A Dialogue with Fiona Killackey
Designing a Values-Led Business (with AI as Your Assistant)
Episode 117
In this episode, I sit down with Fiona Killackey — business coach, author, and founder of My Daily Business — to talk about building a business that supports your life, not the other way around. Fiona shares her refreshing take on what it means to run a values-led creative business in 2025, why she’s proudly anti-hustle, and how AI can be used intentionally to support your work (without replacing your creativity). If you’re a designer trying to grow your business while staying true to your values, this conversation will leave you feeling seen, inspired, and ready to do things your own way.
Hope you enjoy the episode
Beth xx
As an interior designer, you've probably felt the pressure to do it all: post on social media, build your brand, automate everything, and somehow keep your creative spark alive. But what if success didn’t mean more — more clients, more content, more hustle — but meant better?
In this episode of the Design Dialogues podcast, I chat with business coach and strategist Fiona Killackey about building a business that's grounded in values, creativity, and intentional use of AI — not burnout.
Fiona shares her journey from corporate marketing to coaching hundreds of creative business owners through her platform My Daily Business. We dig into what a values-led business actually looks like in 2025, why "anti-hustle" is a real business strategy, and how AI can become your best assistant — without ever replacing your unique human insight.
AI ≠ Creativity Replacement
Many designers are feeling overwhelmed by the speed of AI adoption in business. Will it replace creative jobs? Will it cheapen the value of design? Fiona brings clarity to this:
“AI is not strategic. It’s not curious. It doesn’t connect dots like you do — and that’s your creative advantage.”
She reminds us that tools like AI can automate the tasks we don’t need to do — like first drafts, research summaries, or transcriptions — freeing us up to focus on what we do best: human connection, problem-solving, and creativity.
AI Should Sound Like You
One of Fiona’s biggest takeaways? Your AI output is only as good as your input.
“If you don’t train it with your tone, your values, your way of speaking — it won’t sound like you.”
For designers, that means using AI with intention. Fiona recommends building a knowledge base with your own content and letting the AI learn from you — not random data scraped from the internet.
Her golden rule: Question everything AI gives you. Would you delegate important client work to a junior with zero training? Then why let AI run wild without supervision?
Favourite Tools for Creative Business Owners
Here are the tools Fiona actually uses in her business, and why they work:
Poppy — a creative AI workspace for visual thinkers
Descript — edit audio and video content just by editing the transcript
ChatGPT & Claude — for fast idea generation (when you know what to ask)
Canva AI — with powerful new features designers should keep an eye on
Values-Driven Business Isn’t a Buzzword
In a world that celebrates 6-figure launches and viral Reels, Fiona asks a deeper question:
“What do you want your life to look like? Let’s design a business that supports that.”
This isn’t about choosing between money or meaning. It’s about building a business that aligns with your lifestyle, ethics, creativity, and goals — and using smart tools to support that vision.
Designers are often drawn to beauty, emotion, and experience — things AI simply can’t replicate. Fiona encourages us to lean into these strengths, especially when everyone else is chasing speed and scale.
A Better Way to Measure Success
The episode challenges traditional metrics of success. Fiona argues that real success looks like:
Sleeping well at night because your work aligns with your values
Spending more time in your creativity, not admin
Saying no to clients who aren’t a good fit
Earning enough to live well, without burning out
“Success isn’t only about revenue. It’s about going to bed feeling like you didn’t sell your soul.”
Where AI Helps — and Where It Doesn’t
Fiona recommends using AI to automate, delegate, or eliminate low-impact tasks — like drafting a rough outline, summarising research, or reusing old content. But she’s clear that AI can’t:
Understand client nuance
Sense spatial flow
Think in metaphors
Create emotional resonance
Observe how people actually live and interact in a space
For interior designers, this is great news. Because what you do — reading people, designing homes that fit their lifestyle, translating emotion into form — is human work.
Embracing Depth in a Shallow World
One of the most refreshing parts of this conversation was the call to slow down and go deeper.
Instead of rushing to create more content, Fiona suggests:
Spending more time with clients
Building strategic campaigns (not just reactive social posts)
Creating content that reflects your process and voice
Investing in real, in-person connections
“We’re not just brands. We’re people. Let’s market like it.”
Key Takeaways for Interior Designers
You don’t need to be everywhere all the time — be intentional
AI is your assistant, not your replacement
Your personal brand and values are your biggest assets
Build a business that supports your life, not the other way around
Train your AI tools to reflect your voice — don’t let them define it
Focus on depth, not just visibility
Connect with Fiona Killackey
My Daily Business website
Listen to My Daily Business Podcast
Follow her on Instagram
Listen to the Episode
117 A Dialogue with Fiona Killackey
Now streaming on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.