Design Curious | Interior Design Career and Business Podcast

What does it really take to build a successful interior design business when no one is opening doors for you?

If you've ever wondered whether you're talented enough, questioned your career transition, or felt discouraged because clients aren't calling, this conversation is one I want you to slow down and absorb. Too many aspiring interior designers believe success comes from luck, connections, or overnight visibility. Corey Damen Jenkins proves the opposite. His story reminds us that meaningful careers are built through relentless persistence, business discipline, and the courage to keep showing up—even when every door seems to close.

In this episode, I sit down with internationally acclaimed interior designer Corey Damen Jenkins, who shares his journey behind his remarkable success. From leaving the automotive industry after the Great Recession to knocking on 779 doors before landing his first major client, Corey shares the mindset shifts, business lessons, and mentorship philosophy that helped him build one of the most respected brands in interior design.

Whether you're navigating a career transition, building your client acquisition strategy, or wondering how AI will shape the future of our profession, this conversation will encourage you to build your career with confidence while choosing collaboration over competition.

Featured Guest
Corey Damen Jenkins is an internationally acclaimed interior designer, bestselling author, MasterClass instructor, television personality, and mentor. His work has been featured by Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, ELLE Decor, Vanity Fair, The New York Times, and numerous leading design publications. He is the author of Design Remix and Design Reimagined, creator of the Design Reimagined YouTube series, and has developed celebrated brand partnerships spanning furniture, textiles, wallcoverings, and lighting. Corey is widely recognized not only for his colorful, timeless interiors but also for his passion for mentoring the next generation of interior designers.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode
✳️ Why relentless grit outperforms natural talent.
✳️ Turning career setbacks into business opportunities.
✳️ Protecting your mindset from discouraging voices.
✳️ Building business acumen beyond creative skills.
✳️ Why mentorship strengthens the entire design community.

Read the Blog >>> 5 Principles That Turned Rejection Into a Profitable Interior Design Career

NEXT STEPS:
🎯 Join My Design Mentor and start creating a design career you truly love.
👉https://my-design-mentor.mn.co

Check out our Designer's Playlist!
*️ Start Your Interior Design Journey
*️ From Newbie to Confident Designer
*️ Switching Gears to Interior Design

Grab your freebies:
📺 Watch this free webinar, "From Passion to Profit," and learn the 5 Money Moves to start your interior design business right
📌 Your Roadmap to a Career in Interior Design
🎨 3 Things I Wish I had known when I Started my Career

Connect With Me:
📧 Email: podcast@rwarddesign.com
🔆 Instagram: @rwarddesign
🌎 Website at rwarddesign.com

Thanks for listening! I hope this helps you discover if interior design is the career for you. See you next week...

Timestamps
0:00 Introduction and Guest Bio
3:15 Corey’s Passion for Interior Design
5:55 Studying Architecture and Early Career Decisions
11:08 Finding the First Client
15:15 The Grit Required for Entrepreneurship
18:06 Learning Business Without Mentorship
20:56 Why Giving Back Matters
23:05 AI, Industry Standards, and Protecting the Design Profession
26:16 Running a Global Design Brand
30:07 Staying Motivated After Achieving Success
31:54 Design Remix and Design Reimagined
35:05 Advice for New Interior Designers

Is talent alone enough to build a successful interior design career? This episode is a powerful reminder that creativity is only one piece of the puzzle.

Many aspiring interior designers spend years refining their aesthetic but struggle with the business side—pricing, vendor relationships, execution, and confidently bringing their ideas to life. Without those skills, even the most inspired creative vision can remain just that: an idea.

In this conversation, I sit down with Jamie Young, co-founder of Jamie Young Co., to explore how she transformed a lifelong passion for design into a nationally recognized home furnishings company. Jamie shares how her upbringing, education at Parsons School of Design, love of art history, global travel, and willingness to embrace uncertainty shaped both her creative identity and entrepreneurial journey.

Whether you're launching your interior design business, developing your own creative process, or learning how to work more effectively with vendors, Jamie offers practical wisdom that reminds us success isn't about having all the answers—it's about combining inspired design with thoughtful business execution, authentic relationships, and the courage to keep moving forward.

Featured Guest
Jamie Young is the co-founder of Jamie Young Co., a nationally recognized home furnishings company known for its thoughtfully designed lighting, mirrors, furniture, and home accessories. Raised in Los Angeles by an artist and entrepreneur, Jamie developed an early appreciation for design, creativity, and business. After studying at Parsons School of Design, she combined her passion for design, art history, fashion, and global travel with her husband David Jeter's artistic talents to build a brand that has inspired designers for more than 27 years. Today, Jamie Young Co. is celebrated for its approachable luxury, elevated basics, handcrafted products, and commitment to supporting interior designers through exceptional customer service and lasting vendor relationships.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode
✳️ Build business through consistent creative execution.
✳️ Discover your unique creative design DNA.
✳️ Develop stronger vendor relationships from day one.
✳️ Balance design inspiration with profitable decisions.
✳️ Use travel and curiosity to inspire creativity.

Read the Blog >>> 5 Rules for Long-Term Success in the Interior Design Business

NEXT STEPS:
🎯 Join My Design Mentor and start creating a design career you truly love.
👉https://my-design-mentor.mn.co

Check out our Designer's Playlist!
*️ Start Your Interior Design Journey
*️ From Newbie to Confident Designer
*️ Switching Gears to Interior Design

Grab your freebies:
📺 Watch this free webinar, "From Passion to Profit," and learn the 5 Money Moves to start your interior design business right
📌 Your Roadmap to a Career in Interior Design
🎨 3 Things I Wish I had known when I Started my Career

Connect With Me:
📧 Email: podcast@rwarddesign.com
🔆 Instagram: @rwarddesign
🌎 Website at rwarddesign.com

Thanks for listening! I hope this helps you discover if interior design is the career for you. See you next week...

Timestamps
0:00 Introduction and Guest Bio
3:34 Jamie Young Company's Founding and Initial Products
7:27 Why Execution Matters More Than Having Ideas
8:01 Learning the Business Side of Creativity
9:34 Scaling From a Garage Startup to Global Manufacturing
11:48 How Global Travel Transformed Product Design
15:51 Behind the Scenes of Product Development and Customer Service
20:27 Why Vendor Relationships Matter
21:55 The Value of Trade Shows and Telling Product Stories
24:31 Balancing Design Trends With Elevated Basics
26:48 What Jamie Would Do Differently if Starting Over

Are you intimidated by Revit?

I hear from so many interior designers who are curious about commercial design, multifamily housing, student housing, senior living, or hospitality projects, but feel held back because they don’t have the technical skills employers are asking for. And honestly, that hesitation can keep talented designers from pursuing opportunities they’d genuinely love.

In this episode, I’m joined by Marcy Sagel, creator of Designer Bank, an online learning platform that helps interior designers strengthen their technical and commercial design skills. Marcy shares why Revit has become one of the most valuable skills a designer can learn, how rendering tools like Enscape can dramatically increase your marketability, and why commercial firms are actively looking for designers who can work confidently in these programs.

What I love most about this conversation is that it’s not about becoming a tech expert overnight. It’s about expanding your opportunities. Whether you’re a residential designer curious about commercial projects, a student preparing for interviews, or a designer who feels “rusty” in Revit, this episode will help you see how strengthening your technical skill set can open doors, increase your confidence, and make you more competitive in today’s interior design industry.

Featured Guest
Marcy Sagel is the creator of Designer Bank, an online learning platform that helps interior designers strengthen their technical and commercial design skills. She is also the founder and principal of MSA Interiors, a leading commercial interior design firm specializing in multifamily housing, student housing, senior living, affordable housing, and other complex commercial projects. With more than 30 years of industry experience, Marcy has built a reputation for creating innovative, functional, and aesthetically compelling spaces that align with her clients’ strategic goals.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode
✳️ Why Revit matters for commercial interior design careers
✳️ How rendering skills increase your marketability
✳️ What commercial firms look for when hiring
✳️ How online Revit training fills industry gaps
✳️ Future trends in multifamily and commercial design

Read the Blog >>> How Revit Can Make You More Marketable As An Interior Designer

NEXT STEPS:
🎯 Join My Design Mentor and start creating a design career you truly love.
👉https://my-design-mentor.mn.co/

Check out our Designer's Playlist!
*️ Start Your Interior Design Journey
*️ From Newbie to Confident Designer
*️ Switching Gears to Interior Design

Grab your freebies:
📺 Watch this free webinar, "From Passion to Profit," and learn the 5 Money Moves to start your interior design business right
📌 Your Roadmap to a Career in Interior Design
🎨 3 Things I Wish I had known when I Started my Career

Connect With Me:
📧 Email: podcast@rwarddesign.com
🔆 Instagram: @rwarddesign
🌎 Website at rwarddesign.com

Thanks for listening! I hope this helps you discover if interior design is the career for you. See you next week...

Timestamps
0:00 Introduction and Guest Bio
2:30 Marcy Sagel's Recent Projects and Courses
3:15 Revit Courses for Interior Designers
4:19 Rendering with Enscape
7:03 University Partnerships and Online Learning
8:02 Choosing the Right Revit Level
10:31 Expanding Course Offerings
13:42 Trends in Multifamily and Commercial Projects
18:51 Transitioning From Residential to Commercial Design
20:47 AI Integration and the Future of Design Technology

Interior designers naturally focus on aesthetics, layouts, furnishings, and creating spaces that feel beautiful.

But what happens when a client's home is filled with clutter, unfinished systems, and daily chaos that no amount of beautiful design can solve?

The reality is that even the most stunning space will struggle to function if the foundation of organization isn't in place first.

In this episode, I sit down with professional organizer and Organize 365 founder Lisa Woodruff to discuss the critical relationship between organization and interior design. Lisa shares why decluttering and creating household systems should happen before design decisions are made, how mental clutter impacts wellness, and why understanding a homeowner's real-life habits is essential to creating spaces that truly serve them.

If you've ever wondered how to design homes that work as beautifully as they look, this conversation will completely change the way you approach your projects.

Featured Guest
Lisa Woodruff is the founder and CEO of Organize 365, a company dedicated to helping individuals reduce overwhelm, eliminate mental clutter, and create productive household systems. A former teacher turned professional organizer, Lisa has spent more than a decade developing practical solutions for household management, productivity, and organization. She is the host of the highly successful Organize 365 Podcast, which has accumulated more than 24 million downloads, and the author of Escaping Quicksand: 10 Steps to Overcome the Overwhelm of Modern Life. Through her programs, courses, and coaching, Lisa helps people create organized homes and lives that support their goals and well-being.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode
✳️ Why organization must happen before design decisions
✳️ How mental clutter affects daily productivity
✳️ Systems that simplify household management
✳️ Creating homes that support real-life habits
✳️ Balancing beauty, function, and family life

Read the Blog >>> Designing Homes That Fit Real Life

NEXT STEPS:
🎯 Join My Design Mentor and start creating a design career you truly love.
👉https://my-design-mentor.mn.co

Check out our Designer's Playlist!
*️ Start Your Interior Design Journey
*️ From Newbie to Confident Designer
*️ Switching Gears to Interior Design

Grab your freebies:
📺 Watch this free webinar, "From Passion to Profit," and learn the 5 Money Moves to start your interior design business right
📌 Your Roadmap to a Career in Interior Design
🎨 3 Things I Wish I had known when I Started my Career

Connect With Me:
📧 Email: podcast@rwarddesign.com
🔆 Instagram: @rwarddesign
🌎 Website at rwarddesign.com

Thanks for listening! I hope this helps you discover if interior design is the career for you. See you next week...

Timestamps
0:00 Introduction and Guest Bio
2:25 Lisa Woodruff's Journey into Professional Organizing
5:01 Challenges of Starting a Profitable Organizing Business
7:34 Balancing Household Management and Career
10:07 The Importance of Systems in Home Organization
12:20 What Interior Designers Should Understand About Organization
15:15 Practical Tips for Effective Home Organization
17:45 Empty Space, Storage, and Household Clutter
22:32 Letting Go of Perfectionism at Home
25:14 Wellness, Mental Clutter, and Digital Overload
28:43 The Sunday Basket System Explained
29:15 Quarterly Planning for Household Management
31:27 Inside Organize 365
What You’ll Learn in This EpisodeTimestamps

What is it really like to work for an interior designer? And just as importantly, what does it take to build a healthy, balanced employee-employer relationship that lasts?

As I celebrate 200 episodes of Design Curious, I wanted to pull back the curtain and share a candid conversation with someone who knows my business better than almost anyone—my employee, Lillian Janik. Lilly has worked alongside me for eight years, and together we've navigated everything from residential interior design projects and company growth to mentorship programs, commercial work, and the everyday realities of running a creative business.

If you're an aspiring interior designer wondering whether you should work for a design firm or start your own business, this episode offers valuable insight into the employee-employer relationship. We talk about communication, company culture, leadership, career growth, and the mindset shifts that come with being part of a design team.

We also have some fun along the way. Lily turns the tables and interviews me, asking questions about work-life balance, design trends, my personal style journey, and how I manage everything from mentoring designers to running the Sacramento Design Business Community. You'll even get a peek at my love of Art Deco architecture, my obsession with historical plaques, our mission to identify the names of Sacramento alleyways, and how a simple wardrobe redesign became its own creative project.

Whether you're building a creative career, growing a design business, or simply curious about the behind-the-scenes realities of working in interior design, this conversation is full of practical wisdom and honest reflections.

Featured Guest
Lillian "Lilly" Janik brings a thoughtful eye, calm presence, and strong design sensibility to the Rebecca Ward Design team. She is a graduate of CSU Sacramento with a Bachelor of Arts in Interior Design. Lillian first joined the studio as an intern during her final semester and quickly became an essential part of the team. Today, as an Associate Designer, she supports projects through design development, sourcing, documentation, and the many details that help each home feel cohesive and complete.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode
✳️ Employee versus entrepreneur mindset differences
✳️ Building strong workplace communication and trust
✳️ Creating a positive company culture in design firms
✳️ Work-life balance strategies for busy creatives
✳️ Finding community through mentorship and networking

Read the Blog >>> Secrets to Creating a Strong Employer–Employee Relationship in Interior Design Firms

NEXT STEPS:
🎯 Join My Design Mentor and start creating a design career you truly love.
👉https://my-design-mentor.mn.co
⁠

Check out our Designer's Playlist!
*️ Start Your Interior Design Journey
*️ From Newbie to Confident Designer
*️ Switching Gears to Interior Design

Grab your freebies:
📺 Watch this free webinar, "From Passion to Profit," and learn the 5 Money Moves to start your interior design business right
📌 Your Roadmap to a Career in Interior Design
🎨 3 Things I Wish I had known when I Started my Career

Connect With Me:
📧 Email: podcast@rwarddesign.com
🔆 Instagram: @rwarddesign
🌎 Website at rwarddesign.com

Thanks for listening! I hope this helps you discover if interior design is the career for you. See you next week...

Timestamps
0:00 Introduction and Celebrating 200 Podcast Episodes
3:15 Updates After 100 episodes
7:14 Lilly’s Expectations as a New Employee
11:10 Employee vs Entrepreneur Mindset Differences
16:20 Communication and Company Culture Lessons
19:49 Understanding Your Role Within a Design Firm
23:29 Q&A: The Rewards and Challenges of Being A Boss
26:25 Q&A: Art Deco and Emerging Interior Design Trends
29:22 Q&A: Design Leaders Collective and SDBC
34:37 Work-Life Balance Strategies
40:28 Rebecca’s Personal Style Transformation