The Interior Design Business CEO podcast helps designers stop feeling stressed, anxious, and overwhelmed and empowers them with the tools and strategies they need to start feeling calm, confident, and in control of their business. Join Certified Life and Business Coach, and award-winning Interior Designer, Desi Creswell, as she pairs mindset with effective tips, tools, and processes to help you stop feeling pulled in a million different directions, and start building a profitable, fulfilling ...
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More and more of us are experiencing overwhelm and exhaustion from our busy lives. Can you relate? In The No Bullsh*t Guide To A Happier Life, your host Helen Calvert shares her quick (but not necessarily easy) tips on how to squeeze every last drop of enjoyment from your business and your life. Helen is a life coach, autistic woman and parent to two neurodivergent boys. Her mission is to bring clarity and joy to people's lives, reduce the overwhelm and help you to start living the life you ...
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136. Reimagine the Way You Work: A Personal Update
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21:53Is there a part of your business you’re feeling pulled to rethink or do differently? Maybe it’s something you’ve outgrown or a new vision that keeps tugging at your attention. When that “what if” won’t go away, it might be time to reimagine what’s next. In this episode, I’m sharing a process you can use to make big changes in your business with mor…
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135. Falling off the Wagon: How to Recommit without Guilt
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13:04Have you ever started a new habit or routine, only to suddenly find yourself completely off track? That moment when you realize you've "fallen off the wagon" can trigger a spiral of guilt and self-judgment that makes it even harder to start again. These moments of deviation aren't failures at all, they're essential parts of the change process. In t…
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Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria | The No Bullsh*t Guide to a Happier Life
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17:14Welcome to episode 100! Today, we will be discussing Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria—its prevalence among neurodivergent individuals and how it has manifested in my own experience as an autistic person. Often, it is the accumulation of seemingly minor rejections that leads to burnout, particularly when navigating ambiguous social norms and the chal…
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134. Burnout Prevention: How to Stop Overfunctioning
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28:29Are you constantly swooping in to save the day, taking on excessive responsibility, and feeling like you're the only one who can do things right? You might be caught in the pattern of overfunctioning, which can lead to burnout without even realizing it. I share the signs of overfunctioning, why we do it, and most importantly, how to break free from…
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133. Confrontation or Communication? Navigating Difficult Conversations
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26:55
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26:55Do you struggle to have difficult conversations with clients, contractors, or team members? I've been coaching on this topic a lot lately, and it's clear that many designers find themselves in situations where they worry about coming across as rude or confrontational. In this episode, I dive into why these conversations feel so challenging and how …
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The Autistic Lens | The No Bullsh*t Guide to a Happier Life
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17:54Welcome to episode 99. What it’s like to view life through the "autistic lens’’. Reflecting on my own late self-diagnosis, I share how this discovery shifted my entire perspective - rewriting the past, unlocking self-compassion, and sparking a deep interest in how we navigate our lives alongside each other. Above all, this episode is an invitation …
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132. Decision Debt: A Framework for Better Decision-Making
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31:58Are you drowning in unmade decisions? I call this "decision debt" – the accumulation of postponed choices that drain your energy and keep you stuck in a perpetual state of indecision. As interior designers, we help clients make decisions every day, but often struggle with our own business decisions, letting them pile up until they become overwhelmi…
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131. How to Thrive When Things Feel Uncertain
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26:23Is uncertainty in the design industry keeping you up at night? With economic shifts, political changes, and market fluctuations, it's easy to feel like the ground beneath your business is constantly shifting. As interior designers, we're not just navigating our own businesses—we're helping clients make significant investments during these same unce…
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Sex and the Autistic Brain | The No Bullsh*t Guide to a Happier Life
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16:46Welcome to episode 98. Today, I’m diving into one of my favourite topics - sex and relationships - but this time through the lens of my experience as an autistic woman. I’ll be exploring how people with different neurotypes can better understand each other’s needs through clear, honest communication, and we’ll look at how expressing and listening t…
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130. Pep Talk: Give Yourself What You Need
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14:34Have you been ignoring your own needs while taking care of everyone else's? In this special pep talk episode, I explore the powerful practice of identifying what you truly need and then giving it to yourself. Whether it's physical rest, emotional support, or simply permission to want what you want, learning to honor your own signals can transform h…
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129. Boundary Mistakes: 4 Common Pitfalls
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25:44Have you ever found yourself feeling exhausted, resentful, or frustrated with clients, contractors, or even team members? If so, you're likely experiencing the consequences of ineffective boundaries in your interior design business. I see this pattern repeatedly with designers who come to me for coaching—they know they need to set boundaries but st…
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Autism and Healthcare | The No Bullsh*t Guide to a Happier Life
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20:54Welcome to episode 97. Have you ever felt unheard, misunderstood, or even dismissed in a healthcare setting? In this episode, I open up about the deeply frustrating and often traumatic experiences that neurodivergent individuals face when seeking medical care. From confusing communication and rigid rules to the emotional toll of harmful assumptions…
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128. Hustle vs Hard Work: The Critical Difference
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15:33Are you constantly chasing the next goal, pushing yourself to the limit, and feeling like you can never quite catch up? In today's episode, I'm diving into the crucial distinction between hustling and hard work—two approaches that might seem similar on the surface but lead to dramatically different outcomes for your interior design business and per…
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127. How Design Retreats Can Help You Grow Your Business with Jennifer Davis
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26:24Have you been feeling stuck in your interior design business lately? Are you ready to level up but unsure of the next steps to take? Attending a professional retreat or conference could be just the spark you need to reignite your passion and grow your business to new heights. In this episode, I'm joined by Jennifer Davis, founder of Davis Interiors…
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What is Autistic Burnout? | The No Bullsh*t Guide to a Happier Life
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18:35Welcome to episode 96. Today, we’re diving deep into a crucial yet often misunderstood topic — autistic burnout. Drawing from my own personal experiences, this episode unpacks the emotional and physical toll of navigating a world not built for neurodivergent minds. We explore the vital need for extreme rest as a form of recovery, and the persistent…
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126. How to Stop Doing Things Last Minute: 5 Tips to Take Control
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29:21As interior designers, we often juggle multiple projects and deadlines, making it easy to fall into the trap of putting things off until the eleventh hour. But this habit can lead to unnecessary stress, careless mistakes, and even damage to our professional reputation. It's time to make a change. I dive into the mindset shifts and practical strateg…
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125. Prepare Your Business for Summer Now
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30:27If the thought of a break brings up a ton of fears and worries, it’s time to start planning now to ensure your interior design business is set up for success during those sweet summer months. Whether you want to take extended time off, work a reduced schedule, or simply navigate the changes in rhythm that summer brings, it's important to be intenti…
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Communication | The No Bullsh*t Guide to a Happier Life
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17:51Welcome to episode 95. Today, we’re discussing communication — the challenges neurodivergent people face and the strategies they use to navigate a world that can feel unfamiliar. We explore how thoughts and emotions are shared, and how autistic burnout adds to these struggles. Whether you're neurodivergent or neurotypical, this conversation aims to…
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Start Here: Welcome to The Interior Design Business CEO Podcast
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0:57I'm an award winning interior designer and a master certified life and business coach. I created this podcast to help designers go from stressed and overwhelmed to calm, confident, and in control because I know that when you thrive, so will your business. In every episode, I blend mindset concepts, emotional resilience tools, and practical strategi…
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124. Fear of Wasting Time: Why Withholding Effort Holds You Back
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22:11In this episode, I dive into the dreaded fear of wasting time and energy and explore why it's not actually possible to waste your time if you have the right approach. I share how this fear manifests as withholding effort and how that ultimately keeps you stuck, preventing you from learning and growing. Join me as I reframe the idea of "wasted" time…
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123. Nancy Ganzekaufer & Desi Share 6 Ways to Leverage Your Time to Increase Your Profit
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40:32I'm joined by fellow interior design business coach Nancy Ganzekaufer for a collaborative conversation about six actionable strategies to make the most of your time. From planning your days for maximum efficiency to using AI to streamline communication and project proposals, these tips will help you work smarter, not harder. None of these strategie…
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Meet Our Headline Sponsor - The Spicy Brain Collective | The No Bullsh*t Guide to a Happier Life
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25:51Welcome to episode 94! We're taking a break from our usual format to introduce the headline sponsor for Series 5 - Stephanie Ward of the Spicy Brain Collective! Stephanie opens up about her journey as a neurodivergent entrepreneur, sharing how her experiences have shaped both her business and her passion for supporting fellow business owners (ND or…
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122. 3 Game-Changing Routines Every Interior Design CEO Needs
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33:11I'm sharing the essential habits and practices that have been game-changers for both myself and my clients in creating an interior design business that runs smoothly and supports the life you want to live. These routines will help you feel more grounded, intentional, and in control as the CEO of your business. Discover how to bookend your week with…
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121. Negative Thought Spirals: 5 Ways to Stay Calm and Focused
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28:52
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28:52I'm diving into how to recognize when you're caught in a negative thought spiral and practical strategies to break free from it. By learning to manage your mind in these moments, you can cultivate a greater sense of calm, confidence, and focus in your work and life. I share five powerful techniques to stop negative thought spirals in their tracks. …
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Creating The Life You Want | The No Bullsh*t Guide to a Happier Life
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19:36Welcome back to series 5, episode 93. Despite navigating autistic burnout and recovering from the flu, the incredible support of our community has inspired this return. This season, we're exploring life from an autistic perspective while integrating insights on work-life balance and personal happiness. As your host, I've always shared strategies th…
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120. Choosing New Design Business Opportunities Without Overload
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30:54I share a powerful process for systematically assessing new opportunities and invitations. By asking yourself a series of key questions, you can gain clarity on whether saying yes or no is the right decision for you and your business. Whether you're considering a new design project, partnership, conference, or even your own ideas, this episode will…
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119. Taking the Leap: Risk & Reward When You Invest
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27:04In this episode, I dive deep into the concept of risk tolerance and how it impacts your ability to achieve your biggest goals as an interior design business owner. I explore what risk tolerance really means, how to assess where you currently fall on the spectrum, and most importantly - how to expand your capacity to embrace discomfort and uncertain…
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118. Enough Chances to Succeed: Staying Committed to Pursuing Your Goals
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25:51In this episode, I share my personal experience of setting and achieving a challenging goal last year - doing a headstand in yoga. Through this lens, I explore the importance of giving yourself enough chances to succeed and staying committed to your goals, even when progress feels slow or difficult. Discover how to approach your interior design bus…
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117. Scaling Through Meaningful Relationships with Blue Pencil Collective
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55:10Have you ever wondered what it takes to build a successful interior design business through meaningful relationships? In this episode, I sit down with Kasey Johnson and Regan Nix, the co-founders of Blue Pencil Collective, a full-service design and architecture firm, to explore this very topic. Kasey and Regan also share their experience bringing o…
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116. 3 Essential Things to Focus On in Q1 for Your Interior Design Business
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22:47I'm sharing the three most impactful things you can focus on in quarter one to gain traction and build momentum in your business. By constraining your focus and committing to targeted strategies, you'll be able to make meaningful progress towards what you truly desire, whether that's bringing in your best-fit clients, increasing your profitability,…
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115. Follow Through on Your Goals: Self Accountability Strategies for Interior Designers
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24:57Do you struggle with follow-through and honoring commitments to yourself in your interior design business? You're not alone. Self-accountability is an essential skill that many business owners grapple with, especially as their companies grow and evolve. Tune in to discover practical tips for strengthening your self-accountability muscles. I share t…
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114. Empowering Beliefs and Powerful Questions to Reach Your 2025 Goals
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11:35At the heart of building a practice you truly love—one that supports you creatively, financially, and personally—is the ability to make thoughtful decisions. In this episode, I share some powerful questions and beliefs to help you make decisions and pursue your goals with purpose in the coming year. Join me in reflecting on where you are undecided,…
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113. Overcome Goal Aversion to Reach Your Full Potential
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28:33Goal aversion can manifest in various ways, some obvious and others more subtle. It might look like telling yourself you're not a goal person, doubting your ability to achieve the goal, or fearing disappointment if you fall short. If you avoid setting goals in your interior design business, or you only feel the resistance to truly committing once y…
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112. Progress Goals vs Outcome Goals: Staying Motivated and on Track with Your Goals
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15:44I share a powerful strategy that will help you stay motivated, accountable, and on track throughout the entire journey: leveraging both progress goals and outcome goals in your interior design business. Utilizing both of these approaches gives you clarity, direction, and ways to evaluate your path forward, all of which are going to increase your li…
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111. 5 Key Ingredients to Make 2025 Your Best Year Yet
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21:18As we wrap up the current year and look ahead to the next, now is the perfect time to reflect on what worked well, what didn't, and what you want to create moving forward. Goal-setting is an essential practice for any business owner who wants to build something significant that supports them financially, creatively, and fulfills their desire for gr…
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As we come to the close of another year and begin thinking about goal setting for 2025, knowing what enough means for you is vital for creating the kind of life and business you truly want. And in this episode, I dive deep into the concept of enough and how it impacts every aspect of your interior design business. I explore how to identify when you…
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109. Uplevel Your Brand Messaging & Positioning: Copywriting for Interior Designers with Deb Mitchell
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1:05:20I sit down with brand strategist and copywriter for interior designers, Deb Mitchell, to discuss how powerful messaging can transform your interior design business from the inside out. From the importance of authentic brand positioning to crafting a compelling voice that builds trust with your ideal clients, Deb shares her expert insights on the po…
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What’s Next? | The No Bullsh*t Guide to a Happier Life
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16:44Welcome to episode 92. This week I’m sharing my personal experiences of autistic burnout and what this means to me and the people around me. This is an exposing and vulnerable fifteen minutes laying bare the realities of living with neurodiversity, but also a rallying call to all my amazing listeners to help me shape series five and build partnersh…
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108. Break Free from the Productivity Trap: A New Perspective on Getting It Done
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18:14As interior designers, it's easy to get caught up in the idea that more is always better. Whether it’s working on client projects or moving the ball on our business goals, we believe that if we could just be more efficient, more organized, or more disciplined, we could finally get ahead. But what if this constant pursuit of productivity is actually…
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107. Designing for Good: Charitable Giving Strategies for Interior Designers with Mark Ostrom
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48:36In this episode, I sit down with Mark Ostrom, the founder, executive director, and creative director of Joy Collaborative: a nonprofit located here in the Twin Cities that creates uplifting spaces for children with life-limiting conditions. Mark shares the story behind Joy Collaborative and explores how designers can give back in a way that's authe…
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There’s More to Life than Lists | The No Bullsh*t Guide to a Happier Life
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16:58Welcome to episode 91. We live in a time where there’s more in life to manage than ever before, so in this episode I’m exploring a deeper perspective on our relationship with productivity, and asking - what are we missing out on in pursuit of getting all the shit done? By understanding that there’s life beyond the list we can make space for the sma…
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106. Project Panic: Navigate Hiccups While Staying Calm
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28:20In this episode, I answer a question from a listener who struggles with staying calm and collected when project issues arise. We often absorb the stress of these hiccups to shield our clients from them. However, things are most definitely going to go wrong at some point - whether it’s at the project site, during a presentation, or even in response …
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105. Pivot with Purpose: Should You Revise Your Year End Goals?
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28:14You probably set yourself an annual financial goal back at the beginning of 2024, and here we are, coming into the final months of the year. Are you on track to hit your goals? Maybe you’re falling behind, or perhaps you’ve already surpassed your target and are wondering if you should raise the bar even higher. Listen in this week as I show you how…
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It’s All Projects | The No Bullsh*t Guide to a Happier Life
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16:35Welcome to episode 90. Today we take a look at how we can make non-work events less overwhelming by identifying and organising them into projects - just as you would in your business or your work. If you’re in charge of organising a family holiday, pulling off Christmas or managing the people or pets in your house, you’ll understand the stress that…
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104. Eliminate Business Bloat with "All Killer, No Filler"
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32:15As CEOs of our businesses, we are constantly faced with decisions about what to keep, what to let go, and what to bring in. But without a clear framework for evaluating these choices, it's easy to get stuck in indecision or cling to things that no longer serve us. That's where the concept of All Killer, No Filler comes in - a simple yet profound wa…
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103. How to Optimize Your Team’s Performance, Productivity, and Profitability
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26:28Whether you have part-time or full-time team members, it's crucial to ensure that their roles and responsibilities align with your company's goals. If you want to feel confident knowing that the investment you’ve made in your team members will optimize payback for you and your design business, it’s time to consider conducting a time audit, and I wa…
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Is Anyone Else in Your Household Doing Shit? | The No Bullsh*t Guide to a Happier Life
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17:21Welcome to episode 89. Are you the one doing ‘all the things’ in your household? Does it feel like too much? Today we take a careful look into the dynamics of household responsibilities and the importance of sharing the mental load. Creating an equal partnership with the other capable people in your home is a less-obvious act of self-kindness - but…
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102. Fear of Rejection (& How to Overcome It)
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23:35Are you holding back in your interior design business due to a fear of rejection? You're not alone. As a designer, putting yourself and your creative ideas out there can feel incredibly vulnerable, and the possibility of hearing no can be paralyzing. But the truth is that learning to work with and move beyond this fear will be transformative for yo…
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101. Growing a Successful Design Business: Lessons from Campbell Minister
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54:51This week, I’m joined by my former client and incredibly talented designer, Campbell Minister, as she lets us in on her journey from overwhelmed designer to true designer CEO. Over the past eight years, Campbell has grown her Montclair, New Jersey-based firm to a team of three designers, a director of operations, and a procurement and accounting te…
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Help I’m Overwhelmed | The No Bullsh*t Guide to a Happier Life
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16:52Welcome to episode 88. Still feeling overwhelmed despite all your structured task lists and well-planned projects? I’m here for you! In today's episode, I share actionable tips to refresh your system - from changing up your planning tools to seeking help from friends or professionals. Remember, no one system works forever—novelty keeps us engaged. …
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