Ep. 138: Building a Heart-Led Floral Business with Janelle Gerestein

In today's BB Podcast episode (No. 138), we're visiting with Janelle Gerestein—better known as Janie of Flowers by Janie—a Calgary-based floral designer whose career spans over two decades and multiple continents. From her early dreams of becoming a wedding florist to launching a successful business in Bolivia, then rebuilding from scratch in Canada, Janie’s story is a testament to resilience, creativity, and community.

We're excited to dig into her business strategies, her signature seasonal workshops (flowers + desserts = genius!), and how she weaves purpose into everything she does—including donating wedding florals to women in transitional housing. You’ll walk away inspired by her thoughtfulness, practical insights, and generous heart.

• Starting a floral business in Bolivia (and its unexpected success!)
• Rebuilding her business from scratch after moving to Calgary
• Scaling up with strategy: from 100+ weddings to a curated 30
• The importance of knowing your numbers and setting minimums
• Hosting wildly successful flower + dessert workshops
• Hiring and working with family, freelancers, and a marketing intern
• Winning the Bloom Trust Co Flowering With Purpose grant
• The intersection of faith, generosity, and business values
• Educational experiences and favorite workshops from around the world
• Designing flowers for mountain weddings

You can find show notes and more episodes of The Botanical Brouhaha Podcast at botanicalbrouhaha.com, and you can find the BB Podcast co-hosts on IG @botanicalbrouhaha and @hey.nataliegill.

This episode of The Botanical Brouhaha Podcast was produced by Joel McGee. Original music by Landon McGee.