Creative Genius Podcast

Gail Doby & Erin Weir
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Gail Doby and Erin Weir interview influential people in the interior design industry, business, and entrepreneurs

  1. 12/16/2025

    Selling Luxury with Empathy (Jeffrey Shaw)

    This week on the Creative Genius Podcast, Gail Doby welcomes master photographer and luxury sales consultant Jeffrey Shaw to share the insider knowledge he gained from spending over 40 years serving the most affluent families in the US. Jeffrey shares that everything he teaches comes from intimate conversations with this clientele, where he noticed a division between what luxury brands market and what clients actually say. Listen in as Jeffrey reveals what truly prevents designers from stepping into the high-end market: their own fear of being uncomfortable or feeling like an imposter. He shares his personal journey of transitioning from an outsider studying high-end stores like Bergdorf Goodman to becoming a customer there. Jeffrey emphasizes that the worst mistake you can make is trying to be a fake version of yourself because affluent buyers will “smell that a million miles away”. Jeffrey offers a masterclass on the psychology of luxury buying: he explains why they are not only looking for skill and integrity but are also highly intuitive and perceptive—a trait necessary for their success. He reveals the one thing they expect but will never ask for: that you stay a few steps ahead of them, doing their thinking on their behalf. Finally, Jeffrey provides practical advice on up-leveling your ideal client profile, removing friction from your process, and motivating clients in turbulent economic times. Listen to the full episode to hear more about: The Power of Belonging: Jeffrey’s personal mantra that belonging in any room is your individual choice, regardless of your background or socioeconomic status. The Silver Lining Audience: Why you must never fall into the mindset that nobody is spending money, and how to tap into the segment that is always doing well . Understanding Their Lingo: Why you must understand the language, visuals, and messaging of the clientele you want to attract before you build or change your brand. The Fear of Disappointment: How heightened emotions in uncertain times create an increased fear of disappointment, motivating clients to seek assuredness and consistency in their service providers. The Duality of the Affluent: Why the misconception that they are formal and stiff is wrong; they are often much more “real” and casual than expected. Why Referrals Stop: The surprising reasons affluent clients stop referring, including the fear that you will make a mistake for their friend or the reluctance to share their trusted resource. Removing Friction: Jeffrey shares his trick for using technology to make life easy for busy clients—even tracking client payment times to understand their lifestyle (the most common time they paid may surprise you!). Your Diamond Edge: The mistake of not being clear on why you chose this clientele beyond the money, and how finding your “diamond edge” provides the conviction needed to endure. If you’re listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full show notes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s14e5-shownotes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBjCCXdSuno Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to show transcript Well, welcome to the Creative Genius podcast, Jeffrey. I’m so glad to have you here and spend time with you again. And by the way, I have to share you are one of our favorite speakers that are one of our recent boardroom retreats. And I just really valued that time that you shared with our people and they loved, loved, loved what you had to say. So we’re going to talk about your book and it’s Sell to the Rich, which is so appropriate for our industry. Thank you. It is, is. Thank you. I had such a great time with your group too and honestly I said probably that day and I’ve said many times since, hanging out with designers is such a complete joy to me because who doesn’t love hanging out with hardworking people who have good taste? Well, you have good taste. Yes, and you are in very much the visual business anyway, or at least you were serving people as a photographer. But I want to talk about how you started with this and how you learned so much about the luxury market. Sure. Yeah, a really crazy journey, right? I mean, the fact that I had the opportunity as a family portrait photographer for many of the most affluent families in the US for more than 40 years, just crazy. I didn’t come from that background at all, but I was very, very clear after a few years of struggle, it was very clear to me that these are the people I was meant to serve. And that’s such an inner feeling, right? I mean, how you get to that point of realizing that, you know, who you’re meant to serve and… to realize it wasn’t a world I knew. So, I mean, I am forever grateful for the fact I was able to break into this very challenging market and then spend 40 years literally hanging out in their closets, right? So everything I teach today, talk about, write about, is always going back to those intimate conversations with an affluent clientele that I often found. how luxury brands were marketing, how they were speaking, how they were showing up in the lives of these clients was very different than what I was hearing from the clients. And that was, that’s the valuable contrast because I was getting, felt the real them, which really on their mind and realizing the division between when you’re affluent, you’re such a target of marketing and your experience, those moments in the closet, their real lives were very different. And so everything I know today about luxury came from those moments of intimacy and getting to hear, you know, really being embedded and nothing is more personal to people than their children. So, you the lives I had in photographing their kids and their families really opened up very intimate conversations. And I felt like I got to see an inside perspective that quite frankly, most people in the luxury business do not. That’s amazing. What do you think keeps people from approaching and serving the luxury market and maybe feeling like they are not imposters, that they should be able to serve these people? And what I love about that question, Gail, is that actually I really woke up to that at your event at Pearl Collective because I doubt you recall, but there were a number of questions from the audience right in the moment, as well as people that came up to me afterwards and a very common question, so much so that I ended up writing a newsletter about it. And the question was to me, how did you get comfortable working with a clientele in a world you didn’t grow up in? Mm-hmm. So I realized what’s keeping most people from stepping into the world of self-serving a high-end client is probably their own fear of being comfortable. Their belief that they won’t be comfortable because they didn’t come from that world. But here’s a newsflash. 99.9 % of people serving luxury buyers didn’t come up and grow up in that world, right? If you did, you’re probably not a sales associate at Dior, right? I mean, it’s just the reality of it. who are serving this clientele. And that’s not to say that, and hopefully it’s true, that in the years of serving this clientele that we actually step into that market. You one of my favorite stories to tell, which is very foundational to my work, is that as a startup photographer in my 20s, and not knowing this clientele before, in the process of rebranding who I would become to serve this clientele. I spent a lot of time at high end stores in New York City and my favorite one was Bergdorf Goodman. I felt like a fish out of water going to Bergdorf Goodman. I knew it wasn’t the world I was from, but I went there to understand the world of the people I was going to serve. I can say today, I mean, without, you know, just to make the point and not to brag at all, but you know, to see your life transition from being an outsider going to Bergdorf Goodman to learn. to years later and not that many years later becoming a customer of Bergdorf Goodman and now decades later I’m an ongoing customer of Bergdorf Goodman and have a personal shopper there. So that transition to me is not to brag but it’s to represent the journey. So no, wasn’t, I think what holds most people back is they believe they’re not comfortable or going to be comfortable serving this clientele. You just have to be yourself. Mm-hmm. The worst thing you can do is being an imposter. The worst thing you can do is put on a facade, because they will smell that a million miles away. They’re not interested in a fake version of you. I never tried to hide where I came from. It was irrelevant. I was there to do a job, and I was there to do it well. And to me, comfortable is about belonging. And belonging is your individual choice. Mm. I believe we all should decide that we belong by birth by birthright we belong in any room we choose to be with regardless of where we came from or are you know any any other circumstances we have a right to decide we belong in any room regardless of gender race sexual orientation whatever it might be a social economic status you deserve to belong in any room you choose to be in well so It’s an internal feeling. I feel like even at my early 20s, I had this feeling like I don’t know what it is. I don’t know what it’s gonna look like, but I belong here. I’m just going to make myself comfortable. And then as you do, it becomes a very positive cycle of as you get more and more comfortable, you get elevated and elevated. Next thing you know, you’re a customer at the very same store that you used to go to to study. I love that. And I think that you could not have said that better because today I think a lot of people do exactly what you said. They may try to be somebody that they’re not. They need to be authentic to who they are and really care about the person that they’re serving instead o

    1h 4m

  2. 12/09/2025

    Maximizing Return On Decision (Kiri-Maree Moore)

    This week on the Creative Genius Podcast, Gail Doby sits down with global advisor and strategist Kiri-Maree Moore, Founder and CEO of Decision Velocity Global. Kiri-Maree shares her powerful journey from initially resisting the label of “leader” to realizing the responsibility of leading others. She defines her mission: curating spaces where humans have a greater voice and helping leaders align their decisions with long-term success. Listen in as Kiri-Maree discusses the biggest mistakes leaders make, often by failing to set a strong “GPS” or exhibiting a lack of ownership. She recounts the life-changing lesson she learned from Sir Richard Branson—whom she sees as a mentor—about thinking bigger and understanding the value of surrounding yourself with the right people. Kiri-Maree introduces her concept of Return on Decision—measuring decisions to ensure they are moving the business toward its goals, not away from them. The conversation dives deep into the difference between management (dictatorship within a broken, static construct) and leadership (mentoring and empowering others to shine their light). Kiri-Maree also explains her fascination with patterns and the crucial need to exercise the muscle of human intelligence to achieve peak performance, accelerate cultural impact, and gain a measurable ROD. Plus, hear the following discussions: Embrace New Approaches: We must adopt new approaches to leadership to change ineffective patterns and create new pathways to success. Exercise the Muscle of Human Intelligence (HI): Learning to exercise this muscle—gaining certainty in your truths and making smarter decisions—is the key to increasing peak performance and cultural impact. Demand a Measurable Return on Decision: Every decision, big or small, must be tracked to ensure it is adding to the mission, driving speed, curating capacity, and optimizing time and energy. If you’re listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full show notes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s14e4-shownotes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KryM5LUpLo&pp=0gcJCSgKAYcqIYzv Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to show transcript Well, welcome to the Creative Genius podcast, Keri Marie. It is so great to have you here. I’ve only known you for 11 years when I met your husband. I met you at a retreat out in California, which was just wonderful. And actually back in the corral again with you all. But I am very excited to talk to you about leadership today. what a great topic. Let’s get into it. And I’m so excited to be here. So thank you, Gail. It’s our pleasure. So I think leadership starts, quite frankly, when you are a mom, don’t you think? think anytime you make a decision and you’ve got people following you, I think that’s where leadership starts. And if you’re a mom, then that’s definitely a place in which it can start. I think for me, I mean, way before I was a mom, I was a leader in leading other people and taking them on a journey. And when did you start realizing that that’s what you were, a leader? Here’s the funny thing, and I think this is always funny when we talk about leadership. For a long time I did not want to think about leadership and being my name sort of being put into that pot as well. And the reason being is that I realized I didn’t really like leadership as a thought, as being a leader. What is a leader and what does that need to look like? It didn’t really look like a lot of fun and it definitely didn’t look like lots of good things happening there. I just served other humans and I just did that and people would go, you’re such a great leader. I can see leadership on your life. And it sort of always was this word that followed with me rather than I went, I see myself as a leader. I just love serving other humans and helping to see that together we bring change. And I think there was never ever a moment that I went, I’m a leader. There was a moment I walked away from leadership and said I don’t want to be involved in leadership and I had to come back and really own my place in leadership. But I don’t remember ever a moment saying, hey, all of a sudden I’m a leader. Was there some sort of a shift or something that happened that all of a sudden you said, my gosh, I am just fascinated with this topic. Yeah, I think what happened was, and you know me in the business world, I have always been fascinated with growth in the business world, but the thing that I saw that was not happening in the business world was leadership within it. I saw people wanting to build businesses, wanting to build companies, organizations, but they were ignoring this big thing called leadership. And I realized that was something that I was very passionate about. to see that we do way better and more effectively. And it was that that I went, am I gonna take up that mentor and go, yes, I’m gonna walk in and really own in the leadership space, am I seat at the table or am I just gonna complain that I don’t like where leadership is going? And I felt there was a responsibility once I had that moment to go, I’m gonna own this. I’m gonna really see what it is I don’t like, see what it is I love, and do more of that. Well, you’re the founder and CEO of Decision Velocity Global, and I’d love to know a little bit more about your mission and your vision of that. Thank you. I think the interesting part of it was I built originally what it looked like just like everyone else and meaning that it was a nice little business and kind of consulting in that way and realized that there was something else that I was doing but I wasn’t bringing it in my organization. And so I went back to the drawing board and we have evolved a lot in the last little while and I’m so excited at what we’re bringing out and what that looks like. But really it went back to, like you said, what is the mission? What is the drive behind it? And reality was, I created what I did because I wanted to see how can we help curate spaces in which humans really can have a greater voice. I was one of those kids that grew up that didn’t have a voice. I was in leadership. or under leadership that used it in the wrong way. I’ve been that person that has not had the seat at the table, pushed away, not looked like everyone else. And I realized that I wanted to curate spaces that everyone has the permission to be at the table. But how can we do that better? And what is that value that we bring? And if I can help people through looking at decisions. and looking at the way in which we make them and do that more aligned with actually the long-term success of where you want to go, then that’s been a great day and that’s what we do in all that we look at, we work through and we create in Decision Velocity Global. Great. Well, what are some of the things that you have seen as maybe the biggest mistakes that people make in trying to become a leader? my gosh, where do we start with that? Right? And I think, you know, it’s funny because it’s like, what is that mission? And I think, you know, with anything, it’s like, if you think about that, you asked me that with the decision velocity global, and there’s so many pieces to what I do and how I do it. literally we could spend hours and hours on what the mission is. And I think that’s the difference between someone that knows that this is where we are heading. And I always talk about setting your GPS to where you wanna go. And for me, that’s your global platform shift, right? Like what is that that you wanna stand for? What is that that you wanna head towards? What is that that you will get up every day and build whatever that is that you’re doing to be able to create, you know, curate the spaces to serve other humans and do it well. And I think that is one thing that I don’t see well done in leadership is people setting that GPS. You see, depending what the economic landscape’s doing, it changes, or depending what the next trend is, or, my goodness, now everyone is canceling us, we better not say this, let’s change that. That direction of what people are setting keeps shifting and it gets diluted, it goes into chaos and… I think that’s one of the biggest issues is that we are not setting it to where we know that’s what, and everyone’s individual to what that is and how you wanna play in that way, but we’re not standing strong on what that is. And then when we are setting it, we’re not in leadership, we’re not standing strong on what that is that you’re willing to stand strong no matter what. We need leadership to take ownership. And I’m seeing this less and less and less. And I get it. It’s a scary world sometimes. It’s hard. You have to, you know, I don’t know how kosher you are here, but like grow some balls is what I would say. Like you literally have to sometimes get back up and have this resilience that others don’t realize. it takes to stand strong today in leadership. And honestly, I don’t see a lot of that when, when, when the going gets tough, when it’s, when the challenges are hitting us. And there’s a lot of that. And reality is we have to build our leadership and what we’re willing to stand for in leadership, knowing that we are in this volatile world that can, can rock us. But what does that mean and how will you still stand and what will you, you know, I hear a lot of people talking about brand right now because people are realizing that you can’t just build around what was, what used to happen and how everyone used to build it out. And people are going, you need to build your brand. No, people, we need to build what it is we’re going for and we need to build what we’re standing for and we need to create. solutions and why this is so important to help others to come on that journey with us. And I think if

    1 hr

  3. 12/02/2025

    Gut Instinct and Generational Growth (Margaret Donaldson & Courtney Heffron)

    This week on the Creative Genius Podcast, Gail Doby sits down with Margaret Donaldson, founder of Margaret Donaldson Interiors (MDI), and Courtney Heffron, MDI’s CFO, for an incredibly candid conversation. Margaret shares the story of starting her business 36 years ago and how, after running it “from the gut” for decades, she realized the firm’s growth—especially during COVID—had made the business bigger than her. Listen in as Margaret opens up about the difficult, but necessary, journey of shifting her mindset from boss to leader. She shares what prompted her to seek coaching—the need for an exit strategy and a desire to ensure MDI’s legacy and protect her employees. Courtney provides expert insight on when a design firm should hire a CFO and the strategic value that high-level financial expertise brings to decision-making. Margaret and Courtney reveal how embracing a leadership team and committing to a cultural pivot—moving from a control culture to a collaborative culture—required making hard choices, but resulted in massive growth, including a doubling of their net profit. This episode is a must-listen for any firm owner looking to build an A-plus team, invest in intentional growth, and create a “well-oiled machine” that can thrive beyond its founder. In this episode, you’ll learn: Margaret’s “divorce” from her original family business partnership that pushed her to start MDI. How a chance meeting (and a retiring bookkeeper) brought Courtney, with her public accounting and auditing background, into the role of MDI’s CFO. The surprising, quick results they achieved once Margaret stopped resisting and fully committed to the coaching process. The challenges of emotionally separating the business entity from Margaret’s personal identity to enhance business development. Margaret’s new skill of pausing and listening more before speaking, including a funny example of changing the “hit by the bus” scenario. Margaret’s creative business development secret: chasing every lead and following up with past satisfied clients—even if it means a surprise flight. Courtney’s perspective on overcoming imposter syndrome and the necessity of trial-and-error in business growth. Their strategy for building an A-plus team using the “ideal team player” framework, focusing on candidates who are humble, hungry, and smart. If you’re listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s14e3-shownotes Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to show transcript Welcome to the created genius podcast, Margaret and Courtney. It’s always a pleasure to work with you too. And I’m just excited to have you on the podcast today. You are absolutely one of my favorite clients because you are so coachable and is one of the things that has made it such a delight to work with you all and to see you progress over this last year and a half. And it’s hard to believe it’s just been a year and a half, but let’s start with how you got into business. Margaret, what was your goal when you started? Sure. Well, thank you for having us. It’s quite an honor. I appreciate that. So the goal when I started my business, it just sort of happened. was in design school in college. And then when I got out of college, I worked for an established designer for a few years. And then I formed a partnership with my aunt and she had a successful furniture store. And after several years there, I felt the need to break free of the restraints of her business model so that my design work could expand. And unfortunately, we kind of had a divorce, which was very hard since it was family. And it was the right thing to do, though. I was a little bit in a box where I was. And I officially started my business three weeks before my first child was born. And that’s when I started Margaret Donaldson interiors. Gosh, and you’ve been in business for how long now? think it’s 36 years, 36 years as Margaret Donaldson interiors. you know, I had I worked for someone else and then with my aunt for several years before that. I don’t want people to know how old I am. So wow. They don’t have to know. No problem. Well, it’s so interesting and it’s so interesting also that, and I’m going to go a little bit off of some of the questions I had for you, but I was thinking about for you to come to me at the point of your business that you did, it was really an interesting time to choose to do that because you’ve been running your business for a very, very long time. Right. But the business really got it got bigger than me and I realized I needed help. So I found Pearl at just the right time. It’s been great. Well, let’s start with also with how you two started working together and Courtney, share what you do with MDI. Yeah, so before joining MDI, I worked in public accounting as an auditor for several years, which gave me a good foundation and exposure to a lot of different businesses. And I actually got connected to Margaret through her son’s friend who I used to work with. this was around COVID and I was wanting a career change. And when I heard about the opportunity, I felt like it would be the perfect fit. It was honestly like a dream job for me. I’ve always loved interior design. even wanted to be a designer when I was younger, but I quickly realized that I don’t have that creative side and my strengths are definitely better suited on the business and financial side. So this role gave me really the best of both worlds where I get to be part of the creative industry that I genuinely love while focusing on the financial and operational side that I’m passionate about. I was initially hired as the controller and then that developed into the CFO role that I’m currently in. When I first joined MDI, we had a really smaller bookkeeping setup. And so my goal was to modernize and streamline things. During that time, we transitioned from QuickBooks to Studio Designer, moved everything digital, and that has really completely transformed how we manage the business. And so now today, my role touches on a little bit of everything from strategic planning, decision making, financial management and forecasting to client relations, new business opportunities. And then I also oversee the accounting, course, payroll, employee benefits, taxes, and et cetera. Essentially just helping ensure the business runs smoothly and continues to grow. She has a really big job. This is very big job. You’re a big company in our industry. And so for the level of work that you do, and maybe we should throw in here how many people you have on your team. Maybe you check. You do. But Courtney and I’ve been sort of back and forth on this, but we have decided that we have including myself. We are at 19 employees, full time employees. And then we have four 1099 contractors that we use in various capacities. So I guess we’re. Somewhere around 23. Sometimes it’s clearer than you think, and especially since it grew so organically for you. It’s interesting how all of a sudden you end up running a big team and you never anticipated that you’re going to do that. Exactly, it just happened and that’s when I knew I needed help. It was kind of like the perfect storm when COVID happened, business was booming actually for the interior design industry. And that’s around the time that I came on. And I felt like the growth really did happen very organically. And we just, as business was coming in, we made it work, hired more and improved the business as much as we could. And so it was actually during COVID that brought me to Courtney because we stayed home for six weeks. And then when I called everyone back to the office at that point, my bookkeeper, who had been with me for 22 years, decided that she didn’t want to come back and it was time for her to retire. So that very Friday, I was sitting on my dock with my son. and his friend, and I was just lamenting the fact that I don’t have a bookkeeper anymore, she’s leaving. And this is when my son’s friend was like, I might know somebody, and he starts texting, and that’s how it all came to be. So things happen for a reason. They do happen for a reason. I believe that. In fact, every time I’ve wanted to hire somebody, I just think about it and I start talking about it and I put a job description together and the person shows up. It’s so funny that it works that way. So I’m not surprised that worked for you. So I guess a question I have for you, Courtney, is when does it make sense to add somebody with your level of knowledge? Because not all firms hire a CFO. Yeah. And of course you’re a larger firm, so to me that makes sense, but is there a particular time or a particular incident? I think it really depends on a few factors, mainly the size and complexity of the business, especially as your firm grows, you have more projects, more employees, there’s more moving parts. I like the accounting side naturally becomes more involved at that point. And so that’s usually when it makes more sense to bring someone in with higher level financial experience in house. Then once you also start doing more large scale projects, I think it’s crucial to have strong and efficient processes and procedures in place. And having someone who really understands both the business side and the numbers really helps you streamline operations and then make smarter decisions in the end. And I think eventually too, as you’re starting to think about the future, whether that’s scaling, succession planning, or even your eventual exit strategy, I think it’s incredibly valuable to have someone who can confidently navigate those conversations and you know, speak the same language as your CPA attorney, financial advisor. So yeah. Yeah, well, and I think too, it’s re

    55 min

  4. 11/25/2025

    Scaling Success (Stephanie Kraus)

    Running a thriving design firm is often described as one of the hardest jobs out there. If that’s true, how does a successful designer not only manage the chaos but scale a business to attract the top one percent of clients and win industry awards? This week on the Creative Genius Podcast, Gail Doby welcomes Stephanie Kraus, founder of Stephanie Kraus Designs, to share her remarkable story of transforming from a national magazine publisher to the head of an award-winning interior design firm. Stephanie reveals how she leveraged her original career’s organizational expertise to build a design business with consistent waitlists, making it one of the hardest—yet most rewarding—jobs she’s ever undertaken. Listen in as Stephanie discusses the evolution of her firm, which shifted its focus to handling full home gut renovations and custom homes while navigating the unpredictable challenges of the industry. She defines what it means to be a “fierce” but caring businesswoman, and explains how her philosophy of being a fast action taker ensures her employees feel protected and the business runs smoothly enough to scale. In this episode, you’ll learn: The key strategies Stephanie uses to attract and retain the top one percent of clients, often leading to multiple projects from the same high-level families. How her firm strategically uses AI tools like Midjourney to improve client visualization. Why her flexible, hybrid studio model is key to attracting top design talent. Three powerful, actionable takeaways for designers looking to grow their firms and achieve success. If you’re listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s14e2-shownotes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTaUo9OzC98 Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to show transcript Well, welcome to the Creative Genius podcast, Stephanie. First, I’d love to start with your personal story. How did you get into design? Well, thank you, Gail. It’s great to be here. Great to see you again and hear your voice. Okay, I started my business about 13 years ago. And prior to that, I was a publisher for a magazine and in the medical field. So absolutely nothing to do with design at the time, but I’ve always loved design, fashion, style. I think it’s just in my DNA. So back in 2013, I don’t know if you remember this, but design blogs were the thing. And I devoured them while I was at home with my kids when my children were little. Because when I had my first child, I actually had to stop working as a publisher. Because when you’re a publisher for a magazine that’s national, you need to travel. So I had to take a break from that. because both myself and my husband were traveling nonstop and something had to give. So it’s sad to give up that part of my career, but it actually opened the door to another part of my life and a new career. When the kids were little, I did always know I wanted to go back to work and wanted to run my own business. publishing, believe it or not, was like running your own many company so i learned a lot about leadership and operations and i did want to open something for myself i felt like i definitely had that entrepreneurial bug and i combined that with my love and passion for design and i started my own company stephanie cross designs into the thousand thirteen specifically focusing on you know small projects and residential design And how I started was I started decorating my own home and started writing my own design blog, obviously with publishing as a background. I really liked to write and I thought I was pretty talented in that area. So I wrote my design blog, did my own house, and then things just took off. My first clients were friends and family, and then word of mouth spread and I haven’t stopped since. Busy and have had wait lists since the day we opened. That is amazing. So what was your original vision for the business? In the beginning, before I had any grand plans, I just wanted to run an organized company that had processes and procedures in place, just as when I was a publisher, we had a very organized process. And what I wanted to bring into it was more of the creative side and a creative aspect that helps people live beautifully and comfortably. I never imagined it would grow into what it is now, but I feel like doing consistently good work, caring deeply for my clients, being an ambassador for them, and actually a translator for them among the team that they work with when they’re building a house and designing a house for acting as a translator between the builders and architects and trades so that the client’s vision can be translated into their dream home with the whole team behind them. And has your vision changed? 12 years is not a terribly long period of time, but I have a feeling things have changed because obviously you got into this business coming from the publishing world and then you start this and it’s been very successful. So what has changed over time? When I first started the projects were a little smaller. Sometimes it was just furniture and other times it was a small gut renovation or you know kitchen renovation, bath renovation and the vision of the company now is we are focused mainly on full home, full home gut renovations and our whole focus is our clients working with clients who are family centered to create custom homes from concept to completion. And we feel like we’re really lucky to collaborate with incredibly talented architects and builders who help us translate each client’s dream into reality. Again, my vision for the company today is really concept to completion, helping a client. reach their dream home through not only beautiful aesthetics, but how they circulate and work through their home and flow through their home now and many years from now. We always like to take into consideration what stage they’re in in life. No small kids. How does that translate from small children to teenage years, to college years, to when they have grandkids and also encompass all of the family events that take place in these homes and create a beautiful backdrop for our clients. That’s great. Well, what are some of the biggest surprises along the way in running a design business? Because it’s totally different than publishing, I would think. designing, running an interior design firm and being an interior designer is probably the hardest job I’ve ever had. I think it’s the most detailed job and there are so many things that are out of our control. So I’ve worked in the publishing and the medical field and this is by far the hardest. The only thing we do control is our creativity and how we show up. So it took years to build a reliable team of vendors and trades, but once you have them, it’s gold. But it’s really hard not controlling the timing of the furniture, the damages that come with the furniture, the kitchen cabinetry that we designed, but we didn’t create, we didn’t fabricate. All of the things that encompass an interior design project that we rely on other people to fabricate, make, install to give the final product. And not having control over every aspect of that is very difficult. But what I’ve learned over the years is it’s really important to work with trusted architects, trusted trades, and trusted builders. So we’ve been really lucky. That’s great. Well, and I would describe you as a fierce businesswoman. Have you always been that way? I think so. Once I’m comfortable in a role or in a space, yes, I think I just like to set a goal and meet it. And you can’t know everything. So if I’m uncomfortable in a role, if I don’t know anything, I just lean in, keep learning, stay transparent with our clients and just do my best. Fierce doesn’t mean loud. It just means consistent, fair, decisive, and caring. I think that’s a great definition for fears and I think fierce is a good thing to go for. So and it’s a great model that you have. One of the things I noticed when we were at boardroom retreat just a few weeks ago, I watched you do something really interesting and it tells me a little bit about your work style. We had everybody take an assessment for their business and it was pretty long. And during this time you were. you were answering the questions, but you were also executing actions. And you told me about this later. And I thought, wow, that’s really fascinating. Because who would have thought that somebody would just immediately say, OK, well, I need to get into action on this and start executing in the middle of doing an assessment. So that is talking about fast action taking. Is that how you work normally? Yes, and I think that’s instinctive for me. I think that just comes naturally. I’ve always taken action. Trust me, I do procrastinate with things like unpacking my suitcase and doing laundry. But for achieving a goal, making sure that my company, my team, my employees are taken care of, that I just do my best to try to take action. And in particular, I think what we were working on was insurance, you know, is my insurance up to date? Is my contract in place? Because those are the kinds of things that not only are really important to running a successful business, but also keep your employees feeling safe, make them feeling comfortable. I want them to feel when they come into their office every day that I’m protecting them, making sure that they have a job in you know, for many years to come, if you don’t feel safe, if you don’t feel comfortable, then, you know, how can you do your job effectively? Kind of interesting. I didn’t even realize I was doing it. But if something needs doing, I just do it, handle it. Yeah. And I think that’s what I was doing was I was emailing my insurance agent mid meeting just to review our policy. And I actually h

    34 min

  5. 11/18/2025

    Serendipity and Scale (Dwayne Bergmann and Kyle Barrett)

    This week on the Creative Genius Podcast, Gail Doby sits down with design power couple Dwayne Bergmann and Kyle Barrett to share their incredible, serendipitous love story, their unconventional paths to success in the design industry, and how they’ve partnered to build multiple successful businesses and a unique product line. Dwayne, the founder of Dwayne Bergmann Interiors, and Kyle, who previously ran his own successful design firm and is a licensed realtor, discuss the unexpected way they met in New Orleans, their diverse backgrounds—from decorating cakes and selling eggs as kids on ranches—to running a multi-million dollar organization with nearly 50 employees. They also dive deep into the inspiration and unique offerings of their joint product venture, Barrett Bergmann Home. Dwayne and Kyle shared the story of how a change in Dwayne’s travel schedule led to their serendipitous meeting and first late-night conversation at a wedding reception in New Orleans. They detailed their separate, yet similarly organic, entries into the design world: Dwayne started by decorating cakes as a child, then renovating and selling his own homes, which led to a feature in Gulf Shore Life magazine and the founding of Dwayne Bergmann Interiors. The couple also discussed how their shared past of growing up on ranches has recently influenced Dwayne’s creative work. They highlighted their successful joint venture, Barrett Bergmann Home, which features a line of unique, story-driven products like luxury bedding, fragrances, and a vanity program that allows designers to co-brand. Finally, Dwayne explained his strategic decision to grow his design business by acquiring Freestyle Interiors, a move that doubled his firm’s size and created time for him to focus on product development. Gail, Dwayne, and Kyle also discussed: Dwayne’s first wedding cake design. Kyle’s many businesses that he had when he started his firm. Dwayne’s renovation of his largest personal project. Dwayne’s adventure pulling his own permits. The ups and downs of the acquisition process. If you’re listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s14-e1-shownotes https://youtu.be/nux9m79jzXE Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to show transcript Well, welcome to the Creative Genius podcast, Wayne and Kyle. I am so excited to have you here and we’ve gotten a chance to get to know each other over the last year or so. And you’ve told me this wonderful personal story about how you two met and I’d love for you to share that. Dwayne, I’ll you take the lead. Sure. So I do think there is something serendipitous about the way that we met. Neither of us were looking for, I think, a long term relationship. I had come out of a very difficult divorce and Kyle was at the end of a four five year relationship himself. maybe not the best of times when you were looking at it going, okay, I’m ready to meet the person that I wanna be with the rest of my life. So just kind of behind the scenes that was individually happening. But on the serendipitous part, I was working in a project in New Orleans that I had been, it was a two year project and I was in month 18. of the project and I literally flew in once a month on a Tuesday same flight in the afternoon would get in land go check the project out quickly work all day Wednesday and take an early evening flight out of things like a six six o’clock flight on Wednesday. I always stayed at the same hotel. It was just like clockwork we just did this every month so this particular trip. My operations manager said, I don’t know what is going on in New Orleans. I can’t get you in anywhere. I can’t get you on a flight. So you’re going to fly in on a Thursday evening. You’re going to work all day Friday. Like you’re going to get in really late Thursday. So you’re not going to go to the project Thursday. You’re going to work all day Friday and you’re going to fly back on a 6 a.m. flight on Saturday because I can’t get you out any other time. OK, I mean, it is what it is. like an oh by the way you’re staying at a completely different hotel on a different part of town because that’s completely was like thirty five hundred dollars a night or something it was ridiculous so okay it is what it is so I fly in wait Friday morning waiting for my car to arrive and I’m outside of this hotel and Kyle comes up and I was just starting to make small talk you know what brings you to New Orleans. Because no, I’ve been in New Orleans enough at this point. Like no one is, it’s very transient. No one is just there visiting. Usually they’re doing something and usually it’s a convention or whatever. But he said, oh, I’m here working. said, oh, me too. You know, what do you do? And he said, oh, I’m here for an event that I’m working on. And I said, well, I’m a designer. working. He’s like, oh, well, I have a design firm as well. And so we just chit chatted for a little bit and I handed him my card and said, If you’re around later and like to get a drink, if I get back, I don’t fly out until tomorrow morning. Would love to hear about a little bit more about what you do and where you’re from and all that good stuff. he said, well, the event is a wedding that I’m doing for a really good friend of mine. And the wedding is this evening. So I doubt that I can meet you. It’s going to be a busy day. But why don’t you text me? Here’s my number. Why don’t you text me or give me a call around 10 o’clock tonight and I’ll know, you know, what, what, you know, if I’m going to be, if I’m going to be back at the hotel and we can, you know, maybe be late, late at the bar. So I text him at 10 and he said, I’m still at the reception. Why don’t you come over? And I was like, hell no. I am not crashing a wedding, period. That is not my style. One, I’m not dressed for a wedding. Two, I can’t imagine crashing a wedding. And three, I know no one there and I don’t know you. Like the other part was like, this is a kind of a risk. I just met you on the street, literally, this morning. That’s true, that I want to go to a wedding venue. reception it wasn’t the actual wedding so that was reception. So he convinced me to go. I ubered over to this venue and walk in and we talked for just a few minutes and he introduced me to the people that he was working with and then he said, hey, let’s go. Why don’t we sit over there? There’s a quiet corner. And we literally went off to this corner at the reception and sat at this table. And this is probably 1045 at this point. And around, I mean, we just started talking like this just nonstop back and forth. no, think we both lost track of time. And one of his workers came over and just ask a couple of questions. And she came back and he said, my goodness, we we’ve got it. We’ve got to go. I’ve got to help them get all of this torn down. We had been talking so directly and were so just engrossed with each other and the conversation they had completely. torn down the entire reception, had everything packed and it was two o’clock in the morning. And she’s like, no, everything is done. We just need to tell you that it’s time to go. We all need to leave. Everything is packed up. So he drove me back to the hotel, said good night. He went on his way and kind of left it at, okay, you’re in Texas, I’m in Florida, kids, you have businesses, I have businesses. Let’s try to… You we’ll try to keep in touch, but it was one of the things it’s like you’re really cool. I don’t know how this would ever work. next morning. I did. So I had so I didn’t really sleep. I had to get up at four. So I was you know, I sort of like got my stuff together and the airport so on the on the flight I was like at six maybe he did sleep so I texted him you know it was really nice meeting you and safe travels on your way back to Texas today and he started texting and we never stopped. That’s so cool. And how many years ago was that? Going on, it’ll be four in literally seven days. Oh wow. Well, congratulations. Thank you. And I’m glad that you just reminded me that it will be, it’s four days. I just made a calendar mark on that. It’s crazy. It’s been with our work, but it is funny. Let me, let me tell you one thing, Gail, that you already know about Dwayne Bergman. When he ever says I wasn’t dressed for something, he’s not being honest. He looked like he had walked out of, as my grandmother would say, a Spiegel catalog. And, and when we met, had on, working this event, I had on a a cap and a dirty t-shirt with floral stains all over it, shorts and tennis shoes, and he was dressed to the nines. So don’t let him fool you on that part. Yeah, we know all about his dressing style. that’s a great story. Well, you both have had a really interesting journey. And I’m going to start with you, Kyle, about how you got into design. actually it was, it’s very interesting how it all happened. Whenever I was, I was living in Dallas in my early twenties and, I had always had a, an interest in florals. I worked for TXU energy, in large commercial industrial side of customer service. But, I had a good friend that serviced a lot of very high end clients in Dallas, with their floral needs, would go in weekly or for, for parties and things like that. And I started helping on the side just because it was something I enjoyed doing when I was off work. And so that was kind of the start. I was also in Selam, a licensed realtor. And so one of the first houses that I did, I sold a large ranch home to some clients from Florida. And the lady looked at me she said, I don’t know where to even start. to decorate this house. You know, I’m so excited to have it. I said, well, I’ll help you. And so that

    51 min

  6. 05/27/2025

    Designing the Ultimate Client Experience (Tina Ramchandani)

    How do you create a client experience that feels personal, luxurious, and effortless from start to finish? It’s all about treating your clients like they’re valued friends, while also adapting to their lifestyle and what they love. In this episode of the Creative Genius Podcast, Erin Weir sits down with celebrated interior designer Tina Ramchandani to explore how to elevate every aspect of the client journey. Tina is known not only for her clean, warm aesthetic but also for the way she makes her clients feel heard, supported, and at ease throughout the design process. Her firm, Tina Ramchandani Creative, specializes in full-service interior design with a high level of attention and care. And in this episode, she shares the exact strategies that make that possible. From the very first inquiry to the post-installation follow-up, Tina brings intentionality to every touchpoint. In the episode, she walks through her onboarding process, why she sets aside time for every client inquiry, and how she customizes proposals to reflect each client’s priorities. She also discusses the importance of building a team culture that values service and consistency, even as her business has grown. Tina and Erin also talk about: How to structure your intake process to screen for ideal clients. Why consistent communication is more important than over-communication. How to set clear expectations about timelines, budgets, and deliverables. What Tina does to create memorable moments and build long-term loyalty. Whether you’re a solo designer or leading a larger team, Tina’s thoughtful approach will inspire you to revisit your own client journey and even refine it in ways that leave a lasting impression. If you’re listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s13e8-shownotes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwmLAiyrEKw Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to show transcript Great, so Tina, thank you so much for being here today. We’re gonna be talking all about the client journey from that very first inquiry of a design client coming in, seeing if they’re the right fit to the full project completion. And of course, all of the thoughtfulness, the systems, the personal touches and everything in between to create a really seamless high touch experience for a happy client. So why don’t you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about Tina and your world in design? Well, thank you. I’m so excited to be chatting with you as always today. My name is Tina Ramchandani. I am an interior designer based in New York City. I have a small but mighty team. We focus on warm, modern interiors that we call soulful minimalism. And the idea behind this is we like to create environments for our clients so they are surrounded. by the things that matter so they can focus on the people that matter. So it’s really building a welcoming lifestyle for them that reflects who they are and what their family represents. I love that. All right, so let’s start at the very beginning. How do your clients typically find you and what does your intake process look like? Yeah, so our clients find us in a number of ways. Referrals are always the best. Oftentimes, they are friends of past clients. They have many times been in the homes that we’ve designed, whether it’s for drinks or dinner or play dates. They’ve seen our work firsthand. We also have a great referral system. So we get a lot of leads from realtors. That’s a great one for us. And A lot of people say that they find us on Instagram, though I don’t know that it is necessarily truly Instagram. Some people are from Instagram Direct, but others have found us throughout the years. Maybe it is word of mouth or maybe it is from an article that we’ve been published in or, you know, a referral source, another referral source. And then they start following us on Instagram and they follow us for a number of years before they’re ready to reach out. So we have sort of a good multi-prong system of where our leads are coming from. And tell me a little bit about your referral system with your realtors because you said that’s it’s past class realtors are your best resources. Yeah, well, in New York City, you you’re not allowed to pay for referrals for realtors. So really, it’s just good energy. So I like to be around people that are kind and supportive and like minded and people that I enjoy and I have fun with. And so I meet a lot of realtors in our business and we have coffees and drinks and just kind of hang out and we’ve become friends and I’ll do for them whatever I can, you know, if it’s advice on their own home or helping them with something that they need for a client floor plans or just general advice, referrals to contractors or painters or whatever. And in return, they share my name along with others for their people that are closing on their homes. And we’re, it’s not just one, they don’t just say, call Tina. They say, hey, call Tina and to other people. We get a call and Most of the time it works out. Well, I’m wondering too with your clients, if you get so many referrals from clients, that usually means you’ve got a great client journey, which obviously we’re talking about today. Because if you’ve got happy clients, then they’re wanting to share the good news of who helped them with their beautiful home and hey, know, she, I can get you in contact with Tina as well. I’m excited to learn about your client journey today and those touch points. Yeah, well, we’re always working on the client journey and we really enjoy working with great people. So it’s kind of a natural progression on how we work with these clients, but I’m happy to talk about it. All right, well, let’s start with that discovery call. What do you gather as far as information during the initial discovery call? Do you have like an intake form as they’re scheduling that discovery call? No, we used to have a form. We found that half the time it wasn’t being filled out and it was annoying to nag people to fill this out. We work with high end clients and they oftentimes are busy professionals and they don’t want to be bothered to take an extra step. they reach out however they reach out. If it is on Instagram direct, if it’s through the website, if it’s through house, if it’s through an email. They reach out and Laura, who’s our operations manager, sets up a call. So we prefer Zoom. Sometimes it is just a phone call, but right away we just offer them the next available time and we try and hop on a Zoom to chat with them. Okay, and then what are some of the requirements that she’s using to know that they’re the right fit for you to move forward as a true prospect for your business? So actually, both of us are on that first zoom. So yeah, we thought about having just Laura do it. We received feedback from clients that they loved that I was one of their first points of contacts. And I know that everybody does this differently and every firm is different. But some of our best clients have said that they’ve gotten on a call with a designer or a design firm and the designer wasn’t on the call. And that’s why they didn’t go with that firm. So I will still be on every Zoom, if humanly possible, unless I am out of town or something, I will be on that Discovery Zoom to really hear and see what the client is asking for. So you really are taking what you’re hearing, the feedback that you’re hearing and implementing it and going, okay, this might work for other people to not have the owner be on the very first or the main designer to be on the very first call, but that’s not necessarily what your ideal client is looking for. Yeah, they’re looking for a personal connection. Okay, so do you have any, are some of those requirements that you’re looking for as far as an ideal client? So really, obviously budget. So obviously they have to have a realistic idea of spend, but what I’m really listening for are their needs and their wants. If they are realistic about what they want to achieve in the budget, if they are realistic about timeframe, and if they are not realistic, are they open to feedback in a different way of working? So some people come to us with no clue. They say, I don’t know what my budget is going to be. These are the things that I want. I may suggest a range. And if they say that’s great, then we can continue the conversation. If they say that’s way out of line, then that’s our answer right there. Some people say I want something overnight. And if we say this is what we can do for you overnight versus what’s realistic, if they’re open to different ways of working, we can continue the conversation. So I think that’s another reason that I’m on the call along with Laura is so the two of us can hear things and everybody hears. things differently, right? So I might hear something one way, Laura may hear something another way. We’ll get off the call and confer and say, this is what I think that they wanted. The majority of the time we’re able to come up with a way of working with people, but it’s nice to have both of us on that call. Do you find that you have certain professions or occupations that are not really a great fit for your creative or your personality and your work style? I some people are like, you know, avoid attorneys or they avoid accountants or, you know, there’s certain occupations that it’s just like, you know, that that’s not really an occupation that you can drive with or do you feel like you’re- to think that, but I don’t anymore. I want to love attorneys. think attorneys are amazing and they are to the point. They understand my time billing and they are very clear with what they want. No, I don’t think it is for me personally, it’s not a p

    37 min

  7. 05/13/2025

    Believe That You Can Take a Break (Gail Doby and Erin Weir)

    What if the best thing you could do for your business… was to step away from it? In this special episode of the Creative Genius Podcast, Erin Weir sits down with Pearl Collective co-founder Gail Doby to explore the empowering experience of taking a sabbatical. Gail has taken multiple sabbaticals over the past five years, and in this episode, she shares why this practice is essential for visionary leaders—and how it became one of the most strategic decisions she made as a business owner. Gail defines a sabbatical as “an extended period of time intentionally spent on something that’s not your routine job,” and breaks down the origins and misconceptions of the practice. For her, sabbaticals have ranged from deep reading and writing to moving homes and diving back into hands-on interior design. While each one looked different, every sabbatical provided a much-needed reset that sparked creativity, shifted her mindset, and empowered her team. In this episode, you’ll learn how Gail prepared for her first sabbatical nearly a year in advance, setting up systems and handing over responsibilities to her team. She reflects on how her absence pushed the leadership team to grow: “I wanted you all to step up and show me what you have.” The experience helped her realize how critical it is to let go of control in order to grow both leaders and the business itself. This episode also highlights: How to prepare your team and clients for your absence Why reading fuels Gail’s creativity (she read 21 books on her first sabbatical!) The unexpected gift of sabbaticals: faster team development and long-term succession planning Practical advice for business owners who think they’re “too busy” to step away Gail encourages all leaders—especially those in the interior design industry—to find ways to recharge creatively, whether through a long weekend away, a solo retreat, or a multi-week break. As she puts it, “Your time is now. Go do it.” If you’re listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s13e7-shownotes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNRGClIvxKk Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to show transcript Well, Gail, it is great to finally get to podcast together again. It’s been a minute for our listeners since we’ve been on together. Well, we both had a lot of things going on in 24 and now it’s 25 and it’s a new year and a new face. You’re leading the podcast this year, which is great. So it’s fun to be a guest for a change. All right, well, I love it. And we’ve got you all set up in your new office setting. And so I’m loving your background. I’m still sticking to my very plain vanilla background for the moment, but you are inspiring me to switch up my background. just a paint can. Oh, thank you. Yeah, they’re I will buy you a can of I love it. love it. Okay, so let’s, I want to talk today on the topic of sabbaticals. The idea of sabbaticals, how you know when it’s time, what it does for you as the business owner. I just think it’s such an interesting topic to uncover. And since you have done sabbaticals for a couple of years now, you’re the perfect person to talk to about this. Yeah, it’s an annual event now and it’s actually gonna be twice this year and maybe. From now on, you never know. my gosh, well, I can’t wait. you You’re just ready for me to go away. no, I didn’t say that out loud. No, just kidding. Okay, so let’s start off with what inspired you to take a sabbatical and how did you really know it was the right time? Well, let me start with what a definition of sabbatical is. I think that is useful because a lot of people don’t know what it really is. And most of the time people think of it when it’s related to somebody who’s a college professor. And the word is it means it’s actually from Hebrew sabbat, which means arrest or break from work. And so in the in the arena of education. A lot of universities at five or seven years will give a professor a year off so that they can do research and they can do study and they can work on writing papers and things like that that are necessary, doing research, traveling, going somewhere. So there are many reasons that people do sabbatical. And I was looking at some of the different definitions this morning, just getting ready for this and. Here’s one that says an extended period of time intentionally spent on something that’s not your routine job. And so when you all as a team, when I was talking to you about sabbaticals, said I wanted to go on my first one, I know you all thought I was crazy because I said, well, I have some projects I want to work on. But that’s exactly what you get to do is choose what is the reason for having a sabbatical. And I’ve had four. and I’m preparing for my fifth one. So I am starting to think about what that’s going to entail. And each one has been completely different. So to go back to your first question, which is, how did I know that it was time to do a sabbatical is because I was starting to think about preparing succession for the business, preparing the leadership team to be able to take on the business and run it while I was gone. I knew and I felt it in my bones it was really essential for you all to have a break from me for a while and to have to take on the responsibility that I carried that was unseen. So a lot of us as CEOs of the business, we’re doing so many things behind the scenes that you all don’t know. You have no clue what we’re working on day to day. And the only way you’re going to ever feel that is for us to be away. And so instead of taking a break that was maybe unplanned, like being sick or having an illness in the family or something like that, I decided that it was time for me to start bringing that into the company so that I was preparing you all for your future leadership roles. Well, and I love that. And I, I do think that maybe the sabbatical could have even been the ticket to keep away the illness, right? Like, had you not taken breaks, then that could have been a thing that then you would have had to have been out of the business. I’m not saying that you’ve had any health issues. haven’t, but like, you know, that’s always something like, you know, the hit by the bus theory rate that we talk about in our planning. But what I do love about those, those definitions that you shared of sabbatical, The two words that really ring true to me are intentional and rest. So even though you are working on projects, you have a different rhythm to what you’re doing during that time. So I really can appreciate that. So how far in advance? know you have been, you were talking, we really did think you were crazy at first when you wanted to do your first sabbatical. Now we’re like. when she going on our next one, right? We’re ready. We’re ready. And we also love the product that comes from the sabbaticals, both in how you are able to come back rested and creative and really excited to for the next part of the journey. So how far in advance did you actually start planning those sabbaticals or your first one? Okay, so the first one I thought about it for about two years, but a year out is when I came to you all and said, okay, I want to do a sabbatical and it’s going to happen. And it was literally a year. And so I gave you that heads up in that notice because I knew that I also had to prepare myself and I had to prepare the business and I had to prepare you for what was going to happen. And you know me, I’m a big planner and I don’t… I work on things way ahead of time. So in my case, I knew that I had to prepare a lot of work that needed to be done so that I wasn’t not working or not getting the things done that I would have gotten done had I been working. So it took a lot of intentional work to get all of the things prepared so that podcasts were done, articles were written. planning was done, a lot of things were in place so that I had that freedom to actually take the break that I needed to have. the first sabbatical, I actually read the most and I read 20, I think it was 21 books that sabbatical and I was off five weeks. And so for me, five weeks is enough. I’m not taking a year like a college professor would do. And so For me to take five weeks off, I’ve never done that in my entire life. And usually if I took a vacation, the longest I would take is two weeks. So two weeks barely gives you enough time to come down off of the high of work and then get calm enough that you can have a different mindset during that sabbatical period of time. So for me, five weeks was pretty interesting. So I took a week of vacation first. And I don’t remember where I went on the first one, but anyway, I took a week of vacation. And then after that week of vacation, I came back and just started working on projects and I started reading. So every single bit of the reading that I did was pivotal for the next year. And so for me, and we’ve talked about this a lot. I know you and I’ve chatted about it and Kristen has about the fact that where I get my ideas is from reading and from classes. And so when I have the opportunity to read and think and just go into my little shell, because I like my little bubble, I like to be able to sit at my computer and I literally will sit down with an open document and just start writing and I’ll start thinking about things. And so for me, I guess I’m a little bit of an introvert in that way. I like to have that quiet time and that thinking time. And I like really long blocks of time because I can work in long blocks of you know, six to eight hours where I can get a lot of reading done or I can be writing all day and write articles all day long. And so for me, I like to have those big chunks so that I can get deep into whatever I

    50 min

  8. 04/29/2025

    Career, Community, and Creativity in High Point (Jane Dagmi)

    Are you feeling disconnected from the wider design industry, or wondering how to find your place within it? Whether you’re a solo designer, studio owner, or team leader, finding your community and knowing your value in the bigger picture of the design world can be a game-changer. In this episode of the Creative Genius Podcast, host Erin Weir sits down with Jane Dagmi for a conversation about identity, community, and purpose in the interior design industry. Erin first met Jane around the time that Jane was Editor in Chief of Designers Today, and now she is Managing Director of High Point x Design (HPxD), a 501(c)6 nonprofit organization that promotes, unites and builds upon High Point, NC’s unique creative ecosystem. Jane brings a unique perspective as a writer, storyteller, editor, and industry leader. With a career that has spanned media, editorial leadership, and now her work with WithIt and High Point Market Authority, she shares thoughtful reflections on how the design world is evolving—and how designers can find connection, meaning, and impact in their work. Throughout the episode, Jane and Erin discuss the power of community in an industry that often feels isolating. Jane shares her passion for fostering supportive networks and why organizations like WithIt play such a critical role in elevating women and providing leadership development in design. “Inclusivity is real important to us,” she says. “HPxD is kind of connecting all of those steps along the way of the ecosystem and promoting it and uniting those people year-round.” Listen to the full episode to learn: Why storytelling is at the heart of design, and how every designer has a story worth telling. The power of vulnerability and authenticity in building meaningful client relationships and professional collaborations. What makes High Point Market so magical, and how new designers can make the most of the experience. How to balance personal growth with professional development by staying curious and connected. Jane also reflects on her transition from being a magazine editor to becoming more deeply involved with the trade side of the industry. She talks about learning to trust her instincts and follow the breadcrumbs that led her to roles that truly aligned with her values. This is a conversation filled with heart, insight, and inspiration—perfect for anyone who’s ever asked, “Where do I fit in?” or “How do I grow while staying true to myself?” If you’re listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full show notes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s13e6-shownotes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY7D-eAnuHo&pp=ygUQcGVhcmwgY29sbGVjdGl2ZQ%3D%3D Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to Show Transcript Well, Jean, welcome to the Creative Genius podcast. It’s so nice to have you here today. I’m glad to be with you. Thank you. Yeah, do you want to just introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about what you are all about? Okay, so I am presently the managing director of High Point by Design, also known as HPXD. But for many years before that, I was editor in chief of designers today, and that’s really what afforded me to meet a ton of designers. So that’s what I’ve been doing for the last seven years, magazines and now HPXD. I remember when we first met, were doing designers today and you were an editor. So you have such a fascinating background as an editor, also an artist and a creative. And I’d love to hear about your journey and how it led you to High Point by Design. Okay, I’m gonna do the very abbreviated journey and I’m happy to have a glass of wine with anybody that wants to go deeper. But like many people that we hang out with, I was a room rearranger early on, so I had the bug to make my environment feel better, feel fresh and new. And I did that in a tiny room with three pieces of furniture a lot. I didn’t ever really thought about interior design until after I graduated from college and I did study interior design at Parsons. I went back after I got my BA. So I got my associate’s degree at Parsons and I did a job here or there, but I never really became a design assistant or worked in a firm. I did try. I did try. It was a recession in New York in the early nineties and I only got one interview and that kind of scared me. But magazines also held a fascination for me because I really discovered a love of writing. And so I found that loving to write and tell stories and loving to decorate was the perfect combination for the magazine world. And I got my foot in the door at Country Living Magazine. So that was really my first industry experience, my first time going to High Point. I loved my job at Country Living. I traveled so much. met so many people photographing homes around the country with great photographers. And that lasted for 13 years. then I had a kind of yucky time for a while. I was living in Florida and I’d say I was not making the most of who I was. But I think sometimes we all kind of have those years where we hide a little bit. And then came back out and in 2018, I knew there was a, or 2017, there was an opening at Designers Today. And I found this out through some of my editor friends. And I thought, you know what, I really want to get back in print. And I was very persistent and I got the job and it was awesome. I loved my four years at Designers Today. And then, you know, the pandemic came and this little… thing called High Point by Design was forming and they were looking for somebody to lead it. And I just, it’s like, my God, just said, you have to do this. And now that was 2022. So I’m three years into it. It’s crazy how fast time passes by, right? Because I remember, gosh, if you were just starting with designers today in 2017, I think we had maybe met just maybe a year or two prior to that. Yeah, probably when I was at Steel Yard, we probably met and would have conversations at Las Vegas Market. Yep. then fast forward to today. It feels like you’ve been doing high point by design for a while now, which three years is a while, but you know, also blazes by so quickly. So, well, so from editorial desk to leading a design movement, let’s talk a little bit about your creative skills or your philosophies that you’ve that have kind of stuck with you throughout your career. Well, I’ll tell you one thing that I didn’t mention, but it really has helped me in everything that I do. I worked in a PR firm for a while when I got out of school and I was the administrative assistant to one of the principals and PR just really afforded me the opportunity to learn how to create win-wins and to collaborate. And I love marketing and I love branding. So there was that, which was just sort of the beginning of understanding. What those worlds were so i really look at my peer world is like being a great jumping off point for everything that i did afterwards it help me so much in the magazine world and now you know as we create events and things that htxt. Just being mindful of other people’s needs and follow up and all that good all those good skills that you learn working in a corporate environment so it was really really good and then in terms of. creative skills. I know that a lot of people see me as an artist and yes, I am creative and I have done things in public that are arty. And I think I just have that kind of arty hippie vibe. But I think it’s the way that my mind works. It’s the way that my mind connects the dots. We’re all unique in that way. And then I just, want to be out there talking to people. So one person’s idea, my idea, like it just builds. So I think it’s being open and I really think that where I excel is just the way that my mind is wired. It’s, you know, it’s mine. And I love that about you. think that, you know, I certainly have an attraction to creatives and artistic and even that kind of hippie vibe people as well, where it’s just like, this is how we think and it’s how we do and it’s how we live. And that is something that’s very special that I’m learning not everybody thinks and lives that way. You know, I’m attracted to art. I mean, I see it everywhere. You know, I see beauty, I see possibility and leaves on the, you know, on the sidewalk. It’s just, and I think that, yeah, I think a lot of people that we surround ourselves with also their minds just sort of wandering and create. When you’re creative, you’re just like, it’s just what you do. You’re just compelled to, know, whether it’s a painting or an event or, yeah, just brainstorming. So let’s talk about a little bit about what inspires you outside of work. And how does that actually feed back to some of the things that you’re building here with Highpoint by Design? You know, I was like, outside of work. Do I have an outside of work? I mean, I am so guilty of blending the two. And it goes back to like, kind of what I said about creativity, because I just can’t let an opportunity go that I think I can use in my livelihood. From the very beginning, when I started in magazines, I discovered that the people that I was interviewing were so fantastic. I wanted them to be my friends and they were. So, you know, I’d spend a couple of days photographing somebody’s home. And then I’d end up seeing them when I, you know, casually went to that same town and we’ve just built relationships like that. So, you know, I just I’m very good at mixing business and pleasure. and I could teach a class in that. But like we went to the Netherlands on a trip. So, you know, going to Europe, it was amazing. We went with John Muldoon from Cohab Space, organized a trip. It was myself and my boyfriend, Frank. It was Cyril Jefferson, who is now the mayor of High Point and his wife, Raven, who is very active in the High Point school system. And it was two gallery o

    1h 7m
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Ratings & Reviews

4.6
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

Gail Doby and Erin Weir interview influential people in the interior design industry, business, and entrepreneurs

Information

  • Creator
    Gail Doby & Erin Weir
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodes
    133
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All Rights Reserved - Pearl Collective
  • Show Website
    Creative Genius Podcast

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