Standing in the Presence of Excellence
There are moments in business that make you pause.
This past week at Cultivate, I experienced one of them.
I had the opportunity to meet Martha Stewart.
Like so many people, I have admired Martha for decades. She helped shape the way we think about our homes, gardens, entertaining, and everyday living. Long before lifestyle became an industry, she showed us that the ordinary could become extraordinary with intention, imagination, and care.
And yes, she is every bit as beautiful as you would imagine—actually, drop-dead gorgeous.
But what stayed with me most was not what she looked like.
It was what happened around her.
I watched the way people responded when she entered a conversation. They listened. They anticipated what she needed. They made space for her expertise. Yet the exchanges also felt warm and familiar, almost as though everyone had known her for years.
It wasn’t fame that filled the room. It was earned respect.
Our own encounter was brief. Nate Baxter, CEO of Scotts Miracle-Gro, introduced us, and we spoke for a few minutes about Gardenuity, grow bags, and specifically our Cocktail Garden.
As Chief Garden Officer at Scotts Miracle-Gro, Martha brings both influence and a remarkable depth of gardening knowledge. When she speaks, people listen.
As I walked away, I found myself thinking less about the fact that I had met Martha Stewart and more about her journey—and the people who impacted that journey long before the headlines.
Who did she admire when she was beginning her career?
Who were her mentors?
Who challenged her thinking, encouraged her ambition, or helped her see what was possible before the rest of the world did?
And today, after decades of building one of the most recognizable lifestyle brands in the world, who does she admire?
Whose work makes her pause?
Whose ideas still inspire her?
If she could sit down with anyone, who would be at the top of her list?
Those questions stayed with me because standing in the presence of excellence has a way of making you reflect on your own teachers.
The people who shaped you.
The people who raised your standards.
The people who believed in you before you fully believed in yourself.
What I know for sure, growth rarely happens alone. It happens because someone shares what they know.
Someone asks a better question.
Someone offers encouragement at exactly the right moment.
Someone models what excellence looks like.
Some of our greatest teachers are easy to name.
Others quietly influence us through the way they live, lead, create, or care for the people around them.
Cultivate is a conference centered on plants, but I left thinking just as much about people.
The people who inspire us to think bigger.
The people who remind us to remain curious.
The people who show us that no matter how much we accomplish, there is always more to learn.
Perhaps that is one of the defining qualities of excellence.
It does not signal that the learning is over.
It deepens the desire to keep learning.
At Gardenuity, we often say, Grow What Matters.
This week reminded me that curiosity matters.
Mentorship matters.
The people we learn from matter.
And perhaps the best way to honor those we admire is not simply to celebrate what they have built, but to remain open to what their example can teach us.
Because whether we are growing a garden, a business, or a life we love, we are all still students.
Grow What Matters
Who has been one of the most influential teachers or mentors in your life?
It may not be the person everyone recognizes.
Sometimes the people who shape us most are the ones who quietly help us see what is possible.