We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Hollis Maloney. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Hollis below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Hollis with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
My parents divorced when I was a baby, and although my time was split evenly between the two of them, my days with my mom made a powerful impression on me and my relationship to my career.
My mom was a very ambitious graphic designer, and when I turned 7 she decided it was time to open her own studio. Although she never had any formal training in design, she entered into the field with a hunger and excitement for the work. She started out as a receptionist/delivery driver for a design firm, and worked her way up, soaking in as much education from the industry as she could.
After she built up years of experience, and made a name for herself in the San Diego design community, she felt it was time to branch out on her own. As a single mom in the mid 90’s, she had to work extra hard to prove her talent and support the two of us, but she never felt her identity was a setback. She loved her work and dedicated herself to her projects and clients, always saying, “I get to play every day!”
I grew up in my mom’s office. After school and after completing my homework, I would spend my extra time messing around in Photoshop and Quark (years before InDesign), picking out my favorite fonts and playing with gradients and layouts. I designed my first business card when I was 9, and titled my business “Hollis’s Moonlight Design”. There were many nights when we would stay in the office well after dark while so my mom could perfect a project and deliver on deadline.
My mom, Joan, grew up as one of five kids in East County, San Diego. She was a self-proclaimed bookworm and loved school in the way most kids abhor it. My grandparents (William, a California-Mexican man and Eldora, a German-American woman from Wisconsin) came from big farming families of meager means which instilled a deep understanding and necessity of work as a way of life. I believe they demonstrated this to their five kids, and my mom naturally mixed this in with her expansive curiosity and creativity.
Years later, while she was building her business day by day, project by project, she demonstrated this same work-ethic to me. Without ever saying it directly, she showed me how a dedication to your work comes naturally when you love what you do, when you have compassionate relationships with your clients, and when you bring a sense of play to your projects. She built her business into great success, bringing on a fun group of employees, and working with clients such as The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, The San Diego Zoo and Brookfield Properties.
When I started my own graphic design business 8 years ago, I reached for the work-ethic my mom instilled in me. When I opened my yoga studio, YES, in 2018 my mom’s business practices were infused into every choice I made. And when I started my coaching company, Life Design, in 2022, my mom’s voice reminding me to love my work and play every day rang clearly through my mind, and it still does.
Growing up with Joan Maloney as my mom was like receiving an incredibly human version of an MBA. She showed me that creativity, fun, compassion, and hard work can all go together hand in hand. And in fact, when they’re fused together, you can create something incredibly successful, for you and for everyone involved.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Sure. I am a creative at heart, and I believe that we’re given the opportunity to create our lives every single day. My goal as a graphic designer, life coach, and astrologer is to empower my clients to tap into that creativity and build projects and lives that are infused with their voices.
Most of my clients come to me when they feel like they can’t “see” what their next step is, or they need help visualizing and then making something real.
As a lifelong graphic designer, I bring a strategic, creative and grounded perspective to everything I do – whether it be a one-on-one mentorship session with a coaching client about how to build an unshakeable sense of confidence and self-trust, or brainstorming visuals for a new marketing campaign.
My main skillset involves clarifying the perceived limitations in a person or a project, exploring what’s possible beyond them, and then practically applying available tools to create something that feels joyful and affirming for my clients.
The most exciting moments in my work are when my clients and I manifest a project and/or experience that feels authentic, aligned, and meets goals that once felt out of reach or impossible to see.
My seasonal one-on-one Illuminated Course is the infusion of everything I love – combining design thinking with holistic healing and empowerment practices to help my clients create a relationship to themselves, their work, and their relationships that are true to themselves and light them up every day. The next session begins the week of the Summer Solstice, June 20th.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Problem Solving: My favorite thing to do is to solve puzzles – literally and figuratively. Give me a knot to undo, and I will apply all the tools, tricks, and practices to smooth it out. This skill has been integral to every avenue in my career and my personal life, because every time I’ve come across a block or obstacle, I’m able to see the obstacle, to strategize my options (of which there are always more than we initially perceive), and choose a path forward that feels like the most aligned solution (even if it’s hard). This has allowed me to see every challenge as an opportunity to exercise my creativity and explore possibilities, rather than as a set back.
Work Ethic: When I see something that I want, and I’ve strategized how to make it possible, I devote myself to making it happen. Motivation is not always easy to come by, but I’ve learned many tools to inspire myself into wanting to do the hard work for the eventual satisfaction of the outcome. Inspiration and energy often have to be built, and I encourage everyone to learn their energetic cycles and sources of inspiration so that they can leverage them to build motivation to do the work that’s needed to achieve what they most want.
Faith in Self: You have to be your best friend and greatest cheerleader. Period. I have struggled with heavy bouts of depression over the years, and I know the effort that it takes
to mentally and energetically build the strength to believe in yourself. But that work is what’s necessary to continue moving forward to create the person you most want to be and the life you most want to live. Self-doubt and negative thoughts will always be there – it’s a natural part of the human brain that’s been conditioned over time to “protect” us from what could potentially be harmful. But it’s your choice whether you listen to those thoughts or not, and when you choose to believe in yourself versus doubt yourself, everything becomes possible.
Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
In my coaching work, my ideal client is someone who has an inherent sense of positivity but sometimes loses touch with it. They have a hunger to know themselves and create a life that feels connected to who they truly are, but they aren’t sure where to start or how to make that happen. They think critically, they love to learn, and they know deep down that they are possible of creating a beautiful and honest life for themselves – they just need a little help to get on the right path.
I love to work with people who are in the grey area – they know something needs to change, they have to access a new version of themselves, and/or they have to cultivate new habits or let go of old habits, but they need help seeing their way to the other side.
I love working with these people because they start with a sense of doubt or a feeling of being lost, and together we establish grounded, practical tools that help them connect back to their true selves and make choices that are in line with their deepest values and desires. They then have tools in their back pocket to carry with them into any and every situation where they might experience doubt or disconnection in the future. We always end our work in a place of joy and lightness, with a great sense of possibility.
Contact Info:
- Website: thelifedesign.co
- Instagram: @lifedesignco @hollis_mm
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/18OSwgBKHXOQB58nieBfY7?si=s6b_PyDbR9eq-p26hWsq7g The Designed Life Podcast
Image Credits
Some photos by Luisanna Tejada
