
Building the Flower Summit: Jess on Courage, Community & Backing Each Other
From Dish the Dirt by Rebecca Noble
June 11, 2026 · 49 min · Season 10 · Episode 1
About this episode
Jess shares her journey from an entrepreneurial kid to the founder of the Flower Summit, emphasizing community and support among female growers.
Some people don't just start businesses — they start movements. This week I sit down with Jess, the powerhouse founder of the Flower Summit , the Newcastle Food & Flower Markets and the Newcastle Flower School . We go right back to the beginning: the entrepreneurial kid who landed her first job at thirteen, started her first company at twenty-three with a hundred chair covers sewn in her auntie's garage, and went on to bring Australian Bridal Fashion Week to the country. From there, Jess found flowers — and never looked back, now running around two hundred weddings a year. But the heart of this episode is the spark behind the Flower Summit: a trip to the US, a community of female growers who cheer each other on instead of competing, and the courage to bring that same generous spirit home to Australia. In this episode: • Growing up entrepreneurial and starting a business at 23 • Bringing Australian Bridal Fashion Week to Australia • Falling in love with flowers and building a wedding business • Coming home to launch the Newcastle Food & Flower Markets • Tall-poppy culture vs. the "you go, girl" spirit she found in the US • How the Flower Summit was born (and named before…
People in this episode
Host: Rebecca Noble
Guest: Jess
Topics covered
- entrepreneurship
- community support
- floriculture
- women in business
- wedding industry
Keywords
- Flower Summit
- entrepreneurial journey
- wedding business
- female growers
- community support
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Flower Summit, Newcastle Food & Flower Markets, Newcastle Flower School, Australian Bridal Fashion Week
Places: Australia, US
More episodes of Dish the Dirt
- Meadowbrook Flower Farm - Brookes story. · November 27, 2025 · 41 min
- The story of Mountain Nursery with Paul Dalley · November 11, 2025 · 49 min
- Hunter Flower Collective – Building Community in the Hunter Valley · October 29, 2025 · 48 min
- Springview Irises – The Beauty of Bearded Blooms · October 7, 2025 · 50 min
- From Garden Dreams to Flower Farming Reality – Belinda’s Story · September 23, 2025 · 55 min
- From Shopping Queen to Flower Farmer – Kathy’s Journey with Plumtree Floral Farm · September 9, 2025 · 42 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Dish the Dirt podcast page.