Episode 45: Client Freakouts, Budget Fatigue & The Designer’s Role in Keeping It Together w/ Megan Strasburg

Designers, you know the drill. A new client walks in, excited but totally lost—Who do I hire first? Builder? Architect? Designer? All of the above? And then there’s the mid-reno meltdown: Why are my walls still open? Why did I do this to myself?

Sound familiar? Yeah, we thought so.

In this episode, we’re pulling back the curtain on the real challenges that come with renovations—and how we, as designers, can be the steady hand guiding our clients through the process. We’re sitting down with Megan Strasburg, our Director of Residential Design at Laura U Design Collective, to talk about:

- The biggest fears clients have before starting a project (and how to put them at ease)
- The moment every client panics during construction—and how we bring them back from the brink
- When working with builders is a dream… and when it’s a total nightmare
- The psychology of decision fatigue, budget freakouts, and Pinterest rabbit holes
- Strategic splurges—where clients should invest and where they can save
- And why living through a renovation is almost always a terrible idea

Plus, Megan shares the wildest project she’s working on right now—a high-end condo where the client had some seriously bold ideas that pushed us to think outside the box.

If you’ve ever had to talk a client off the ledge mid-project, navigate a tricky builder relationship, or just wish clients understood the realities of design, this episode is for you.

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