Episode 121: Season 7 Launch, AMA with the Women Architects Collective

What questions do the Women Architects Collective have for Practice Disrupted?

Co-hosts Evelyn Lee and Je’Nen Chastain celebrate Season 7 (happy 3rd birthday, Practice Disrupted!) with an AMA, Ask Me Anything. The conversation is guided by Joann Lui, a friend to the podcast, licensed architect-turned marketer, and founder of the Women Architects Collective. 

On this episode of Practice Disrupted, Evelyn and Je’Nen answer questions relating to the podcast and their careers. Topics include: Evelyn and Je’Nen’s paths to earn an MBA, how to get involved with the American Institute of Architects (AIA), what architects can learn from other industries, and advice to Evelyn and Je’Nen’s younger selves. 

To wrap up the episode, Evelyn and Je’Nen share how Disrupted Practice has evolved over seven seasons. They also explain why their approach to the podcast has shifted, and how their favorite types of podcasts serve as inspiration for future episodes. 

“Intention is important to us. People are really looking for substantial content, so in Season 7 our hope is to bring on interesting people who can deliver on that energy to help us answer how we can really change and evolve practice going forward.”

Tune in next week to hear a conversation with Evelyn and Je’Nen about change in the profession, and the work Je’Nen is doing through her company Apostrophe Consulting to support architects with adopting change in their practices.

Special Guest:

Joann Lui, AIA is an architect, speaker, and the Founder of Women Architects Collective, a digital space where she provides community, conferences and coaching for 4,700+ members. To spread the voice of the community, she hosts annual events such as the Women Architects Festival and the Mental Health in Architecture Summit. Joann developed her professional experience at Gensler NY and transitioned into a Content Marketer role at AEC tech startups such as Monograph and TestFit. You can find her on her website, watch her YouTube channel, and follow her on Instagram or LinkedIn.

Co-Hosts:

Evelyn Lee, FAIA, NOMA is the Global Head of Workplace Strategy and Innovation at Slack Technologies, and Founder of the Practice of Architecture. She integrates her business and architecture background with a qualitative and quantitative focus to build better experiences for the organization’s employees, clients, and guests. She is widely published, wrote a monthly column for Contract magazine for over three years, and is now a frequent contributor to Architect Magazine. Evelyn has received numerous industry awards, including 2016 40 Under 40 award for Building Design + Construction and the 2014 AIA National Young Architects Award. She served as the first-ever female Treasurer to the AIA National Board in 2020-2021 and will serve as the 101st AIA National President in 2025.

Je’Nen Chastain, MBA, Assoc. AIA is the Founder of Apostrophe Consulting, a practice focused on helping architects and next-gen leaders strengthen their teams and businesses. In addition to consulting with firm leaders on practice management issues, she co-hosts Practice Disrupted, a podcast with a growing audience of over 30k unique listeners. She earned her MBA from Mills College and BArch from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She has received several industry leadership awards, including the 2017 AIA Associates Award and Presidential Citations from AIA California & North Carolina. She wrote the business plan for the AIA Leadership Institute 2015-2020 and served on the AIA national board of directors in 2010.

📍 Show Links:  

https://www.joannlui.com

Women Architects Collective

MentalHealthSummit.co

📚 Past Episodes Referenced:PD #90 Madame Architect: Work, Family, and Everything In Between (featuring Amy Stone)

PD #80 Season 4 Finale with Madame Architect (featuring Amy Stone)

PD #55 Architecture, And: MBA

📚 Continue Learning:

Harvard Business Review

The Anxious Achiever podcast 

Adam Grant’s podcasts

Brene Brown’s podcasts: Unlocking Us and Dare to Lead

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