Engineer Your Success

Episode 250 | Guest: Matthew Evington | Host: Dr. James Bryant

Most people picture a straight line into engineering. Matt Evington’s path ran through retail, landscaping, and a materials testing lab before he ever set foot in a college classroom — at 26, in a night pre-calculus class he almost didn’t take. In this episode, the civil engineer turned solar farm specialist shares how he built a career one deliberate, often terrifying step at a time. Listeners will walk away with a different question to ask about timing: not “am I behind,” but “what’s my next move?”

Key Takeaways

Grants and Virginia’s guaranteed transfer agreement can make a four-year engineering degree possible with far less debt than most people assume.

Fear is often a signal you’re on the right track, not a reason to stop — nearly every major step in Matt’s path felt terrifying before it felt right.

Choosing land development over materials testing came from following what actually engaged him (Civil 3D), not just the “next natural step” his experience pointed toward.

A blue-collar work background can be an asset in engineering roles that reward hands-on judgment and experience as much as formal education.

Solar farm engineering differs sharply from traditional site work, including having to plan for eventual decommissioning since installations aren’t permanent.

Team culture — specifically, the freedom to disagree openly with leadership at every level — mattered more to Matt’s satisfaction than the specific type of work.

In Virginia, engineers can sit for the PE exam before completing the full experience requirement, which can shorten the path to licensure.

AI is already embedded in engineering workflows through estimating software and modeling tools — the shift now is toward more visible, active use.

James’s take: using AI as a shortcut without understanding the underlying analysis sets engineers up for failure — human review of calculations and theory still matters.

Timestamps

00:00 — Introduction and today’s theme: the path of your career

00:55 — One-word check: how family and coworkers would describe Matt

02:55 — Matt’s early career detours: retail, landscaping, and finding no fit

04:47 — Starting community college at 26 and the friend who pointed him there

10:24 — First job, moving to North Carolina, and returning to Richmond

14:47 — What makes his current team’s culture different: openness at every level

18:54 — Mic flip: Matthew’s Question for James

22:00 — The Coach In Your Corner

About the Guest

Matt Evington is a civil engineer specializing in land development and renewable energy infrastructure, currently working on solar farm projects. He built his technical foundation as a materials testing technician while earning his associate’s degree, then transferred to Virginia Tech through Virginia’s guaranteed transfer program to complete his civil engineering degree. He’s now working toward his Virginia PE license. Connect with Matt on LinkedIn — link in the show notes.

Matthew Evington | LinkedIn

About the Host

Dr. James Bryant is an executive coach, leadership strategist, and host of the Engineer Your Success podcast. His mission is to help professionals win at work and at home by developing the leadership skills and presence that technical training alone does not provide.

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Episode 249 | Guest: Dr. Stephanie Luster-Teasley Pass | Host: Dr. James Bryant

What does it take to become the first person in your own story to walk through a door you once only saw in photographs? Dr. Stephanie Luster-Teasley Pass, Dean of the College of Engineering at North Carolina A&T State University and the first woman to hold that role, joins Dr. James Bryant to share her journey from A&T student, through grad school and industry, to leading the college she once studied in.

Together they explore what it means to balance career, family, and identity as a woman in engineering; how support “teams” and community make hard seasons survivable; and why A&T’s growth in AI, new programs, and industry partnerships matters for the next generation of engineers. This conversation is about the courage to say yes to opportunities you didn’t go looking for—and what it means to return to lead the place that helped shape who you are.

Key Takeaways

Real leadership often begins with someone else asking you a hard question you weren’t planning to answer.

Saying no to leadership once doesn’t mean you’re not meant for it — sometimes the “no” is just the first draft of your answer.

Leading a college means learning to think in multiples — multiplying your focus across every department, not just the one you know best.

The hardest part of a technical career is rarely the technical work — it’s carrying your whole life without letting any one part of it suffer.

You don’t have to be strong in every area to lead well. Build a team of people you can lean on for the areas where you’re not.

Representation isn’t abstract — it shows up in something as simple as a student recognizing themselves in the person leading them.

Preparing students for today’s workforce means preparing them to work with AI, not around it.

Growing an organization requires balancing what’s urgent for individual departments with what’s best for the whole.

Investing in someone else doesn’t require a title or a formal reason — it requires proximity, relationship, and the willingness to ask the question that matters.

Timestamps

00:00 — Welcome & Aggie Pride

01:16 — From A&T Student to First Woman Dean

03:16 — Grad School, Industry, and Returning to A&T

07:41 — Career, Family, and Your Support Team

10:13 — A&T Today: AI, New Programs, and Industry Partnerships

16:14 — STEM Pipeline, Aggie Academy, and Whole-Student Support

22:32 — Mic Flip & Coach in Your Corner

About the Guest

Dr. Stephanie Luster-Teasley Pass is Dean of the College of Engineering at North Carolina A&T State University and the first woman to hold that role in the college’s history. A proud A&T graduate in chemical engineering, she has served on the university’s faculty for 22 years, including four and a half years as department chair of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering before her appointment as dean. Her academic background includes a master’s and Ph.D. from Michigan State University in chemical and environmental engineering, along with a patented water remediation technology developed during her time as faculty. Today she leads seven departments and nearly 2,800 students, with a focus on industry partnerships, student success, and preparing the next generation of engineers for an AI-driven workforce.

Learn more at www.ncat.edu/coe

About the Host

Dr. James Bryant is an executive coach, leadership strategist, and host of the Engineer Your Success podcast. His mission is to help professionals win at work and at home by developing the leadership skills and presence that technical training alone does not provide.

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Episode 248 | Guest: Matt Granados | Host Dr. James Bryant

Episode Description

Ignorance gets a bad rap. But this week’s guest, Matt Granados, calls it his greatest strategic asset — and once he explains why, you’ll see it too. James and Matt dig into what it actually takes to build a life and a business rooted in intentionality: the difference between truth and personal preference, why most people badly overestimate their own self-awareness, and the equation that determines whether your systems will produce the outcomes you actually want. If your calendar is full but your fulfillment is not, this conversation is for you.

Key Takeaways

Ignorance paired with humility is a strategic asset. The willingness to have your gaps exposed is what makes them fixable.

Truth is constant. Application changes. Confusing personal opinion for truth is where most conflict starts.

The Life Pulse equation: (how well you know yourself + how well you know them) multiplied by your system equals your outcome. A negative input tanks the result no matter how good the system is.

Most people are not self-aware. Harvard research cited in the episode: 95 percent believe they are, only 10 to 14 percent actually are.

The critical/supportive matrix: critical and unsupportive is mean, uncritical and supportive is dangerous, critical and supportive is love.

Structure and rhythm are not confining — they are the conditions under which humans perform best.

Every real coaching conversation follows three moves: expose the gap, bridge the gap, sustain the gap.

Disagreement is not a failure of the conversation. It is part of the sharpening — but only when the goal is understanding, not winning.

Fear is the mind killer. Worry is the time killer. You can bring both along for the ride, but neither belongs in the driver’s seat.

Timestamps

00:00 — Cold open: fulfillment is a result of intentionality, not a byproduct of achievement

01:36 — Matt’s one word for himself: “ignorant” — and why it is his edge

04:00 — How Life Pulse started (and what Matt did not know about his own team)

05:35 — Truth vs. fact vs. opinion: why the distinction matters

09:39 — The debate: is everyone broken, or does everyone have room to grow?

22:20 — Weekly planning: two different systems, one shared principle

28:32 — Expose, bridge, sustain: how coaching actually works

34:13 — Mic Flip: Matt turns the questions on James

40:03 — Coach in Your Corner: five moves for a real disagreement

About the Guest

Matt Granados is the founder of Life Pulse Inc. and the creator of an intentionality-based coaching system he first built for himself, then adapted for his wife, his assistant, his sales team, and his warehouse team before turning it into the foundation of the company. He is the co-author of Motivate the Unmotivated and works with organizations across industries on optimal performance — high output at a sustainable pace, measured against a person’s own capacity. His work has taken him into companies including Twitter and into rooms ranging from ten people to ten thousand. Connect with Matt at lifepulseinc.com and on Instagram @LifePulseInc.

About the Host

Dr. James Bryant is an executive coach, leadership strategist, and host of the Engineer Your Success podcast. His mission is to help professionals win at work and at home by developing the leadership skills and presence that technical training alone does not provide.

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Guest: Douglas E. Noll, JD, MA | Host: Dr. James Bryant, P.E.

A 22-year trial lawyer who walked away from a seven-figure career to become a peacemaker — and then took his methods into California’s most violent prison yards. Douglas E. Noll, JD, MA joins the show to break down a deceptively simple, neuroscience-backed technique for defusing any tense conversation in under 90 seconds.

James and Doug unpack why naming an emotion calms a nervous system faster than logic ever will, the three objections every leader raises before they try it, and what it means to lead people as nervous systems first and rational thinkers second.

By the end of this episode, you’ll have a tool you can use in your very next hard conversation — and know exactly when it’s the wrong one to reach for.

Key Takeaways

Naming someone’s emotion out loud (“you feel angry”) calms their nervous system automatically — it’s a biological response, not a soft skill trick.

The technique works because it reactivates the prefrontal cortex while quieting the brain’s threat response, confirmed by UCLA brain-scanning research.

Use a “you” statement, never an “I” statement — the moment you say “I think you feel,” the focus shifts to you instead of them and the technique stops working.

Don’t ask “are you angry?” — questions require a working prefrontal cortex, which a dysregulated person doesn’t have access to in the moment.

Being wrong about the emotion doesn’t break the technique — the act of trying to name it still tells the other person they’re being heard.

Affect labeling can’t be used to manipulate — it only works when it comes from genuine authenticity, something tested directly inside the Prison of Peace project.

Every brain in a meeting is unconsciously asking three questions before it can engage: Am I safe? Can I trust you? Do I matter to you?

Leaders get faster decisions and more loyalty by regulating people’s nervous systems first, then asking for their input — not the other way around.

If someone pushes back with “are you my therapist?” it usually means the technique was done well but too aggressively — back off, then reintroduce it more subtly a few minutes later.

Treating people as nervous systems first doesn’t replace logic and data — it’s an additional tool, not a substitute for analytical thinking.

Timestamps

00:00 — Why technical leaders are trained to solve problems, not manage emotions

01:40 — Doug’s path from 22-year trial lawyer to peacemaker

07:06 — Sarah’s story: an 18-year prison letter, and the breakthrough behind it

10:43 — The two-word technique — “You feel ___” — and the neuroscience behind it

12:34 — The three objections every leader raises before trying it

24:31 — What most leaders get wrong about human nature

26:44 — Nervous system leadership: the three questions every brain asks

32:36 — Mic Flip – What’s one question Doug has for James

35:00 — The Coach in Your Corner – Choose tools that are fit for purpose

About the Guest

Douglas E. Noll, JD, MA spent 22 years as a trial lawyer before leaving the practice to earn a master’s degree in peacemaking and conflict studies. In 2009 he co-founded Prison of Peace with Laurel Coffren, spending a decade training people serving life sentences in California and Connecticut prisons to mediate conflict and stop violence using affect labeling. He is the author of De-Escalate: How to Calm an Angry Person in 90 Seconds or Less, and his next book, Empathy Leadership, releases in September from Simon & Schuster and is available for pre-order now.

Connect with Doug at dougnoll.com or dougnoll.substack.com, where he publishes in-depth articles on emotional regulation and conflict resolution.

About the Host

Dr. James Bryant is an executive coach, leadership strategist, and host of the Engineer Your Success podcast. His mission is to help professionals win at work and at home by developing the leadership skills and presence that technical training alone does not provide.

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Guest: Hitisha “Tish” Sharma, P.E. | Host: Dr. James Bryant, P.E. | Episode 246

What does it look like when a podcast becomes a coaching relationship before you ever meet the host? Hitisha “Tish” Sharma, P.E. — Associate Principal and Head of Electrical at a Bay Area engineering firm — has been part of the Engineer Your Success community for a long time, and in this episode she traces the full arc of that journey.

From the specific episode that changed how she showed up to a career-defining interview, to her evolution from Lead Electrical Engineer to department head to Associate Principal, Tish walks through what it actually looks like to design a career intentionally — and what you have to be willing to do to get there.

This is not a typical guest interview. It’s a listener’s honest account of what growth costs, what it produces, and why having a coach in your corner — even through a podcast — can change the trajectory of your career and your life.

Key Takeaways

The EYS Podcast stands out for MEP engineering professionals because it combines engineering-specific relevance with life and career wisdom — a combination that almost doesn’t exist anywhere else.

When you can’t believe in yourself, borrow the belief of the people who do — your tribe is a resource, not just support.

Career questions evolve as you grow: from “Am I qualified?” to “What are the right opportunities for me?” — discernment becomes more important than ambition.

Work-life balance is less about balance and more about building your life around your priorities and designing how everything else fits in.

The people in your personal life can either fuel you or drain you — curating that circle is just as strategic as any career move.

When your work becomes mission, the energy equation changes — you stop asking how to recover from work and start finding that work itself restores you.

Communicating openly with your inner circle about your season of focus is what keeps relationships alive through growth — not asking for permission, but keeping people engaged.

You’re not leaving people behind when your growth diverges — you are giving them freedom to stay where they are while you keep moving forward.

Timestamps

00:01 — Introduction — Welcome and overview of Tish’s long-time listener journey

01:04 — What makes EYS uniquely valuable for MEP engineering professionals

05:20 — The episode that changed everything: borrowed belief and Tish’s first career pivot

12:43 — Tish’s career arc: from Lead Electrical Engineer to Associate Principal

15:56 — Priorities over balance: Tish’s evolved approach to winning at work and at home

19:18 — When work becomes mission, not just a job

23:41 — Curating your inner circle: multipliers vs. friction

28:39 — Mic Flip — Tish asks James: What impact do you want your book to have?

About the Guest

Hitisha “Tish” Sharma, P.E. is an Associate Principal and Head of the Electrical Department at a mid-sized engineering firm in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she also leads business development efforts. A long-time listener of the Engineer Your Success podcast, Tish has navigated significant career transitions — from Lead Electrical Engineer to department head — while building a clear, priorities-driven approach to career growth.

She is a returning EYS guest, previously featured in Episode 158: Crafting a Holistic Career: Engineering, Leadership and Personal Growth. She has also collaborated with Dr. Bryant on leadership development programming for the transportation sector.

Connect with Tish on LinkedIn: Hitisha Sharma PE, PMP | LinkedIn

About the Host

Dr. James Bryant is an executive coach, leadership strategist, and host of the Engineer Your Success podcast. His mission is to help professionals win at work and at home by developing the leadership skills and presence that technical training alone does not provide.

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Guest: Nick Serfass | Host: Dr. James Bryant

Episode Description

What happens when the skills you built in one profession turn out to be exactly what another field needs — even though you never planned for it? Nick Serfass trained as an architect, spent years designing healthcare facilities, and then accidentally built a career leading one of Richmond’s most impactful tech organizations. As executive director of the Richmond Technology Council, Nick has spent eight years shaping the region’s tech community from the inside. In this episode, Nick breaks down what’s actually driving Richmond’s tech growth, why AI’s explosion reminds him of a ketchup bottle, and how design thinking transfers to building communities, events, and entire city ecosystems. If you’ve ever wondered what an “accidental” career pivot really looks like — and why it works — this conversation delivers.

Key Takeaways

Architecture gave Nick “design thinking” — the ability to look at the total landscape and put pieces together — and that skill travels across industries in ways most people don’t anticipate

The Richmond tech community has shifted dramatically: technologists who once stayed behind their screens are now out, engaged, and building relationships in ways that are changing the culture of the field

“Not everything we do is for everyone, but there’s something for everyone” — the RTC runs events across cybersecurity, data, women in tech, product design, and software development, intentionally serving different slices of the community

Richmond’s biggest challenge isn’t a lack of activity — it’s brand clarity; when everyone is trying to highlight everything, the message lands for no one

The most successful companies start with a specific, focused mission — and Richmond’s tech story is most powerful when it’s told with that same discipline

AI’s growth isn’t just about the technology itself — it’s about the pace of advancement, and COVID accelerated that by driving an entire global population online almost overnight

Nick’s approach to career: he volunteered his way into a new path, gave himself two years to try it, and those two years became eight — the best career moves aren’t always planned, they’re followed

Timestamps

00:00 — Introduction to the RVA Leaders Impact mini-series

02:15 — Nick’s take on Richmond’s current tech ecosystem

04:49 — How an architect ends up running a city’s tech council

07:24 — What’s changed most in tech — the ketchup bottle AI analogy

10:05 — How the culture and people of Richmond’s tech community are evolving

12:32 — Inside the Richmond Technology Council: mission, events, and the “Tech’s Most Creative City” campaign

14:37 — Richmond’s biggest challenge: defining a brand identity that cuts through

20:40 — The mic flip: Nick asks James what he’s reading

About the Guest

Nick Serfass is a licensed architect who spent the early part of his career in healthcare design before transitioning into association leadership. He has led multiple national and regional organizations, including the national organization of architects and its student body, before joining the Richmond Technology Council. For the past eight years, he has served as the executive director of RVATech, driving events, community building, and Richmond’s positioning as a creative tech hub. He is reachable at [email protected] or on LinkedIn, and RVATech’s website is RVATech.com. On the side, he documents his reading on Instagram at @NickSerfass and on TikTok at @ArchNick.

About the Host

Dr. James Bryant is an executive coach, leadership strategist, and host of the Engineer Your Success podcast. His mission is to help professionals win at work and at home by developing the leadership skills and presence that technical training alone does not provide.

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When there’s a gap between what you intend to do and what you actually do, it’s rarely about talent. In this story from the Engineer Your Success podcast, Dr. James Bryant walks through how one regional engineer stopped unconsciously avoiding a crucial team meeting, stepped into her authority, and began winning by design at work and at home.

In this episode of the Engineer Your Success Podcast, Dr. James Bryant interviews Utibe “T-bay” Bassey, Vice President of Customer Experience at Dominion Energy and author of Love as a KPI. They discuss the significance of love as an essential metric in business, emphasizing that how individuals perceive themselves affects overall organizational performance. Utibe elaborates on the concept of love in a leadership context, advocating for leaders to acknowledge it as a strategy rather than a mere feeling. The conversation highlights the importance of human well-being in achieving business outcomes, encouraging leaders to adopt a more empathetic approach in their organizations.

Ryland Potter serves as U.S. Director at WDM, working on pavement condition measurement and friction management to help transportation agencies make informed, proactive road safety decisions. In this conversation, she traces her path from management consulting through a community grocery store that almost was, and into her current role at WDM. She reflects on what burnout taught her about updating her thinking, why she leans toward preserving options, and how she approaches change management as a daily practice — moving with what's in front of you rather than rejecting it. Dr. James Bryant closes the episode with his own reflection on the power of habits and the systems that shape who we become.

Most people can name a building. Very few can name the people who made it possible. Crystal Miller is on a mission to change that — and she is starting long before students ever set foot on a job site. As the program director for architecture and AEC programs at Brightpoint Community College, Crystal sits at the intersection of education, workforce development, and mentorship. In this conversation, she breaks down what it really takes to build the next generation of engineering and construction professionals — and why the pathway to the built environment starts much earlier than most people think.