Members of our society are immersed in many aspects of plant sciences, and we tend to have a plant-centric focus. However, our science does not happen in isolation, and the work that we do impacts many other levels, eventually affecting our lives and the wellbeing of people around the world. We need to be more conscious of what it means to be a plant scientist, where the study of plants takes place, and how different sources of knowledge are incorporated to build a better understanding of how plants work, and how they are intertwined with our own lives. This symposium will bring together four speakers with largely diverse backgrounds, personal experiences, and expertise to provide an overview of different layers of this interaction between plants and people.