...and soon to be acupuncturist.

If you happen upon this incredible human you will most likely find her with her Dalmatian colored, herding/pit mix, Reba. Who is she you may ask? Jasmine is a shero (female hero) to many, a life changer for others, and a newly 30 year old woman who will knock you over with a well-crafted thought, that flows from her with the ease of an exhale.

I interviewed Jasmine last fall, but since then she has continued to evolve. She is now enrolled at Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences in Oakland CA, to learn the ancient skill of acupuncture. Like I said, ever growing and evolving - learning a new skill from which she has benefitted to help others.

She did an absolutely INCREDIBLE job on all of the floral and table arrangements for my wedding. There is something that sets her apart from others in the same area.. When asked to list a few works that relate her brand she said, "Context, Integrity, Authenticity, Respect for Resources." This is something that remains consistent about Jasmine, no matter what work she is delving into.

Jasmine believes in honesty (about her product), generosity (of space, client, nature), taking risks, trust (-ing her skills), and exercising restraint in her work. She opened my eyes to some realities of the wedding (floral), and design industry.

Here are my 10 greatest take aways from our inspiring conversation:

design does not stop with the flowers, rather it is about all objects in the given space and how it feels
every.flower.counts.
exercise restraint. repetition.
use patterns that occur in nature, these are things that are naturally beautiful to us
don't try to control how people feel/think when they see your work (personal growth area for me!)
you are in service to the inherit potential of a space
keep learning! work with designers who are pushing the edge of what is possible
DIY (do/design it yourself) culture that we are hyper focused on (pinterest) is making us miss out on a potentially beautiful/unique event
be honest and open about the service you can provide based on the resources available to you
work with client to understand their values, but make them comfortable enough to give up control of creative process

Jasmine does something that is difficult for so many people to do. She stays true to her values and the integrity of the space and product she provides.

This is just a tiny glimpse of who this woman is. She just drove across the country (NY to CA - of course stopping to see me in Milwaukee!) to pursue growth and new ventures (check out her journey #RebaAndJasmineDoAmerica). She has been there a few weeks and (no surprise) she has already secured a gardening position at the Oakland Bonsai Garden. I am sure she will quickly win the affections of all the "old dudes" who work there, while making the garden flourish.

(She also recently joined the team at Flora Cultural Society in Oakland, CA if you are interested in having an eye opening conversation, or be wow-ed go scope her out there.)

In her young life, she boasts a diverse and robust portfolio. Aside from her incredible gardening/floral services, she is the principal of her boutique consulting firm (Little Engine) that helps entrepreneurs and their teams take their next big leap forward. The projects she works on are timely, authentic and driven by a sense of higher purpose.

Graduating from Hampshire College in Western MA, Jasmine was given the freedom to create her own map of study (Major in Queer Studies and Archiving), which lent itself to her continued growth.

She co-founded Bamyan Media, which globally produces educational reality-TV competitions that showcase the courage, initiative, and dedication of social entrepreneurs in post-conflict areas.
She was selected to be part of The Unreasonable Institute which brings together, incubates, and finances 25 young bold social entrepreneurs from around the world each year for a 10-week summer institute (yep she was 1/25 selected from around the world!)

I could go on, but those two alone are more than most can boast.

Jasmine is probably one of the most intelligent people I have ever had the honor of knowing. Everywhere she goes she changes communities and people for the better. Oakland is lucky to have snatched her up from the East Coast, hopefully we can be next in the Midwest! I cannot wait to see what she does next. Until then go ahead, creep on her instagram, and linkedin. Get inspired to create, live, breathe, be part of your community.

To learn more about this inspirational individual, or benefit from her services, shoot her an email. (jasmine.stine@gmail.com)

DO YOU HAVE A SHERO - I would love to know them, and possibly feature them here too! Like and leave them in a comment below :)

Jasmine Stine: Creator, Entrepreneur, Innovator