Today’s guest is the most decorated black interior designer of our time. Kia Weatherspoon is the President and Founder of Determined by Design. Kia focuses on making interior design a standard for all, not a luxury for a few.  Kia joins the host Dan Ryan to share her powerful journey of finding her way into the hospitality industry.

Takeaways: 

• Kia’s first introduction into the hospitality industry was during her time overseas in the military where she made space out of three sheet walls inside a tent. In that space she felt comforted and felt solace.
• Hospitality is all about being people driven. You want to focus on making sure that you are giving the people a sense of belonging and a place they can be comfortable in and call home.
• To serve people, you have to be grounded and be people focused. That way you can be the best advocate for equal design outcomes for everybody.
• Don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself as that shows how worthy you think you are. It’s often the small things that leaders forget. You want to humanize people and not go by just their title then you will find the right people to design for.
• Getting recognized is the least important thing. Instead of being recognized, it’s important to make a change in the world and help others when you can.
• Radical hospitality is this feeling of being welcomed, embraced, included, accepted, and seen, but without any barriers, bias or judgment.
• To help build the pipeline for people of color that are in creative industries there will need to be $30 Million in 30 years. 

Quote of the Show:

13:35 “Being people driven is always about hospitality in my mind.” 

Links:

• Twitter: DetrminedDesign
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiaweatherspoon/
• Website: https://www.determinedbydesign.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kianweatherspoon/

Shout Outs:

1:14 Stacy Shoemaker

10:31 Alvin Ailey

20:20 Cheryl Durst

37:31 Sequoyah Hunter Sujay

42:16 Jack Travis

42:57 Ashli Johnson - Executive Director Marriott-Sorenson Center for Hospitality Leadership at Howard University 

43:20 Arne Sorenson

43:21 Marriott

Ways to Tune In: 

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• YouTube : https://youtu.be/YcfLBt3voG4