Episode 140: Season 7 Finale, Behind the Scenes of Practice Disrupted

How has Practice Disrupted grown and evolved since launching in 2020?

On the Season 7 Finale of Practice Disrupted, Evelyn and Je’Nen reflect on the podcast’s evolution over the last four years, and share a behind the scenes conversation on the creation of the show. They discuss lessons about the complexities of change within the industry, and some of their favorite conversations along the way. Stay until the end of the episode for a special announcement!

First, Je’Nen shares the intentions behind launching Practice Disrupted and her desire to lean into the narrative-building storytelling element of audio. We hear about changes during the podcast’s four years and how it felt to recognize its growing impact and reach. 

From there, Je’Nen and Evelyn reflect on the challenges, successes, and lessons from producing 140 podcast episodes. Je’Nen shares some of her favorite moments as a co-host and interviewer, and they both illustrate how they’ve grown through the podcast and solidified their place within the industry. 

“This podcast has been a great exploration of our shared desire to move the profession in a new direction. I hope through the process of having all these conversations, people have discovered new ideas or figured out new solutions that they can integrate into the way they're running their businesses.” - Je’Nen Chastain

To wrap up the episode, Je’Nen shares three takeaways she hopes listeners will gain from the show, and Evelyn drops a few teasers for exciting upcoming conversations. 

Tune in early 2024 for Practice Disrupted’s Season 8 kickoff. Happy New Year!

Guests:

Je’Nen Chastain, MBA, Assoc. AIA, is the founder and owner of Apostrophe Consulting, a business management consulting practice dedicated to helping architects and next-gen leaders strengthen their teams and businesses. After studying and practicing architecture and later earning her MBA, Je’Nen launched her business to help AEC leaders across the US. She partners with growth-minded teams who share her desire to transform the practice of architecture and advance industry change. Je’Nen has received several industry leadership awards, including the 2017 AIA Associates Award and Presidential Citations from AIA California & North Carolina. She has 15+ years of leadership experience with the AIA, including writing the business plan for the AIA Leadership Institute. Je’Nen served on the AIA national board of directors in 2010 and is a Upjohn Fellow of the Institute.

📍 Show Links:  

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📚Past Related Episodes:

PD #1: Practice Shifts 

PD #9: Voices from the Future of the Profession

PD #10: Organizational Design, Process, and Innovation

PD #16: Voices from the Future of the Profession (LGBTQIA+)

PD #62: 2022 AIA Gold Medal Winners: Brooks + Scarpa

PD #68: 2022 AIA Whitney M. Young Jr. Honor Award Winners: RIDING THE VORTEX

PD #69: A Case Study on Leadership: Expanding Established Design Practices to New Locations

PD #80: Season 4 Finale with Madame Architect

PD #85: A Case Study for Practice: Latent Design

PD #89: Entrepreneurship in Practice: Taking Risks To Create Value

PD #95: Voices of Mothers in Practice

PD #113: 2023 AIA Gold Medal Award Winner Carol Ross Barney

PD #118: 2023 AIA Architecture Firm Award Winner, Mithun

PD #122: Entrepreneurship in Architecture, Apostrophe Consulting

PD #125: Building a Feminist Architecture Firm

PD #127: NCARB Scholars of Professional Practice 

PD #133: 2023 Whitney M. Young, Jr. Award Honoree Robert L Easter, FAIA, NOMAC

PD #137: MASS Design Group Business Evolution

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