Episode 223
Designing Freedom: How Matthieu Mehuys Turned Garden Architecture into a Global Lifestyle Business
Many creative professionals feel trapped in 9-to-5 careers that drain their energy—even when they love their craft. That was Matthieu Mehuys. A gifted landscape architect from Belgium, he found himself stuck in a corporate job, staring at a screen instead of designing nature. Burned out and unfulfilled, he packed a backpack and set off on a global journey that changed everything—from eco-resorts in the Amazon to creating edible gardens in Australia.
In this episode, Matthieu shares how he built a freedom-first business by offering high-end design services and scalable online courses to clients around the world. You’ll learn how he blends regenerative design with timeless principles of nature, and how he's helping everyday people build the gardens and the lives of their dreams.
Key Takeaways:
• From Burnout to Blueprint: Matthieu shares how hitting rock bottom while traveling the Amazon led to the birth of his international landscape architecture business.
• Teaching What You Love Can Scale: By launching an online masterclass called Garden of Your Dreams, Matthieu empowers clients to build regenerative gardens from anywhere—while creating passive income.
• The Power of Nature’s Laws: His award-winning book 12 Universal Laws of Nature teaches how working with—not against—nature drastically reduces maintenance and increases garden success.
• Balancing High-End Clients with Online Education: Matthieu explains how teaching others hasn’t hurt his luxury design business—instead, it’s created more demand and global opportunities.
• Designing for Freedom: Living in the Azores, Matthieu continues to work with clients globally while surfing, traveling, and teaching—on his own terms.
About the Guest:
Matthieu Mehuys is an award-winning author and passionate landscape architect whose journey from a family farm in Belgium to regenerative farming practices has led him to believe that landscape architects can indeed change the world. His fascination with plants since childhood drove him to become a landscape architect, a role he sees as instrumental in crafting environments that marry aesthetics with positive environmental impact. Through his work, he aims to empower individuals to transform their gardens into spaces that foster biodiversity, restore ecosystems, and reverse climate change.
Links:
linkedin.com/in/matthieu-mehuys-64b0b5111
Fast Five Questions:
1. If you woke up and your business was gone, you have $500, a laptop, a place to live, and food, what would you do first? “Use $10 for a calling plan, reach out to personal contacts, offer services for a low rate, and reinvest only in food to keep going.”
2. What is the biggest mistake that you have made in business? “Ignoring his coaches’ advice once success hit—thinking he “knew better” and abandoning proven strategies too early.”
3. What is a book that you would recommend? “$100M Offers by Alex Hormozi and How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie”
4. What is a tool that you use every day that you would recommend? “Calendly for scheduling, Google Calendar for managing his life and ChatGPT for creating offers and course content.”
5. What is your definition of freedom? “The ability to live and travel anywhere, at any time, while doing meaningful work on my own terms.”
About Jeff:
Jeff spent the early part of his career working for others. Jeff had started 5 businesses that failed before he had his first success. Since that time he has learned the principles of a successful business and has been able to build and grow multiple seven-figure businesses. Jeff lives in the Austin area and is actively working in his community and supporting the growth of small businesses. He is a board member of the Incubator.Edu program at Vista Ridge High School and is on the board of directors of the Leander Educational Excellence Foundation
Connect with the Freedom Nation podcast at https://freedom-nation-podcast.captivate.fm/
Connect with Jeff:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freedomnationpodcast/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffKikel
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffkikel/
Thanks for listening!
Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page.
Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!
Subscribe to the podcast
If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app.
Leave us an Apple Podcasts review
Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.
