Daily Inspiration: Meet Alicia Curtin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alicia Curtin

Hi Alicia, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Desert Bloom Landscape Design is a woman-owned and inspired business located in Boulder, CO with the key operating principle of creating sustainable beauty coupled with transparent business practices.

I have spent years in multiple iterations of traditional careers remaining forever fascinated by the intricacies and beauty of nature. A passionate gardener with over 35 years of experience playing in the dirt, I began working in my Uncle Joe’s greenhouse planting seedlings at age 11 and have been hooked ever since. As I raised my young children and spent hours outside with them year round, I began embellishing our home environment and creating space that was beautiful and aligned with the land. As my children participated in Little Diggers preschool programs, I grew along with them obtaining a Master Gardener certification from Cornell Cooperative Extension. I’ve designed, installed, and maintained multiple school gardens, volunteered with disabled adults in gardening programs, and even worked with that same Little Diggers program inspiring the love of nature with little ones. When I realized I could turn my passion into a profession, I enrolled in New York Institute of Art and Design for Landscape Design.

After moving to Boulder in May of 2021, I was shocked to see the volume of dissonance between the natural environment and the residential plantings. Almost immediately I committed my land to sustainability; solar panels and a car charger were installed and, naturally, I turned the yard into a xeriscape with drought-resistant, low-maintenance plantings that thrive in high desert environments; Stewardship Gardening in real time. I’ve also been trained by Fire Adapted Colorado as a Neighborhood Ambassador and am knowledgeable in fire-resistant garden design and plant selection. Coupling landscape design with my extensive teaching background, I am also fortunate enough to teach others about Landscape Design at Front Range Community College.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I have a business degree from Penn State, a great coach, and am super excited to be coupling my passions for sustainability, gardening, design, small businesses, and transparent business practices. The trickiest part of starting Desert Bloom was keeping my focus was dialing in time management, systems, and maintaining clear boundaries. My focus is split between parenting my four school-aged children by myself and Desert Bloom. Like many women, I need to be clear and consistent that self-care is paramount for me to be the best version of myself in all arenas.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I creating spaces that are exquisite, connected, and inspiring with an eye on sustainability unique to the beautiful setting of Boulder, Colorado. My gardens are a collaborative effort with the client in which we co-creating spaces in a curated, personalized experience focused entirely on their dreamiest outdoor living oasis. I know design and plants; water-wise, native and fire-resistant options.

My affinity for design and nature, coupled with my experience as a a Master Gardner, Landscape Designer, and business owner sets me apart. I have renovated 11 buildings and managed investment properties. I am an art enthusiast who has traveled globally and witnessed how other cultures integrate nature into design. I have the know-how of the both the construction process and transparent business practices particularly pricing. I believe integrity is essential and transcends every component of one’s character. Integrity is the basis of my business’ operations coupled with absolute stunning design principles.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
This was written about me recently. I think it sums up my risk-taking and approach to this one great life.

Some awakenings arrive in an instant. Others unfold slowly, shaped by years of listening, questioning, and allowing. Alicia finds herself embracing the process of becoming by moving through life like a gardener—nurturing what is meant to thrive and releasing what cannot be sustained.
Alicia has spent a lifetime in motion—raising four children, caring for a husband through illness and death, shaping landscapes, teaching minds, and healing bodies. She now moves with a different rhythm, seeking the path forward in something she follows, not in something she forces. Meditation, breathwork, and deep listening have taught her that alignment isn’t about passivity—it is about working with what is ready rather than pushing against what is not.
Alicia believes that when one meets life with openness, the right opportunities reveal themselves. That is how she stepped into landscape design, found herself guiding cancer patients through nutrition, and her training in yoga, breath work, and as a death doula. Not everything is meant to be mapped out. Some challenges must simply be met with an open heart and surrender.
Alicia wakes each morning excited to discover what is ready to unfold, not what she must do. She puts in the work, trusts the timing, and moves toward what feels right. Every day is a gift.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://desertbloomlandscapedesign.com
• Instagram: @desertbloomlandscapedesign
• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/alicia-curtin-a0a93180