I Dig Your Story

idigyourstory
  • 4.9 (9)
  • Personal Journals

Unearthing the personal stories behind the plants, people, gardens, and green spaces that shape our lives.

  1. 2d ago

    Leslie Halleck: Refusing to Stay in One Lane

    What happens when a lifelong love of plants meets an insatiable curiosity about, well, just about everything? For horticulturist, author, educator and entrepreneur Leslie Halleck, it has made for one fascinating career. Leslie and I go way back, so this conversation was a chance to talk not just about what she does, but how she got there. From growing up as an Army brat and gardening with an adopted German “Oma” to studying botany, working at a garden center, conducting research trials and eventually building her own horticultural consulting business, Leslie has never been a one-lane kind of person. We talk about her career in public gardens and retail, how writing became such an important part of her work, and the three-legged stool that is Halleck Horticultural: supporting the horticulture industry, teaching the next generation of horticulturists, and providing scientifically accurate gardening information to consumers. Leslie also shares why she thinks gardeners need to be especially careful about the information they find online, what she teaches her horticulture students about evaluating sources, and why she believes learning new things—and even picking up new hobbies—is an important part of who she is. In this episode, we talk about: Leslie's unconventional path into horticulture The role writing and teaching have played in her career How to separate good horticultural information from gardening misinformation Reinvention, curiosity and embracing your many interests Listen to Leslie's story on I Dig Your Story—and find out what happens when a horticulturist refuses to stay in just one lane. Find Leslie: Halleck Horticultural: www.halleckhorticultural.com – sign up for her newsletters here! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lesliehalleck// LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesliehalleck/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HalleckHorticultural

    Leslie Halleck: Refusing to Stay in One Lane

  2. Aug 11

    Angelique Robb: Connecting the Branches of the Landscape Industry

    Angelique Robb didn’t grow up dreaming of a career in horticulture. She studied engineering, worked in the oil industry, and moved to Scotland before gradually finding her way into landscape design and build. Along the way, she discovered that the problem-solving, project management, and visualization skills she developed as an engineer were remarkably useful in the landscape industry. Today, Angelique is the owner of SYNKD, a media and events platform created to connect the many disciplines that make up the landscape industry. In this episode, we talk about her unconventional career path, the lessons she learned running a landscape design/build business, and why she believes collaboration—not working in silos—is one of the keys to moving the industry forward. In This Episode How designing and building her own gardens on two different continents sparked Angelique’s interest in plants. What engineering and the oil industry taught her about landscape design, construction, and project management. Why a frustrating experience with a landscape contractor inspired her to start her own design/build business in Scotland. How a move back to Louisiana led to the creation of SYNKD—and why Angelique wanted to bring the landscape industry’s many disciplines together. Why communication, collaboration, and sharing what works are essential to solving the industry’s biggest challenges. Connect with Angelique Robb and SYNKD Visit SYNKD at synkd.io for the publication, events, podcasts, videos, and more. Angelique welcomes feedback and ideas from landscape professionals about what the industry needs. Contact her at Angelique@synkd.io

    Angelique Robb: Connecting the Branches of the Landscape Industry

  3. Aug 4

    Roshan Patel: Growing Community Through Urban Agriculture

    After a corporate layoff unexpectedly changed his career path, Roshan Patel traded digital marketing for community gardening—and found a new sense of purpose in the process. In this episode, Roshan shares how volunteering at Mack Park Farm in Salem, Massachusetts, grew into a passion for urban agriculture, food security, and community engagement. He also talks about using social media to make gardening more approachable and why getting your hands dirty can change much more than what's growing in the garden. In This Episode Roshan's journey into urban agriculture How Mack Park Farm serves the Salem community Gardening, food security, and building connections Making gardening accessible through social media Why everyone should spend more time outdoors It is indeed possible to learn to love kale Links & Resources Drizzle Ranch on Instagram: instagram.com/drizzleranch Mack Park Farm: https://mack-park-farm-salemma.hub.arcgis.com/   Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to I Dig Your Story, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who loves plants, gardens, and the people behind them. Keep digging!

    Roshan Patel: Growing Community Through Urban Agriculture

  4. Jul 28

    Matt Lebon: What if Your Landscape Could Feed You?

    In this episode of I Dig Your Story, host Ellen Wells talks with Matt Lebon, a.k.a. The Foodscaper, about the idea of foodscaping—creating landscapes that combine beauty, food production, ecological diversity, and water management. Matt shares the winding path that took him from business school and the Peace Corps to organic farming, permaculture, and eventually designing food-producing landscapes for homeowners. He and Ellen talk about food forests, edible front yards, rain gardens, resilient plants, and how you can rethink the landscape you already have. Whether you're interested in growing more of your own food or simply want to make your landscape more useful, this conversation will give you plenty to think about. In this episode: What foodscaping is—and what it can look like at home Why your front yard might be the perfect place to grow food Food forests and multilayered landscapes How rain gardens can help manage water Choosing resilient, low-maintenance plants Find Matt: The Foodscaper: thefoodscaper.com Instagram: Matt The Foodscaper - https://www.instagram.com/matt.the.foodscaper/ Resources mentioned: Free Plant Guide: https://www.thefoodscaper.com/ YouTube Resources: The Foodscaper - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8X1D7AD9xc2i4tZye61FNQ

  5. Jul 21

    Jennifer Rust: From the Corporate World to Biophilic Design Entrepreneur

    Jennifer Rust spent years building a successful corporate career in sales and management consulting. But after stepping away from corporate life—and into what she jokingly calls her "post-corporate therapy" of pulling weeds in her own yard—she discovered that the business she was searching for had been growing alongside her passion for plants all along. Today, Jennifer is the founder of Jennifer Rust Botanicals and Studio JRB, where she creates everything from seasonal container gardens to biophilic designs for luxury hotels and commercial spaces. In this conversation, she shares how corporate experience became an unexpected advantage, why community was essential to launching her business, and how evidence-based biophilic design improves both human well-being and business performance. Along the way, Jennifer offers practical container gardening advice and encourages anyone with a dream that it's never too late to build a thriving business around what you truly love. Whether you're a gardener, entrepreneur, designer, or someone considering your own second act (or even third!), Jennifer's story is a reminder that sometimes the path forward begins by listening to the passion that's been there all along. In This Episode Growing up in a military family where gardening always meant home How working at Crabtree & Evelyn foreshadowed a future in plants Leaving a successful corporate career and finding "post-corporate therapy" in the garden Why container gardens became the foundation of Jennifer Rust Botanicals The value of finding community through Digging In What biophilic design really means—and the research behind it How Studio JRB helps hotels and commercial spaces improve guest experience through plants Jennifer's favorite container garden design principles The overlooked garden center section where "the good stuff" lives Why it's never too late to build a business around your passion Connect with Jennifer Jennifer Rust Botanicals: https://jenniferrustbotanicals.com/ Studio JRB: https://studiojrb.com/ Follow Jennifer on Instagram: @jenniferrustbotanicals - https://www.instagram.com/jenniferrustbotanicals/ @studiojrb - https://www.instagram.com/studio_jrb/   More: The Psychology Today article on biophilia mentioned in Shovel Ready - https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/biophilia   Keep listening—because everyone has a story worth digging into.

    Jennifer Rust: From the Corporate World to Biophilic Design Entrepreneur

  6. Jul 14

    Jessica Turner-Skoff: How Public Gardens Connect Us to Nature, Science and Each Other

    What if public gardens are much more than beautiful places to visit? Jessica Turner-Skoff firmly believes—and convinces her listeners—that public gardens are where beauty, science, conservation, and human connection come together. As Associate Director of Science Communications at Longwood Gardens, Jessica helps translate groundbreaking plant research into stories that inspire visitors, volunteers, and gardeners alike. But her own story begins on a hobby farm in rural Ohio, where farm chores, medicinal plants, and a lifelong sense of wonder shaped the path that eventually led her to one of the world's great gardens. In this episode of I Dig Your Story, Jessica shares how her childhood fascination with nature evolved into a career that blends biology, communication, conservation, and storytelling. Along the way, we explore American ginseng, the hidden science happening inside public gardens, and why every one of us already has a relationship with plants—even if we don't realize it. Whether you're a gardener, plant professional, science communicator, or simply someone who enjoys spending time outdoors, Jessica's perspective may forever change the way you experience a garden. In this episode we discuss: • Why every person has a relationship with plants • From aspiring zoo keeper to plant scientist • Researching American ginseng and conservation in Appalachia • Why public gardens are scientific powerhouses—not just beautiful destinations • Jessica's TEDx talk on reconnecting people with nature • Her advice for anyone considering a career working with plants Jessica also shares one of the simplest challenges you'll gladly participate in: Take 30 seconds to think about all the ways plants make your life better. You may never look at the world quite the same way again.   Connect with Jessica: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicabturnerskoff/ • Longwood Gardens: https://longwoodgardens.org • GrowerTalks article regarding Christmas poinsettias at Longwood: https://www.growertalks.com/Article/?srch=1&articleID=27630

    Jessica Turner-Skoff: How Public Gardens Connect Us to Nature, Science and Each Other

  7. Jul 7

    Kelly Norris: Why Great Gardens Are Never Finished

    Landscape designer, plantsman, author, and ecological steward Kelly D. Norris believes gardens aren't static works of art but are living communities. In this episode of I Dig Your Story, Kelly shares the remarkable path that led him from running a mail-order iris nursery as a teenager on his family's Iowa farm to becoming one of the country's leading voices in ecological landscape design. Kelly explains why he prefers the word stewardship over maintenance, why curiosity has shaped every chapter of his career, and why the best compliment someone can give his work is to say it doesn't look designed at all. Whether you're tending a backyard garden, managing a public landscape, or simply wondering how to create more meaningful connections with the natural world, this conversation will leave you looking at plants—and your own landscape—a little differently. In this episode, Kelly and host Ellen Wells talk about: How a 14-year-old convinced his parents to buy a mail-order iris nursery Why Kelly believes plants are collaborators, not landscape objects The difference between maintaining a landscape and stewarding one Leaving security to build an entrepreneurial design studio The philosophy behind Kelly's motto, "Just Keep Planting." Why asking better questions matters more than having all the answers Learn more about Kelly and his work at: https://kellydnorris.com

    Kelly Norris: Why Great Gardens Are Never Finished

  8. Jun 30

    Fifth Tuesdays #2

    Fifth Tuesdays #2:   In this quarterly bonus I Dig Your Story sub-pod we call Fifth Tuesdays, host Ellen Wells is answering your questions!   In this episode, Ellen answers: What’s your earliest plant memory? But Ellen, are you a good gardener? How do I keep our Wisteria from taking over our small urban yard? Do coffee grounds really help plants? Do you have a hack for bugs and other pests? Ellen also shares the latest IDYS news: The IDYS website launches this July! – www.idigyourstory.com The IDYS Substack newsletter is coming at the end of the month Request the IDYS Media Kit and learn how you can support the show Nominate someone (or yourself!) to be a guest on the show Questions? IDigYourStory@gmail.com Did you know there’s an IDYS Instagram page? Check it out at www.instagram.com/idigyourstory

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4.9
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Unearthing the personal stories behind the plants, people, gardens, and green spaces that shape our lives.

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  • Creator
    idigyourstory
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    35
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    I Dig Your Story

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