Rising Stars: Meet Leah Munson of Mesa

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah Munson.

Leah, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve always been creative and I love working with my hands. I started in floral design in 2009 after a friend flippantly asked me what I would do if having or making money wasn’t an issue, and I couldn’t fail. I’m a follower of Jesus and I love serving others, so I decided it would be a dream to pair floral design with philanthropy – and that was the beginning! Over the years I have worked and prayed hard (off and on) to develop this dream, and 2 years ago I was blessed to move from side-gig to fulltime in the wedding and event industry. This past year we bought a house with a separate, designated studio so I don’t have to take over our kitchen every other weekend. =)

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I LOVE being in the community of small business owners. Yes, there have been struggles along the way, but I have found that there are always resources when you actively seek them. There are many people that have both set me up for success, and helped me clean up a mess. You handle everything when you are small, and it has been the hardest to trust the control of a part of your business to someone else – but you do it in order to grow and serve your clients well. In the end, the struggles are what make you stronger.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a floral designer (not a retail florist) who specializes in bespoke (personalized) fresh florals for weddings and special events. This means I don’t sell packaged designs; each creation is based off the client’s wants and needs, and seeks to enhance their event’s vision. As a designer, I believe it is important to be able to work within any vision your client brings to you, but I specifically thrive when working on bright or textural designs. I love color and using a variety of blooms and greens in my work, and always pay special attention to each stem’s placement in an arrangement. No matter what the client’s color palette or vision, I am always most proud when they tell me I have “brought their Pinterest board to life” =). I try my best to listen well to each client, so whether it’s sunflowers (which I’m not the biggest fan of…) or roses (so many favs here…), as long as they’re happy with the final product, I’ve achieved my goal.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
oooo… I definitely grew up a type-A, rule follower, but I have relaxed a bit over the years. Adulting will do that to you as you figure out what’s truly important 😉 While growing up, I loved art and singing… building with Legos, and caring for animals – we always had at least on or two at our house – always rescues. Our family went camping a lot so I’m a nature girl as well… and though I think my parents would say I never liked getting too dirty when I was little, Jr. High and Highschool were full of dirt biking and working on vehicles with my dad. I always felt like there were two sides of my brain – the pretty, girly, creative side… and the side that could do anything a boy could do, and maybe better 😉 (except for math, which makes me feel like I have no brain).

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.gloryfloraldesigns.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gloryfloraldesigns
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-munson-29aa3680/