TOGETHER independent: FlowerTalk

9 QUESTIONS TO: MAGGIE FOLASADE COKER FROM FLOWERTALK

“I found there was still a need to shift how we think about mental wellness.” Maggie Folasade Coker is the founder of FlowerTalk – a unique concept space and platform that facilitates and celebrates flowers, human interaction, mental wellness and connection as well as creativity mentoring and floral artistic expression. And that’s by far not the only project Maggie is working on: her Berlin Mental Wellness City Guide serves as a tool to support people in need of mental wellness, diverse and inclusive mental health care, affordable relatable services. Read more about it in our ALMOST interview.

Who are you and what is FlowerTalk about?

My name Maggie Folasade Coker I was born in the UK and raised on delicious African cuisine, and with beautiful West African rituals. I'm a trained aromatherapist, botanical stylist, creativity mentor, and holistic mental wellness coach. I have over 10+ years of experience in naturopathic practices. My passion is intentional community building, making holistic naturopathic mental health support more accessible to the community. I take pride in mixed West-African heritage and I'm in constant search of African indigenous plant medicines and practices. FlowerTalk is based on my belief that flowers not only communicate with other flowers and their pollinators but also with us humans for therapeutic reasons: flower therapy. I firmly believe that for every human illness, there exists a plant in nature that is the cure.

FlowerTalk is a platform that advocates for creative, sustainable, and accessible mental wellness.

Creative collaboration to support sustainable and affordable mental well-being is at the heart of the vision for the space offering fresh ideas, encounters, and inspiration to The FlowerTalk guests. Space acts as a platform for visitors and visionaries to meet and better understand each other’s wishes and needs. On top of this, space provides an opportunity for creatives, practitioners, healers, talk therapist to be involved in the shaping of the world through mentoring, botanical, naturopathic healing practices, therapy, floral arts, and acts as a platform for conversations about how having access to nurturing spaces supports creativity, shapes our mental health in our everyday lifestyle.

What is the mission behind your latest project, a wellness guide?

Supporting better community mental wellness. 

FlowerTalk Berlin mental wellness city guide is a carefully selected diverse directory of holistic practitioners & psychologists, complimented with beautiful floral illustrations and flower photography. The city guide book serves as a tool for supporting better community mental wellness, diverse and inclusive mental health care, affordable relatable services as well as a product to help break down the stigma of talking about or seeking help for mental health challenges.

How did you come up with the idea to start your brand?

I found there was still a need to shift how we think about mental wellness.

The FlowerTalk is a concept, originated in Berlin, but started when I was a child that struggled with shyness and social exclusion, I found solace in being around flowers, I understood their language and could feel their magical healing benefits. So today I facilitate and celebrate flowers, human interaction, mental wellness, and connection, as well as creativity mentoring and floral artistic expression! I offer my services to people who need a place to feel nurtured, a person to listen to their hearts and struggles or to simply sit and craft the stress away, sometimes we just need to play and remember our inner creative child.

The name, FlowerTalk comes from my deep appreciation and understanding that flowers speak their language. And if you slow down and listen, you too will soon realize their magical therapeutic benefits. I was also inspired by the famous quote by Nayyirah Waheed: “Can we speak in flowers. It will be easier for me to understand.” Defining the space as a place for people to slow down and experience the healing benefits of being present and nurturing one's time amongst the gifts of nature and human connections. While working as a floral designer, I wanted to hold space for people who needed a place for relaxation, those suffering from mental fatigue and burnout. So my Flower Therapy workshops were born. A place to honor and nurture the inner child via flowers, talk therapy and crafting.

 What role does your community play for you and your day-to-day work?

I guess I belong to a few communities, but I'm guessing you mean the black community, maybe black womxn, and the mental health community? Well for me community is everything, without it no matter how small life would be extremely difficult! Our communities inform our identities, give us value, help to keep us safe, in regards to my black community the outpour of love and support during the sudden media interest in the volatile racial abuse against black people, where black trauma is spoken about and shared across social media without trigger warnings or any regard to the negative impact racism has on the mental health of ones who have to endure it. The black community was amazing in offering safe spaces to heal. And just to add we need to include honest mental health discussions that include racism. If you are a mental health advocate then you need to be an active anti-racist advocate too. As I get older I find the community that matters the most to me is one of my parents, my west African community. I realize to be a black / African in the Western world means to comprise parts of yourself I'm no longer willing to.

Have you ever been employed in a big company or similarly before?

For a 9-5 5 day a week job I used to work for British Airways and Aveda in the UK. Aveda was a great experience for learning and training in naturopathic practices, and British airways taught me to care less about customers crying over Airmiles and not getting the 5-star treatment they expected flying first class. ;) Working for myself is liberating, but obviously comes with its hurdles. I like to help people and working for myself is the best I can express the type of care I want to give.

What does a typical workday look like for you?

During covid funny enough you would think I would have typical days but I don’t. But if I was to describe one currently it would be a zoom with my clients for a mentoring session/ mental health coaching or a workplace wellness workshop, then I could also be making up a flower arrangement for a local business or private individual or brand. Floral stuff is not so often these days, I try to keep my time as open as possible for my mental health services.

What are you especially proud of?

Well, looking back I would say I'm proud of myself and fellow POC sisters for managing to not only survive racism, and misogynoir but have figured out a way to thrive. However to all my sisters who need rest and therapy please take time to nap and seek out help when you need it. Our mental well-being deserves support. We don’t have to live up to society's image of strong Black women. Our fragility and showing vulnerability produce magic and need to be honoured and nurtured.

Unsurprisingly its still not a level playing field for black womxn in business or on the career ladder amongst her white sisters, it is proven by statistics that we do have to work triple as hard to be seen, get funding, a pay rise, etc, yes recent global racial events has made a shift, but not deep enough, it has barely touched the surface, a lot of it is just performative, we need decision making spaces to reflect the image these white intuitions are presenting to the world. As a society, we have a lot of therapy to do! I want to see more done as far as generating growth revenue for black womxn social renters, and increasing income for black womxn. We have so many brilliant, necessary and sustainable business concepts that never see the light of day due to the lack of support and funding.

So salute to all my sisters who are making delicious soup from a stone, are alone in all-white male / female board rooms and law offices, tech companies, and making their voices heard. To the black and POC womxn who dare to pursue their creative passion project while holding down a full-time job in fields, they are unrepresented and underappreciated. I know your struggle and can relate to your drive!

I am proud of my achievements in Berlin. I opened and self-funded the first sustainable dried flower shop and floral design studio in Berlin. I was the first to create a fun relatable neighborhood small business map, a marketing tool to help support small businesses in Neukölln. For 7 years my one-of-a-kind concept store Rag And Bone Man was a social hub that fueled and supported creativity and passionately believed in intentional community building and the concept of a shared economy for sustainable business development for founders with little or zero investment.

What does independence mean to you?

To be able to pause the survival button and give myself space and freedom in my mind to dream and be creative, honoring my heart and prioritizing naps over working long stressful days. Living with purpose. Financial equality for black womxn. If you live in the West and most other places in the world, money matters, your health, safety, and mental well-being are dependent upon it. Black womxn deserve economic well-being like any other person.

Living in a community where my independence is useful and not detrimental to the community or the world I live in.

What other inspiring independent label can you recommend?

@reconekt.official , @diasporawellnessclub , @emeka

Thank you so much, Maggie!

To support Maggie and her FlowerTalk's Mental Wellness City Guide & App head over to gofundme!