161 THE NEXT LEVEL: RACHEL BIRTHISTLE Discusses KIANA UNDERWOOD/TULIPINA: Setting Fear Aside to Embrace Ambition and Find That Spark of Creative Genius

161 THE NEXT LEVEL: RACHEL BIRTHISTLE Discusses KIANA UNDERWOOD/TULIPINA: Setting Fear Aside to Embrace Ambition and Find That Spark of Creative Genius

In this episode of The Next Level, Andy Kushner and guest co-host, Rachel Birthistle, discuss last week’s interview with Kiana Underwood. Rachel is the CEO and owner of The Lake Como Wedding Planner and happens to be in Italy overlooking beautiful Lake Como during this interview.

Welcome to another episode of The Next Level. Today, Andy is joined by co-host Rachel Birthistle to discuss his amazing interview with Kiana Underwood of Tulipina. Kiana is a true artist and couture floral designer for luxury weddings and events. Rachel is the perfect guest for this episode because she has worked with Kiana and loves her creativity. We have a great interview in which we discuss parallels in our own lives with Kiana’s and the need for pushing past the fear and letting true artistry shine. We also discuss clients, pricing, and what it really means to be a couture floral designer.

Show Highlights:

[02:48] Rachel says that Kiana is quite remarkable to see at work and the fear element isn’t visible at all.
[05:04] Rachel shares how Kiana’s story resonated with her because of Rachel’s move to Italy from Irelan.
[07:21] Andy and Rachel discuss the motivational factor of art and not seeing it as risk, and instead, just doing it.
[08:18] Rachel thinks it’s so refreshing to see color in weddings the way that Kiana is doing it.
[09:37] Andy loves how Kiana talks about pricing, and how she is charging for the artistry, and her customers are people who are willing to pay for couture floral design.
[10:31] Rachel and Andy talk about how it’s important to educate clients about value and what they are actually buying.
[11:17] Rachel loves how Kiana’s favorite clients are the ones who appreciate her work and not just her brand. Calling Kiana a couture floral designer sums it up perfectly.
[12:00] Wedding planners’ need to persuade people about the value of great artists and vendors (Andy likes to refer to them as “creative partners”).. It only enhances the event.
[13:32] Having Kiana do the floral design for an event gives Rachel peace of mind about the final outcome. Her artistry elevates everything to another level.