Ep 10 Embracing Change: Reinventing Careers in Interior Design with Kim Heslip from Nest and Flourish

Welcome to Episode 10 of the Design Boss Dialogue podcast! In today's inspiring conversation, I sit down with Kim Heslip, who shares her remarkable journey from nursing to interior design. Driven by burnout and a passion for creativity, Kim's story is a testament to the power of pursuing your passion, no matter where you start.

Kim delves into the challenges and motivations behind her career change, highlighting the importance of finding a niche in the design industry. She offers invaluable advice for those considering a similar transition, emphasising how leveraging your previous skills and experiences can set you apart and attract clients. The discussion underscores that career changes, while daunting, can lead to fulfilling opportunities and significant personal and professional growth.

Reflecting on her impactful projects, Kim illustrates how design can create accessible and beautiful spaces, showing that designing for accessibility requires a deep understanding of the client's needs and preferences. Collaboration with other professionals can enhance the design process, and volunteering can provide valuable experience and confidence in a new field. Kim's journey shows that it's never too late to pursue your passion and make a career change, and reflecting on past experiences can help inform future career decisions.

This episode is rich with takeaways, including the necessity of embracing change, the benefits of finding a niche, and the importance of self-reflection. Whether you're in the early stages of your design career or considering a major career shift, Kim's insights and experiences will empower and inspire you. Tune in to discover how embracing change and reinventing your career may not be as scary as you thought. 

Join us for this captivating episode as we explore the power of design, the importance of finding your niche, and the journey of making a successful career transition. 

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Transcript

Welcome back to another inspiring episode of Design Boss Dialogue, We are on day 10 and this is your go-to source for all things interior design and business. If you don't already know, I am your host, Lisa Marie Elkhadraoui, and over the next 16 days, we will be unwrapping gifts of wisdom, practical tips and insider secrets to help you grow and thrive in the world of interior design.


Today we have a special guest with a fascinating journey. She transitioned from the healthcare industry to the world of interior design, demonstrating that it's never too late to follow your passion. Our guest, a former nurse who left the profession in 2021 has since built a thriving design business. I'm going to delve into Kim's story. Kim is the founder of Nest and Flourish Interiors, a Yorkshire based interior design company studio.

I'm going to delve into Kim's story. Kim is the founder of Nest and Flourish Interiors, a Yorkshire based interior design studio dedicated to creating inclusive, accessible spaces that enhance wellbeing, dignity and independence. With a 20 year career in nursing, including 15 years as a community nurse, Kim witnessed first hand how thoughtfully designed environments can transform health and wellbeing. Inspired by this impact, she retrained in interior design at the National Design Academy and now specializes in creating beautiful functional spaces for family homes, workplaces and community settings. Kim's unique healthcare background shapes her approach to design, ensuring each project supports the specific needs of individuals of all ages and abilities and I'm going to be exploring what motivated Kim to make such a significant career change and how she actually navigated the challenges of this new path. We're going to discuss the importance of niching down in the design industry and why it's essential to set yourself apart. Plus, we'll get her insights on designing accessible living spaces.

A skill that beautifully merges her healthcare background with her design expertise. And if you've ever considered a major career shift or want to learn how to turn your passion into a successful business, this is the episode for you. So sit back, relax, and get ready to be inspired by a true testament to the power of following your dreams. Let's dive in. Welcome Kim to today's podcast.


Hello, thanks for having me.


You're more than welcome. It's so lovely to have you on the podcast to speak to all of our lovely listeners, your journey, your company, your ethos, your passion, your purpose and mission just sounds so exciting. And I cannot wait to delve into today. So I want to know your transition from nursing into interior design is

So many people are going to relate from an inspirational point of view and I know that people listening are going to think that is me or actually I want to do that career shift. Can you share more about what prompted you to leave nursing in the August 2021 and how you decided to pursue a national interior design course right after that?


So it wasn't like a really clear cut, I'm leaving nursing and I'm going to be an interior designer. And the reason that I left nursing really was because I was very burnt out and I was quite disillusioned with the way that my job had changed. We were just coming out of the pandemic.

I'd worked through the pandemic in a community setting, so I wasn't in the thick of it in intensive care, but I still was going into other people's houses, which at the time was quite scary when we didn't know much about this and we were all being told to stay at home. Yeah, and I was there thinking, well, hang on a minute, am I putting my family at risk by going in? there was a lot of...

Stay at home. Yeah. You know, stress and worries and anxieties around the pandemic. And then working through that, and when I wasn't at work, I was home schooling for children. So by the time we got to the end of the pandemic, it's safe to say I was really, really worn out and quite burnt out. But then even aside from that, with what was going on in the NHS, the way that it's getting squeezed,

Wow.


the way that we were constantly being asked to do more with less. It just, the job was changing and I was just getting increasingly frustrated with not being able to do the job that I had been able to do in the past. So I decided, along with my husband, that it would be...

better for me to stop really, because it was affecting my health, was affecting my relationship with members of my family. And we got ourselves in a position financially where we could afford for me to stop. And then when I did stop, my youngest child had gone to school and I thought, well, I'm not just going to do nothing. And meanwhile, in the background, while I was nursing, I'd had this passion and hobby of interiors. So when I wasn't at work, I was renovating my own houses. I was tackling various DIY projects, upcycling furniture, reading all the magazines. And that was my hobby and my passion. And that was like my outlet, That, you know, yeah.


Yeah, bit of creativity and just something to throw myself into that was a real escapism from work. And I had this little dream that began thinking, if I had my time again, I think I'd be an interior designer. I'd pursue that. And also thinking I'd love to have a small business that was in some way related to interiors so that this passion of mine could actually be my job. when I stopped yeah, and also flourish.


Yeah, so when I stopped nursing I was like it's now or never, this is my opportunity to do that. So I stopped nursing in August 21 and in September 21 I enrolled on an interior design course at the National Design Academy and the rest is history.


I love that. And so that transition from stopping the nursing and being in that environment to then a couple of weeks later, did you feel that transition as just such an organic transition of it's the perfect time to start or was it a bit of, okay, it's now or never? How did you feel in those four or five weeks transition?


I think when I first left nursing, I felt quite guilty because it's quite a big thing and you know, we'd just been, everyone was out clapping for the NHS and I was suddenly like, I'm not part of that anymore. Yeah. But also because of how much pressure was involved in the job.


There was an element of guilt of like, I'm making it worse for my patients by leaving. I'm making it worse for my colleagues by leaving. then, so I had a little bit of time adjusting to that and getting my head around that. And then I kind of made peace with that. And I was like, you know, I have to do this for me, for the sake of my own health. And actually I've given them 20 years. So I have nothing to feel guilty about. I've done my time. I've done my bit. And now it's time for me to do something for me. So yeah, I guess in those early days that was kind of going on. And I still have my registration. So I wasn't like all in that I was leaving nursing forever. I was stopping nursing and having a break and considering my options. But I was really excited to start doing the interior design course just to be able to actually throw on my energy and use my brain to do something that I was really passionate about.


I love that because sometimes the scary thing with career changes is you find the comfortable zone of what you really know, even though sometimes people can be unhappy, it's comfortable. So you naturally gear towards comfort and you stay there. And when you transition and change, it's the fear of the unknown. So that feeling of being really excited and getting into that

course and being part of that world that you've been so passionate about, tell me the feelings even though you were like really excited to get going, there any feelings at any moments in the early stages of that course of my gosh, what if, or how did you feel in those early stages of that career change going into that course progression?


I think what you've just said there about being comfortable, you know, I have to credit my husband who really gave me the push to sort of do the career change because I would have plodded along comfortably but unhappy in the other career. And he was like, look, this is not making you happy and you don't have to do this. And I'd be like, but I can't change career. And he'd like, of course you can.

Of you can, you can do whatever. So yeah, I did have him as my sort of biggest supporter in doing this. But yeah, I went from 20 years experienced nurse, quite a high up position, somebody that really knew how to do that job, to a complete novice interior designer. So that took a bit of a mental shift and I definitely had, feelings of imposter syndrome and feelings of, you can't possibly do this.


Yeah, I think it's so difficult because in the early years of business and certainly when you're studying, you get put into this whole new world and then all of a sudden, I know from a creative background and a creative industry, you start then naturally comparing. So it's like, we'll look at their stuff and we'll look at their stuff. But there's one thing that really sets you aside. And when you launched your business,

later on in the April 2023. Initially, you mentioned to me when we had our conversation that you were really scared of niching down, but how did you realise the importance of niching in setting yourself apart? And now when you look back, what advice would you have told yourself at the beginning?

Yeah, so I did, I launched my business initially and it had a different name and it just, I tried to appeal to everybody. I was terrified of shutting down any potential avenues for people to work with me. And then I started to network and people would say to me, have you always been an interior designer? And I'd say, no, actually I used to be a nurse and...

And then they would say, and that's quite the career change. And I'd say, well, actually, yeah, but there's lots of things that I bring in from my nursing and I've got a passion for inclusion and I've had a lot of experience of working with people with complex health needs and disabilities in their own homes. And I can bring all of that in. And it was when I talked like that, that's when people would get really interested in what I was saying. And people would say to me, I see your face light up when you talk about your nursing past and your passion for inclusion and accessible spaces. And so eventually the penny dropped and I realised that actually that was what set me apart from other designers. And I had all this knowledge that I could bring in. I had this passion for the influence our surroundings have on our health and wellbeing, which is something that I'd...
observed for many years doing my nursing job and I also had a passion for inclusion and you know I'd seen lots of accessible spaces, some of them done well and some of them not done well and I was really passionate about how beautiful interiors should be for everybody and how just because you need a space to be accessible or you might need certain equipment, why can't we be a bit more creative about it and make it really beautiful, make the surroundings look really seamless? So I had this passion for that and I realised that through talking to other designers, through talking to suppliers at trade shows, that there was actually a real gap in the market for somebody with my expertise.


I love that because I think it's so important when you design a space that you've got to be very mindful of that space. certainly for interior designers, designing the room space is the flow and positioning of furniture. It's 100 % key to the backbone of what really starts to make up the project. But also, implementing accessible living into the design, it becomes a craft in itself. So when you're designing spaces  for accessible living with everything you've just spoken about, what do you have to consider? Talk me through the process in that.


So I think the first thing is to really get to know your client, which we all do as interior designers anyway, but I think when someone's got additional needs with their health or with a disability, really, really get to know that client. And if they aren't able to communicate with you, get to know the people that look after that person, find out what they like, what they don't like, and what they can and can't do and what they'd like to be able to do. And all of those things that we do anyway when we design spaces, we want to know how they want to use the room, what their preferences are. But really spend more time on that and really, really get to know that person. And then obviously you're going to be looking at space. And if it's somebody who uses a wheelchair, for example, you need to be looking at space and heights. Yeah, turning circles.


Yeah, how much room to transfer from different spaces, heights of things. And, you know, things like draws or pull-outs are easier than cupboards that you have to reach into the back of. And so all things like that come into it. But yeah, I think just getting to know that person and what they like and what they can and can't do and what they want to be able to do and then trying to be

a little bit more creative about it. I watched, there was an episode of Grand Designs the other week where somebody had built a home and the lady was in a wheelchair and they'd put a window in their utility room with a ledge on either side so that she could slide a laundry basket from the inside to the outside and then go around the outside and hang her washing up. So it's things like that that are just,

really creative little solutions where you just think outside the box a little bit and make it more accessible.

Yeah, I love that because it is about, think, I always say a carefully crafted interior designer is really able to think outside the box, take the client and their vision and then really be able to adapt that and bring it to life and... added possibilities of the accessible living and what actually can be done because I think sometimes it can be quite scary if an interior designer is not in that environment or certainly hasn't had the breadth of knowledge and the years worth of experience that you've had, they could look at and say, I don't think that can be done or I don't know how I tackle that. But because it can be a scary thing to say, no, I just I might not do that project because what if I get something wrong and what if I don't know the right equipment? And for you, I mentioned it's such a craft because you have all of that. And like you just said there on Grand Designs, with that little ledge and that hatch to pass the window and the laundry basket through, that is such a simple thing. But for that person living in that property to be able to pass it through and then go outside,

and then take the laundry out. For them, it makes their world so much easier and it's still such a beautiful design, which is amazing. And I love that you fuse all of your skills and expertise into this beautiful creative space.

Yeah, so I think what people can be afraid of talking to people about their health issues or their disabilities. So obviously I'm not afraid to do that. That's what I've done for a career. And then I'm bringing in my knowledge. So if somebody says they have a particular condition like dementia or Parkinson's disease, then I do know quite a bit about.

Lisa-Marie Elkhadraoui (19:22.38)
Yeah.

Kim Heslip (19:35.148)
how those things affect the body, what the future might look like. So I am bringing in that knowledge, but also having been somebody who has assisted people with their cares in their own home. I got all those practical thinking skills of, okay, how are they gonna need to do this? How much space are they gonna need? What are they gonna be able to reach easily if they've got a carer that attends to them?

How much space are they going to need? What are they going to need to be able to reach? What are the storage requirements? What are the safety considerations around home oxygen? It's all these things that I know that I can bring in. So that gives me a head start. But for any designer that wants to tackle an accessible project, you can do it. I think you've just got to take the time to get to know your client.


Yeah, you know, if they're able to do it, have them do a demonstration for you of what they can read, you know, go to a kitchen showroom together and have them do a demonstration of what they can reach, what they can't reach, which handles are easiest for them to to, you and yeah, so so don't be afraid to ask people about about disability. And as long as it's done in a in a sensitive way and you're not talking down to somebody and yeah, and you're appreciating their input. And yeah, I think anyone can learn these things and linking in with other professionals as well who might be able to help you like occupational therapists or physiotherapists that might work with your client. With your client's permission, you could approach them and say, look, I'm helping them design their home. What are they going to need? What should we consider?

Yeah, and how to support me with that for my client really as well. Your story is an absolute testament to the power of following your passion. What advice would you give someone who is considering that major career change, particularly those who want to break into the creative design industries that's maybe come from a completely different background like doctors, nurses.

Yeah.
finance, whatever that might be, what would your advice be?


Well, I think, you know, you only get one life, don't you? And so you have to think about not having regrets. So if it's something that you'd love to do, then give it a try. That might be that you still have to keep your other job and you do it as a side hustle for a while, but don't be afraid of giving it a try.


Yeah.


Don't forget that whatever career you've come from, you will have experience, skills, expertise that you can transfer across. Whether that's that you're really good with spreadsheets, because we love a spreadsheet, designers. Whether that's you've got brilliant organisation skills, whether that's you can project manage, or whether it's that you've got some specific skills around design.


Absolutely, that you can bring in. There will be something. So lean into your strengths and don't be afraid to niche down and really use your experience to your advantage because that's what's going to set you apart from everybody else.


I love that because a couple of months ago, my son actually asked me when I was tucking him into bed one night, we were reading a book about something, out of the blue, he turned around and said, mommy, what do you want to be when you grow up? And it really stopped me in my tracks because he knows what I do day to day with the interior design business and the coaching company and the property development side as well.
You


But the fact that he still looked at me and thought, well, what do you want to be when you grow up? And I just said to him, I haven't figured that out yet, but I'm sure one day I will. And he was says, yeah, I don't know what I'm going to be when I grow up. And I just think, like you said, life is so short. And I think we put so much pressure on ourselves at a certain age, we need to be at the peak of our career and we need to be doing this. And then at a certain age, we need to think about

well, it's going to retire soon. So we have to stay in this job. And at any age of your life, if you have a passion or a drive to do something, then you just need to do it because there is such a scary statistic out there that 75 % of the population across the UK and Europe are not happy in their careers, which is so phenomenally high that you think there are so many people out there that are really unhappy with their jobs. It's scary, isn't it?

It is and I think that, yeah, just being able to look back and not have regrets, how nice would that be if you get to the end of your life and you think, do you know what, I tried everything. There's not something where I think, I wish I'd done that, never got round to doing it. But yeah, it's never too late to change. And how...


Can anybody know when you're a student, you know, I've got a 15 year old son who's doing his GCSEs this year and he's got to be thinking about what subjects he might like to take to A level and wrapped up in that is what career he might like to do. And I think, how are you supposed to know at 15 years old when you've never had a job, you've never been out in the real world and you've got what your parents do as a guide.

But I mean, there's so many careers out there and how are you ever supposed to know what to do? And I say to him and I say to all of my children, just go with the subjects that you enjoy and you'll find your way. And you can't go wrong with just following what you enjoy. But yeah, and even, know, I don't regret being a nurse. had an amazing career, but I'm... happy that I've now got the chance to have a new career. And I don't think any of us need to be fixed in one career for our whole lives. I think that the days of that have gone. We've got so much more opportunities available to us now. Yeah. to give. Yeah, I know that Nikki in our office, in our design office, she has had the most amazing career in television and she used to produce these amazing shows and run big teams of people and when I actually approached her to come join our interior design company, I wasn't thinking

I don't know, because you're not an interior designer. What I was looking at is she has got most probably the creme de la creme of organisation, running, product management, everything in that. And she can run a show home off the back of her hand, like water off a duck's back. And because she has all of that knowledge and expertise in production, organising, how things need to run on time, deadlines. She is so perfect at what she does. So it is, you know, and I'm sure back then, Nikki didn't think, I'm going to go from TV to interior design. I was the same in the fashion industry. I had a career in fashion and even though, yes, it's fashion and creative interior design, they're in the creative industries. So they're slightly ever so similar, but I never thought when I was in London in a big head office working for a big design company that I would be developing properties and working for private residential clients. So it is, you can do anything at any age and I think it's having the confidence and the mindset to do that as well, isn't it?


Yeah, definitely. think it's easy to stay in your comfort zone and it's a bit braver to go for it in a new career. But yeah, we can all do that if we put our minds to it and if we're prepared to work hard and push ourselves out of our comfort zone.


I love that. So before we finish and wrap up, I wanted to ask you over the last few years of being in the interior design industry and running your projects, what's the one project or room that has stood out for you that you have really loved or an element of that project or a piece of furniture or reaction from a client? What's that one thing?


I think actually the most incredible learning experience I did was very early on when I volunteered with DIY SOS on the big builds in Leeds. I was, I think I just finished my course or I might have been in the latter stages of it. Hadn't really done any kind of proper design projects myself.


yes!


And it was just the most incredible experience because I was working with really experienced designers who were very welcoming and took me under their wing. Really appreciated my insight from a nursing perspective because we were building a women's center for a charity in Leeds. So it was all about being accessible, being lovely, supportive, where people could come and yeah, and people could escape and people could access therapy and support sessions. So it was very much up my street that that build and I learned a lot on it and chatting to the designers who had designed the space about what influenced them and why they chose certain things, but also giving my inclusive, take on it as well. was lovely to exchange those ideas and I got a lot of confidence and encouragement from those designers who were saying, you know, you're bringing in all these transferable skills from your nursing and you really know your stuff, you've really got an eye for this, you really know what you're talking about. So it was fantastic experience. And even though I didn't...


Yeah.


design that space. was involved in the styling and I was helping to source products to like put on the shelves and style the space, get it ready for TV. And then I look at it now and I look at the reaction on the big reveal when that the people, the girls and the charity saw it and it was just amazing to be part of it. And

Yeah, I know that that building is still there serving my community, giving young women the chance to escape from maybe like gang cultures and or extreme poverty or other other things that have made life difficult. So yeah, that's that's one that I'm I'm really proud of and that has really given me a lot of knowledge and confidence to take into my own projects.


I've given you a boost as well, I'm sure, that actually I can do this and I love this. And having, even though we don't need external validation from other people, but sometimes hearing other people higher up in the design profession, or certainly maybe being in the profession for a lot longer, accepting and acknowledging and really like jeering you up and cheering you on. You think, okay, this is really good and it's so lovely because... a piece of your heart and your knowledge is always going to be in that building, which is, you know, every time you walk past it or you see it and you look at it, you've got a story and a connection to it, which is really beautiful. I love that. I love it.


Yeah, it was really special and particularly because I had been a community nurse and I had worked in that community and I knew the issues that were happening in that community for young people. So to know that that centre's there and I had a part in it, it's just really lovely.


I love that, Kim. Thank you so much for joining me on the podcast and thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and your insights into the transition of how you made the career change from nursing to interior design and the advice that you've given others.


thank you very much for having me.


You're welcome. Thank you and take care my darling.


Thank you.