This week's Q + A is with Rachael Drzewiecki, Unscripted Rockstar since August 2013 and Accounting Manager for our accounting and admin department. She first entered the Interior Design world when she joined our company nearly 10 years ago. From holding positions in admin and production, she gained crucial knowledge about how our company works. Now as Accounting Manager, she handles the Accounts Receivable side of things, and we couldn't feel luckier to have such a talented, intelligent human as part of the Unscripted team. We recently asked her to share her perspective on design, life, and of course, being a good human!
All Things Unscripted
Q: When did you get your start at Unscripted?
A: It will be 10 years ago this August – wow it’s crazy that it’s almost been a decade. I find it so rewarding to look back on all the wins, learns, and personal growth I’ve experienced, as well as the many relationships that have been fostered throughout my time with Unscripted. This is truly an amazing team, and I feel so blessed to have been a part of it for this many years.
Q: What is your role in the company?
A: As our A/R Accounting Manager, I oversee our accounts receivable process from a project’s infancy until final close-out. I have the opportunity to see how each project begins, set up the initial contract and budget, oversee all of the contractual documentation, amendments, change-orders, billing, and analyze the profitability of each project. Basically, I live in Excel spreadsheets.
Q: What led you to the Interior Design industry?
A: I was relocating from Minnesota and looking for a career change. Something dynamic, fulfilling, a place I could really invest myself into personally and life led me to Unscripted. Working in the Interior Design industry has truly changed my life, my perspective both inside and outside the workplace. It has helped shape my view of aesthetics, and how beautiful spaces elevate the lives of those living in them. I love being a part of an industry and a team whose passion is to accomplish that for our clients. Working for Unscripted in the Interior Design industry has been a truly inspiring and rewarding chapter of my life.
Q: What does being a good human mean to you?
A: To me, being a good human = sacrifice. It’s asking someone how they’re doing, and really meaning it. Being ready and willing to take the time to invest in that person, that conversation. Not just moving onto the next thing. Not taking the path of least-resistance. It’s shoveling your neighbor’s driveway because she’s a single mom going at it alone. It’s bringing a meal when the family next door has the flu. It means putting aside personal gain or accolades for the benefit of another. Being the kind of neighbor others would want to have. Being a good human isn’t easy, that’s why it can be rare to find truly good humans. They stand out among the crowd, and you know when you’ve found one. Good humans are people that others are drawn to, feel cared for and genuinely loved by. Good humans make others feel valued and seen not because of what they are offering to the other person, but because of who they are.
"It means going out of your way, taking that extra time, that extra level of investment to care for or meet the needs of another without expecting anything in return."
Q: What has been your favorite memory while working at Unscripted?
A: My favorite memory was the time our owners booked the entire Woodhouse Spa for all of our team to spend the day getting spa treatments, drinking mimosas and having a yummy breakfast. I had just had my first baby and it was the most relaxing, blissful day I had had in many months!
Q: What do you enjoy most about working in the Accounting Department?
A: I’ve been working with the members of our accounting team for many years, and I can attest that you will not find a more committed, harder working group of people. Behind the scenes, the Accounting Department is constantly striving to bring a level of excellence and detail to every facet of the projects they touch. I’m grateful to be part of a team with members who are all investing so much personal ownership and commitment to their roles. We are human, no one is perfect, but I know that each of us is coming to the table each day giving our absolute best. I am grateful to be part of a team of good humans, who are always willing to lend a hand and support one another. I know that the accounting team has each others' backs and there is a great amount of safety and trust in that reality.
Q: How does working for an Interior Design studio influence your personal life?
A: I recently went through the process of building a new home, and having the opportunity to personally experience our industry has been so exciting and has brought a breadth of learning for me. It was insightful for me to go through the process of selecting all the finishes—from flooring and cabinets to tile and grout color! So many decisions I didn’t even realize were part of the process. And to see our house built from the ground up... Then move onto furnishings… I’ve gained so much appreciation for what our design team does on a daily basis (huge shout-outs to the help I’ve received from so many team members throughout this journey!), and the experience homeowners go through when trusting a design firm with their home. It’s a truly personal and vulnerable process.
Q:If you could buy one item for your home right now (with no budget restrictions), what would it be?
A: The Souffle Chair by Kelly Wearstler in the color beige shearling! I’m obsessed with this style and the cozy fabric. I am absolutely dying to have two of them in my study!
Getting Personal
Q: Outside of work, what are some of your passions or favorite hobbies?
A: My family is everything. My husband, David and two boys, Isaiah (6) and Liam (3), who are firecrackers and keep me on my toes every day. I love hiking, running, going for walks. Traveling, fancy restaurants, going dancing. I also have a passion for music and have been playing piano basically my entire life. I love singing, and Ed Sheeran is hands-down my musical heart-throb.
Q: What inspires you?
A: I’m inspired by beautiful scenery—living in Colorado is a constant source of inspiration to me. I also am inspired by my family. My husband, who works tirelessly and has a drive that spurs me on to be my best self. At points when I might want to give up on something, or I think I don’t have what it takes, he is always my biggest source of support and pushes me to go further than I thought I could. My son Isaiah, who is the kindest human I know. He is always thinking of others, coming up with the most thoughtful ways to make others happy… I want to be like him when I grow up.
Q: One destination on your bucket list is ____________________ .
A: I have always dreamed of going to Italy and touring the vibrant scenery, the vineyards, architecture, culture and culinary experiences. Italy to me is one of the most romantic and vivacious places in the world. I’d love to spend weeks there, immersed in the culture.
Q: Tell us about a favorite trip you’ve been on or a favorite place you’ve visited.
A: Hands down my favorite trip was to Cap Cana, Dominican Republic. My husband and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. Zero kids. We renewed our vows on the beach and celebrated all the life we have lived since getting married, how much has changed, who we are now. It was the most surreal day. The kind of day where you feel the world stop spinning and you know you’re living magic. There’s no amount of money I wouldn’t have paid to bottle that day up and be able to relive it. But that’s what makes true magic. You know it when you’re living it and the memories are all you take with you.
Q: If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
A: I’d love to live in a villa on the Mediterranean or the Caribbean Sea. I just love the ocean, the waves and sun.
Q: How have you evolved since working at Unscripted?
A: I’ve changed so much since I started at Unscripted almost 10 years ago. I’ve gained a lot of perspective on who I want to be, what I value and find worth investing in. I want to use the resources I have to invest in relationships, to invest in my family, to invest in the future. There are no wasted moments and every day is a gift. Every day is our opportunity.
Thanks so much, Rachael for spending some time with us! Want more? Follow our blog to keep up with good humans, good design and get to know our Unscripted Rockstars!