The Psychological Impact of Interior Design with Blima Ehrentreu

Welcome to the Construction Disruption

podcast, where we uncover the future of

design, building, and remodeling. I'm Ryan

Bell of Isaiah Industries, a manufacturer

of specialty metal roofing and other

building materials. And today, my co host

is Ethan Young. Ethan, how you doing

today? Doing pretty good, Ryan. Finishing

up on a Friday here. We recorded an

episode earlier today, so this will be

episode two for our season two year of

construction disruption. But looking

forward to it. How you doing? I'm doing

well. I have a pretty serious question for

you. To kick things off this episode, I

was looking through some of the older

episodes we recorded, and I forgot about

the nice beard you used to have. What are

the chances that that's coming back

sometime soon? Pretty low. Pretty low. I

did like growing it out, but it takes such

a long time. It's a commitment. But sorry

I had to ask. I forgot about it

completely. Well, let's get started.

Something we kind of joke around about

here a little bit as a roofing

manufacturer, is that homeowners will

often pay for extra things inside their

homes and buildings. Things that they can

touch and feel. But oftentimes they just

want to get by with the roof and choose

something basic rather than something

special. Well, today we're going to dig

into the inside of the buildings that we

live and work in and visit. Why do those

interiors have such meaning and emotion

and value to us? To help us along that

way, we're pleased to have Blima Aaron

Troy as our spotlighted guest. Blema is

the founder, CEO, and principal interior

designer of the designers group. With

offices in New York, Toronto and Miami,

the designers group is truly setting a new

standard in interior design. Blima,

welcome to construction Disruption. It's a

pleasure to have you as our guest today.

Thank you. So happy to be here. Well, we

love it when our guests tell us their own

stories, so we're going to ask you to do

that. What created your interest in design

and brought you to where you are today

with your own firm? Back when I was in

high school, my parents moved us across

the street from my childhood home, and we

had the opportunity to watch the entire

home get rebuilt. So starting from

demolition to laying the foundation,

watching walls go up and really seeing the

floor plans come to life was what really

sparked my interest in construction and

interior design. And I remember that my

mom had worked with an interior designer,

and that was something that really

fascinated me, seeing how choosing a color

from a fan deck really was executed in the

entire room being that color. So it was

that experience that really put me in the

direction of wanting to pursue a career in

the construction and interior design

industries. Let's talk about the

connection between people and the interior

of buildings. We mentioned earlier how

this seems to be something people can be

very emotional about. Can you reflect on

that a bit, on the connection between

people and the interior of buildings where

they live, work, eat, play, all those

things? As a designer, I always talk about

how people in spaces and in environments

don't even fully realize the impact of

what's around them. And I believe that

where we really add value is giving people

that experience where the space really

talks to them and really helps them get to

wherever they're supposed to be within

that space. So, for example, when we're

talking about a rehabilitation facility,

we want that environment to promote

getting better, getting healthier, wanting

to get better. So those are all aspects

that we consider when we're designing how

to appeal to the psychological aspect of a

person through the design elements to

promote those activities. Now, today, for

example, we actually were exhibiting at a

school expo, and we were talking to

different vendors and different people in

the industry about how important it is for

children to be in an environment in school

that really promotes healthy thinking,

that enables them to be productive, that

allows their educational journey to be

where it should be. And as designers, we

believe that the environments of schools

and really anywhere that children are,

have such an impact on that experience and

on promoting a good childhood and a good

educational journey. So there definitely

is that synergy between the space and

between the people within it. I like what

you said there at the beginning, kind of

about how maybe we're just not aware of

it. There's a book called the. I think

it's called the design of everyday things.

Have you ever read that or seen it? Not,

but I will put it on my reading list, for

sure. I've only read about half of it, and

then I kind of put it down. But it was

good from what I remember. And it's just

about every how everything around us is

designed and ultimately has an impact on

our lives, whether we know it or not. Most

of it is unnoticed, for sure. And I say

it's not even just the way a space looks,

but it's also the way you feel within the

space. And, for example, what comes to

mind is when we're working on hospitality

space with a food component, then if

people can't hear each other talk or if

they can't see the food they're eating,

that all impacts the way they're

experiencing the space. So it's not just

what you see, it's also making sure that

all five senses are engaged and that we're

making sure that they can be engaged in

the right way. I was going to say, this

made me think of, like, color theory and

the way, you know, people respond

differently to different colors,

especially in like a, you know, design

situation like this or. Yeah, I think,

yeah, I think you were dead on with that.

We don't even realize how many little

things add up to, you know, whether it's

like the lighting or whatever it is that

just affects how we feel in a room or in a

building. So I definitely think it's a. It

has a major effect on us, more than we

realize, for sure. And as designers, we

have the ability to direct how things will

work in a space, but we want to make sure

that all five senses will be engaged and

that people don't even think about it. We

don't want it to be something that you

really have to notice. It should be

natural. So what sort of experience does

the designers group give to its clients

compared to maybe, perhaps the experience

they might expect in working with an

interior designer? Is there something

special or unique about your interaction

with them? We're all about the impact that

our designs will have on the spaces that

we work on. So we really come in from a

holistic perspective where we want

everything to work together. And like I

spoke about before, engaging all five

senses, making sure, even from a branding

perspective, that before people even step

into the space, there is that same

experience, whether they're looking at the

social media, whether they're looking at a

website or whatever it may be. But we're

very much into the branding and the

mission and vision of a company of a

particular space, whatever it is. And what

comes to mind when we're talking about

this is over. COVID we were working on a

string of urgent cares and we actually got

involved in the branding of the urgent

care brand. It was a new company and we

worked on what color direction they would

go with their logo and how to implement

and incorporate those elements into not

only the space, but the prescription pads

and the doctor's uniforms and any of their

social media, so that when people were

looking up this medical practice, it would

all feel familiar to them, even before

stepping into the door. And once they were

there, that experience would just all come

together. And not just that, but we did

approach the design of the space from a

hospitality perspective, where when you

get a facial or a massage, that's a luxury

experience. And when you're getting

stitches or a struck culture, that's an

anxiety ridden experience. And I remember

the grand opening of the first location,

and I heard someone saying to another

person, hey, I feel like I'm in a spa. And

I literally walked over to him and said,

did someone tell you to say that? Because

this was our mission, and that's what's so

important as designers, that the vision of

whatever the space may be is executed from

the initial concept all the way to

completion. So we see this. Whether it's a

multifamily property where people want a

community or it's a medical facility or a

school or an event space or a restaurant,

the same principles can be applied

throughout. So you work on a lot of

different types of buildings, obviously.

Do you approach when you're getting

started on the project, or do you kind of

have the same approach to them, or do you

tackle each one kind of based on what it

is? We do have the same approach in terms

of our process. There is that initial

onboarding meeting where we discuss what

the client is trying to achieve, and then

there is no one size fits all approach. So

sometimes people call us up and they're

like, oh, how much do you charge for so

and so? And we say to them, it's not like

something you could walk into a store and

just buy. So there isn't a set price. We

have to look at what kind of space it is,

how the space will be utilized, what

square footage we're talking about.

There's so much that goes into even coming

up with the pricing for an interior design

project. And then once we get into the

specifics of that project, it's really

about doing the research, understanding

what we're trying to achieve with this

space. So, for example, in office, when we

look at an office project, we're not just

looking at the employees and the staff,

which that's definitely a key part. We

want people to be happy and fulfilled and

productive in a space that they work in.

But we also want that if prospective

clients are walking in, the mission of the

company is there, and people can actually

appreciate what kind of office they're

walking into. So we're always looking at

any space from so many different angles

and making sure that the design that we

come up with will address all of that. Can

you tell us a bit about a project that

you've been involved with in recent years

where you found that your firm ended up

with a very different result from what

others may have ended up with? I believe

that my team is incredibly talented. In

every project that we approach, we're

innovative, we look at it differently, and

we come up with unique solutions. But I

will say a project that we're currently

working on now is a special needs center,

and it's for adults with disabilities. And

we are so grateful for that opportunity

because we're learning so much from it.

We're not specifically, we don't have

specific experience in this space. We've

worked on a lot of schools, we've worked

on medical facilities, and we worked on a

lot of components of what the center will

address. For example, there's a pool

there. They have a dental office for

special needs patients. They have therapy

spaces. They have day hab. We have areas,

gyms. So all of that we have experienced.

But we were working on the autistic unit,

and none of the walls can be, can have

sharp points because this could be

dangerous for them. So all the walls have

padding, there's curved edges to any

corners. And that was something so

interesting for me, because in every space

that we work on, we learn so much, not

even necessarily that the outcome was

different than another design firm. But

for us, it's so interesting to be in all

these different industries and being able

to apply what we're learning from one

industry into another. Obviously, we have

experts and designers with experience who

are part of the team. But for me, as the

CEO, I get to learn parts of all the

different industries. And it's so

interesting, and it's so, so amazing, all

the solutions that we're able to come up

with because of that. So I think you often

talk about designing with purpose, and

maybe this leads well right into this

question, but what does that mean to you,

and what impact does it have on your final

product? My team and I are always

approaching a project from the perspective

of how can we improve people's lives, make

their quality of life better? How can we

help them accomplish their goals and what

they're setting out to do within the

space? And our motto really is designing

with purpose, creating a better world. And

we believe that the environments that

people are in because they have such an

impact on the way they interact within the

space and what they can accomplish in the

space, that we believe that we're really

making the world a better place. And we

use that as the platform for our firm,

being involved in so many nonprofits and

charitable initiatives, because it really

is all about making the world a better

place. And I know I speak for myself as

well as my team, that we feel so lucky and

so fortunate that our career has that kind

of impact. And that's why we take it a

step further as well, to really try to

empower future designers with mentoring

and the ability to come to our office and

experience design, as well as the TDG

furniture exchange, where we help people

who need furniture match them with people,

our furniture, to give away. So that's a

sustainable approach, as well as a way of

giving everyone a beautiful home and a

place to call their own that they're so

happy with. So, you know, everything that

we're doing kind of stems from that same

principle of we want to make the world a

better place. Very cool. So you talked

about, you know, designing with purpose

and making the world a better place. Do

you think that the, you know, every job

the designers group does, you think

there's sort of like a signature touch to

it? Is there, you know, sort of some kind

of common thread that people would notice

when they walk in one of your buildings?

That's a good question, because we're a

very diverse team. We have designers from

all over the world, from many different

cultures, different religions, different

educational backgrounds besides their

design degree. Everyone has gone to design

school, but we see that everyone's shared

and unique experiences are what gives the

design its innovative approach. However,

there is that unique thread that we always

make sure that, for example, the lobbies

of our projects are very welcoming or

branded, but they look very different. But

there is some sort of universal thread

that you can see because, like I said,

we're very detail oriented and we're very

process driven. So we do have the same

approach to all our projects, but it is a

customized solution, so there's never a

copy paste, and we're always coming up

with new ideas. I travel a lot, and that's

one of the ways that I stay inspired, and

I'm always looking at the way different

people live and the way different spaces

work. Like, for example, I went on a

cruise a couple years ago, and I was just

looking at all the materials and how they

put the spaces together because it has to

be super durable. And there's that

turnover of however many thousands of new

people coming in every week. We're working

on a lot of senior living facilities, and

we need to make sure that those spaces are

very durable because there's the heavy

machinery going up and down the corridors

there, as well as the wheelchairs and the

walkers. So it's really looking at the way

different spaces work and the way

different countries with our different

climates function and using those

principles within the spaces that. We

design, just kind of learning lessons

along the way and applying them where, you

know, where you see fit. Yeah. So never a

boring day for us. So a big topic right

now is AI. How do you see AI impacting

design now? And, you know, maybe 510 years

down. The road with any technology, it's

always really hard to predict how fast

things will move. But I definitely think

that there is so much opportunity with AI,

and as a firm, we're definitely leveraging

AI where we can to simplify our processes.

However, that being said, I do believe

that because our spaces are so unique and

they're all about the emotional and

psychological impact that our designs can

have, that it's not going to replace a

designer or the human touch, but it

definitely can help simplify those

processes and make things easier. And also

when it comes to the inspiration phase,

when people sometimes get stuck, there's

so much inspo now that can be had by using

AI and leveraging its capabilities. We're

definitely a fan of staying ahead of

technology, incorporating it and

implementing it where we can, and we see

so much opportunity and potential with AI.

I'm a graphic designer most of the time,

but I certainly you had me fooled. I

thought roofing. Well, I do graphic design

for roofing products, our marketing

materials and websites, but I've loved the

introduction of AI into that process and

how quickly I can sometimes get over that

creative block. And Ethan's background is

in writing. He's our content writer. I

don't know how much you've played around

with the writing side of it too, but

that's a struggle for me, always coming up

with the words. I welcome the AI and I

agree. I think it really is just another

tool for us to use that can help us be

more efficient and work better and

potentially even come up with different

ideas and solutions that we normally want

to. So I look forward. It scares me a

little bit how fast it's moving, though.

That's the only thing that scares me about

it. Yeah, but even with the writing, I've

experimented with chat, GPT, I find that

there is that back and forth, and I find

it to be the same with design. Ryan, maybe

you can talk to the graphic side of it,

but it's very hard to get it to where we

need it to be at this point. I do believe

we will be able to, but right now we

definitely have that back and forth of

refining it and refining it some more,

which is why I believe that we'll always

need the human touch. Yeah, I definitely

agree. I think there's just too many like,

whatever the situation is, especially with

writing, but with a lot of different

things too. Designed to. There's just too

many idiosyncrasies with humanity. Like,

we just have these little, like, you know,

moments in our life or stories we remember

or references or anything like that that

I'm sure AI will be able to learn a lot of

that stuff, but it's never going to be

able to totally replace that, at least for

me personally. I'm sure for a lot of

people in their efforts. Yeah. At this

point, I thought we would have robots

running the worlds already, so that's been

taking flying cars at. That's what I want

that, too. Okay, next question here. Are

there any particular design trends or

perhaps even some new products that you're

excited about and kind of anxious to see

where they could go? So, speaking to

technology, we've really been

experimenting with VR tours, which is

building out the spaces in three D, and

people can actually experience those

spaces using our VR headsets. Like I said

earlier, we were at an expo this morning,

and we brought a couple of our headsets

along with us, and people were able to

experience a recent school that we

designed. They were able to feel like they

were walking through the space and really

understand what our design vision is. And

we found it to be such a powerful tool,

getting clients on board, getting donors

on board, getting the consultants that

we're working with to visualize what we

have in mind and what we've really found,

how it's been, the most helpful is to

people without any kind of design of

background because they have a much harder

time reading plans and understanding what

our vision is. But when we're able to

present it in this kind of way, where it's

a fully immersive experience before the

design is executed, before there has even

been a shovel in the ground, there is just

that much more of an understanding what

our vision is, and we're able to get

people on board much more quickly. That's

really neat. And I do see so much

potential there with the AR and VR side of

things. It's really exciting to watch that

and see where it's going to go. I think

that's some pretty cool stuff there. I'm

going to kind of trampoline back to when

we were talking about inspiration. As an

interior designer, where do you find your

inspiration? Normally, I like to find

inspiration wherever I am and wherever I

go, so there's no specific time or place

that I'll be looking for Inspo. But like I

said, I love to travel. I find that

there's so much in nature that's so

inspiring. I mean, God is the ultimate

artist. So when you look at earthquakes or

volcanoes or a sunset and a sunrise, I

mean, there's so much that I see every

time there's something like that and just

really being present wherever I am and

learning from the people, the places, the

things around me. Do you ever get

overwhelmed or feel like inspiration could

be overwhelming? Whenever anything really

feels overwhelming, I always like to break

it down. So if I'm in a space or in a

place that's overstimulating, always try

to not let myself get overstimulated and

try to break it down. So typically it's

not a problem for me. Do you find that you

get overstimulated or overwhelmed in

spaces? I don't know that I've ever really

thought about it, to be honest. Maybe like

Chuck E. Cheese or something like that. I

see where you're heading. I don't think

there's any space. Yeah. I don't know that

I can think of any space other than noise

that I would find overstimulating. I do

believe that good design, everything works

well together, and there isn't that one

overwhelming, overstimulating detail.

Great design is when everything works well

together, and there could be that feature,

for sure, but not that there's screaming

aspects. That's how we like to look at it.

Design, when it all organically and

holistically works together. Yeah. More of

a ice flowing breeze instead of a, you

know, tornado whipping. Your. Whipping,

your. Whipping you all over the place, I

guess. A good, thoughtful approach that

works that way. So what sort of culture do

you try to foster at the designers group?

You know, is there. Is there a certain

culture that you kind of focus on and try

to build that you feel really kind of

supports your work and goals? As a

company, we're all about collaboration and

working together because we really believe

that that's who you get the best result.

And when everyone's voice is heard and

everyone plays a part in what we're doing,

you can't compare it to one person working

on something or having two people. We

believe that is exponentially more

powerful. And we've really seen that when

people work well together and everyone is

about helping each other out, like, we

have monthly goals and quarterly goals,

and if people don't reach them because

they're collaborating on another project,

that's okay, because we understand that

where they're collaborating is where we'll

get a better result. So we really foster

that kind of environment. And it's been

incredible to see the progression of the

designers on our team from when they start

to where they all are today. It's an

incredibly inspiring and collaborative

environment, and everyone really wants to

support each other. I have to ask, this

made me think, since you guys design your

buildings, what is your office space like?

Is it also, like, you know, you talked a

lot about collaboration stuff. Does that

facilitate that for you? Very good

question. So the design of our offices are

really based on where they are and the

space that we found. For example, our

office in Brooklyn is kind of a loft space

where we have these gigantic windows and a

ton of natural light. And the building is

actually a converted warehouse. So we were

the designers on, you know, figuring out

how to make the space really rentable and

give as many different areas for amenities

and for the client to really up the value

of the building. And we. Our previous

lease was up, and so we need a new space,

and this office has incredible sunlight,

and for us, that's key. And high ceilings.

But as I was saying, there are what? There

are exposed ducts, and we decided to take

advantage of that. So our space is really

that kind of industrial vibe, whereas

another office space is much more clean,

neutral colors. So it really depends on

the area where it is and the space that we

have, but really leveraging the space and

the positive attributes of that space and

working with it. That was a good question,

Ethan. So now I have to ask, as a

designer, and it's a little different,

because I'm designing things that are on a

screen or paper and can easily be changed.

I always struggle with one knowing when

something's done or being okay with it

being done, but then if I look back at it,

you know, even a week or a month later, I

want to change it. Do you have that? Does

that, like, obviously, there's been money

involved with you updating your office

constantly, but is that something you have

to deal with as a designer? Like, oh,

there's a new trend or something, or, I

wish we would have done it this way. Is

that something that ever crosses your

mind? So, that's interesting that you're

asking that, because I was on a call

yesterday, and the client was asking about

our timelines and how quickly we can

deliver, and I said something like, when

we work on a design, it's not that it's

done after one try. There's one try, and

then we refine it, and then we refine it

again and then again till we get the final

product. By the time we have something

that we're happy with, we're happy with

it, and we don't want to change it

anymore. So I hear what you're saying when

something new comes out and. But I always

find that after working on a space for a

long time, I get very used to it. And then

if I will come visit it after however

long, I'm like, oh, wow, this space is

incredible. But after working on it every

day for, let's say, a couple of years, I

notice everything that didn't go right,

and that's what I see. But taking a step

back and visiting it a couple of years

later, I'm always blown away by how

amazing it looks and how well people are

responding to it. That makes sense. Makes

sense. So looking in, assuming you have a

crystal ball and you can look into it,

what does interior design look like in 20

years from now? There are so many exciting

opportunities that we're exploring, and

there's so much innovation out there,

especially when you're looking at the

digital world, the virtual world, I

believe that's going to be very big and

just, we're all about the built

environment, but we are exploring the

virtual world and how we can have an

impact there. It was interesting because I

was flying from Miami to New York

yesterday, and in the airport, in the

lounge, I saw a guy sitting with a headset

and a keyboard. I've never seen that

before. When we're giving people the

opportunity to tour our spaces in VR, we

have the hands. Can't even remember what

they're called. But the controllers. Yeah,

the controllers, exactly. But here he

seemed to be in some sort of office

environment, writing out documents using

the new Apple headset. And it was

interesting for me to see. I was going to

take a picture of it because I thought it

was interesting. And then I realized he

can't see that I'm taking the picture, and

I probably shouldn't do that. But I was

thinking, like, hey, this is what lounges

are going to look like in the future.

Everyone in their own world, but sitting

together, which is such an interesting

concept. And I do believe that as

designers, we will be able to help bring

people together in that space, and that's

what we're all about, whether it's the

amenities that we're designing or the

different community centers and buildings.

It's about really bringing people together

and creating this better world for all of

us together. So I'm excited to see where

all this takes us. But definitely 20 years

from now, things will be looking very

different than they are today. So I was on

a meeting with a guy a couple weeks ago,

right after the Apple vision pros came out

and he had gotten them, and he looked like

a ghost on the zoom call. And I said, so I

said, ken, you look like a ghost. Like,

what camera are you using? Because he was

kind of, like, transparent. He's like, oh,

I just got the vision pros, and I'm trying

them out. I don't have a camera or

computer. They are creating my face,

basically, and creating an avatar. And it

looked like him. Just kind of ghostly. I

don't know how to explain it a better way.

It didn't really work very well. And he.

That was kind of his feedback was, this

technology's cool. There's potential here.

It's not there yet. Yeah, but with

construction in general, there's so many

limitations when it comes to site

conditions and budget, but in a virtual

world, there's really none of that. So

when you talk about overstimulating in a

space, that's definitely something that

could happen. Right now you're saying that

this person was see through, or you could

barely see him. But I could see a future

where everyone's going to be a lot more

than they really are in person. Be

interesting. It's going to be an

interesting next couple of years, I think,

for sure. What advice would you have for

any younger folks that are thinking about

getting into a career in design? Any

advice on kind of how they should go about

pursuing that? I always say that the best

way to pursue any career is really to go

to school and get the correct foundation

for it. So if it's school or if it's

learning from someone, if there's no

specific schooling, but there is the

educational aspect, but then the actual

experience aspect. And when it comes to

design, people can get very afraid because

a mistake can cost you, can cost you,

whether in money or in safety issues, have

to be redone. So I always say, never be

afraid. Always believe in what you can do

as a designer. Believe in your creative

skills and your passion, and don't be

afraid to make mistakes. But when you do

make those mistakes, make sure to learn

from them, because it's so important. And

I always go back to this story. When I was

starting out as a designer, we were

working on a residential home, and we were

very excited. The delivery for the living

room furniture was coming, and the sofa

arrived. We obviously had measured, made

sure that everything will fit, and they

couldn't get the sofa through the front

door. We did not think of checking that.

They tried going through the basement. It

just would not fit through, so we had to

send it back. We obviously took care of

the restocking fee. So again, also very

important, take responsibility for your

mistakes, because at the end of the day,

people are hiring you for your expertise.

And now. So we basically, they replaced

the sofa with one that could, you know,

come apart and they were able to get it

through the front door. But now, years

later, we're working on an event space

where we're doing these floor to ceiling

partitions, and these are 18ft high

partitions. And right away, the first

question that I asked the lead designer

is, how are we getting these partitions

into the space? Because the elevators are

not going to fit those partitions. So it's

about learning from that mistake and

making sure that that will never happen

again. And that's really how I think that

you learn either. Watching someone else,

having a mentor, making mistakes which are

not always fun, but don't be afraid to

try. Take responsibility for those

mistakes, but always make sure to learn

from them. I think mistakes are the best

way to learn and it's really hard,

especially as a parent sometimes, to watch

kids fail and just let them fail, knowing

that they need to learn. But absolutely.

Are there any influencers that yet these

younger folks should be maybe following

and paying attention to any that kind of

stand out to you as a good potential

mentor? I'm not so big on social media. I

find that when I get go down that rabbit

hole, I get nothing done, nothing

productive, anyway. So I don't really have

that many off the top of my head. But I

would say everyone connects to different

people and if there's someone that you

like their style or you like their

approach, then definitely try to follow

them so you can learn from them. Good

advice. Social media can be a dangerous

environment. Lesson of the day. Not

exactly what I said, but yes. Well, thank

you so much, Blima. This has been great,

great time together. We're close to

wrapping up what we call the business end

of things. Is there anything that we

haven't covered today that you would like

to share with our audience? I think you

guys did great. Think of anything that you

missed. All right, well, before we close

out, I have to ask if you'd like to

participate in our rapid fire questions.

These are our seven questions that we will

ask. Some are a little serious, some are a

little silly. All you have to do is give a

quick response to each question. Would you

like to play? All right, let's do it. All

right, Ethan, you want to go and ask the

first question? Yeah, yeah, I can kick us

off. All right. If you had to pick one

person to go with you when you're trying

to survive a zombie apocalypse. Who would

that one person be? Anyone in the world.

Elon Musk. Yeah, we get that one a lot. A

lot of people think, you know, he's got

all those finances, the resources he can

keep him alive. I believe it's the way his

brain works. But again, it might not even

be him. It might be the people that he has

in his orbit, so. But he definitely has

come up with a lot of innovative ideas of

how to do things. So question number two.

What's your preferred seat on an airplane?

All the way in the front. First class, if

possible. All right, question three. This

is always an interesting one. What would

you most like to be remembered for? The

impact that my designs, as well as my

leadership, has had on the people that I

work and interact with. Gotcha. Very

admirable. Yeah. All right, question

number four. What's something that amazes

you? So many things. But I would say the

impact that design has on the people in

those spaces, I really, every time I see

it, the transformative power of a space

that we're in, I'm consistently amazed.

All right, question five. Now, I really

like this one, too. If you were a

wrestler, what would your entrance song be

like? What would the song be planned when

you walk out to the ring? I think I would

just go with classical music. Just keep

everyone's expectations low, because I

probably will be losing that match. You've

already lost it in your mind. Yeah. Gotta

believe in yourself a little more. Not

when it comes to wrestling and everything

else. Yes, I agree. Yeah. You gotta know

your strength and your weaknesses. True.

Very true. Oh, good point. Good point.

Good point. All right, next question. If

you had to delete all but three apps from

your phone, which ones would you keep? The

calling option? WhatsApp, for sure. And

safari. Yeah, there you go. Pretty well

rounded. Keep it. Keep you pretty well

covered with those three, I think. Last

one. Question seven. What is the best

advice you've ever gotten? Follow your

heart. That goes in your personal life as

well as your career. If you put your heart

and soul into whatever it is that you're

pursuing, you'll have the best results.

And I've really found that to be the case

for me, for sure. Nice. Yeah. Well, good.

Good answers. We will put this in the show

notes, but thank you again for your time

here. How can anybody that wants to get in

touch with you or have any questions for

you? What's the best way for them to.

Reach out so they can always just go to

our website, the designersgroup.com. And

our handle on all social media platforms

is also the designers group. Easy enough.

We will put that in the show notes. Well,

thank you again. This was a great episode.

We need to recap our challenge words. I

believe we were all successful. Kind of

all snuck them in there right about the

middle of the episode. Blima, your word

was stuck in volcano. Just for good

measure. Yeah, that was a good little.

Yeah, mine was tornado. My challenge word

was trampolines. So we were all successful

in getting those in. Again, thank you so

much, Blima, for your time here. We

appreciate it. And just thank you for the

insights you're willing to share with our

audience. Thank you for having me. This

was so much fun. I do not believe you guys

are rusty at all. I'm curious to see you

at the top of your game. Well, thank you.

Maybe we're just a little harder on

ourselves than we need to be. Yeah, it was

a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to

staying in touch. Thank you so much for

tuning into this very special episode of

construction Disruption with Blima Aaron

Troy of the Designers group. Please watch

for future episodes of our podcast. We are

always blessed with great guests. Don't

forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts

or YouTube till the next time we're

together. Keep on disrupting and

challenging those in your world to better

ways of doing things. And don't forget to

have a positive impact on everyone you

encounter. Make them smile and encourage

them. Two simple yet powerful things we

can all do to change the world. God bless

and take care. This is Isaiah Industries

signing off until the next episode of

construction Disruption. This podcast is

produced by Isaiah Industries,

manufacturer of specialty metal roofing