Damn Good Interior Designer
Damn Good Interior Designer

Damn Good Interior Designer

Cheryl Kees Clendenon and Liz Lapan

Overview
Episodes

Details

Join Cheryl Kees Clendenon and Liz Lapan, the dynamic duo behind the visionary and integrator balancing all the moving parts of a full service interior design firm in their no-nonsense and thought-provoking podcast, the Damn Good Designer. Each episode is full of damn good truths and real talk as they share invaluable insights on how to run and build a successful business while challenging the norms, the industry, each other and YOU. Emphasizing a business-savvy approach, Cheryl and Liz take you on a roller coaster of discovery, considering success from a different lens, breaking free from groupthink, and encouraging you to embrace your own authentic designer self. There is not much they will not say “out loud”. In this podcast, you'll find no room for conformity as they shatter the mold of one-size-fits-all business practices. Cheryl's fearless attitude showcases a refusal to follow the conventional wisdom, ask “why” repeatedly and reject what no longer makes sense in today’s world. If you're seeking a dose of inspiration, a splash of unconventional wisdom, and a refreshing perspective on the entrepreneurial world, the Damn Good Designer is your go-to podcast. Tune in and let Cheryl and Liz, along with their expert guests in the fields of designers, architects, landscapers, and other creative professionals, guide you toward building a remarkable business that defies norms and sets you on a path to unparalleled success."Get ready to challenge the ordinary and embrace the extraordinary! About the hosts: Cheryl Kees Clendenon- 2021 KBB Person of the year 2022 Design Studio winner Dallas Arts Awards 2021 Changemaker Design Hounds 200 or so years ago a child came roaring into the world feet first ready to show up and argue a cause. Just because. Her mother still maintains the story is- she was screaming-“why”- from the minute she landed wrong side up and slapped the doctor for disturbing her afternoon nap And to this day does not give “it” a rest except when she is sleeping. Which is where you will find her only between the hours of 2am and 7:30am. A belligerent non-smoker (in case you were wondering) and a frequent challenger of anything that resembles “normal” or desired by the masses, Cheryl is a natural born contrarian who talks faster than 2x speed on a podcast She gravitates towards wanting to help clients and designers who are the square pegs in a world of round holes, lose earrings impossibly frequently, fall off of platform shoes and are unapologetically saucy. Relaxing is not in the skill set. Life begins and ends with family. Her sacred words are: Why, Percipient, Whizbang and Profit. But please do not say the words: Package, Blocks, Red Flag, Overwhelm or Picked. Hives break out and it gets ugly. Liz Lapan VP of Everything, Interior Designer, Work Wife, Team Cook, Unicorns People ask, when did you KNOW you had found your ideal work wife- Cheryl will reply ” When she drew me 8 different cacti on her 3rd day because I said -find me a damn cactus” The woman who has never been through an airport without being extended an invitation to stop and play show and tell with the contents of her backpack, can single handedly plow snow with a rake and rescue her boss in a snowstorm in Arizona.–yes, I said Arizona–after sleeping all night in a tuna can of a rental car. An accomplished designer in her own right with an amazing sense of color and pattern, Liz can wear the designer hat in the morning, the project manager hat at noon and return to the office being the ultimate manager of all the things. Client’s love her, Subs respect her and the team adores the woman who gets “it” done-whatever “it” may be. RESOURCES: www.damngooddesigner.com https://www.theinteriordesignparadigm.com/ Want to be a guest? Apply here: https://forms.clickup.com/8404193/f/80f71-613517/PFK3QDSALZ30VONMTP

Recent Episodes

Season 3 Ep 60: Your Team cannot read your mind. Do something about it.
DEC 2, 2025
Season 3 Ep 60: Your Team cannot read your mind. Do something about it.
It is always a treat when you hire people you genuinely like until you realize you now have to train them while juggling active projects, client demands, and the never-ending to-do list already sitting on your desk. Cheryl and Liz give you a look at what is going on at In Detail right now and what onboarding really looks like inside a busy studio. Some days your processes may feel like it has to re-evolve by the hour, or hot-potato tasks reveal who’s thinking and who’s parroting, and then other days you have to determine the fine line between empowering new hires and accidentally setting them up to fail. It is all about building systems before you drown, to teaching employees how to anticipate needs, and to keeping ownership where it belongs (spoiler: not back on your desk) will help shape a team that can carry the weight with you. If you’ve ever hired too late, trained on the fly, or wondered why people don’t magically read your mind, consider this episode a must listen.Have a question--click here to ask us.RESOURCE LINKS:Damn Good Workshops - WebsiteIntroducing Damn Good Workshops starting October 8! These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention.  We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership.Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business.Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - WebsiteThe best business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today. The Design Paradigm - The Interior Design Paradigm - WebsiteA 12 month comprehensive and powerful business coaching program for creative entrepreneurs who are serious about running a profitable business and being the expert in the room.  It is the only coaching program to combine individual attention & accountability with live group workshops, honest video presentations and customized attention to your needs.Join our FREE Facebook GroupsSmall Business - Think Big - FacebookWhat They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook GroupFor designers who need honest talk and a place to work on the business, marketing and promotion small business owners need. Subscribe to our Newsletter ***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***
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51 MIN
Season 3 Ep 59: If you confuse them, you lose them. Period.
NOV 17, 2025
Season 3 Ep 59: If you confuse them, you lose them. Period.
The confusion you accidentally create long before the proposal ever hits your clients inbox is the real reason clients hesitate. Your price is not the problem. You can unintentionally create confusion through discovery calls, the way you talk about freight, receiving, vendors, timelines, your value, etc. This causes your clients to be constantly collecting clues about whether saying yes to you feels SAFE or SCARY. Learn how your language, tone, and timing shape the emotional architecture your clients make decisions in, and why being clear is your most powerful sales tool. AND if you loved this episode--we have something more for you!Register for our workshop where we discuss this further on November 19 Click here to registerHave a question--click here to ask us.RESOURCE LINKS:Damn Good Workshops - WebsiteIntroducing Damn Good Workshops starting October 8! These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention.  We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership.Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business.Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - WebsiteThe best business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today. The Design Paradigm - The Interior Design Paradigm - WebsiteA 12 month comprehensive and powerful business coaching program for creative entrepreneurs who are serious about running a profitable business and being the expert in the room.  It is the only coaching program to combine individual attention & accountability with live group workshops, honest video presentations and customized attention to your needs.Join our FREE Facebook GroupsSmall Business - Think Big - FacebookWhat They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook GroupFor designers who need honest talk and a place to work on the business, marketing and promotion small business owners need. Subscribe to our Newsletter ***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***
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55 MIN
Season 3 Ep 58: ASKED & ANSWERED - I'm scared to tell potential clients we aren't taking new projects right now. What do I do?
NOV 4, 2025
Season 3 Ep 58: ASKED & ANSWERED - I'm scared to tell potential clients we aren't taking new projects right now. What do I do?
Every designer has run into this situation before—the panic of too many projects, too little time, and clients who “need it done now.” Your timelines aren’t the enemy; but poor planning is. When you managed your schedule with purpose instead of panic it means you are understanding your own process. This means before you promise anyone else a date, you know how to communicate timing in a way that builds trust instead of tension.This episode will help you rethink what it means to be “busy,” and see how managing your capacity actually protects your profit and learn why the right clients will wait for the right process. We want you to learn that leading a project doesn't mean you should be saying yes to everything right then and there but instead knowing when to say not yet.Have a question--click here to ask us.RESOURCE LINKS:Damn Good Workshops - WebsiteIntroducing Damn Good WorkshopsThese workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention.  We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership.Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business.Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - WebsiteThe best business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today. The Design Paradigm - The Interior Design Paradigm - WebsiteA 12 month comprehensive and powerful business coaching program for creative entrepreneurs who are serious about running a profitable business and being the expert in the room.  It is the only coaching program to combine individual attention & accountability with live group workshops, honest video presentations and customized attention to your needs.Join our FREE Facebook GroupsSmall Business - Think Big - FacebookWhat They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook GroupFor designers who need honest talk and a place to work on the business, marketing and promotion small business owners need. Subscribe to our Newsletter ***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***
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20 MIN
Season 3 Ep 57: Should we, just because we can?
OCT 16, 2025
Season 3 Ep 57: Should we, just because we can?
Just because you can take on another project doesn’t mean you should. In this episode, Cheryl and Liz unpack what it really takes to manage your firm’s capacity—not just your time, but your energy, your team, and your profitability. There must be a level of discipline to say no, even if they are a great lead because saying yes to every project is not always helping your business. Consider this episode your permission slip from Cheryl to stop trying to do it all—and to create a new paradigm in our industry. We believe you have to forge ahead by eliminating what does not work from the past, learn from the past, and then take control.Have a question--click here to ask us.RESOURCE LINKS:Damn Good Workshops - WebsiteIntroducing Damn Good Workshops--next one starts Oct 22! These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention.  We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership.Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business.Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - WebsiteThe best business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today. The Design Paradigm - The Interior Design Paradigm - WebsiteA 12 month comprehensive and powerful business coaching program for creative entrepreneurs who are serious about running a profitable business and being the expert in the room.  It is the only coaching program to combine individual attention & accountability with live group workshops, honest video presentations and customized attention to your needs.Join our FREE Facebook GroupsSmall Business - Think Big - FacebookWhat They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook GroupFor designers who need honest talk and a place to work on the business, marketing and promotion small business owners need. Subscribe to our Newsletter ***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***
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49 MIN
Season 3 Ep 56: ASKED AND ANSWERED - My client is finding everything going wrong & I can’t get ahead of it, help me before I fire her!
SEP 30, 2025
Season 3 Ep 56: ASKED AND ANSWERED - My client is finding everything going wrong & I can’t get ahead of it, help me before I fire her!
One of the the biggest challenges designers face with managing client expectations is how to stop overpromising and start being intentional with your process. After a recent coaching call with one of our designers, Liz had the idea to create this podcast based on why intentionality is more than just “showing up with a good attitude”. Instead, you should be setting clear expectations, mapping out project steps, and slowing down enough to plan properly. By exploring how intentional processes, like job site visits or weekly updates, will improve your communication with clients and streamlines collaboration with subs--this ultimately protects your sanity and your project for problems before they happen while also deliver a stronger, and happier, outcome. Have a question--click here to ask us.RESOURCE LINKS:Damn Good Workshops - WebsiteIntroducing Damn Good Workshops starting October 8! These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention.  We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership.Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business.Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - WebsiteThe best business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today. The Design Paradigm - The Interior Design Paradigm - WebsiteA 12 month comprehensive and powerful business coaching program for creative entrepreneurs who are serious about running a profitable business and being the expert in the room.  It is the only coaching program to combine individual attention & accountability with live group workshops, honest video presentations and customized attention to your needs.Join our FREE Facebook GroupsSmall Business - Think Big - FacebookWhat They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook GroupFor designers who need honest talk and a place to work on the business, marketing and promotion small business owners need. Subscribe to our Newsletter ***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***
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25 MIN