The DesignDash Podcast
by Laura Umansky and Melissa Grove
The DesignDash Podcast is a guide to designing a life you love. Co-hosts Laura Umansky and Melissa Grove dive into what it takes for women to feel fulfilled both personally and professionally, to live their lives to the fullest and without compromise. Special guests will share their own journeys, their successes and their challenges, as they pursue life with curiosity and intention.
Episodes
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Episode 111: What to Do Now to Prepare Your Design Firm for the New Year
The end of the year can get busy, but waiting until January to plan for what's next can leave you feeling behind before the year even begins. Laura Umansky and Melissa Grove share what they're prioritizing before the holidays, from closing out finances and current projects to annual planning,...
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Episode 110: Knowing When to Bring in Help for Your Design Firm w/ Jessica Marchant
As a design firm grows, knowing what to handle yourself and when to bring in help can make all the difference. Jessica Marchant, founder of Blue Sky Creative, joins Laura Umansky and Melissa Grove to talk about recognizing where you need support, making room for your strengths, and finding…
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Episode 109: How to Handle Returning Clients as Your Design Firm Evolves
When a past client comes back years later, it's a great feeling — but what happens when your design firm has grown beyond the type of project they need? Laura Umansky and Melissa Grove discuss how to navigate returning clients, communicate changes in your business, and recognize when saying no is...
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Episode 108: How Carly Filbin Went From Partnership to Solo Firm Owner
When Carly Filbin started Blue Jay Interiors in 2021, she never set out to build the biggest firm possible. After launching the business with a partner and eventually becoming a solo owner, she’s learned how to grow her firm one step at a time while staying focused on the kind of work — and life…
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Episode 107: Should You Charge for the First Design Consultation?
Should interior designers charge for that first consultation? Laura Umansky and Melissa Grove debate the pros and cons of charging for an initial meeting, from filtering out tire-kickers to removing barriers for the right-fit client.
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Episode 106: When Is PR Worth It for Interior Designers?
When is PR actually worth It for Interior Designers? Melissa and Laura dig into one of the most common questions in their Design Dash community: when does public relations actually make sense for a design business? They talk through what editors are really looking for beyond a pretty photo, why...
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Episode 105: How To Decide What's Worth Telling a Client vs. Fixing Quietly?
When something goes wrong on a project, do you tell the client — or just fix it? Every designer and every ops lead hits this moment: a price jumps, a piece gets discontinued, a wall opens up and reveals a mess nobody saw coming. Do you loop the client in immediately, or handle it quietly and move...
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Episode 104: How Callie Blanks Created a Design Business Her Own Way
Callie Blanks shares how renovating fixer-uppers, a background in business and marketing, and a strong point of view shaped her unconventional path into interior design. She also opens up about pricing with confidence, building a business through Instagram, investing in professional photography,...
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Episode 103: How to Actually Build an Ideal Client Profile For Your Design Firm
In this episode, Laura and Melissa explore how defining your ideal client or avatar can transform your marketing and project selection. They share practical tips on identifying, refining, and communicating with your perfect audience to grow a more fulfilling and profitable business. If your...
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Episode 102: Building Furniture Meant to Outlast the Trend Cycle with Adriana Hoyos
In this episode, Adriana Hoyos shares her inspiring journey from a self-made interior designer in Ecuador to a globally recognized furniture and interior design brand. Discover her unique design philosophy, the importance of legacy, and how family and resilience drive her success. Check out our...
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Episode 101: How to Build Beautiful Spaces From Existing Pieces with Anne Golliher
In this episode, Anne Golliher, founder of Storied Interiors, shares her unique approach to interior design, focusing on using clients' existing pieces and creating meaningful, personalized spaces. She discusses her journey, business philosophy, and how she connects emotionally with clients while...
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Episode 100: Why Discounting Can Hurt Your Luxury Interior Design Business
Every discount you've ever given a client told them something you didn't mean to say. If you lowered your rate, you confirmed it was never fixed. If you passed along a discount without being asked, you told them your margins are bigger than they let on. Clients read pricing behavior like a…
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Episode 99: From Fortune 500 Dietician to In-Demand Interior Designer with Cheryl Luckett
Cheryl Luckett didn't quit her corporate job on a whim, she engineered her exit. Down to the month. Recorded live at High Point Market, this episode traces how Cheryl went from a decade-long career as a corporate dietician to founding Dwell by Cheryl, now a nationally recognized design firm with...
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Episode 98: Top 3 Ways to Get New Design Clients Fast
Most designers are doing marketing backwards, and it's costing them the exact clients they want. In this episode we're getting brutally specific: the three things that actually bring in new clients right now, and the three things everyone's doing that feel productive but won't move the needle at...
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Episode 97: What Do You Do With a Client Who Will Not Stop Revising?
The indecisive client isn't your problem. Your process is. Most designers diagnose revision chaos as a client personality flaw. The ones running the tightest, most profitable studios know it's a systems failure, and there's a fix. In this episode, we're getting into the psychology of the…
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Episode 96: Your Pipeline Is Full. The Project Is Perfect. Pick One.
Capacity is a ceiling most designers never expect to hit. Until they do. The inquiry is perfect. The scope is substantial. The client is exactly who you've been optimizing your portfolio to attract. And your studio is already running at full stretch. This is the paradox of a well-run firm…
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Episode 95: How to Hire, Onboard and Actually Utilize a Summer Intern
We hired two interns this summer. Here's what most firms get completely wrong. There's a version of the summer intern that costs you time, energy, and patience. And there's a version that quietly transforms your studio, generates revenue, and hands you back your bandwidth. The difference isn't…
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Episode 94: The Back Half Blueprint for Design Firm Owners
It's May. And I need you to do the math with me for a second. Seven months until December 31st. Seven months to actually make this the year you said it was going to be back in January. Most design firm owners will hit December the exact same way they hit January, overwhelmed, underpriced, and...
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Episode 93: How to Know When to Hire Your Right-Hand Person
Most interior designers know they need help running their business. What they don't know is what that person is called, what they actually do, or how to find them without hiring the wrong one and starting over. Laura Umansky and COO Melissa Grove have lived both sides of this, and in this episode...
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Episode 92: Should You Get Political On Social Media Even If It Costs You A Client?
At some point, every designer running a serious business has to answer this: how much of who you are belongs on your brand? You've built something. A reputation. A clientele. A body of work that speaks for itself. And now, in a world where staying silent reads as a stance and speaking up can cost...
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Episode 91: As a Designer, Is There a Big Benefit to Opening a Storefront?
As a designer, is there a big benefit to opening a storefront? Okay, we're just going to say it, we get this question constantly. And honestly? It deserves a real answer. Not the romanticized version. The actual one. Because here's the thing. There is something undeniably exciting about the idea…
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Episode 90: Is Your New Hire the Problem — Or Is It You?
You did everything right. You hired someone. You showed them the ropes. And yet things keep going wrong. Deadlines missed. Mistakes repeated. Instructions ignored. And the frustration is building. Before you have that conversation with your employee or worse, let them go. There's one question you...
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Episode 89: Why Marketing Feels So Hard for Design Business Owners (And How to Fix It)
Why does marketing feel so hard… even for creative people who run successful design businesses? If you’ve ever stared at Instagram wondering what to post… questioned whether marketing is even working… or felt like you’re supposed to know how to do it all yourself… this episode is for you. In this...
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Episode 88: Will Hiring More Designers Actually Increase My Profit? The Truth About Growing Your Design Firm
Hiring more designers should mean more profit… right? That’s what most firm owners assume. More people, more projects, more revenue. Simple math. Except it’s not simple. And if you’ve ever made a hire thinking it would solve your workload, only to feel like your margins got tighter instead of...
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Episode 87: Are You Charging Enough for Design Time? Pricing Mistakes Designers Make
Most designers don’t realize they’re undercharging… until the business starts feeling heavier than it should. In this episode, we ask a simple but uncomfortable question: Are you charging enough for your design time? What started as a quick discussion turned into a deeper conversation about...
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Episode 86: Do You Want to Be Profitable… or Just Be Liked?
Do you actually want to run a profitable business… or do you just want to be liked? It’s a tough question. And if you’re a creative business owner, it might hit a little closer to home than you’d like. Because somewhere along the way, many of us start believing that being a “good” designer means...
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Episode 85: Should Interior Designers Mark Up Product? The Truth About Pricing, Profit & Transparency
Should you mark up product as an interior designer? If that question makes you feel even a little weird in your stomach, you’re not alone. It’s one of those topics that gets whispered about in designer circles, and somehow still feels “controversial” even though… it’s literally how business…
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Episode 84: Are You Resilient Or Just Enduring? The Decisions High-Performing Women Avoid with Lois Barth
If you’ve ever ended a day thinking, I made a hundred decisions today and I’m still not sure I made the right ones, this episode is for you. We sat down with Lois Barth, executive coach, human development expert, and author of Courage to Sparkle for what is less an “interview” and more a…
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Episode 83: What Designers Get Wrong About Trends and How to Spec for the Long Term with Stacy Garcia
Your clients are not “behind.” They are just living in a different timeline than the product world. In this episode of DesignDash, we sit down with Stacy Garcia, a globally recognized designer, trend forecaster, and entrepreneur whose work quietly shapes what your clients will want next, often...
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Episode 82: The Biggest Hiring Myth Holding Interior Designers Back
Hiring your first team member can feel like this weird mix of excitement and panic. Like… you want help. You need help. But you’re also thinking: What if I don’t have enough work for them next month? What if they mess something up and it blows back on my reputation? What if I’m supposed to have...
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Episode 81: Busy but Not Growing: A Real Conversation About Scaling an Interior Design Business with Alexandra Hartley
You can be “so busy”… and still not be moving forward. If that line hits a little too close to home, you are not alone. In today’s episode, we do something we have never done on Design Dash before. Instead of a polished, hindsight-style interview with someone who already has it all figured out…
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Episode 80: Hiring, Planning, and Growing Your Design Firm in 2026
We tried to start the year with a guest… and the tech gods said “absolutely not.” So instead, you get just us, and honestly? We’re coming in hot. Welcome to our actual first episode of 2026 (call it episode 1.25 if you want). It’s a solo kickoff, and we’re talking candidly about what it really...
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Episode 79: What 40 Podcast Conversations Taught Us About Business, Risk & Growth
Happy New Year! Yes, we know… this episode was supposed to be our final one of 2025. And yes, you are listening to it after the New Year. Consider this our way of easing into January—no rushing, no panic, just one last look back because the conversation was too good not to share. In this episode,...
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Episode 78: The One Thing Designers Get Wrong About Art—Every Single Time with Elise Arnoult Miller
What if everything you think you know about the art world is actually what’s keeping you out of it? This week on the Design Dash Podcast, we sit down with the wildly insightful and refreshingly down-to-earth Elise Arnoult Miller, founder of Arnoult Fine Art, who’s celebrating 15 years of helping...
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Episode 77: The 5 December Moves Every Interior Design Firm Needs for a Stronger New Year
If you’ve ever reached December and felt torn between slowing down and catching up, this episode is exactly what you need. The truth is, December quietly determines how strong your next year will be. Most people treat it like a soft landing. We treat it like the month that sets the entire tone…
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Episode 76: The Truth Behind Rebranding a Design Studio with Rebekah Zaveloff
Every once in a while, you sit down with someone who doesn’t just talk about design… they embody it. And in this episode, Rebekah Zaveloff proves she’s one of those rare voices you don’t forget. In this episode we sit down with Rebekah Zaveloff, co founder and creative director of Imparfait…
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Episode 75: Inside the Business of Design: How Libby Langdon Turned Her Biggest Pivot into Her Greatest Success
What happens when life completely derails, and somehow lands you right where you were meant to be? That’s exactly what today’s guest, Libby Langdon, discovered after one of the biggest pivots of her life. From actress and TV producer to one of the most recognizable names in design, Libby’s story…
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Episode 74: Building a Luxury Design Brand from Scratch: Lessons from Nikki Levy Interiors
What happens when “exquisitely livable luxury” meets real-world grit? In this episode of Design Dash, Melissa and Laura sit down with South Africa–born designer Nikki Levy, who built her namesake Boca Raton studio from the edge of her bed, literally, and turned it into a thriving brand now…
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Episode 73: The Truth About Starting a Design Business with Brittny Button
In this episode our guest is Brittny Button, founder of Button Atelier, an interior design studio in Los Angeles. Brittny has built a reputation for creating spaces that feel both calm and timeless, drawing inspiration from Spanish revival architecture, European details, and old Hollywood…
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Episode 72: How to Get Your Design Work Published: Insider Tips from Andrea Lillo
What makes a project catch an editor’s eye? Is it the styling? The story? The angle of the photo? Or is it something much less obvious? This week on Design Dash, we sit down with Andrea Lillo, the Executive Editor of Designers Today. She’s the one shaping the stories and covers that end up…
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Episode 71: How Yates Desygn Grew One of Dallas’ Most Sought-After Design Firms with Mike and Bryan Yates
In this episode we sit down with the dynamic duo Mike and Bryan Yates of Yates Desygn. If you know them, you already know you’re in for sharp wit, bold vision, and unapologetic honesty. If you don’t know them yet—trust me, you’ll want to. We talk about the turning points that pushed them to…
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Episode 70: How To Stand Out in a Crowded Design World with Jane Dagmi
In this episode of Design Dash, we sit down with the one and only Jane Dagmi—Managing Director of High Point by Design (HPxD) and former Editor-in-Chief of Designers Today. If you’re in the design world, chances are you already know Jane as a connector, a champion of creativity, and someone who…
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Episode 69: Why Interior Designers Need Psychology to Succeed with Tracee Murphy
In this episode, my guest is Tracee Murphy, CEO and Principal Designer of Trademark Interiors and founder of The Designer Launch. Tracee has built a multimillion-dollar design firm and now mentors other designers on everything from conflict management to selling luxury services. We talk about how...
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Episode 68: One Tool You Can Use This Week to Prevent Burnout and Build a Healthier, More Profitable Studio
I just got back from a 10-day vacation. Melissa’s about to head out on hers. And in the space between “leaving” and “coming back,” we realized something: burnout isn’t always obvious until it’s running the show. In this episode, we get brutally honest about how burnout shows up in our lives, why...
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Episode 67: Client Red Flags That Cost You Time, Profit, and Peace
Ever left a client meeting thinking, “Is it me… or are they just an ahole?”** If yes, you’re not alone—and this episode is definitely for you. In this episode we are pulling back the velvet curtain on the three personality types that show up in interior design projects: discerning, demanding, and...
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Episode 66: The Hire That Changes Everything (And Why You're Probably Overthinking It) with Danae Branson
Let’s be honest—if you’ve ever found yourself drowning in invoicing, juggling a million tabs, or spending more time sourcing tile than actually designing the room, you’re not alone. In this episode, we’re joined by Danae Branson, founder of Elite Design Assistants and creator of Niche Maven, two...
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Episode 65: Why Most Design Businesses Fail by Year 5 (And How to Avoid It) with LuAnn Nigara
In this episode, my guest is LuAnn Nigara, host of A Well-Designed Business and a true leader in the interior design industry. If you’ve ever wondered how to run a creative business that actually makes money, this conversation is your wake-up call. LuAnn shares what she’s learned from building…
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Episode 64: Startup vs. Scale-Up: How to Know You’re Ready to Build a Team
You know that feeling when you’re drowning in sticky notes, juggling a million hats, and wondering if hiring help will save your sanity or sink the ship? Yeah. That. In this episode of Design Dash, Laura and Melissa are showing up (yes, even with scratchy voices and the post-travel fog) to unpack...
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Episode 63: How Designers Can Stop Losing Money and Build Profitable Businesses with Laurie Laizure
In this episode we sit down with the incredible Laurie Laizure, founder of the Interior Design Community—a space that’s rewriting the rules for designers worldwide. We’re digging into some of the real challenges designers face every day, stuff that doesn’t get talked about enough. Laurie shares…
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Episode 62: How to Design a Life (and Business) You Actually Love with Carolyn Rodz
In this episode, our guest is Carolyn Rodz from Hello Alice, a powerful platform helping over 1.5 million small business owners find the right resources at the right time. We talk about what it really takes to build a business and a life you actually love. Carolyn shares how she made the bold…
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About this show
The DesignDash Podcast is a guide to designing a life you love. Co-hosts Laura Umansky and Melissa Grove dive into what it takes for women to feel fulfilled both personally and professionally, to live their lives to the fullest and without compromise. Special guests will share their own journeys, their successes and their challenges, as they pursue life with curiosity and intention.
Hosted by
Laura Umansky and Melissa Grove