We had the good fortune of connecting with Sara Martinelli and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sara, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I think that when you run your own business, it’s more than just a job. it’s a part of who you ARE – and that is what makes it possible to put all the extra time in to make it successful. There’s not a lot of Work/Life Balance when you own your own business, but if you really enjoy what you do, there doesn’t need to be. I’ve been so fortunate to be able to adjust to the different needs of my family, especially my children, as they’ve gone through different stages. Now that they are all adults and working in the family business, it’s a complete family affair. There is not really any life OUTSIDE of work – it all flows together.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
As an artist and anthropologist, I have found the perfect niche with our companies. Being able to do both the graphic design but also develop all the different tea blends, both traditional (Camellia sinensis) and herbal have allowed my love of plants, herbalism, and ethnobotany to flourish. Our love of plants and nature eventually inspired us to buy our own farm, grown organic food and herbs for our restaurants, and create an educations center about herbal medicine, homesteading skills, and nature art. In 2016 I had the idea of creating Botanica: A Festival of Plants. This weekend-long festival celebrates all the ways that humans and plants interact and depend upon each other. There are over 25 individual workshops taught by leaders in the field, as well as marketplace full of nature inspired goods.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well, I must say that whenever people come to visit me I take them to my own restaurants – especially The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse and the Chautauqua Dining Hall. Both of these are so quintessentially “Boulder”. The TIeahouse is just two blocks away from the Pearl Street Mall, so it makes a great afternoon or evening to do both together. The Dining Hall at Chautauqua is right at the base of the Boulder Flatirons, with some of Boulder’s most popular hikes starting right there. I also love to bring visitors to our farm in Lafayette. Though small, it’s still another characteristically “Colorado” experience, with horses, cows, goats and delicious crops.
If my guests are going to be here longer than just a couple of days, I like to take them to Denver. I love the museums and of course, my favorite is the Denver Botanic Gardens. There are some outstanding restaurants in Denver too – my favorite is probably Linger or Mercantile.
I also love love love Steamboat – I love the drive, I love the Strawberry Springs, I love the town. It’s such a little fairytale of a town and so fun to visit!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband lenny is really the one who made everything actually work and materialize into what we do today. His vision and tireless efforts are the real inspiration for all that our family does today.

Website: www.botanicafestival.com

Instagram: @botanicafestival

Other: www.boulderteahouse.com www.chautauqua.com www.threeleaffarm.com www.boulderteaco.com www.leafvegetarianrestaurant.com www.threeleafcatering.com www.zuccalouisville.com www.thehuckleberry.com

Image Credits
Three Leaf Concepts.

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.