Ep. 154: How a Cancer Survivor Built a Floral Business With a Mission

Marsha Parker is back on the podcast two and a half years after her first visit in Ep. 118, just before she retired from teaching high school and devoting her time to growing her floral business. A thriving three-time cancer survivor, she now runs Refined Gatherings full-time as a social enterprise, offering floral workshops for cancer survivors and social and emotional learning workshops for teens. She won the 2025 Flowering with Purpose grant from Bloom Trust Co and stretched the grant money to produce flowers and education for a school workshop, a photo shoot, and a charity auction. She also shares what changed once she stopped comparing herself to other florists. Hint: she began attracting clients who hire her for who she is as an artist and what her business stands for! This episode of the Botanical Brouhaha Podcast is brought to you by: Madrid Blooms Design Talks. Workshops. Installations. The European floral congress shaping the future of botanical design. MADRID BLOOMS brings together acclaimed designers, professionals, and students to learn and explore new visual languages and push the boundaries of floral artistry. You can find show notes and more episodes of The Botanical Brouhaha Podcast at botanicalbrouhaha.com, and you can find Amy on IG at either @botanicalbrouhaha or @bloomtrustco and Natalie at @hey.nataliegill or @native_poppy This episode of The Botanical Brouhaha Podcast was produced by Joel McGee. Original music by Landon McGee.