Gone are the days when most people spend their entire career with a single company. Today, it’s common to explore multiple paths, roles, and even entirely new careers along the way. 

Join horticultural consultant Nicholas Staddon for a practical, down-to-earth session designed to help you chart your own direction with confidence. You’ll walk through a thoughtful process to identify what kind of career truly fits you—both now and for the long term. 

Topics include: 

• Understanding yourself and your goals 

• Researching and evaluating prospective employers 

• Mastering the job interview as a two-way conversation 

• Crafting a compelling résumé that reflects who you are and where you’re going 

• Building your network and the importance of mentorship and relationships 

This engaging presentation offers valuable insights, actionable tools, and even opportunities for feedback to help you approach your first—or next—career move with purpose and clarity. As always, Nicholas delivers strong take-home value, supported by great visuals and real-world examples.

Our Speaker

Nicholas Staddon 
Horticultural Consultant and Plantsman 

Nicholas Staddon has been working with plant breeders, hybridizers, and professional plant explorers for 25 years, scouring the globe for new creations and discoveries in the plant world. Born in England, he received credentials in Agricultural Science from Otley Agricultural College.  

When he first arrived in the United States, Staddon managed garden centers in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he says, “the vistas will move your heart, and the gardening will break it.” He went on to work for Monrovia Nursery for 27 years, 15 of which as the leader of the New Plant program.   

Staddon resides in California working as a Horticultural Consultant and Plantsman. He is a sought-after speaker and guest for a variety of horticultural and professional events. He works closely with professional garden writers, providing information on plants, and sharing his views on garden trends and more.  

Staddon recently accepted the position of west coast spokesperson for Anthony Tesselaar Plants. The Australian plant company, well-entrenched in the American marketplace since 1995, offers unique varieties and collections of national and regionally appropriate varieties of plants. 

He is proud to be professionally affiliated with the Royal Horticultural Society, California Plant Alliance, and AmericanHort. He is on the Board of Advisors for the Mediterranean Garden Society of Southern California, Climate Ready Landscape Plants, a USDA SCMP Project, and California Horticultural Invasives Prevention (Cal-HIP), which is a voluntary partnership to help gardeners and the horticultural industry to proactively address the problem of invasive plants in the trade. Staddon is a member of GardenComm, a community of Garden Writers and Communicators working across the United States providing gardening information and related services. 

Moderated by an AmericanHort Generation Next Community Connector .