The DesignDash Podcast

What happens when you take an international business background, mix in a love for design, and layer it with over a decade of experience in luxury interiors? You get Shannon Smith — our rockstar Director of Interior Design at Laura U Design Collective. Melissa is off on vacation today, but I’ve got you covered! In this episode, I’m sitting down with Shannon to dive into the world of high-end inter...

Alright, let’s be real—High Point Market is A LOT. It’s exciting, it’s overwhelming, and if you’re not careful, it will chew you up and spit you out with sore feet, an overpacked schedule, and a camera roll full of blurry photos you don’t even remember taking. But guess what? We’ve been there. We’ve made the mistakes so you don’t have to. And in this episode we're breaking down exactly how to do H...

In this episode, our guest is Erin Stetzer—an absolute force in high-end homebuilding.  As the founder of Stetzer Builders, Erin has built a rock-solid reputation by delivering luxury homes with integrity, transparency, and an obsession for details. If you’ve ever been involved in a home build or renovation, you know how quickly things can spiral. The process is slow, overwhelming, and full of une...

Hey Design Dashers in this episode we are sitting down with Kali Edwards—branding genius, website magician, and the creative mind behind June Mango Design. And let me tell you… this conversation is a breath of fresh air for anyone who’s ever felt overwhelmed by branding, stuck in analysis paralysis over their website, or convinced that “niching down” means leaving money on the table. Kali’s whole...

Designers, you know the drill. A new client walks in, excited but totally lost—Who do I hire first? Builder? Architect? Designer? All of the above? And then there’s the mid-reno meltdown: Why are my walls still open? Why did I do this to myself? Sound familiar? Yeah, we thought so. In this episode, we’re pulling back the curtain on the real challenges that come with renovations—and how we, as desi...

Hey Design Dashers! It’s just US today and we're getting real about one of the most debated topics in the design world: design agreements. Look, we know contracts can feel like a necessary evil, but here’s our take: a solid design agreement is your BEST tool for protecting your business, your clients, and your sanity. And honestly? If you don’t have one yet… you need to fix that ASAP. In this epis...

Alright, friends, this episode is a must-listen! Today, we are sitting down with the brilliant Kate O’Hara—CEO & Creative Director of O’Hara Interiors AND co-founder of Faye Belle Rugs. This woman does it all! She’s running multiple design studios across Austin, Dallas, and Minneapolis while keeping her brand’s integrity, scaling her business, and still finding time to sail and practice Krav M...

If you’ve ever thought, “Can my smartphone really take professional-level photos of my interiors?”—the answer is YES, and today’s episode is about to blow your mind.  We’re sitting down with the incredible Linda Holt, a photographer-turned-interior-designer-turned-smartphone-photography guru, to uncover how YOU can transform your design portfolio and social media presence using nothing but your sm...

Welcome back, Design Dashers to our first episode of 2025! It’s just us today—catching up, and having a real chat about the year ahead and how we’re setting ourselves up for a little less chaos and a lot more intentional living. First off, big news: We’ve officially launched the Design Dash Community!  We’ve built a space just for interior designers who want to thrive. It’s your go-to spot to chat...

Alright, design dashers, this episode is one you do not want to miss. We’re closing out the year and our 40th episode (can you believe it?!) with the powerhouse that is Ericka Saurit—brand strategist, founder of Saurit Creative, and the mind behind Marketing School for Creatives. Ericka’s journey is wildly inspiring. From shaping brand strategies for global giants like Airbnb and Estée Lauder, to...

Hey Design Dashers! It’s us—just us—for the final one-on-one episode of 2024. Can you believe it? A full year of podcasting, 40 episodes in, and wow, what a ride it’s been. So, in true Design Dash fashion, we’re ending the year by spilling our guts on what worked, what didn’t, and what we learned along the way. We’re dishing on those mic-drop moments from our amazing guests who dropped some seriou...

What’s the deal with personal branding? Is it all just a capitalist trap, or can it actually empower you to live and work authentically? This week, we sit down with Kathleen Shannon, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Braid Creative (and, fun fact, a roller-skating enthusiast), to unpack it all. But here’s the thing: Kathleen flips the script on what it means to create a personal brand. Forget th...

Hey, Design Dashers! Today’s episode is a special one because we’re diving deep with the powerhouse that is Kara Duffy—a business strategist who’s been living the entrepreneurial dream since she started her first venture… wait for it… at NINE years old. (Yeah, we had to sit down for that one, too.) Kara isn’t just dropping gems; she’s bringing treasure chests of wisdom to help creative entrepreneu...

Hey, Dashers! Buckle up for an empowering and game-changing conversation that will have you rethinking your relationship with money, mindset, and your business. This week on The Design Dash Podcast, Melissa and Laura sit down with the incredible Danetha Doe, financial expert, Webby award-winning TV host, and founder of Money and Mimosas. Talk about a journey! This episode dives into some serious t...

What does it truly mean to transition from “me” to “we” in the design world? Can leadership be as fulfilling as hands-on creativity? Or is there a sweet spot between leading a team and preserving your passion for design? These are the questions we unpack in this episode. As two women who’ve lived through this evolution, we share candid insights on the challenges of leadership, the allure of autono...

What would it take to pivot from a math teacher to a sought-after designer? How do you balance a creative calling with the demands of entrepreneurship and family? In this episode, we sit down with interior and product designer Jillian O'Neill, who takes us on a journey from Chicago classrooms to the design world, sharing candid moments and insights that reveal the challenges—and rewards—of buildin...

Ever wondered what it really takes to run a successful design firm? Join us as we sit down with the brilliant Tina Ramchandani, a force to be reckoned with in the design world. In this episode, we peel back the curtain on the glamorous facade of interior design and get real about the challenges, triumphs, and everything in between. Tina spills the tea on: The Balancing Act: Juggling creativity, bu...

You ever have those days (or weeks) where nothing feels quite right? You’re putting in the work, but something’s still...off? Yeah, we’ve all been there. In this episode, we open up about what it’s like to feel out of alignment—both personally and professionally—and more importantly, how to course-correct when everything seems out of balance. We’re diving deep into the tools that help us course-co...

Hey design dashers, today it's just the two of us having a real talk about success, leadership, and navigating boundaries in the creative world. If you’ve ever wondered what success looks like beyond the numbers and metrics, this one’s for you. Let’s get honest—how do you define success? Is it all about reaching goals, or does it go deeper? For us, success has evolved. Early in our careers, it was...

Hey design dashers, today, we're diving deep into something that most of us avoid—candid conversations. Let’s be real, how many times have you sugarcoated feedback to avoid hurting someone’s feelings? I know I’ve done it more times than I can count. But here’s the thing: being overly positive doesn’t always help. Sometimes, it actually hinders growth. Melissa and I get into the nitty-gritty of how...

Hey design dashers, today, we're diving deep into a conversation that every ambitious woman needs to hear. We had the incredible pleasure of chatting with Kerstin Kirchsteiger, the powerhouse behind the Work-Life Flow Podcast, a guest who knows exactly what it means to walk that fine line between ambition and burnout, and let us tell you – she did not hold back! If you’ve ever felt like you’re on...

Hey design dashers, it’s Laura and Melissa here, back with a conversation that hits home for so many of us. You ever have those days where the work you once loved suddenly feels like a never-ending grind? Like, where did the passion go? Trust us, we’ve been there too. This week, we’re digging into that tricky, messy space where purpose seems to vanish—how it happens, why it happens, and, most impo...

In this episode of Design Dash, we’re talking with Lauren Payne, a board-certified family nurse practitioner and founder of Clinic Concierge. What started as a solution to at-home COVID testing has now grown into a thriving healthcare service that’s disrupting traditional medicine. Lauren shares her journey from running a makeshift “testing center” out of her dining room to expanding her business...

How do you find balance between creative passion and business success? Can your intuition guide you to make the right decisions, even when faced with overwhelming growth? In this episode, Katie Decker-Erickson reveals the deeply personal and professional journey that took her from solopreneur to leading a thriving design firm—and the life lessons learned along the way. Katie’s story is all about g...

Today’s episode is a little different—an honest chat about something we’re both knee-deep in right now: parenting teen girls. We’re not here to talk about business or design today. Nope, this one’s for the parents who are in the trenches, trying to figure out what happened to their sweet, chatty children who suddenly seem like strangers.  In this episode, we get real about the struggle to stay con...