We recently connected with Michal Lauren Hunt and have shared our conversation below.

Michal, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?

The idea for TRIO Design Collaborative was born as a response to changes within my life and the desire to bring more PEACE + EASE into my own home. After the birth of our third child, I knew I was at a point in my career where I desired a major pivot. I didn’t want the 40+ hour per week job that required full-time daycare and seemed to consume the majority of my mental energy while adding stress. I was on an unhealthy path where my family was getting the short end of the stick and I wasn’t ok with it anymore. Plus, when stay-at-home orders began in March of 2020, I was leading a team that primarily focused on workplace design…and everyone had gone home! Needless to say, business shifted, I was furloughed, became pregnant with our third, we moved from Minneapolis to Kansas City to be closer to family and began a new life path as a family of five.

When my daughter was about six months old, I began percolating about business ideas…knowing that I wanted to leverage my talents, skills and experience in design, but in a new way. As I investigated other examples of design practices, I kept meeting resistance…recognizing all of the things I DIDN’T want to focus on. I kept feeling a pull to something deeper, a different way to think about design that I wanted to share with others.

In my experience working in tandem with big-name companies on the vision and construction of innovative workplaces, they always came to the table with big questions they wanted us to solve for: How to attract and retain top talent? How to improve innovation, collaboration, and focus? How to support the wellbeing of their employees? As designers, we leverage research and empirical data to design spaces that provide measurable improvement for these big challenges. As I looked at residential design, I felt that there weren’t enough big questions being asked. The focus was more on the output of pretty spaces and leaned heavily towards consumerism and the churning of trends.

Instead, I wanted to shift the focus toward asking and answering the big questions within each of us. When we consider our values, how we want to direct our energy, the way we desire to FEEL within our home…and then layer in the way we move about our space and function within it, we allow our inner guidance to drive the design. This leads to a value-aligned home that truly supports who we are and the future we want to create for ourselves and our families.

I believe this holistic approach to design is resonating with more and more people as many are seeking value alignment, authenticity, wellbeing and vitality. That is what I am driven to create through intentional design, bringing more PEACE + EASE into our lives so that we can focus our energy on WHAT MATTERS MOST.

Michal, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am passionate about creating positive impact through the design of physical space.

My belief is that HOME is foundational to our lives. It is the place where we bookend our days, a space to retreat and recharge, and a safe place to be ourselves and connect with loved ones. Creating a HOME is so much more than what we SEE…it’s about how it FEELS. When we curate a beautiful environment that supports the way we live while nurturing our wellbeing, we are better equipped to be our best selves.

In my 15 year career, I have focused primarily on the design of large corporate workplaces, working with many household-name companies on their corporate campuses, completing projects across the US and into Canada, collaborating frequently with contractors, engineers & architects, integrating sustainable practices and, most recently, leading a team of designers in a Director role.

Now, I’ve taken my passion for creating positive impact from the workplace into the home environment with the start of my design studio, TRIO Design Collaborative. TRIO takes a holistic approach to home interiors and thoughtfully designs spaces that bring PEACE + EASE into your life, so that you have more energy to focus on WHAT MATTERS MOST.

Through the lens of simplicity, we co-create beautiful and functional spaces that support those you love and the way you live. I take great care in understanding your values, the intent for your space, unique needs, and how you operate in your home in order to create true transformation. My intuitive inside-out approach is what sets me apart from many others in my field. When we start with the deeper questions, the design of the home unfolds from a place of deep resonance and is able to truly reflect those living within its walls.

For those who are eager to create meaningful change in your home and want professional guidance along the way, I provide one-on-one Design Coaching to help bring the vision for your home to life. I also offer 1-hour consultations, full-service design projects and a la carte services.

Beyond career, I am a wife to a man I’ve known for over half my life, mama of three, an avid learner and houseplant enthusiast residing in the Kansas City area.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Becoming an entrepreneur is a unique journey in self-discovery and development. You are the one driving your business forward – creating the vision, the messaging, the client experience, marketing yourself, figuring out all of the back-end technical stuff. Through this process, you often come face-to-face with your insecurities and limiting beliefs. I have found that working on my mindset and doing the inner work to recognize, understand and then dismantle those limiting beliefs has been critical in the success of my business. I have tapped into mentorship from other empowered female entrepreneurs to coach me through this process and have also leveraged a variety of books and podcasts to keep me moving forward. Cathy Heller’s “Don’t Keep Your Day Job” podcast has been pivotal and a favorite for years. “You Are a Badass” by Jen Sincero, “Boundary Boss” by Terri Cole, and “The Big Leap” by Gay Hendricks are some other impactful favorites.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Becoming a parent triggered a domino effect of pivots and adaptation for me. I had an established career by the time my first child entered the world. Her integration into our family challenged me to look inward and navigate what it meant to be a mother AND a career woman… to understand how to create harmony between both of these magnetic callings when they often pulled in opposing directions.

With each child, a different career pivot took place as I became more discerning about how I wanted to spend my time and energy. I dipped in and out of the professional world, taking ample time to be home with my little ones during their brief baby phase and then leveling-up with the next professional leap when I was ready to dive back in. Nine months home with my first, eight months with my second. Each time I came to a point where I felt ready to step out of my blissful mama/baby cocoon, ready to take on the world again with a new career opportunity.

When my third child came along, I made the biggest pivot yet. While I sat rocking her to sleep many nights, I quietly began cultivating a little seed of an idea that quickly took root and began growing into the early iterations of TRIO.

Parenthood has certainly prepared me well for this shift into entrepreneurship and I can’t wait to embrace the next big leaps ahead.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.triodesignco.com

• Email: [email protected]

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/triodesigncollaborative/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/triodesigncollaborative/

Image Credits
Michal Lauren Hunt