The DesignDash Podcast

Cheryl Luckett didn't quit her corporate job on a whim, she engineered her exit. Down to the month. Recorded live at High Point Market, this episode traces how Cheryl went from a decade-long career as a corporate dietician to founding Dwell by Cheryl, now a nationally recognized design firm with licensed furniture and textile collections. So how did she do it? Tune in to find out. Check out our we...

Most designers are doing marketing backwards, and it's costing them the exact clients they want. In this episode we're getting brutally specific: the three things that actually bring in new clients right now, and the three things everyone's doing that feel productive but won't move the needle at all. One of these strategies has turned a single handwritten note into a six-figure renovation years la...

The indecisive client isn't your problem. Your process is. Most designers diagnose revision chaos as a client personality flaw. The ones running the tightest, most profitable studios know it's a systems failure, and there's a fix. In this episode, we're getting into the psychology of the indecisive client, why it happens, what it actually means, and the exact process we use to move a project forwa...

Capacity is a ceiling most designers never expect to hit. Until they do. The inquiry is perfect. The scope is substantial. The client is exactly who you've been optimizing your portfolio to attract. And your studio is already running at full stretch. This is the paradox of a well-run firm, success creates its own bottleneck. And how you navigate that bottleneck determines whether you scale intenti...

We hired two interns this summer. Here's what most firms get completely wrong. There's a version of the summer intern that costs you time, energy, and patience. And there's a version that quietly transforms your studio, generates revenue, and hands you back your bandwidth. The difference isn't the intern. It's the structure. In this episode, we're getting into everything, how we source, how we scr...

It's May. And I need you to do the math with me for a second. Seven months until December 31st. Seven months to actually make this the year you said it was going to be back in January. Most design firm owners will hit December the exact same way they hit January, overwhelmed, underpriced, and wondering where the year went. This episode is about making sure that doesn't happen to you. Laura and Mel...

Most interior designers know they need help running their business. What they don't know is what that person is called, what they actually do, or how to find them without hiring the wrong one and starting over. Laura Umansky and COO Melissa Grove have lived both sides of this, and in this episode they get into all of it. If you've ever searched "when should I hire help for my business," "how to sc...

At some point, every designer running a serious business has to answer this: how much of who you are belongs on your brand? You've built something. A reputation. A clientele. A body of work that speaks for itself. And now, in a world where staying silent reads as a stance and speaking up can cost you a room you've spent years earning a seat in, you're being asked to decide, over and over again, wh...

As a designer, is there a big benefit to opening a storefront? Okay, we're just going to say it, we get this question constantly. And honestly? It deserves a real answer. Not the romanticized version. The actual one. Because here's the thing. There is something undeniably exciting about the idea of having a space that's completely yours. Your aesthetic. Your curation. Your little corner of the wor...

You did everything right. You hired someone. You showed them the ropes. And yet things keep going wrong. Deadlines missed. Mistakes repeated. Instructions ignored. And the frustration is building. Before you have that conversation with your employee or worse, let them go. There's one question you need to ask yourself first. It's uncomfortable. Most business owners skip it entirely. And it's costin...

Why does marketing feel so hard… even for creative people who run successful design businesses? If you’ve ever stared at Instagram wondering what to post… questioned whether marketing is even working… or felt like you’re supposed to know how to do it all yourself… this episode is for you. In this episode, we're digging into a question we hear constantly inside the Design Dash community: Why does m...

Hiring more designers should mean more profit… right? That’s what most firm owners assume. More people, more projects, more revenue. Simple math. Except it’s not simple. And if you’ve ever made a hire thinking it would solve your workload, only to feel like your margins got tighter instead of bigger… you know exactly what we're talking about. In this episode, we're unpacking one question that keep...

Most designers don’t realize they’re undercharging… until the business starts feeling heavier than it should. In this episode, we ask a simple but uncomfortable question: Are you charging enough for your design time? What started as a quick discussion turned into a deeper conversation about pricing, confidence, positioning, and why so many designers stay busy but still feel like the numbers never...

Do you actually want to run a profitable business… or do you just want to be liked? It’s a tough question. And if you’re a creative business owner, it might hit a little closer to home than you’d like. Because somewhere along the way, many of us start believing that being a “good” designer means saying yes… cutting our time… absorbing costs… or bending our process so clients stay happy. But what h...

Should you mark up product as an interior designer? If that question makes you feel even a little weird in your stomach, you’re not alone. It’s one of those topics that gets whispered about in designer circles, and somehow still feels “controversial” even though… it’s literally how business works. Here’s what we unpack in this episode: • The four most common pricing models designers use (cost-plus...

If you’ve ever ended a day thinking, I made a hundred decisions today and I’m still not sure I made the right ones, this episode is for you. We sat down with Lois Barth, executive coach, human development expert, and author of Courage to Sparkle for what is less an “interview” and more a real-time working session. Lois has coached and supported members of our team over the years, so this conversat...

Your clients are not “behind.” They are just living in a different timeline than the product world. In this episode of DesignDash, we sit down with Stacy Garcia, a globally recognized designer, trend forecaster, and entrepreneur whose work quietly shapes what your clients will want next, often before they even know how to describe it. And what I love about this conversation is that it’s not a “her...

Hiring your first team member can feel like this weird mix of excitement and panic. Like… you want help. You need help. But you’re also thinking: What if I don’t have enough work for them next month? What if they mess something up and it blows back on my reputation? What if I’m supposed to have SOPs, onboarding, and a whole “system” and it’s all… in my head? Yeah. This episode is for that moment....

You can be “so busy”… and still not be moving forward. If that line hits a little too close to home, you are not alone. In today’s episode, we do something we have never done on Design Dash before. Instead of a polished, hindsight-style interview with someone who already has it all figured out, we pull back the curtain and do a real-time coaching session with Houston-based designer Alexandra “Sand...

We tried to start the year with a guest… and the tech gods said “absolutely not.” So instead, you get just us, and honestly? We’re coming in hot. Welcome to our actual first episode of 2026 (call it episode 1.25 if you want). It’s a solo kickoff, and we’re talking candidly about what it really feels like to start a new year when you’re already knee-deep in the work. Real talk about planning, hirin...

Happy New Year! Yes, we know… this episode was supposed to be our final one of 2025. And yes, you are listening to it after the New Year. Consider this our way of easing into January—no rushing, no panic, just one last look back because the conversation was too good not to share. In this episode, we reflect on the year that was, what challenged us, what surprised us, and the people who genuinely s...

What if everything you think you know about the art world is actually what’s keeping you out of it? This week on the Design Dash Podcast, we sit down with the wildly insightful and refreshingly down-to-earth Elise Arnoult Miller, founder of Arnoult Fine Art, who’s celebrating 15 years of helping people connect with art in ways that feel personal, intentional, and totally un-intimidating. If you've...

If you’ve ever reached December and felt torn between slowing down and catching up, this episode is exactly what you need. The truth is, December quietly determines how strong your next year will be. Most people treat it like a soft landing. We treat it like the month that sets the entire tone for the next twelve. Not with hustle. Not with burnout. With clarity, intention and smart cleanup that cr...

Every once in a while, you sit down with someone who doesn’t just talk about design… they embody it. And in this episode, Rebekah Zaveloff proves she’s one of those rare voices you don’t forget. In this episode we sit down with Rebekah Zaveloff, co founder and creative director of Imparfait Design Studio. If you don’t know her yet, you’re about to understand why so many people in the design world...

What happens when life completely derails, and somehow lands you right where you were meant to be? That’s exactly what today’s guest, Libby Langdon, discovered after one of the biggest pivots of her life. From actress and TV producer to one of the most recognizable names in design, Libby’s story is equal parts grit, humor, and pure creative drive. In this episode of Design Dash, Melissa and Laura...