Ashleigh Dinan Neilson shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Ashleigh Dinan, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
Being smart is great, but it’s not worth much if you lack good energy and honesty. For me, it’s so important to be around kind, genuine people who bring positivity into my life. You might not be the smartest, but if you make me happy and I truly enjoy our time together, that’s all that matters in my world.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, I’m Ashleigh, and I own Terra-Cotta Florals. We specialize in creating beautiful, fun floral arrangements for weddings and events. No matter your style or budget, we love to craft unique florals tailored to your vision. I believe our versatility is what makes Terra-Cotta truly special — we don’t have a fixed “style,” because we simply create what feels right.
We also don’t have a minimum order, as we’re an inclusive florist who doesn’t judge by the size of your budget. We’re down-to-earth, simple people who love to have fun and bring happiness to others through our work.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
My Nana always saw me clearly before I could see myself. From a very young age, when I first showed interest in plants and flowers, she wholeheartedly embraced it and nurtured that passion. She took me to flower shows, famous botanical gardens, and taught me everything about gardening and more.
Every birthday and Christmas, she would gift me rare orchid plants, books on flowers and gardening, and always bring me cuttings from her own collection to propagate. I truly believe I wouldn’t be where I am today without her encouragement and support for my love of flowers and plants from such a young age. Without her guidance, it might have just been one of those early interests that never grew into what it is now.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
I believe suffering has taught me just how resilient I truly am. I never would have known my strength without enduring the hardships. My personal life has been deeply wounded by issues within my immediate family, plagued by addiction. Despite these struggles, I’ve had to persevere—running a business, always putting on a smile, staying focused, and getting the job done even as family crises unfolded around me.
If success were the only experience I had, and everything was unicorns and rainbows, I would never realize how strong I can be or how much I am capable of handling while still pushing forward.
These difficult times have shown me how much distress I can withstand, all while remaining a strong leader for my business, employees, husband, and friends. They’ve truly revealed the depth of my resilience and my capacity to endure whatever life throws my way.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
Don’t judge me, but I kind of believe flowers have feelings. I think they get really nervous for their big day to shine—like, the moment they’re used in an arrangement they’ve grown their whole life to be showcased in.
And I have my reasons! They act all shy and look like they’re about to die the moment you bring them home. Then, as soon as you’re about to use them—wilt unexpectedly, no matter what you do; snap, break, bruise, you name it.
But here’s the best part: once the event is over, and you “strike” the setup—at the end of the night, tossing all those perfectly cared-for arrangements into the back of a van, piled on top of each other, in a rush, with zero water—then after sitting in a hot sun-baked car for two days when you unload the van to throw them away, they somehow look better than they did on the day of the event.
Perky, gorgeous, like life’s been sucked back into them somehow. It’s like they’re nervous and just can’t perform at their best right before the moment, but then they relax and get rejuvenated afterward.
Tell me that’s not the flower version of being nervous before a big performance and then feeling refreshed afterward?
… Though, I have to admit, I definitely can’t prove this theory!
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: When do you feel most at peace?
I feel most at peace when I am doing absolutely anything with my sister. And I mean anything. We could be tackling the most unenjoyable task, and I would still feel at peace just because she’s next to me. Picking up dog poop in the yard, cleaning melted candles out of 150 glass vases, stripping leaves and thorns off a thousand stems of roses, working through back-to-back events all weekend—none of it matters as long as we’re together.
Call it a sickness, call it co-dependence—we don’t care. The truth is, we’re always happy and at peace when we’re together. <3
P.S. She’s also the funniest human I know, so every day with her is a non-stop comedy show.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://terracottaflorals.com
- Instagram: terracotta_florals
Image Credits
Ariel Min, Symphony Estrada, Katie Tripp, Kristine and Charles, Katelyn Macmillan, Liz Rainey
