Growing Every Day: Paige Terrell Of RSM Design On What We Can Do To Grow Every Day
An Interview With Dr. Carla Marie Manly
Invest in yourself. You are responsible for your own happiness. So take the class, take the trip, call the person, sign up for the event, go to bed early, whatever goal you are trying to achieve — you are worth it. Your happiness is worth it.
Growth is an essential part of life, both personally and professionally. Every day presents an opportunity to learn, evolve, and become better versions of ourselves. But how do we seize these opportunities? How do successful writers, leaders, and influencers ensure they are constantly growing and improving? What daily habits, practices, or mindsets contribute to their continual growth? In this interview series, we would like to talk to authors, leaders, influencers, and anyone who is an authority about “What We Can Do To Grow Every Day”. As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Paige Terrell.
Paige Terrell is a Principal at RSM Design and the Director of the Dallas studio, a design studio committed to connecting people to place through graphic design in the built environment. With over 23 years of experience in interior design and branded environments, her curious mindset helps her uncover clients’ visions by developing a strong brand strategy. Paige, a native to Dallas, earned a Bachelor of Science from the School of Architecture at the University of Texas at Arlington, is a registered interior designer (RID) within Texas, and is also an active member (and former Chapter Co-Chair) of the Society of Experiential Graphic Design (SEGD).
Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us your “Origin Story”? Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I grew up in a typical middle-class suburb of Dallas, going to church, riding bikes with friends, and babysitting my younger brother and sister. I attended public school and had what I would consider an “ordinary upbringing.” I loved music, as did many of my immediate and extended family members, so I took piano and voice, dabbled in guitar, and played violin all through high school. I considered majoring in music but I also loved drawing, building things, and math. I took drawing lessons when I was in 2nd grade and continued to develop my skills through college. I loved changing my bedroom up based on the latest trends and would work with my mom to curate exactly the look I was going for, from paint to bedding to wall art. I think I changed my room decor every couple of years! I enjoyed building things with my dad and grandpa. I enjoyed algebra and solving long math equations (weird, but the problem solver in me was coming to life even in elementary school). I attended the University of Texas at Arlington and pursued interior design from their School of Architecture. It hit all the marks of art, math, building, and problem solving.
Can you tell us a bit about what you do professionally, and what brought you to this specific career path?
I majored in Interior Design and worked in corporate interiors for nearly 17 years before discovering my love of storytelling through the physical environment and how critical it is to a successful user experience. I now lead the Dallas studio for RSM Design, a firm that focuses on just that — connecting people to places, whether it be in signage and wayfinding elements or murals, donor walls, brand messaging, and even their initial brand development. It’s fun to work with a variety of project types, sizes, and locations and with other creatives to bring certainty, variety and delight to each space.
Thank you for all that. Let’s now turn to the main focus of our discussion about Personal Growth. To make sure that we are all on the same page, let’s begin with a simple definition. What does “Personal Growth” mean to you?
Personal growth means having self-awareness and intentionally advancing areas of your life to continually improve.
Why do you believe that it’s important to commit to growing every day?
Growth doesn’t happen overnight, in a day, or even over a weekend. You have to learn, put what you learn into practice, learn some more, and develop good habits so it eventually becomes a way of life.
What are the key upsides for those who mindfully engage in a journey of personal evolution?
It can’t be done by accident or if it does, it’s not fun learning by making mistakes. If you can get ahead of it, you can learn before you’re called upon and be prepared to identify and prepare for what opportunities may present themselves.
When we stop evolving in intentional ways, what do you think are the biggest downsides?
Regret. I read a quote once that says, “The price of discipline is always less than the pain of regret.”
What specific practices, if any, do you have in place to ensure that you don’t become stagnant in life?
I reflect often, more so as I am aging and experience the loss of loved ones, and remind myself, what do I want from life? What regrets will I have if I die today? It’s a morbid thought, and I try not to linger in that place for long, but if I am feeling stagnant, I work to uncover areas I feel least happy with and what regrets I will have if I don’t improve them. Daniel Pink wrote a book called THE POWER OF REGRET: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward that really digs into this idea.
I also stay curious. I am a question asker by nature so I’m always looking for new ways of doing things, questioning the current ways, and seeing what others are doing. By doing this, you uncover new practices, new ideas, etc.
Is there any particular area of your life where you are most committed to growth (e.g., spiritually, professionally, socially, internally, relationally)?
Currently, professional growth is where I spend most of my efforts. I am working to always be a good leader, mentor, and advisor.
If you could offer five tips to readers on how to stimulate and perpetuate self-growth, what would they be?
1 . Be intentional. What do you want to achieve? Set milestones on your calendar with dates. We do this in our everyday practice at RSM Design. We all have “rocks” with milestones and dates. It keeps us on task.
2 . Be specific in your goals. Don’t say, “I want to lose weight.” Instead say, “I want to lose 2 lbs a week for the next 10 weeks.” Then start back at #1.
3 . Read. Most of my growth has come from books on various professional topics, from leadership to teamwork, creativity, and self-evaluation/awareness. Simon Sinek, Todd Henry, Daniel Pink, Patrick Lencioni, and Brené Brown are some of my favorites.
4 . Find a mentor or accountability partner. I work better in a team and I seek advice from a variety of people. Some I have sought out, others have landed in my path (thank goodness).
5 . Invest in yourself. You are responsible for your own happiness. So take the class, take the trip, call the person, sign up for the event, go to bed early, whatever goal you are trying to achieve — you are worth it. Your happiness is worth it.
What advice would you give to someone who feels stuck and unsure of how to start their personal growth journey?
Ask your network of family, friends, and coworkers if they know of someone you can talk to who had a similar journey, challenge, or goal. Invite them to lunch and “pick their brain,” or set up a virtual meeting if they are remote. Getting other perspectives can open new doors to different ways of thinking, connections, resources, and sometimes just vocalizing it to someone, besides having it live only in your brain, can spark an epiphany. Saying it out loud also helps solidify it in your mind.
Are there any books, podcasts, or other resources that have significantly contributed to your personal growth?
• The Working Genius podcast and The 6 Types of Working Genius book are great for understanding what your natural-born gifts are. It has helped me own what I know I am good at and stay focused in that lane, and also allowed me to accept that I am not necessarily wired to be great at everything. I can grow in the areas I enjoy and hone my efforts more towards what I know I will naturally excel at.
• The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey (an oldie but a goodie). We follow these principles at RSM Design and they just work. There’s a reason it’s been around for so long.
• Good to Great by Jim Collins (the title says it all!).
• Dare to Lead by Brené Brown
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
I would love to see homelessness solved. It’s something that seems so overwhelmingly difficult to tackle at an individual level. We need a movement. My heart breaks for those who have suffered from something out of their control (mental illness, physical disability, economic circumstances) and end up on the streets. While I know many of the homeless are there by their own doing, there are many who are not. Everyone deserves a warm bed, a hot meal, and a roof over their head. Every human.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
You can visit our website at rsmdesign.com or follow us on Instagram (@rsmdesign), Pinterest (@rsmdesign), or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/rsm-design/).
Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!
About The Interviewer: Dr. Carla Marie Manly — clinical psychologist, author, and advocate — is based in Sonoma County, California. In addition to her clinical practice focusing on relationships and personal transformation, Dr. Manly is deeply invested in her roles as podcaster and speaker. With a refreshingly direct and honest approach — plus a dose of humor — Dr. Manly enjoys supporting others in the ever-evolving journey of life. Her novel self-development paradigm builds resilience, emotional intelligence, and self-esteem. Highlighting the importance of loving connection, her work also focuses on helping others create deeply connected and satisfying intimate and social relationships. Working from a transformative model that honors the body-mind-spirit connection, Dr. Manly offers holistic relationship and wellness seminars around the world. An award-winning author, Dr. Manly’s books, The Joy of Imperfect Love, Date Smart, Joy from Fear, and Aging Joyfully highlight her empowering approach and profound expertise. Host of the captivating podcast, Imperfect Love, Dr. Manly offers uplifting guidance on navigating the messy road of life. Her expertise is also regularly cited in media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Forbes, Oprah, Newsweek, NBC, HuffPost, Reader’s Digest, Psychology Today, Parade, GQ, Women’s Health, Architectural Digest, Men’s Health, and more.
