This week on the Creative Genius Podcast, Gail Doby welcomes L.A. DeRiggi, founder of Hudson Park Design, to discuss his meteoric rise from a design student to a successful firm owner. L.A. reflects on his unique background in marketing and promotions, explaining how he intentionally used an unpaid internship to validate his passion before committing to a Master’s program in Interior Architecture.

The conversation dives into L.A.’s transition from being a Design Director to becoming the owner of his own firm after his previous employer retired. He candidly discusses the challenges of building a team, managing expectations, and the “static” that often interferes with a leader’s instincts. L.A. also shares a powerful metaphor for business growth through his experiences solo hiking the vortexes of Sedona, Arizona, where he learned the value of “choosing your hard”.

In this podcast, you’ll hear about:

If you’re listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full show notes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s14e7-shownotes

Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors.

Welcome to the Creative Genius Podcast LA and so glad to have you here.

Thank you so much, it’s so great to be here.

Well, I am so excited for everyone to hear from you today because you’ve had a little bit of an interesting journey and we only have a few clients that have done this where they’ve worked for somebody else and then all of sudden they either were they bought the business or they started a new business and you have just taken off like a rocket. So I’m really proud of you. I think that’s phenomenal.

Thank you.

Yeah, so let’s talk about first how did you get into design?

So.

I’ve always had this love and passion for design and moving things around and appreciating the flow of space and where things are and having nice things growing up. then I think we did in the sixth grade, we had to fill out, where do you see yourself in 20 years? And it was interior. I put interior designer. I just really felt like that was the right answer. in, gosh, who knows what year that was.

At that time, a male interior designer wasn’t like the top choice for a sixth grader. It was a lawyer, a professional basketball player, a police officer. So I erased it and I wrote architect. But still, you know, in the same field with maybe just more of a different tone to it. But then I kind of put that aside for a little bit. And then I really fell in love with the business side of things. So my first degree.

I went to school for business, business management and marketing. And then I worked for a few years afterwards. And I was doing a lot of really exciting jobs and I was working for a promotions company. And so that time right out of school, it was, was a lot of fun. I was doing different events at clubs and really trying to promote mixed martial arts, which is when that kind of first came.

big in the scene and then worked in sales, worked in business development and just really didn’t feel full at the end of the day. so I had heard about a design company, I’m from Pittsburgh originally, and there was a company in Shadyside, which is a nice area, and I just walked into the firm and

basically asked for an unpaid internship. And I was like, Hi, I’m here, I’d like to work here. And they’re like, well, what do you know? And I’m nothing. I don’t know anything. I’m happy to sweep the floors, go grab the coffee, do whatever you need me to do, but just want to be in this environment, kind of experience this industry, and see if it’s a go before I decide to go back to school for it. So I worked there, quit my jobs, worked there for three months, unpaid internship.

And then I enrolled in school in the fall in a master’s program, which I loved the program because it was a master of interior architecture. So it was really the next step. It was a two year program. I was really looking for obviously a better degree and the fastest path to get me to where I wanted to be.

Wow. Who knew? And look how well that served you because having that business development experience and the marketing and promotion and all of those different things, you had to be in business for yourself because really you have both sides that you’re able to use, Yeah. Well, so how did you end up getting to us? How did this all come about?

for sure.

So I had, so Fast Track, Pittsburgh School, graduated, moved to Florida. I worked for two firms and the firm I was working for previously to starting my own, was summer of 2021. after, it was the first High Point Market after everything really reopened and my previous boss and I were at High Point and we were,

you know, it’s always it’s always exciting to see the new furniture and visit the showrooms and things but we had never really been to any talks or speaker series. And so we got, you know, I think it was the first day we got there, we had we got the brochure and we saw your name on there and we didn’t know you. We didn’t know anything about you. We just we really liked the topic. And we thought, hey, let’s check this out. And we were working with a business coach at the time. But it was more of a it was a business coach that was

generalized. So they really kind of helped all industries. And it was one of those moments where we sat in your presentation. And it was like the stars aligned, like we just we were like, she knows what she’s talking about. And we and she can help us. And that was that was it. And then you sat you came and sat with us. You were swarmed with people. It was really like

a celebrity, I felt like there were paparazzi and all these people around you, like you were leaving this event and you immediately came up to us and were so welcoming to us and we sat with you for lunch and there were so many people like, Gail, Gail, and you’re just like, hold on, I’m having a conversation and you gave us all the attention that we needed and you know, just, was, we were like, she’s our girl, she’s gonna help us.

Well, and it was really interesting. and one of the things that I love is working with a leadership team and the three of you at that time were basically the leadership team for that company. And, it just really was, I don’t know. I think I just knew that I needed to help you all. And I think you had some really big challenges and for sure you did and you helped, helped her.

Yeah.

really get through a lot of those, let’s talk about some of those. What were some of the biggest ones she had in her business?

I think because we were a small firm at the time, but then we were growing so rapidly with the amount of projects that we were taking on. I think just from the start, it was really like organizational leadership and growing, you know, my experience coming from the business world and kind of working with structure and organizational charts and, and then going to a small design firm where there’s three people doing everything.

we’re all having to wear all the hats, regardless of, you know, position and who’s who. And then we start building the team and we went from like three people to 10 people overnight and like 10 projects to 42 projects. And so I think building kind of stepping back, looking at the vision for the company, her vision, and being able to relay the foundation, the foundation was already there. I mean, she was in business for

25 or 30 years and had built a really successful business. But I think just being able to kind of step back, lay another layer of foundation on everything and build from there to be able to create more success for her and more of what she was looking for with her company.

Well, and I think one of the things that was really interesting is watching you grow in your role there because you grew into, we talked about you being design director. So that meant you took on a lot more responsibilities and managing people and managing the projects as well. And just really getting into what it would take to run the company. You were starting to get a good feel for that with that position. So talk about that a little bit.

Yeah, it was definitely a because I think at that point I had only been there for three years. I started off as really kind of like an interior. mean, I was a licensed interior designer at the time, but started off really assisting projects. And then I was able to bring in a large project that took all of my attention away from.

Fast Track.

being able to assist and that’s where we decided we needed to grow the team. And then from there, as then we had a team and then it was like, okay, well, what do we do with all these people? And then there I was. then it was this, went from interior designer, senior designer to design director all within those three years. But I could handle it. And that was, think, where you saw the potential in that and where she saw, you know, the

potential and capacity to be able to do that and, you know, and help the team in that way. But it’s a different, you know, you’re moving so quickly and it’s learning to pivot and learning to change your mindset as you move through these different things. Because as design director, I’m not really doing much design anymore, which again, after only three years, that was kind of like a, whoa, well, I really like that and I need that. But I also see that I have to

Mm.

kind of support these people and support the owner as well and making sure that her vision and everything is carried through so that she can do what she loves. So now it’s just, it’s a completely different role. And then skipped two years later after having been second in command and now your owner. So there’s been a lot of transition and a lot of shifting quickly, shifting quickly in terms of.

what’s happening around me, not necessarily me adapting to those changes. I think generally I adapt, it doesn’t come without a challenge.

Well, I think one of the things I have noticed about you is you do have a growth mindset. You’re not you’re not in a fixed mindset where you feel like I’m this is what I’m doing. I’m not doing anything else. You’re open to learning and you’re open to finding different ways of doing things. So I’ve watched you navigate this. And this is it was pretty major stuff that you went through since it’s been four years now. Yeah. So that is a lot to go through.

So what led you to start your business?

Well…

I had always, you know, having gone through your program with the Pearl Collective and just really absorbing and learning all of the tools and what it takes to run a successful company. I I love learning. So that was just heaven for me. then, so spring of 2023, my

company, the company I was working for, she decided to retire. And while the leadership team was in you were really involved in that decision. We also, you know, had to deliver that news to the team. And so we started placing everybody which I think was probably the most amazing thing that we could have done as leaders at that time, because I don’t know if everybody would have done that. But we were actively searching for jobs for our team.

to make sure that their lives weren’t disrupted in any way. But that gave me the opportunity to really step back and think about, what is next? What does this look like? I felt, I mean, I had a lot of opportunities. I don’t even think Word was out that the company was closing and that she was retiring and people were already showing up in my text messages. Like, hey, we’re hearing some things on the street. Would you be interested in talking to me?

CEOs from really successful design firms in town. And I was like, yeah, sure, we can have the conversation, but I just don’t know what I want to do yet. And then, of course, I came to you and we talked through really what does this look like and what are all the paths. And it just it really felt like the next step in my career and personal growth. And, you know, I’m very strategic and intentional with my decisions. So I didn’t want to just jump into the first opportunity that came my way.

And this direction just, you I think and that’s why think you and I connect is because we’re both very intuitive. And this direction felt right and aligned with the long term vision of what I have for my life and for the company. And it wasn’t driven by a fear of failure. I had a clear vision and confidence in my ability to adapt. But I also knew that if it didn’t work out.

that I would have a plan B and whether that meant to join another firm or pivoting in a new direction. I’m very passionate. I love to learn and I’m very passionate about interior design and business and about the alchemy of strategic thinking and creativity that drives both. So I love to help people and for me, this is the outlet to achieve that.

It is it’s so fun. I think building businesses is fun. Yeah, and I found for myself that it was the same thing But for me for you you want more of the design I wanted more of the business side. So I think for you this is a good combination of the two So you started your firm and then you came back to us. So why did you come back?

Yeah. So my growth with the company was so rapid. And while I still had a lot of groundwork and foundation to pour for the next level, I was still shifting from second in command mindset to owner, which means owner, designer, creative director, design director, integrator, marketing, accounting, all of those things. And then I went from like,

two projects to six projects to 10 projects all at once. And it was just a lot. I really missed, I just really missed the connection that you and I had, that Erin, Patty, really the whole team at Pro Collective, but then also the community that you guys have created for us. You can’t put a value on the community that comes from the Pro Collective and just having access to people from all across the country.

dealing with the same issues. And I was recently at a photo shoot for a cover of a magazine, a local publication, and there was another designer there and she was sharing a story about something that she’s going through. And I was like, girl, I get it. Like, you are not alone. And she’s like, seriously? And I’m like, no, like, there are, I may not be dealing with this specific issue, but like, I had that same feeling last week of like, what am I doing? Is this like, should I be doing this? And it’s normal and

just to be able to have that validation from you, from the company, from the community is amazing. And so I was still shifting into that owner’s mindset and I needed help getting out of the operator position that I was starting to fall into. And it was important to me to maintain some type of work-life balance, even as an owner of the company, because I do believe that this

that exists and it’s a real concept that not everybody understands or gets to experience. But the way that you teach your owners of companies to step back and look at the structure and what you’re doing and where to spend your time and when you need to start to delegate and how to grow, I really needed that insight.

Yeah, I think that’s what happens to a lot of people say, especially that two to two and a half million range is about that time when most people come back to us for another VIP, because they are stuck at that level with that level of skills with whatever they’ve accomplished, and they keep bumping up at that. And they don’t really get too far beyond that. So then all of sudden, you have to really think about

And what is going on why am i here what is that holding me back from breaking through that going to that three to five million and i think for a lot of people that is personally i think it’s leadership skills is a big part of it and i think the second part is structuring your business correctly where the right team in the right place for you to actually be able to afford to build the team but.

I think it’s really important to have also a new vision when you get to that point. So each of the levels that you go through, if you want to break through to the next level, you have to have a bigger vision.

Of course, yeah. And it changes all the time, too. And I think that that’s really beautiful what you said, because I think that there’s, you know, with the previous company, were we even again, just laying the foundation of values and culture starting there with some things that are so basic that you’re like, yeah, I know what they are. But then you sit down and you do the exercise and you’re like, Wait, what? What are they?

just starting there is amazing. then having had done those for somebody else, now having to do them for myself and my company and what’s my vision and where do I want this to go? It really lets you expand and kind of grow from there. And it’s really interesting to experience and go through.

It is and I think you are doing great. I’ve really enjoyed watching how you’ve progressed so quickly. You have a long career ahead of you. So what is your big vision?

The big vision. I mean, I want to continue to grow the company and the team locally first. think that I think I have a lot to offer in terms of management. And while the design has been really, really fun, I do love to lean back on that business side of things. That business degree, I think that when people say like, well, you why do you why do feel like you needed to go? Or, you know, why do you have that second degree? Why? Why?

Did you go back for design? I’m like, I love that. think having had gone well, initially my my focus was accounting and then somebody told me you can’t be an accountant. You need to be around people. And I was like, OK, not just numbers. But that has helped me in so many ways, and I love being able to focus on the business and run the business. So I’m really excited about building a team locally and that I would love to be in other markets.

But ultimately, what’s really the driving force of this is the way we help people. And foundationally, as far as the company goes, we’re helping people, helping our clients, you know, realize dreams that they have, that they, you know, they’re at a certain stage in their lives where they’ve reached a certain level and they’re like, maybe they feel stuck on kind of getting to what’s next. So we really dive deep with our clients and figure out

kind of what that is and where this transition is happening and how we can take that because we want them to live their best lives in the present and then really plan for the future. Like, what does this next chapter look like for them? And so then that flows into our philanthropic work that we do at the company. I’ve always been involved in the community that I’ve lived in and I’ve known for a long time, you know, not that I just wanted to start my own company, but that

I envisioned launching a foundation of some sort one day. And my instinct has always been that if I could build something successful, then I could use that success to financially support and invest in a foundation that gives back. the long-term vision is really about creating impact and using the business as a platform to do meaningful work, both creatively in office and philanthropically.

you

Mm.

I love that. Well, I love what you said, too, about helping people live their best lives. And I think what is unusual is that your approach and your conversation around that is not something I hear often from other designers. They’re passionate about what they want to do, but it’s really about executing for themselves that passion that they have versus what I’m hearing is you’re really focused on the deeper

maybe that realization of who that person is. And I think that what I’m hearing also is that your intuition is guiding you in terms of really getting to know that client in a very deep level. So that it really is more of an impact on their lives than just doing a beautiful space.

Well, of course. mean, think about how much time we spend in our homes and even, know, if we’re actively working or, you know, in Naples, Florida, there’s a lot of retirees or people who retire from what they’ve been doing and, now want to branch into some other type of endeavor or adventure or maybe buying companies and doing things. So, but we’re still, even though it’s beautiful outside.

We’re still spending a lot of time in our homes and our spaces and we need to make sure that those really inspire us and heal us and make sure that when we come home after whatever we were doing, golfing or working, that we feel good and our home welcomes us. And it’s a representation of who we are, like I said, today and who we want to be in the future. And we talk about families and grandchildren and all those things. And I think that’s what has

helped our company become so successful is because we.

It’s we’re not cookie cutter. We’re not plug and play. I mean, a lot of what people tell us when they look at our photography or even step into our interiors is that they really feel a sense of emotion and calmness and and just, you know, there’s a cohesiveness and nothing’s really distracting and it’s not overwhelming with with things or accessories. And, you know, there’s that right level of details. We’ve had clients purchase homes that we’ve designed and

And they say, you know, we’re still noticing things, you know, and every time we look around, I mean, it’s always like, I didn’t notice that before. And they get really excited about it. And that’s really what we’re here to do.

Mm-hmm.

Well, and to me, that’s the right level of design, because when you can get to that deeper insight about a person and design for that, or maybe even take them on a journey to express themselves and design in a way that they’ve never thought about before. I that is when you’ve really hit the level where you will get referred a lot, because those people just love what you do because you see something differently.

Yeah.

So what’s your biggest life lesson so far?

I would say as a designer and business owner, I think it’s that you can easily become your own worst enemy. I think in creative work, self-doubt and perfectionism can sometimes be the loudest noise in the room than any other outside critique that you can receive. And I think when you start to learn to quiet that voice and it takes a lot of practice,

And it’s not always easy to do, especially when your email’s going and the phone ringing and you have questions from subcontractors and employees and really everyone around you.

you

can default and go back and trust your instincts and your vision. And I think that’s when your best work and your real leadership emerge. I think we all know what to do. I think sometimes there’s a lot of static with, you know, and always being pulled in different directions. I mean, think about how many emails you get a day and it’s like, look here, open me, we need this from you.

And I think when you step back and you’re just like, listen to your gut and you listen to your instinct and that’s really what can drive you in the right direction.

Mm-hmm.

That’s great. Well, I, I thought this was really interesting when we saw each other at the boardroom retreat just a couple of months ago and you went on a hike before one of the days and it was that big mountain that was right behind the hotel, which is pretty. So I thought, okay, he’s, he is really determined. So you got some big insights and I’d love for you to share a little bit about that.

So that was probably one of the hardest things I have done. And I’m not really a hiker. I mean, it’s flat here in Florida. I’m a beach boy. I’ve hiked things before. I’ve hiked Runyon Canyon in LA. I’ve done Red Rocks in Denver with Erin. That was awesome. But I’ve always done those kind of experiences with other people. And for me,

Yeah, I’m at a stage in life filled with transitions, you know, with the business, personal relationships, and even the relationship I have with myself. And so I want you know, there was this opportunity Camelback Mountain. And I was like, Okay, well, let’s do it. I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. I thought it was gonna be more of a guided path. I had been used to there were definitely a lot of WTFs and

How am I supposed to get from here to there? And I was alone. So at some moments I was a little afraid and I was like, well, if I fall, what happens? All these things are running through your mind. But the end game, was like, I need to get to the top. I just have to get to summit and we’re going to go from there. And what I realized on that journey up and I wrote it down, it was really kind of cool.

that there are many different paths that we can take to reach a destination. And sometimes I choose the hardest one. and I realized when I looked at the different paths that others were taking, you know, beside me or even coming down, that sometimes mine felt harder at certain points or it felt easier in comparison to those. And it reminded me of, something that

Patty had told me the night before was choose your heart. I was like, at the time I was like, I mean, it hits. mean, those are the three, those three words together is powerful in itself. But then when you’re actually going through something, you’re like, well, this really makes sense. And I realized that every path will have its challenges. You just have to choose the one that aligns with your growth. And then, you know, when you’re able, when it’s all over, when I was,

coming back down the mountain and I’m looking back and nothing’s making sense and I don’t know how I got down. You know, I was able to pause for a moment and look back and just think the path was windy and rocky and it didn’t make sense at the time of how I got where I am. But the important thing is that we’re still moving forward and heading towards something greater.

You.

Mmm.

Well, that’s really interesting. Quite an interesting metaphor and very well timed to do that. So why do think you have a tendency to do things the hard way?

I think I take the hard way because I’m wired to push for depth and quality. I like challenges and I don’t always go for the easy win. Sometimes it is, not everything has to be hard. Sometimes it is better just to get it done and move on or do something and take the easy path. But I wanna truly experience the tasks sometimes and not just check it off the list.

And I think that some tasks are meant to be completed and you can say, okay, yeah, I did that. But then when you really get into the nitty gritty of something, it becomes a completely different experience and you understand it on a deeper level and therefore you grow and learn something in a different way. And so my experience has taught me that efficiency can be its own kind of mastery. And I’m learning to recognize what’s worth diving deep into and

what can be simplified or delegated. A few years ago, I had a mindset shift of asking why me, why is this happening to me, to now really asking myself, what’s the lesson in this challenge? Like, there’s, you know, I’m having a bad day, everybody’s coming for me today. What am I supposed to learn from this? What’s the takeaway? And then the next day, you know, the light’s there and it’s all brighter. And so it’s really been rewarding to see those lessons come.

full circle. The next time a situation arises and you can say, okay, I remember this, I see you. I know why I went through that because I’m here today to deal with it. There’s value in both. And I think fully immersing yourself in a hard, meaningful work sometimes is, you know, then you can kind of know and find the ease of the path.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, well, and we don’t learn from the easy stuff. We learn from the hard stuff, right? So if we can do those things and we can push ourselves and try things. And I think one of the things that’s really important at all stages in all businesses is being resilient. Having the grit to get through the tough things and being resilient and being willing to push through and not give up because it is sometimes it’s so hard. And I can tell you that I’ve had many days when I’ve thought.

Why am I doing this? mean, seriously, why am I doing this? Because it is so hard. But it’s because it’s so hard that very few people can do it. Right. Right. When you think about it, we are supposed to be experiencing life at a deep level. And if it’s handed to us, we don’t appreciate it. We don’t, we just don’t. Well, that brings me to another question. I understand the hard things that you’ve done.

That’s true.

But I think the the mindset piece is something that everybody deals with and have you ever had imposter syndrome or fear of failure? Fear of success any of those and if so, how did you overcome those?

I think that I think that fear of failure and fear of success is always something that can creep into our minds, especially when we’re doing something new. You know, there’s there’s times where I pause and I ask myself, am I am I on the right path? Is this what I’m supposed to be doing? and yes, and then am I performing at the level that I expect myself of myself in this industry? And for me, it’s it’s less about doubt.

and more about self accountability and a way to stay competitive without falling into comparison. There’s a lot of wonderful interior designers in town and sometimes I’ll find myself being like, well, how are they there? But then I’m also comparing my almost three year old company to a 30 year old company. And it just puts me into respect and I’m like, actually I’ve accomplished a lot in three years and I need to be really thankful and grateful for that and know that

you know, this is I’m in this for the long run. This is not, you know, the quick it’s not a quick path. And I think that mindset keeps me focused on growth and also on my integrity. think making sure that the decisions I make and the work I produce align with my values and the reputation I want to build. And for me, it’s about holding myself to a standard of excellence that reflects both my brand and my character.

rather than chasing what seems to be working for someone else. And ultimately, I think it’s a healthy check-in rather than a fear-based one about striving for authenticity, integrity, mastery, and not just perfection.

Mm-hmm.

Nah, perfection is not possible. There is no such thing. And your view of it is going to be different than someone else’s. Yeah, I remember I had a client that was the ultimate and perfectionist. And one day she was complaining about the runner going up a curved staircase. And she said, it’s not exactly the same all the way up. I said, the builder didn’t build the staircase equally. And she said,

I guess I’m just going to have to work on that. She was in her mind. It was not perfect. But what was perfect? There was not perfect. So I think we all have to figure out what is is excellence for us and not try to go to that unrealistic level.

Right.

And I think that I just want to touch on that. think that’s where Pearl Collective does a fantastic job of helping your clients manage the expectations for themselves and for their clients as well. And I think that that’s been a super valuable tool that I’ve been able to learn and that has also contributed to the success of my company is that setting boundaries and managing expectations.

Because there is no such thing as perfection.

No, there really isn’t. And if we’re striving for that, we’re using our energy incorrectly. When we have so many other things we can be doing, if we’re hitting that excellence level and pushing ourselves, we’re always going to be better. But we don’t have to be at a certain destination to be successful. Well, let’s talk about growth. And you have grown very quickly. And in fact, you won an award at the retreat for that. And I think it was a…

Over five times growth from the time that you started with us and that was really amazing. So why do you think that happened and what would you? What would you share about your marketing strategy?

I think when it comes to our marketing strategy, pretty, try to, social media is a great place that we use and while we haven’t, you everybody’s on social media and while our clients may not be contacting me because of it, somebody had made a comment to me that what we’re putting out there, it’s really great because it’s starting the conversation. It’s letting people know that they can come to us for that information and that we will have the answer.

I think that’s something that you’ve coined, provide the solution, not the problem, or something along those lines. So I think for me and for Hudson Park Design, it’s about building real relationships, staying connected with the community, the design world. I think that I hold myself and the work that our company puts out to the highest standard.

Right now, everybody’s talking about luxury or lifestyle driven design, but we’re really focused on showing what truly what that truly means through details, through our process, through the way that a space feels when it’s finished. And to me, luxury isn’t necessarily about a price point. It’s about emotion and how those something makes people feel and that sense of ease and inspiration and belonging, I think, is really what

defines true luxury. We offer a unique type of service for our clients. sometimes clients don’t always understand that at the beginning of the relationship. think, you know, there’s again, there’s a lot of options, wonderful, talented options in town. But I think, but it’s always fun to see that moment when that happens during the project, when the client really recognizes our value.

And it’s in that moment that you can feel this energetic trust. And when that clicks and when that connection is made, it’s what really drives our growth more than any traditional marketing strategy.

I love that. And honestly, that is your very best marketing strategy. And that’s for our listeners too. If you’re building a business and you’re authentic in what you’re doing and you really care about your clients, you are, and if you deliver at this high level of excellence that you’re talking about, it is a unique thing to you. Nobody else can do that in the way that you do it. So just remember that that is, that’s really your marketing.

strategy for sure is to be the best you can be in your business and as a human being. So you have to grow personally too. And I want to go. I think that segue is perfectly into your Sedona trip. And you went to that right after the border retreat. So tell me a little bit about that, why you went, what you got out of that.

So, yeah, I wanted to explore a little more of Arizona and had heard that Sedona is such a powerful and spiritual place. And I really wanted to experience that for myself. I wanted to just reconnect with nature. And it wasn’t necessarily looking for inspiration. mean, you know, of course, you hear you should do this, you should do that. And my gosh, you’re going to get so inspired by the landscapes. But it was really just about connecting with nature and its energy. And I visited

and hiked the four major vortexes, which was incredible. again, by myself, it was very challenging. Each vortex kind of presented its own situation and experience. And I wanted to really tap into the energy of the space and access different parts of me and my emotions and creativity and tap into my thought process.

and how I approach different things because I think that then I can take that back into the business. How I communicate with clients, how different perspectives and challenges and things that help me be a better interior designer for my clients, but also better employer, better business owner. I stayed at one of the most beautiful resorts I’ve stayed at and I didn’t have to lift a finger. It was so nice. They were like, just if you need anything, just text us. And I was like, yeah, I’m not going to do that.

I can draw my own bath, I can light my own fire pit. And I was like, let me just try this, just because it’s here. And it was so nice to experience that because that is exactly what we’re creating for our clients. I was like, there’s something here. And typically this isn’t me, I’m definitely more of, I want to provide that experience for my clients.

And it was, it was cool to see it from the other side. And of course I was like, Oh, well I’m taking now. It’s like, I love this approach and definitely can learn from this. And again, feed this into the business. But beyond that, it was a time to express my gratitude for the journey that I’ve been on. Um, I’ve been on this grind for two and a half years. And like you said, it’s, it’s a running business is a lot of work. takes a specific type of mindset and you can, it’s not always, um, positivity and, and

and rainbows ahead and you have to stop and really look at that. so I wanted to reflect on all the transitions that I’m navigating and step outside my comfort zone to grow as a designer, owner, and a person.

That goes back to what we talked about before, which is you have to grow as a person for your business to grow. And I know that that sounds a little counterintuitive, but it’s so true that if you do that, if you work at that all the time and try to be better at what you’re who you are as a person, everything else gets better.

Right.

does. I think that, you know, especially when people decide that I want to, you know, that they want to start their own business or whether interior design or anything, I think there’s always the financial stability aspect that crosses people’s minds. And they’re like, I want to do this because I want to make a lot of money. But I think if you’re driven by that, it shows in, you know, how the business grows and the pace of how it grows and

Thanks.

kind of the returns on all of that. But I think if you’re driven and you hit it perfectly when you were saying about staying authentic and just really staying true to the vision and doing the right thing and ultimately helping other people. I think when you’re focused on that, the financial success or rewards are the byproduct of just at the end of the day being a good person. And I think that’s why we both try to support our clients and our community at the same time. Because I think that as

people as humans, we’re very blessed and we’re very fortunate. And our greatest gift is the ability to be able to give back and to help other people who truly need it.

I love that. Well, let’s take you into the future and imagine what your business is going to be like maybe a few years down the road with AI.

So AI, we’re starting to use it. I definitely use it on a daily basis when it comes to tone checking or clarifying ideas or thoughts, just to help me kind of organize things, I think. And that’s where the creative brain fighting with the strategic, the left and right brain battling each other at some point during my day.

I think sometimes I can check in and be like, help me organize these thoughts in a way that makes sense, especially if I’m trying to communicate it to other people too, because I think that creatives can communicate very quickly and don’t always think through all the details. And then my, you know, my left brain is telling me, no, well, this doesn’t make sense. And it’s not ready to share with the world yet. So I think that there’s benefit in that. I think as far as how it affects the interior design industry, I think that

It can be a helpful tool, but we recently, was funny, we had a client try to do their own rendering of kind of their design ideas, and it wasn’t really at all what they wanted. And so we, of course, by listening, and we heard, and we were able to kind of put together something more visual, appealing, that reflected what they wanted. But there was something, so the lesson from that, you know.

is that it that eliminates the personal element for what we’re striving for in design, the intuition, the relationship, the emotional connection that makes that space truly come alive. And it also

plays into the fact that we’re listening, the fact that we’re really designing for them because most clients don’t know what they want. So for them to try to use AI to design something for them, they have to be very, very specific. And most people can’t be because there’s too much to pinpoint and design for and around. And I think that’s where us being.

innate humans who want to connect. That’s where we’ll always have the benefit over AI and be able to successfully do that.

Yeah, well, and it is as that emotional connection and machines can’t do that, right? They just can’t do that. Well, that’s interesting. So we’ll have lots of discussions with designers over the next few years about that one topic because it is scary for some people and it’s also it’s a great tool if it’s used correctly. So you are always good to keep learning about that. Well, we’ve had a.

A very interesting conversation today and thank you for taking your time to do that. And I love ending these with three takeaways for our listeners. So what would you like to share?

Wow, okay. No, this was great. This was this was fun to talk about. Thanks for having me. I think my takeaways would be let’s say, well, I think we’ll start with choose your heart because I love like I said, I think those three words together are so powerful. Choose your heart, do it intentionally. Life and business will always present challenges, embrace them. Embrace the hard paths when it aligns with your growth and

take the easy paths when necessary, dive in to everything versus simplifying. think there’s power in both. The next takeaway, would say trust your instincts and stay authentic. I think whether in design, business or life, staying true to yourself, your vision, your values creates a kind of trust and energy that people are attracted to and notice. Authenticity is what builds those lasting relationships and

those relationships drive both personal and professional growth.

And I think step outside your comfort zone to grow. I think, you know, from launching my own firm to my experiences in Arizona, the moments where I intentionally stretch myself emotionally and creatively, strategically, these are the moments that will shape me the most. And growth comes from being willing to explore, reflect and embrace new perspectives.

Well, that’s perfectly said. Well, thank you so much for being on the podcast. And I know everybody’s going to love hearing this one. So thank you for being here.

Thank you for having me. It’s always good to talk with you and just talk about all things.