Corporate Talk: Deeia Topp

Deeia believes that our lives ARE complicated by design. That said, she also feel that they don’t have to be as complicated as we make them.



After owning an award-winning interior design firm for twenty-five years, she realized that we spend more time and money designing our living spaces than we do our lives. Essentially meaning, happiness is an inside job, not something that can be bought by fancy furniture and expensive interiors.



Once that revelation sunk in, it led her to do some interior work on herself – how had she designed her life? OR, maybe the better question was, how had she allowed her life to be designed by others.

Deeia Topp

Hi, I’m Deeia. Practical. Approachable. Passionate.



I grew up on a farm in northern Illinois where I spent my youth bare foot and happy. As a gymnast in college, not only did I learn time management and leadership skills, I left Iowa State University with a BFA in Interior Design.



After one year as an associate designer at an architectural firm in Sarasota, Florida, I pulled on my big-girl panties and ventured out on my own. Looking back, it’s hard to believe I started Deeia M. Topp Interiors, what turned out to be an award-winning design firm specializing in high-end residential design, from my one-bedroom apartment.



At one point during my twenty-five-year career, I thought that by fine-tuning my business, I would be able to lead a less stressful life. What became apparent was that it wasn’t the mechanics of the business, or the daily design details that needed to be adjusted, it was my inner world. That’s when I embarked on a journey to find peace amid my clients’ chaotic lives. I started to take responsibility for my thoughts, actions and emotions. By learning not to buy into the drama of others’ daily disturbances, confronting my fears about money, as well as success, and letting go of past actions and issues, clarity stepped forth to light my way.



I now choose how to live my life, and I’ve designed a less complicated one. It is my intention to help others do the same by provoking thought and sharing from the heart. Why? Because after years of designing for the uber wealthy, I woke up and realized that we spend more time designing our living spaces than we do our lives. And, quite frankly, there are easier ways to light up than a $50,000 chandelier!



In addition to my inspirational and motivational speaking, on specific topics relating to – Life Doesn’t Have To Be As Complicated As We Make It – I am the author of the novel Complicated… by Design.


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