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

Space feels like something. It's a collection of form, materials, colors, light and sound that impact humans physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Are you ready to elevate that experience by making conscious design choices to help people be their best selves? Instead of judging what people need and imposing your ideas, be a space shaman. Take the time to diagnose and develop a "treatm...

Let's do some mythbusting about the practice of architecture.  There's so much indoctrination into a broken way of doing things that undermines our confidence while undervaluing our work and weakening our impact. It's time to stop drinking the Kool Aid and start having the career you want instead of the one you thought you had to accept. Architecture is a diverse profession with a huge range of op...

Design aligns...big visions, better experience, environmental friendliness. So why do we have so many mediocre buildings? Let's start giving our clients a bigger container and grow projects to their fullest potential. Transformational projects begin with leading your client somewhere. Leadership isn't being a trainer, it's going somewhere and taking others with you. The world's resources can't tol...

Leadership is more than being organized and managing people and situations. To truly lead, you have to stand for something and value your work and the power of your message. Your followers are out there and they are looking for exactly that value you can bring to them. Don't commoditize your work or just follow client instructions. Your value lies in your ability to surface deeper issues and trans...

Repeat after me, "discernment is not judgement." That's right. Judgement comes from your story-as-filter giving you a "read" on the situation at hand. Discernment is noticing, checking in with yourself and determining how to respond. It's hard to practice discernment when you are emotionally triggered. Most of the time, the trigger and the triggering incident are not related. Unpack your trigger a...

Miscreation happens when we act out of fear of uncertainty instead of trusting our intuition to guide us to the right solution. This episode explores how to move beyond the outdated playbooks of career and embrace change with confidence. Embrace change by challenging old labels put on you or others to find new and better ways of understanding one another Let go of expectations to move past the dra...

Leadership has many faces. Your dream leader likely isn't the one who will challenge and stretch you to grow. Your work style may not match that of your leader or those you lead. Ask better questions to make sure that you are playing to one another's strengths. Know your strengths so that you can complement the strengths of a leader with a style that isn't necessarily compatible. Not everyone in a...

Going Big in your career starts as an inside job. You can't take a stand for others or question the status quo if inside you are in turmoil. Who you are affects what you do. Stop limiting your success out of fear of limited resources. Believe that success is more than just getting today's needs met. Take risks to see results. Remember failure is learning and the only thing that will really take yo...

In the workplace, bullying, including manipulation and gaslighting tactics can masquerade in unrealistic expectations, encouragement to play it safe and criticism of leadership skills. Big facts to help you recognize when it's happening. Constructive criticism and concerns about readiness will always come with offers of support. If someone makes you doubt your ability so you won't set ambitious go...

Are you deferring your success to later days? Imagining that "someday" without taking action today? Successful people take action, even if it's messy. They show up and make things happen regardless of whether they feel ready. Disconnect from the need to make the things you do right or wrong. Instead be curious about why something did or didn't work. Everything in just information, not a judgement...

Stagnation, decay, evolution, which do you choose? Because guaranteed you are doing one of those three things this fine moment. This episode focuses on how to choose evolution for yourself, your loved ones, and the greater good. You don't get a permission slip to rest on your laurels. Whatever you've done or accomplished is simply a portal to your next level. Prioritize your evolution. Lead with t...

Architecture Industry recruiter Bryce Batts shares what you need to know to navigate the new workplace. For more information about Bryce, visit her website: https://brycebattscoaching.com/ Don't be afraid to ask about your career path options. Understand what's available to you within a company to help determine whether you want to work there. Always negotiate- by showing how you view your worth y...

It might be fine to accept the first available table at a crowded restaurant, but when it comes to your life's work, settling in no bueno. Just because you are good at something doesn't mean you should be doing it. Look past expectations and titles and feel into how aligned you are with the work you are doing. It's easy to see what we don't like but still try and fit ourselves into that mold think...

Ready to stop being a slave to your day? Let's reframe everything you know about time whether it's working or playing and start leveraging the way our brains and bodies work to get more from our daily 24. Click here to deep dive into more with my Thrive class at a special price Make time for what matters instead of excuses. Question everything about how you spend your day and root out activities t...

Sovereignty- that state of complete ownership of ourselves and our natural right to integrity is becoming an elusive phenomenon. This episode explores how to let go of people pleasing and feel comfortable with disagreement. Recognize when someone you are dealing with is a bad actor.  Look for attempts to use grains of truth to sow self doubt, or making you wrong if you don't agree with them Take t...

Uplevel your career. It's in your power to claim the career you were meant to have. Don't forget to download my free workbook to help you get even more out of this episode. Flip the Script will help you write your own career story. Approach your career like a design problem.  Where are the pain points? What innovation can you bring to meet your goals within the present constraints? Getting ahead i...

Shifting priorities, but not deadlines, pressure to provide more service for less fee. We've all been there trying to win work and maintain client relationships. But at what cost? Don't get caught up in a race to the bottom on fees. Understand that there is a buyer for every market- some want cheap sunglasses while others want high quality designer items. Position yourself for the market you want...

There is a lot of posturing in creative professions. We've learned to disdain what we consider to be the ego and the sellout- but what if we're getting it all wrong? Far from being the big voice, the ego is actually what traps us in people pleasing, chasing career milestones and endlessly seeking validation. How can you detach from this and become more attuned to your mission than in meeting expec...

In my interview with Blaine Brownell, we discuss the role of materiality in sustainability, well being, equity and planetary health. Cultivate relationships with people who can mentor you- then act on their advice to create your own opportunities. Think about what you create as a "demo album" and put it out there to be discovered. Do the work you are passionate about and it will lead you to discov...

I am a space shaman- you can be too (maybe you already are). In this Episode, I discuss the healing power of design and why we all need to offer more wellness resources to the users of our buildings. In today's pandemic-ridden world, stress levels are higher than ever. How can we offer restorative environments: Be committed to learning about salutogenic measures we can take and how stress affects...

We all know we have a duty to protect the public's health safety and welfare in our work. But let's take it beyond codes and look at the ethics behind HSW through the lens of user experience. There are no current code requirements that consider user experience. However, the more we learn, the more it becomes imperative that we design buildings that empower people to be their best selves. Always ti...

How do I get my life in order? Should I respond to round the clock contacts from my boss? Good questions!  In this episode I answer questions from our audience on time management. We cover: How to put support resources in place by leveraging help from friends or family, or by trading time with other parents. Considering who else besides you could do something and then helping them get to the point...

Ever felt simultaneously like you were too much AND not enough? Believe it or not, it's less about what other people are saying or doing and more about the story you drag around with you everywhere. In this episode, we crack that open so you can unapologetically be the you you were always meant to be. Learn why authenticity is one of the most important ways to connect with others, and why saying n...

Hey all you lone wold control freak types- I'm talking to you this episode.  You know how you always feel like you're drowning in work? Time to let go of the reins and start delegating. Before you start hyperventilating, it's OK to let someone help you. All this and more is detailed in my book Time Builder, now available on my website . Here's my top takeaways to make it work: Delegation empowers...

Spuddle may just be my new favorite word. And when we're talking bandwidth, that tendency we have to make big deals out of the small stuff just so we can stay too busy to actually achieve anything is exactly what's siphoning off your capacity to handle what you really want to be doing. Get smart about ways to expand your capacity: Be more discerning about what you choose to take on Never run yours...