November 4, 2025 • 31 mins
What if your natural gift, not a degree, was the key to your purpose?
In this inspiring episode, Rasheeda Gray, founder of Gray Space Interiors (https://grayspaceinteriors.com/), sits down with Erica Rawls to share how she left 15 years in corporate marketing to build one of the most recognized interior design brands in the country and land a season on HGTV’s Renovation Resort Showdown.
Rasheeda opens up about battling imposter syndrome, learning the business side of creativity, and why waiting with purpose can prepare you for the next big opportunity. From staging her own home that sold in three hours to creating a thriving full-time business, she shares what it really takes to move from purpose to profit to power.
If you have ever felt like you are not enough because you do not have the degree or credentials, this episode will remind you that your gift is enough and it is time to own it.
✨ In This Episode
•How staging her home sparked a new career and a 3-hour home sale
•The 80/20 truth: 80% running the business, 20% doing the craft
•How Rasheeda turned corporate skills into creative confidence
•Finding purpose in the waiting and embracing the pivot
•The reality of imposter syndrome and how to push through
•Representation in design: why visibility matters for women of color
🔗 Connect with Rasheeda:
Website: https://grayspaceinteriors.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grayspaceinteriors/
🔗 Sponsored by:
Chavis Law Firm: https://www.chavislawfirm.com/
TOCH Construction: https://www.tochconstruction.com/
Allstate Insurance – Rob Shaw: https://agents.allstate.com/robert-shaw-harrisburg-pa.html
Dirty Dog Hauling: https://dirtydoghauling.com/
💼 Powered by The Erica Rawls Team: https://ericarawls.com/
Like this episode? Leave a review and share it with someone who needs a reminder to trust their gift.
🔔 Subscribe for more real conversations on confidence, leadership, and business growth.
#CoffeeWithE #EricaRawlsTeam #WomenInLeadership #Entrepreneurship #InteriorDesign #HGTV #FaithAndBusiness #PurposeDrivenLife #WomenInBusiness #BlackExcellence #GraySpaceInteriors #RasheedaGray #CreativeEntrepreneur #KnowYourNumbers
Follow Us for More Inspiration:
📸 Instagram: @erica.rawls
🎥 YouTube: Erica Rawls
📧 For inquiries and collaborations: customercare@ericarawls.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
Hey yeah, we have a great episode.
I had the privilege of sittingdown with Rashida Gray.
She owns Gray Space Interiors.
And you know what?
She is actually, I want to callher my first celebrity because
she is well known and has hershow on HGTV, and she is doing
so many dynamic things in thespace of interior design.
So if you're looking to learnhow to grow a business from five
(00:23):
years or less, you need tolisten up.
And guess what?
You'd be surprised.
We all probably have the samechallenges and things we have to
overcome, but she breaks it downso eloquently how you can
overcome them.
Stay tuned, watch, because thisis a goodie.
(00:58):
You ever think about those thepeople that don't have the
degrees and they have this giftand natural ability to do
something absolutely amazing andyet they don't do it?
Why?
Because they feel as thoughthey're not good enough, they're
not degreed, they don't have thevalidity of having a piece of
paper.
Well, you get guess what?
Today it stops.
If you're given a gift, I trulybelieve you're supposed to jump
(01:21):
on that gift and execute on it.
All you need is a business plan.
A business plan and a clearunderstanding of the path you
want to take in order to sharethe world the gift that God has
given you.
So today I challenge you.
Own your gift and share it withthe world.
Rashida, I need to thank you fortaking time out of your busy
(01:44):
schedule to sit down and havecoffee with me.
You don't understand how excitedI am to have this conversation
with you.
SPEAKER_00 (01:49):
I am so excited to be here, Erica.
Thanks for having me.
SPEAKER_01 (01:54):
Oh, you're so welcome.
You're so welcome.
So I've been following you alittle bit on, I should say a
lot of it, on the socialplatforms.
And we had the pleasure of beingintroduced through a mutual
friend of ours.
And um, I was just so excitedwhen I actually looked her up.
She actually said, Hey, Erica, Ihave someone I need you to meet.
I said, Okay.
And I love her so much.
(02:14):
So when she advises me to do athing, I do I tend to execute on
it.
So I was looking you up, I'mlike, oh my gosh, she's so
dynamic.
And I saw why she wanted us tomeet because you are such a
dynamic person and she knows ourgravitate to excellence.
So, yes, so us having thisconversation, we're gonna add
value to everyone that's gonnabe listening.
(02:35):
Everyone that's gonna be Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (02:37):
Listen, the fillet, the fillet is mutual.
When I did some deep digginginto your background and what
you do, I was like, I'm veryexcited to have this
conversation.
So thank you for that.
SPEAKER_01 (02:48):
Oh, you're so welcome.
And we do, we actually um ourindustries that we we work in,
they intersect.
So you being an interiordesigner, you are what I would
say what people would like toget to when it comes to the
space that you're in.
So I'm curious to know if youcan share with us a little bit
(03:11):
about your journey as to how yougot to where you are with
Grayspace Interiors, um, just sothat people can understand.
Okay, so if I wanted to be inRashida's space, how do I do it?
SPEAKER_00 (03:26):
Well, it is not a straight line, Erica, at all.
And I'm sure you understand thatpath.
You know, I sort of stumbled inentrepreneurship.
I spent 15 years in corporatemarketing before becoming an
interior designer.
Um, and so graduated fromundergrad with a degree in
marketing.
(03:47):
I've always known that I am acreative, I just didn't know
exactly what lane I was supposedto be in.
Um, and so, you know, one of myfirst, one of the first in my
family to graduate with afour-year degree.
And so you feel thisresponsibility of getting a good
job.
You get a good job.
Um, and so I went to um when Iwent to uh undergrad, I said,
(04:09):
you know, what degree iscreative but also would pay the
bills.
And so that's how I landed atmarketing.
That's how I landed atmarketing.
SPEAKER_01 (04:17):
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Thank you so much for yoursponsorship.
If you're looking for a junkremoval company, they are the
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Dirty Dog Hauling.
Now back to the show.
SPEAKER_00 (04:36):
Um, fast forward, I spent uh 15 years with companies
like State Farm Insurance, TrubInsurance, and marketing and
communications roles.
Great career, but there came apoint at the um in my career
where I sort of felt, what'snext?
Like it doesn't feel like it'sfully aligned.
Am I working in my purpose?
(04:56):
So I did a little soulsearching, asked myself, what
would you do for free uh if youweren't being paid?
And I kept coming back todecorating.
What I didn't know is that it'salways been there.
So I've always rearranged mybedroom.
I, in fourth grade, I did aclassroom assignment where I did
floor plan.
I have no idea why I did this infourth grade, but I visually
(05:17):
remember it.
So it's always been a part of mylife.
Um, shared it with a few friendsand family, decided to go back
to school, and I have an MBA aswell.
So going back to school was notin my cards, but I went back to
school for six months.
And in the midst of that, um, Igot my first client.
There's a story in there uhwhere there was an aha moment.
(05:39):
Essentially, I was staging myhome to sell.
So I had a realtor who said tome, in order to sell your home,
you need to stage it.
This was 2015, so I Googled whatis staging.
I had no clue.
And I did what I no clue.
I had no clue at all.
I was just like, I'm just gonnalisten to what the realtor says.
(06:01):
Um, and so I did what Googletold me.
The realtor came back and said,Oh my gosh, what did you do?
This is amazing.
And the first person that saw itbrought it.
It sold in three hours.
My home sold in three hours in atough market.
And uh, that's when the lightbulb went off, that it was much
more than a hobby.
It's something that I was calledto do.
(06:21):
So that's the story.
SPEAKER_01 (06:23):
Wow.
So I want to go back to you feltlike you were supposed to do
something, but you weren't quitesure what that was, right?
So for the person that may bestruggling with that right now
in their life, like how did youdetermine, like, okay, I need to
pivot?
Like, what was it?
SPEAKER_00 (06:39):
You gotta get quiet, I think, because when I said I
did some soul searching, and ittook me uh, I don't know, maybe
five years to figure out what itwas supposed to be.
So it wasn't an overnight, itwasn't just like a click.
SPEAKER_01 (06:53):
That's key.
That is so key because peoplethink it's overnight, but go
ahead.
SPEAKER_00 (06:57):
So I think maybe in 2010 is when I started to
question my career.
I just uh got promoted and I waslike, well, is this it?
This isn't what I thought itwould feel like.
I got the promotion, and youknow, I have all the things on
paper.
It doesn't feel like it'ssupposed to.
Um, so that started in 2010, andI was like, maybe I'll just go
to conferences.
And so I allowed my my employerpaid for me to go to
(07:19):
conferences, and I found anotebook where in 2012 I wrote,
I want to be an interiordesigner.
And I wrote the name of mybusiness.
I did not realize that I wrotethat until maybe five like a few
years ago.
Um, so it was on my mind then,and it's so it's and but I
didn't start the business till2016.
So even though I wrote it in2012, even though I felt unsure
(07:43):
in 2010, I didn't start thebusiness till 2016.
So I think you have to be still,you have to try different
things, you have to open up yourmind and your heart.
Um, and then you have to askyourself, what do you enjoy
doing?
What are you good at?
And just kind of lean into that.
SPEAKER_01 (07:59):
Yeah.
So I appreciate you saying thatyou literally um journaled it,
the name of your company andalso what you wanted to do, but
yet you still had to go througha journey, and then it took you
about four years to determinethat, okay, yeah, this journey
that I'm going on actually ledyou to where you are today.
(08:20):
And and sometimes I believe, uhat least for me, I'll speak for
myself, y'all, okay?
I get impatient with thewaiting.
Yes.
And it's in that waiting.
We just had we had someone maybea couple months ago.
It's in the waiting that youprepare for what is uh what you
know you're supposed to do.
So we wait on purpose.
(08:42):
We may not want to, but we findthat we have to wait on purpose.
And it's in that waiting that wefind, you know, our true
purpose.
So good.
So yeah.
Hey, I need to take two secondsto interrupt this wonderful show
that you're watching.
I run a real estate business,and the way we fund this podcast
is through that business, theErica Ross team.
I would love it if you wouldjust give us one opportunity to
(09:04):
service your real estate needs,whether you are in Central PA or
around the entire world.
Think of us first so we can helpyou.
Now back to the show.
SPEAKER_00 (09:12):
Yeah.
And the waiting doesn't stop.
You know, just because I'vediscovered my calling, what I'm
supposed to do, um, you know,I'm still waiting for other
things, right?
And so I just actually remindedmyself the other day, and I said
out loud, I think it was um areel I saw on social media, that
said something to the tune of umdon't skip steps.
(09:36):
Like, you know, you wantsomething to happen right away,
but there's steps that need toprepare you to your point for
what will happen.
You want to be fully prepared.
I think the worst thing that canhappen is you get an opportunity
and you're not ready for itbecause you you you want to jump
ahead and you want to get tothis destination.
And so I have to remind myself,even now, and I'm sure you
(09:57):
probably experienced the samething that even though I'm
waiting, even though it's nothappening as fast as I would
like, I am being prepared forwhat it is that's coming next.
So I totally agree.
SPEAKER_01 (10:07):
Right, right.
And you're right where you'resupposed to be.
Because a lot of people thinkthat, oh my gosh, I have to make
up ground for what I lost, wouldyou believe to have lost?
But no, you're supposed to beright where you are and just be
grateful for where you are inthat space because better things
are are are right ahead.
Right ahead.
So yeah, I really I love that.
So then for the viewer thatwants to get into your your
(10:31):
space, did you get a degree in?
I know you said marketing,right?
But no degree in interiordesigning, and a lot of people
don't understand that.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (10:40):
Yeah.
I have an undergrad in marketingin international business, and
then I have an MBA.
And so when I discovered that Iwanted to do this, I was like,
oh, I have enough student loans.
I don't want to go back toschool.
I have enough student loans.
Um, but I do respect theindustry enough to make sure
that I have a clearunderstanding, knowledge, and
skill set.
And so um I did go to TempleUniversity for a six-month
(11:06):
non-credit course just tofamiliarize myself with some of
the principles of the industry,um, some of the basics.
But really, in the world likemine's, um, I would say probably
half of us are formally educatedin this space and the other half
aren't.
Um, but a lot of it is practiceand talent.
Um, and you know, you just buildthat over time.
SPEAKER_01 (11:30):
See, and that's what a lot of people don't understand
too, because I found that to betrue.
And so when you went back toschool, was it to make sure that
you were legit?
Because there's a lot of peoplethat feel as though in this
space, if you don't are notdegreed, I I see the snub or you
know, like, okay, well, I'mdegreed and they're not.
(11:50):
I've I've seen that in that inthis industry that you're in.
So, how do you overcome that?
You do the work.
SPEAKER_00 (11:58):
Okay, can I just get real for a second?
No one can no one can deny thatI've done the work.
No one can deny that the nextdesigner who has a degree has
done the work.
Like you just do the work, andreally your portfolio is your
ticket.
And so, um, in the beginning, tobe honest, Erica, I know I you
know I'm saying this boldly, butin the beginning, I struggled
(12:21):
with that.
I I felt like there was thislevel of imposter syndrome.
You know, I have all of this uheducation in another industry,
and I struggled with not beingformally educated in design.
But really, the background forme is I come from a
neighborhood.
I come from a family, I comefrom a life where interior
designers were not a normal,like it wasn't a known thing.
(12:44):
I was not aware of this as aprofession.
Right.
I didn't know about this as aprofession until college when
HGTV came about, but full circlemoment.
But uh I didn't, and if Ididn't, maybe I would have
formally been educated.
And I had a business coach earlyon who said to me, uh, your
(13:06):
level of excellence doesn'twaver because you're in a
different industry.
If you're excellent in your jobas an assistant vice president
of marketing, you're gonna beexcellent in your job as an
interior designer.
Of course, there's a learningcurve, but you just carry some
of those same skills: intrapersonal skills, (13:18):
undefined
communication skills, projectmanagement, some of those things
carry over.
And then the other thing thathelps me to get over this is I
realized 80% of my job is run inthe business, 20% of it is being
an interior designer.
SPEAKER_01 (13:34):
Wow.
SPEAKER_00 (13:35):
Say that again.
Uh 80% of my job is running thebusiness, 20% of it is being an
interior designer.
And that was a surprise to me.
SPEAKER_01 (13:46):
Yeah, yeah.
And I think anyone that's asmall business owner needs to
hear that.
So, if anything else, you can begreat at your craft, but if
you're not great at running abusiness, then you're literally
running a hobby.
You're having a hobby.
And I had to find that out formyself.
Being profitable, running abusiness or successful, so you
(14:08):
can live the life you truly wantto live, that is so much more
important than actually goingout for me, than selling real
estate.
Absolutely.
Now, I enjoy the customers.
However, if I'm not able to paythe bills, then we're not gonna
have customers.
We have to shut the doors.
So I need you to say that.
Yes, and I'm glad you said it,because a lot of people lose
(14:29):
sight of that as small businessowners.
And that's exactly what thisplatform is about, is just to
help people to, you know, evolveinto the best versions of
themselves so they can fund thelife they truly want to live.
So thank you for that.
Yeah, absolutely.
Yeah, it's the truth.
Hey, I'm hoping you're enjoyingthis episode of Coffee with E.
I had to take 30 seconds toshare with you one of our
sponsors for this episode, TopConstruction.
(14:50):
They are a premier constructioncompany located in Central PA.
So if you live in Dolphin,Cumberland, Lancaster, and
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Not only are they reliable, theyare reasonable, and they get the
job done.
Now, let's go back to theepisode.
It is the truth.
Yeah.
So then when did you find outthat running a business, like a
business, was the most importantthing?
SPEAKER_00 (15:11):
Yeah.
Um I found that out early on.
I think um, and okay, so Istarted the business in 2016.
Um, and what I didn't share uhbefore is that I was running the
business and building, or excuseme, and working in corporate
full time.
So I was building my designbusiness and still working in
corporate for three and a halfyears.
(15:33):
And so I will say I knew earlyon that the business side of
what I do was really important,but I think it really hit home
when I went full-time.
Um, and so I went full-time in2019 and I did all the things.
I had savings, I hired businesscoaches to prepare me for that
opportunity or for that moment.
(15:53):
Um, I built a really good bookof business.
Like I built a great clienteleand I felt comfortable enough
with leaving my corporate joband replacing my salary with my
business.
What I was not prepared for wasI guess the actual managing the
business side.
Um, and so that's when I reallyquickly realized that the top
(16:17):
line isn't as important as thebottom line.
Um that and that you can makelots of money and still be
broke.
Um so yeah, when I didn't havethe backing of my corporate
salary when I went full time,that's when I realized how
critical it is to know thebusiness side of things.
And honestly, Erica, now I heardesigners saying they wish that
(16:41):
they had some businessexperience.
So the grass is always greeneron the other side.
I mean, of course, I wish I hada formal education or um from
time to time in design, and theywish that they had a business
education.
So you make the most of it, youguys.
SPEAKER_01 (16:58):
You do make the most of what you got.
And and I I believe I love thatbecause you're bringing a fresh
perspective as how important itis.
You can be successful inanything as long as you have a
business plan, right?
And you know how to run abusiness and you know how to
lead others in such a way thatthey are feeling like empowered.
(17:19):
So to hear you say that, that isso true.
Because you had the gift ofinterior designing, which, you
know, if you have a gift, it canbe in any industry.
You have that gift, but what'smore important is learn how to
run that business so that yourgift can actually fund the life
that you choose to live.
I keep saying that, but it's soimportant.
SPEAKER_00 (17:40):
I um I just spoke at a conference for interior
designers.
Um, and my topic was knowingyour numbers.
And it just speaks to what youand I have been talking about.
And what I started with at myplatform was three P's purpose,
pricing, or profit, and thenpower.
Um, and so you have to startwith what's your why?
(18:03):
Um, what are you trying to makemoney for?
Um, like basically defining whatthe life is that you want to
live, to your point.
Um, and then you can figure outwhat the money is and how you
get to that life.
And then all of that gives youpower in the end.
So I do think it's reallyimportant that you because if
why else are we in business?
You know, why else are webecause entrepreneurship is
(18:27):
stressful.
It is it really is a challenge.
It can be a challenge from timeto time, and so you have to have
some motivation behind it.
And it can't always be money.
It could be, you know, money isthe tool to fund um my children
to go to college.
Money is the tool to be able toprovide my parents with a
(18:49):
beautiful home.
Whatever that is for you, um,you just always have to have
that in the back of your mind inorder to keep going in this
entrepreneurial life.
SPEAKER_01 (18:59):
Yeah, that is really good.
So then you doing all the rightthings.
I know there were somechallenges that you had to
overcome throughout.
Do you mind sharing those withour um community so you they can
possibly shorten their learningcurve?
SPEAKER_00 (19:13):
Yeah, absolutely.
One of the first challenges, andI alluded to this a little
earlier, was um justtransitioning from going from a
corporate full-time job where Ihad a manager and I had KPIs and
I had goals for the year, andthey were all set for me.
Every I knew what I needed to doto be successful in my job, to
(19:36):
go from that to now I'mresponsible for defining all of
that.
That was a little bit of astruggle for me, not only for
myself, but also for my teammembers.
Um, and along with that came thestruggle of time management.
So, you know, you you and thisis so simple, but it really was
a thing for me.
I, you know, went from working anine to five, and at the time I
(19:58):
was working my nine to five inmy corporate job, and then I was
working um five to nine with thekids in home and home life, and
then I would work nine to onea.m.
in my business, and so I wasvery structured in that.
It was sanity for three years,but it it really helped me.
(20:18):
Um, and then I went from that toall this free time, you know, no
one's telling me what time Ineed to start my work day or
what priorities I need to havefor the day.
And so I had to restructure howI thought about time, and I had
to tell myself, and I still do,even I've been full-time six
(20:39):
years, I still say to myself,revenue producing activities,
revenue generating activities.
What is the biggest bang foryour buck?
What can you delegate?
I still have to tell myselfthat.
So that's really a big hurdle, Ithink, initially, just sort of
managing your time to be themost productive because um you
eat what you kill.
And so you got to be veryresponsible for your time.
SPEAKER_01 (21:04):
I had to take two seconds to interrupt this
episode.
I would like to thank one of ourmost recent guests, attorney
Jenny Chavis, for sponsoringthis show.
Chavis Law Firm is an elite lawfirm in central Pennsylvania
that helps with estate planningas well as understanding what
type of business entity youshould enter into when starting
your business.
If you're looking for a greatattorney that understands estate
(21:27):
planning as well as businessentity, how to start the right
way, you want to check outattorney Chavis, Chavis Law
Firm.
Now, back to the show.
Yeah, you're definitely speakingmy language for sure.
Yeah.
And it's all about discipline.
You have to be disciplined andmaking sure you do the right
activities in order to get to,you know, uh where you want to
go.
Yeah.
(21:47):
That's really good.
Really good.
Okay, so let's talk about yourbreakthrough because your hard
work earned you access andopportunities for things that
you probably weren't eventhinking about.
Did you have a goal?
I don't want to, I want you toshare with this discipline and
the hard work has earned you.
Oh man.
SPEAKER_00 (22:05):
Okay, are we talking about the thing that just
happened or just like majorityperiod?
Well, you know what?
Um, yes, I had goals.
Thank goodness for my corporatebackground because it has taught
me to treat my business like acorporation.
And so every year we do umforecasting and planning for our
(22:26):
goals in terms of revenue andprofit, um, headcount and all
those great things.
So, yes, I had goals.
Um, but I think what I want tofocus on is the big debut on
HGTV.
So I'm so excited to share.
It's been released already thatmy husband and I are on an
(22:46):
entire season of a show calledRenovation Resort.
Um, and that aired on HGTV.
So it is a dream come true.
Um, and I'm so grateful for theopportunity.
It it is the opportunity of alifetime in our industry.
If someone wants to dotelevision, to be on HGTV and to
be on an entire season is reallya a big deal.
(23:07):
So I'm grateful for that.
Um, television was not on myradar.
I I found out you know what wewant to be?
SPEAKER_01 (23:14):
Yeah, did you want to be on TV?
No, it wasn't because I do.
If anyone's watching, I want tobe on TV, reality TV right here.
SPEAKER_00 (23:22):
I can see it for sure.
I think you would be amazing.
Um, thank you.
I no television was not on myradar.
Do I want to be on televisionnow?
Yes, it is now part of mybusiness strategy.
But um, no, what happened was Igot a DM, Erica.
Someone DM'd me.
(23:44):
Yo, wait, stop.
Look at your DMs.
She's saying do not ignore theDMs.
SPEAKER_01 (23:49):
Don't ignore DMs.
What are you saying?
There's so many scams out there.
SPEAKER_00 (23:54):
All the things.
So this was in 2017.
Um, and I thought it was a scam.
I did not respond initially.
So oh my gosh, I need to look atmy yeah, it was something to the
effect of I'm a castingdirector, I'm casting for the
show.
Um, I don't even think theyspoke of the network.
They said a major network, andit was very vague.
(24:15):
And I was like, mm, this doesn'tseem right.
And I think at the timeInstagram was really heavily
spammed.
Like, so, and I just started onInstagram, and so I ignored it
for a little while, and thensomething brought me back to it.
I know well, God brought me backto it.
Um, and at the same time, uh,was having some personal
challenges.
My uh parent, one of my parents,wasn't doing well uh medically,
(24:38):
and so I just got busy and I waslike, Oh, I'll get around to it.
So, anyways, fast forward, I didrespond.
I said, Hey, I would love tolearn more.
And that was uh HGTV's fleamarket flip.
Um, and so yep.
So I went through the interviewprocess, which was very intense.
It was, you know, phone call, aSkype interview at the time.
(25:00):
And then it was take three decoritems from a thrift store and
flip them into something new andsend that over.
Oh so this is before evengetting to the show.
This is like, we want to makesure you can do this.
So send that over to us.
And you know, I was in thehospital around the clock caring
(25:20):
for my parent, and I was like, Ijust can't do this.
And so at the 11th hour, Iturned in my total application
and uh we were selected.
Um, so my husband and I appearedon that in 2018, and that's when
the television bug bit me.
I was like, oh, I yes, I bet.
SPEAKER_01 (25:40):
Yeah.
Had to take two seconds to thankAllstate Insurance for
sponsoring this episode.
If you're looking for car, life,or casualty insurance, they're
gonna be your ultimate insurancecompany.
Thank you, Rob Shaw, withAllstate Insurance.
Now, back to the show.
SPEAKER_00 (25:56):
And um, for me, television, there's a few
reasons why it's top of mind forme.
Um, one, of course, is it helpsto build the business brand.
Like it's brand building, it'sgreat exposure.
But the other thing that's uhmaybe even more important is it
provides um oh, what's the word?
Representation.
(26:17):
It provides representation.
I think, you know, going back tonot going to school for interior
design initially is because Ididn't see that for myself.
I didn't see someone that lookedlike me as a woman of color in
this space.
And so to be able to stand upnow as a woman of color and be
on a national platform to sharethat yes, we are here in the
(26:40):
interior design industry.
Although we only represent threepercent, we are here.
And um, you know, thisopportunity exists for anyone
who would like to pursue it.
Uh so yeah, that's my journey.
And since then I've done like, Idon't know, a dozen national
shows um and a lot of local.
SPEAKER_01 (26:59):
Oh, I only did a dozen, just a mere dozen.
You know, I don't bore you withthe list.
SPEAKER_00 (27:07):
But no, I really, really enjoy it.
And honestly, speaking ontelevision is easier for me than
speaking in person to multiplepeople.
Like, I it's harder for me tospeak on a stage than it is to
do television.
SPEAKER_01 (27:20):
So you know what?
I agree, I agree, because I cando stuff like this all day long,
and just imagine like thethousands of people that watch
this, I'm okay with that.
But get me on a stage and I seethose faces, knees buckling.
You hear me?
Yes, yeah, totally.
I can talk to a camera all daylong, and there's some people
(27:42):
that are just the reverse.
They can talk to you know, amillion of people face to face
on stage, and they just tremblewhen they see a camera.
They just tremble.
So yeah, I'm a camera girl.
I'm a camera girl, and I have afeeling that people in um in our
community is are also camerapeople, like yes, yeah, they're
(28:03):
camera people too.
I would love to know it.
I'm gonna put a poll out there.
How many people would prefer tobe on stage as opposed to in
front of a camera?
I'm interested to know.
Let us know.
Let us know.
Okay, so for any for youryounger self, what would you
say?
Because the age group, thetarget market that we have here
(28:24):
is between 25 to 35, and we havebeen up.
However, people that arestarting out and they are
ambitious, no getters.
What would you say to them?
What is some piece of advicethat you wish that your younger
self had?
Girl, you got it.
SPEAKER_00 (28:44):
You have everything that you need.
It may not all be fully baked,it may still need a lot of work
and a lot of um time, but you'renot lacking anything.
I think um early I mentionedearlier on that I struggled with
(29:04):
imposter syndrome, and thatcertainly probably helped me
back a little bit, but it couldhave been an obstacle in my
career.
Um, and if I'm honest, I stillstruggle with it from time to
time as well.
Um so I'm still telling myselfthis younger or older, Rashida,
that you have it.
(29:25):
You there's no way that youwould be brought to where you
are or the idea of what you havein your mind of what you want to
do or create without being fullyequipped.
It's just a matter of time andpractice for it to be fully
realized.
Um, and then also what you thinkyou don't have is what makes you
unique.
(29:45):
And so I thought that not havinga degree in design would be a
hindrance, but what I've learnedis all these skills oh, all of
these skills that I havegathered.
Gathered from my years incorporate is what makes me
unique to both my clients andother designers in the industry.
SPEAKER_01 (30:08):
Mmm, that's so good.
So good.
So good.
Yeah, thank you for that.
And I appreciate you sharing.
And um I want to applaud you.
We you want to have so many newpeople wanting to follow your
progress and yeah, support youin so many ways.
And I'm coming.
I'm coming to your hometown.
SPEAKER_00 (30:29):
Yes, we need to have I would love that, Erica, so
much.
I would love to meet you inperson and definitely just
connect.
SPEAKER_01 (30:38):
Yeah, thank you so much.
Now I know you're a busy person,so I'm not going to hold you any
much much longer.
And I do appreciate you so much.
I really do.
I really do appreciate you.
And I am wishing you nothing butthe best.
When did your new season comeout?
Is the season it already popped,but isn't there another one?
SPEAKER_00 (30:54):
No, it was a one-season show.
Um, and so it is still availableto watch on demand.
So you can search HGTV forRenomation Resort Showdown.
Um, and then from your lips, thegods airs, because perhaps there
could be something else on thehorizon.
So we'll stay tuned for that.
SPEAKER_01 (31:12):
Yes, I love it.
Thank you so much, and Iappreciate it.
You're welcome.
Thank you, Erica, for theopportunity.
Hey yeah, we have a great episode.
I had the privilege of sittingdown with Rashida Gray.
She owns Gray Space Interiors.
And you know what?
She is actually, I want to callher my first celebrity because
she is well known and has hershow on HGTV, and she is doing
so many dynamic things in thespace of interior design.
So if you're looking to learnhow to grow a business from five
(00:23):
years or less, you need tolisten up.
And guess what?
You'd be surprised.
We all probably have the samechallenges and things we have to
overcome, but she breaks it downso eloquently how you can
overcome them.
Stay tuned, watch, because thisis a goodie.
(00:58):
You ever think about those thepeople that don't have the
degrees and they have this giftand natural ability to do
something absolutely amazing andyet they don't do it?
Why?
Because they feel as thoughthey're not good enough, they're
not degreed, they don't have thevalidity of having a piece of
paper.
Well, you get guess what?
Today it stops.
If you're given a gift, I trulybelieve you're supposed to jump
(01:21):
on that gift and execute on it.
All you need is a business plan.
A business plan and a clearunderstanding of the path you
want to take in order to sharethe world the gift that God has
given you.
So today I challenge you.
Own your gift and share it withthe world.
Rashida, I need to thank you fortaking time out of your busy
(01:44):
schedule to sit down and havecoffee with me.
You don't understand how excitedI am to have this conversation
with you.
SPEAKER_00 (01:49):
I am so excited to be here, Erica.
Thanks for having me.
SPEAKER_01 (01:54):
Oh, you're so welcome.
You're so welcome.
So I've been following you alittle bit on, I should say a
lot of it, on the socialplatforms.
And we had the pleasure of beingintroduced through a mutual
friend of ours.
And um, I was just so excitedwhen I actually looked her up.
She actually said, Hey, Erica, Ihave someone I need you to meet.
I said, Okay.
And I love her so much.
(02:14):
So when she advises me to do athing, I do I tend to execute on
it.
So I was looking you up, I'mlike, oh my gosh, she's so
dynamic.
And I saw why she wanted us tomeet because you are such a
dynamic person and she knows ourgravitate to excellence.
So, yes, so us having thisconversation, we're gonna add
value to everyone that's gonnabe listening.
(02:35):
Everyone that's gonna be Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (02:37):
Listen, the fillet, the fillet is mutual.
When I did some deep digginginto your background and what
you do, I was like, I'm veryexcited to have this
conversation.
So thank you for that.
SPEAKER_01 (02:48):
Oh, you're so welcome.
And we do, we actually um ourindustries that we we work in,
they intersect.
So you being an interiordesigner, you are what I would
say what people would like toget to when it comes to the
space that you're in.
So I'm curious to know if youcan share with us a little bit
(03:11):
about your journey as to how yougot to where you are with
Grayspace Interiors, um, just sothat people can understand.
Okay, so if I wanted to be inRashida's space, how do I do it?
SPEAKER_00 (03:26):
Well, it is not a straight line, Erica, at all.
And I'm sure you understand thatpath.
You know, I sort of stumbled inentrepreneurship.
I spent 15 years in corporatemarketing before becoming an
interior designer.
Um, and so graduated fromundergrad with a degree in
marketing.
(03:47):
I've always known that I am acreative, I just didn't know
exactly what lane I was supposedto be in.
Um, and so, you know, one of myfirst, one of the first in my
family to graduate with afour-year degree.
And so you feel thisresponsibility of getting a good
job.
You get a good job.
Um, and so I went to um when Iwent to uh undergrad, I said,
(04:09):
you know, what degree iscreative but also would pay the
bills.
And so that's how I landed atmarketing.
That's how I landed atmarketing.
SPEAKER_01 (04:17):
Dirty Dog Hauling.
Thank you so much for yoursponsorship.
If you're looking for a junkremoval company, they are the
go-to company.
Whether you have a small job ora large job, and even
excavation, you want to checkthem out.
They are reasonable and alsotimely and effective.
Dirty Dog Hauling.
Now back to the show.
SPEAKER_00 (04:36):
Um, fast forward, I spent uh 15 years with companies
like State Farm Insurance, TrubInsurance, and marketing and
communications roles.
Great career, but there came apoint at the um in my career
where I sort of felt, what'snext?
Like it doesn't feel like it'sfully aligned.
Am I working in my purpose?
(04:56):
So I did a little soulsearching, asked myself, what
would you do for free uh if youweren't being paid?
And I kept coming back todecorating.
What I didn't know is that it'salways been there.
So I've always rearranged mybedroom.
I, in fourth grade, I did aclassroom assignment where I did
floor plan.
I have no idea why I did this infourth grade, but I visually
(05:17):
remember it.
So it's always been a part of mylife.
Um, shared it with a few friendsand family, decided to go back
to school, and I have an MBA aswell.
So going back to school was notin my cards, but I went back to
school for six months.
And in the midst of that, um, Igot my first client.
There's a story in there uhwhere there was an aha moment.
(05:39):
Essentially, I was staging myhome to sell.
So I had a realtor who said tome, in order to sell your home,
you need to stage it.
This was 2015, so I Googled whatis staging.
I had no clue.
And I did what I no clue.
I had no clue at all.
I was just like, I'm just gonnalisten to what the realtor says.
(06:01):
Um, and so I did what Googletold me.
The realtor came back and said,Oh my gosh, what did you do?
This is amazing.
And the first person that saw itbrought it.
It sold in three hours.
My home sold in three hours in atough market.
And uh, that's when the lightbulb went off, that it was much
more than a hobby.
It's something that I was calledto do.
(06:21):
So that's the story.
SPEAKER_01 (06:23):
Wow.
So I want to go back to you feltlike you were supposed to do
something, but you weren't quitesure what that was, right?
So for the person that may bestruggling with that right now
in their life, like how did youdetermine, like, okay, I need to
pivot?
Like, what was it?
SPEAKER_00 (06:39):
You gotta get quiet, I think, because when I said I
did some soul searching, and ittook me uh, I don't know, maybe
five years to figure out what itwas supposed to be.
So it wasn't an overnight, itwasn't just like a click.
SPEAKER_01 (06:53):
That's key.
That is so key because peoplethink it's overnight, but go
ahead.
SPEAKER_00 (06:57):
So I think maybe in 2010 is when I started to
question my career.
I just uh got promoted and I waslike, well, is this it?
This isn't what I thought itwould feel like.
I got the promotion, and youknow, I have all the things on
paper.
It doesn't feel like it'ssupposed to.
Um, so that started in 2010, andI was like, maybe I'll just go
to conferences.
And so I allowed my my employerpaid for me to go to
(07:19):
conferences, and I found anotebook where in 2012 I wrote,
I want to be an interiordesigner.
And I wrote the name of mybusiness.
I did not realize that I wrotethat until maybe five like a few
years ago.
Um, so it was on my mind then,and it's so it's and but I
didn't start the business till2016.
So even though I wrote it in2012, even though I felt unsure
(07:43):
in 2010, I didn't start thebusiness till 2016.
So I think you have to be still,you have to try different
things, you have to open up yourmind and your heart.
Um, and then you have to askyourself, what do you enjoy
doing?
What are you good at?
And just kind of lean into that.
SPEAKER_01 (07:59):
Yeah.
So I appreciate you saying thatyou literally um journaled it,
the name of your company andalso what you wanted to do, but
yet you still had to go througha journey, and then it took you
about four years to determinethat, okay, yeah, this journey
that I'm going on actually ledyou to where you are today.
(08:20):
And and sometimes I believe, uhat least for me, I'll speak for
myself, y'all, okay?
I get impatient with thewaiting.
Yes.
And it's in that waiting.
We just had we had someone maybea couple months ago.
It's in the waiting that youprepare for what is uh what you
know you're supposed to do.
So we wait on purpose.
(08:42):
We may not want to, but we findthat we have to wait on purpose.
And it's in that waiting that wefind, you know, our true
purpose.
So good.
So yeah.
Hey, I need to take two secondsto interrupt this wonderful show
that you're watching.
I run a real estate business,and the way we fund this podcast
is through that business, theErica Ross team.
I would love it if you wouldjust give us one opportunity to
(09:04):
service your real estate needs,whether you are in Central PA or
around the entire world.
Think of us first so we can helpyou.
Now back to the show.
SPEAKER_00 (09:12):
Yeah.
And the waiting doesn't stop.
You know, just because I'vediscovered my calling, what I'm
supposed to do, um, you know,I'm still waiting for other
things, right?
And so I just actually remindedmyself the other day, and I said
out loud, I think it was um areel I saw on social media, that
said something to the tune of umdon't skip steps.
(09:36):
Like, you know, you wantsomething to happen right away,
but there's steps that need toprepare you to your point for
what will happen.
You want to be fully prepared.
I think the worst thing that canhappen is you get an opportunity
and you're not ready for itbecause you you you want to jump
ahead and you want to get tothis destination.
And so I have to remind myself,even now, and I'm sure you
(09:57):
probably experienced the samething that even though I'm
waiting, even though it's nothappening as fast as I would
like, I am being prepared forwhat it is that's coming next.
So I totally agree.
SPEAKER_01 (10:07):
Right, right.
And you're right where you'resupposed to be.
Because a lot of people thinkthat, oh my gosh, I have to make
up ground for what I lost, wouldyou believe to have lost?
But no, you're supposed to beright where you are and just be
grateful for where you are inthat space because better things
are are are right ahead.
Right ahead.
So yeah, I really I love that.
So then for the viewer thatwants to get into your your
(10:31):
space, did you get a degree in?
I know you said marketing,right?
But no degree in interiordesigning, and a lot of people
don't understand that.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (10:40):
Yeah.
I have an undergrad in marketingin international business, and
then I have an MBA.
And so when I discovered that Iwanted to do this, I was like,
oh, I have enough student loans.
I don't want to go back toschool.
I have enough student loans.
Um, but I do respect theindustry enough to make sure
that I have a clearunderstanding, knowledge, and
skill set.
And so um I did go to TempleUniversity for a six-month
(11:06):
non-credit course just tofamiliarize myself with some of
the principles of the industry,um, some of the basics.
But really, in the world likemine's, um, I would say probably
half of us are formally educatedin this space and the other half
aren't.
Um, but a lot of it is practiceand talent.
Um, and you know, you just buildthat over time.
SPEAKER_01 (11:30):
See, and that's what a lot of people don't understand
too, because I found that to betrue.
And so when you went back toschool, was it to make sure that
you were legit?
Because there's a lot of peoplethat feel as though in this
space, if you don't are notdegreed, I I see the snub or you
know, like, okay, well, I'mdegreed and they're not.
(11:50):
I've I've seen that in that inthis industry that you're in.
So, how do you overcome that?
You do the work.
SPEAKER_00 (11:58):
Okay, can I just get real for a second?
No one can no one can deny thatI've done the work.
No one can deny that the nextdesigner who has a degree has
done the work.
Like you just do the work, andreally your portfolio is your
ticket.
And so, um, in the beginning, tobe honest, Erica, I know I you
know I'm saying this boldly, butin the beginning, I struggled
(12:21):
with that.
I I felt like there was thislevel of imposter syndrome.
You know, I have all of this uheducation in another industry,
and I struggled with not beingformally educated in design.
But really, the background forme is I come from a
neighborhood.
I come from a family, I comefrom a life where interior
designers were not a normal,like it wasn't a known thing.
(12:44):
I was not aware of this as aprofession.
Right.
I didn't know about this as aprofession until college when
HGTV came about, but full circlemoment.
But uh I didn't, and if Ididn't, maybe I would have
formally been educated.
And I had a business coach earlyon who said to me, uh, your
(13:06):
level of excellence doesn'twaver because you're in a
different industry.
If you're excellent in your jobas an assistant vice president
of marketing, you're gonna beexcellent in your job as an
interior designer.
Of course, there's a learningcurve, but you just carry some
of those same skills: intrapersonal skills, (13:18):
undefined
communication skills, projectmanagement, some of those things
carry over.
And then the other thing thathelps me to get over this is I
realized 80% of my job is run inthe business, 20% of it is being
an interior designer.
SPEAKER_01 (13:34):
Wow.
SPEAKER_00 (13:35):
Say that again.
Uh 80% of my job is running thebusiness, 20% of it is being an
interior designer.
And that was a surprise to me.
SPEAKER_01 (13:46):
Yeah, yeah.
And I think anyone that's asmall business owner needs to
hear that.
So, if anything else, you can begreat at your craft, but if
you're not great at running abusiness, then you're literally
running a hobby.
You're having a hobby.
And I had to find that out formyself.
Being profitable, running abusiness or successful, so you
(14:08):
can live the life you truly wantto live, that is so much more
important than actually goingout for me, than selling real
estate.
Absolutely.
Now, I enjoy the customers.
However, if I'm not able to paythe bills, then we're not gonna
have customers.
We have to shut the doors.
So I need you to say that.
Yes, and I'm glad you said it,because a lot of people lose
(14:29):
sight of that as small businessowners.
And that's exactly what thisplatform is about, is just to
help people to, you know, evolveinto the best versions of
themselves so they can fund thelife they truly want to live.
So thank you for that.
Yeah, absolutely.
Yeah, it's the truth.
Hey, I'm hoping you're enjoyingthis episode of Coffee with E.
I had to take 30 seconds toshare with you one of our
sponsors for this episode, TopConstruction.
(14:50):
They are a premier constructioncompany located in Central PA.
So if you live in Dolphin,Cumberland, Lancaster, and
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Not only are they reliable, theyare reasonable, and they get the
job done.
Now, let's go back to theepisode.
It is the truth.
Yeah.
So then when did you find outthat running a business, like a
business, was the most importantthing?
SPEAKER_00 (15:11):
Yeah.
Um I found that out early on.
I think um, and okay, so Istarted the business in 2016.
Um, and what I didn't share uhbefore is that I was running the
business and building, or excuseme, and working in corporate
full time.
So I was building my designbusiness and still working in
corporate for three and a halfyears.
(15:33):
And so I will say I knew earlyon that the business side of
what I do was really important,but I think it really hit home
when I went full-time.
Um, and so I went full-time in2019 and I did all the things.
I had savings, I hired businesscoaches to prepare me for that
opportunity or for that moment.
(15:53):
Um, I built a really good bookof business.
Like I built a great clienteleand I felt comfortable enough
with leaving my corporate joband replacing my salary with my
business.
What I was not prepared for wasI guess the actual managing the
business side.
Um, and so that's when I reallyquickly realized that the top
(16:17):
line isn't as important as thebottom line.
Um that and that you can makelots of money and still be
broke.
Um so yeah, when I didn't havethe backing of my corporate
salary when I went full time,that's when I realized how
critical it is to know thebusiness side of things.
And honestly, Erica, now I heardesigners saying they wish that
(16:41):
they had some businessexperience.
So the grass is always greeneron the other side.
I mean, of course, I wish I hada formal education or um from
time to time in design, and theywish that they had a business
education.
So you make the most of it, youguys.
SPEAKER_01 (16:58):
You do make the most of what you got.
And and I I believe I love thatbecause you're bringing a fresh
perspective as how important itis.
You can be successful inanything as long as you have a
business plan, right?
And you know how to run abusiness and you know how to
lead others in such a way thatthey are feeling like empowered.
(17:19):
So to hear you say that, that isso true.
Because you had the gift ofinterior designing, which, you
know, if you have a gift, it canbe in any industry.
You have that gift, but what'smore important is learn how to
run that business so that yourgift can actually fund the life
that you choose to live.
I keep saying that, but it's soimportant.
SPEAKER_00 (17:40):
I um I just spoke at a conference for interior
designers.
Um, and my topic was knowingyour numbers.
And it just speaks to what youand I have been talking about.
And what I started with at myplatform was three P's purpose,
pricing, or profit, and thenpower.
Um, and so you have to startwith what's your why?
(18:03):
Um, what are you trying to makemoney for?
Um, like basically defining whatthe life is that you want to
live, to your point.
Um, and then you can figure outwhat the money is and how you
get to that life.
And then all of that gives youpower in the end.
So I do think it's reallyimportant that you because if
why else are we in business?
You know, why else are webecause entrepreneurship is
(18:27):
stressful.
It is it really is a challenge.
It can be a challenge from timeto time, and so you have to have
some motivation behind it.
And it can't always be money.
It could be, you know, money isthe tool to fund um my children
to go to college.
Money is the tool to be able toprovide my parents with a
(18:49):
beautiful home.
Whatever that is for you, um,you just always have to have
that in the back of your mind inorder to keep going in this
entrepreneurial life.
SPEAKER_01 (18:59):
Yeah, that is really good.
So then you doing all the rightthings.
I know there were somechallenges that you had to
overcome throughout.
Do you mind sharing those withour um community so you they can
possibly shorten their learningcurve?
SPEAKER_00 (19:13):
Yeah, absolutely.
One of the first challenges, andI alluded to this a little
earlier, was um justtransitioning from going from a
corporate full-time job where Ihad a manager and I had KPIs and
I had goals for the year, andthey were all set for me.
Every I knew what I needed to doto be successful in my job, to
(19:36):
go from that to now I'mresponsible for defining all of
that.
That was a little bit of astruggle for me, not only for
myself, but also for my teammembers.
Um, and along with that came thestruggle of time management.
So, you know, you you and thisis so simple, but it really was
a thing for me.
I, you know, went from working anine to five, and at the time I
(19:58):
was working my nine to five inmy corporate job, and then I was
working um five to nine with thekids in home and home life, and
then I would work nine to onea.m.
in my business, and so I wasvery structured in that.
It was sanity for three years,but it it really helped me.
(20:18):
Um, and then I went from that toall this free time, you know, no
one's telling me what time Ineed to start my work day or
what priorities I need to havefor the day.
And so I had to restructure howI thought about time, and I had
to tell myself, and I still do,even I've been full-time six
(20:39):
years, I still say to myself,revenue producing activities,
revenue generating activities.
What is the biggest bang foryour buck?
What can you delegate?
I still have to tell myselfthat.
So that's really a big hurdle, Ithink, initially, just sort of
managing your time to be themost productive because um you
eat what you kill.
And so you got to be veryresponsible for your time.
SPEAKER_01 (21:04):
I had to take two seconds to interrupt this
episode.
I would like to thank one of ourmost recent guests, attorney
Jenny Chavis, for sponsoringthis show.
Chavis Law Firm is an elite lawfirm in central Pennsylvania
that helps with estate planningas well as understanding what
type of business entity youshould enter into when starting
your business.
If you're looking for a greatattorney that understands estate
(21:27):
planning as well as businessentity, how to start the right
way, you want to check outattorney Chavis, Chavis Law
Firm.
Now, back to the show.
Yeah, you're definitely speakingmy language for sure.
Yeah.
And it's all about discipline.
You have to be disciplined andmaking sure you do the right
activities in order to get to,you know, uh where you want to
go.
Yeah.
(21:47):
That's really good.
Really good.
Okay, so let's talk about yourbreakthrough because your hard
work earned you access andopportunities for things that
you probably weren't eventhinking about.
Did you have a goal?
I don't want to, I want you toshare with this discipline and
the hard work has earned you.
Oh man.
SPEAKER_00 (22:05):
Okay, are we talking about the thing that just
happened or just like majorityperiod?
Well, you know what?
Um, yes, I had goals.
Thank goodness for my corporatebackground because it has taught
me to treat my business like acorporation.
And so every year we do umforecasting and planning for our
(22:26):
goals in terms of revenue andprofit, um, headcount and all
those great things.
So, yes, I had goals.
Um, but I think what I want tofocus on is the big debut on
HGTV.
So I'm so excited to share.
It's been released already thatmy husband and I are on an
(22:46):
entire season of a show calledRenovation Resort.
Um, and that aired on HGTV.
So it is a dream come true.
Um, and I'm so grateful for theopportunity.
It it is the opportunity of alifetime in our industry.
If someone wants to dotelevision, to be on HGTV and to
be on an entire season is reallya a big deal.
(23:07):
So I'm grateful for that.
Um, television was not on myradar.
I I found out you know what wewant to be?
SPEAKER_01 (23:14):
Yeah, did you want to be on TV?
No, it wasn't because I do.
If anyone's watching, I want tobe on TV, reality TV right here.
SPEAKER_00 (23:22):
I can see it for sure.
I think you would be amazing.
Um, thank you.
I no television was not on myradar.
Do I want to be on televisionnow?
Yes, it is now part of mybusiness strategy.
But um, no, what happened was Igot a DM, Erica.
Someone DM'd me.
(23:44):
Yo, wait, stop.
Look at your DMs.
She's saying do not ignore theDMs.
SPEAKER_01 (23:49):
Don't ignore DMs.
What are you saying?
There's so many scams out there.
SPEAKER_00 (23:54):
All the things.
So this was in 2017.
Um, and I thought it was a scam.
I did not respond initially.
So oh my gosh, I need to look atmy yeah, it was something to the
effect of I'm a castingdirector, I'm casting for the
show.
Um, I don't even think theyspoke of the network.
They said a major network, andit was very vague.
(24:15):
And I was like, mm, this doesn'tseem right.
And I think at the timeInstagram was really heavily
spammed.
Like, so, and I just started onInstagram, and so I ignored it
for a little while, and thensomething brought me back to it.
I know well, God brought me backto it.
Um, and at the same time, uh,was having some personal
challenges.
My uh parent, one of my parents,wasn't doing well uh medically,
(24:38):
and so I just got busy and I waslike, Oh, I'll get around to it.
So, anyways, fast forward, I didrespond.
I said, Hey, I would love tolearn more.
And that was uh HGTV's fleamarket flip.
Um, and so yep.
So I went through the interviewprocess, which was very intense.
It was, you know, phone call, aSkype interview at the time.
(25:00):
And then it was take three decoritems from a thrift store and
flip them into something new andsend that over.
Oh so this is before evengetting to the show.
This is like, we want to makesure you can do this.
So send that over to us.
And you know, I was in thehospital around the clock caring
(25:20):
for my parent, and I was like, Ijust can't do this.
And so at the 11th hour, Iturned in my total application
and uh we were selected.
Um, so my husband and I appearedon that in 2018, and that's when
the television bug bit me.
I was like, oh, I yes, I bet.
SPEAKER_01 (25:40):
Yeah.
Had to take two seconds to thankAllstate Insurance for
sponsoring this episode.
If you're looking for car, life,or casualty insurance, they're
gonna be your ultimate insurancecompany.
Thank you, Rob Shaw, withAllstate Insurance.
Now, back to the show.
SPEAKER_00 (25:56):
And um, for me, television, there's a few
reasons why it's top of mind forme.
Um, one, of course, is it helpsto build the business brand.
Like it's brand building, it'sgreat exposure.
But the other thing that's uhmaybe even more important is it
provides um oh, what's the word?
Representation.
(26:17):
It provides representation.
I think, you know, going back tonot going to school for interior
design initially is because Ididn't see that for myself.
I didn't see someone that lookedlike me as a woman of color in
this space.
And so to be able to stand upnow as a woman of color and be
on a national platform to sharethat yes, we are here in the
(26:40):
interior design industry.
Although we only represent threepercent, we are here.
And um, you know, thisopportunity exists for anyone
who would like to pursue it.
Uh so yeah, that's my journey.
And since then I've done like, Idon't know, a dozen national
shows um and a lot of local.
SPEAKER_01 (26:59):
Oh, I only did a dozen, just a mere dozen.
You know, I don't bore you withthe list.
SPEAKER_00 (27:07):
But no, I really, really enjoy it.
And honestly, speaking ontelevision is easier for me than
speaking in person to multiplepeople.
Like, I it's harder for me tospeak on a stage than it is to
do television.
SPEAKER_01 (27:20):
So you know what?
I agree, I agree, because I cando stuff like this all day long,
and just imagine like thethousands of people that watch
this, I'm okay with that.
But get me on a stage and I seethose faces, knees buckling.
You hear me?
Yes, yeah, totally.
I can talk to a camera all daylong, and there's some people
(27:42):
that are just the reverse.
They can talk to you know, amillion of people face to face
on stage, and they just tremblewhen they see a camera.
They just tremble.
So yeah, I'm a camera girl.
I'm a camera girl, and I have afeeling that people in um in our
community is are also camerapeople, like yes, yeah, they're
(28:03):
camera people too.
I would love to know it.
I'm gonna put a poll out there.
How many people would prefer tobe on stage as opposed to in
front of a camera?
I'm interested to know.
Let us know.
Let us know.
Okay, so for any for youryounger self, what would you
say?
Because the age group, thetarget market that we have here
(28:24):
is between 25 to 35, and we havebeen up.
However, people that arestarting out and they are
ambitious, no getters.
What would you say to them?
What is some piece of advicethat you wish that your younger
self had?
Girl, you got it.
SPEAKER_00 (28:44):
You have everything that you need.
It may not all be fully baked,it may still need a lot of work
and a lot of um time, but you'renot lacking anything.
I think um early I mentionedearlier on that I struggled with
(29:04):
imposter syndrome, and thatcertainly probably helped me
back a little bit, but it couldhave been an obstacle in my
career.
Um, and if I'm honest, I stillstruggle with it from time to
time as well.
Um so I'm still telling myselfthis younger or older, Rashida,
that you have it.
(29:25):
You there's no way that youwould be brought to where you
are or the idea of what you havein your mind of what you want to
do or create without being fullyequipped.
It's just a matter of time andpractice for it to be fully
realized.
Um, and then also what you thinkyou don't have is what makes you
unique.
(29:45):
And so I thought that not havinga degree in design would be a
hindrance, but what I've learnedis all these skills oh, all of
these skills that I havegathered.
Gathered from my years incorporate is what makes me
unique to both my clients andother designers in the industry.
SPEAKER_01 (30:08):
Mmm, that's so good.
So good.
So good.
Yeah, thank you for that.
And I appreciate you sharing.
And um I want to applaud you.
We you want to have so many newpeople wanting to follow your
progress and yeah, support youin so many ways.
And I'm coming.
I'm coming to your hometown.
SPEAKER_00 (30:29):
Yes, we need to have I would love that, Erica, so
much.
I would love to meet you inperson and definitely just
connect.
SPEAKER_01 (30:38):
Yeah, thank you so much.
Now I know you're a busy person,so I'm not going to hold you any
much much longer.
And I do appreciate you so much.
I really do.
I really do appreciate you.
And I am wishing you nothing butthe best.
When did your new season comeout?
Is the season it already popped,but isn't there another one?
SPEAKER_00 (30:54):
No, it was a one-season show.
Um, and so it is still availableto watch on demand.
So you can search HGTV forRenomation Resort Showdown.
Um, and then from your lips, thegods airs, because perhaps there
could be something else on thehorizon.
So we'll stay tuned for that.
SPEAKER_01 (31:12):
Yes, I love it.
Thank you so much, and Iappreciate it.
You're welcome.
Thank you, Erica, for theopportunity.
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