Meet the Team | Nimbler. Alyshia M. Bradshaw
Please join us in welcoming Nimble. Design Director, Alyshia M. Bradshaw (AMB). With 10 years of leadership experience directing brands and in-house teams for leading commercial real estate service and notable architecture/design firms across Atlanta, Houston and Denver, take a few minutes to get to know Alyshia in this 5-minute read.
👋 Hi Alyshia!
Let’s dig in.
Where did you find your start in design and how did you make your way to Nimble.?
AMB: I stumbled upon design after an introductory course in college and realized it actually combined the creativity and conceptuality I craved with the ability to impact a wider audience. In looking for an industry that offered the ability to take branding to the next level of experience beyond a logo on a page, I found my way into the CRE space. Watching Nimble.’s ability to promote originality and continuously push the envelope was something that was really attractive to me as a designer. The work that I’ve seen the studio produce over the last few years and its holistic approach as the thread between design disciplines ultimately led me to become a Nimbler.
You spent the first decade of your career leading in-house CRE teams. Why the pivot to a design consultancy? What parallels or distinctions do you see between the two?
AMB: Pivoting to a design consultancy affords the opportunity to interface directly with client teams and all parties involved to ensure vision clarity, establish brand consistency and promote the creation of key differentiators that contribute to an established sense of place. Beyond that, in-house you wear lots of hats. I’ve touched strategy, budgeting, vendor sourcing and coordination, project management, design oversight, etc. Making the move to Nimble., I now have the opportunity to hone in a bit, supported by a team that collaborates in tandem. I’m excited to balance the “go” of project work with the ability to pause, iterate and come to the best solution in a studio setting.
Your role is focused on mentoring and growing Nimble.’s multi-disciplinary design team through our next growth season. Tell us about the power of mentorship. Who have been the most influential mentors in your growth story?
AMB: I’m lucky to be able to say that I’ve always had strong women in CRE and A&D leadership positions as mentors in my own growth story, from Candice as my very first [manager/mentor] during my time at Stream to many others. They have helped me develop confidence while giving me the room I needed to gracefully fail and learn from my mistakes. They pushed me forward.
That’s something I now place high value on as a mentor — giving people the room to fall, but always catching them and pushing them forward along their respective journeys. Being that person in the room who is a steady yet calming force, offering support and providing actionable feedback. It’s vital to any creative’s growth.
Aside from professional mentors, I would add my mom! She’s incredible. She was a single mom who just made it work and I really respected her work ethic growing up. I saw all of her late nights juggling a career, obtaining a Masters and being a mom and the rewards on the other side of hard work. I got my “I’m going to work really hard” mentality from her.
Alyshia’s current WFH set-up.
Alyshia’s recent trip with the fam to Moab. She’s starting Lily young on the travel!
You are Nimble.’s first wholly remote design lead. Tell us about your process for mentoring and leading remotely. How do you approach active and passive collaboration?
AMB: To me, it’s about maintaining full transparency, frequent and open communication with your team and checking in often so they know you’re available to help. Lead with a ‘how can I help?’ approach and then utilize technology to make it happen. From taking a pulse check on a Monday morning to hosting a collaborative ad hoc brainstorm on a Wednesday to wrapping up the week together with 1x1’s on a Friday. Technology and mutual communication candor has made working remotely almost seamless.
Working elsewhere in another time zone, share with us your approach to setting clear boundaries and work hours. How do prioritize open office hours, focus time and fam?
AMB:
Being a new mama has challenged and taught me to be more intentional with my time in all aspects of life. I work hard to make sure I am wholly present for whatever moment I’m in — whether that is ad hoc brainstorming with the Nimble. design team or spending quality time with my family.
For Nimble., that means being diligent about keeping my calendar and Slack statuses up to date to create transparency around my availability. It can also be helpful to designate one day a week as meeting free to program in added time for internal reviews and meetings as well!
Words of wisdom for an aspiring Design Director?
AMB:
Create space to equally empower and push your team to progress beyond what’s been done to uncover new solutions and ‘ah-ha’ moments. For me this looks like uncovering opportunities for team learning to fuel growth, shared experience, and aligning passions with projects. Above all else, though, lead with humanity — be kind, be open and be supportive.
Hands-down favorite topic of conversation?
AMB: Babies, fur babies, littles. Seriously, show me all of the photos.
Alyshia and Mom reading a book at a young age
Alyshia enjoying a slice of heaven at a local food market in Mexico--her favorite way to explore a new culture.
How do you stay motivated to continue learning daily?
AMB: I think there’s always a problem to be solved or a creative opportunity to be had, and that excites me. Those ‘ah-ha’moments of a project — whether it’s a smart identity or watching all of the pieces comes together — fuel me to keep learning new solves. I’m also a forever student and lean into learning from my team’s expertise.
What’s the one thing the Nimble. community should know about you?
AMB: After 10 years in-house in CRE and A&D, I’ve had the opportunity to work on vast project types — from ground-up redevelopments to repositioning campaigns and everything in between — for office, industrial, retail properties, you name it! My in-house experience was invaluable in crafting my understanding of business objectives and how to translate these into an impactful brand story.
Thanks for reading the newest interview in our Nimble. Meet the Team series.
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For questions or to add to the conversation, contact us at hello@nimbledesignco.com.