What’s your “why”?
It’s not because I can. It’s not because I should. It’s because I want to with my whole inner being. It is truly me to my core. Authentic. It is my essence. My everything. It is flow. It is love. It is why I do what I do. It is everything from A to Z.

What is the difference between ordinary and extraordinary?
There is nothing wrong with being ordinary. It’s easy. Ordinary is sometimes all we can muster of ourselves to get through the day. Settling for ordinary can be the result of being uninspired, so find what inspires you. 

Extraordinary is the antithesis of mediocrity. It’s hard. You have to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Being extraordinary inspires the people around you to be the best version of themselves. When given the choice, why be ordinary when you can aim for extraordinary?  

What is your motivation song?
Janet Jackson’s title song and video from Rhythm Nation 1814. The album was released during my senior year of high school. I was captivated and inspired by Janet’s artistry, vision, and her willingness to speak out and take on social issues.

It’s an extraordinary, timeless album with a message our world needs to hear. It’s also one of the reasons why I find it important to give back to my community and help effect change, so everyone feels heard and valued. We are a part of the rhythm nation! 

What led you to this career?
For as long as I can remember, I have relished design, creativity, and beauty. I was the kid who decorated the playroom of our century old farmhouse. I covered the ceiling with crepe paper patterns, and the walls with fabric, paper, and Christmas lights—anything to make it elaborate. 

Then, my parents bought our family an Apple IIc computer with a dot matrix printer. I fell in love with Print Shop, and created banners and posters for parties, school musical productions, and church events. In retrospect, I had my own design business by middle school, but didn’t know it! 

My passion for print media grew and in college I helped start a magazine called “IF.” I fell in love with magazines and the rest is history.

Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn.

If you were a social media platform, which one would you be?
It’s hard to choose one, so I’m going with two. TikTok because I love a quick little office dance party and it takes me back to being a kid dancing around in my room lip syncing to 80s music. I’d also choose LinkedIn because I love connecting with people and building relationships. 

What's something you've done, but will never do again?
Downhill skiing. I’m a bit accident-prone, but really wanted to try downhill skiing. After graduating from the Bunny Hill, I was ready to take on the chair lifts and the intermediate hills. My dreams of gracefully skiing down the hill were dashed when I managed to collide with the sign next to the chair lift. With one ski on each side of the sign, they had to stop the chair lift because I couldn’t untangle my skis from the sign. I ended up twisting my knee and was injured before I even made it down the hill. 

What does it mean to you to make a difference in the world?
A quote comes to mind from the book “The Butterfly Effect” by Andy Andrews — “Every single thing you do matters. You have been created as one of a kind. You have been created to make a difference. You have within you the power to change the world.” 

What’s your day-to-day mantra?
“Everything is figureoutable” (originally coined by Marie Forleo) is one of my favorite mantras. I’ve said it to clients, friends and family thousands of times. I love it because it’s 100% true, and quickly moves a thought process from focusing on problems to focusing on solutions. 

Connect with Nikki on LinkedIn.

What’s your most-used productivity hack?
I cannot be without my to-do lists. I create to-do lists in various forms, sometimes multiple times per day, from handwritten lists to online in our project management tool. These lists help me to improve my focus, prioritize tasks and manage long and short-run productivity for our team.   

What’s something you can’t go a day without doing?
Talking to someone! Preferably face-to-face. Also, checking my social media accounts. I need to feel connected each and every day. 

What’s your favorite way to unwind after a busy day?
Taking a walk or a hike, preparing a delicious meal, enjoying a nice glass of wine, watching Netflix or Prime, and spending time with family and friends. Depending upon the day, my “me” time will include one or all of these things. 

What’s your weirdest habit?
I like to lick the flavoring off of Doritos® chips before eating them…and I love to dip them in sour cream (low-fat, of course) or plain Greek yogurt. Gotta watch those calories! 

Connect with Karla on LinkedIn.

What sparks your creativity and makes the wheels in your head start turning?
I get very inspired by experiencing new things and visiting places I have never been to before. I love seeing other people’s work, whether it be architecture, clothing, furniture, or a cobblestone sidewalk. The new textures, patterns and colors inspire me to find a way to incorporate slivers of it into my design.

What advice would you give your teenage self?
Love yourself and be yourself no matter what other people say. And don’t worry, your hair will not always be that curly.

What’s one hobby you’d love to get into?
One? It is hard to pick only one. I would love to explore so many. Photography, wheel and clay pottery, desert horticulture and gourmet cooking, just to name a few. I recently started making mosaic art and have been having so much fun. It is one of those creative outlets that I just get lost in.

If you didn’t have to sleep, what would you do with the extra time?
Quite honestly, I am not the type of person that can sit still. I need to be doing, so I would fill it up. Spend more time with family and friends, play cribbage with my dad, have coffee with my mom in her beautiful back yard, and have fun scouring the racks at TJ Maxx with my girlie, Renae. I would also like to think I would dive into some of the hobbies I listed above. Or, I might try more exercise. I guess I could not use the excuse I don’t have time.

Connect with Karen on LinkedIn.

Where you do you get your creative inspiration?
I’m constantly inspired by other creatives. Whether it’s designers or photographers, filmmakers, musicians, illustrators, writers, and so on…the world is full of amazingly talented individuals and they bring out my best ideas.

What is the best and worst advice you have received?
Best Advice: “Keep it simple.” It’s easy to overcomplicate things when they don’t need to be. 

Worst Advice: “You have to move to a big city in order to be a successful designer.” This one still makes me laugh. I don’t like being told I can’t do something, especially when it’s bogus. You can have the career you want, where you want—if you go after it. 

What’s the first concert you ever went to?
Reel Big Fish. It was my first experience with ska and it was glorious. My friend and I were fifteen and awestruck. It was music our parents would probably hate, which made it even more appealing.

What do you wish you had more time to do?
Write. I’m fortunate enough to be able to write quite often in my profession, but not as much as I would like to in my spare time. It’s important for people to have all kinds of creative outlets, both personally and professionally.

Connect with Brittney on LinkedIn.

What’s a skill that you’d like to improve on?
From kindergarten through my first years of college, I took Spanish classes. While I can read and write in Spanish pretty well, I am not fluent in either written or spoken Spanish - I would like to further develop this skill. And being a member of the deaf community, I would also like to expand upon my basic knowledge of American Sign Language.

Who inspires you?
I have been an avid reader and writer from a young age. This has been mostly inspired by the works of authors like Tamora Pierce, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jim Butcher, Jane Austen, Aldous Huxley and countless others throughout the years. It never ceases to amaze me how they can create entire worlds from thin air and bring them to life, and the sheer talent they each exhibit in wielding the written word is astounding. I aspire to be as great a writer as each of them someday.

Have you ever met anyone famous?
If you’re a nerd like me, then yes. When I was a science major, I met Alexei V. Filippenko, Ph.D. at the Nobel Conference 49: "The Universe at Its Limits.” Another Forensic Science student and I attended with the head of our college program. Dr. Filippenko was one of many incredible speakers in a line-up of astronomy-adjacent fields. His speech, focused on quasars and “dark energy,” was mind-blowing. He's well-known for hosting Nova shows and is frequently cited in other people’s works, so it was quite an honor to meet him.

If your name was on a product, what would that product be?
I foster a deep and abiding love for animals, so I think the product would be related to pets. Maybe a toy line for cats and dogs, as I absolutely love playing with both and seeing the joy it brings them. I might otherwise have a line of clothes that still looks great with any amount or color of pet fur on you. With a few of my own fur-babies, my lint brush is never far from reach in the mornings.

Connect with Sabryna on LinkedIn.

What fictional character do you most relate to?
I most relate to Rachel Green from Friends. She shows a lot of personal growth throughout the series, in which I feel like I am just starting her season 3. I can see little pieces of myself as I watch Rachel in the show through personality, gestures, and morals. I relate most to the fact that she is not afraid to take risks and make mistakes. Ok, I may have a small shopping addiction too…

What do you think the most important thing is in a workplace?
Having a positive work environment is most important to me. This is essential to producing quality work. Having a positive environment motivates me to be the best that I can be. This also makes work feel less like work, and more so as an opportunity.

If you could say one thing to the entire world right now, what would you say?
Are there more wheels or doors in the world?

What show are you currently binge-watching?
I cannot stop watching Suits. I will be giving out legal advice once I am finished with it. 

Connect with Lorin on LinkedIn.