designRoom Creative

05/28/2026

There are 180 reasons why I’m going to miss Bobbi Douglas 😏 I’ll only list a few. Your energy, your passion, your ideas, your instincts, and the way you get things done - all of these traits have been key to building OneEighty, Inc. The time and care you’ve dedicated to getting your brand right, showing up clearly, and growing with intention over the years underscore your tremendous commitment to your community.

While working closely together for some time, I’ve seen Bobbi put this African saying into action: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” I love the way you bring so many moving parts together, and I’m so grateful designRoom was one of those parts.

After 44 years of service to the community, retiring OneEighty Director Bobbi Douglas finds herself humbled and very emotional as she reflects not only on her career, but also the community’s response following her retirement announcement. “So many people took the time to reach out to me with wo...

05/22/2026

The theme of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers - NAATP National Conference this year was Future Proofing Treatment: technology in a people-centered workforce. The venue was incredible, the food was outstanding and the learning was relevant and on point for what's happening in our world. The theme carried through the entire conference.

Congratulations to Philip Rutherford for winning the Dr. Peter Hayden award for Diversity, Inclusivity and Racial Equity. His commitment to doing good work is self-evident.

Always love connecting with a force in the industry Nikki Soda.

Congrats to Marvin Ventrell, Katie Strand and the team for another great conference – see you all next year!

04/24/2026

This is the first year in over a decade that I’ll be attending NATCON without a booth space and all that goes with it, and I have to say, it feels a lot lighter 🙂

I’m looking forward to being able to fully engage in the sessions, learn, and hear from some of the voices I always find impactful: Philip Rutherford, John Driscoll, Dave Gomel, Charles Ingoglia, Linda Rosenberg,
Tristan Keelan, and David C. Guth, Jr.

I’m also excited to connect and spend time with colleagues and friends I admire, including Gina de Peralta Thorne, MS, Nancy Gandelot Spearman, and Aileen Brady Brady.

Grateful for the opportunity to step back, take it all in, and be present for the conversations that matter. Let me know if you would like to connect.

NatCon is where the future of behavioral health care takes shape — a can’t-miss event where bold ideas spark breakthrough solutions.

04/11/2026

10 years went by fast. Shaun has been a huge part of designRoom as our Director of Digital Experience.

Pretty much every newsletter, website, or wireframe we’ve created has his fingerprints on it. He has a way of making the digital side of things feel approachable for clients—clear, thoughtful, and easy to follow.

That’s only part of it. Shaun notices things most of us miss and often sees the answer before the rest of us get there. His understanding of analytics and technology helps keep us moving in the right direction. Honestly, I wouldn’t want to work on a website without him.

Outside of work, he’s also a prolific Polaroid artist and was recently featured in the ImageNation New York gallery show. Him, his Polaroids, and his fiancée Stephanie are pictured below.

Thanks Shaun! Happy 10-year anniversary!

https://oneartspace.com/imagenation-new-york-2025-28-29-30-march-2025/

04/01/2026

New York City visit started with a delicious dinner at Don Angie alongside Joseph Cipri and Albert Rinehart, there’s nothing like sitting with two New Yorkers swapping stories; you learn a lot about the city.

It’s hard to fully capture the impact of the Cohen Veterans Network Annual Meeting. Two days filled with powerful learning, mindful moments, and deep connection with those who serve, support, and care for military families and veterans.

The 10-year Anniversary Celebration Dinner at Gotham Hall was unforgettable, with J.R. Martinez bringing incredible energy and purpose to the evening.

The workshops led by the Cohen Veterans Network team were thoughtful and impactful. Two highlights stood out:
• Leading When It Matters Most: Trust, Culture and Clinical Leadership Workshop. I completed a new leadership profile through Bolman and Deal, Four Frames Model - structural, human resource, political, and symbolic. My top two frames are Human Resource, closely followed by Symbolic.

• Caring for Women Veterans Workshop: An eye-opening session that highlighted the many factors that must be considered to truly support women who have served.

CVN closed with a powerful keynote from Shaun D**e, whose message resonated: behavior is the first language - we’re always speaking it, and it’s not about intent, but what people experience.

Thank you Anthony Hassan, Alice Kim, Paul Wood, Elise Harte, Nicole Meek and Rebecca Moynihan for including us.

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03/18/2026

I’ve been in the Entrepreneurs'​ Organization for 16 years, and this week marked my 16th Forum Retreat.

Once a year our forum steps away from the daily grind to learn, connect, challenge each other, and grow.

This year our conversations centered around Stephen Cope’s book The Great Work of Your Life. The book is about uncovering your Dharma. Our Dharma's are not personal, not based on our own choice, they are based on what is already in us at birth.

In the middle of the retreat we stopped for coffee at Elementos Café, and the owner happened to be there. He came out and spent time talking with us and shared a sample of a new flavor he was working on. I always love moments like this, talking with other business owners, especially when traveling. There’s something universal about the passion, the risk, and the heart that goes into building something.

Grateful for the journey, the conversations, and the people who keep showing up year after year. Huge thanks to Aya Shlachter for the incredible thought and heart she put into making this retreat meaningful, and to Kirk Zehnder for his strength and for facilitating the hard conversations.

I’ve been in the Entrepreneurs'​ Organization for 16 years, and this week marked my 16th Forum Retreat.

Once a year our forum steps away from the daily grind to learn, connect, challenge each other, and grow.

This year our conversations centered around Stephen Cope’s book The Great Work of Your Life. The book is about uncovering your Dharma. Our Dharma's are not personal, not based on our own choice, they are based on what is already in us at birth.

In the middle of the retreat we stopped for coffee at Elementos Café, and the owner happened to be there. He came out and spent time talking with us and shared a sample of a new flavor he was working on. I always love moments like this, talking with other business owners, especially when traveling. There’s something universal about the passion, the risk, and the heart that goes into building something.

Grateful for the journey, the conversations, and the people who keep showing up year after year. Huge thanks to Aya Shlachter for the incredible thought and heart she put into making this retreat meaningful, and to Kirk Zehnder for his strength and for facilitating the hard conversations.

hhttps://www.facebook.com/elementoscafe

02/20/2026

Quick but deep read from Peter Tashjian, loved this quote because this is how we think at designRoom too.

"I wish people understood that branding isn’t a paint job. When it’s done well, it’s closer to defining a belief system: an organizing idea that shapes hiring, culture, operations, product, everything."

The Love & War partner discusses the value of strategy-led design.

02/10/2026

Our team has been evaluating the best uses for AI in our workflow. Its a delicate balance of machine learning and human subject matter experts.

As a creative agency we do not want to hand over the best part of our job - the creativity, thinking, and problem solving. As Chad Gordon puts it: "The thinking is the important part. And that part is still very human."

There's a lot of noise right now about how companies "use AI." Most of it centers on speed, automation, or replacement. We use it for those things too. But that's not the whole picture at designRoom. We don't use AI to create ideas. We don't use it to think for us. We don't hand it a blank page and....

01/30/2026

This one is really close to my heart. Chad did a great job of capturing our thoughts on why mission still matters.

The landscape is changing quickly for our behavioral health clients.

We bring clarity when things feel unclear. We bring strategy when things feel reactive. And we bring partnership when things feel heavy.

You don’t have to have all the answers. We are here to help you find them.

How designRoom Supports Nonprofit Marketing During Uncertainty Right now, many addiction, mental health, and mission-driven nonprofits are holding their breath. Even with recent federal mental health and addiction grant cuts restored, the volatility has left a mark. Planning feels fragile. Staffing....

01/19/2026

“Clear is kind.”

This idea was first sparked by our writer, Angela Simpkins, and it stayed with me.

I was reminded of this lesson again last week at the Entrepreneurs' Organization Moderator Summit in Las Vegas, shared by a young entrepreneur whose insight really stuck with me.

Andi Asay, I so enjoyed working with you on the Johari Window exercise. Your reflection helped me gain clarity around our theme for 2026.

The theme is clarity:
Clear with myself.
Clear with the organizations we serve.
Clear with our team.

Where could a little more clarity make a big difference for you right now?