I am honored to have been a guest on the Be Joyful podcast, hosted by Jean Cameron Hill.
Jean and I first met back in 2007, and she has been an inspiration to me ever since. Like so many women I admire, Jean has navigated pivots in both her personal and professional life with resilience and grace, always finding new ways to flourish. Now living out west, she’s shining a light on the stories of women across the globe—women who have forged their way through challenges and continue to step forward with conviction. Women like us.
In our conversation, I had the chance to tell the story behind my flower shop, Upper Village Blooms, and to share why community is always at the heart of what I do. My multi-ethnic background has deeply shaped that perspective. On my mother’s side, I carry the influence of her Mexican roots, and the legacy of my grandfather, a rancher and farmer in Mexico, who when he visited our home in LA, planted our garden with roses. On my father’s side, my Japanese grandmother owned a flower shop in Tokyo, and her garden was a place of inspiration and peace. These traditions instilled in me a lifelong love for flowers, not only as objects of beauty but as vessels of memory and connection.
It was such a gift to sit down with Jean for this conversation, and I’m grateful to be included among the voices she’s elevating on Be Joyful.
You can listen to the episode here, and I’d love to hear what you think!
Love,
Catherine
