She was nine weeks pregnant when her husband’s career opportunity moved their life from Chicago to Colorado, and somehow that leap turned out to be the first step toward a business, a passion, and a whole new identity.
Meet Megan
Megan Rosenberger was born and raised outside of Dayton, Ohio, and studied Business Marketing at Miami University before building a decade-long career in health insurance sales in Chicago. It was a career she was proud of, and a city she loved enough to find her husband there too. But somewhere along the way, she felt like something was missing. A creative spark she hadn’t tapped into yet.
When her husband’s job brought the family to Colorado while she was newly pregnant, it set off what Megan calls one of the best whirlwinds of change in her life.
A New Direction
As her first maternity leave wound down, the world was shifting too. In person meetings were resuming after the pandemic, and supporting a Chicago sales territory remotely with a new baby in Colorado no longer felt sustainable. Even though she was offered a path to stay on in a different capacity, something told her it was time to close that chapter and lean fully into motherhood.
She spent the next few years at home with her son and daughter, treasuring the time completely while also feeling, as many parents do, a quiet pull toward her own goals and talents. For Megan, that pull led back to something she had loved since childhood: interior decor.
In whatever free time she could find, she was helping friends, family, and neighbors with their furnishings and design choices. People started noticing she had more than just a good eye. They started telling her, “you need to do something with this.” With her husband’s encouragement, Megan enrolled her kids in part time preschool and launched her own firm, Jolie Alan Concepts & Design.
A friend of a friend, a graduate of Heritage School of Interior Design, became an unexpected guide in Megan’s next chapter. As someone Megan admired both as a mother and as the owner of a thriving design firm, her insight carried weight. As Jolie Alan grew, Megan noticed client requests shifting from decor and furnishings toward full remodels, and she wanted her drawings and deliverables to match the level of work she envisioned for her clients and partners.
Talking with her friend confirmed what she suspected. While plenty of designers build successful firms without formal schooling, learning these technical skills solo, in real time, with real clients on the line, is a steep climb. Investing in herself through Heritage Denver meant she could learn alongside others entering the field while choosing the specific courses where she needed to grow most.
Life at Heritage School of Interior Design
Megan enrolled part time, a choice that let her gain real skills and exposure without losing sight of why she started Jolie Alan in the first place. She’s a business owner, but first and foremost, she’s a mom of two. The flexibility of Heritage’s program meant she could show up for her classes and for her kids, even on the days when childcare fell through and catching the class recording later was the only way to keep up.
“Investing in myself with Heritage gave me the opportunity to learn with and next to others specifically entering or working in the design field while letting me hand pick the courses and programs where I felt I needed to fine tune skills.” — Megan
Her inspiration has never been complicated. It comes from her children, who she credits as the motivation behind every challenge she takes on. Becoming a mother taught Megan that style and function don’t have to compete. In her work, she focuses on designs that honor both a client’s aesthetic vision and the practical needs of the way they actually live.
Looking Ahead
Jolie Alan Concepts & Design has become something Megan describes as her third child, one she’s just as committed to nurturing as she is her own kids. Rediscovering this passion and going all in has brought a kind of fulfillment she didn’t fully expect, and she’s grateful that her growth so far has come almost entirely through word of mouth and client referrals.
As she continues refining her skills and earning the title of designer rather than decorator, Megan is determined not to lose touch with the smaller projects that built her foundation. Running a firm of one means she can stay nimble, and whether it’s a full home transformation or a smaller refresh, she wants to keep showing up for the projects that matter most to her clients, regardless of scale.
“Nothing makes me happier than genuinely sharing in the excitement of a completed and beautiful space with a client who has trusted me and my business with their transformation.” — Megan
One Last Thing
Megan’s story is a reminder that a creative calling doesn’t have a deadline. Sometimes it just needs the right encouragement, a little flexibility, and a program built to fit real life. You can follow her work at Jolie Alan Concepts & Design or on Instagram @joliealan_design.
To learn more about Heritage School of Interior Design’s Denver programs, visit the Denver campus page.
Keep up with Heritage Denver on Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn for more spotlights, class updates, and all things interior design.