Ever Onward Podcast

A Vision for Growth: The Transformation of IBG with Erin Anderson | Ever Onward - Ep. 65

• Ahlquist. • Season 1 • Episode 65

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The Idaho Botanical Garden is more than a scenic retreat—it’s a place where lives are transformed, community connections flourish, and nature serves as a powerful force for change. Once a small operation with big dreams, today it stands as a thriving 15-acre sanctuary, thanks to the leadership of Erin Anderson.

In this episode, Erin shares her journey from political science graduate to nonprofit leader and how her passion for plants and people has shaped the Garden’s evolution. We explore its unique location next to the Old Idaho Penitentiary—one of only three such gardens in the world—and how this history has led to extraordinary community partnerships. One of the most impactful? A workforce development program for incarcerated women, proving that gardens don’t just grow plants—they grow second chances.

But the Idaho Botanical Garden isn’t stopping there. Erin unveils ambitious plans for expansion, including Idaho’s first official arboretum, a 1,200-seat outdoor amphitheater, therapeutic gardens, and a 22,000-square-foot visitor center that will house a food hub to support local agriculture. This transformation reflects Erin’s leadership philosophy: “Surround yourself with people smarter than you and truly listen to them.”

Beyond its breathtaking plant collections and restoration of Idaho’s native sagebrush steppe ecosystem, the Garden serves over 6,000 children through STEAM-based education programs and draws thousands to signature events like the Outlaw Field Concert Series and Winter Garden Aglow. Through it all, Erin remains focused on one thing—creating a space where nature, people, and purpose come together.

Tune in for an inspiring conversation about leadership, sustainability, and how one garden is redefining what it means to grow a community.

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Speaker 1:

Today on the Ever Onward podcast we have Erin Anderson, the director of the Idaho Botanical Garden. She has been there for about nine years and does amazing things there. We wanted to get her on to talk about the botanical garden and what it means to our community, but she's also been a longtime leader in the Valley. She serves on the chamber Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce. She's also been part of leadership groups of several non-profits here in the Valley. We're really excited to catch up with Aaron and hear the latest at the Botanical Garden. Prior to Aaron, we will hear an Allquist update from Mark Cleverley and Holt Haga, and Holt's going to talk a little bit about his competitiveness, which should be fun Good morning we're here for another little update.

Speaker 2:

Quick update I'm Mark Cleverley, chief Leasing Officer with Allquist.

Speaker 3:

Holt Haga. Vp of Leasing Allquist Development.

Speaker 2:

So we're going to do something a little different. We're not going to talk about projects, we're not going to talk about tenants, but we are going to talk about competition and kind of our previous life, of especially I wanted you and Keikoa at some point to talk about, because you guys competed at the highest levels, right, both of you did and I want to talk about how that sets you up for success in your career, how it sets you up for success in life and with our projects. Like how does that, how does that motivate you? How does that, um, what? What makes you tick Right? And so just wanted to kind of briefly go through that with you.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, you know it, the, the value of, of, um, competition, especially early on in life, I think is is um, it's you know, you can't, there's no substitute for it. Um, I think you learn a lot about yourself. You learn a lot about, you know, just, the process of setting goals and achieving those goals, um, and and and different things that motivate you. Right. For me, I just remember, early on in my life, the, the, the, the chief motivating factor was the fear of failure, and that's a very powerful motivator, right, it can either motivate you or it can completely cripple you. And so for me, fortunately, it was I mean fortunately, or unfortunately it was something that really motivated me. Now, if the fear of failure, you know, prevents you from even engaging in you know the goal that you want to set, then that's a problem, right, but if it's yeah, because how many times did you fail?

Speaker 2:

You fail all the way, all the way through, right, all the way through, but you can't stop, you can't stop right.

Speaker 3:

And I think and I remember there was a point, you know, halfway or whatever through my career, somewhere in my teens, where I sort of figured out that it was part of the process, right and it's, you know, it was actually even became more of a motivating factor, understanding that because you understand, hey, you know this is a. You know, these setbacks are actually the times when you actually go back and look at them, and we've talked about this before. But when you go back and sort of dissect and unpack each competition or each sort of goal or milestone and you say, man, this is like where I made the biggest advancements was learning from why I, you know, didn't succeed in sort of these milestones along the way, right, and so you say, ok, this is what I actually need to do to succeed. But the only way you're going to figure that out is by by failing or, or you know, not achieving that goal the first way through. And um, and actually another thing you and I were just talking about, but my I had my daughter, cleo, is an av, is very engaged in taekwondo. She loves taekwondo. She goes to master Kim's taekwondo class like four or five days a week. It's her, her thing and like me, she's like all about individual sports and so.

Speaker 3:

But I was at class the other night and Master Kim, at the end of these classes, got all the kids lined up and he gives, like this message, this little kind of motivational speech. And the other night he gave the speech, but embedded in that discussion, that five minute kind of talk, was this line I just want to, you know. He said, you know there's no elevator to Black Belt, there's only the stairs, you know. And then he went and he kept talking about kind of other things. But that one line really stuck out to me and it kind of reverts back to sort of what motivated me and this whole thing that we're talking about with with process and patience and all of these things, is that you know there's no, you know, substitute black belt for anything. There's no elevator to X.

Speaker 3:

You know, whether it's business, sports, personal growth, it doesn't matter. I mean, um, there's no, for in our business, sports, personal growth, it doesn't matter. I mean there's no, for in our business there's no elevator to a successful project, there's only the stairs and the staircase that you're on. You know, if it's a really kind of straightforward project. It's like a nice, you know gentle set of stairs. If it's a really complex beast of a project, like you know Fourth and Idaho or some of these really large trophy projects we've been working on, it's it's a staircase with like nails and like covered in ice and you know I mean like so it just depends.

Speaker 3:

But I think I think why it was, I think why it rang so true to me, is because it applied to my early athletic career, where just acknowledging that the stair that you're on the staircase, I think is a very important piece, right, the stamina that it and the patience that that is required to achieve big goals, is, is, is, is huge, and I think I think it gets missed a lot, right, because you, you attach yourself to these goals and and and and you, just, you want so badly to achieve the goal that, um, you, you want to take the elevator, but there's no elevator, it doesn't exist.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, only stairs. I think thinking about that too, right, where each one of our projects we're going to have we call them opportunities, but you're going to have setbacks. You're going to have things that come up in every project that we've ever done, right, I mean, one of my favorite I'm a big basketball guy, I know you were skiing and in the individual stuff, I'm a big basketball guy the team sport, and one of my well, my all-time favorite player is michael jordan, and there's a quote um from uh about him that how many shots did he miss? How many turnovers did he make? I mean all that stuff, right? I mean, even the best player that's ever played the game had failures, right, but it never stopped him from succeeding, right? I mean, look at his career. He's a six-time NBA champion, nba finals champion.

Speaker 2:

So for us too, it's for us too, it's it's thinking about all that. Every project has opportunities, every project has setbacks. We're on the stairs per se, right? We're, we're on there and we're grinding and we're and we're moving forward on those stairs. And it's hard, every project is hard, but what makes us really successful is the team and then allowing all of us to go and do our job and together making it a successful project. At the end, it's like, ok, look at what we did, but what most people don't see are all the setbacks and the opportunities that happen over the course of a three to five year period in each one of these projects. But those are the ones, like we, we remember them.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, the more setbacks, the more rewarding Absolutely the outcome right.

Speaker 2:

Right. We remember every single one of them, cause we're like remember when this happened Right and we we but remember when this happened right and we keep moving forward, we kept pushing, plugging. So it's awesome to think about it, right, and you think about, like 10 Mile Eagle View, landing, city Center Plaza, all the setbacks and opportunities that happened, and look at them now.

Speaker 3:

Right, it's pretty awesome to think about. Yeah, we got a bunch of grinders in this office that are that's right, you know.

Speaker 2:

Pretty motivated, we rock and roll. All right, thanks, holt. Appreciate you, buddy, smart Yep.

Speaker 1:

Erin. Hi Thank you for coming on. This is going to be fun.

Speaker 4:

It is Thanks for having me. It's going to be fun.

Speaker 1:

I'm looking forward to it. Yeah, some of these I know guests really, really well, and some of them I don't. It's a good mix.

Speaker 4:

That's good.

Speaker 1:

So you're doing great work at the Botanical Gardens all of our favorite places to go but I can't wait to hear more about it. Perfect, it would be a great opportunity, but can you start telling us a little bit about you, mm-hmm.

Speaker 4:

Sure, what kind of things do you want to know? Tell us everything.

Speaker 1:

All us a little bit about you. Sure, what kind of things do you want to know? Tell us everything.

Speaker 4:

All the things Great. How did you end up in this wonderful place, idaho and Boise, and tell us a little about growing up? That's a great, great, great place to start. So we moved to Idaho my family did when I was nine months old. Oftentimes people ask if I'm native to Idaho, because that's a really big thing here, you barely missed it.

Speaker 4:

I barely missed it. But I say yes, and then I tell people well, I moved here when I was nine months old, and then they give me the grace to say you're pretty much native. So we moved to Idaho. First we moved to Mountain Home and then we moved up to Boise. When I was about five I went to elementary, junior high.

Speaker 1:

Was it a military move?

Speaker 4:

No, no, no. My grandfather worked as a civilian at the base, but my parents had my, so my dad and his family moved to Mountain Home in, I think, the seventies, and my mom, who's a little bit of a wild child her brother was in the Air Force, and so he was stationed in Mountain Home and she got sent to live with him for a short amount of time. He was stationed in Mountain Home and she got sent to live with him for a short amount of time. So that's where my mom and dad met was in Mountain Home when they were 16 and 17 years old in high school, and then they moved back to Indiana where my mom's family's from.

Speaker 1:

And then after and my brother was born here, and then we moved to Indiana and then we came back. I mean, that's about as native as it gets, I think. So. I mean, you basically were in Indiana just for this short pregnancy, and then you're back, I'm giving you the native card. Thank you, I appreciate that it's a really big deal for us here in Idaho. I am not authorized to do so, not being a native myself.

Speaker 4:

But you'll do it, I'll do it, thank you.

Speaker 1:

Wow. So then you grew up in Boise.

Speaker 4:

So I grew up in Boise, went to junior, high and high school and I graduated from high school and I went to Boise State and I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do. I knew that it was mandatory that I go to college my parents made that very clear but I wasn't sure what I wanted to do and I had been at Boise State for a few years and I thought how do I get out of here as soon as possible? So I started meeting with advisors and talking about the things that interested me because I just wasn't quite sure and I decided to major in political science and I was really interested in consuming information and figuring out how to like interpret that information and I really enjoyed the paper writing and the analysis of my degree. But I also knew like I didn't want to be an attorney. Most people who major in political science go on to be an attorney. I worked the year that I graduated on a campaign and I decided I didn't want to be in politics either.

Speaker 1:

Excuse me, Doing that once can kind of cure you.

Speaker 4:

Yeah, so politics wasn't my thing. But from there I got my first job really out of college other than working on that first campaign and I started writing grants. I worked for the Society of St Vincent de Paul and I started a book program where I wrote grants for books so that we could help families build an in-home library for kids.

Speaker 1:

That's cool.

Speaker 4:

And that's how I got started in nonprofits. It wasn't something that I knew I wanted to go into.

Speaker 1:

You kind of went right to it.

Speaker 4:

Went right to it. Went right to it.

Speaker 1:

Super rewarding, I mean. I think if you can marry business and desire and passion with nonprofit work, it makes for a pretty good way to work. Yeah.

Speaker 4:

Yeah, it's nice to be able to wake up every day and have a passion for what it is that I'm doing.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 4:

And I've worked for several nonprofits throughout the years. Um, but when I was what are some of those?

Speaker 4:

Yeah, so I. I worked at St Vincent DePaul. I also worked at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. I made a big leap when I was 29,. I started as the executive director for a small organization called Boise Urban Garden School and I had done some work in fundraising and programming. But working there I learned so much. But working there, I learned so much. My first job there. I got paid thirty four thousand dollars a year as the executive director and we had a hundred thousand dollar operating budget.

Speaker 1:

I mean, it's just like crazy to think about those private school, those school things can be so hard yeah it's.

Speaker 4:

It's really crazy and it was when first started. When I first started with the organization, the executive director before me she had left on great terms. So there was this really wonderful handoff and there was a couple founders who then turned it over to the first executive director and I was the second. We were operating this program out of a church on Franklin, up on the bench, and it was an all-day, six-week program for kids and teaching them how to garden and how to grow food, and then they would learn how to take that food into the kitchen and how to cook it.

Speaker 4:

And it was a full like seed-to table type of a program. And when I first started I, within the first week, I met with Doug Holloway from Boise Parks and Rec and we were in a meeting together. I had no idea what I was doing in the meeting. Somebody just said you need to go to the meeting and Doug pulled me aside and he said hey, you know, what do you know about community gardens? I said gosh, I don't know a lot. I didn't have a background in gardening or horticulture, I just had a desire to do it.

Speaker 4:

When my girls were younger, we started doing some back home I mean backyard gardening and so I really enjoyed it and I enjoyed teaching my kids about food and where it comes from. In a state that's so rich with agriculture. I just felt like that was really important for them to understand. But I met Doug Holloway and he said what do you know about community gardening? And I said well, I don't know a lot, but you know, I'm on my first week here at the job, but I'm willing to learn. He said okay, let's keep in contact. Well, the city of Boise.

Speaker 4:

There was a time that it was very popular for community gardens to pop up at city parks, and so there were several community gardens and there was another one that was coming on and that was at Ustick and Five Mile.

Speaker 4:

So Doug and I stayed in contact throughout my time at the garden and it got to a point where there was a family and they were going to donate a piece of property.

Speaker 4:

They already had to build a park on Eustick and Five Mile it's called Comba Park and there was a community garden there and there was a building that they wanted to donate over to the city to create a permanent place for my program. So it was really this like amazing opportunity for a very small organization. I think at this point we had $150,000 operating budget, there was a builder who's going to donate his time, and everything just really came together. And so I just look back and laugh because within the first year of my program we had created a strategic plan and one of those goals was to align ourself with a sustainable funding partner and somebody that could really help the program grow. And in that first week I met Doug and then all of a sudden I turned around and I was running the community gardens at the city of Boise and helping create ordinances to how community gardens would run.

Speaker 1:

What a great story, though, yeah. How it all comes together, yeah.

Speaker 4:

Have you spent time with Doug Holloway?

Speaker 1:

Yes.

Speaker 4:

He's amazing. He's one of my favorite people in the Treasure Valley. I just think he's so great and had I not met him at that time, I don't know where that organization and my career would have gone.

Speaker 1:

Incredible community guy and just the reputation of just how can we, how can we fix things and make them better and yeah, yeah well, that's an amazing source. How many years were you there?

Speaker 4:

so I was at the at bugs about six and a half, maybe seven years and then the position for the Idaho Botanical Garden came open and at that point we had merged with the city and bugs had become a program of the city and so I was a city employee and I had, like you know, this half-and-half position where I was a city employee and I had taken over another program at the city that had to do with environmental education and I was still the executive director for Bugs and doing the fundraising, the fundraising. But then the botanical garden job opened up and it just so happens there's not a lot of people in the state of Idaho, or especially in the Treasure Valley, who have run a garden-based nonprofit organization.

Speaker 1:

So perfect fit, yeah, and so what year was that?

Speaker 4:

So I started at IBG in 2016, in September of 2016. And it has just been an amazing and wild ride.

Speaker 1:

That's nine years.

Speaker 4:

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1:

That's great. And to go back to your kids. So two daughters.

Speaker 4:

I have two daughters. One is 20, almost 21. She lives in Bellingham and goes to Western Washington. And I have an 18-year-old daughter and she's a senior in high school, at Boise High School. So they have really grown up in this like mom, non-profit world.

Speaker 1:

Are they inspired? Or do they want nothing to do with this whole thing? They go see the way with our kids.

Speaker 4:

That's a great question. I think that they're inspired. I also think that they've been dragged along and drug along through a lot of activities and they've been in videos, they've been in photo shoots. They have really had to be flexible with our schedule. I go to a lot of fundraising events and evening activities and we're doing things on the weekends. All that really surround nonprofits in the community and we're very active in the community in that way. And I think probably the most challenging part for them is when my partner and I who he's also very active in our community when we're out in public public it's very annoying from them because we can't walk five steps without having a conversation and sometimes they just want to like buy some groceries.

Speaker 1:

We just, we just do what we're doing and go home, right? Yeah, well, I'm sure it's been a tremendous example and the great learning experience for them too.

Speaker 4:

Yeah yeah, it'll be interesting to see where they go and and what want to do With my youngest and going away to college next year. It's amazing to watch them grow into their own people. But I always think when I look back at them, when I first started even my career and when they were very young, people always say, you know, when they have young children, what are they going to be like? I just wonder what they're going to be like when they're older. And my thought is they're exactly the same when they're 2 and 3 as they are when they're 20. Their personalities don't really change that much, they're just bigger.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and it's. You know, I give a few talks and lately I've been giving a lot of them. But I talked to a high school last week and I was asked the question you know, how do you find your passion and how do you really meet, go into the dream job and the thing you want to do? And I really believe, and I'm sure this is the way with your daughters if you're kind of grounded in your whys, it's less really about the job, a little bit like there's a lot of jobs where people can be very, very happy if, if it matches their why and their reason and their passion. And it may be the various things, it may be health care, it may be non-profit work, it may be. But if you're passionate about people and and that's where you find your joy and passion I think a lot of kids, I think, as you do mentoring they get really hung up on exactly what it is.

Speaker 1:

And it's okay to think that, hey, I can be happy in a lot of things, as long as I have my list, my priorities, my goals, the things that I'm going to do and the things that make me tick. There's probably a lot of really great jobs that match that. And then it's lifestyle and a lot of other things that make me tick.

Speaker 1:

There's probably a lot of really great jobs that that match that that and then it's lifestyle and a lot of other things that go into it. But I agree, isn't it amazing the opportunities, uh, these kids have?

Speaker 4:

I agree completely, and one thing that I really recognize from kids kids these days is there so much more connected I do sound so old, I am old, and that's okay Is that they are so much more aware and connected into the greater community and into the world than I was at that age. And that's what I think is going to be a really significant benefit for them that they're already thinking about what fills their cup and what their values are. I don't remember being a senior in high school and really thinking about that. I thought, well, I know I need to go to college, my parents have told me that's what I need to do, but I didn't have the thought process of thinking through like what my values were and luckily I fell into a place because of some decisions and because there were some opportunities that opened up that really led me down that pathway. But I think kids are much more thoughtful about that now.

Speaker 1:

I think they're way more thoughtful. I think that there's a lot of real negatives to the way they socially interact. And I think there's a lot of real negatives to the way they socially interact and I think there's a lot of amazing positives, and that's one of the positives. I mean they are plugged into the world and the things and everything going on and they're just much more aware. I also worry as I interact with them socially. In fact, in the talk I gave last week, I just said hey, listen, if you're sitting in this room today, if you can figure out how to walk up to someone, look them in the eye, shake their hand, connect with them emotionally and express your desires and genuine self to them, you're going to win.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, there's not that many of you out there anymore. I think, that's the only real big thing is as you interact. Is that the kids that are able to do that in a world that's become largely technical, especially with generations, that we still connect with eight people? Yeah, we still. I mean, you know how business is done, right?

Speaker 1:

I mean you're still, it's human-human interaction and yeah, there's teams meetings and yeah, there's all this other stuff, but ultimately you're going to meet and try to connect your wishes, desires and dreams with other people and come together and find common ground and do great things together, and that's where joy comes from, and that and all a lot of real soft social skills.

Speaker 4:

Yeah, I agree, I could not do my job without the personal relationships and connections. I can't imagine a world where, of course, nonprofits that are so human, focused, where that's not the majority of my day, or future executive directors, or future nonprofit workers. Now there's a lot of things with technology that are going to help streamline some processes.

Speaker 1:

And listen, I'm an old guy, I'm like the you know Gran Torino Clint Eastwood character get off my lawn. But like it is going to change, I think AI is going to make it even more crazy out there. Do think these real human, you know soft skill characteristics that make us humans are going to get more and more important as they become. More and more, uh, they adapt to the changes.

Speaker 1:

Hey one of the things I was going to ask you is is another question I got last week that was a really good one and you're the right person to ask this too is they said well, how do you, how do you make a difference in the community and how do you plug in?

Speaker 1:

And I just said really quickly go volunteer. I mean one of the things we've been here a long, long, long, long time. But as I talk to my friends that are in other cities and even in the Intermountain West and Pacific Northwest, we have a community that really gives and so many strong, thoughtful leaders within the nonprofit community and then they all have boards and subcommittees and ways to volunteer. And it's one of the first things I say when I'm asked hey, how do I plug into a community? Go volunteer, yes, go look at something that you're passionate about and then just go meet people and serve and interact and you'll be surprised how they will use you and need you and maybe put you on a subcommittee and and pretty soon you're a graduating senior from CUNA high school and you're working at the botanical gardens, volunteering, and you have this group of people and all of a sudden you have all these connections. Speak to that a little bit, because I think it's a powerful tool for young professionals looking to engage.

Speaker 4:

I agree, I think it's, I agree, I think it's not only important for young professionals, but I also think it's important for every age demographic, for young professionals, as they're trying to determine where are their values, what are their values, what direction do they want to go in for their career. But gosh, lately we've had so many people who are retired, who are reaching out looking for community Excellent point, and at the botanical garden we're lucky enough that we have these opportunities.

Speaker 4:

Our volunteer program is really growing and it's growing in all age demographics, but specifically in that like over 60, where people are coming together and they could be doing gardening, horticulture. They could also be coming together for events and helping support the garden and the events, but we see that with all age groups. I think the impact of that, not only for the organization but for the individuals, is you really do build this sense of community. You have friends, you have people who have the similar values and beliefs as you do. So, whether you're choosing to do that by coming to the Botanical Garden and helping us manage and maintain our grounds or make sure people aren't getting wild at one of our concerts, you can go to the food bank you can go to your local church.

Speaker 4:

you can, you know, go to a lot of organizations that are supporting children in our community. There's just so many ways. And I think you know in Idaho we have I don't remember the statistics, but I think it's pretty high per capita the amount of nonprofits in the state of Idaho. So it's not hard to find a group and to find your people. And by getting connected in whether you're 17 or 18 or you're in your 40s or you're in your 60s, I think it helps also create a connection to the greater community, not just the small community that's. At that organization you start to really understand the importance of everyone coming together, especially in a time that we are so challenged to connect with each other, whether it's over politics or values. And I'll tell you what when you come to, say, the Idaho Botanical Garden and you're volunteering, we're not talking about politics, we're not talking about divisive topics.

Speaker 1:

You find things that you connect with and you find that, hey, there's a lot of things there's still I mean, I think the way things are set up now, there's so many things that just pull apart and thrive on that and profit on that, especially the way we consume media, but it is that it'll be what saves us, by the way.

Speaker 4:

It will be.

Speaker 1:

I mean, it's going to be neighbors and coming together and what do we have in common? And how do we? How do we do this together? Yeah, that ends up saving us. It's not going to be this other stuff.

Speaker 4:

So no, and we see that a lot, not only through our volunteer programs but through a lot of the events at the botanical garden. You can come to a bonnie rate or a lord huron or a steve Steve Miller band concert at the garden and nobody is talking about politics, they're talking about the artists, they're talking about the musician and they're not talking about these topics that are dividing us as a community. They're talking about their love for music or they're simply sitting in community and enjoying being in the beautiful garden and the outdoors. And I think for me that when I see that, it just makes my you know, it fills my cup, it makes my heart full, because those aren't the types of conversations Everybody's coming together and they're having this beautiful shared experience.

Speaker 1:

Let's shift to the garden, let's talk, give us the history and give us a little bit about, about the non-profit, what it does, um, and some of the exciting things that I know you have. You've hit on a little bit, but let's formally kind of yeah, let's celebrate it great, sorry, um.

Speaker 4:

So the Botanical Garden was founded in 1984 by Dr Christopher Davidson and the goal of Christopher and a handful of community members was to bring horticulture to the Treasure Valley, to the old Idaho penitentiary, and it's very unique in that there's three gardens, I've heard, that are directly adjacent to an old penitentiary. One is Alcatraz and the other one I have no idea where it is, I don't even know if it exists. So we're very unique at the Idaho Botanical Garden, just in the location. We're in a very historic district. We were founded this is our 41st year and we have grown exponentially over the years, expanded our mission a little bit to incorporate more community gathering spaces within the programs and really the product that we present programs and really the product that we present. Where we are now is, we have 15 acres of developed garden spaces. Our mission is to connect people, plants and nature and we do that several ways. Most obviously and first and foremost, we're a botanical garden and we want to be a place of beauty and we want to be a place that displays plant collections that grow well here in our region. We are in the sagebrush steppe ecosystem. That's important. You are not going to see tropical flowers and plants at the Idaho Botanical Garden. We want people to come and visit our space and see how they can replicate the beauty that we have at the garden in their own homes.

Speaker 4:

Additionally, we focus on educational programming.

Speaker 4:

We work with children and adults. We see over 6,000 kids that come through the garden gates for activities like field trips that are based on horticulture and gardening and just ecosystems. In general, the majority of our programming, if not all, is STEAM-based, so that's science, technology, engineering, arts and math. And then we also have adult programming so we bring adults together to talk about specific things as they're related to horticulture. Adults together to talk about specific things as they're related to horticulture soil courses, planting, you know, pot courses. Sometimes it'll be more artistic We've had things like in the past painting courses but really an opportunity for people to grow a love and appreciation of the outdoors and feel really connected into plants and the land and seek the positive benefits of that. And then the last component of our mission and what it is that we accomplish at the garden is through our events and cultural arts, and those are what many people in our community know us for. We host Outlaw Field Concert Series, where it is world-renowned musicians that are coming to the Garden and playing in partnership.

Speaker 1:

I just got something this morning, I think Charlie Crockett.

Speaker 4:

Charlie Crockett's coming for the second time, I think that one will be a sellout he's amazing. He's amazing. We work with Seymour Concerts on that series, so I am not directly responsible, so don't request shows from me. Seymour Concerts does such an amazing job of filling that series. But we also have a small concert series also. It's called Great Garden Escape. It's really a family-friendly series that's located up in the garden. We have other events and activities Winter Garden Aglow, which most people have been to in the community.

Speaker 1:

Total tradition for us, forever.

Speaker 4:

All of these events. They're really they're fundraisers for us. That's how we keep the garden gates open year round. That's how we ensure that we're providing the educational resources that we provide and ensuring that the garden stays beautiful. And there's a couple other programs that people are pretty unaware of that we're really proud of. We have a pretty deep partnership with the Idaho Department of Corrections. There's a women's correctional facility that's located in the district and we have a workforce development type program with women from the correctional facility where they come to the garden and we train them on event logistics and management. Horticulture, provide work for women from the facility, and the goal is that one day, when they are no longer incarcerated, that they will have a new skill set to be able to bring into the community or, for the ones that choose, we like to keep them on and that they continue work at the Idaho Botanical Garden.

Speaker 4:

A lot of people don't know about that program and that's okay, because we really are protective of the women from the facility who work at the garden and we want to, you know, support their growth and their development and their anonymity. But it's one of those opportunities that we have to give back to the community in a way that many people don't know about.

Speaker 1:

And I'm sure you've got some stories. I mean the impact of when someone is coming out and getting a job, which is their identity and their purpose. I'll bet you have some really great stories and anyone. I know I've got a lot of friends that do that and it's part of the best work that's done.

Speaker 4:

Yeah, as we're looking at expanding our garden and continuing to develop the uncultivated acreage that we have. One of the goals is to build a horticulture therapy garden, really with women from the facility in our community in mind, because being in nature and working with plants is very healing, and when I first started at the garden it was probably 2016 that this happened I was up at Shore Lodge and enjoying a weekend and I was in the restaurant and talking about what I had done. I think I was with the bartender and a couple friends and enjoying, you know, a drink, and he was asking me what I did and I said I worked at the Idaho Botanical Garden. And a woman that was sitting at the bar just a few stools down said did you say you work at the Botanical Garden in Boise? And I said I did. And she said you know that garden saved my life. I said oh, that's really interesting. How so? Tell me about that.

Speaker 4:

She was incarcerated at the facility across the street, and when you're first living in that facility, you're able to go out into the community and do some volunteer work, and we're one of the selected sites that you can do volunteer work and then, as you continue on in the facility, then you are open to be able to do different types of work and jobs. But she was in the position where she was able to volunteer and she said that she was really depressed, she was incarcerated. She had children. She was no longer able to see them at the same level that she really wanted to see them and it was really hard for her to get out of bed.

Speaker 4:

But one of her the other women who was in the facility started bringing her over to volunteer at the garden and she didn't want to come at first, but when she started coming and being able to experience nature and just the healing powers of being outdoors and being in the garden, she was really able to start getting out of bed and start moving forward. That's beautiful out of bed and start moving forward. And when I heard her and I heard that story, I just thought, wow, what, what other impacts can we have here in our community that are beyond what we, what we recognize, you know, beyond the children that are coming in for the programming or the you know massive amount of people who are coming in for our events? Like there's probably for that one story. There's probably for that one story, there's probably thousands and thousands of other stories that are similar, of how connecting with nature in that way really helps people.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, what a what a beautiful story. You also have plans for some expansion. I'm going to your website's here for those that are watching on YouTube, so it's a great place to go navigate. You got your events and everything else. Is there any information on the future of the garden and talk about that?

Speaker 4:

There is. There is information. It's kind of a little bit hidden, but you can find it. So right before the pandemic, we had started looking organizationally of what's next for the Idaho Botanical Garden. As I mentioned, we've been here for 40 years. Um, we have grown bit by bit. Um, the garden is a little bit of a Frankenstein garden, is the way that I would describe it. Sometimes parts and pieces of it have literally been held up with duct tape and dental floss over the years because we have been so strappy in the way that we have expanded. It's been garden space by garden space, and we recognize that there's a need and a desire in our community to build a space that really meets the needs of the community and to provide a better experience when you visit the garden. How can we start pulling down some of the duct tape and dental floss and, you know, really provide a space that is not only a beautiful space but a functional space and can continue to offer amazing opportunities for our community? So we started doing some work on what's called a master plan and a master plan for a botanical garden. It's essentially, it's a map of what the garden will become, but it's all based on community need and the programmatic needs of the space. So as we began working towards this master plan, we got a little derailed with COVID and had to postpone and pause. But in 2021, we really dove in and started having some community meetings, bringing in key stakeholders, to determine what is it that we need in Boise, what type of a garden could we be and what should we become.

Speaker 4:

During that time of the pandemic, I was volunteering quite a bit at the Boise Farmer's Market. That was my social outlet. That was the only thing that I could really do to see people my partner and I were, and sometimes the kids, and we were talking with some of the organizers of the market and with their need to have a permanent location for the Boise Farmer's Market. This is the one that's over on Shoreline If you've been here in Boise for a long time at the old Kmart I think it's funny we all still call it the old Kmart. It's been years. They had a desire to have a permanent space.

Speaker 4:

We know also in our community that there's organizations some of them that popped up during the COVID pandemic, like City of Good, which helps to feed and support families here with some really healthy, great food. With some really healthy, great food. There's also a lot of cultural arts groups who are struggling for performance space. We have a lack of performance space here in the Treasure Valley, especially for a certain specific size. So we started in 2021 meeting with not only community stakeholders individuals but also other nonprofits in the area to say what are your needs and how can we all come together on this project. So in 2022, we finalized our new master plan and it's pretty massive and it's a large undertaking that you know. As you know, tommy, sometimes master plans take years and years and years Taking.

Speaker 4:

That you know. As you know, tommy, sometimes master plans take years and years, and years. But we are working right now at a phase one of the plan. And phase one of our expansion plan includes several different components 4.6 acres of new garden space. Those gardens are going to be there's an outdoor amphitheater, working a lot with the cultural arts groups in our community to determine what does that stage look like? What is the size? We'll see about 1,200 individuals.

Speaker 4:

We're building an arboretum in partnership with a local foundation. Boise has a arboretum desert. Essentially. Our closest arboretum is maybe up in northern Idaho or at Red Butte Botanic Garden. But for being the city of trees, we have no official arboretum. So we're going to build an arboretum.

Speaker 4:

I'd mentioned before our interest in horticulture therapy. We're going to build a horticulture therapy garden, a new vegetable garden that's close down to the entrance of the space and a scholar garden that's going to be dedicated to Christopher Davidson, our founding director. So lots of new beautiful spaces. But also we'll be building it's about a 22,000 square foot visitor center and within that visitor center we'll have indoor permanent year-round classroom space and event space and also a food hub, which is essentially a network of individuals, but also a physical space in partnership with City of Good and the Boise Farmer's Market, where local farmers that are selling produce at the Boise Farmers Market will be able to utilize the space to minimally process, package and store their product to get that out into the greater community.

Speaker 4:

And that would be through programs like City of Good for low-income families, but also so that farmers are able to move that into the market through restaurants or hospitals, and then we'll have an official parking garden. We call it but a parking lot. Right now it's a dirt lot. So there's a lot of really great opportunities within the first phase as you look at the second phase and the third phase of the garden. The second phase, which will come much later, will really be focused on infrastructure of our current garden space and some redesign, but it'll essentially stay the same. And then the third phase there'll be opportunities for some very minimal cultivated educational space that focuses on the ecology of Boise foothills. So it's a lot.

Speaker 1:

It's amazing, um, and such a need and such a. I mean the location too. You talked about the location by the penitentiary and where it sits in, in the kind of base of the foothills there where it sits in Boise Um, what, what a great um. I often sometimes think about places like this that have taken hundreds of years to thousands of years, but hundreds of years as a civilized, boise-organized place and the history behind it, and then where that twists and turns and then the role of the botanical garden in that historic place and how it continues to give back. It's really pretty incredible Leadership. Talk about that or time's going really quick, but you are very well known as a very dynamic leader and you're on the Boise Chamber board in the Valley. You said you're out and about but you're constantly leading and doing things. A lot of our listeners are leaders or looking for inspiration as leaders. Tell us some of your key go-tos for leadership and kind of some of your philosophies.

Speaker 4:

Yeah, where I really like to put my focus and my leadership is in listening and helping bring people along. I have a master's in organizational leadership and change management and when people ask me like what is the key to change and change leadership, and I really say you have to listen and you have to involve people in the decision-making process. When I first started at the garden, there was a lot of opportunities to make improvements and I had spent some time focused on that, literally buying chairs, you know, and new desks, because things were falling apart. But what I've learned about leadership along the way is dialogue and surrounding yourself with people who are smarter than you are really what make a difference.

Speaker 4:

We don't make a lot of decisions at the Botanical Garden. I don't make a lot of decisions without getting feedback from others. Now, there's a couple situations where you're thrown into a crisis, like the pandemic, and you just have to start making choices. But I think that's what makes the Botanical Garden such an interesting organization, and what my philosophy on leadership has been is how do we continue to maintain dialogue? Now, sometimes you're going to have to make a decision as a leader that everybody isn't on board with, but when people feel that they have had a voice in the decision to be made. I think it changes the perception of that change and, you know, and helps people move through the change. But change is hard. There's a grieving process.

Speaker 1:

Well, and you're just spot on. I mean, I think one of the things I say all the time is vision, clarity, plan action and vision. That's leadership. But then the clarity part people skip over. And clarity is where you do get everyone on board. Listen, make sure everyone is harmonizing in thought and mind before you go forward, before you even get to the plan, because if not, they're not going to be part of this plan. No If they weren't included in that clarity, so I think that's really really great. Lastly, talk about Boise.

Speaker 4:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

This place.

Speaker 4:

I love Boise. I love it so much Um I. What I love about Boise is, um, sometimes I think the best qualities and the worst qualities about people and organizations and communities can be one in the same. I love that I cannot go to the grocery store without running into somebody I know. And sometimes I want to go to the grocery store and just get my you know groceries, but I love that feeling of connection and community. And sometimes I want to go to the grocery store and just get my groceries, but I love that feeling of connection and community.

Speaker 4:

And I think that as a city we are constantly moving forward and looking to do better and looking to make a difference, a difference. And when I meet with people who have not been to Boise and they come to visit, sometimes they're connected with the garden or an activity or an event. Or, you know, we're hiring a consultant and they say tell me what I need to know about Boise. And I say people are very kind and they're very friendly and it's not fake. When you walk down the street and somebody waves at you and smiles and asks how your day is, they really want to know. And there's hundreds of stories that I could tell about how I've experienced that, but I think because of that, we're attracting a lot more individuals into our community.

Speaker 4:

I think that's one of the reasons that we're growing so much is that Boise and Idaho it's people who are very heartfelt and very genuine and really want to be supportive of each other and see each other grow, and you don't get that in a lot of other communities and I think there's a lot of challenge with the growth that we're experiencing. But we get to have a lot of very interesting and thoughtful conversations about what that looks like and how we can do better, and I think Boise has always been focused on that. I can't think back on a time, you know and I'm almost native here and to Boise that we haven't been looking for a better way to support our community members, and we see that in the everyday small acts that people you know will go through and will contribute, and in some of the bigger ways as well.

Speaker 1:

That's beautiful, and I do, and you just I mean, you're just hitting on so many things. I believe, with everything is it is a small ax right? You know, we're all involved in this community and there's always these big visions and plans, and whether it's at the botanical gardens or the city or wherever but but ultimately, our days and our happiness and our interaction are the small acts. It's the little things that people do and say and the way they're thoughtful, the way they connect, and I I think it's just such part of of our heritage and our people. I love that about this place. Whether you've been here for your whole life or you've been, it just becomes part of you, and you hear that from people that are new here.

Speaker 1:

They're just like I just love this place. I also think that we have such a sense of pride in our community. Yes, it's so clean it matches that heritage and friendly, but it also whenever we have guests in town and we go downtown or take that, it's just they're like you know, they hadn't been here before and they're like it's so clean and nice and safe and all those things that make it so great. So well, thank you for all you do.

Speaker 4:

Thank you.

Speaker 1:

It's an amazing service to be such a dynamic leader and lead such an important nonprofit in our community and it touches all of our families as we come visit and enjoy and can't wait to watch the progress as you grow and keep doing great things let us know how we can help any any. For anyone listening that needs no more. It's idaho botanical gardensorg that's right.

Speaker 4:

That's right. Come out and visit us. We have plenty of activities and opportunities and even just time to wander around in the garden when it's nice and quiet.

Speaker 1:

So I love it.

Speaker 4:

Thanks for coming on today, thank you thanks, everybody.