On this episode of the LWYD podcast, Doug sits down with Joanna Jablonski to explore how perseverance shaped her journey from immigrating to the United States to becoming a design leader at Henrickson.
00:00:04 Doug Shapiro
Welcome to the Love What You Do podcast.
00:00:07 Doug Shapiro
I'm your host, Doug Shapiro.
00:00:09 Doug Shapiro
These are the conversations that open doors to what's possible when you love what you do.
00:00:18 Doug Shapiro
Welcome to the Love What You Do podcast.
00:00:20 Joanna Jablonski
Thank you.
00:00:21 Joanna Jablonski
Thank you.
00:00:21 Joanna Jablonski
Thank you for having me, Doug.
00:00:22 Doug Shapiro
Absolutely.
00:00:24 Doug Shapiro
You're a design leader at Henriksen.
00:00:26 Joanna Jablonski
I'm design manager.
00:00:28 Joanna Jablonski
At Henriksen, I've been with company for, it's becoming 10 years.
00:00:33 Joanna Jablonski
So I've been loyal, I've been happy, and it was really good for me to switch between the dealers and, you know, I'm closer home.
00:00:47 Joanna Jablonski
So when I started, I was like, what am I going to do with myself?
00:00:51 Joanna Jablonski
All of a sudden, I don't have the commute, right?
00:00:53 Joanna Jablonski
Because when you work downtown and you live suburbs,
00:00:58 Joanna Jablonski
That's a quiet hike.
00:00:59 Joanna Jablonski
So I did it for 10 years and I'm like, I'm done.
00:01:03 Joanna Jablonski
I can't do this anymore.
00:01:05 Doug Shapiro
Well, I know the team there.
00:01:07 Doug Shapiro
I've talked to enough of them.
00:01:08 Doug Shapiro
They're happy to have you.
00:01:09 Doug Shapiro
So.
00:01:10 Joanna Jablonski
Thank you.
00:01:11 Doug Shapiro
Let's toss you some more book questions to have a little fun in the beginning here.
00:01:15 Doug Shapiro
All right, how about this?
00:01:17 Doug Shapiro
If you could take any fictional character to dinner, who would you pick?
00:01:27 Joanna Jablonski
Who would I pick?
00:01:28 Joanna Jablonski
I'm thinking about my, the favorite movies.
00:01:36 Joanna Jablonski
You know what?
00:01:37 Joanna Jablonski
I think it will be Forrest Gump.
00:01:40 Joanna Jablonski
Oh, that's awesome.
00:01:41 Doug Shapiro
What a cool answer.
00:01:43 Joanna Jablonski
That's one of the movies I can work, I can watch over and over again.
00:01:49 Joanna Jablonski
The same like Godfather.
00:01:50 Joanna Jablonski
You know, those movies never get old.
00:01:52 Joanna Jablonski
You can watch parts and pieces and it's always cool.
00:01:55 Joanna Jablonski
So
00:01:56 Joanna Jablonski
That's one of my best one, and he his disability and where who he become, it's really inspiring.
00:02:08 Joanna Jablonski
So, It is.
00:02:08 Doug Shapiro
That's probably a safer pick than anyone from The Godfather.
00:02:13 Doug Shapiro
Once he starts tucking the napkin in his shirt, I'd be like, oh.
00:02:17 Joanna Jablonski
Leave the gun, get the cannoli, right.
00:02:21 Doug Shapiro
That's a good, that's a good answer there.
00:02:22 Doug Shapiro
Let's do another one.
00:02:25 Doug Shapiro
If you could bring back any childhood toy, what would it be?
00:02:32 Joanna Jablonski
Blocks.
00:02:33 Doug Shapiro
Blocks.
00:02:33 Doug Shapiro
Yeah.
00:02:33 Joanna Jablonski
No question.
00:02:34 Joanna Jablonski
It was always the painting, drawing, and the blocks.
00:02:40 Joanna Jablonski
We didn't have the Lego blocks back then in Poland.
00:02:43 Joanna Jablonski
That's where I'm originally from.
00:02:45 Joanna Jablonski
But that was my always my favorite toy.
00:02:48 Joanna Jablonski
Not those, blocks.
00:02:49 Joanna Jablonski
Blocks.
00:02:50 Doug Shapiro
That's awesome.
00:02:52 Doug Shapiro
I'm sure you have some good memories from those.
00:02:56 Doug Shapiro
Let's jump into it.
00:02:57 Doug Shapiro
I mean, you mentioned Poland.
00:02:59 Doug Shapiro
I know that you came here, maybe this is 20 years ago or so.
00:03:05 Joanna Jablonski
Over 30 years ago.
00:03:06 Doug Shapiro
Over 30 years.
00:03:07 Joanna Jablonski
Yes, in March will be 33 or 34.
00:03:11 Joanna Jablonski
Yeah.
00:03:12 Doug Shapiro
Okay.
00:03:12 Joanna Jablonski
It's been a long time.
00:03:13 Doug Shapiro
Wow.
00:03:14 Doug Shapiro
So the journey to Poland, what brought you here originally?
00:03:21 Joanna Jablonski
My husband won Visa.
00:03:23 Joanna Jablonski
Okay, so he won visa and we came here, three of us with the young child and without knowing language, no background, no culture background.
00:03:38 Joanna Jablonski
It was overwhelming.
00:03:39 Joanna Jablonski
I have to admit, it was really overwhelming.
00:03:42 Joanna Jablonski
We had very little money.
00:03:44 Joanna Jablonski
And I was, I had a strong background in art and architecture from Poland, but it felt like I was starting from zero.
00:03:53 Doug Shapiro
Oh, wow.
00:03:55 Joanna Jablonski
Because, you have to find your way through everything.
00:03:59 Joanna Jablonski
You have to learn the language.
00:04:01 Joanna Jablonski
You don't have anybody to ask the questions.
00:04:04 Joanna Jablonski
That was the time before the internet.
00:04:06 Joanna Jablonski
Right now you can ask, right?
00:04:07 Joanna Jablonski
ChatGPT.
00:04:08 Joanna Jablonski
Hey, tell me this, tell me that.
00:04:10 Joanna Jablonski
It wasn't like that back then.
00:04:13 Joanna Jablonski
But very early I realized what is really important is to be authentic and being myself and stick to myself.
00:04:24 Joanna Jablonski
And that really helped me and my family to go through the hard times with the courage and curiosity.
00:04:33 Joanna Jablonski
So that's how get us through.
00:04:35 Doug Shapiro
So this journey from Poland to the US.
00:04:39 Doug Shapiro
Is there a story in that journey that sort of captures maybe the whole experience?
00:04:47 Doug Shapiro
if there's one story that's like symbolic to that journey and what you went through, what would that story be?
00:04:58 Joanna Jablonski
The career wise, there are two stories that actually helped me with a lot of things.
00:05:08 Joanna Jablonski
So I was already working as interior designer for a dealer.
00:05:15 Joanna Jablonski
And so this story is about actually like getting over myself and learning to laugh by, from myself.
00:05:28 Joanna Jablonski
Like I was in the large presentation
00:05:33 Joanna Jablonski
We're presenting something that was revolutionary at that time.
00:05:36 Joanna Jablonski
It was way over 15 years ago.
00:05:39 Joanna Jablonski
And I walk into the room and it was like 60 people in the room.
00:05:45 Joanna Jablonski
Okay, so a little bit frozen, intimidated.
00:05:48 Doug Shapiro
This is a client.
00:05:49 Joanna Jablonski
This is a client, yes.
00:05:50 Joanna Jablonski
We were doing the presentation for a large communication company for the client.
00:05:56 Joanna Jablonski
60 people in the room, large group.
00:05:59 Joanna Jablonski
And until today, I'm really thankful
00:06:02 Joanna Jablonski
I actually didn't know it was like over 200 people on the call because I will freeze.
00:06:06 Joanna Jablonski
Okay.
00:06:07 Doug Shapiro
Wow.
00:06:08 Joanna Jablonski
And we walking them through the space.
00:06:13 Joanna Jablonski
I'm talking about the floor plan, you know, about the details.
00:06:17 Joanna Jablonski
And one of the room, like on the floor plan was like really large room divided by the hidden walls.
00:06:23 Joanna Jablonski
And you call those accordion walls.
00:06:27 Joanna Jablonski
I call them harmonica.
00:06:29 Joanna Jablonski
Why not?
00:06:30 Joanna Jablonski
People smile, nobody laugh.
00:06:33 Joanna Jablonski
And after the presentation, I ask my team, I'm like, hey, how was it?
00:06:38 Joanna Jablonski
They were like, yeah, it went great.
00:06:40 Joanna Jablonski
Great responses from the client.
00:06:42 Joanna Jablonski
By the way, Joanna, it's called accordion, not harmonica walls.
00:06:47 Joanna Jablonski
But you were still playing your instruments.
00:06:50 Joanna Jablonski
You were a musical note.
00:06:53 Doug Shapiro
That's a witty follow up.
00:06:54 Doug Shapiro
You were still.
00:06:55 Joanna Jablonski
So that was like realize me like I don't have to be that serious.
00:06:59 Joanna Jablonski
I can loosen up and
00:07:00 Joanna Jablonski
and still be myself.
00:07:03 Joanna Jablonski
And then the second story, it was the same client actually, it was really large project.
00:07:10 Joanna Jablonski
Later on, we're on the huge global call and the host mentioned, I know there are two, there were two females on the call.
00:07:20 Joanna Jablonski
And he said, I know Joanna is on the call, who's the other female?
00:07:24 Joanna Jablonski
And I started laughing.
00:07:25 Joanna Jablonski
And I'm like, you know what?
00:07:28 Joanna Jablonski
This is me.
00:07:28 Joanna Jablonski
I'm being authentic.
00:07:29 Joanna Jablonski
I'm not being only recognized by what I said, but also by my voice and my accent.
00:07:37 Joanna Jablonski
So that become actually my signature at this point.
00:07:40 Joanna Jablonski
I'm like, get over yourself, laugh, and your accent is your signature.
00:07:46 Joanna Jablonski
So those are kind of like my funny story that shaped me.
00:07:50 Doug Shapiro
So I like this idea of your accent kind of, you know, embracing that as part of
00:07:57 Doug Shapiro
the signature Joanna that people experience, it can, it does make you stand out in a very positive way.
00:08:08 Doug Shapiro
And it's funny, I had an interview with an Australian friend of mine and he was saying how he worked really hard to try to reduce his accent.
00:08:21 Doug Shapiro
And he did.
00:08:23 Doug Shapiro
And then now he regrets it.
00:08:26 Doug Shapiro
And it's kind of funny, that it's a good thing when you hit that fork in the road that you leaned into embracing your past and all the things.
00:08:38 Joanna Jablonski
You have to make a decision, right?
00:08:39 Joanna Jablonski
Like which way are you going to be yourself, being authentic to yourself and own, like your own personality, or you're just going to try to blend?
00:08:49 Doug Shapiro
Yeah.
00:08:49 Joanna Jablonski
I was talking to my brother.
00:08:52 Joanna Jablonski
He has a very unique name and you cannot translate it.
00:08:57 Joanna Jablonski
And he was working for a Japanese company, like corporation.
00:09:01 Joanna Jablonski
And every single time when he met with people from Japan, he was trying to come up with the name that is easy to remember.
00:09:09 Joanna Jablonski
And his name is Shamiswaf, okay?
00:09:12 Joanna Jablonski
It is not easy to even pronounce.
00:09:15 Joanna Jablonski
And finally, we were talking and I told him, I'm like, why are you changing your name?
00:09:18 Joanna Jablonski
This is your name, only.
00:09:20 Joanna Jablonski
And he said, you know what, let's try it.
00:09:22 Joanna Jablonski
And he started doing it.
00:09:24 Joanna Jablonski
And the funny story is,
00:09:26 Joanna Jablonski
Everybody knew him because of his name.
00:09:29 Joanna Jablonski
So people who knew him, who knew how to, like how to pronounce his name, were always making fun in the background, like, let's see how this guy will react.
00:09:38 Joanna Jablonski
You know, what will be reaction if they will try to even pronounce it.
00:09:43 Doug Shapiro
So this is, you know, you're bringing me into the rosy side of this whole story, but I feel like you kind of skipped, you kind of skipped over the 1st 10 years.
00:09:54 Doug Shapiro
And you jumped right to the moment, the aha moment, right?
00:09:57 Joanna Jablonski
Yes, I did.
00:09:58 Doug Shapiro
What about the 1st 10 years?
00:10:02 Joanna Jablonski
They were hard.
00:10:03 Joanna Jablonski
They were overwhelming.
00:10:05 Joanna Jablonski
And for me, it was very hard decision what to do, you know, how to move forward.
00:10:13 Joanna Jablonski
Do I want to invest in myself or do I want to, you know, save for my child and raised him and, you know, invest in him?
00:10:22 Joanna Jablonski
And I remember when I decided, I talked to my husband, I decided, what, it is time.
00:10:29 Joanna Jablonski
I am ready.
00:10:31 Joanna Jablonski
My language is not perfect, but let's try, let's go back to college and let's try having career.
00:10:39 Joanna Jablonski
And after we talked to the coordinator,
00:10:44 Joanna Jablonski
I left crying.
00:10:45 Joanna Jablonski
Like, how am I going to do it?
00:10:47 Joanna Jablonski
Like, how this is possible between work, between my child, between home and the money, where I'm going to find the money for all of that.
00:10:58 Joanna Jablonski
But, you know, the determination and the drive, it helped me to go through it and family helped me to go through those hard times.
00:11:09 Joanna Jablonski
And
00:11:10 Joanna Jablonski
And I started a very, very early start, like networking and looking, what I really can do.
00:11:17 Joanna Jablonski
And I was actually aiming, maybe I can be the CAT drafter, and just drafting the AutoCAD before I finish studying.
00:11:28 Joanna Jablonski
And I start networking and I found, people.
00:11:32 Joanna Jablonski
I had my portfolio ready before I even finished the school.
00:11:38 Joanna Jablonski
So
00:11:41 Joanna Jablonski
after the conversation, she gave me few of the, contacts and I started interviewing and I got a job as interior designer at the dealer without even finishing the school.
00:11:52 Joanna Jablonski
Wow.
00:11:53 Joanna Jablonski
So I have to go back.
00:11:56 Joanna Jablonski
My program coordinator, she was like, I don't know what to do with you because you already have portfolio.
00:12:02 Joanna Jablonski
We still have to go through the program, right?
00:12:05 Joanna Jablonski
Yeah.
00:12:06 Joanna Jablonski
So at that point is as much as cool it was, you're working full job, you're starting the new job and you're still studying.
00:12:14 Joanna Jablonski
You still have to finish your classes.
00:12:17 Joanna Jablonski
So yeah, that wasn't easy, easy path, but it was done.
00:12:23 Joanna Jablonski
And you know, you feel like some pride once it's when it's done, once you finish it.
00:12:29 Doug Shapiro
Yeah, and I know Henriksen has like finding Henriksen and
00:12:36 Doug Shapiro
what, how they've supported you.
00:12:39 Doug Shapiro
You've been a big fan of that.
00:12:41 Joanna Jablonski
Yeah, they did.
00:12:43 Joanna Jablonski
I started with Environetics, which doesn't exist anymore.
00:12:48 Joanna Jablonski
It will become after eight months, we become Office Concepts.
00:12:52 Joanna Jablonski
And I was terrified that I'm still going to have a job because, you know, like you, this fresh designer, are they going to take you, know, on board?
00:13:02 Joanna Jablonski
And they did.
00:13:04 Joanna Jablonski
And after over 10 years, I decided to switch because of the commute.
00:13:10 Joanna Jablonski
And I always wanted to go to Hendriksen.
00:13:13 Joanna Jablonski
I heard great things about the company.
00:13:16 Joanna Jablonski
And what was holding me, it was actually the software.
00:13:20 Joanna Jablonski
Because at that point, Hendriksen wasn't using the software that we use as the dealer designers, the CET.
00:13:30 Joanna Jablonski
And the minute I saw H&I, All Steel, Han,
00:13:34 Joanna Jablonski
they have their extensions.
00:13:36 Joanna Jablonski
I'm like, okay, this is a good move.
00:13:39 Joanna Jablonski
And then two months later, I got a job and that's how the journey started.
00:13:44 Doug Shapiro
Nice.
00:13:44 Joanna Jablonski
And they always support me.
00:13:46 Joanna Jablonski
I always had the idea.
00:13:48 Joanna Jablonski
So I'm joking like with my husband when I come and I say, hey, I have idea.
00:13:54 Joanna Jablonski
And my husband's like, how much is going to cost me?
00:13:57 Joanna Jablonski
I'm like, there are two days of your work.
00:14:00 Joanna Jablonski
here at the leadership, they like, okay, talk to us.
00:14:03 Joanna Jablonski
Talk to us.
00:14:04 Joanna Jablonski
Let's explore those ideas.
00:14:05 Joanna Jablonski
Let's see what we can do.
00:14:08 Joanna Jablonski
They not always, you know, going to execution, but you know, I have a full support of the leadership.
00:14:18 Doug Shapiro
Yeah, I can feel that in you.
00:14:20 Doug Shapiro
When you talk about them, you know, you just light up.
00:14:23 Doug Shapiro
And so I knew that was a topic of
00:14:26 Doug Shapiro
pride that you have and what you do and who you do it with.
00:14:30 Joanna Jablonski
I'm always saying, dealership is the same, the different people, is the same staff, the same stress.
00:14:38 Joanna Jablonski
It's just a matter of people.
00:14:40 Joanna Jablonski
And I've been lucky, working for that organization.
00:14:45 Joanna Jablonski
And we keep growing.
00:14:46 Joanna Jablonski
So.
00:14:48 Doug Shapiro
I kind of want to put, you know, there's other things I want to explore, but I kind of want to put a capstone on.
00:14:56 Doug Shapiro
the journey that you've went through and make sure we've caught all of it.
00:15:01 Doug Shapiro
Because I know a lot of it, your immigration from Poland to the US, your decision to pursue school again, your decision to pursue a career, and then being in the career, all the insecurities around, are you going to be able to do this?
00:15:17 Doug Shapiro
Is language going to be a barrier?
00:15:19 Doug Shapiro
Would, you know, what's your recipe for anybody that's feeling
00:15:25 Doug Shapiro
insecurity, that's feeling, maybe that shyness is getting in the way of what they could do.
00:15:34 Doug Shapiro
What's your recipe for them?
00:15:37 Joanna Jablonski
I mean, like most of us, we having those imposter syndrome.
00:15:42 Joanna Jablonski
I'm introvert and the culture, you know, different culture was as well was very hard to overcome and the language was the biggest.
00:15:55 Joanna Jablonski
part of it.
00:15:56 Joanna Jablonski
But once you realize, like, you don't have to be perfect.
00:16:03 Joanna Jablonski
You just have to do things, right?
00:16:05 Joanna Jablonski
You just have to show up.
00:16:06 Joanna Jablonski
And this, you know, this podcast is the example.
00:16:11 Joanna Jablonski
It's outside of my comfort zone, but I still show up and I'm still doing it because I'm passionate about things.
00:16:20 Joanna Jablonski
So
00:16:21 Joanna Jablonski
the curiosity and the courage, that's what get me through and being kind for myself and forgiving myself a lot of things like what is the worst that can happen, right?
00:16:36 Joanna Jablonski
And I'll give you the example.
00:16:39 Joanna Jablonski
I was on a networking event and there were people, big shots from, you know, large manufacturers.
00:16:47 Joanna Jablonski
And I'm like, this person sounds interesting, but I don't know her.
00:16:51 Joanna Jablonski
So I'm not going to approach it.
00:16:53 Joanna Jablonski
And somebody said, why not to go over and introduce yourself?
00:16:57 Joanna Jablonski
And I'm like, you know what?
00:16:58 Joanna Jablonski
That was that bold, like that moment, you're right.
00:17:02 Doug Shapiro
Yeah.
00:17:02 Joanna Jablonski
What can happen?
00:17:04 Doug Shapiro
Yeah.
00:17:04 Joanna Jablonski
What the worst can happen?
00:17:06 Joanna Jablonski
They reject me.
00:17:07 Joanna Jablonski
Okay, let's move on, right?
00:17:10 Joanna Jablonski
Yeah, That's what I'm saying when people making fun of my accent, I'm like, it's your problem, not mine.
00:17:16 Doug Shapiro
No, I can't.
00:17:17 Doug Shapiro
It's hard to imagine you still that you still face that.
00:17:20 Joanna Jablonski
Once in a while there, people are people.
00:17:23 Joanna Jablonski
So once in a while that you come across, but just keep laughing and go over it.
00:17:29 Joanna Jablonski
You know, that's like I said, that's their problem, not mine.
00:17:32 Doug Shapiro
You know, I do.
00:17:33 Doug Shapiro
I do think there's something about the networking that you're touching on that I've thought a lot about too.
00:17:40 Doug Shapiro
which is, that everybody, regardless of their status, whether they're the CEO or, they're a junior designer or anything in between, everybody wants the same thing.
00:17:52 Doug Shapiro
They all want validation.
00:17:55 Doug Shapiro
And then once you realize that, that's, I feel like the key to networking is that CEO that you may feel like your validation is beneath them.
00:18:07 Doug Shapiro
like they're not interested in my friendship because I'm just, I'm just me.
00:18:13 Doug Shapiro
And that's not true.
00:18:15 Doug Shapiro
You know, in fact, I feel like sometimes they're the ones that get the least amount.
00:18:20 Joanna Jablonski
Exposure, right, to what the real world is behind, the big cabinet, big, big office, right?
00:18:28 Doug Shapiro
Yeah.
00:18:29 Doug Shapiro
So it's, I feel like when you, when you get to that place of, realizing that your validation is just as important as anybody else's that you can offer, when you offer that, becomes your, kind of networking key.
00:18:45 Joanna Jablonski
And, you know, when you,
00:18:47 Joanna Jablonski
When you enter a room with the positive attitude, right?
00:18:52 Joanna Jablonski
It just lights everybody all around you, right?
00:18:56 Doug Shapiro
Just like when you walked in those doors.
00:18:59 Joanna Jablonski
When you walk in and you're like, oh, goodness gracious, it's horrible weather, you know, I'm not feeling well.
00:19:06 Joanna Jablonski
It's just everybody brings you down.
00:19:08 Joanna Jablonski
When you walk in and you say, I'm a huge fan of saying good morning, like even if it's not good morning, okay?
00:19:14 Joanna Jablonski
It is still, it's the kindness, it's the respect to others to welcome somebody.
00:19:20 Joanna Jablonski
And when you walk into the room and when you expose your feelings like that, people will react to it.
00:19:27 Joanna Jablonski
And again, being authentic as well.
00:19:29 Joanna Jablonski
You know, you can't fake it.
00:19:33 Joanna Jablonski
needs to be something that is authentic, that is you, without, you know, making you
00:19:43 Joanna Jablonski
trying something too hard.
00:19:45 Doug Shapiro
Yeah.
00:19:45 Doug Shapiro
Can I ask about this authenticity of like the self-realization, leaning into who you are, owning everything about yourself?
00:19:53 Doug Shapiro
Do you feel like when you've made that change, you turned that corner, did you become a better designer?
00:20:02 Joanna Jablonski
I think so.
00:20:04 Joanna Jablonski
Because I was more open to the client.
00:20:08 Joanna Jablonski
I was more, I wasn't afraid
00:20:13 Joanna Jablonski
to say what I think.
00:20:16 Joanna Jablonski
And, in those meetings, the client, and that's what the power of designer is here.
00:20:21 Joanna Jablonski
you're not sales, you're not trying to sell them something.
00:20:25 Joanna Jablonski
You having their best interest, you know, in your mind.
00:20:32 Joanna Jablonski
So they feel it, they know it, right?
00:20:36 Joanna Jablonski
And I start speaking up a little bit more and advising them.
00:20:41 Joanna Jablonski
And this is actually, part of the interior design that I love the most is just the finding solutions.
00:20:48 Joanna Jablonski
Because when people are like, no, but I can't do this because of that.
00:20:52 Joanna Jablonski
Okay, I understand it, but here is the solution.
00:20:55 Joanna Jablonski
Would you accept this one?
00:20:57 Joanna Jablonski
And then start building that, you know, relationship.
00:21:01 Joanna Jablonski
And it's a funny story.
00:21:05 Joanna Jablonski
I was, we were preparing for the large,
00:21:09 Joanna Jablonski
dealer interview.
00:21:10 Joanna Jablonski
And I was talking to one of our principals.
00:21:14 Joanna Jablonski
He retired, but we're talking and I was like telling him how I'm planning to present myself.
00:21:23 Joanna Jablonski
You know, you have only a few minutes, right, to say something about you, about your dealer, about the company, about the project.
00:21:33 Joanna Jablonski
So it makes you memorable.
00:21:36 Joanna Jablonski
And I told him what I'm planning to say.
00:21:39 Joanna Jablonski
And he's like, and he looked at me, he's like, Joanna, you know what?
00:21:42 Joanna Jablonski
Flip it.
00:21:43 Joanna Jablonski
I'm like, what do you mean?
00:21:45 Joanna Jablonski
He said, instead of saying, you're the only one on the team with the accent, say it, you're the only one on the team without the accent.
00:21:54 Joanna Jablonski
And guarantee, every single time, it never failed me since then, every single time they start laughing, they just can't.
00:22:05 Joanna Jablonski
It actually is good.
00:22:06 Doug Shapiro
It's good.
00:22:06 Joanna Jablonski
It's just building that connection and, remembering you at the time, at the end of this interview, that's what makes you, again, unique, different.
00:22:17 Doug Shapiro
Yeah, that's really cool.
00:22:19 Doug Shapiro
That's really cool.
00:22:21 Doug Shapiro
There's a concept we've been exploring around how different people have different energies.
00:22:32 Doug Shapiro
and different people bring different perspectives and histories together.
00:22:36 Doug Shapiro
And when you create that blend and you have all of those together, you build something really special.
00:22:45 Doug Shapiro
What's your, like, what's your energy?
00:22:48 Doug Shapiro
What's your differentness outside of, outside of your upbringing?
00:22:54 Doug Shapiro
What's your different, you know, what's your different energy that you bring?
00:22:58 Doug Shapiro
And how does, you know, how do those differences
00:23:01 Doug Shapiro
create a better team.
00:23:04 Joanna Jablonski
Team, I don't know, but definitely looking from the perspective of what is today, it's the problem, and you're stressing about this.
00:23:19 Joanna Jablonski
You wake up tomorrow, a week later, a month later, a year later, and you're like, what?
00:23:25 Joanna Jablonski
Why I was stressing about?
00:23:27 Joanna Jablonski
It's not a problem anymore.
00:23:28 Joanna Jablonski
And having that perspective and a little bit of reserve, having the understanding, yes, let's resolve the problem, let's find out solution, but trying not to overstressed about this.
00:23:44 Joanna Jablonski
Yes, we all, I'm very impatient, okay?
00:23:47 Joanna Jablonski
We all stress about things.
00:23:49 Joanna Jablonski
And we all reacting to things.
00:23:51 Joanna Jablonski
But having in the back of your mind, once you cool down, okay, it will be okay.
00:23:58 Joanna Jablonski
It will be okay tomorrow, whatever the problem is, we will resolve it.
00:24:02 Joanna Jablonski
We will find a solution.
00:24:04 Joanna Jablonski
It's just the furniture, right?
00:24:06 Joanna Jablonski
It's not one, one, one, and people are not dying because they don't have the chair, right?
00:24:12 Joanna Jablonski
So I think having that perspective and
00:24:18 Joanna Jablonski
and always trying to pause.
00:24:22 Joanna Jablonski
I'm not always successful.
00:24:24 Joanna Jablonski
Believe me, I am not always successful.
00:24:26 Joanna Jablonski
Sometimes I'm reacting and it's coming out.
00:24:29 Joanna Jablonski
But I found this a little bit solution when I'm really boiling inside.
00:24:35 Joanna Jablonski
Let's type that e-mail.
00:24:36 Joanna Jablonski
Okay, let's type it.
00:24:37 Joanna Jablonski
Let's just put all your emotions, you know, and then let it sit.
00:24:41 Joanna Jablonski
Do not have anybody, you know, addressee.
00:24:45 Joanna Jablonski
Let it sit.
00:24:46 Joanna Jablonski
And then two hours later, like, what I was thinking.
00:24:51 Doug Shapiro
Yeah, that all caps right there.
00:24:52 Doug Shapiro
I really need to tell you.
00:24:54 Joanna Jablonski
I'm always in caps.
00:24:55 Joanna Jablonski
We designers, we always in caps.
00:24:57 Joanna Jablonski
I'm always saying, I'm not yelling, I'm just in caps.
00:25:01 Joanna Jablonski
When I'm starting new project with a new salesperson, never to the client, but with the new salesperson, I'm like, I am not yelling.
00:25:08 Joanna Jablonski
Please excuse my caps.
00:25:10 Doug Shapiro
Please excuse my caps.
00:25:13 Doug Shapiro
That's really funny.
00:25:15 Doug Shapiro
That's pretty good.
00:25:16 Doug Shapiro
So your energy is one of, patience in the right places, which I think is good.
00:25:23 Doug Shapiro
That's important.
00:25:26 Doug Shapiro
I have some, a few notes of just kind of like what's helped build you, your history in art and architecture.
00:25:35 Doug Shapiro
I know it's something that you bring into your work.
00:25:38 Doug Shapiro
How does it show up?
00:25:41 Joanna Jablonski
Oh, what do you mean?
00:25:42 Doug Shapiro
Like, you know,
00:25:44 Doug Shapiro
having studied, being an art student and being in the commercial design world is not really the normal linear path.
00:25:53 Doug Shapiro
I mean, having that history.
00:25:55 Joanna Jablonski
Oh, yes, yeah.
00:25:56 Doug Shapiro
And I wonder if there's elements to the art passion that shows up in your work.
00:26:05 Joanna Jablonski
You know what?
00:26:05 Joanna Jablonski
I actually, so I finished this specific art school in Poland.
00:26:11 Joanna Jablonski
And then I study architecture and I work in a really large architectural firm.
00:26:16 Joanna Jablonski
So I have that real life, background.
00:26:19 Joanna Jablonski
When I came here and when I start looking at what I can do with my life, with my creativity, what I will enjoy, because, our work for me, it's important.
00:26:29 Joanna Jablonski
The people you are with are important because you're spending so much time with them, you know, almost the same time as you spending sometimes with your family.
00:26:39 Joanna Jablonski
So that was the early days on the famous AGTV, Trading Spaces.
00:26:47 Joanna Jablonski
But something, you know, when I start watching those shows, something clicked.
00:26:52 Joanna Jablonski
And it wasn't, it wasn't the, you know, picking the paint color or, you know, arranging the furniture.
00:27:02 Joanna Jablonski
It was finding a solution.
00:27:06 Joanna Jablonski
That's what I really love about it.
00:27:08 Joanna Jablonski
And I never was drawn to the residential that I knew from day one, this is not for me.
00:27:14 Joanna Jablonski
Corporate, workplace, that's what I really wanted to do, like the big and massive.
00:27:22 Joanna Jablonski
And you know, art is a little bit unstable.
00:27:26 Joanna Jablonski
Architecture is very rigid.
00:27:29 Joanna Jablonski
So interior design is just click, it was right there.
00:27:33 Joanna Jablonski
with my creativity, with my constant, I have idea.
00:27:38 Joanna Jablonski
Like I told you before, oh my gosh, I'm not the one saying I have idea today.
00:27:44 Joanna Jablonski
You had a great idea.
00:27:46 Joanna Jablonski
And it always drives me.
00:27:48 Joanna Jablonski
And I have tons of passion and drive, you know, that's what keeps me going, you know, being curious and keep learning.
00:27:57 Joanna Jablonski
And I'm truly believer if you challenge yourself every day a little bit,
00:28:03 Joanna Jablonski
by learning something, but doing something that you're not fully comfortable doing, right?
00:28:10 Joanna Jablonski
You're learning from it and you're moving forward.
00:28:14 Doug Shapiro
So what's your next big challenge?
00:28:16 Doug Shapiro
Like if you're challenging your, you know, version of you that's five years from now.
00:28:22 Joanna Jablonski
Saving money.
00:28:24 Doug Shapiro
That's your big challenge now.
00:28:26 Joanna Jablonski
Money would be the biggest challenge because...
00:28:28 Doug Shapiro
Let's talk about how to spend money.
00:28:29 Joanna Jablonski
That's way more fun.
00:28:30 Joanna Jablonski
I love travel and this is my weakness.
00:28:33 Joanna Jablonski
I love travel.
00:28:34 Joanna Jablonski
I love planning the traveling.
00:28:36 Joanna Jablonski
So this is always like, you know, like this kitchen or this can wait.
00:28:42 Joanna Jablonski
Let's do this.
00:28:43 Joanna Jablonski
sounds exciting.
00:28:44 Joanna Jablonski
So I love to travel.
00:28:46 Doug Shapiro
Where's the best place you've been?
00:28:50 Joanna Jablonski
Hawaii, it's one of my favorites.
00:28:53 Joanna Jablonski
Last year we went to Portugal.
00:28:57 Joanna Jablonski
And it was a great trip, very well planned.
00:29:03 Joanna Jablonski
I spent two weeks in Portugal.
00:29:05 Joanna Jablonski
We flew to Madeira.
00:29:07 Joanna Jablonski
I made so many friends to the point I'm still texting my taxi driver for a Christmas.
00:29:15 Joanna Jablonski
Like, we exchanging and I people who are going to Lisbon, I'm like, hey, I have this great cab driver, you know, hire him for 200, 300 euro.
00:29:26 Joanna Jablonski
He will take you to Sintrash.
00:29:27 Joanna Jablonski
He will show you everything.
00:29:29 Joanna Jablonski
So that trip was absolutely amazing.
00:29:32 Joanna Jablonski
And when I travel, I actually I'm
00:29:36 Joanna Jablonski
I really love the thrill about planning, the trip.
00:29:43 Joanna Jablonski
Yes, there is a ChatGPT and, all AI, but I still like to do it my own way.
00:29:51 Joanna Jablonski
I like to learn a little bit of the language of the country that I'm going to.
00:29:55 Joanna Jablonski
So not to walk into the store and start blopping in English, assuming, you know, everybody can understand you.
00:30:02 Joanna Jablonski
We travel really to the rural area.
00:30:05 Joanna Jablonski
I've been to the
00:30:06 Joanna Jablonski
places who my friends who live in Portugal, they were like, where did you go?
00:30:10 Joanna Jablonski
I'm like, don't even ask me.
00:30:12 Joanna Jablonski
Next time you will have to probably pay me to go to that place because it was scary.
00:30:16 Joanna Jablonski
It was so up high.
00:30:18 Joanna Jablonski
But, you know, like I like to build those trips around what we like.
00:30:24 Joanna Jablonski
So yeah, I'm always like trying to know a few and a few words.
00:30:30 Joanna Jablonski
And
00:30:32 Joanna Jablonski
And it become helpful, because when you walk in and you start asking them in their own language, the reaction is different.
00:30:39 Joanna Jablonski
And, after asking the initial, I'm like, okay, that's where my Portuguese ends.
00:30:45 Joanna Jablonski
I still remember obrigada, like for everything.
00:30:51 Joanna Jablonski
But it's just people react a little bit differently and they're more helpful.
00:30:56 Joanna Jablonski
And it become, really helpful, especially like I said, we were in the areas where people didn't speak English.
00:31:04 Joanna Jablonski
When I come back, I talk to my Portuguese friends and, I give, I already forgot those words, but I said what, I was like, I was introducing myself and all of it.
00:31:17 Joanna Jablonski
They look at me and they're like, Joanna, you have a beautiful accent.
00:31:21 Joanna Jablonski
Brazilian, but beautiful.
00:31:27 Doug Shapiro
Brazilian.
00:31:28 Joanna Jablonski
So they're calling your Portuguese Brazilian.
00:31:31 Joanna Jablonski
That's good.
00:31:31 Joanna Jablonski
Because there's a lot of Brazilians in Portugal, they speak the same language.
00:31:34 Joanna Jablonski
So yeah, definitely, and going to those places, the hole in the wall, how I call them, that's the best restaurant, the best food, the best experience versus touristy things that you can find.
00:31:49 Joanna Jablonski
So there's a lot of research that we're going through.
00:31:52 Joanna Jablonski
And at the end of it,
00:31:55 Joanna Jablonski
When I'm still living those travels, I like to make the book out of it.
00:32:00 Doug Shapiro
Yeah.
00:32:00 Joanna Jablonski
So after that, I'm spending weeks basically preparing the photo books, you know, and with all my memories.
00:32:07 Doug Shapiro
That's awesome.
00:32:08 Doug Shapiro
I feel like there's this thread of like authenticity, you know, like getting to the, like you said, the hole in the wall restaurant that kind of goes through your life.
00:32:17 Doug Shapiro
And obviously there's this thread around language too, and how important that is to you.
00:32:21 Joanna Jablonski
Yeah.
00:32:22 Joanna Jablonski
And people, people, people are great in learning their culture, learning people, and the food is another.
00:32:31 Joanna Jablonski
Another.
00:32:33 Doug Shapiro
I'm alive to eat.
00:32:34 Doug Shapiro
Like, that's it.
00:32:35 Doug Shapiro
That's the only thing.
00:32:37 Doug Shapiro
Like, when's my next meal?
00:32:38 Doug Shapiro
What am I having?
00:32:39 Doug Shapiro
It's bad.
00:32:39 Doug Shapiro
It's bad.
00:32:42 Doug Shapiro
This was really fun.
00:32:43 Doug Shapiro
I feel like, you know, like I'm
00:32:47 Doug Shapiro
I get to be in your circle now.
00:32:48 Doug Shapiro
Like I feel honored.
00:32:50 Joanna Jablonski
That's great.
00:32:50 Doug Shapiro
Kind of like that taxi driver.
00:32:52 Doug Shapiro
You know, like, hey, now I'm someone that Joanna can text.
00:32:57 Doug Shapiro
You know.
00:32:58 Joanna Jablonski
I would love that.
00:32:59 Doug Shapiro
Like I really, I'm just honored to be in your circle.
00:33:03 Doug Shapiro
Is there, are there stories that we haven't heard yet?
00:33:07 Doug Shapiro
Is there anything like that you'd hope to share that I haven't yet uncovered?
00:33:13 Doug Shapiro
Because I feel like you're full of great stories.
00:33:19 Joanna Jablonski
No, the last, I think two years ago, it was one of those, when you learn something like and decided to go that path.
00:33:27 Joanna Jablonski
I was, there was the Neocon Design Days.
00:33:31 Joanna Jablonski
I was at the mall.
00:33:32 Joanna Jablonski
No, actually it was here in this building in Allsteel showroom and I saw one of the furniture designer, you know, like I recognized him because I watched the YouTube videos and
00:33:44 Joanna Jablonski
I'm like, I walk in and I introduce myself and we start talking about his design.
00:33:48 Joanna Jablonski
And then we connected on LinkedIn.
00:33:50 Joanna Jablonski
And my friend, she looked at me, she's like, how did she know who he was?
00:33:54 Joanna Jablonski
I'm like, I watched, you know, some of the, you know, especially through the COVID, you know, you watch a lot of, like you connect more with people on camera.
00:34:06 Joanna Jablonski
And I watch one of the webinars and I still remember him.
00:34:09 Joanna Jablonski
I still remember his
00:34:10 Joanna Jablonski
last first and last name.
00:34:12 Joanna Jablonski
And I'm like, that's an opportunity, to introduce yourself.
00:34:15 Joanna Jablonski
And so I'm really living by, what I preach to what I, how this whole thing changed me.
00:34:24 Joanna Jablonski
And I am not afraid anymore.
00:34:28 Joanna Jablonski
You know, like I said, what the worst thing can happen.
00:34:32 Doug Shapiro
Yeah.
00:34:33 Doug Shapiro
Well, I mean, you obviously you love what you do.
00:34:37 Joanna Jablonski
I do.
00:34:37 Joanna Jablonski
Yeah.
00:34:39 Doug Shapiro
Any love what you do advice that would wrap this up?
00:34:44 Joanna Jablonski
You know what?
00:34:44 Joanna Jablonski
Besides being yourself, don't stand behind.
00:34:48 Joanna Jablonski
Don't wait for permission.
00:34:51 Joanna Jablonski
You have a lungs, there is air, breathe it.
00:34:53 Joanna Jablonski
You have a wings, fly it.
00:34:56 Joanna Jablonski
You know, like don't wait for others to tell you what to do, what you are, what you can or can't do.
00:35:05 Joanna Jablonski
When people telling you, oh, you too old to do this,
00:35:08 Joanna Jablonski
Who are you to make that decision?
00:35:11 Joanna Jablonski
You're never too old.
00:35:12 Joanna Jablonski
You're never too weak.
00:35:15 Joanna Jablonski
You're never too something, right?
00:35:16 Joanna Jablonski
Be yourself and have that courage.
00:35:19 Doug Shapiro
I love it.
00:35:20 Doug Shapiro
Well, thank you for joining.
00:35:21 Doug Shapiro
I know this took some courage, so I appreciate it.
00:35:24 Joanna Jablonski
It took a lot of courage.
00:35:25 Joanna Jablonski
This is not my comfort zone.
00:35:27 Doug Shapiro
You nailed it.
00:35:29 Joanna Jablonski
Thank you.
00:35:29 Joanna Jablonski
Thank you for having me.
00:35:32 Doug Shapiro
Thanks for joining me here on Love What You Do.