Women in AEC: Wine After Work

Cintia Arnhoffer is a Hungarian entrepreneur, real estate investor, and business consultant based in Dubai. At 21, she moved to Denmark, where she spent 13 years building her career across diverse international environments. She later relocated to Dubai alone, without contacts or an existing network, and built a new life and business from scratch. Today she is Co-Owner and General Manager of FullC...

The women who thrive in the next decade of AEC won't just be technically excellent they'll know how to leverage AI as a tool for growth, income, and creative problem-solving. Dr. Joan Palmiter Bajorek is the CEO of Clarity AI, ranked the #4 Voice AI Influencer globally by Voicebot.ai, and author of the Amazon bestseller Your AI Roadmap: Expand Your Career, Money, and Joy (Wiley, 2025).   In this e...

The right fit doesn't always show up first. Sometimes it shows up after you've tried the wrong things, learned what you're actually made of, and gotten honest about what you're uniquely positioned to build. Lindsay Friedman is a four-time founder who failed twice before finding the work that was hers to do and she built it directly from her experience as a caregiver. Lindsay joins Bryce to talk ab...

Leaving a career you're good at is harder than leaving one that isn't working. Ryan Sullivan was a successful mechanical engineer who built a department from scratch — and then chose to walk away and start over. This episode is about that decision, what it took, and what he's built on the other side. Ryan joins Bryce to talk about career transitions, financial autonomy, and what it looks like to b...

High performance and burnout are not opposites. For a lot of people, they're the same thing wearing different clothes. This episode is for the professional who is achieving by every external measure and still feeling like something is off — because that feeling is data, not weakness. Nancy Gentle Boudrie joins Bryce to talk about the inside-out approach to career alignment: what it means to make r...

There's a gap between people who grow in their careers and people who wait to be grown. This episode is for anyone sitting in that gap, wondering why the effort isn't translating. Elizabeth Barber has a clear answer and it has nothing to do with working harder. Elizabeth and Bryce dig into workplace autonomy, practical innovation, and what it actually looks like to take ownership of your visibilit...

Most AEC firms treat PR like a nice-to-have, something you think about after you've won the work. Julia Bonner, founder and president of Pierce Public Relations, has spent her career proving that's exactly backwards. In this conversation with Bryce, Julia gets into what strategic communications actually looks like for firms in the built environment and why the firms investing in their story now ar...

FMI's founder once said: "You don't build a business, you build people, and then people build the business." Julie Witecki has spent her career helping leaders in the built environment actually live that out — and in this conversation with Bryce, she gets specific about where most firms fall short. Julie advises executives and ownership teams across construction and AEC on leadership development,...

Most architecture, engineering, and construction firms are so focused on building things that they forget to build their brand. Carey Balogh and Lauren Sleeman, the powerhouse duo behind Brand Groupies, have spent their careers fixing exactly that. In this episode, Bryce sits down with both women to talk about what strategic communications actually looks like for leaders in the built environment —...

There's a version of leadership that looks good from the outside and feels like chaos on the inside. Corinne, founder of The Gav Group, has built her entire practice around helping C-Suite leaders close that gap. In this conversation, she and Bryce dig into what it actually means to perform at the executive level — not just deliver results, but lead in a way that builds something lasting. Corinne'...

The conversation around talent shortages in construction is everywhere—but what if we're starting too late? In this episode, Bryce sits down with Kate Glantz, Co-Founder and CEO of Move Over Bob, to explore how early exposure, storytelling, and representation shape the future of the workforce. After completing a carpentry pre-apprenticeship herself, Kate saw firsthand how few girls had access to v...

Hiring in AEC is harder than ever—and many firms are feeling the strain. In this episode, Bryce sits down with Micaela Socci, co-founder and CEO of Wemoter, to explore a new way of thinking about team building, hiring, and scalability. Instead of relying solely on traditional hiring models, Micaela shares how firms can integrate pre-vetted remote talent alongside their internal teams to increase c...

What does it really take to build a company where people feel supported, challenged, and connected to their work? In this episode, Bryce sits down with Daniel McCaulley, founder of Ultimus Engineering, to talk about leadership, mentorship, and building a culture rooted in purpose and community. As a family-owned, faith-based firm, Ultimus takes a different approach to growth—one that prioritizes t...

Your home isn't just where you live—it's shaping how you think, feel, and function every day. In this episode, Bryce sits down with Ashleigh Clark, CEO and Lead Designer of IDG, to talk about the real impact of interior design—beyond just how things look. From new builds to large-scale renovations, Ashleigh has worked with high-performing clients to create spaces that are not only beautiful, but a...

Communication is one of the most talked about leadership skills and one of the most misunderstood. In this episode, Bryce sits down with Emma Collyer, executive coach and founder of Aspire Executive Coaching, to unpack what's really happening beneath the surface of workplace communication. From feedback conversations that fall flat to teams that feel disconnected, Emma shares how a lack of trust a...

In this episode of Women in AEC: Wine After Work, Bryce sits down with Katie, founder of Hire Innovations, to unpack what is really happening inside modern talent acquisition. Katie leads a proprietary, human-centric AI platform that challenges the industry's overreliance on bots, ghosting, and automated job posts that erode trust on both sides of the hiring process. Through Hire Innovations and i...

Guest: L.R. (Lee) Weeden, CM-Lean, LCI-CPC What We Discussed: Lee's journey into construction leadership and lean thinking Why continuous improvement matters in project delivery and teams How lean principles shift focus from firefighting to intentional progress What resilience looks like in busy project environments The intersection of process, people, and leadership in built work Lessons from bui...

In this episode of Wine After Work, Bryce sits down with Elif Acar-Chiasson, P.E., founder of OPLE Leadership and former COO with over 30 years in the AEC industry. Elif built her consulting practice after living inside what she calls a "broken autonomy model." Brilliant engineers are promoted into leadership roles, then trapped in approval culture where every decision climbs uphill for permission...

Success isn't always linear and sometimes the bravest move is walking away from something you worked incredibly hard to build. In this episode, Bryce sits down with Sharla Toller, J.D., Senior Vice President and Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at CannonDesign, to talk about courage, career pivots, and redefining what success really means. Sharla's journey to executive leadership in th...

What does it really mean to build wealth — not just earn money? In this episode of Wine After Work, Bryce sits down with Doug Kinsey, founding member of the Sweater Cashmere Fund and partner at Artifex Financial Group, for a grounded conversation about wealth, investing, and long-term strategy. With more than 25 years of experience in wealth management and investment strategy, Doug works with indi...

What does leadership look like when your path isn't linear — and your industry wasn't built with you in mind? In this episode of Wine After Work, Bryce sits down with Gwen Smothers, a long-tenured leader at Piedmont Service Group, to talk about career pivots, people-centered leadership, and the power of community in the HVAC industry. Gwen began her career in accounting before transitioning into b...

What does it really take to lead boldly in spaces where women are still the exception — not the norm? In this episode of Wine After Work, Bryce sits down with Toni Will, trailblazing leader, keynote speaker, and author, for a candid conversation about leadership, courage, and choosing a life aligned with your values. As the first female general manager in the history of the ECHL's Kalamazoo Wings,...

What does it look like to build a career that blends technical mastery with creative freedom? In this episode of Wine After Work, Bryce sits down with Nicole Roe, founder of R. Nickson Interiors, to talk about her unconventional path from construction to couture-level interiors — and what it takes to carve your own lane in a male-dominated industry. With more than 15 years of experience across con...

What happens when technical excellence is no longer enough to lead? This week on Wine After Work , Bryce is joined by Kirby Lee , Professional Engineer, third-generation HVAC construction professional, and AEC leadership expert, for a candid conversation about what leadership really requires in today's AEC industry. With more than 23 years of experience spanning consulting engineering, owner's rep...

What happens when working harder stops working? In this episode of Wine After Work, Bryce sits down with Ritu G. Mehrish — former corporate executive, leadership advisor, and author of Leader's Block and Rewrite the Rules. After leading global teams across five continents and managing multi-million-dollar business lines, Ritu reached a pivotal moment many high-performing leaders quietly face: the...