasn’t going anywhere in my cooking career with the hospital, and I wasn’t fitting in like I did before. I knew it was time to go. 2; I knew I loved talking about perennials and gardens, I knew what I loved, and I knew I had to take the next step.
3: I knew I needed to be home for my kids. I was just a number at the hospital, but I was very important at home, and I got very focused on what rich really meant.
Advice I would give is define your goals and values. Then hit it hard and block out any other noise in your life.
If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?
If I knew I had a decade of life left, how would you spend it….well, just like I am now. I lost my only parent 5 years ago and had a lot of other significant losses that year and those things change the way you look at life. It did for me! Then working in a hospital when covid started really made me move and define my priorities. I needed to be with my kids and husband as much as I can, so I started my business and I make my own schedule and I do what I want to do most days. So, I wouldn’t change much but if I had to change something, I’d sell this house and move to acres and spend more time in my own garden and make my business out of that. I would definitely book family trips to the beach often and buy another dog!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sfldesign.org
- Instagram: @straightforwardlandscapedesign
- Facebook: @sfldesognco
