Kennesaw woman turns healing hobby into business, finding purpose through Kokedama plant art
A passion project has grown into an unexpected business for Neshia Byrdsong of Kennesaw. After a difficult stretch marked by divorce, job loss and becoming an empty nester, Byrdsong found peace in potting plants.
"We're going to take her out of her nursery pot, giving her a new place to grow roots, kokedama style," Byrdsong said.
Kokedama, a centuries-old Japanese art form, involves removing a plant from its traditional container and hand-sculpting a self-contained home for its roots using soil and moss. The term translates to "moss ball."
For Byrdsong, the potless design mirrors her own journey of breaking away from traditional structures to find a new sense of stability.
"I'm not asking what my purpose is in life anymore, because now I know everything has aligned and this is what I'm supposed to be doing," she said. "I'm supposed to be teaching not just plant care and beauty, but also how to pour into yourself."
While the plants didn't erase her challenges, they became a catalyst for something new. Byrdsong launched her company, Growing Intentions, where she sells hand-sculpted, potless plant designs.
"I felt whole. I started to figure out who I was again as a person," she said. "When you're pouring energy into a plant — good energy — those are the same good vibes you give back to yourself."
Her home is now filled with plants she says have their own personalities.
"These are Thelma and Louise. This is Mary, Martha and Mabel," Byrdsong said, introducing some of her oldest plants.
Research supports the benefits she describes. Studies, including one from the University of New Hampshire, have shown indoor plants can help lower cortisol levels, a hormone linked to stress.
For Byrdsong, caring for her plants became a form of self-healing. Pruning leaves gave her the courage to shed parts of her life that no longer served her.
Through Growing Intentions, she now shares that philosophy with others — nurturing the self while nurturing the soil. Her designs serve as a daily reminder that, like kokedama, growth doesn't require a traditional foundation, just the right environment to thrive.
