I studied multimillionaires for 20 years: this is what they have in common [VIDEO]
- Leslie Juvin-Acker
- 18 hours ago
- 6 min read
This morning, beneath gray skies and soft rain in Castelnaudary, I found myself tending lemon blossoms, goldfish ponds, dragonflies, and rescued cats — and suddenly realizing that nearly every truly wealthy and deeply fulfilled client I had ever coached had one thing in common:
They were gardeners.
Not collectors of luxury.
Not owners of status symbols.
But people who understood how to grow living things.
And perhaps that is the real secret to abundance.
Article Summary
In this deeply personal diary-style reflection, executive coach and author Leslie Juvin-Acker explores the surprising connection between gardening, leadership, wealth, and emotional fulfillment.
Drawing from nearly twenty years of coaching multimillionaires and executives, she reflects on how nature teaches patience, ecosystems, nurturing, timing, discipline, and legacy-building.
Through stories from her own garden in Castelnaudary, Leslie reveals why the happiest successful people are often those who cultivate life with their own hands — and why true leadership is ultimately an act of stewardship and service.
Diary Reflection: The Garden as a Teacher of Wealth and Leadership
Today, I was tending the garden at my office, Le Jardin d’Amour, here in Castelnaudary.
It was a cool, overcast day, with occasional showers passing through. I adjusted the water drain on the garden tent so it could better collect the rain. In the greenhouse, protected from the intense Castelnaudary winds, I checked on my seedlings: eggplants, cucumbers, lettuce, and tomatoes.
The lemon trees are beginning to bloom.
I raked leaves from the giant, hundred-year-old magnolia tree and gathered them for mulch, using them to keep the soil in my potted plants moist against the drying wind and sunny days.
I checked on the goldfish in the pond where the lotuses grow. The pond is not only beautiful; it is part of a living ecosystem. The water plants attract dragonflies, and the dragonflies eat the mosquitoes that would otherwise multiply unchecked in the summer.
I checked the little house we made for the neighborhood cat, whom I named Fajita, because she is spicy and will scratch if she feels threatened. Franck learned that lesson well when we trapped her, dewormed her, took her to the vet, and had her spayed after she gave birth to six female kittens. We rescued them all and, in partnership with a local association, found loving homes for most of them.
We kept one.
My daughter named her Sky, because she had dreamed of having a Maine Coon-looking cat, and it felt as if this kitten had fallen from the sky just for her. The others, we named after flowers: Iris, Magnolia, Daisy.
Then I filled the bird feeders with seeds and suet for the doves, magpies, and other birds beginning to use the fountain as both watering hole and shower.
As I moved through these small rituals, I realized something.
Nearly all of my extremely wealthy, multimillionaire clients had one thing in common:
They were gardeners.
Not simply people with houseplants.
Not people who owned sprawling estates where employees tended the grounds for them.
They were growers. Farmers. Orchard keepers. Vegetable gardeners. People who knew, with their own hands and eyes, how to tend living things.
In their free time, they returned to their gardens. They tended orchards, planted vegetables, cared for fruit trees, or even managed farms that created food, jobs, and value for their communities.
And I noticed something else.
These individuals were often much happier than their executive or entrepreneur counterparts who did not garden, farm, or grow anything.
This realization did not come to me quickly. It came after nearly twenty years of executive life and career coaching.
Gardeners understand what many leaders forget.
They understand ecosystems: how different things work together.
They understand seasons, timing, patience, and the wisdom of letting things unfold naturally.
They understand that nature has an intelligence of its own, and that our role is not to dominate it, but to learn from it, trust it, and work with it.
They understand that every living thing has its own purpose, and therefore they learn to appreciate diversity, uniqueness, and the function of every plant, creature, and cycle.
They understand death.
They know when something is born, when something has finished producing, and when it is time to let go.
They understand nurturing: that everything requires its own elements to survive and thrive, and that our responsibility is to respond to those needs so each thing can become what it was meant to be.
They understand structure, discipline, creativity, and resilience.
They know how to work with limitation, harsh elements, imperfect conditions, and unpredictable weather.
They also know when to step back and enjoy what they have built.
Most importantly, gardeners understand that being the “head honcho” is not about control. It is about service.
The gardener serves the garden, and the garden, in turn, serves the gardener.
It is not exploitation.
It is not extraction.
It is relationship.
Nature is our greatest teacher.
I learned almost everything I understand about investing through gardening: how to grow, divide, spread out, give away what I do not need, share the bounty, trade with other gardeners, save seeds for future generations, and understand that a garden is not merely about productivity.
It is about all stakeholders.
It nourishes the gardener, the family, the neighbors, the birds, the insects, the soil, the air, the imagination, and the community.
A garden is a source of inspiration and connection to the world’s great ecosystem.
So here is what I know now:
If you want to be rich and happy for the rest of your days, build and tend a garden.
Sunshine, fresh air, and exercise will keep you healthy.
Planning and growing will keep you sharp.
Nurturing will keep you kind and tender.
And lifecycles will ground you in the present moment.
Over the years, I have realized that success is not only doing what needs to be done today.
It is planning for a future that will not need you.
It is planting a tree whose shade you may never sit beneath. Growing fruit you may never taste. Creating a view you may never see.
It is building a world for others, and for future generations, to love, benefit from, and enjoy without requiring your presence.
This is a kind of selflessness the ultimate leader strives to attain. It is what I respect, and what I strive toward.
Not for ego. Not for aggrandizement. Not to become the best gardener in the world.
But to let my work speak for itself. To let it tell the story of my character. To express, without words, what I loved.
Look at the garden of your life and ask yourself:
What seeds have I planted?What have I grown?How do others benefit from the fruit I have cultivated?
Jesus said, “You will know a tree by its fruit.”
And so, you will know your seeds by your harvest.
Plant lovingly.
Tend patiently.
Grow naturally.
Positive Affirmations
I grow patiently through every season.
Nature teaches me lasting abundance.
My work nourishes future generations.
I cultivate peace, purpose, prosperity.
I plant seeds with loving intention.
What do you believe creates the most meaningful success in life?
Building financial wealth
Creating something lasting
Nurturing relationships and community
Living in harmony with nature
Leaving a legacy for future generations
A coaching question for you:
What “garden” are you cultivating in your own life — and who will benefit from its harvest long after you are gone?
Invitation for Coaching Consultation
Inspired by this reflection? Leslie Juvin-Acker, J.D. invites readers and listeners of her audio essays to schedule a free 10-minute coaching consultation to discuss leadership, life purpose, emotional intelligence, reinvention, and personal growth.
Visit: Le Jardin d’Amour
Invitation for Media Appearances
Podcasters, YouTubers, journalists, and television producers are warmly invited to feature Leslie Juvin-Acker as a guest expert on leadership, women and wealth, emotional intelligence, intuition, modern spirituality, authentic living, French lifestyle, and personal transformation.
About The Author: Leslie Juvin-Acker, J.D.
Leslie Juvin-Acker is an executive life and career coach, author, speaker, and former celebrity coach with nearly two decades of experience helping leaders, entrepreneurs, creatives, and professionals navigate transformation, purpose, emotional intelligence, and success.
Based in Castelnaudary, France, she writes and speaks on leadership, spirituality, women and wealth, mindful living, and the connection between nature and human flourishing.
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