Give The Girls Their Flowers: Ivy Paniagua
I used to say I was a sunflower, but I think I’m more of a peony. Peonies represent success, perseverance, and stepping into your power.
I’ve always been drawn to storytelling. From music to marketing to floral artistry, every chapter of my journey has been about creating something meaningful. As the founder of Fiction & Florals, I’m blending books, blooms, and community in a way that feels fresh and deeply personal.
I used to say I was a sunflower, but I think I’m more of a peony. Peonies represent success, perseverance, and stepping into your power. They’re soft, but they take up space—and they bloom when they’re ready.
Read on as I talk about creative pivots, boundaries, and why every woman deserves her flowers.
Purpose Over Popularity
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Purpose Over Popularity 〰️
Q: If your life was a novel, what would the title be?
Ivy: “Purpose Over Popularity.”
Q: What’s a moment in your life that felt like a main-character moment?
Ivy: “This may be a bit controversial but it was the moment I have enforced my personal boundaries throughout different relationships in my life. I think that we sometimes only look at achievements as a way of being the main-character but it's also in those personal moments when the camera's aren't on and you are still showing up for yourself in the healthy ways.”
Q: If you could describe yourself as a flower, which one would it be and why?
Ivy: “I used to say I was a sunflower, but I think I’m more of a peony. Peonies represent success, perseverance, and stepping into your power.”
Q: What’s your go-to “romanticize your life” activity?
Ivy: “Buying myself flowers for sure and treating myself to a scrub and massage at Bathhouse.”
Sometimes you have to let people lose with people they think they are winning with.
- Ivy Paniagua
Q: What’s a lesson you learned the hard way, but you’re grateful for?
Ivy: “Boundaries. Baby, I lacked them so bad in my teens and 20s that by the time I hit my 30s, it wasn’t even up for discussion. Boundaries aren’t about shutting people out—they’re about protecting ourselves and setting the foundation for healthy relationships.
At first, enforcing them can feel uncomfortable, even daunting. But in the end, we never regret the boundaries we set—we only regret the ones we didn’t.”
Q: What’s something people assume about you that’s totally wrong?
Ivy: “That I have a huge friend circle. I think because I’m popular, people assume I have tons of friends—but it’s actually the opposite. On my actual birthday, you’ll always see the ones I truly consider my friends. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to love intimate celebrations with the people I’d call on my darkest days—the ones who truly understand why my life is worth celebrating.
That said, I’m great at peopling. It’s not about being in-genuine; someone may see me as a friend even if I don’t consider them one, and if anything, that’s my superpower. I’ll always show up and be a good person to those around me, regardless of the label. But the version of me without the “entertainment hat”—the one who shares my most vulnerable moments—is reserved for those I truly call a friend.”
Q: What’s a small luxury you refuse to live without?
Ivy: “Drop-off laundry service + Alyssa Simone, my hairstylist. I hate doing laundry, but I hate not having my hair done more.”
Your existence isn't random. God specifically created you because the world needed YOU.
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Your existence isn't random. God specifically created you because the world needed YOU. 〰️
Q: Who in your life has truly given you your flowers (figuratively or literally)?
Ivy: “My tribe, my chosen family, my partner and GOD!”
Q: What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone who doubted you?
Ivy: “Sometimes you have to let people lose with people they think they are winning with.”
Q: If someone made a bouquet based on your energy, what flowers absolutely have to be in it?
Ivy: “Peonies, ranunculus, and something unexpected like a wildflower.”
Q: What’s a quote or mantra you think is a total scam?
Ivy: “‘It’s the thought that counts.’ Nah. If this is the level of thought you put into me, do me a favor—save the thought. Pay It.”
Boundaries aren’t about shutting people out—they’re about protecting ourselves and setting the foundation for healthy relationships.
Q: What’s a fictional character (from a book, TV, or film) you know you’d be besties with?
Ivy: “Evelyn Hugo from the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.She was my kind of girl.”
Q: What’s something you love that people wouldn’t expect?
Ivy: “Trash/Ratchet TV. Listen, I’m obsessed with The Zeus Network, and I don’t feel bad about it at all. Will I ever act like that? Absolutely not. But let’s not pretend this genre of women is fictional—I know a cousin who would fit right in and go toe-to-toe with anybody, simply because that’s the only way she knows how to express herself.
I get why people feel like these shows are degrading, but the reality is, some of these girls act like this for free in real life. At least now, they’re getting paid for their trauma. Sue me.”
Q: If you could give yourself flowers for something you’ve done lately, what would it be?
Ivy: “Pivoting and finding how to create community within my passion of books and flowers.”
Q:What’s one thing you want more women to believe about themselves?
Ivy: “Your existence isn't random. God specifically created you because the world needed YOU.”
Pivoting and finding how to create community within my passion for books and flowers has been my greatest transformation. Fiction & Florals isn’t just about books and bouquets—it’s about building a community of women who find beauty in every season.
“You are already enough.” - Ivy Paniagua
