Featured on this episode:

• In honor of celebrating our 5-year anniversary here on Only Girl On The Jobsite, if you rate and review this podcast on any platform you are listening to, screenshot your review and email it to me at hello@devignierdesign.com and I will send you a link to schedule a call with me.

• Access the full video interview with Elana Steele of Steele Appliance here

What you will learn in this episode:

• Why every designer’s path is unique—and how to stop comparing your journey to others.

• How confidence, pricing, and boundaries evolve as you grow your business.

• The power of community and shared experience in accelerating your success.

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A Roundtable Discussion on Our Journey to Success: Celebrating 5 Years

This episode is a special one for me, and frankly, one I never thought I would be recording, because this marks my fifth anniversary of this podcast, Only Girl on the Jobsite, which just is surreal and shocking and overwhelming and humbling, all mixed in together.

To mark the occasion, I invited my 3 design school besties, my design school friends, the girls, who have walked this path alongside me in different ways; they have been my support system, and my community. And that community started way back when, in 1992 when I started at the New York School of Interior Design. And I met three of the most incredible, dynamic, magical people.

We have always supported each other, always leaned on each other when there’s an issue. And because I recognize the value that support has given me and my business, I wanted to share it with as many people as I can. And so today, you’re going to meet the girls. I am so thrilled, so honored that they said yes.

This episode isn’t about guest introductions or detailed stories. It’s about the shared wisdom and experience that emerges when women who’ve done the work sit down together and speak honestly about the journey.

In honor of five years, here are the biggest themes that came forward — the insights that remind all of us why we keep going, keep growing, and keep designing the careers we want.

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Your Journey Won’t Look Like Anyone Else’s — And That’s the Point

Every designer around the table had a totally different origin story:
Some jumped straight in.
Some transitioned from corporate.
Some stumbled into design accidentally.

But one theme was universal: comparison slows you down more than lack of experience ever will.

You can only build a business that works when you stop trying to fit someone else’s blueprint and start honoring who you are, how you think, and how you want your life to feel.

Your path is your strength — not something to overcome.

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Confidence Isn’t Something You Wait For, It’s Something You Build

If there was one truth we all agreed on, it was this: no one starts confident.
Not one of us.

Confidence comes from:

• Quoting higher than feels comfortable,
• Having conversations you wish someone else would have for you,
• Making decisions before you feel ready,
• Letting yourself be seen as a leader,
• And saying “no” because your future depends on it.

It’s a muscle. And like any muscle, it grows only when you use it.

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Pricing Evolves as You Do

We didn’t dive into numbers, but we did talk about the emotional journey around pricing.

No one gets it right the first time.
Everyone undercharges in the beginning.
And every designer eventually hits that moment of:
“My process is strong. My work is excellent. My rates need to reflect that.”

Your pricing is never final — it’s a living, breathing reflection of your clarity, maturity, and boundaries.

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Community Is the Shortcut to Growth

This roundtable itself is proof:
Being in conversation with other designers fast-tracks your growth.

When you hear other women share the lessons they learned the slow, painful way, you start making decisions differently — with more intention and less fear.

Design can feel isolating. But it doesn’t have to be.
Find your people. Lean on them. Let them lean on you.
It changes everything.

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Success Isn’t a Destination, It’s an Evolution

The final theme we kept circling back to was this:
No matter how long you’ve been in business, you are always becoming.

Your voice sharpens.
Your boundaries strengthen.
Your confidence grows.
Your business shifts to match the woman you’re becoming.

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A Birthday, But Also a Beginning

This anniversary episode is a reminder that the journey is the point.
The missteps, the breakthroughs, the late nights, the moments of clarity, the lessons shared between friends, that’s what builds a sustainable, fulfilling design business.

Five years ago, I started this show because I wanted designers to feel seen, supported, and understood in an industry that can sometimes feel like it expects you to know everything on day one.

Five years later, I’m grateful to say:
we’re still learning, still growing, and still showing up for each other.

Here’s to the next five — and to all the success, courage, and community we create along the way.

Like this Episode?

Be sure to check out Episode #227: This Wasn’t the Plan—But It Became the Purpose

Be sure to check out Episode #219: The Missing Support for Designers Managing Construction Projects

Be sure to check out Episode #200: 200 Episodes In: Celebrating Lifting Up the Industry