December 16, 2025 • 33 mins
In Episode 2 of Pretty Smart — “Let’s Name Names” — the founders dive into the people, partnerships, and pivotal moments that have shaped this growing design movement. From the trailblazers who stepped up to speak, to the unexpected friendships and collaborations formed at the Summit, this episode celebrates the individuals who make the Pretty Smart community what it is. It’s a conversation about showing up, finding your people, and building something bigger than yourself — one connection at a time.
Ericka, Jane, and Jessica reflect on the stories of designers, hosts, and brands who have become central to the movement — from Paula’s mastery in branded destination design, to the “Design Besties” who met at the Summit and went on to launch a nonprofit, to Lorraine’s mission to make accessible vacation rentals the norm. This episode highlights exactly why this community works: people are eager to share, collaborate, mentor, and grow together.
Whether you're a designer, host, brand, or creative entrepreneur, this conversation is a reminder that stepping into the room can change your entire path. This is what happens when people with purpose and passion decide to build something bigger than themselves.
⏱️ Timestamps00:00 — Finding community & the origin of the Collective How the summit sparked unexpected friendships, connections, and collaborations.
02:00 — What Pretty Smart is all about A movement built from courage, creativity, and taking action before you know how.
03:00 — Before the Summit vs. after The shift from individual careers to a tight-knit design family.
05:00 — The diversity of the community Designers at all levels, from vacation rental specialists to lifelong interior designers.
06:00 — Spotlight: Paula Oblen Her expertise in branded destination design, celebrity collaborations, and opportunities created through Summit appearances.
09:00 — Collaborations born from showing up Why increasing your circle leads to unexpected partnerships.
10:00 — The Design Besties How four designers met at the Summit, formed a nonprofit, and now redesign teachers’ lounges nationwide.
12:00 — Featuring Lorraine Woodward and Inclusivity Her work on accessibility, neurodiversity, vacation rental standards, and why design must consider all needs.
15:00 — Safety, cleanability & design intersections How experts like Justin Ford and Durk Johnston connect safety, housekeeping and design.
17:00 — Community champions: Jonathan & Birgit From front-row supporters to Collective members helping the movement grow.
19:00 — Pillow Talk memories A behind-the-scenes story from Summit two — pajamas, heels, and a stage walk.
21:00 — Brand partnerships & influence How designers' insights are shaping product development and collaborations.
23:00 — Industry leaders taking notice Speakers, innovators, and couples like Harshad & Ishita sharing hard-earned business lessons.
26:00 — Tyann Marcink Hammond A pillar in the STR world and advocate for preparing hosts for the FIFA World Cup demand.
27:00 — The volunteer team that makes it happen Recognizing the people on the ground who help bring the Summit to life.
30:00 — Spotlight: Janice & her biophilic luxury retreat Designing with intention, beauty, and deep connection to the natural world.
31:00 — Why the magic works People are willing to share — and that generosity fuels the movement.
33:00 — Your invitation to join Show up, connect, and access a community that wants to grow with you.
💬 Key Quotes- “When you show up and increase your circle, opportunities appear that you never planned for.”
- “Design isn’t just about the space — it’s about who feels welcome in it.”
- “They didn’t wait until they knew how. They cared so much, they figured it out.”
- “We created what we couldn’t find: a community willing to share openly.”
- “You’re not alone. This is what happens when people decide to build something bigger than themselves.”
https://theprettysmartpodcast.com/
📱 Instagram LinksVacation Rental Designers — https://www.instagram.com/vacationrentaldesigners/?hl=en High Point x Design — https://www.instagram.com/highpointxdesign/?hl=en Saurit Creative — https://www.instagram.com/sauritcreative/?hl=en
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
I found my people and we formed the collective and
we really should just call it the community that's just designers. And
then we share that love and we have a whole community now.
Brands. There's been several designers,
probably more than I even realized that because they showed up and
made connections. They've done collaborations with
(00:22):
brands. Collaborations with designers.
Yes. They call themselves the Design Besties. They are a 501c3
nonprofit. In addition to having having their own individual
creative careers as entrepreneurs, they band together to
remake teachers lounges across the country. And they're also doing
that alongside their other full time jobs. So they're also an
(00:44):
example of people who just wanted to do something so badly. They figured it
out at the second summit when we did pillow talk
and high end accents, did our bedding and I sat there with
Scotty and Jonathan came early and
he brought a bag and he goes, I knew you would not think of
how to accessorize your pajamas for pillow talk. And he pulls
(01:06):
out heels and earrings and a belt. So he
walked me to the stage. That's Jonathan.
That's really sweet.
Welcome to Pretty Smart, the podcast where three design industry
insiders accidentally started a movement, mostly because no
one else was doing it. Where Erica Sarrit, Jane Dagne, and Jessica.
(01:30):
Deuce, friends, founders, and people who probably should have asked
more questions before launching a summit, a collective, and now
a podcast. We created this show for every designer, host,
brand or creative entrepreneur who's ever thought. Am I the only one
who feels like everyone else has their life together?
Spoiler. Yes. And also absolutely not. So
(01:52):
here's what you can expect. Real conversations about the courage it
takes to build something in an industry that can feel enormous
or glamorous and occasionally a little ridiculous. And
we're going to talk about the messy middle, the bold leaps, the panic, the
accidental wins, the strategic wins, the
friendship that held it all together. And why doing something before you
(02:15):
know how to do it might just be the secret. We're here to pull back
the curtain on the business of creativity and what actually happens
when you follow an idea that refuses to let you go. Will
it be funny? Sometimes. Serious? More than
we expected. Honest? Always. This is
Pretty Smart, the design podcast for people who are building something
(02:36):
bigger than what they're comfortable with. Season one
starts now,
So it's good to be back. Episode 2 Woo. Woo. 1 thing that I thought
was just so important to bring up in our first season is
the community that we're building, the relationships that we have forged,
(02:57):
and the power of just showing up and saying I'm gonna go
there. I'm gonna do it. Because a lot of magic has happened at the summit
between us. Yeah, absolutely. And then just the
people that have crossed our path so far. Let's talk about that. There's so much
I think about. It's like my life is before the
summit and after the summit, honestly. And
(03:20):
what I mean by that is, yes, we talked about how we pulled it off,
and we did it, but then the summit was over, and I'm
like, I found my people, and we formed the collective, and
we really should just call it the community, because these are people
that were there that I didn't know before day one of summit and now
are my friends. And we have an app,
(03:42):
and we've taken trips together, and we share information, and we
share contracts and brands and tips and tricks, and
that's incredible. We have a design family that
formed because of this, and I'm not even. That's just designers.
And then we share that love, and we have a whole community
now, brands that. And that feels like a family, too, to be
(04:04):
honest. I feel like I have people in my
Rolodex. Picture the spinning Rolodex, which is really my
phone, but I can call people at Brands
and ask a question or need help or support or one of my
community members needs it, and they're, like, on it. That's
incredible. I think that what we see in this is something really unique.
(04:27):
It's like such a mix of different people from different
interests. Right. Different styles, different brands, like you said,
different points of view on design, different levels in their career. We've got people
who are just getting started, people who are just doing vacation rental design.
People are very curious. People have been doing this for their entire
life, or at least interior design for their entire life. So there's
(04:50):
such a mix of people in this community, and
that's what makes it really interesting and rich. It's super diverse. I think
that's cool. I would say that for Summit one, we open the door, right?
We have a call for speakers. That's what we do before we start
plugging in the content. But it was like, who walked through our
door? The call for speakers that we didn't even know before, and that was. We
(05:13):
had countless zooms, right? It'd be, let's meet you by zoom.
Let's see how you speak and everything. And what's your special
power? So can we just start throwing out some names?
Name drop Jane. All right. Paula Oblin. Oh, my God.
She is my first memory of us discussing
People that should be there. Because didn't she reach out to us
(05:36):
through LinkedIn? I don't remember. I don't remember how
she reached out, but I do remember that. Yeah, I was in California
and we had a zoom. I was at a Airbnb in California
and we had a zoom call from there and met her and we're
like, oh my God. And then we talked to her again from your house in
Houston. We had follow up. So Paula runs a company
(05:58):
called Hotelements and she. With her husband
Steve. Yes, with her husband Steve, who Erica has met, I've
not met, but just heard great stories about him. And she's just like
the queen of. To me, like California
desert, like barefoot
luxury and all that good stuff. What Paul has
(06:20):
been able to do and what she brought to our summit was really be able
to talk about like how branded
destination design is its own sort of not
even subcategory, but it's one of the education pieces that's always been so
popular is because she is able to talk about this
idea of marketing and branding and how to tie it all into the
(06:42):
design of the property itself. She also has pretty high
profile celebrity clients that she.
So she also has some. This is so unique. And she's going to be talking
about this at the summit. And she talked about it the last Summits too. She
works with Bobby Burke. Bobby Burke is very busy and doesn't
have time sometimes to be managing all his projects. But he works with
(07:03):
a designer he trusts who can help bring
her own point of view and bring her own sense of
how the project should go. She's an expert in building
these vacation rentals or hospitality spaces. And so
even designers need support, which I think
is super interesting. Yeah, I know she's going to tell the story
(07:27):
at our summit, but she is an example of just
an impulse. Go with your gut. How that her love
story started working with Bobbi. And I love that story. I'm excited
for people to hear it. We'll keep it under wraps. Yeah, I don't want to
take the words from her and I just want. To say go to Summit and
find out. She was at Summit one, Summit two, and she'll be speaking at Summit
(07:48):
three. But so much of her work is these incredible
outdoor spaces that she's building. And what we've done at our summit's
always after we have all the education. We send
designers out that are experienced at the markets. We send them with tour
groups. We sent Paula to Sunbrella, who is one of our sponsors
and she's been having conversations with them ever since she uses the
(08:10):
product. That is the best way to knock on a brand's door and say, I'm
doing something amazing. Do you want to maybe collaborate on something? So I know
when she was here in High Point recently, she got to go to their headquarters.
And I don't exactly know what's brewing. But my point is
that when you show up and you increase your
circle, your community, there are opportunities that
(08:30):
you don't necessarily have planned for. You know what I have to
say about Paula? She's pretty smart. She sure
is. Oh, I like that. But you're right, Jane, you gotta show up. There's
been several designers, probably more than I
even realized that because they showed up and made connections.
They've done collaborations with brands, collaborations with
(08:53):
designers, with each other, launched a product.
Yep. Created a nonprofit. Incredible. Let's name some
names. Let's talk about who the next pretty smart
community members are. All because of our Verd Love family
for showing up and. Okay, so drop a name. They
call themselves the Design Besties. Yep. And
(09:16):
they met at our summit. And for some of them, it was their first trip
to High Point, actually. And I'm speaking about Nikki Watson from the Design
Besties quad in Dallas, One of the most preeminent
stagers. She stages more properties, I think in the country than
anybody else. So it was Nikki's first High Point market and her
summit. And she was on a panel. Cause she's also doing vacation rentals. And
(09:38):
it was Nikki and Lori Johnson, a fine artist from Dallas. And I don't know
if it was Lori's first. Robin de la Cruz, interior designer from New York.
He, I think he had been to market once or twice before. And. And then
Whitney Atkinson, who is the inventor of WUGS
weighted rugs, who was showing at our summit. And
yes, they call themselves the Design Besties. They are a 501c3
(10:00):
nonprofit. In addition to having their own individual
creative careers as entrepreneurs, they band together to
remake teachers lounges across the country. And
I'm working with them presently on a lounge in High Point. So
they met, they fell in deep. Like they are
inseparable now. And they're doing incredible good
(10:24):
through design. They met at our summit. That's so cool.
They just were honored at the Diversity Advocacy Alliance Awards
at High Point Market with the Social Responsibility Awards. So that
was a really nice recognition for them. And they're also doing that alongside
their other full time jobs. So they're also an example of people who just
wanted to do something so badly they figured it out. Exactly.
(10:46):
And what they like to do for anybody listening. Because teachers
across the country, if you've ever been in schools and seen the
lounges, they're going to be pretty. Ugh. They
do want to take this mission across the country and have other design
besties in different cities helping to
elevate these lounges so that teachers can feel cared for
(11:09):
and excited to come to work because they have a space to call their own.
So they're starting their own movement. Speaking of movements,
I want to bring up Lorraine. Go for it, Jane. That
was. I think you found Lorraine Woodward.
Woodward. She changed my business and life listening to her.
So she helped me out here. But she basically spoke about
(11:32):
supporting all needs in the the vacation rental design
or short term rental design space. And one of my memories of
her early on is when we were trying to figure out the
stage because we didn't learn this in Summit school about different
stage things and she's in a wheelchair
and we had no money. We were trying to figure out the pricing and
(11:54):
do we get a ramp? I know, Jane, you can probably tell this better. And
you reached out to Lorraine and said, okay, we're trying to figure out
how we're going to be up, put you on the stage or do this or
do that. And I don't need anything. I don't need any help. I don't need
anybody to lift my wheelchair. I've dealt with this before. And she was
just so matter of fact. And that was the first moment.
(12:16):
It was like, oh, this lady's a badass. Yeah. So her
company is called Becoming Rent Able and she's really
changing the way that travelers with
needs disabilities can travel and feel included and can have
a great experience. I know. Jessica, you've had some properties vetted throughout
her company, right? We have one officially
(12:38):
after listening to her. And I happen to have a project called the Gathering.
Erica also worked on that project and
shared what I learned. And they were sensitive to people with disabilities
or challenges. The mother of the owner was
in a wheelchair. And so with Lorraine's
help and from what we learned, we made them a
(13:01):
handicap accessible property. And they were one of the only ones in
this whole area of Wimberley. And Lorraine even helped them
be certified and they were profiled on
VRBO and Expedia. That's pretty cool.
Very proud of that. And it was a big learning curve. I'm not gonna just
make it sound like, oh, we just put in a handbar and we're good to
(13:23):
go. There was a learning curve. And I'm so
grateful I had her as a mentor and to help. But
everything was inspired by being at the summit and listening to her.
And we have been. We've had people reach out since then.
It's like one of the biggest search features on
Airbnb and VRBO that has the least opportunity.
(13:46):
There's a better way to say that. But there is not enough need. And
it's heavily searched for. But there's too much need, the demand
is too great. There's not enough supply, and they only expect those
numbers to grow. And we need more people doing
this. Yeah. And Lorraine reminds us also that when you think about
accessibility and wheelchairs and things like, that's not just a senior
(14:08):
issue. At any time, anybody can have an accident. There are plenty of young people
that have mobility issues. And also, she's not just about physical. It's
not just that. It's also developing and autism
and things like that. So she's really just covering the spectrum.
And she is a game changer. I'll say, too, it's not
even so we talked in the first episode about design
(14:30):
feeling like an underdog in this world and never having really
been validated or recognized for the power in
profitability or the power in scalability of the property.
But Lorraine, I think opened our eyes
and eyes to a lot of people at the summit about not just.
It's not just a design feature, again, for Neurodiverse or people
(14:53):
with physical limits or disabilities. Like, the design of the space
happens when people are selecting the property too.
So there's a marketing component of this that she is able to really
support people with designers and hosts, helping them understand
how to better take better photographs that show the features or how
to list them explicitly and specifically. There's so much
(15:16):
detail in. I'm just. She's one example. We could talk about
Justin from Safety, Dirk from the
Cleanability, but this
niche, this part, the vacation rental design has
so many elements to it, and Lorraine is the champion for
communicating those. Super interesting. Just like Heather Baer.
(15:40):
You know, in the first episode, I shared that. I went to that conference and
I was like, here I am in pink, ready to design for you.
And Heather Bayer was there. And I remember
seeing people like standing in line to talk with her and shake her
hand, say who she is. Because not everybody will know who she is. She is.
What is it called? The Vacation Rental Design Podcast. No.
(16:03):
Vacation Rental Success. Whoops. Success. Vacation Rental Success Podcast.
And she's an industry leader, very well known,
speaks at all the Conferences. Vrma. And she was
one of the first people in that world that was like,
okay, tell me what you're talking about. I want to know more.
(16:24):
I did not have that experience. At my first conference, I stood in line and
shook her hand and nerded out. But the time wasn't right
because then it came later. And she was
gracious with trying to share us with her world.
Yeah, no, she was definitely interested. And we were talking to her about
doing sort of emceeing and keynoting at the summer summit that never
(16:46):
was. She's great. I love her podcast. And she's British,
so she has a lovely accent, very easy to listen to. Yes.
And the only thing she asked was could she make sure she had a kettle
over tea. Yep. She didn't want
green M&Ms. She just wanted a kettle for tea. No
orchids. Yeah, go ahead. I have to shout out with some
(17:09):
people that are in. The collective came on early as champions
and one of those is Jonathan Miller. I was just on a Napa trip with
SKS and our collective and Bridget was there and
those two are besties. They came together to the first summit
and second summit. And she was telling me that when
the collective formed after the summit, she said to
(17:32):
Jonathan, we need to be the first people that sign up because she's
trying to build something and she needs support. And what's
one year? Let's just give it a shot and see what happens. They
were so excited about what happened at the summit. They were like, let's just sign
up for this crazy thing she's talking about doing. And
they're still with us today. So can I give a little context? It's
(17:54):
incredible. So they're both very successful in the
staging world. Right. And Jonathan also
owns vacation rentals. And I don't know if Birgit has any or
has done them, but they're both very like esteemed
stagers. And do you remember I kept looking at Jonathan during the first
summit. Cause he was in the front row, very attentive. And
(18:16):
Natalie dressed. Yeah, super good looking. Who is that guy? Gotta meet that guy.
But he was giving us such positive feedback from the front row, which was awesome.
Always smiling, nodding his head along for. That face in the crowd, you need
that comfort. Who helps you feel like you're not just speaking
into a void. True. It's so good. At the second
summit when we did pillow talk and high end
(18:39):
accents did our bedding and I sat there with Scotty and
Jonathan came early and he brought a bag and he
Goes, I knew you would not think of how to accessorize your pajamas
for Pillow Talk. And he pulls out heels and
earrings and a belt. Oh, my God, that's so cute.
He dressed me right before I went out on Pillow Talk.
(19:01):
And the heels were super high. And I don't know, I
just am not good at super high heels. And so we put them
on and I started walking and I was not very good at it. And he
goes, honey, do I need to come to Texas and teach you how to walk
in heels? And I love that moment. So
he walked me to the stage.
(19:22):
That's Jonathan. That's really sweet.
Can we just take a moment to just say, at the second summit, we had
intentionally a sofa bed, a sleeper on
stage, to accommodate
this pillow talk session where Jessica
got in bed with Scotty Collins and talked all about linens and
(19:45):
good things. Triple sheeting. Yes. And there was a whole demo and
everything. So it was really well received. I'd say the best pictures
from the summit are from Pillow Talk. That was really fun. But
that's also the sort of spirit we've brought to so much of the summit is,
let's just have fun. Let's not make this stuffy. I'm just also
thinking about Dirk's plush germs.
(20:08):
Dirk Johnson. Yes. Housekeeping Solutions team.
And his poopy hat. It was like bacteria hat or something.
And he gave candy. He threw candy in the
audience. I remember that. Yeah. But again, an essential
part of talking about how to design is thinking
about the materials things are made of. You don't want Cheetos and
(20:31):
dust bunnies stuck everywhere because your housekeeping staff is
going to get very upset with you. So it's essential that you understand
product and material and finish and
upholstery so that you can select as a designer the most.
It's a kind of mix. We can talk about this later as design. But he
really brought it home to people to understand
(20:53):
what that kind of occupancy can do for germ load.
But did it in a fun way. It was really clever. I
know we're talking about people, but when all this information
was coming through in the summit, then we had brands reaching out
and top of head, like Eastern accents
and classic home. Like, after I had some meetings and they're
(21:16):
like, what are you looking for? What types of products
do you need? What do you look for in furniture? What do you think of
this? Like, they were like, I want to be a part of this journey. And
it was from us and these speakers and these Trailblazers.
Yeah. I mean, for you to have influence as the designer on
the brand as far as product development or having them
(21:37):
create collections that make sense, that's huge. That's
what every designer wants. And if the brand is coming and asking for your
feedback because you're an expert, that's what everybody's going for. Right.
And other designers that came to the summit had those experiences afterward and
went back to brands and have had collaborations on properties and everything because
they were there, which is pretty smart. It just happens.
(22:01):
Yeah. Good stuff. Okay. Anybody else? Any other names you want to throw out? I
have a few more that I just. We haven't talked about how we're going to
make safety sexy. Go ahead, Erica.
Justin Ford. Justin Ford is like,
in the industry, you just say Justin and like, he's
the Madonna of safety. He's just Justin.
(22:24):
And we all want Justin's approval. He's just a
brilliant, knows everybody knows everything kind of guy.
I don't think Justin knew this before, or maybe he did, but it hadn't
been called out. But, like, he's been talking about design all along. I remember
watching his presentation at the second summit, thinking there's
so much of design in what he's already doing. Right. Because he's talking about
(22:47):
how to. It's really important that you make a property safe to reduce your
liability, but also to protect lives and people, protect people's memories.
But so much of that safety is already in order to make
it feel easy to find and usable and
something that people don't have to go look for. Like, he's already calling out
design. So it's a natural intersection between our worlds, which
(23:09):
I think is really cool and essential. Yeah,
definitely. All right, what about.
Because I had a conversation with them yesterday. Harshad and Ishida lalanne.
Just again, two people. So amazing. A pretty smart couple.
Beautiful work. So brilliant. They will be great
(23:30):
presenters. Oh, my God. When we met them at
2024 Summit, they were a company of
three. Chita is principal designer and Harshad
is COO investor. And they're married and they
do a lot of projects together. But now I think believe he said
they have 17 people. Their business has exploded.
(23:52):
They do very large projects that
require construction at the beginning. They have a big
presence in Asheville and they're also working on two boutique hotels.
Yeah, I love seeing everything they do. Incredible.
I know so much. We got so many great reviews
of their presentation in the second summit. We asked people, tell
(24:15):
us what you liked and tell us what you'd like to know more of. And
they were like, more data, more information.
More, more, more. And so they're back. They're coming back to
Vegas. We're super excited about that and really. Doing twice as
much with us as they did before, literally. Okay. Yeah. One of
the things that they're going to both sit on a panel. This was just
(24:35):
fascinating yesterday, but we're doing a panel around how to
get the work, how to speak to investors, what they want to hear from designers.
They will both be on in addition to a few others. But this is going
to, like, such a mandatory panel, such
incredible information. So they just.
They blow me away. Who else other than. You gotta
(24:56):
say it. Well, there's others. I have a whole list. Just people should
know. Tyanne Marson, Catman. She was our first.
That's so good. I love that. We're doing our own sound effects. Yeah. We're on
a budget. Reached out to us. And the. I want to speak.
She owns some incredible vacation rentals in Missouri.
(25:18):
And we haven't talked about her. We haven't talked about her. Okay.
And she goes to every conference. She's a mover and a shaker. Super cool.
Tons of ideas. And she was that sort of one
representative from the STR industry that showed up in
2023. And I think because she told
everybody what a great time she had, that was what brought the Justins, the Dirks,
(25:41):
et cetera, to our next conference. But you've seen her at some of the
conferences you've gone to, Jess. Yes. And she's like another
Madonna ish in that industry. And she's just really
connected. She's currently trailblazing right now,
helping vacation rental communities with preparing for
the sports world. Soccer.
(26:03):
FIFA. FIFA, okay. Yes.
World Cup. Yeah. Wow. Go sports. But, yes,
she's helping people all over the country get prepared for that because
there's a shortage of available rentals in those areas that they're planning
on coming. So she's a trailblazer.
Anybody? We're gonna talk about our team?
(26:25):
Yeah, sure. Yeah, let's talk about the team. The people on the ground
here who have helped with the summit have really.
Again, we mentioned this in the first one. Like, they come because they believe in
us, and they believe in High Point and they believe the industry. And I think
they're very curious, too. But they are
so essential to our success. They're volunteers,
(26:47):
and they show up with smiles and with energy
and. Do we want to talk about. There's many people on those
lists, but I'm thinking of a few we mentioned.
Earlier we have ones that come and go part time. So I want
Jess to talk about the steadies. Oh, okay.
Of course. I love my team and other new people
(27:10):
I've met, obviously, but Alyssa Bedwell has been with
me. Yep. Exactly. From the beginning. And if you
know Alyssa, you know you love her. She's been a big part of
this. Best haircut ever. So cute. She just rocks
it. And then Cass, my business partner, who is
the owner of Big Blue, my origin story, she came
(27:33):
and. Yep. I wish everybody could see Jane's face
right now. Cause she loves when I tell the big blue story. Okay, can we
put a pin in that? Cause you gotta tell the big blue story before we
close out. Well, no, let's save that for episode three. Okay, fine. Cause I think
that's episode three related. It's gonna take too long.
Jane just kiboshed Big Blue.
(27:54):
Jane can tell the origin story as well as I can.
She's heard it so many times. Okay, so you're gonna have to stay tuned for
episode three to hear Big Blue. I'm gonna throw new fun facts
in and make some stuff up just to throw you off. By the way, I
love you girls. I lost Alyssa. Peg. Our team
is bigger now. We have Amy and Ann. But I don't
(28:15):
want to take it away from you. But I think of Sammy when I think
of the summit. It's my first. Yes.
Sammy's so great. And could we have a flash mob in
Vegas? Okay. But, yeah, I would say boots on the ground, high pointers.
Sammy was great. In 2024. Emily
Stab, who is the secretary on our board. And Emily is just
(28:37):
no nonsense. I run a tight shift. She knows everything
that's happening. She's awesome. She was like the manager.
She's so good. And Ellen Geffen,
timekeeper and just general helping people in the green room.
Ellen and her sharp leather. I mean. Yeah, it just. I mean, the list goes
on. Really. It's been great. And they love being there. People
(28:59):
in the industry that aren't involved, who we've had. Like,
Carla's in the leather business, so she's not really super active at
High Point Market. She definitely has her things that she's got to do, but she
also has time to engage with us at the summit. It's not like she's still
setting up a showroom. Yeah, I know. We're leaving people out because
there's so many people. There are. But I think that if you
(29:21):
follow us on Instagram and things like that, we'll be talking
Especially about the speakers that are going to be coming. Some of these
personalities, I mean, we've met some great people. I just want to also say I
always love when and she came. She was with us this summer as well as
Summit One Alexa from Rent Responsibly and
if you are designing or owning a rental property,
(29:42):
you must tap into Rent Responsibly. They have great online
education, they have great blogs. It is all about regulation,
sustainability and elevating the professionalism of owning a
rental. It's fantastic. I gotta throw out there. I'm excited
to listen to Janice. Janice. Janice. I don't even need a
last name. No. Another Madonna. Yeah, I know. Want to talk about her a
(30:05):
little bit. Another crush. I have this
very vivid memory of her describing her genius
design inspirations for her property. But there was a
trough in the sink and it had herbs coming. Whatever it was. I just
remember thinking, wow, she's so much better at this than me.
Janice. So her property that she bought with her husband
(30:27):
and created is called Menizai M E N I Z E I.
Even that sounds cool. In the Olympic national park in Washington. She
had reached out to us for first Summit, but it was only bubbling her
idea and then what she created. Like her category
of design is forest cocooning and quiet luxury
and unplugging. And so it's really glamping in this incredible
(30:50):
way. I think the ping should be in that. But yeah, she's
next level. She really is next level. She has a
very interesting background and she's been able to
pull. She's one of those women who just goes for it again.
She has an idea. She's got a full time job like a
career in tech and yet she was really passionate about
(31:12):
building something beautiful and putting together this
experience that was really special in a place that she just didn't. And not without
its challenges. Of course not. She worked with incredible renowned
architects. She really selected and was intentional about everything. And it's like
just this biophilic celebration and lots of black. It's
amazing. Stunning, sexy. I have to point out the common
(31:34):
denominator among all of this and the people that are coming
and showing up or have come in the past is that they're willing
to share what inspired this. And I'm having this kind
of full circle moment. And why I approached Jane that day is
because I couldn't find people that wanted to talk about what I was
doing or share their data or insights or
(31:56):
the whole thing. And so we created
where people are going to share their experience, their
struggles their successes that is not easy to
find. And so when you talk about showing up and then
all of these people, that's the common denominator is that they
actually want to say, you know what? I did this and I want to
(32:18):
help you, too. That's incredible. And it's really not just the presentations
where people get this information. It's all the little moments in between.
It's like sitting next to someone at lunch or having an afternoon
session with them where you just break into thought, like afterwards or you're
sitting with a cocktail or you're doing something together. We do a lot
of fun, engaging events, and so you get to really connect
(32:40):
with people. And that's the magic. That's what,
again, showing up will really do for you. Yeah, you can learn online,
and we all love that, too. But. But this is a chance to really pull
someone aside and say, what you said was so cool. Can you tell me more?
Or, hey, let's connect after this. I have an idea. Or maybe we could just
stay in touch and have a zoom call every now and then and just talk
(33:02):
about what we're working on. And you make a new friend, and you make a
new business bestie, and you make a new, you know, person who
can help you along this. Because we're not alone. You're not
alone. That's pretty smart. Whoop.
Whoops. Is that a wrap? Yep. All right. Thanks
for hanging out with us. I'm pretty smart. If today's conversation gave you something
(33:24):
to think about or made you feel a little more seen, we'd love for
you to keep the momentum going. What's your next step? Register for
the Vacation Rental Design Summit. It's where community creativity and big
ideas meet in person. Check out the link in the show notes or visit
hvxd.org to get your ticket to join us this January
in Vegas. But until next time, stay
(33:47):
inspired, stay connected, and stay pretty smart.
I found my people and we formed the collective and
we really should just call it the community that's just designers. And
then we share that love and we have a whole community now.
Brands. There's been several designers,
probably more than I even realized that because they showed up and
made connections. They've done collaborations with
(00:22):
brands. Collaborations with designers.
Yes. They call themselves the Design Besties. They are a 501c3
nonprofit. In addition to having having their own individual
creative careers as entrepreneurs, they band together to
remake teachers lounges across the country. And they're also doing
that alongside their other full time jobs. So they're also an
(00:44):
example of people who just wanted to do something so badly. They figured it
out at the second summit when we did pillow talk
and high end accents, did our bedding and I sat there with
Scotty and Jonathan came early and
he brought a bag and he goes, I knew you would not think of
how to accessorize your pajamas for pillow talk. And he pulls
(01:06):
out heels and earrings and a belt. So he
walked me to the stage. That's Jonathan.
That's really sweet.
Welcome to Pretty Smart, the podcast where three design industry
insiders accidentally started a movement, mostly because no
one else was doing it. Where Erica Sarrit, Jane Dagne, and Jessica.
(01:30):
Deuce, friends, founders, and people who probably should have asked
more questions before launching a summit, a collective, and now
a podcast. We created this show for every designer, host,
brand or creative entrepreneur who's ever thought. Am I the only one
who feels like everyone else has their life together?
Spoiler. Yes. And also absolutely not. So
(01:52):
here's what you can expect. Real conversations about the courage it
takes to build something in an industry that can feel enormous
or glamorous and occasionally a little ridiculous. And
we're going to talk about the messy middle, the bold leaps, the panic, the
accidental wins, the strategic wins, the
friendship that held it all together. And why doing something before you
(02:15):
know how to do it might just be the secret. We're here to pull back
the curtain on the business of creativity and what actually happens
when you follow an idea that refuses to let you go. Will
it be funny? Sometimes. Serious? More than
we expected. Honest? Always. This is
Pretty Smart, the design podcast for people who are building something
(02:36):
bigger than what they're comfortable with. Season one
starts now,
So it's good to be back. Episode 2 Woo. Woo. 1 thing that I thought
was just so important to bring up in our first season is
the community that we're building, the relationships that we have forged,
(02:57):
and the power of just showing up and saying I'm gonna go
there. I'm gonna do it. Because a lot of magic has happened at the summit
between us. Yeah, absolutely. And then just the
people that have crossed our path so far. Let's talk about that. There's so much
I think about. It's like my life is before the
summit and after the summit, honestly. And
(03:20):
what I mean by that is, yes, we talked about how we pulled it off,
and we did it, but then the summit was over, and I'm
like, I found my people, and we formed the collective, and
we really should just call it the community, because these are people
that were there that I didn't know before day one of summit and now
are my friends. And we have an app,
(03:42):
and we've taken trips together, and we share information, and we
share contracts and brands and tips and tricks, and
that's incredible. We have a design family that
formed because of this, and I'm not even. That's just designers.
And then we share that love, and we have a whole community
now, brands that. And that feels like a family, too, to be
(04:04):
honest. I feel like I have people in my
Rolodex. Picture the spinning Rolodex, which is really my
phone, but I can call people at Brands
and ask a question or need help or support or one of my
community members needs it, and they're, like, on it. That's
incredible. I think that what we see in this is something really unique.
(04:27):
It's like such a mix of different people from different
interests. Right. Different styles, different brands, like you said,
different points of view on design, different levels in their career. We've got people
who are just getting started, people who are just doing vacation rental design.
People are very curious. People have been doing this for their entire
life, or at least interior design for their entire life. So there's
(04:50):
such a mix of people in this community, and
that's what makes it really interesting and rich. It's super diverse. I think
that's cool. I would say that for Summit one, we open the door, right?
We have a call for speakers. That's what we do before we start
plugging in the content. But it was like, who walked through our
door? The call for speakers that we didn't even know before, and that was. We
(05:13):
had countless zooms, right? It'd be, let's meet you by zoom.
Let's see how you speak and everything. And what's your special
power? So can we just start throwing out some names?
Name drop Jane. All right. Paula Oblin. Oh, my God.
She is my first memory of us discussing
People that should be there. Because didn't she reach out to us
(05:36):
through LinkedIn? I don't remember. I don't remember how
she reached out, but I do remember that. Yeah, I was in California
and we had a zoom. I was at a Airbnb in California
and we had a zoom call from there and met her and we're
like, oh my God. And then we talked to her again from your house in
Houston. We had follow up. So Paula runs a company
(05:58):
called Hotelements and she. With her husband
Steve. Yes, with her husband Steve, who Erica has met, I've
not met, but just heard great stories about him. And she's just like
the queen of. To me, like California
desert, like barefoot
luxury and all that good stuff. What Paul has
(06:20):
been able to do and what she brought to our summit was really be able
to talk about like how branded
destination design is its own sort of not
even subcategory, but it's one of the education pieces that's always been so
popular is because she is able to talk about this
idea of marketing and branding and how to tie it all into the
(06:42):
design of the property itself. She also has pretty high
profile celebrity clients that she.
So she also has some. This is so unique. And she's going to be talking
about this at the summit. And she talked about it the last Summits too. She
works with Bobby Burke. Bobby Burke is very busy and doesn't
have time sometimes to be managing all his projects. But he works with
(07:03):
a designer he trusts who can help bring
her own point of view and bring her own sense of
how the project should go. She's an expert in building
these vacation rentals or hospitality spaces. And so
even designers need support, which I think
is super interesting. Yeah, I know she's going to tell the story
(07:27):
at our summit, but she is an example of just
an impulse. Go with your gut. How that her love
story started working with Bobbi. And I love that story. I'm excited
for people to hear it. We'll keep it under wraps. Yeah, I don't want to
take the words from her and I just want. To say go to Summit and
find out. She was at Summit one, Summit two, and she'll be speaking at Summit
(07:48):
three. But so much of her work is these incredible
outdoor spaces that she's building. And what we've done at our summit's
always after we have all the education. We send
designers out that are experienced at the markets. We send them with tour
groups. We sent Paula to Sunbrella, who is one of our sponsors
and she's been having conversations with them ever since she uses the
(08:10):
product. That is the best way to knock on a brand's door and say, I'm
doing something amazing. Do you want to maybe collaborate on something? So I know
when she was here in High Point recently, she got to go to their headquarters.
And I don't exactly know what's brewing. But my point is
that when you show up and you increase your
circle, your community, there are opportunities that
(08:30):
you don't necessarily have planned for. You know what I have to
say about Paula? She's pretty smart. She sure
is. Oh, I like that. But you're right, Jane, you gotta show up. There's
been several designers, probably more than I
even realized that because they showed up and made connections.
They've done collaborations with brands, collaborations with
(08:53):
designers, with each other, launched a product.
Yep. Created a nonprofit. Incredible. Let's name some
names. Let's talk about who the next pretty smart
community members are. All because of our Verd Love family
for showing up and. Okay, so drop a name. They
call themselves the Design Besties. Yep. And
(09:16):
they met at our summit. And for some of them, it was their first trip
to High Point, actually. And I'm speaking about Nikki Watson from the Design
Besties quad in Dallas, One of the most preeminent
stagers. She stages more properties, I think in the country than
anybody else. So it was Nikki's first High Point market and her
summit. And she was on a panel. Cause she's also doing vacation rentals. And
(09:38):
it was Nikki and Lori Johnson, a fine artist from Dallas. And I don't know
if it was Lori's first. Robin de la Cruz, interior designer from New York.
He, I think he had been to market once or twice before. And. And then
Whitney Atkinson, who is the inventor of WUGS
weighted rugs, who was showing at our summit. And
yes, they call themselves the Design Besties. They are a 501c3
(10:00):
nonprofit. In addition to having their own individual
creative careers as entrepreneurs, they band together to
remake teachers lounges across the country. And
I'm working with them presently on a lounge in High Point. So
they met, they fell in deep. Like they are
inseparable now. And they're doing incredible good
(10:24):
through design. They met at our summit. That's so cool.
They just were honored at the Diversity Advocacy Alliance Awards
at High Point Market with the Social Responsibility Awards. So that
was a really nice recognition for them. And they're also doing that alongside
their other full time jobs. So they're also an example of people who just
wanted to do something so badly they figured it out. Exactly.
(10:46):
And what they like to do for anybody listening. Because teachers
across the country, if you've ever been in schools and seen the
lounges, they're going to be pretty. Ugh. They
do want to take this mission across the country and have other design
besties in different cities helping to
elevate these lounges so that teachers can feel cared for
(11:09):
and excited to come to work because they have a space to call their own.
So they're starting their own movement. Speaking of movements,
I want to bring up Lorraine. Go for it, Jane. That
was. I think you found Lorraine Woodward.
Woodward. She changed my business and life listening to her.
So she helped me out here. But she basically spoke about
(11:32):
supporting all needs in the the vacation rental design
or short term rental design space. And one of my memories of
her early on is when we were trying to figure out the
stage because we didn't learn this in Summit school about different
stage things and she's in a wheelchair
and we had no money. We were trying to figure out the pricing and
(11:54):
do we get a ramp? I know, Jane, you can probably tell this better. And
you reached out to Lorraine and said, okay, we're trying to figure out
how we're going to be up, put you on the stage or do this or
do that. And I don't need anything. I don't need any help. I don't need
anybody to lift my wheelchair. I've dealt with this before. And she was
just so matter of fact. And that was the first moment.
(12:16):
It was like, oh, this lady's a badass. Yeah. So her
company is called Becoming Rent Able and she's really
changing the way that travelers with
needs disabilities can travel and feel included and can have
a great experience. I know. Jessica, you've had some properties vetted throughout
her company, right? We have one officially
(12:38):
after listening to her. And I happen to have a project called the Gathering.
Erica also worked on that project and
shared what I learned. And they were sensitive to people with disabilities
or challenges. The mother of the owner was
in a wheelchair. And so with Lorraine's
help and from what we learned, we made them a
(13:01):
handicap accessible property. And they were one of the only ones in
this whole area of Wimberley. And Lorraine even helped them
be certified and they were profiled on
VRBO and Expedia. That's pretty cool.
Very proud of that. And it was a big learning curve. I'm not gonna just
make it sound like, oh, we just put in a handbar and we're good to
(13:23):
go. There was a learning curve. And I'm so
grateful I had her as a mentor and to help. But
everything was inspired by being at the summit and listening to her.
And we have been. We've had people reach out since then.
It's like one of the biggest search features on
Airbnb and VRBO that has the least opportunity.
(13:46):
There's a better way to say that. But there is not enough need. And
it's heavily searched for. But there's too much need, the demand
is too great. There's not enough supply, and they only expect those
numbers to grow. And we need more people doing
this. Yeah. And Lorraine reminds us also that when you think about
accessibility and wheelchairs and things like, that's not just a senior
(14:08):
issue. At any time, anybody can have an accident. There are plenty of young people
that have mobility issues. And also, she's not just about physical. It's
not just that. It's also developing and autism
and things like that. So she's really just covering the spectrum.
And she is a game changer. I'll say, too, it's not
even so we talked in the first episode about design
(14:30):
feeling like an underdog in this world and never having really
been validated or recognized for the power in
profitability or the power in scalability of the property.
But Lorraine, I think opened our eyes
and eyes to a lot of people at the summit about not just.
It's not just a design feature, again, for Neurodiverse or people
(14:53):
with physical limits or disabilities. Like, the design of the space
happens when people are selecting the property too.
So there's a marketing component of this that she is able to really
support people with designers and hosts, helping them understand
how to better take better photographs that show the features or how
to list them explicitly and specifically. There's so much
(15:16):
detail in. I'm just. She's one example. We could talk about
Justin from Safety, Dirk from the
Cleanability, but this
niche, this part, the vacation rental design has
so many elements to it, and Lorraine is the champion for
communicating those. Super interesting. Just like Heather Baer.
(15:40):
You know, in the first episode, I shared that. I went to that conference and
I was like, here I am in pink, ready to design for you.
And Heather Bayer was there. And I remember
seeing people like standing in line to talk with her and shake her
hand, say who she is. Because not everybody will know who she is. She is.
What is it called? The Vacation Rental Design Podcast. No.
(16:03):
Vacation Rental Success. Whoops. Success. Vacation Rental Success Podcast.
And she's an industry leader, very well known,
speaks at all the Conferences. Vrma. And she was
one of the first people in that world that was like,
okay, tell me what you're talking about. I want to know more.
(16:24):
I did not have that experience. At my first conference, I stood in line and
shook her hand and nerded out. But the time wasn't right
because then it came later. And she was
gracious with trying to share us with her world.
Yeah, no, she was definitely interested. And we were talking to her about
doing sort of emceeing and keynoting at the summer summit that never
(16:46):
was. She's great. I love her podcast. And she's British,
so she has a lovely accent, very easy to listen to. Yes.
And the only thing she asked was could she make sure she had a kettle
over tea. Yep. She didn't want
green M&Ms. She just wanted a kettle for tea. No
orchids. Yeah, go ahead. I have to shout out with some
(17:09):
people that are in. The collective came on early as champions
and one of those is Jonathan Miller. I was just on a Napa trip with
SKS and our collective and Bridget was there and
those two are besties. They came together to the first summit
and second summit. And she was telling me that when
the collective formed after the summit, she said to
(17:32):
Jonathan, we need to be the first people that sign up because she's
trying to build something and she needs support. And what's
one year? Let's just give it a shot and see what happens. They
were so excited about what happened at the summit. They were like, let's just sign
up for this crazy thing she's talking about doing. And
they're still with us today. So can I give a little context? It's
(17:54):
incredible. So they're both very successful in the
staging world. Right. And Jonathan also
owns vacation rentals. And I don't know if Birgit has any or
has done them, but they're both very like esteemed
stagers. And do you remember I kept looking at Jonathan during the first
summit. Cause he was in the front row, very attentive. And
(18:16):
Natalie dressed. Yeah, super good looking. Who is that guy? Gotta meet that guy.
But he was giving us such positive feedback from the front row, which was awesome.
Always smiling, nodding his head along for. That face in the crowd, you need
that comfort. Who helps you feel like you're not just speaking
into a void. True. It's so good. At the second
summit when we did pillow talk and high end
(18:39):
accents did our bedding and I sat there with Scotty and
Jonathan came early and he brought a bag and he
Goes, I knew you would not think of how to accessorize your pajamas
for Pillow Talk. And he pulls out heels and
earrings and a belt. Oh, my God, that's so cute.
He dressed me right before I went out on Pillow Talk.
(19:01):
And the heels were super high. And I don't know, I
just am not good at super high heels. And so we put them
on and I started walking and I was not very good at it. And he
goes, honey, do I need to come to Texas and teach you how to walk
in heels? And I love that moment. So
he walked me to the stage.
(19:22):
That's Jonathan. That's really sweet.
Can we just take a moment to just say, at the second summit, we had
intentionally a sofa bed, a sleeper on
stage, to accommodate
this pillow talk session where Jessica
got in bed with Scotty Collins and talked all about linens and
(19:45):
good things. Triple sheeting. Yes. And there was a whole demo and
everything. So it was really well received. I'd say the best pictures
from the summit are from Pillow Talk. That was really fun. But
that's also the sort of spirit we've brought to so much of the summit is,
let's just have fun. Let's not make this stuffy. I'm just also
thinking about Dirk's plush germs.
(20:08):
Dirk Johnson. Yes. Housekeeping Solutions team.
And his poopy hat. It was like bacteria hat or something.
And he gave candy. He threw candy in the
audience. I remember that. Yeah. But again, an essential
part of talking about how to design is thinking
about the materials things are made of. You don't want Cheetos and
(20:31):
dust bunnies stuck everywhere because your housekeeping staff is
going to get very upset with you. So it's essential that you understand
product and material and finish and
upholstery so that you can select as a designer the most.
It's a kind of mix. We can talk about this later as design. But he
really brought it home to people to understand
(20:53):
what that kind of occupancy can do for germ load.
But did it in a fun way. It was really clever. I
know we're talking about people, but when all this information
was coming through in the summit, then we had brands reaching out
and top of head, like Eastern accents
and classic home. Like, after I had some meetings and they're
(21:16):
like, what are you looking for? What types of products
do you need? What do you look for in furniture? What do you think of
this? Like, they were like, I want to be a part of this journey. And
it was from us and these speakers and these Trailblazers.
Yeah. I mean, for you to have influence as the designer on
the brand as far as product development or having them
(21:37):
create collections that make sense, that's huge. That's
what every designer wants. And if the brand is coming and asking for your
feedback because you're an expert, that's what everybody's going for. Right.
And other designers that came to the summit had those experiences afterward and
went back to brands and have had collaborations on properties and everything because
they were there, which is pretty smart. It just happens.
(22:01):
Yeah. Good stuff. Okay. Anybody else? Any other names you want to throw out? I
have a few more that I just. We haven't talked about how we're going to
make safety sexy. Go ahead, Erica.
Justin Ford. Justin Ford is like,
in the industry, you just say Justin and like, he's
the Madonna of safety. He's just Justin.
(22:24):
And we all want Justin's approval. He's just a
brilliant, knows everybody knows everything kind of guy.
I don't think Justin knew this before, or maybe he did, but it hadn't
been called out. But, like, he's been talking about design all along. I remember
watching his presentation at the second summit, thinking there's
so much of design in what he's already doing. Right. Because he's talking about
(22:47):
how to. It's really important that you make a property safe to reduce your
liability, but also to protect lives and people, protect people's memories.
But so much of that safety is already in order to make
it feel easy to find and usable and
something that people don't have to go look for. Like, he's already calling out
design. So it's a natural intersection between our worlds, which
(23:09):
I think is really cool and essential. Yeah,
definitely. All right, what about.
Because I had a conversation with them yesterday. Harshad and Ishida lalanne.
Just again, two people. So amazing. A pretty smart couple.
Beautiful work. So brilliant. They will be great
(23:30):
presenters. Oh, my God. When we met them at
2024 Summit, they were a company of
three. Chita is principal designer and Harshad
is COO investor. And they're married and they
do a lot of projects together. But now I think believe he said
they have 17 people. Their business has exploded.
(23:52):
They do very large projects that
require construction at the beginning. They have a big
presence in Asheville and they're also working on two boutique hotels.
Yeah, I love seeing everything they do. Incredible.
I know so much. We got so many great reviews
of their presentation in the second summit. We asked people, tell
(24:15):
us what you liked and tell us what you'd like to know more of. And
they were like, more data, more information.
More, more, more. And so they're back. They're coming back to
Vegas. We're super excited about that and really. Doing twice as
much with us as they did before, literally. Okay. Yeah. One of
the things that they're going to both sit on a panel. This was just
(24:35):
fascinating yesterday, but we're doing a panel around how to
get the work, how to speak to investors, what they want to hear from designers.
They will both be on in addition to a few others. But this is going
to, like, such a mandatory panel, such
incredible information. So they just.
They blow me away. Who else other than. You gotta
(24:56):
say it. Well, there's others. I have a whole list. Just people should
know. Tyanne Marson, Catman. She was our first.
That's so good. I love that. We're doing our own sound effects. Yeah. We're on
a budget. Reached out to us. And the. I want to speak.
She owns some incredible vacation rentals in Missouri.
(25:18):
And we haven't talked about her. We haven't talked about her. Okay.
And she goes to every conference. She's a mover and a shaker. Super cool.
Tons of ideas. And she was that sort of one
representative from the STR industry that showed up in
2023. And I think because she told
everybody what a great time she had, that was what brought the Justins, the Dirks,
(25:41):
et cetera, to our next conference. But you've seen her at some of the
conferences you've gone to, Jess. Yes. And she's like another
Madonna ish in that industry. And she's just really
connected. She's currently trailblazing right now,
helping vacation rental communities with preparing for
the sports world. Soccer.
(26:03):
FIFA. FIFA, okay. Yes.
World Cup. Yeah. Wow. Go sports. But, yes,
she's helping people all over the country get prepared for that because
there's a shortage of available rentals in those areas that they're planning
on coming. So she's a trailblazer.
Anybody? We're gonna talk about our team?
(26:25):
Yeah, sure. Yeah, let's talk about the team. The people on the ground
here who have helped with the summit have really.
Again, we mentioned this in the first one. Like, they come because they believe in
us, and they believe in High Point and they believe the industry. And I think
they're very curious, too. But they are
so essential to our success. They're volunteers,
(26:47):
and they show up with smiles and with energy
and. Do we want to talk about. There's many people on those
lists, but I'm thinking of a few we mentioned.
Earlier we have ones that come and go part time. So I want
Jess to talk about the steadies. Oh, okay.
Of course. I love my team and other new people
(27:10):
I've met, obviously, but Alyssa Bedwell has been with
me. Yep. Exactly. From the beginning. And if you
know Alyssa, you know you love her. She's been a big part of
this. Best haircut ever. So cute. She just rocks
it. And then Cass, my business partner, who is
the owner of Big Blue, my origin story, she came
(27:33):
and. Yep. I wish everybody could see Jane's face
right now. Cause she loves when I tell the big blue story. Okay, can we
put a pin in that? Cause you gotta tell the big blue story before we
close out. Well, no, let's save that for episode three. Okay, fine. Cause I think
that's episode three related. It's gonna take too long.
Jane just kiboshed Big Blue.
(27:54):
Jane can tell the origin story as well as I can.
She's heard it so many times. Okay, so you're gonna have to stay tuned for
episode three to hear Big Blue. I'm gonna throw new fun facts
in and make some stuff up just to throw you off. By the way, I
love you girls. I lost Alyssa. Peg. Our team
is bigger now. We have Amy and Ann. But I don't
(28:15):
want to take it away from you. But I think of Sammy when I think
of the summit. It's my first. Yes.
Sammy's so great. And could we have a flash mob in
Vegas? Okay. But, yeah, I would say boots on the ground, high pointers.
Sammy was great. In 2024. Emily
Stab, who is the secretary on our board. And Emily is just
(28:37):
no nonsense. I run a tight shift. She knows everything
that's happening. She's awesome. She was like the manager.
She's so good. And Ellen Geffen,
timekeeper and just general helping people in the green room.
Ellen and her sharp leather. I mean. Yeah, it just. I mean, the list goes
on. Really. It's been great. And they love being there. People
(28:59):
in the industry that aren't involved, who we've had. Like,
Carla's in the leather business, so she's not really super active at
High Point Market. She definitely has her things that she's got to do, but she
also has time to engage with us at the summit. It's not like she's still
setting up a showroom. Yeah, I know. We're leaving people out because
there's so many people. There are. But I think that if you
(29:21):
follow us on Instagram and things like that, we'll be talking
Especially about the speakers that are going to be coming. Some of these
personalities, I mean, we've met some great people. I just want to also say I
always love when and she came. She was with us this summer as well as
Summit One Alexa from Rent Responsibly and
if you are designing or owning a rental property,
(29:42):
you must tap into Rent Responsibly. They have great online
education, they have great blogs. It is all about regulation,
sustainability and elevating the professionalism of owning a
rental. It's fantastic. I gotta throw out there. I'm excited
to listen to Janice. Janice. Janice. I don't even need a
last name. No. Another Madonna. Yeah, I know. Want to talk about her a
(30:05):
little bit. Another crush. I have this
very vivid memory of her describing her genius
design inspirations for her property. But there was a
trough in the sink and it had herbs coming. Whatever it was. I just
remember thinking, wow, she's so much better at this than me.
Janice. So her property that she bought with her husband
(30:27):
and created is called Menizai M E N I Z E I.
Even that sounds cool. In the Olympic national park in Washington. She
had reached out to us for first Summit, but it was only bubbling her
idea and then what she created. Like her category
of design is forest cocooning and quiet luxury
and unplugging. And so it's really glamping in this incredible
(30:50):
way. I think the ping should be in that. But yeah, she's
next level. She really is next level. She has a
very interesting background and she's been able to
pull. She's one of those women who just goes for it again.
She has an idea. She's got a full time job like a
career in tech and yet she was really passionate about
(31:12):
building something beautiful and putting together this
experience that was really special in a place that she just didn't. And not without
its challenges. Of course not. She worked with incredible renowned
architects. She really selected and was intentional about everything. And it's like
just this biophilic celebration and lots of black. It's
amazing. Stunning, sexy. I have to point out the common
(31:34):
denominator among all of this and the people that are coming
and showing up or have come in the past is that they're willing
to share what inspired this. And I'm having this kind
of full circle moment. And why I approached Jane that day is
because I couldn't find people that wanted to talk about what I was
doing or share their data or insights or
(31:56):
the whole thing. And so we created
where people are going to share their experience, their
struggles their successes that is not easy to
find. And so when you talk about showing up and then
all of these people, that's the common denominator is that they
actually want to say, you know what? I did this and I want to
(32:18):
help you, too. That's incredible. And it's really not just the presentations
where people get this information. It's all the little moments in between.
It's like sitting next to someone at lunch or having an afternoon
session with them where you just break into thought, like afterwards or you're
sitting with a cocktail or you're doing something together. We do a lot
of fun, engaging events, and so you get to really connect
(32:40):
with people. And that's the magic. That's what,
again, showing up will really do for you. Yeah, you can learn online,
and we all love that, too. But. But this is a chance to really pull
someone aside and say, what you said was so cool. Can you tell me more?
Or, hey, let's connect after this. I have an idea. Or maybe we could just
stay in touch and have a zoom call every now and then and just talk
(33:02):
about what we're working on. And you make a new friend, and you make a
new business bestie, and you make a new, you know, person who
can help you along this. Because we're not alone. You're not
alone. That's pretty smart. Whoop.
Whoops. Is that a wrap? Yep. All right. Thanks
for hanging out with us. I'm pretty smart. If today's conversation gave you something
(33:24):
to think about or made you feel a little more seen, we'd love for
you to keep the momentum going. What's your next step? Register for
the Vacation Rental Design Summit. It's where community creativity and big
ideas meet in person. Check out the link in the show notes or visit
hvxd.org to get your ticket to join us this January
in Vegas. But until next time, stay
(33:47):
inspired, stay connected, and stay pretty smart.
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