Her Story
About Meritt
Meritt Foreman is a licensed architect and member of NCARB based in Nashville, Tennessee. She earned an undergraduate degree in geography with a concentration in community and regional planning, a Master's of Urban Design in 2015, and a Master's of Architecture in 2018. Since founding her own firm in 2018, she has focused her practice on residential renovations, additions, and custom home design. Foreman attributes her success to the unwavering support of her parents, who encouraged her to pursue her dreams and work for herself. She advises young women entering the field to never give up and to follow their dreams, while noting challenges related to representation as a biracial woman in a predominantly male and white industry, as well as opportunities in Nashville's growing market for fresh perspectives.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Meritt
01What do you attribute your success to?
My parents have always been so supportive of everything that I've done, and have always allowed me the space to ask for help, to push me and support me when I needed an extra boost when I wasn't feeling it, or when I was feeling down. They've always pushed me to be the best version of myself, and it's always been my mom's dream for me to work for myself and to have my own company.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Probably to just do it. You know, if you're scared of something, or if something's very intimidating and stressful, you're not gonna die from it. Just do it. Follow through, and in my experience, always paid off because I can get quite a bit of anxiety. It is nerve-wracking to try new things, especially if you're uncomfortable or unfamiliar in a new territory, but for the next best thing, something you haven't done before has really been working out.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
To never give up, keep working your hardest, and the best that you can ever do is try your hardest, and you know, to follow your dreams. I think if I didn't have the people around me telling me to keep going, then I probably wouldn't have been able to do it on my own.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is personal in that I don't see a lot of representation that looks like me as I'm half black, half white. I'm a woman, and in my industry, it's very male and white-oriented. Growing up and getting experience in the field, I didn't have anyone that looked like me. A challenge for me has been kind of getting out of my own head in the imposter syndrome. But I think the opportunities here in Nashville specifically, there's just such a wide market for what I do, and it's nice to be able to break into that market and present stuff that's a little bit different and have a fresh take on things that other people don't have coming from a different perspective.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I hold myself to a very high standard. So, I'm very detail-oriented, and I like to make sure that I'm giving everything that I can to my clients, and I put their needs at the forefront of everything, and I think it's really important to follow through on that. So, giving them the best possible project, a design that works and functions for them, and working with them every step of the way through their budgetary needs and changes to the plans, just being the best advocate that I can for them to get the products that they need.
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