In this episode, Maria sits down with Melissa Borman, Interior Design Director at Niles Bolton Associates in Atlanta, to talk about leadership, listening, and designing with intention. Melissa shares how seeing projects through a client’s business lens reshaped her approach to design. Along the way, she discovered that her greatest superpower isn’t just creativity, but listening.

Together, they explore the shift from designing for clients to designing with them, and why empathy, curiosity, and asking better questions lead to stronger outcomes. Melissa reflects on stepping into executive leadership, succeeding a long-standing mentor, and learning to move from working “in the weeds” to leading the forest. This conversation is about growth, mentorship, and what modern design leadership truly requires.

If you care about client-centered design, meaningful leadership, and building spaces with purpose, this episode is for you.

Connect with Melissa on LinkedIn

Connect with Maria on LinkedIn.

Click here to get your copy of Maria's children's book—Design Your World.

Follow Imagine a Place on LinkedIn.

Imagine a Place gathers industry-leading voices that can inspire the design community through storytelling and broaden our creative horizons. The goal of Imagine a Place is to further elevate the belief that the places we make and the ways we design them matter in our lives.

In this episode, Maria sits down with Mike Sewell, Chief Digital Transformation Officer at Gresham Smith, to explore what happens when engineering, interior design, and artificial intelligence intersect. From a life changing moment on a bicycle that reshaped how he thinks about designing for people, to his role as Chief Digital Transformation Officer guiding firm wide digital innovation, Mike shares a powerful perspective on the future of practice. Together, they unpack the tension between automation and creativity, the responsibility that comes with AI, the risks of a race to the bottom, and why authenticity and human connection matter more than ever. This conversation is a thoughtful, energizing look at how we balance technology and humanity and why, at the end of the day, design is still about people.

Connect with Mike on LinkedIn

Connect with Maria on LinkedIn.

Click here to get your copy of Maria's children's book—Design Your World.

Follow Imagine a Place on LinkedIn.

Imagine a Place gathers industry-leading voices that can inspire the design community through storytelling and broaden our creative horizons. The goal of Imagine a Place is to further elevate the belief that the places we make and the ways we design them matter in our lives.

In this episode, Kala Fagan, a Senior Associate and Design Director at OTJ Architects, joins us for an honest and energizing conversation about what it means to lead in design today. From navigating post recession pressures to pushing back on unrealistic timelines and race to the bottom fees, Kala speaks candidly about advocating for people, protecting teams from burnout, and why designers must reclaim the value of their ideas. We explore leadership as an act of care, the importance of industry wide community over competition, and how designing for humans starts with how we treat our own. This is a must listen for designers, leaders, and anyone passionate about shaping a healthier, more valuable future for the profession.

Connect with Kala on LinkedIn.

Connect with Maria on LinkedIn.

Click here to get your copy of Maria's children's book—Design Your World.

Follow Imagine a Place on LinkedIn.

Imagine a Place gathers industry-leading voices that can inspire the design community through storytelling and broaden our creative horizons. The goal of Imagine a Place is to further elevate the belief that the places we make and the ways we design them matter in our lives.

In this episode of Imagine a Place, host Wesley Edmonds shares a few standout moments from her conversation with Hector Kolonas, founder of This Week in Coworking. From coworking spaces in train stations to the role automation and AI are playing in furniture manufacturing, they explore what it really means to create human-centered work experiences, and why flex is so much bigger than a single model.

Connect with Wesley on LinkedIn.

Connect with Maria on LinkedIn.

Click here to get your copy of Maria's children's book—Design Your World.

Follow Imagine a Place on LinkedIn.

Imagine a Place gathers industry-leading voices that can inspire the design community through storytelling and broaden our creative horizons. The goal of Imagine a Place is to further elevate the belief that the places we make and the ways we design them matter in our lives.

Naoko Oguro, Design Director of IA Interior Architects, reflects on what it means to build a career rooted in purpose, community, and care. From growing up in New York after moving from Tokyo, to finding confidence as an introvert in a relationship-driven profession, Naoko shares why designers are drawn to this work not for prestige, but for impact. This conversation explores leadership through empathy, the power of design community, and how success evolves from seeking approval to lifting others as you grow.

Connect with Maria on LinkedIn.

Click here to get your copy of Maria's children's book—Design Your World.

Follow Imagine a Place on LinkedIn.

Imagine a Place gathers industry-leading voices that can inspire the design community through storytelling and broaden our creative horizons. The goal of Imagine a Place is to further elevate the belief that the places we make and the ways we design them matter in our lives.

What happens when enterprise workplace needs meet the flexibility, hospitality, and humanity of coworking? In this episode, host Wesley Edmonds sits down with Caroline Hecht from Preferred Office Network to unpack how flexible workspace can simplify complex real estate portfolios while putting people first. From streamlining multi-market office solutions to elevating operators, rethinking partnerships, and introducing new ways to assess quality in flex spaces, this conversation explores why the future of work is less about square footage and more about experience, time, and connection.

Connect with Wesley on LinkedIn.

Connect with Maria on LinkedIn.

Click here to get your copy of Maria's children's book—Design Your World.

Follow Imagine a Place on LinkedIn.

Imagine a Place gathers industry-leading voices that can inspire the design community through storytelling and broaden our creative horizons. The goal of Imagine a Place is to further elevate the belief that the places we make and the ways we design them matter in our lives.

What happens when a designer refuses to follow a traditional path? In this episode, Veronica Gilliams, Senior Interior Designer at HOK, shares how her journey through video game design, physical spaces, and creative exploration shaped her perspective on people, place, and possibility. From biophilia to bold career moves, this conversation is about curiosity, creativity, and designing beyond the expected.

Connect with Veronica on LinkedIn

Connect with Maria on LinkedIn.

Click here to get your copy of Maria's children's book—Design Your World.

Follow Imagine a Place on LinkedIn.

Imagine a Place gathers industry-leading voices that can inspire the design community through storytelling and broaden our creative horizons. The goal of Imagine a Place is to further elevate the belief that the places we make and the ways we design them matter in our lives.

Sometimes the best conversations happen when two design-minded people realize they share the same passion for creating better places to work. In this episode, Mara Hauser, founder and CEO of 25N Coworking and Founding Principal of Workplace Studio, alongside host Wesley Edmonds, talk about coworking, corporate offices, and why designing for humans, not just density, makes all the difference.

Join us at WorkX in Dallas and use code INTHEROOM40 for 40% off when you register!

https://www.ssonetwork.com/events-workx

Connect with Mara on LinkedIn

Connect with Wesley on LinkedIn

Connect with Maria on LinkedIn.

Click here to get your copy of Maria's children's book—Design Your World.

Follow Imagine a Place on LinkedIn.

Imagine a Place gathers industry-leading voices that can inspire the design community through storytelling and broaden our creative horizons. The goal of Imagine a Place is to further elevate the belief that the places we make and the ways we design them matter in our lives.