Episode 68: Kelly Guzman, MN, RN, FAAN, President/CEO at Yellow Brick Consulting and Kevin Meek, RN-BSN, BA, MHI, EDAC, LSSBB, CCHM, FACHE, Vice President – Advisory Services at Haskell

"I wanted to be a dolphin trainer... But here I am." - Kelly Guzman 

What happens when emergency nurses become healthcare design consultants? In this fascinating episode of Healthcare Interior Design 2.0, host Cheryl Janis sits down with two remarkable guests who made the leap from bedside care to transforming how healthcare spaces are designed.

Meet Kelly Guzman, who traded her childhood dreams of training dolphins for a nursing career that began during the 1987 nursing shortage. After years managing emergency departments and clinical services at UCLA Health, Kelly discovered her true calling when tasked with moving entire hospitals into new buildings. Now CEO of Yellow Brick Consulting, she orchestrates complex healthcare facility transitions with military precision - including dress rehearsals with up to 900 staff members testing new spaces before they open.

Meet Kevin Meek, whose journey started at age 13 as a hospital candy striper, inspired by the TV show Emergency 51. His design awakening came in 2014 when he walked through a micro hospital under construction and immediately knew it would be an operational nightmare. One complaint to his boss led to a game-changing meeting with architects in Texas, launching his transition from trauma nurse to design consultant.

Both Kelly and Kevin have served on the board of the Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design (NIHD), our podcast industry partners. They found their tribe in this organization that connects clinical "unicorns" who felt alone in the design space. The NIHD's mission is to engage and integrate clinical expertise into healthcare facility planning through leadership, education, and advocacy - ensuring that the voices of those who actually work in these spaces are heard in the design process.

Together, they've pioneered the concept of "clinically informed design" - and the stories they share will make you question everything you thought you knew about healthcare facility planning. From door handles placed in impossible locations to the eternal struggle of finding space for critical patient information at the bedside, this episode reveals the often hilarious (and sometimes heartbreaking) disconnect between beautiful design and functional reality.

In this eye-opening conversation, you'll discover:

• How two emergency nurses found their calling as healthcare design "unicorns" and why the industry desperately needs more clinical voices

• The game-changing difference between evidence-based design and clinically informed design (hint: one involves research, the other involves asking the right questions)

• Why a door paddle eight feet from the door could be a matter of life and death - and other design details that seem obvious once you know them

• The fascinating world of hospital transition planning, where entire facilities rehearse their opening like a Broadway production

• How the Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design is connecting clinical expertise with architectural brilliance

• Real-world horror stories of beautiful spaces that staff absolutely hate to work in

• Practical strategies for nurses thrust into design meetings and architects wanting to truly engage clinical teams

• Why post-occupancy evaluations could prevent future design disasters (and why they rarely happen)