2 Fat Guys Talking Flowers
Join Mike Black and Fernando "The Fern Show" Ortega as they dive into the floral industry's hot topics. Always bringing you the good, the bad, and the ugly about flowers. Each episode is filled with flower topics, jokes, and knowledgeable guests. This podcast is always entertaining and sometimes educational. The goal is to enjoy a conversation and meet the people behind the flowers.
2 Fat Guys Talking Flowers
Ep. 164 - From Pre-Med to Petals: Semia Dunne’s Journey Through Floral Artistry
In this episode of 2 Fat Guys Talking Flowers, we sit down with Semia Dunne, the powerhouse Founder & CEO of Flowers by Semia and The Floral Reserve. Semia shares how her childhood memories of gardening with her mother blossomed into a lifelong passion—and eventually, a thriving floral design studio established in 2000.
Semia takes us behind the blooms—from her pivot away from a pre-med path to designing for celebrity weddings, the NYBG Orchid Dinner, to how she started a wholesale floral operation that champions local and international sourcing. She opens up about building community through floristry, finding inspiration from fellow floral artists, and reimagining floral design as a fine art, inspired by the timeless elegance of the Dutch Masters.
The Fatty Crew and Semia explore how modern floral trends are reshaping the industry, and how she views floral design as an evolving art form—one she likens to the timeless beauty of the Dutch Masters.
This conversation is full of inspiration, artistry, and the kind of grounded wisdom that grows from the soil up.