Episode 3 of First Light welcomes Mikayla Rose — founder and creative director of Heartly Design — a designer known for creating homes that feel deeply personal, emotionally connected, and quietly refined.

In this conversation, Mikayla opens up about the realities behind running a growing design studio, balancing creativity with motherhood, and the pressure of building spaces that not only look beautiful, but genuinely improve the way people live.

We talk about the importance of intuition in design, the emotional connection clients have to their homes, and why timeless spaces are often the result of restraint, honesty, and feeling rather than trends. Mikayla also shares her journey into the industry, lessons learned through business growth, and what inspires her approach to creating warm, layered interiors that feel both elevated and lived in.

This episode of First Light is an honest and thoughtful conversation about creativity, ambition, family, and the human side of design.