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

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.
Co-design isn’t just a process—it’s a mindset shift. When architects design with people, not for them, we build dignity, community, and true healing into the spaces that need it most.
Design can either amplify power dynamics or become an equalizer. Including people with lived experience prevents assumptions and creates more balanced, empathetic spaces.
Co-design is a feedback loop, not a one-time input. Maintaining communication ensures participants know how their voices shaped the outcome—even when every request can’t be met.
Designing for recovery is important in behavioral health spaces. This means providing connection and community where someone feels safe to be vulnerable. It isn't about designing for compliance. 
Work with Mind Care Connect: https://www.mindcareconnect.org
Contact Parker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parker-lacombe/
Contact Sydney: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sydney-h-6a3a3a61/
💡Give Architecting a Google review- be sure to name the episode! https://g.page/r/CVYGVmEtsUjdEAI/review
Stay Inspired,
Angela
Join the architecting community:
YouTube, Instagram,  LinkedIn, Clubhouse, Facebook
Interested in sponsoring a show or having me as a guest on your podcast or community? Stop here to get information.
Into/outro music Alive by Richard Wasson Copyright 2019

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 something that actually fits.
What you thought you wanted might not be aligned with your actually purpose, which may be what's blocking you from making the moves that would bring it in.  Look for the "something better."
Sometimes we need the experience of what we don't like or want to better understand what we do.
Look for hidden takeaways from setbacks such as soft skills gained, or experience in areas that might seem like they are tangential to your main job.  Look retrospectively for how these things differentiate you in a way that showcases your authentic self.
Your next opportunity shouldn’t be a “bounce back” but a bold pivot forward
💡Give Architecting a Google review- be sure to name the episode! https://g.page/r/CVYGVmEtsUjdEAI/review
Stay Inspired,
Angela
Join the architecting community:
YouTube, Instagram,  LinkedIn, Clubhouse, Facebook
Interested in sponsoring a show or having me as a guest on your podcast or community? Stop here to get information.
Into/outro music Alive by Richard Wasson Copyright 2019

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 habit.
The magic isn’t in the wins alone; it’s in the courage to keep showing up, asking, and learning from every move you make.
Build real relationships instead of transactional ones. Don't just work with people, take the time to get to know them and learn from them.
Always ask, but don't get attached to the outcome. What's meant for you will find you if you keep taking action.
Then, picking up where part one left off (at 19:50), we get real about leadership as the antidote to systemic codependency in the AEC industry:
Respect boundaries—yours and your team’s.
Set expectations that empower, not deplete.
Refuse to normalize burnout or abuse.
Give agency, celebrate wins, and build momentum through trust.
Contact Caitlin: 
https://www.linkedin.com/company/architectette/
https://www.instagram.com/architectette/
 
💡Give Architecting a Google review- be sure to name the episode! https://g.page/r/CVYGVmEtsUjdEAI/review
Stay Inspired,
Angela
Join the architecting community:
YouTube, Instagram,  LinkedIn, Clubhouse, Facebook
Interested in sponsoring a show or having me as a guest on your podcast or community? Stop here to get information.
Into/outro music Alive by Richard Wasson Copyright 2019

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.
Architecture is hard because we constantly have to adapt to completely new constraints. Our descisions have impact for decades beyond the design time frame.
We need to stop trading craft for efficiency. The profession loses influence when it gives up accountability and responsibility.
To reintegrate our fractured practice, we need to refocus on what architects uniquely offer: value, skill and optimism
The future of architecture depends on whether we stop playing small and start owning our influence again.
Contact Beau: 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beau-dromiack-aia-dbia-ncarb-scup-310747124/
Email: beau.dromiack@wma-phx.com
💡Give Architecting a Google review- be sure to name the episode! https://g.page/r/CVYGVmEtsUjdEAI/review
Stay Inspired,
Angela
Join the architecting community:
YouTube, Instagram,  LinkedIn, Clubhouse, Facebook
Interested in sponsoring a show or having me as a guest on your podcast or community? Stop here to get information.
Into/outro music Alive by Richard Wasson Copyright 2019

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.
Change is the state in which disruption of what isn't working can occur. 
Your identity influences what you can accomplish
Find a mentor to help you get clearer on your strengths and how you can leverage your interests at a the scale of the industry
Take constant aligned actions no matter how small they seem- there is a cumulative effect
Decide you are not the person limited by anything about your current life state
Focus on contribution not accomplishment
💡 Get my networking guide: https://architectingpodcast.com/index.php/networking/
💡Give Architecting a Google review- be sure to name the episode! https://g.page/r/CVYGVmEtsUjdEAI/review
Stay Inspired,
Angela
Join the architecting community:
YouTube, Instagram,  LinkedIn, Clubhouse, Facebook
Interested in sponsoring a show or having me as a guest on your podcast or community? Stop here to get information.
Into/outro music Alive by Richard Wasson Copyright 2019

Oh yeah it's that time of year when conferences get scheduled in veritable clusters. What should you attend? How do you get the most out of the experience? It can be a cluster.  Fear not- in this episode I answer some of your most burning questions about conferences.
Get my tips and tricks for attending on a tight budget
Learn how to manage clients who normally would have no interest in this conference but are attending as your speaking partner
Ideas for entertaining clients/consultants who do attend without seeming schmoozy
How to network with the best of them
What to do if you are attending alone and know no one (or think you don't)
💡 Get my networking guide: https://architectingpodcast.com/index.php/networking/
💡Give Architecting a Google review- be sure to name the episode! https://g.page/r/CVYGVmEtsUjdEAI/review
Stay Inspired,
Angela
Join the architecting community:
YouTube, Instagram,  LinkedIn, Clubhouse, Facebook
Interested in sponsoring a show or having me as a guest on your podcast or community? Stop here to get information.
Into/outro music Alive by Richard Wasson Copyright 2019

The people who make real impact don’t wait for permission, they trust their gut, take the risks others are afraid of, and pivot fast when things change. In this episode, you'll hear from one of them. Doug King shares his template for identifying as the expert you want to be.
Bet on your intuition to take the right risks. Double down by adapting and changing with circumstances as they unfold.
Cross-pollinate your passions—even the ones that don’t “belong” in your profession—and use them to disrupt the status quo. .
Make opportunities out of what you are currently assigned by bringing fresh thinking to even mundane or perfunctory tasks
Steal the magic from your favorite projects and apply it where no one sees it coming.
Keep learning new things and sharing new ideas. Every opportunity to learn is also one to teach.
Find passive mentors by watching how the best do it—and then outdoing them.
CONTACT DOUG:
Email: dougking1@live.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougkingpmainc/
💡 Download The Perfectionist Trap Guide: architectingpodcast.com/perfectionismtrap
💡Give Architecting a Google review- be sure to name the episode! https://g.page/r/CVYGVmEtsUjdEAI/review
Stay Inspired,
Angela
Join the architecting community:
YouTube, Instagram,  LinkedIn, Clubhouse, Facebook
Interested in sponsoring a show or having me as a guest on your podcast or community? Stop here to get information.
Into/outro music Alive by Richard Wasson Copyright 2019

What pretzel are you twisting yourself into just to look successful? And what’s that “success” really costing you? For so many of us, the chase isn’t about achievement — it’s about negotiating for acceptance. Let’s be real: if you’re chasing someone else’s version of success, you’re not building a life — you’re auditioning for one. Forever the Pick Me.
✨ In this episode, I unpack:
Why chasing the “That Girl” version of success sabotages your confidence and makes you feel like an imposter when you do score a win.
How authenticity and self-worth create real opportunities and flow
Why nurturing your unique strengths is the fastest path to growth
The freedom and fulfillment of embracing who you actually are
The get-rich-quick strategy isn’t hustling harder — it’s owning your strengths, finding your people, and working in alignment. Instead of failing at being “That Girl” (and resenting those who are), this is your permission slip to thrive as This Girl. The one nobody can copy, water down, or ignore.
🎙️ Tune in and learn how to stop people-pleasing, overcome imposter syndrome, and finally define success on your own terms.
 
💡 Download The Perfectionist Trap Guide: architectingpodcast.com/perfectionismtrap
💡Give Architecting a Google review- be sure to name the episode! https://g.page/r/CVYGVmEtsUjdEAI/review
Stay Inspired,
Angela
Join the architecting community:
YouTube, Instagram,  LinkedIn, Clubhouse, Facebook
Interested in sponsoring a show or having me as a guest on your podcast or community? Stop here to get information.
Into/outro music Alive by Richard Wasson Copyright 2019

As an architect, nothing feels better than knowing a space you designed brought someone joy, or peace. But it's not easy to tap into that zone when you aren't making space for any of that in your own life.  In this episode, you'll hear from architect Peter Sandiford how he stopped going against the grain and started working with his instincts, energy levels and the environment to uplevel his practice.
People sense when a building flows, with the rhythms of the environment by being sustainable and resilient, with the culture by respecting the vernacular, and with their own energy using feng shui principles.
Happy architects make happy buildings. Work life integration requires that you respect your time and energy first. 
Find the work style that works for you and you'll stop struggling to be successful.
CONNECT WITH PETER:
https://www.habitatsdesigns.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-sandiford-m-arch-b-e-d-s-bia-arb-47197619/
 
Stay Inspired,
Angela
Join the architecting community:
YouTube, Instagram,  LinkedIn, Clubhouse, Facebook
Interested in sponsoring a show or having me as a guest on your podcast or community? Stop here to get information.
Into/outro music Alive by Richard Wasson Copyright 2019

It's all about energy, and if you're an introvert, you aren't getting it by peopling. Not that you're misanthropic.  You just need to be very discerning about what and who gets your precious energy and build in recovery time. Deep dive with me into this topic
Introverts are not incompetent extroverts, you have a whole different style of interfacing with the world that gets corrupted when you are expected to wear the mask of an extrovert.
Introverts are empathetic and passionate people. You care about the people and causes they resonate with and commit to them unflinchingly.
Because introverts expend energy from interacting with others, you selectively invest it in alignment with your passions.
Introverts can see the patterns, connect the dots, and convene the right resources because you take the time to process - trust your instincts
It's essential to rest and restore in order to be able to function best when interacting with others. Self care helps you exhibit your strengths not your weaknesses.
💡 Download The Perfectionist Trap Guide: architectingpodcast.com/perfectionismtrap
 
Stay Inspired,
Angela
Join the architecting community:
YouTube, Instagram,  LinkedIn, Clubhouse, Facebook
Interested in sponsoring a show or having me as a guest on your podcast or community? Stop here to get information.
Into/outro music Alive by Richard Wasson Copyright 2019