READ THE ROOM
Introducing
Read the Room
Think you can read the room? This podcast dives into the lives of the people who do it for a living. Hosted by designer and founder Erin Haskell, Read the Room explores the real stories behind creative minds—designers, entrepreneurs, and cultural disruptors—who navigate spaces, trends, and people with intention and intuition. Brought to you by Design for the PPL, this show pulls back the curtain on what it takes to build, balance, and boldly create in a world that’s always evolving.
Stream now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Episode 1
Kasey Dobbins
In this episode of Read the Room, Erin Haskell sits down with Kasey Dobbins — designer, contractor, and founder of Foxwood Design. From flipping houses with her dad to running a full-scale design-build empire, Kasey's journey is anything but ordinary. They go deep into the brutal realities of managing client expectations, navigating the awkward money conversations, setting boundaries that actually stick, and the impossible pressure to deliver magic on a shoestring budget. Kasey gets brutally honest about why getting crystal clear upfront is the difference between success and disaster. It's a raw, unfiltered look at the emotional labor behind design, and what it really takes to build spaces (and client relationships) that don't just survive — they thrive.
Episode 2
Bradley Irion
Read the Room with host Erin Haskell welcomes celebrity hair stylist Bradley Irion for an electrifying inside look at his wild ride to the top of the beauty industry. From humble beginnings to New York stardom, Bradley has worked his magic on some of Hollywood's most iconic names—Jennifer Coolidge, Elizabeth Hurley, Kim Cattrall, and more. He's wildly funny, refreshingly down-to-earth, and armed with an unmatched work ethic. Bradley spills on the grit, passion, and raw creativity it took to build his career one blowout at a time. Expect jaw-dropping behind-the-scenes stories and a brutally candid conversation about what it really takes to thrive in the cutthroat world of celebrity styling.
Episode 3
Sadie Lake
In this episode, Erin sits down with Sadie Lake from Sadie Lake Design and NKBA Chapter President who brings over 10 years of expertise in construction and interior design. Both fresh off the plane from Vegas where they attended the National Kitchen and Bath show, they're dishing on the hottest trends that are about to blow up. From AI-powered kitchens to wellness-focused bathrooms, they're diving into what's next and sharing their unfiltered takes on where design is headed in those spaces. Sadie pulls back the curtain on the realities of job sites, the creative decisions that make or break a space, and her journey balancing client dreams against construction realities. It's a raw, insightful conversation about the craft, the chaos, and why designing environments that truly reflect the people in them is everything.
Episode 4
Zach Gourde
This week, Erin sits down with Zach Gourde — former Gonzaga men's basketball star turned pro player overseas, and her husband and business partner. From dominating courts in France to building a business empire back home, they're spilling everything about the highs, the chaos, and what really happens when your spouse doubles as your co-founder. They get brutally honest about why work-life balance is a total myth, how staying in their lane of genius is the only thing saving their sanity (and their marriage), and why Zach's business card literally reads "Voice of Reason." Plus, Erin finally drops the answer to the question everyone's been obsessing over: why the hell do they call him Neil?
Episode 5
Lauren Blumenthal
This week on Read the Room, Erin sits down with Lauren Blumenthal, the powerhouse behind beloved Italian hotspot Sorella. At just 34, Lauren opened her dream restaurant and it paid off spectacularly. She's breaking all the rules with a radical philosophy: her team comes first, customers second. Lauren gets real about thriving as a young woman in the notoriously tough restaurant industry, the make-or-break lessons she learned, and the exciting new ventures she's cooking up. Oh, and she hit over $2 million in sales in just her second year. This episode is packed with game-changing insights and behind-the-scenes stories that will make you rethink everything about running a business.
Episode 6
Harry Sladich
Read the Room welcomes Harry Sladich, Former Vice President of Red Lion Hotels and hospitality powerhouse with four decades of experience. Harry pulls back the curtain on the industry's most outrageous guest stories and reveals the hard-won lessons that shaped his career. Now in his second act as an entrepreneur, he shares what it really takes to launch a business from scratch and how decades of hospitality expertise translated into a thriving new brand. A masterclass in reinvention, customer service, and turning experience into entrepreneurial gold.
Episode 7
Andrew Northrop
On this episode of Read the Room, host Erin Haskell sits down with Andrew Northrop, President of Hardwarehut.com. Andrew shares what it’s like to carry on a business that’s been in his family since 1945, how the company has grown and evolved over the years, and the lessons he’s learned along the way. From stories of tradition and family legacy to the challenges of expansion and change, Andrew gives us an inside look at what it means to keep a business thriving for generations.
Episode 8
Caroline Yu
Read the Room with host Erin Haskell welcomes skincare enthusiast Caroline Yu, better known as @theskincarediarist. Caroline travels to Korea regularly and documents her doctor visits on her page with all the facts people back in the US are dying to know. They dive into all things Korean skincare, from innovative treatments to facelifts to bone shaving (yes, bone shaving) to what makes a surgery and aesthetic clinic design truly meaningful. A conversation that blends beauty, culture, and design in the most unexpected ways.