Career Growth Advice from Gretchen Schauffler, Entreprenuer Leader | Career Tips for Women in Entreprenuer
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2B Bolder Podcast – Episode 11
Featuring Gretchen Schauffler
Episode Title: #11 Career Podcast Featuring Gretchen Schauffler, Color Expert Entrepreneur Who Transforms Lives Through Personal Design
Host: Mary Killelea
Guest: Gretchen Schauffler
Mary Killelea (Host): Hi there. My name is Mary Killelea. Welcome to the To Be Bolder podcast, providing career insights for the next generation of women in business and tech. To Be Bolder was created out of my love for technology and marketing, my desire to bring together like-minded women, and my hope to be a great role model and source of inspiration for my two girls and other young women like you. Encouraging you guys to show up and to be bolder and to know that anything you guys dream of, it's totally possible. On To Be Bolder, you're going to hear inspiring stories of how successful women, some I know, some I just want to bring to you guys, and they're going to talk about their careers in business and tech, and they're going to tell us their stories about their passion and their journey and their challenges, and we're going to learn some of their advice along the way too. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the conversation.
Today on the show is a guest that I am so excited to talk to. She has revolutionized the American paint experience and is a great inspiration to other business women. She is a successful, creative, and driven entrepreneur. She brought her love of color from her home in Puerto Rico to Portland, and in the late 90s, she was selling her own paint brand out of the trunk of her car, which soon became globally recognized as Divine Paint. A lot has transpired between then and now. Today, she is president of DIP, Design is Personal, and I can't wait to have her talk to us today about DIP and what she's doing. Gretchen Schauffler, it is so awesome to have you on the show. Thank you for being here.
Gretchen Schauffler (Guest): No, thank you for inviting me. This is so great. I love to tell the story and look forward to catching up with everybody.
Mary Killelea: Awesome. Good. Okay, well, your career journey to me is fascinating because I think I'm an entrepreneur at heart, and I wanted everyone to hear from you firsthand versus me reading off a long intro about you. So let's back up and start at the beginning when you were younger and in college. Tell everyone kind of like directionally what you studied. Did you know you had like a passion for being an entrepreneur and a creative side of you that just someday was going to be facilitated out the way it is today? And then go into about your paint company and then bring us up to date about where you are today. And then I'll have a series of questions to follow up on that.
Gretchen Schauffler: Okay, well, perfect. So sit tight and hang on because it's a story. So let me start with the fact that far as education, I never knew what I wanted to be or do in life. I always knew that I was creative. I was constantly passionate and curious and always seeking, but never understanding, you know, what I needed to do to find sort of my way or my path. And therefore, I actually changed my major four times. It was insane. I went to three different colleges before I settled at Portland State University. I started with art therapy. And I loved art therapy because it sort of makes that whole psychology and creativity together. But I didn't like working with kids. I didn't really have the patience for that. And at the time, art therapy is not like it is now where adults really benefit from it, too. Just felt like it was more kid oriented. And then I went into arch, the architectural school at U of O. And I hate it to do math. Hello. I needed Eugene at the time. And I mean, let me put it this way, we put four Ducks through that college. So I've made peace with Eugene and Oregon. But it was not for me. And then from there, there was a little school, a little fashion, interior design school that had just opened called the Fist College. So I went to the Fist and I hate it selling. I wanted to major in fashion design, hate it selling, love fashion, hated selling.
And then in the newspaper, there was this little tiny article that a new graphic design program at Portland State had just started. And I went, well, maybe that's the answer. And sure enough, I landed at Portland State, met a dear life long friend, hung out with them. And it was like, okay, I found not only a major that I thought was super great, because it had to do with communication and visuals. And it was a constant creativity, really, in problem solving. And then I actually graduated with a design degree. And then I went straight into sales. I never pursued my art career. And it wasn't until I had my first child that I truly connected to that flow of creativity in such a way that it became more about how to better the world, instead of like how to better myself. And I was like, I need to stay home and create an environment for my children that I can't even tell you it was like a lightning bolt. And with all my courage, quit my very lucrative pharmaceutical sales job to become a stay at home mom with no money. And I was like, I'll do anything. And it's like, okay, what am I gonna do? And I ended up started selling art out of my garage, in the studio. And then from there, it's like the colors and my artwork, people loved them. Then from there faux finishes were starting to come in. And I started to like, go crazy on my walls. And I mean, I had like the brightest colors, like corals, and all kinds of, you know, amazing things that didn't go together, but so went together.
Mary Killelea: Right, right.
Gretchen Schauffler: And everyone who would walk into my house would just, they would feel the vibration of that color. And they used to call my art pros at card, because they would look at the colors and go, they made me feel good. So then it was like, okay, maybe I should do this for homes. And, and then I began to do it for other people in their homes and the colors were so powerful that then they began to ask me if I had colors to go with the full finishes that I was doing. Pink colors and the pink colors that I always chose were completely not right. So, I began to customize them and say, wait a minute, that's not how color behaves. That's not how you make things have synchronicity and energy together. So I ended up then started creating my own palettes. And then that is really the birth of how I created Divine Color. And of course, who has been I had to have a grandiose idea about suddenly needing paint to go with these colors. And it's not anything I ever expected to do. It was a journey that took a life of its own. And I had a 6000 square foot mistake. And the paint was all shiny and it was the wrong tint. And it was like such horrific experience that I just said, okay, I have to have my own paint. So I started knocking on the doors of paint manufacturers. Nobody wanted to take me on because I was a nobody. It's not like I was Martha Stewart or a designer or a paint person. And finally this guy in Vancouver who sold a trailer park paint said, okay, I'll sell you some of my paint.
Mary Killelea: No kidding.
Gretchen Schauffler: And yeah, and then I created a label for it. And that's when I began to sell paint out of the trunk of my car.
Mary Killelea: That's so ballsy just to go and just do something unchartered.
Gretchen Schauffler: Yes. And that is not something that I have in common with a lot of people, especially even in business. When I speak to people, they, you know, there's like you just said, you know, you can be in business and have all these charted courses and you can be excellent at your course in your lane. And I truly went off track and I went bushwhacking. I went bushwhacking for my own, for my own dream.
Mary Killelea: All right. So tell me more about how the company grew from there.
Gretchen Schauffler: So from there, what I think set my work apart is the passion that I have for people to sort of have a sense of confidence in their own self-expression about their lives truly being so custom and being able to put that out there in a way that's creative, that the only validation they need is validation from themselves. The fact that people come into their home and they go, I love your home. This is great. I love it because it's you. It's like the cherry on the cake. But what I found myself doing is when I would call a consultant, I would help people with these colors is that they were on a path of originality with complete self-confidence. And as my reputation grew, I needed a bigger partner. And that's when we entered into a partnership with Miller Paint Company. And then we launched through retail stores in 2001. And Divine Color took off like wildfire. And of course we have the mini paint pouch, which was this little tiny pouch that I went, if I'm going to say to people that I have paint that goes on like yogurt and look like chiffon, they need proof that it goes on like yogurt and looks like chiffon. So that's when I came up with this little mini paint pouch, which was a sample that really put the line on the map nationally and then internationally.
Mary Killelea: 100% agree. And I'm just going to interject here for a sec because I think you created paint from a woman's perspective and the practicality of providing that sample and giving those homemakers that opportunity to see and feel it and envision it in a different way than it had ever been presented before. And it was just magical.
Gretchen Schauffler: Yes. Yes. And it is from a place of magic that you should be able to experience color, period. I mean, it is the shortest path between love at first. So if you're not walking into your home every day, owning your own life through color, you're not getting the full benefit of just feeling that self-love on a constant level.
Mary Killelea: Totally agree. Okay. So you went big brand. Then how does it blow from there?
Gretchen Schauffler: So before I knew it, again, I'm going to, I know that you have some great questions for me that I'll probably expand on this, but I really felt strongly that it really had a life of its own apart from me. What I had created had become so much bigger than what I ever imagined. So I went along for the ride and also I was a young woman. This was, I mean, it was a complete adventure for me. And as it grew and became more well-known and became bigger, we thought of expanding the business and we thought, oh, this is going to be great. And we literally started to expand with window treatments and dabbling into that. And then the unexpected happened. The market crash of a rate and everything just came to a halt. And we didn't know what we were going to do. And my husband and I, who worked with each other ever since the inception of Divine Color, which has been over 20 some years, we looked at each other and it was like, oh baby, oh baby. Wow. Now what? Right? And we had like four kids we wanted to put through college, there's all kinds of crazy things.
So we said, well, let's start selling paint online and see what happens. And at the time, the Wall Street Journal had named my Divine Color blog, one of the top four sites for designers to go to, to learn about color. And we thought, well, we have such a great blog and we have so many great conversations happening. Again, back in 2004, that really helped. And we saw that sales began to actually pick up online. And from there, we got a Google alert that Valspar had gotten a new president and a new senior vice president of marketing, blah, blah. And I literally picked up the phone and called him and I said, look, the market has just crashed. We have this brand. I know it's meant to live, to go on and be bigger. If you're not interested, let me know. We'll part ways right now. And he was like, no, I'm interested. And then within a year, we sold the brand to Valspar Paint.
And then another big adventure began, which was me at a corporate level, watching the brand be managed by seven managers, brand managers in five years before being dismantled in a beautiful way. And in a very sustainable way and shepherd into target shelves as a craft paint line with like spray paints and metallic and chalk, and then a line of wallpaper. And then I was off with a non-compete for five years. Valspar got thought out by Sherwin Williams. And that was the end of that paint camp for me.
Mary Killelea: What a ride.
Gretchen Schauffler: Yeah. Yeah. And then it was like, and now what? Now what do I do? Well, for the next five years, I literally threw myself into meditation, yoga, Qigong. I pursued going into philanthropy and charity and became a board member of the Alzheimer's Association, created a color with benefits protocol for senior living. And what's great is that I was able to also use it in the Ronald McDonald houses in Portland. And I was able to recolorize those houses.
Mary Killelea: That's awesome.
Gretchen Schauffler: Yeah. No, it was wonderful. And, you know, gave a couple of benefit parties and, and really just try to find my way to what was next. And who was I without that paint can? And I had in a meditation, a vision of the Big Dipper and the North Star and this fabulous, beautiful vision. And I literally came out of the meditation and I went, yeah, oh my gosh, that's such a beautiful word. Tip like it's like the Big Dipper dip. And I came down and I said to my team, I'm like listen, I think what I know my next brand is going to be. Yeah. DIP, destiny and process. And we went, Dip Color. That sounds so pretty. And we put, right? And we put a clock, we put a clock on the countdown to my non-compete. It's going to be there. It's, we're going to save it there for when the timing comes that, that will manifest itself. Right? So I continued to, by the way, in the meantime too, I was learning how to write and all the stuff.
And so I ended up right along in 2017, my husband has an opportunity to show our Divine Color floor to Target that we could maybe have it next to the Target paint because we had, we still have categories of Divine Color. We just, that they gave us back, the grandfather back to us. And he was on his way to meet with Target. And we had received a letter from Sherwin Williams saying, we're not interested in licensing you any more categories in divine color. And he's like, oh, what are we going to do? And I was like, show him DIP. And he's like, I know, but what are we going to say? And I go, I don't know. It was, it's definitely imposter and Divine is passed. And my husband goes, design is personal. And I go, oh my gosh, it's personal. So I grabbed my graphic designer in within an hour. We has branded everything to DIP. We literally had it all sent to him and Target took it on. And we hit the ground running in 2018, January of 2018, 18 to build a brand new brand that I've been using, but color consulting, but not as a brand, not as a product brand. And here we are two years later.
Mary Killelea: That is an amazing story. So your DIP product lines are available. I know on your website, but there, are you saying they're also available through Target?
Gretchen Schauffler: They are available and all these online retail chains, they're available through Walmart, Wayfair, Target, Home Depot. In less than 24 months, we've broken these amazing barriers of entry with these really cool niche products. So we have these peel and stick ultra matte wall planks that look like real wood. And all it takes is just a scoring knife. And that's it.
Mary Killelea: Literally after this show, I'm going to go get some, I am obsessed with doing this. And the fact that you made them with this peel and stick, I'm all for that.
Gretchen Schauffler: Yeah. No, it's incredible. And you can use them in bathrooms and whatever. And then I just created a new wallpaper line. We call it Native Chic. It's got a great story. We're in the process of writing that story out. And then my non-competent paint is up in a couple of months. Go figure.
Mary Killelea: Okay. So you have the planks, you have the wallpaper, and then soon you might have some paint colors.
Gretchen Schauffler: We said it looks like I'm pretty sure that I'm going to have to revisit that. And then we also have these beautiful tile backsplashes. And we have this amazing flooring line that we're coming out with now. Yeah.
Mary Killelea: That is so exciting. Wow. Well, congratulations.
Gretchen Schauffler: Thank you.
Mary Killelea: That's amazing. And I love how fast, like literally you guys hustled to maximize on that opportunity of your husband being there. And the nimbleness that an entrepreneur and the reaction and the quickness, I mean, that's part of the beauty of being an entrepreneur, I think. It's just like, you control your own destiny and you don't let anything stand in your way.
Gretchen Schauffler: Yes. And even when you don't know where you're going, you know the road is forward.
Mary Killelea: Exactly. So what advice do you give people who are still in the early stages of trying to make it big?
Gretchen Schauffler: Learn to exercise your intuition every day like a muscle. Because the stronger it gets, the more you're able to pivot as you go. And you do it in a way that you don't overcorrect all the time. And that's the only way that you can actually have just even a sense of peace of mind that you're moving ahead. But those degrees of pivoting are so important because you're off by two degrees and you're going to end up way to the left without even knowing it.
Mary Killelea: That's great advice. And when you're talking about pivoting and shifting, you know, a little to the left, a little to the right, part of it to me, I mean, reflecting back on my time as an entrepreneur was there's so many shiny objects out there and there's so many different ways you can think about making money. Staying focused or staying true to what the core of your gift is, I guess, is important.
Gretchen Schauffler: Yes. And I didn't realize how important it was because for me, the first time it was such a natural flow. It's like I had this river inside of me, this beautiful, colorful rainbow inside of me that just poured out and just went on to heal and energize and create a better life for other people. And it happened so naturally that only looking back could I look at it and go, oh, that's what kept me so grounded in the magic.
Mary Killelea: Wow. So owning your own business, it's such a personal thing. I mean, as you well know, I think of it as like kind of a child. So when other people are taking control of it, especially when you grow, when you're seeing eight different managers go through or seven different managers, how do you deal with letting go of control?
Gretchen Schauffler: Okay. So, control is an issue, period. Yeah. Like, you know what? Control is an issue. Right. Well, owning a business and then it's very different than owning a creatively based business that comes from source, that comes from your spirit. That makes control a non-negotiable. And I like to look at the idea of control, not so much in this particular lane that I'm in, which is like, it's not just a business. It's really a business that flows from deep within me. I like the idea of thinking of my creativity being me and control being boundaries. And boundaries are not controlled. They're more like fences, like your neighbors. You know what I mean? You don't want squatters in your backyard. You define where you live, that space. And then what you do is you create a relationship with your neighbor that is so harmonious in its vision of support and I have wonderful neighbors. This is why I can say that. And enjoy that you make that a vision and you put a big gate and the gate is open all the time to come in and back and forth, back and forth with each other. But your house is your house. Your boundaries are your boundaries. And the sooner you learn to embrace them, the better. And that way they're respected. And you respect other people's boundaries, but you exchange control for that vision. And then you establish your lines. And then you have a blast living next to each other and with each other.
Mary Killelea: That's a good metaphor. What are some of the pros and cons you see of being an entrepreneur?
Gretchen Schauffler: For me, the pro was that I never missed anything with my kids. It's exactly the lifestyle that I wanted. I mean the onset of my firstborn was the onset of my dramatic change in my life. And how I harness my creativity to create truly a lifestyle that would allow me to be with them. So, I never missed anything. I could answer their phone calls whenever they needed me. My husband and I worked out of the house together. It was a very particular lifestyle for us. The con is that it takes a tremendous amount of courage. And that freedom and responsibility truly take an incredible amount of courage because you have to have the courage to know you're not going to blame anybody else but you.
Mary Killelea: Yeah, I totally get that.
Gretchen Schauffler: Yeah, it takes a lot of courage to go, no, it takes a lot of courage to go, no, no, this one's on you. This is all about you. So, yeah.
Mary Killelea: What do you wish you would have known before selling your business?
Gretchen Schauffler: Oh, let me see. I thought about this question. I thought how interesting because my first response was like, oh, I wish that I would have known that I was going to sell the company. But I don't know because I don't know if I would have known that that I would have thought, oh, then I'm going to sell the company. So then I'm going to start detaching from it. You know, it's amazing. Like, I don't think we're supposed to know the future that way. We're supposed to validate the present and where we are and where we're going. So, I mean, I believe that intuitively you validate the present so that you understand your future. But I don't know if somebody would have told me, like, well, Gretchen, you're going to end up selling the brand and all that stuff is going to happen to you. It's like, oh, well, I don't know if I want to go through that. No, no, not me. I'm sorry. I don't think so. So, maybe. And then I thought to myself, design is personal is the evolution of divine color in everything that I'm doing. So, for me, it's like, maybe it would have been nice to know that the crash of 08 was going to happen instead. But then who can prevent a disaster like that?
Mary Killelea: Right. And out of all bad things, good things come.
Gretchen Schauffler: Oh, always. The universe is a universe of economy.
Mary Killelea: Exactly. So, I'm sure over those years you've struggled with some self-doubt. How do you ever overcome those feelings?
Gretchen Schauffler: Well, the self-doubt requires self-digging. Anytime, when I think of anytime that I have been tested about my certainty or uncertainty about something that I believe in or not believe in, because I don't know if other people will believe it, that whole cycle of like, but I believe in it. No, I don't believe in it. No, wait, am I doing the right thing? No, wait. It's like a big void. And I, again, with Divine Color, it was always like moving on to the next thing, moving on to the next thing. It was just a continuous, like, a much bigger flow that I could possibly understand or manage. It wasn't until the market of 08 where I had to go and really, there was no place to go but inward and then begin to sort of understand what is that I really wanted, didn't want, the certainty, the uncertainty. So, for me, it's like self-doubt is part of my daily life because it allows me to go deep within and then find the light in that darkness and go once I know what I really want and desire and sort of think of solutions, that's it. You're like, okay, it removes it not because you have proof or facts but because you can see flickers of validation. That keeps coming your way. And those are the only flickers in that darkness.
Mary Killelea: So, when you were at the height of your business and it sounds like it was bigger than you ever dreamed it would be, what do you take away from that in teaching your children to dream big?
Gretchen Schauffler: Oh, that is such a good question because, and this is something that I have thought a lot about since 2017, right? The onset, especially because I had such a strange onset of a dream for DIP, right? Like I didn't know what even Dip was going to be, right? I didn't know what Divine Color was going to be. It's that you're the dreamer. You can have lots of dreams but you have to really tune in and connect with the fact that you are the dreamer. In my first round with Divine Color I felt like the dream was happening to me.
Mary Killelea: Hmm, interesting.
Gretchen Schauffler: In this round I felt like Destiny was asking me, are you ready to step in as a dreamer?
Mary Killelea: Oh my gosh, that's great.
Gretchen Schauffler: Yeah, so I think that that is something that I've communicated very strongly to my adult children now in the last several years.
Mary Killelea: So, when you, over the years obviously success has grown. Have people treated you differently and how do you deal with that?
Gretchen Schauffler: You know, I believe that success amplifies how people who know you feel about you. So if people love you and they are like, oh my god, I can't believe it. It's like they love you. Of course this was going to happen. Yeah. And if they weren't, if they were perplexed by you, it was like, why did they get lucky? I don't know. She was total flake in school. I don't get it. But what's interesting is that then when people meet you after you're successful, and I'm very lucky because I have lots of friends before I was successful, that is where it's weird because people make a lot of assumptions about you. Or they see you as a lot more single-faceted. And for example one of my biggest sort of call to action mantras, like I will not be defined by a paint can. I am bigger than a paint can. I love to write. So I realized, yeah, people still think of me as like, oh, Gretchen Schaffner. And it's like, oh, the paint. And it's like, mm-hmm. Yeah, well, kind of. But I'm really a dreamer and all these other things I talk about. And yeah. So anyway, yeah, success is a funny thing.
Mary Killelea: But I think that's great too that you recognize, um, it's a part of you and with people feel connected with you to that part, it's okay to let them, but also showcase the other dimensions of you.
Gretchen Schauffler: Yes. And I can't help but do that. So it's really fun. Cause again, however they feel about you, it's just gonna amplify it. And I believe that there's so many people that I know I have worked with I've color consulted in over 4,000 homes. Oh my gosh. And, and that's not even including the commercial projects that I've done. And I've touched that many people's lives and changed them dramatically through that color pathway. And I still have people constantly telling me how much they love my colors. What an amazing experience it was that is, that's pretty, I'm my level of gratitude for that is over the top.
Mary Killelea: That's amazing. We could do a whole show or you could write a whole book about those 4,000 homes.
Gretchen Schauffler: That's, oh man. And I’ve planned it.
Mary Killelea: How do you stay creative? I'm thinking of your creativity and I have some, but I'm not to the depth. And so is it exhausting?
Gretchen Schauffler: Oh, that is so funny. Um, no. And here's the thing, and I'm going to say this… Okay, let me back up the truck. That was too fast. Creativity is like love. Is love exhausting? Yes. But would I actually think of it as exhausting? Never. I cannot love enough the people that I love. I cannot love enough the food that I love. I cannot. it's that beautiful relationship that you have that energizes you and frustrates you and you struggle with, but you cannot live without. So I'm very fortunate that I've always had a very healthy relationship with my creativity. As a woman, I've always had a very uninhibited relationship with my creativity and I've always felt like it was my birthright. So that is like permission, permission to be creative.
Mary Killelea: That's beautiful. And I, and I love that analogy. I mean, it helps really bring it to life.
Gretchen Schauffler: Yeah. It's a level of trust that you have to have in a loving relationship for it to really be everything and more that you can imagine.
Mary Killelea: Have you had mentors that have helped you along the way?
Gretchen Schauffler: So, I have a lot of make-believe mentors. Okay. For example, for example, I have like Maya Angelou, Helen Keller, Rue Mark Nico, Julia Cameron. You know, I listened to The Alchemist on Audible every four to five months through again. I spend time in that desert all the time. But what was interesting is that I have also have had a couple of amazing mentors that I didn't realize how much they impacted my life because they were mentoring me in silence. They weren't mentoring me as me seeking a mentor, but my husband is my greatest, the greatest mentor I've ever met. He would literally was custom built for expanding me in my life. And then I've got a couple of friends that have done the same, that, you know, I don't think I've even expressed to them how much they've mentored me in silence.
Mary Killelea: That's wonderful. So I'm going to shift here and bring in a little about the business DIP. And social media wasn't really relevant or even on the, I don't know, horizon or in, in, in available, I guess is a word I'm talking about. Social media wasn't available when Divine Paint was coming, the birth of Divine Paint, plus even just the highlight of it. So it was amazing that you were able to achieve what you achieved without social media, which blows up everything nowadays. How do you plan on using social media as part of a strategy to help with DIP?
Gretchen Schauffler: Well, that's kind of interesting because Divine Paint was word of mouth, wildfire, right? At a time that there were no barriers. And when I say barriers, I don't mean like, because you would think that social media channels are not barriers, but they are in a way because there's also no discernment in terms of what's good information, bad information, experience, non-experience. It’s a lot of like free for all, and you have to find yourself. And there's also the paid to play kind of thing. So I'm going to, for me, working on design is personal for the last couple of years, it took me, I'm going to say about 12 to 13 months to really build a storyline where I could say, these are the values, the foundation, this is the source of where this particular brand and person and personality is coming from. And then I've been working on a very strong strategy that I'm just beginning to sort of roll out because I've not even gone out until the whole world is like, well, what have you been doing? That's like, Oh, well, I just built a whole brand in two years. And I was like, that's just about to come now. So, this is why this podcast is so kismet, but in my strategy with social media is always, they have to know about it. And then if they like it and they trust in what you're saying, they're going to buy it.
Mary Killelea: I think key to what you're doing though is, is defining the pillars and the values of design is personal because that is foundational to any marketing you're going to do moving forward.
Gretchen Schauffler: Exactly. So it's like, what do I want people to know? What do I want people to like about it? What do I want people to trust about it? And then that will lead them to then give them the choice to buy it.
Mary Killelea: Yep. Absolutely.
Gretchen Schauffler: And setting up all of these channels of distribution and all of that. I mean, it's just been wild, wild.
Mary Killelea: So you know how to build a brand. What about your personal brand? Do you see them as being one or do you?
Gretchen Schauffler: I mean, did you hear my long sigh? Um, yes, I do now. I mean, in my mind, it was always like, oh, there's Gretchen and then there's the paint can. And I now see it as all one. So I just started a new website called GretchenSchauffler.com, where I can fully express my creativity, not only about color, but about great philosophical conversations about the mastery of your destiny and the power of stepping into your entrepreneurship spirit. And that I may become someone, that imaginary mentor for somebody, that I could become an imaginary mentor.
Mary Killelea: Real life influencer.
Gretchen Schauffler: Or a real life influencer! I know. I know it is like, it's so funny because it's like, yeah, because I would now go from being imaginary to a real life influencer because I'm going to be really putting those topics out there. And then my blog is called Color Baggage. And I'm planning to unpack my life one colorful story at a time. And so I really hope to now sort of to emotionally connect with both aspects of that. I think it was super hard for me. I want you to know that. I want everybody to know.
Mary Killelea: I'm sure it is, but I think that's where you just bust through the ceiling from connection with a fan base that you never imagined you would have. And what you'll get from that fan base is so much more than a business or products. You're going to get women who are going to just say that you've changed your life or they've connected with you on something that you write from a personal perspective that, I don't want to say reluctantly wouldn't have done in the past, but you'll just, I get goosebumps thinking what the next couple months and how you roll this out and how you find women will connect with you. I'm excited.
Gretchen Schauffler: Thank you. And I have to tell you, in the words of Brené Brown, Oh my God, you're so vulnerable. Cause my friends, my inner circle, you know, like they know how I am and they know my stories and I'm always like, Hey, well to make the story even longer. And I just keep going. And then, but then to put all this out there and go, yeah, no, I'm here. I am, I'm really here and I'm sorry that I've been gone for a minute, but I swear I'm back. I'm back. I'm back from from that walkabout. But, and then it becomes a very vulnerable space, but it's a space that I am fully embracing. Cause I feel like I now have the courage.
Mary Killelea: So when you took the break or the little hiatus and you, you said you did some writing and yoga, I mean, I'm a true believer of yoga and what it does for you from a centering perspective and a recharging. What kind of things did you write about or what were your hopes?
Gretchen Schauffler: Oh man. I have a very strong connection to intuition and synchronicity and how to make things harmonious. And in that harmony, it doesn't mean that they can't be, there can't be tension. It's the opposite. Some of the greatest pieces of art are super, have super tension, but the tension is just such a vibrant sense of, of oneness and integrity. So one of the things is that I wrote a lot about the connectivity of relationships. I always like laugh and say that there are no bad colors. They're just bad color relationships. One color in one setting can look stunning. And then another can be the most hideous thing you've ever seen because of the way that it reflects with all the others. So I spoke a lot, I wrote a lot about interpersonal relationships and I have, I have this wonderful process that I really had so much fun with called should have known better conflicts. And I wrote about that and I, I'm writing a book called the Wind Chime about a real true story that takes a place between a full moon and a new moon. And it's day by day what happened. And it's just the most magical story about love, so there's all kinds of things.
Mary Killelea: I can't wait to read them. What advice do you give working moms?
Gretchen Schauffler: Well, share your vision with your kids. You have to share your vision with your kids and really show them why you're doing the things that you're doing. Show them that you're really following that passion inside of you. They will always see the journey from their own eyes, but help them understand your own motivation, why you have skin in that game so that they find a sense of fulfillment in the purpose that they dedicate themselves to.
Mary Killelea: That is great advice. And before I was preparing for this interview, I actually shared it with my daughter and she provided a couple of questions. So, I totally get the value of that. That's really cool.
Gretchen Schauffler: Thank you.
Mary Killelea: What have been some of your biggest challenges that you faced in your career?
Gretchen Schauffler: Oh, I'm just going to sum it up as stepping into my power. Mm-hmm. I have been the only woman, I know this sounds like old news, but I've been the only woman in a room full of men. I have thought that other people may have known more when in reality, I think I could have known just as much. But I think not in the climate that we have today, specifically in the last two years, I have learned how I didn't even have the vocabulary or the understanding to be able to step into my own power as a female leader. And not to say that because obviously, I seem pretty leader-ish and I'm Aries. So, yeah, that is all true. But again, as a human being and as a woman, my experience of being raised in the 60s and then now being here and seeing the younger women just have an opportunity to sort of understand how they have a right to be in power as well. And that I'm so lucky that I'm getting to witness all this.
Mary Killelea: Yeah, agree. What drives you to success?
Gretchen Schauffler: Okay, so of course, I'm going to say my family.
Mary Killelea: Check.
Gretchen Schauffler: But I'm going to sum it up this way. It's like emotional legacies, spiritual legacies, and financial legacies. That's really what drives me. I was with my oldest daughter and her husband last night and we talked of visions for my grandchildren. And that to me is that emotional legacy, that spiritual legacy, that financial legacy. Having the economy of who I am support and continue to live through my deeds and my words in my family and in people's lives to make them better. That's really what drives me.
Mary Killelea: That's great. Do you do vision boards?
Gretchen Schauffler: In 2008, I did a vision board, which is really interesting. And I remember having Meryl Streep on it. And all kinds of like things. So I don't do, I haven't done one in a long time, but I do a lot of meditation. And I feel like I go into that. This is something that I've recently just wrote about in one of my blogs, which is like there's a space deep inside that it's untouched and untainted. It's like, that's where everything that we know lives and everything that we are untainted and pure lives. And I've spent a lot of time there trying to find it, trying to consciously find it and then finding it and then get being cleansed by it. So those are my kinds of visions, vision boards, I guess.
Mary Killelea: Yeah. If you could tell your 20 year old self one thing, what would it be?
Gretchen Schauffler: There's a place inside of you that you're going to find. It's in there. And you're going to find it. You're going to reconnect to it again.
Mary Killelea: Now that you have DIP, where do you see yourself slash dip in five to 10 years?
GS: I want, so this is interesting. I definitely want to dedicate myself to a lot more writing. I have the coolest thing that I want that I'm going to do for DIP, which is I'm going to create the most amazing process for somebody like a journey for someone to go virtually in. But it's unlike anything else that's out there. And it's going to sum up, it's going to be the sum of my intuition and my experience with color, because it will lead people to surprising ways of being able to go, I can choose this and I can choose that and I can do this. And all of this is going to go with all of my baggage so that it shines through in an amazing way. So, I look forward to making DIP, not just a product, an online destination product company, but also one with this amazing process where you can actually spend time and find that joy in seeing something and choosing something and going, oh, that's it. That's it. Because that's what it's all about for me. That process with those products.
Mary Killelea: I could sit here and talk to you the entire day.
Gretchen Schauffler: Thank you. Well, ditto ditto. This is so much fun. I hope I haven't talked too much.
Mary Killelea: No, no, it's been awesome. So in partying for the art lovers out there, the creative minds, what kind of books do you read or career guidance or podcasts? What nuggets do you turn to for growth?
Gretchen Schauffler: So I'm all over the place. So first of all, I believe that storytelling, I believe that the more we tell stories, the more we heal as people. So for me, cinema, movies, Netflix, any kind of writing that leads you on a story that connects you to empathy and understanding in different ways, that feeds my soul tremendously. I love Malcolm Gladwell. I love my favorite murder. I love Red Table Talk. I love Soulful Sunday. I read Rumi. I read Mark Nebo's Book of Awakenings. The Alchemist, like I said, I constantly refer back to The Alchemist over and over. And every time I hear something new and I'm there. My heart is just in a constant state of wonder. So, a lot of books like that. I don't really read business books. I mean, Malcolm Gladwell is the closest that I get to, but then again, he is sort of like, I don't know if you've heard his podcast, Revisionist History. Oh, so good. Anyway, I love it because he's more of a philosopher and he tries to bring a level of understanding about how things work. Yeah, so I'm truly all over the place, truly all over the place, but I am not one to seek, ironically, I don't seek inspiration from interior design or the industry as much.
Mary Killelea: That's why yours is so unique.
Gretchen Schauffler: Correct. Probably, probably, and also there's something about being able to be on your own. You know, we all want to belong to a group and do what the group is doing. And I love that too. But even with Divine Color, I never looked at other paint lines or really design it. I looked at art and I looked at film. And so that's where I get my bucket full.
Mary Killelea: Alright. That is a great place to wrap it up. Thank you so much for being on the show. It was awesome talking to you today.
Gretchen Schauffler: You're welcome. It was my pleasure.
Mary Killelea: Okay, so where can someone go check out DIP and learn more about you?
GS: You can follow us across all media channels at Design is Personal. So Design is Personal and DIP is just the acronym. But it's designispersonal.com and on Instagram, Facebook, Design is Personal as well. Then I just launched my new Gretchen Schaffler website with my new blog Color Baggage and you can follow that as well. And I'm also on Instagram and I actually have an Instagram for Color Baggage as well. Yeah, so that's where I will be doing my thing.
Mary Killelea: Thank you so much Gretchen.
Gretchen Schauffler: No, thank you.
Mary Killelea: Thanks for listening to the episode today. It was really fun chatting with my guest. If you liked our show, please like it and share it with your friends. If you want to learn what we're up to, please go check out our website at 2bbolder.com. That's the number two, little b, bolder.com.