Some people come into a community and quietly make it better simply by being themselves. Jen is one of those people. I have had the pleasure of meeting Jen and her sweet children out and about in Kingston, and every encounter has left me with the same feeling. She is genuine, welcoming, passionate, and the kind of person who makes you feel comfortable the moment you meet her. Spending time with her has only made me wish I had started a garden years ago. Gardening can feel intimidating when you do not know where to begin, but with Jen as my guide, I truly feel like I could do this again. We are planning something small and exciting to start, and I am looking forward to every step of the journey.
Jen is the founder of Grounded Garden Coaching & Design and the creative force behind Frog Farm Flowers. She and her husband moved their family to Kitsap County four years ago in search of something many families dream about. They wanted a place where their daughters could run freely, explore nature, and grow up surrounded by beauty. Looking north for a community surrounded by water, they chose Kitsap almost on a whim. After a quick scouting trip in the fall, they packed up their children, their cat, and their lives and made the move. Looking back now, Jen describes it as one of the best decisions their family has ever made.
What they found here was everything they had hoped for and more. Beyond the stunning scenery and natural beauty, they found a close-knit community filled with small business owners, supportive neighbors, and people who genuinely care about one another. Through her involvement with the Kitsap Environmental Coalition and the WSU Extension Master Gardener Program, Jen has built relationships with some incredible people who have generously shared their knowledge, experience, and passion. Those connections have helped shape both her business and her vision for the future.
Grounded Garden Coaching & Design grew from a deeply personal season in Jen's life. After spending nearly twenty years in the corporate world, she was given an opportunity to step away and reassess what truly mattered. During that same period, she experienced the heartbreaking loss of her mother, a lifelong gardener who inspired much of Jen's love for growing things. The combination of grief and reflection encouraged her to follow her heart and build something meaningful. She wanted to create work that felt fulfilling, sustainable, and rooted in community. What started as a love of gardening quickly blossomed into a business dedicated to helping others create beautiful outdoor spaces while supporting the environment around them.
This is Jen's first business, and she openly admits that learning the administrative side of entrepreneurship has not always been easy. From understanding taxes to managing the countless details required to run a company, there have been moments that felt overwhelming. Yet she embraced the challenge. Creating her website allowed her to tap into the skills she developed during her corporate career while building something that reflected her personality and values. Through every challenge, she has remained focused on what she loves most: connecting with people and helping them grow confidence in their own landscapes.
One of the things I admire most about Jen is how aligned her business is with who she wants to be as a person. She is intentionally building a life centered around connection, education, and community. She loves meeting people from all over North Kitsap and inspiring them to learn more about their outdoor spaces. She finds joy in helping people understand that even small changes in their gardens can have a positive impact on the local ecosystem. Whether she is introducing native plants, encouraging pollinator-friendly landscaping, or simply helping someone feel less intimidated by gardening, her goal is always the same. She wants people to feel connected to nature and empowered by what they can create.
Jen also loves bringing people together through events and education. One of her favorite experiences was hosting a pop-up flower stand at Jasper Row in downtown Kingston. Watching people stop, admire the flowers, share stories, and take home a little piece of beauty brought her so much joy. She also enjoys teaching classes through Poulsbo Parks and Recreation and hopes to offer even more educational opportunities in the future. Teaching has become one of her favorite parts of her work because it allows her to share knowledge in a hands-on way while building meaningful connections with others.
Her smaller passion project, Frog Farm Flowers, is still in what she lovingly calls its "sprout stage," but it has already become a labor of love. There is something incredibly rewarding about growing flowers from the ground up and then seeing people light up when they purchase a bouquet from one of her pop-up events. For Jen, those moments represent a full circle journey. The seeds she plants, the time she invests, and the care she pours into every bloom eventually become something that brings joy to someone else. That connection is what makes the work so meaningful.
As summer approaches, Jen is looking forward to something many of us treasure most. Time. Time spent in her own garden, time spent with her daughters and husband, and time enjoying the slower pace that summer often brings. Family remains at the center of everything she does. Every business win is celebrated with them because they are the reason she had the courage to take this leap in the first place.
Looking toward the future, Jen dreams of giving back to Kingston in an even bigger way. One of her greatest hopes is to become involved in creating a community garden. As she shared this vision, it reminded me of my own great-grandmother and the gardens that brought people together. Jen sees a community garden as more than a place to grow vegetables and flowers. She sees it as a gathering place where neighbors can learn from one another, build friendships, and grow food that can be shared with families in need. It is a vision rooted in generosity, kindness, and service.
I believe Jen has already become an important part of what makes Kingston special. Her passion for nature, her dedication to education, and her commitment to building meaningful connections are exactly the kinds of things that strengthen a community. Kingston is fortunate to have people like Jen planting seeds of beauty, knowledge, and hope throughout our little city by the sea. Supporting local businesses like hers means supporting the kind of community we all want to live in. One where people help one another grow, where nature is celebrated, and where kindness continues to take root and flourish.
As our conversation came to an end, I found myself feeling inspired not only by Jen's knowledge and passion for gardening, but by the heart behind everything she does. While she may have arrived in Kingston only a few years ago, she has already woven herself into the fabric of this community in a meaningful way. Through Grounded Garden Coaching & Design, Frog Farm Flowers, her educational classes, community involvement, and dreams of creating spaces where people can gather and grow together, Jen is planting much more than flowers and vegetables. She is planting connections, friendships, knowledge, and a deeper appreciation for the natural world around us. In a time when genuine community can feel hard to find, people like Jen remind us how important it is to support local businesses and the people behind them. Kingston is a better place because of her dedication, kindness, and vision. I know I am not the only one excited to watch her continue to grow, and I cannot wait to see the beautiful impact she will continue to make in our little city by the sea. I can not wait for her to help me with my garden, but most importantly to me, I can't wait for our friendship to bloom too!
