In this episode of The Florist's Table: Beautiful People, Val McNichols sits down with floral artist and content creator Trey Brown, founder of Trey J Creates.

Trey shares how he approaches floral design as storytelling—creating pieces that draw people in, spark emotion, and invite a second look. From his standout Wicked-inspired installation to his signature use of texture and movement, his work is anything but traditional.

They also dive into his journey into floristry, the emotional impact of flowers, and what it means to show up authentically in the industry. Trey opens up about representation, embracing creativity without limits, and how social media became a space to spread positivity during challenging times.

It's a conversation about art, identity, and the power of flowers to connect us all.

Visit the link for show notes and video podcast:
https://www.mayesh.com/blog/beautiful-people-trey-brown

What does it mean to feel both content where you are and called to something more?

In this episode, host Val McNichols sits down with Jen Cavender of Nectar & Bloom for a thoughtful conversation about creativity, intuition, and building a life in floral design that feels aligned.

Jen's journey began on her family's produce farm, where she grew and sold flowers alongside her sister. Though she later pursued poetry and academia, she eventually realized that flowers could hold both artistic expression and career. Today, she's not only a floral designer but also the creator of Tarot of Flowers — a tarot-inspired floral deck and guidebook born from symbolism, storytelling, and a deep love of meaning-making.

Jen shares how synesthesia and the idea of "translation" shape her work — how she translates what she sees, senses, and feels into floral form. She also opens up about imposter syndrome, self-doubt, and the tension between wanting to do everything and learning to let some things go.

The episode closes with a live Tarot of Flowers reading — find out what card Val pulls and what the message reveals.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and pull up a chair for every episode.

Visit the link for show notes and video podcast:
https://www.mayesh.com/blog/beautiful-people-jen-cavender

Ever feel like Instagram is working against you instead of for you? You're not alone.

In this episode, Yvonne Ashton, Ali Zimmerman, and Ana Romero from the Mayesh marketing team get brutally honest about Instagram's biggest frustrations—from the 90-second song limit and shadow-banning to the verification process that feels impossible, the collaboration caps that hurt our industry, and the scheduling limitations that disrupt workflow.

But we're not just complaining—we're sharing real solutions, workarounds, and strategies that help us navigate these challenges while still building community and reaching florists.

If you've ever wondered whether you're "doing Instagram wrong" or if the platform really is just this difficult—this episode is for you.

Topics covered:

• The link-in-caption paywall problem
• Why new accounts don't get features immediately
• Video quality compression issues
• The 5-person collaboration limit
• Scheduling Reels challenges for seasonal businesses
• Algorithm changes and shadow-banning anxiety
• Practical workarounds: Edits app, Repost feature, autoresponders
• What we'd fix about Instagram tomorrow

Join the conversation and remember: you're more than your engagement rate. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and pull up a chair for every episode.

Visit the link for show notes and video podcast:
https://www.mayesh.com/blog/instagram-confessions-marketing-team-spills-the-tea