We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Steffi Reyes-Thomas a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Steffi, appreciate you joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

We specialize in consulting with clients through balancing their site analysis with the desired feel for the space based on scientific evidence, energetics, environmental awareness, and budget. Interior spaces hold the key to public health and community wellness. Our interest is in combining the best aspects of sustainability, wellness, aesthetic and functionality to hold space for the energy that matters most.
This company was created to solve the issue of the dehumanization within architecture and the failing health of the public as well as the environment. We saw that other interior designers were deeply influenced by big companies. Despite the fact that they ignore public health and environmental concerns. These big companies became the norm for sourcing and procurement.

The WELL Building Institute created a set of optimal building standards that are meant for the people residing within buildings. Contrary to previous design models, Holistic-Spaces Design Consultancy was built in the ashes of a global pandemic with the determination to empower people and their wellbeing through their spaces.

Steffi, 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?

An Afro Chicana by birth. A holistic designer by trade. I’ve taken my talents (feeling, drawing, color) matched them with skills (tech, spatial acuity, research), and combined them into my strengths. The result is intentional spatial precision with compassionate accountability for occupants and the natural environment. Interior Design is missing something. It’s missing the roots of why people started designing in the first place. The human aspect. I call it Holistic Design. This process yields results that are geared towards wellness, regeneration, function, and the desired aesthetic. A truly regenerative approach must contribute to the evolution of human consciousness. With Holistic-Spaces Design Consultancy, I create original spaces that are deeply personal.

I am most proud of my entrepreneurial flow. When George Floyd was murdered by the police in front of the nation, it brought up a life’s-worth of oppressive feelings that I had set aside. It was after lots of deep reflection and shadow work that I decided that I wouldn’t code-switch anymore. This, plus a pandemic lay-off, put me in the perfect position to fend for myself. It’s scary to this day. Every day is different, and I am now able to fully express myself through my work. I am an artist, and freedom is important on many levels. I can proudly say that even my administrative work is expressive. I am truly free! I feel gratitude to all the people and the revolutionary acts that help me to be here today.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The book ‘Baja Air & Sea’ gave me the confidence to move forward in entrepreneurship. The whole vibe of the book is wheeling and dealing, fast talking and mutually beneficial partnerships. The author and I connected after I finished it. I told him that the story changed my life because it helped me to envision myself speaking with intention and conviction. It put me in that mode and it switched something inside of me that I felt was truly unique.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

“Don’t Burn Any Bridges” – is a lesson that was instilled in me for a long time. It’s one that I have since taken with a grain of salt. It’s my perspective that if the island is burning, the bridge is going with it. There’s no point in holding on to something that has and will cause harm. Letting go was one of the hardest lessons for me. It takes practice and I take shelter in detachment. I found that attachments exist within and they mean nothing externally. If I let them influence my actions, I run the risk of being controlling, a micro-manager, or argumentative. Thus, I decide to relinquish that which does not serve me no matter my attachment. That’s real power.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.holistic-spaces.org/about-us
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steffi.holistica/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steffi-reyes-thomas-well-ap-leed-green-associate-94777a6b/
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/SteffiHolistica/

Image Credits
Photo credits Randy Sleem