How to Channel Badassery In Motherhood, Career & Beyond With Tali Roth

When Alex first met Tali Roth, it was one of those classic New York moments: an obligatory parent meetup before our oldest kids started preschool. They hit if off almost instantly — despite thinking the other was way cooler — and soon our sons were best friends, our families were neighbors, and our worlds started to collide in the best ways.

As fellow expats, we distinctly know the feeling of finding your people in New York (and how quickly they become like family). Tali is not only one of those people, but also a powerhouse in the design world — an extraordinary interior designer with an entrepreneurial spirit at heart. Like us, she’s balancing the chaos of raising a family and running a business, embracing the highs and lows that come with both.

In this week’s episode of Unfinished Business, we got to interview our brilliant friend. Tali shares her career journey from the early fashion days to building her own interior design brand, coincidentally normalizing what’s quickly becoming a recurring theme on this show: You can’t have it all at once, but you can have it all. Let’s dig in.

Alex: Hi, Tali. I'm so excited to have you here with us today. I'd love to know a little bit about the very early days of your business. I know you used to work in fashion, and now you’re an extraordinary interior deisgner. How do you make that transition happen?

Tali: When I finished school, I did a gap year abroad in the Middle East. I got very into social activism and that kind of world, and decided I wanted to help people. So I studied a double degree of social work and psychology. But I felt I’d be better suited to an office role, talking with people. Somewhere in there, my dad and mom said, “Why don’t you do something creative? Remember how you wanted to do fashion?” So they kind of coaxed me into starting a clothing label.

We were very naive, and my dad was like, “I’m a businessperson. I can be your mentor.” It was a bad idea; he wasn’t a very good mentor. All I did was yell at him when he asked me to show him a spreadsheet or how I was pricing things out. Anyway, I ran that for about four years, put a massive amount of money into it, and realized it was a fickle industry that didn’t really fill my cup. I wanted something more substantial.

So I tried a lot of things. I met with a visual merchandiser, an event designer from a high-end company, and one of my mom’s friends who was an interior designer. And then with the interior designer, I realized I liked it. I was a little afraid of it, but I felt it was my next path.

Lee: When you met Alex, you had one child and were living in New York City. You had the Tali Roth brand and your interior design firm.  I’d love to dig into how you took the leap of building your own firm as a mom, and how you manage those demands.

Tali: I went back to school but before I could even graduate, there was an opportunity for us to move to America for my husband’s job. I missed the graduation ceremony, submitted all my work, and we were on a plane by October 2013. When you ask about that leap, only now at almost 38 can I understand that a bit of delusion worked in my favor when running my own business.

Someone mentioned a startup at the time that was selling design services by the hour. I joined that agency, which was a big move toward starting my own business, as it gave me a safety net. I got to make a lot of mistakes and probably worked with 70 clients.

There is an element of privilege in design in having flexibility. I’ve never poured a huge investment into my business. My portfolio and Instagram might make it seem otherwise, but I’ve chosen to keep my business flexible and accept the ebbs and flows. Sometimes I have four projects at once, and other times, like in the past two years, it’s been quieter because I’ve been hyper-focused on raising my kids.

Lee: Aspiring entrepreneurs often ask us about branding, especially when it’s tied to your name. How did you build yours, and what do you tell others who ask for advice?

Tali: It’s hard to do. I think I got lucky with timing; I started posting on social media around 2015, 2016, when Instagram was very different. Growth was easier back then. Now, it’s harder to increase my following significantly, but early press exposure helped me grow. For designers, the most important thing is photography — showing your work professionally, posting consistently, and having a clear point of view. But there’s no magic to it; it’s trial and error.

Alex: Let’s talk about self-doubt. You mentioned not seeing your work the same way over time. Was there ever a point where self-doubt held you back?

Tali: Honestly, it’s a constant struggle. I have immense confidence in myself in some ways and feel like a huge failure in others. I still don’t feel confident about financial management, which sometimes makes me feel stuck.

Lee: That’s really powerful. So you lack confidence in the financial side of things, but what about your aesthetic abilities?

Tali: Not really. I had moments when work was slow, and I’d think, “Do I still have it? Can I still pull together a cool space?” But that’s normal self-doubt. I generally have pretty high confidence in my aesthetic abilities. I’ve worked hard, and I hustle.

Alex: And how did you overcome the self-doubt around the business side?

Tali: In an ideal situation, I’d be working with a bookkeeper and accountant weekly to get more guidance and education on it.

Lee: What holds you back from doing that now? Is it time or bandwidth?

Tali: Yes, mostly time and bandwidth. I think that when my youngest is closer to four or five, I’ll start doing more of that. I have to remind myself that this is a long burn. Just because things feel slow now doesn’t mean they’ll stay that way.

Alex: Any advice for moms who are thinking about starting a business? How do they know when to focus on family and when to start something?

Tali: There’s no “right time” to focus less on your kids. Investing in family is incredibly important, and you just need to figure out how much of yourself you can realistically give to work and what fills your cup. For me, if I spent 100% of my time at home, I’d be miserable, so I need a balance closer to 30-40% on work.

You just have to be realistic. Kids continue to need more, so it’s not like they reach an age and don’t need you. I’d tell any family to be very clear about what you can commit to work-wise, set boundaries, and communicate openly with your partner. I know that’s a big topic for my husband and me. Things weren’t equal after I got pregnant, so it’s about viewing yourselves as a team.

Alex: Absolutely. I think we’re all struggling with that phase of life — late thirties, managing kids, careers, and aging parents. It’s a lot. Did you receive any advice recently that’s been helpful?

Tali: Yes. When I was just in New York trying to do this job, one of the women working for the client said, “You have to be a little delusional in our line of work. If you’re not, nothing will get done.” That resonated. And my couples therapist also advised me to be less self-deprecating. They pointed out that constantly putting myself down makes others expect that of me. I’m working on that now.

Alex: I love that. You’re so funny, but you don’t have to be the butt of your own jokes. You’re truly an incredible designer, balancing career and family. You’re not alone in choosing to prioritize certain things over others.

Tali: Thank you. Look at your career as a 40-year timeline. When you’re in the day-to-day, it’s hard to see progress, but when you look back over years, it’s incredible.

Alex: It takes self-awareness and perspective to see that you don’t have to do everything all at once. We love you, Tali, and we’re so excited.

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