Episode 79: How The Design and Feel of Your Office Space Impacts Patient Outcomes with Misty Molloy

Molly: Welcome back to the podcast. I just recorded this intro with myself on mute. 80 episodes in, and I'm still, I'm doing that, but, and I'm also again, yet again, breaking rules, um, with guests I'm having on this podcast. I feel like if like a bit like a more standard business coach is standard. It's not the right word.

Traditional. I don't know. Or like marketing person came in and we're like, Molly, why? This doesn't make any sense. You don't make any sense with a lot of the decisions you make in your business. And I'm like, well, yeah, you know, but it's my business and I get to do what I want. Same with this podcast with the guests I have on.

So fun fact about me, if I was not in marketing, I would actually be in some type of interior design. I usually base my revenue or not even revenue, but I guess I would say my like net profit goals because revenue don't don't matter. It's what you pay yourself, right? I base that around like I need a new ceiling fan in the living room.

I wanted to redo my bathroom cabinets. Like how many, how much money do I need to make to make that happen? So, um, today's guest is my friend, Misty, who's actually an interior designer. And you might be like, what does this have to do with marketing? But it has, everything to do with your marketing. And it is such an overlooked piece for so many of you.

And I know this, you know how I know this because we were a military family. I've moved a lot. I've been in so many of your offices, whether it's chiropractic, acupuncture, acupuncture, massage, whatever. And I've had some amazing cozy experiences and I've had acupuncture literally one time where there was.

fluorescent lights, uh, like buzzing over my head. I was freezing. Um, there was only like one little like partition. So I wasn't even like covered up. Uh, yeah. So today's episode, we're talking about how the design and not just the design you're going to think I just mean from like, Oh, let me get a pretty, you know, piece of art.

It's not just that it's about how The experience inside of your physical space makes your patient or client feel and how that's an extension of your marketing. And we're going to, you know, talk a little bit, obviously, like the psychology of it. And then we're also going to talk about like some really practical things you can do.

We even talk about our favorite indoor plants that are like impossible to kill. And if you think that this is like one of those things that's like frivolous or doesn't make a difference in patient or client outcomes, I'm just like, I'm sorry, like you're wrong. I'm usually open to debate about a lot of things, but it's just not the case.

Like the feel inside and not just the feel, but the function. That's another big thing we talk about. It's not just about something being pretty and aesthetics. It's about the function and, and. Is it like a flow when your patient or client comes in? So yeah, I absolutely love this conversation with my friend Misty and we were joking like, Hey, if you want us to fly out to you, like we'll totally come.

I hope you enjoy these more non traditional episodes. Send me a DM if you listened and loved.

Hey, welcome to holistic marketing simplified. This podcast boils down to the fact that we wholeheartedly believe that more humans need to know about holistic health pollution. And you didn't go to school to learn how to be a full time content creator and show up on Instagram and do all of this marketing stuff all day, every day.

So let's come hang it out while we chat all things easy in your marketing. And my goal is that you shift your mindset around your marketing from a quote should to a, I get to more dream patients and clients. Yes, please.

Dr. Nick Belden: My name is Dr. Nick Belden and I'm a functional medicine practitioner and chiropractor living in a beautiful sunny.

Phoenix, Arizona, and I listened to the holistic marketing simplified podcast, and you should do.

Molly: Okay. Misty. I'm so happy you're here. Um, I get to have, this is like a little, I feel like I get to marry my outside, uh, hobby with marketing all in one podcast, interior design. Like it's like, okay, Molly, you're a marketing podcast.

You have an interior designer on, but your design of your office is totally part of your. Marketing and I just love your style. And so this is like, to me, like the perfect, I'm so excited about this episode.

Misty: I am so excited about this episode too. And you know, I've been a follower of yours for a long time.

And even though I'm in the interior design space, I found you through the peachy spoon. Oh, yeah. Very first podcast guests. I think podcast guest number four, if I remember correctly. And I just, yeah, I just love your approach. And I remember messaging at one point and said, look, I'm not a healthcare practitioner, but I love your approach.

And I'm a local business owner myself. Do you think that I could learn from your principles and The rest is history. So

Molly: yeah, I was like, sure, I'll create like a, what I ended up doing was like creating a special link for her for the hub that didn't have the content library. Cause I'm like, you obviously don't need posts about chiropractic.

I was like, but, but the marketing stuff is the same really, no matter, no matter what. So it really, I mean, unless you're trying to be like an influencer or something in that case, you wouldn't want to take my course, but yeah, well, I'm so happy to be here and Misty reached out to me after I had mentioned some things about my.

As a patient, my personal pet peeves being a, you know, former military, we've moved a lot. And so I have been to many different chiropractors, massage, acupuncture. I mean, even just like doctors offices, which I mean, I don't really count those because they don't really have a whole lot of design or design, like input of what they get to do unless they're privately owned.

The feel of the office makes such a huge difference and I think that people brush it off to think that it's something that's more of like a luxury. Would you agree? I would

Misty: agree. And I think it's twofold. I think that, you know, if we provide really good care, we think that that is really the ultimate goal.

And part of that good care is providing a complete and holistic experience. And that often falls to the wayside just because it's not something that we naturally consider every day as something that should be a part of that holistic experience.

Molly: Yeah, I, my current chiropractor, he's, I love him dearly.

He's, he's actually a preservable doc, but I always joke with the women at his front desk. I'm like, listen, y'all have got to do something about these lights. It's like the fluorescent lights and they're buzzing. And I know a lot of people are renters and I kind of wanted to just talk a little bit about the patient experience, like the five senses when it comes to design.

But let's just start with my, my personal pet peeve, which is lighting.

Misty: Our planning. Yes. Well, and a note too, about it being something that you could consider quote unquote luxury. I don't think that good design has to be at a certain level. There are so many things that You to your office that are easy from even a renter's perspective, a lot of tricks that you can employ.

And so that's really what I hope you and I can talk about today is what are some easy things that your practitioners can do to make their client experience even more top notch and really. Supplement all the good work that they're doing on the health side. So yes, it's, it's often considered luxury, but I don't think that that is necessarily something that should prohibit you from thinking about the different ways you can make your client experience better from a design perspective.

Molly: Yeah. I mean, there's, there's some, I'm not a designer obviously, but there's simple things sometimes I've thought, I'm like, if you just turn these lights off. Got some lamps and replaced this fake plant in the corner that's gathering dust with a real plant. You've already increased how I feel by 10 .

Misty: 10. I don't know about you, but I I don't like the big lights.

Molly: No, the big, oh my gosh. Like, okay. My husband think my husband jokes. He'll be like, mj, turn that overhead light off. They make mommy itch. She's like, what? I'm just like, well, they don't really make me angry, I just hate them.

Misty: Yeah, there is something to be said that about though. It's about creating ambiance.

And I think ultimately, design, yes, is about things being beautiful. But at the core, design is about how a space makes you feel. Ultimately, that should be the top priority is, how do you want your client to feel when they walk into your office? And some of those, Things that you've already touched on lighting and plants and colors and even just small little touches, like the way the office smells, for example.

Molly: Yes, a

Misty: really big difference. So yeah, we can dive into a lot of those specifics. If you would like

Molly: to just go for it, you know, me, I'm not a super structured person. So like I said, my biggest pet peeve is always the lighting because fluorescent light just in general, like, I just, I don't know why it like legit puts me in a bad mood.

Is there like, I'm putting you on the spot. Is there like science to that or something? Do you know?

Misty: It's artificial, right? Our bodies are naturally drawn to things that are real. So light is there's actually a whole lot of science that goes into it. A lot of the reason people don't like led lights is because it has that unnatural quality to it.

And it ultimately comes down to color temperature. Basically. So, if you have fluorescent lights, that's 1 of those things you often can't change because it's in the building that you're renting, or sometimes you just need good light for note taking or things like that. But in terms of. Creating the client experience using softer lights, whether it's lamp lighting, or trying to make the most of your natural light sources, that can be a really easy way to immediately change the feel of a room.

Molly: Yeah, again, I go back to my personal car like they have these big windows and the blinds are always like, dude, open the windows like you could even put a mirror on the other side with the light bounce around.

Misty: Well, you know, let's say that you have a window that looks out to a parking lot and it's not the prettiest view they make really.

They make all kinds of things. Now they make window films that you can put up that will still let the light come in without having to look at whatever unsightly image you have in the back. So I was at my dentist's office recently, and he has several rooms that do have a great view. And then he has other rooms that you see, like the dumpster from the back.

And I was actually in his chair thinking to myself, and his office is beautifully designed. I was thinking to myself, Oh, they could just put up some film over the top of it would make a big experience difference. And then in the rooms that they don't have the natural light source, there's no window at all because it just happens to be an interior room.

They have added art that mimics nature. So, Oh, so smart. Yeah. Talk about that. Like the size of a window. So as opposed to having a window where a window would typically be on that wall, then you can use other tricks to make it feel as though there's a window in the space. In this case, a piece of artwork, like an oversized piece of artwork is a great way to do that.

And you can even make it a piece of artwork that features something like a natural landscape. So it gets even more of that quality. Mirrors are another great way to do that. add some light into a space. Although I would say be careful with mirrors because you always want to be aware of what you're reflecting.

If you're in the middle of like a dentist office, a good example, or any other type practitioner where they're working on you, like, do I really want to see myself in the dentist?

Molly: No, I don't.

Misty: Probably not. But they can, depending on where they're placed, they can be an excellent way to bring light into a space and reflect light back out into the room too.

Molly: Let me tell you, I want to go back to one little trick with the lighting and then some of the mirrors. I don't want to forget. So don't let me forget about my other mirror thing. But my, my very first Cairo, the one who actually got my business started in Carlsbad, she had, she draped like some fabric, like kind of like draped it over the ceiling.

And then she just had like lamp lights because she had fluorescent and it was so pretty. Like it just felt so like in there. And I thought that'd be a great way to like, You know, that's relatively inexpensive, it's not going to be, it's not cheap, but it's relatively inexpensive depending on how big your ceiling is.

And then you've kind of buffered that and, you know, you're not changing the actual structure of

Misty: the

Molly: building.

Misty: Yes, yes. And the same thing with film too, though. There are film that you can put on top of the light. It's just a piece of plastic that basically covers up the fluorescent. Yes. And so if you put a different colored film, same ideas, if you were to put it on the window, you know, like those privacy films.

Molly: Yes. And I know what you're talking about with the fluorescent light coverings, because my old doctor's office had one. It looked like clouds. She was like, Oh, that's way nicer.

Misty: Yeah. It's not perfect, but it's definitely better than the alternative of having that really bright artificial light.

Molly: And then for the mirror had this, um, I don't know if this has happened to you, but it's like you get a massage or, I mean, obviously I try not to wear makeup if I, if I'm going, but sometimes if it's at the end of the day and I've already been in, I'm not going to go wash my face before I go, but definitely if you learn nothing from this podcast for my body worker clients, please put a little mirror by the door with like a little thing against it.

You can get makeup wipes, or you could even get like a bottle of micellar water with a little cute Q tip with cotton pockets. These women who have, I've walked out many times that had mascara all in. Nobody told me that.

Misty: That's a really good point. And even other small touches that you can think of. Like when I go, sometimes I'll forget to grab a hair tie and I'm like, I needed a hair tie to pull my hair up during my treatment or a place to put jewelry.

So have like a little trinket dish or something where you can take off your jewelry and leave it there. And then always one of my pet peeves when there's nowhere to hang stuff up, like I would like a place to hang up my clothes, you know, usually every treatment room I've been in has a. some, some sort of chair or something that you can use.

And so that works too. But it's always nice to have hooks that are, it's easy to just hang stuff up. So,

Molly: and well, and again, if any of this sounds like over the top for, I'm just like, I, I wouldn't consider myself a super high maintenance person. I am somebody who, you know, I'm born and raised in Alabama, so I do wear makeup often.

But it's not even just the makeup. It's the fact that so many of these people you're taking care of, especially like the moms, like this is their one, this is their one self care outing. Like, let's make it a complete experience to where, like, again, this might seem frivolous to some people and, and, and then others not right.

Like I have so many students in my course and people I follow who their offices are just like gorgeous, like absolutely gorgeous. But, you know, so many of you talk about nervous system healing and all of this is just like, well, this is, that's part of it. Like that's part of the experience. And we talked about your design being part of your marketing.

Like people talk about stuff like that. Like, Oh my gosh, have you been in their office? It's just, Oh, it's so calming in there. Always feel so Zen in there. And so not only is it good for word of mouth, but it's good for retention. 100%.

Misty: Yeah, and it's those little touches that are what people talk about, whether they're good touches or not so great touches.

And so the things that we overlook on a day to day basis, because it's our space, we're there all the time. We're in a different mind. It's easy for it to become background because we see it so often versus when our clients are coming in either new clients or even if they're regular clients they're not there all the time like we are and they just have a different lens and it just makes a big difference.

So if somebody's talking about the positives of I love going there they even have a place for me to put my jewelry they have makeup wipes so I can wipe my face afterwards it's just such a nice experience. This is the kind of talk you would have with moms on the playground who are. Just so excited about that one time that they had for themselves.

But then on the opposite, we're like, Oh, you know, I went in that office the other day and the smell was so strong from the diffuser. It just kind of caught me off guard. It's not necessarily that you're, you're bashing, they're bashing the office. It's just more of a note of like, Oh, it was really strong.

It gave me, it might've even given me a headache. It's just. It's just little things that you don't think of because you're in the space every day, but that's really

Molly: good. That happened to my mom, but go ahead.

Misty: Well, that's what sets it. That's what sets you apart is

Molly: details. She's like, they were diffusing that oil of thieves.

She's like, and it was so strong. It made my eyes water. And I think essential oils are great. But I think also it's like, when you've smelled them all day, every day, you probably don't. Like you've kind of gotten nose blind. So I, I joked with my husband, Misty, this could be not that you have any extra time, nor do I.

But when, when I was, we were on our beach vacation, um, a couple of weeks ago, I would just, to be honest, I was feeling really burnt out. And after the trip I came back, like, okay, I don't actually want to burn down my business. Like, I think I just grew so fast, which is like a champagne problems thing, but it was like, I was like, Oh, I just need a break, you know, but I told my husband, cause I love design so much.

I was like, I wonder if I could add on a service where I just go and be like the, um, not mystery shopper, you know, kind of like where I'm like, Hey, here's some tweaks, like from the patient experience, some things that would make this more enjoyable.

Misty: I loved what you said on one of your podcasts about having a customer that you really trust and love to be your.

Secret shopper, so to speak. Walk through the space. You know, the other thing that I think is a very common misconception with design is luxury is one thing, but the other thing is that it really is all about looks. And it's not. Design at the core should really be about functionality. Functionality is what we're talking about.

It's those little touches of what will make the space more functional for you. What will make the space more functional for the client? Yes. And a lot of it is about the client experience, but just think about how much better you feel. When your space is better designed to the way that you work in the way that you operate.

Right? So you're going to be able to give better care because you are in a space that you enjoy. So, even though you might not realize it's affecting you, because you are in that space every day as much as you want it to be calming for your patients and those you serve. Really, we need to regulate your nervous system too, and the better regulated you are, and the better the space functions for you, the better care you're going to give.

So it really is just a win win all around, and that would be my number one thing is to start with functionality. Not working in the space and it could be the door squeak when you open them because they need WD 40 to keep from squeaking. So maybe the lighting isn't optimal. To how does the space need to flow?

And, Part of that is when they come in the doors, what do they see? Where do you direct them to next? Is it obvious where they need to check in? Sometimes, you know, you'll go to an office and there's multiple windows and I'm like, is this

Molly: the right window? Yeah, do I go here? Do I

Misty: talk to them? You know, sometimes they're on the phone, so then you feel like you're interrupting them.

Oh, gosh, yes. Going through those, the experience from a functionality perspective, I think is the most important part to place to start. Then you layer in all the pretty stuff on top of that, but you know, that same form and function form function. There's a reason it's cliche because ultimately I always say, who cares if it's pretty, if it doesn't work well.

Molly: Yeah, that's, I absolutely love that. And that's my like biggest pet peeve when I do watch, I love like decorating shows, but, um, and I know they have to stage it to look good for the reveal, but I'm always like, I swear to God, if you would set my table like that, I would strangle you because what am I going to do with a fully set table or a coffee table?

That's full of like, you know, I'm like, I want to use my coffee table for like, Like,

Misty: no, no. And I think you make an important point. And, you know, when we are selecting items for a client's home or even for a commercial space, we try to think through what would make sense in this room. And a good example is we recently finished a bonus room for a little boy and rather than.

Bringing in stuff he's never going to really use. It's a kid's room. We staged the space with his toys. And so his toys became the decor. And now it's easy for him to find what he wants to play with. But it also looks beautiful. And so obviously that's a little bit of a different audience, but you can apply that same principle to your space too of what can you use in the space where it adds A decorative element, but it doesn't feel like you just put something out there for the sake of putting candles would be a great example of something you could use in an office space, because it's something that you would kind of expect to be there.

Beautiful books that people want to just sit and thumb through coffee table books that a lot of times you feel like are just there for looks in, in certain situations. But in this case, when people are waiting, it'd be nice for them to have something to look through, whether it's magazines or coffee table, books, things like that.

Even like a really pretty bowl of mints, you know, if people want to have a mint or something before they go in there, you know, face to face, maybe they just have lunch and they want to make sure they're not smelling terrible, put it in a really pretty bowl and have some men. So there are definitely a lot of ways that you can add touches that make it feel homey.

And I call it the judge, like you judge up the space without that. As though you just put something out. I'm also a mama. I get it. It goes back to functionality. Like, there's no point in filling up a space with stuff that you have to clean. We all have enough to do, right? It's like, if I, that's kind of my rule.

If I'm going to put it in the space, is it worth cleaning? It's not worth cleaning. If it doesn't have a purpose that I can't name, it's worth cleaning for, then I don't put it in there. Helps with that intentionality part.

Molly: Uh, my husband's mom, she had four boys and they're all four. Like the oldest was six when the fourth one was born.

And I'm always like, Charlene, you're an insane person. Hey, cause I'm like, you know, only child mom who was like one and done. Like I was one and done on purpose. Shout out to all of you who have like multiple kids, especially close to get

Misty: how about how close to your user boys? And they are right at two years apart.

Molly: Okay. So yeah, so you get it. Well,

Misty: I'm the oldest of four. As well, I only have two.

Molly: Yeah, so you go, well, Charlene always called them dustables, and I'm like, oh my gosh, that's so right. My office is like, it's funny if you watch, I don't have a video version of the show, but Misty and I's offices are set up so similar, like this is where I have all of my like, treasured trinkets.

And then everywhere else throughout the house, it's like way more minimal dust on the scrap.

Misty: Well, and going back to experience too, like other things that you can add to a space for the judge, whether it's in the waiting room or in the client room, the, the treatment rooms would be blankets, you know, going back to what would make that experience really nice.

It is a great way to add a blanket, blankets, pillows, you know, just making the space comfortable and A place where people really want to come, make them want to not miss their appointment. Like, no, that's my thing. She didn't want to be there. So

Molly: I had my chiropractor in Pensacola. I loved her dearly, but she, and this is actually something I'd love to touch on with you.

She basically inherited, like her space was an old liquor store. And so they were very much in the process of like, they were a little bit of a different model with chiropractic to where you saw a nurse practitioner first. Um, So they had to have like a treatment room, like with her, they did injections.

They also did acupuncture and they had like decompression, all this stuff. But all they had were just kind of like, um, screens up, you know, because they, and I get why they did that. Cause they were like, we don't want to build out this space with like actual walls until we know, until we know how we're going to use it.

But I remember getting acupuncture one time and I looked over at her. I was like, Dr. Sheila, I'm so uncomfortable. It was like, we've got to do something about this space. I was cold. Um, the lights were in my eyes and she's like, yeah, we thought about buying those tanning bed goggles. So if you do have someone who's like moving into a space like right away and you know, they do need multiple areas, like how would you kind of guide a client through that?

Misty: So I actually totally understand why they would want to take some time to figure out how the space is going to function before they start building out all of the more permanent structures within a space. A lot of times I'll have clients call me and ask if they can start getting ready for the new home that they're building or for a new home they're moving into and I'm like, trust me, if there's not a rush and you have furniture and you're not going to be sitting on boxes, take your time so that you can understand how this is going to function in the long run.

But then the question becomes, how do you fill that gap into your in between to your point? So, I think the best way to do that is to try to foresee any issues that, you know, are going to come up and do your best to mitigate them as much as possible. So, the things that you're experiencing, or that you were experiencing in that case, you're going to still have those same issues, even when you have your separate treatment rooms.

You're like, in that case, I don't know if I would do tanning bed goggles necessarily, but glasses like sunglasses would be a nice. I were like, a sleeping mask that somebody could have there and then you can still use those things when you move into your more formal treatment spaces. Separation in terms of like screens is one thing, but they make really beautiful screens that you can put like you could put wallpaper or what's the word like removable wallpaper.

It's like a big thing now.

Molly: Oh, yes. Yeah.

Misty: Not that expensive. So if you need to build some structures just to at least give yourself some idea of like how things are going to be be working. It's a great way to add something for the time being while you get used to it, and it's not a huge investment of time.

Molly: Okay, yeah, so like final thoughts on What to consider when, like I said, and this is something I see a lot, like people are inheriting just these either really large or like odd, like I said, this, this was an old liquor store for her. It's like, what the heck do I do with this space?

Misty: When you are considering the best way to use the space and it doesn't matter what size space you have.

Ultimately, I think one of the best words that comes to mind is how can you make your client comfortable? How can you make them feel cozy? And it's like they're, you know, wrapped in a warm cocoon blanket type figuratively, right? And what are the ways that you can make that happen for them? Rugs are a good way to define spaces that also offer acoustic benefits that also just Make the space nicer and prettier and feel better.

So you can use rugs is a great way to define spaces. You can use the movable walls like we were talking about. If you need to do some sort of structure. I do think that's 1 thing that you have to keep in mind when you're working with clients. In this type of situation where you're providing health care is making sure that they feel like they have the privacy that they need and they feel safe.

We keep going back to this idea of making sure that your that your clients feel safe enough to allow their bodies to heal. And so the only way for them to really feel safe is if you give them an environment that makes them feel safe. What are the things that you can do to make them feel safe? That's where the, a rug might seem like a small thing, but it really isn't.

It helps to find the space. It makes it feel cozy. Walls do the best you can to, even if it doesn't feel permanent, to at least make it feel like they're completely covered and that they don't have any privacy concerns so that the walls are tall enough that there's not any gaps that people can see through.

You do find that there are gaps. You could hang curtains from the ceiling. There are so many different ways you can. Create separate zones without having to have permanent structures. I love the curtains from

Molly: the ceiling.

Misty: Yeah, I mean, they make they make rods that you can literally hang from the ceiling.

And if you don't even want to do something that permanent, where you don't want to put something in the ceiling, like. Get creative and tie it up over the, the grid system, I guess, for the feeling that you have just use it to tie around with. String or something to hold something up there. I've

Molly: even seen, um.

Well, I live literally three minutes from an Ikea, so, um, the line, it's almost like a clothesline, but it's not. Yeah. Yeah. Um, you can put curtains up that way. Um, and then I think another thing, Misty, that drew me to you just because I was in the beginning, like, oh, we've had, we have some non pretty things we've got to get paid for with our house.

And then I was like, I would love to hire you because I love, I love your anti gray. Um, I've never been someone who loved the, like, um, I've never been someone who's wanted a completely neutral home. And I know for some people that's, you know, that's what they want and that's their style, but I just, I so love that color is like making a comeback because it's like, it never left for me.

Now I can't do the maximalist stuff. Cause that just feels like a little too much for me, but I do love. I love color. And so we were talking about before we hit record how a lot of people probably assume that if you're trying to go for this more natural like soothing design that it has to be all neutrals, but nature is not neutral.

Misty: Nature is not neutral. That could be another tagline, Molly. Co Creative Interiors was born out of this idea that Ultimately, we really know what we love. We have to trust our selves and what we're drawn to using. And so this idea of co creatively designing spaces was born from the fact that I found a lot of people were just afraid to use what they actually Loved and a lot of times that's color.

So we're known as the anti gray design firm, not because I hate gray. That's I actually have gray in my own home, but more idea that to be timeless to be considered natural to even be considered neutral. You have to create spaces that are void of color or void of a lot of whether it's a lot of color or avoid of bright color.

And I just don't think that's the case at all. And there are, to your point, are some people who love neutral and that is who they are, this, their brand. And I always say, if that's who you are, like embrace it. That's my, actually my design partner, Alyssa. She is one of those people who loves neutral. But that is truly her style.

I think a lot of times we feel as though we have to go neutral because we're afraid to push the boundaries a little bit with color and it just feels safer. So then instead of ending up with a space that you love or that's reflective of your brand, you often end up with a space that just feels blah because you weren't sure how to make it all come together.

And then as a result, everything just ended up being gray. Or beige, whatever color it happens to be. So now nature definitely is filled with color. If you look at so many of the animals, flowers, just everything in nature has splashes of color. There are ways that you can create a space that feels beautiful and natural while also having color.

So don't be afraid of it. And don't be afraid to express who you are and in your brand. You know, when I listened to your podcast, a lot, I hear you talk about, for example, chiropractors who are serving moms or. Characters who are serving pediatrics, and so that's a much different clientele than a practitioner who is serving a different population and elderly population or something of that sort.

How can you make your space reflect the. patients that you are serving. So kids are naturally more colorful. They're going to be drawn to color. Moms tend to also be in that colorful phase of life too. So don't be afraid to think of the best ways to bring that design to life while everything else, like everything else you do with your client in mind.

Molly: I love that. Yeah. And, um, one thing I wrote down that I just, we didn't talk about was my other, one of our chiropractors right down the street, actually they were my chiro, but I love them dearly too. But I was just having some neck issues that wouldn't resolve. And so I had to go to a specialist, but their office is so awesome.

Like the way they have it set up, I think they've done a really nice job, but they've got, my daughter like loves to go there because she loves the toys and the snacks. Yes.

Misty: Then this is such a great example. My, um, my kiddos and worth is at the orthodontist in the orthodontist phase now. And they have this whole little coffee bar set up.

They have snacks where like moms can grab a snack if they want. And, you know, usually kids are going either from school or, or to school. So when they're in that phase of life, I also think they just eat constantly. Yeah. They've catered to their audience where they have, um, an ice cream bar that they can grab ice cream on the way out of the orthodontist office.

They have the coffee bars for the moms. They have breakfast y type foods that you can grab if you know you're headed on the way to school and we're most likely, if you're most like most parents, running out the door in a mad dash to get everybody where they need to be on time. And they even have chairs next to each of the orthodontist.

Tech chairs. So as a parent, if you want to be sitting there with your child while they're going through their treatment, then you have the option to sit there. And then of course they have regular waiting area seating too. But those are some really good examples of ways that you can cater to your specific client and just think through what would make them more comfortable.

It makes me feel comfortable knowing that I have the option of going back and sitting with my kiddo. Because he's been there several times now, so he, he kind of has the gist of the routine and I think he likes going by himself. He feels, but it's really nice to know that there's an option and that they thought of me and I'm not just standing there like a weirdo watching them work on my kid's mouth.

Like, it's not

Molly: like hovering. No, that's actually great. That's a great point. office in Carlsbad. I was telling you about Dr. Chrissy's office that had the cool fabric draping. MJ was two then and Matt was always deployed and that's before my business like I was kind of more of a stay at home mom then. And sometimes I would literally just take her there when we didn't have an appointment because she wanted to play and she loved it there.

I was like, and it was right by the grocery store. So I'd be like, if we went to the grocery store, she'd be like, I want to go to Dr. Dabinda's office. And I'm like, okay. You know, they were such good friends. Like, and I knew the. The front desk, they'd be like, Oh, you just here to play. I'm like, yeah.

Misty: Seriously.

I mean, that's not good marketing,

Molly: right? Oh, she

Misty: had kombucha on tap. It was so cool. You know, the other thing that I was thinking about that could be really fun for specifically for marketing is there are so many. I got this idea when I was looking at short term rentals, and they to advertise a short term rental.

They have like an Instagram spot. They'll set up like a little staged area where you can take pictures of like, Hey, we were here tag us on your Instagram. So, you could definitely do the same thing.

Molly: Why have I never thought of that? Misty,

Misty: right? Like, in your office and. So back to my, my orthodontist must be doing a really good job, right?

We're talking about her a lot. So she has a t shirt that if you wear your, her t shirt to the office on the day of your appointment, she'll put you into a raffle and you will, I don't remember what the prize is. I think you get to choose a 50 gift certificate. The kid gets to choose a 50 gift certificate of their choice.

But, you know, you have the, the advertising of wearing the t shirt, but then she'll also have them if there's like a place where they have the props, you can take photos with, you know, like the mustache prop and the hat prop, all that kind of stuff. So if you take your picture. In your shirt, in her little Instagram area, and then tag in and upload it on social media, you get another entry into this monthly prize that she does.

So,

Molly: it'd be a really fun thing to add. I'm telling you though, that's actually, I'm so glad you brought that up because orthodontists typically do a really good job with their marketing. I knew a girl from my high school, she was actually, That was her job after college. She like did full time marketing for this orthodontist office.

I mean, they, so like, that's probably somebody to watch if you're like, I don't have any more ideas. Okay, so to wrap things up, let's just talk, you kind of mentioned something called biophilic design and it's pretty much everything we've already talked about, but What is biophilic design? And would that be kind of like a good place for people to get inspiration?

Misty: It would, you know, it's so funny. Biophilic design has really made a splash onto the scene. But recently I was at High Point Furniture Market, which is in the interior design industry there. It happens twice a year and it's arguably the biggest. Market, so to speak for interior designers, and there were several presentations being given on biophilic design, which I think is an indicator that you're starting to see this trend towards incorporating nature into our everyday lives.

And that's just a trend you're seeing in general. I think that's why holistic practitioners are doing so well. Now, it's so much more commonplace than back when. I know one of your big missions is to help chiropractors and other health care practitioners to be someone that if you're having an issue or something that you can turn to, to have them help you as opposed to just having to go through traditional health care route.

And so this is I think becoming something that we're seeing across the board and it's even happening in design where. Working to figure out how we can have more nature built into our everyday lives. So if you hear biophilic design, it is all those principles we've already talked about. So natural light views of nature using natural materials.

And that could be like stone or natural fibers, wood, things like that water features. So if you have a place where you can add a fountain, which would also be great for that audio element. And then even things to think about, so biophilic takes it a step further, and this is what makes it a little bit different is really integrating it completely into your space.

So air quality and ventilation, for example, like,

Molly: oh, okay.

Misty: Is your space really, truly healthy? Is it, is it green? Is it eco friendly? And that's kind of like where you can take it to that next level beyond some of the other things that we've talked about, like colors and plants and what you would consider almost not, no brainers when it comes to natural design.

Molly: Do you have favorite plants that are hard to kill? I know I have mine, but I didn't hear what yours are.

Misty: I do. I do. My favorite is called a ZZ plant.

Molly: Yeah, that's what's, where's my ZZ? I got a big ZZ in there. I got like five of them. Yes. You can't kill those suckers.

Misty: They are phenomenal plants. They're bright green.

They're waxy, which means they typically are very easy to keep clean, which is great for an office setting, but that's my favorite one. And they actually can get really, they can get really big too. Um, snake plants are another great option as well. And there are actually some bigger snake plants you can get too.

So if you need something for like a corner or something like that, then, um, that you really need a space filler. That's a good option for that too.

Molly: I always say the only way you can kill a snake plant or as easy as to actually pay attention to it too much, like love it too much, it'll die. He's just kind of like, forget about it.

I have a, I do well with Pothos too, obviously. I mean, those are easy because. The leaves will wilt when they need to water, need water, whereas With ZZ and, um, snake, I'm always kind of like, does it need water? Should I leave it alone?

Misty: The nice thing about those plants is, without going too far down that rabbit hole, they are designed to live within desert areas.

So they have little. Roots. It's like a root ball. And so when you water it, it just absorbs all that water into the root ball and keeps it, makes it. That's why it's so hard to kill.

Molly: Yeah. I don't remember the last time I watered my, I probably should. I did get, I did make the mistake of, um, I didn't realize my, my big beautiful ZZ that I'd spent like 30 bucks on did not have a, like a drain tray at the bottom and I just was watering it thinking I was only watering it a little bit, but because they like more of like a silky texture.

siltier, sandier soil. It was just sitting in that water. And I went to repot it to like a stand and I lifted it up and I was like, Oh my God. And it was white, yellow, spongy fungus all on the bottom. And I was like, So I was like Googling it and it's like, it's harmless. And so I took it out and tried to like knock it off the roots as best I could.

But now it's like kind of turning a weird color, but I didn't kill it. This is like my pride and joy. But yeah, I also love, I'm a big, I hate, I hate a fake plant. I hate a fake plant.

Misty: Aloe vera is another good one. And yeah, it definitely has medicinal properties. So it's very appropriate for. Those types of offices.

Peace lilies are another one that's really good. They don't need a lot of light and it can have a, you know, has a white flower on it, so it adds a little bit. Something besides just the green.

Molly: I always forget about peace lilies.

Misty: Some people use succulents, but honestly, I think that they're harder to take care of than.

Maybe I really have a black thumb because I can't, I can't keep them alive.

Molly: No, I agree. When we lived in California, I had this beautiful outdoor succulent garden and because they're native, right? So it's like, of course they thrived because that's where they're supposed to live. And I was so sad to leave it behind.

I actually had a fire pit because we obviously couldn't have fires in California. Um, so I had a fire pit that I turned into a succulent planter and it was just, And I was so sad when we moved that I had to leave it behind. Whoever inherited it was very happy. I was like, who wants the plants? Yeah, fun fact, like I said, when you move around and you move, well, you know, we had military movers always, but they don't move plants or liquids.

Or like cleaning supply, anything like that. So every time you move, you have to start over or batteries. Yeah, so every time you move, you have to start over with all of that stuff, which is expensive,

Misty: but as a bonus, you didn't have to move, right?

Molly: Yeah, as a bonus, they paid for. I mean, some people do it where they move themselves and then the government reimburses them and they actually make money doing it that way.

And I'm like, y'all are nuts. I can pay if you're going to pay for somebody to come pack my house, like sign me up. But I'm also like the world's biggest outsourcer. Like I have somebody who comes and does laundry and all that, you know, like I just, I'd rather go out to eat less and have somebody come do my lot.

Like, you know what I mean? Everyone values different things. My car is, my car is 10 years old. I don't care because I just want to redecorate my bedroom. So, you know what I'm saying? We all, we all have our own things we want to spend money on. Misty, thank you so much. Can you tell people how, I mean, would you take on like a, a Cairo office client if they're like, Hey, help me e design my space?

Misty: Sure. Absolutely. You can find me at Co Creative Interiors on Instagram and my website is also co creativeinteriors. com. Sure, there's a several different ways that we support clients. We provide essentially conceptual design plan for someone who's just like, give me an idea of where to go. I don't need you to tell me exactly what I need, but I just need a direction so we can do that.

We can also provide a complete design plan that even includes shoppable design links. So we'll tell you what to buy, where to buy it, all the specifics of what you need to know when you're making that purchase, your floor plan, that type of thing. So if you want someone to really think through. The specifics of a design, that would be a better way to go.

And if you really want Molly and me to fly out and see you, I'm sure we'd be happy to do that.

Molly: I mean, I've kind of like put that out there and honestly joke, like, I really wonder if there would be interest in that because I would just, my cup would be so filled to do that. Um, and just for anyone listening, Misty's actually in Charlotte and I'm in Cincinnati.

So if you're, if you're in either of those areas, we'll come, we'll go. I don't have a design background like Missy does, Misty does, but I, um, I think I know a thing or two, not as much as you, but I can do it.

Misty: Well, and you just be surprised at how much you can do virtually now with the power of the internet.

And most of my, even in Charlotte design clients start out with a virtual consultation where I just. Walk me through their space and you can, you can glean a lot from that. And then even just being able to put together a design plan, you don't have to be in person either. So there's lots of different, but if you want us to come in person, we'll be, we'll be happy to do that too.

Just cause Misty and I would like to

Molly: meet

Misty: too.

Molly: So, all right, thank you so much for your time today Instagram. She's got some cool inspo.

Misty: Thank you. It's been a

Molly: pleasure. Thank you for listening to Holistic Marketing Simplified and Hey, you know how every podcaster at the very end of their episode asks you to rate and review their podcast?

Well, that's because it's super important. These podcasts take a lot of time and heart and effort to produce, to bring you free information. So in order for me to be able to continue doing that, we need more people to find out about the show. So if you could, please just take like two minutes out of your very busy day to go and To leave me a rating and share this on your Instagram stories and tag at Molly A.

Cahill, that's C A H I L L. I would greatly, greatly appreciate your support. I know your time is valuable and I can't wait to see you in the next episode.