ARCHITECTING Podcast - Career + Lifestyle Mentoring for Architects looking to move beyond overwhelm and make a difference through design

Attending a conference is not a passive learning experience. In this episode, I walk you through the pre-work needed to show up string and build your subject matter expertise street cred using social media. 

1. Look at attendee list especially speakers who are subject matter experts in something you want to develop- connect with them on social media
2. Come up with one good question to ask for each session you plan to attend
3. Make su...

Most people think they're burned out because of what they have to do. They're missing a huge contributor when they don't also look at where they do it. In this episode, Garrett Wood shares neuroscience based insights on how the built environment can impact productivity, executive function, cognitive presence and energy levels. 

1. The world is biased towards a sensory setpoint that was deemed "normal." Unfortunately, most people ...

It might sound crazy, but thinking and strategizing are often not the best ways to solve problems, make life decisions, connect with others or navigate the workplace. My guest Owen Marcus is a noted psychologist whose work applies the science of somatics to combat stress and the resulting dissociation with our body. Listen in to learn more about how to develop healthier life patterns, unlock your productivity and be better guided b...

You can't make career power moves if you give all your power to others. Gatekeepers who will mirror you inner doubts and tell you exactly why you are both too much and not enough to get that next big opportunity. It's time to shine the light on the sneaky ways they get away with it and start moving towards the career you know you were meant to have.

1. Gatekeeping- the attempt to control who gets access to resources and opportuni...

Meeting resistance (from others and within ourselves) with curiosity is your career superpower. My guest Dan Tocchini deep dives into what resistance is really telling you and how to leverage it to build teams that produce creative solutions.

1. Every interaction is a design challenge to create psychological safety - get to the why with each team member.
2. We are hardwired with two mandates: stay alive and conserve energy. This is ...

Let's move into 2026 by stepping fully into our power. This means embracing choice (my word for the year) over control to get even more success on our own terms. Listen in to learn more about how leveraging choice ups your game from good to great without the burnout.

1. Choose to celebrate the wins
2. Choose to see the potential in every situation
3. Choose to be more discerning and less concerned with people pleasing
4. Choose to give up...

Newsflash: predictable structures are collapsing. The old if/then models don't work, especially around your career path. Jillian Reilly, author of The Ten Permissions shares her research and insights on how to be come mentally fit to navigate a world where change and unpredictability are the new normal. 

1. We all have conscious and unconscious limits around what we feel we are allowed to do or be. Navigating change begins with g...

You know what’s right. But what do you do when every gatekeeper says no? In this episode, Drew Ann Long, inventor of Caroline’s Cart, shares the story of refusing to let a necessary idea die. Her vision was simple—and radical: a shopping cart that makes the retail experience accessible for people with disabilities and mobility challenges. The industry pushed back. Manufacturers said no. Retailers avoided the conversation. Funding d...

Architecture school taught you how to design buildings not how to not how to survive, grow, or lead in your career. In this episode of Architecting, AEC Industry recruiter Bryce Batts calls out the rules that quietly keep you small and compliant. This isn’t about chasing the next job. It’s about designing your career on purpose — with clarity, self‑advocacy, and connections that actually move the needle.

Feeling like no one is giving you your 10's?  In this episode, I explore how to escape the protect/defend/prove trap so many of us can fall into when we feel unseen or unfairly criticized. Rather than worrying about adversaries, use these steps to own your own path and find those who authentically resonate with you.

1. Worrying about what others think of you is a waste of time and energy that keeps you vulnerable and stuck with t...

In this economy, you should just work hard and serve the hell out of your customers, right? If you want to get burned out and taken advantage of sure.  But there is a better way. My guest Daniel McCaulley shares his thoughts on building a company around a growth mindset.

1. Professional development is any way you are improving, whether that is technical competency or soft skills.
2. Know who you are, who your company is and who you ...

You have the potential for greatness...too bad you're too distracted to act on it. My guest Steven Puri decided that it was time more people tapped into their creativity in a high performing low stress way. He should know, his background in engineering, entrpreneurship and Hollywood films has led him to see firsthand what stokes creative fires vs. what is a painful grind. Listen in to learn more.

1. We all have something great in...

IRL > URL every time. Living in a digital world  designed to reward our "engagement" has led to a reduction in attention span, memory and concentration. If you're feeling  anxious, disinterested, restless and mentally exhausted, it's a symptom of popcorn brain. Time to stop doom scrolling and make the changes I discuss in this episode.

1. In our "always on" digitally forward world, devices endlessly interrupt us with notificat...

The hardest things to talk about are often the ones that most need our commitment. In this episode, we dive into one of architecture’s toughest (and most overdue) topics: how to make the profession more transparent, inclusive, and accessible. My guest, Roderic Walton, is on a mission to demystify what architects actually do—and to build a community where open discussion replaces gatekeeping. Through his YouTube channel, he’s redefi...

It’s easy to forget who we’re really designing for—especially in behavioral health, where the stakes are high and the people we serve are too often left out of the process. In this episode, Parker LaCombe and Sydney Harris of Mind Care Connect reveal how co-design that engages those with lived experience is rewriting the rules of behavioral health architecture.

1. Co-design isn’t just a process—it’s a mindset shift. When architec...

What if the setback you’re cursing right now is the exact detour you needed? In this episode of Architecting, I flip the script on failure. When the universe pulls the rug out, it’s not rejection—it’s redirection. Learn how to take the opportunity to rebrand, define success on your own terms, and stop tolerating what never served you. This is your permission slip to rethink what you’ve been settling for and reclaim your career as s...

If you don’t ask, the answer’s always no. If you don’t knock, the door never opens. Opportunity doesn’t wait around—it rewards bold action. In part two of a special "double feature" podcast episode, you'll hear from Caitlin Brady, creator of the Architectette podcast (where part one lives) about chasing the chances that can change everything. We talk about what it really means to pursue opportunity—not as luck or timing, but as a h...

When we say being an architect is magic, it's not because we want to disappear. Yet our profession is slowly losing its influence. Worse, it's an inside job. My guest, architect Beau Dromiack, calls it like it is. He exposes how the profession traded influence for efficiency, and why surrendering our accountability and craft has left us sidelined. More importantly, he shows us how to take it back.

1. Architecture is hard because ...

ICYMI, the world, and every system in it, is in a state of upheaval. That can feel scary...or like an opportunity. In this episode, I talk about how a strong personal identity is clutch in navigating change- making the world a better place on aligned action at a time.

1. Change is the state in which disruption of what isn't working can occur. 
2. Your identity influences what you can accomplish
3. Find a mentor to help you get clearer ...