The Success Architect

In this solo episode, Jake dives into the growth tax. 

Growth always costs something — the question is whether you're paying it on purpose. In this episode, we dig into the "growth tax": the trade-offs every ambitious person and business inevitably makes. For businesses, it's the margin sacrificed for market share, the systems strained before they're rebuilt, the culture that shifts as headcount climbs. For individuals, it's the relationships stretched thin, the health put on hold, the identity that has to catch up with the title. Growth isn't free — but understanding the bill before it arrives changes everything about how you scale.

Today's guest is Allison Bryan, AIA — founder and principal of Physical Space (formerly Open Studio Collective), an award-winning architecture and design practice that has quietly reshaped how the West thinks about place. Allison's projects have landed in The New York Times, Dwell, Forbes, Dezeen, and Archinect, and her portfolio spans everything from residential commissions to work for Nike, Kit, The Nature Conservancy, and Knot Springs.

With more than 24 years leading international, award-winning work across architecture, interior architecture, and graphic design, Allison has built a career on a simple but disruptive belief: conventional design thinking stifles creativity. Physical Space exists to challenge that convention — to reimagine, question, and problem-solve in service of spaces that elevate human connection, not just square footage.

Her path there wasn't conventional either. Allison started with an undergraduate degree in graphic design from Indiana University before earning her Master of Architecture from the University of Oregon — a combination that shows up in the way she approaches every project, blending visual storytelling with structural rigor. Today she's a licensed architect in Oregon, Montana, and Wyoming, a licensed contractor in Montana, a LEED-accredited professional, and — closer to home — an owner and developer on projects right here in Bozeman.

In this conversation, Jake and Allison dig into what it actually means to lead a design practice that refuses to default to "the way it's always been done," how she's navigated the rebrand from Open Studio Collective to Physical Space, the throughline between commercial giants like Nike and the residential work that shapes everyday life, and what placemaking really requires when you're building for the West's most demanding — and fastest-changing — landscapes.

It's a conversation about creativity as discipline, risk as a design principle, and what it takes to build spaces — and a career — that actually mean something.

Fatherhood comes with a manual nobody hands you - so this week, Jake writes a few pages of his own.

He talks about the 2 a.m. moments that taught him more than any business book ever did, the quiet panic of realizing your kid is watching everything (not just listening), how becoming a dad rewired his definition of success, and the one piece of advice he ignored early on that he wishes someone had made him take seriously.

This isn't a highlight reel. It's the version of fatherhood that happens after the photos are put away — messy, unscripted, and more rewarding than he expected.

If you think you have to have it all figured out before you're "ready" to be a great dad, Jake's here to tell you: nobody does. You just start.

This week, Jake answers listener questions on training, discipline, and what it actually takes to stay in shape when you're building a business, running a household, and trying not to lose yourself in the process.

He gets into how he structures his week around workouts instead of the other way around, what he does when motivation disappears (because it always does), the mindset shifts that made fitness a non-negotiable instead of a nice-to-have, and why he thinks physical discipline is the most underrated leadership skill there is.

If you've ever felt like you have to choose between building something big and taking care of your body, this one's for you. Spoiler: you don't.

Today's episode is a different kind of conversation — instead of one guest, Jake sits down with three women who each bring a completely different vantage point on the same question: what is marriage, really?

Joining him are his wife, Makenzie Lewendal, married to Jake for over a decade; Merrit Peterson, who's been married just over a year; and Lisa Walthers, who spent 15 years married before going through a divorce. Three women, three stages, three very different truths about what it means to build a life with someone.

This isn't a conversation about relationship advice or five-step frameworks. It's about the real, unpolished experience of marriage at every stage — the excitement of the beginning, the grind and growth of the middle, and the honesty that comes from having lived through its ending. Makenzie brings the perspective of someone who's weathered a decade-plus of shared life, the compromises and reinvention that come with staying committed for the long haul. Merrit brings the freshness of a first year — still learning what marriage actually asks of you versus what you expected going in. And Lisa brings a perspective most people are afraid to talk about openly — what she learned looking back, and what she'd tell her younger self on her wedding day.

In today's conversation, we get into all of it — what newlywed optimism gets right and wrong, what actually holds a marriage together after ten-plus years, what fifteen years and a divorce teaches you about love and commitment, and the questions most people are too polite or too scared to ask out loud. We talk perspective, we talk reality, and we talk love — in all its forms.

This is a conversation full of honesty, contradiction, and hard-earned truth — three women, three chapters, one shared subject none of us ever stop trying to understand.

Today's guest is Joy Vance, Managing Partner of The Agency Bozeman and one of Montana's most respected names in luxury real estate. A proud Montana native and Montana State University graduate, Joy has spent years cultivating a reputation that speaks for itself — not just in sales volume or market knowledge, but in the way she shows up for her clients, her team, and her community. Her work spans two of the most dynamic and sought-after markets in the American West: Bozeman and Big Sky — places that have captured the attention of buyers from across the country, and where Joy has established herself as a trusted guide and true insider.

But Joy's path to real estate wasn't a straight line. Before she ever listed a property, she spent 18 years in corporate leadership and sales management with Victoria's Secret — a career that took her deep into the world of brand building, team development, and high-level customer experience. That foundation didn't just prepare her for real estate; it shaped the way she thinks about people, communication, and what it really means to serve someone well. You can hear it in the way she leads her team, the way she talks about her clients, and the standards she holds herself to every single day.

Since making the transition into real estate, Joy has become a driving force behind The Agency Bozeman — helping grow the brand's presence in Montana while staying rooted in the values that matter most to her: authenticity, relationships, and doing the work with integrity.

In today's conversation, we get into all of it — the story behind Bozeman's remarkable growth and what's fueling the luxury market here, the leadership lessons she carried over from her corporate career, how she thinks about balance in a demanding industry, and what it actually takes to build a career you're proud of without losing yourself in the process.

This is a conversation full of candor, hard-won wisdom, and a genuine love for the place she calls home.

In this FBF episode of The Success Architect, Jake Lewendal shares the power of relationships. He highlights the importance of shared values all while providing actionable steps to help you take ownership of your own life and leadership style.

Tune in to learn how to harness relationships, values, and how we all rise and drive positive change in your life and business. 

What if the way you talk to yourself is the single biggest thing holding you back from the life you're trying to build?

In this episode, Jake sits down with Ken Adams, founder of NLP Legacy, for a conversation that cuts straight to the root of high performance — the mind. Ken brings a unique framework to the table: using Neuro-Linguistic Programming to rewire the patterns, beliefs, and internal dialogue that quietly dictate how we lead, how we make decisions, and how we show up under pressure.

This isn't surface-level mindset content. Ken and Jake go deep on what it actually takes to break self-limiting cycles, build lasting confidence, and lead from a place of clarity rather than reaction. Whether you're running a team, scaling a business, or just trying to close the gap between where you are and where you know you're meant to be — this episode will challenge the way you think about thinking.

If you're ready to stop managing symptoms and start changing the structure, this one's for you.

The Success Architect is the podcast for builders, entrepreneurs, and leaders committed to 10x growth in business, health, mindset, and legacy.

In this episode of The Success Architect with Jake, we are diving deep into one of the most important conversations in the construction industry today, understanding where we came from so we can protect what we have and build something worth leaving behind. Jake takes listeners on a journey through the rich and layered history of the Gallatin Valley, one of Montana's most storied and beloved regions, and explores how the construction industry has grown, evolved, and shaped this community over generations. From the earliest days of development in the valley to the booming growth happening today, Jake reflects on what it truly means to build in a place that still has its character, its culture, and its soul intact.

At the core of this conversation is a deep respect for the people who make construction possible, the tradesmen. The framers, electricians, plumbers, pipefitters, finish carpenters, and every skilled worker who shows up every single day and pours their craft into the work. These are the men and women who are the backbone of the construction industry, and without them, nothing gets built. Jake speaks candidly about how invaluable tradesmen are to the entire process, why their skills and knowledge deserve far more recognition than they receive, and what the industry needs to do to honor, attract, and retain the next generation of skilled trades workers.

This episode is a grounded, honest, and inspiring look at the intersection of history, craft, community, and purpose. Whether you are a contractor, a tradesman, a developer, a business owner, or someone who simply loves the Gallatin Valley and wants to see it preserved for future generations, this conversation will resonate with you. Because the best way to build forward has always been to stay rooted in where you came from.

The Success Architect is the podcast for builders, entrepreneurs, and leaders committed to 10x growth in business, health, mindset, and legacy.

Jake Lewendal turns the mic toward his own team — sitting down with Hayden Haft, Pre-Construction Manager at Momentum Customs and co-owner of a coffee business with his wife. Hayden brings a perspective that's rare: someone who has worked in the construction industry from multiple angles, and who now knows firsthand what it means to be on the other side of the table as a business owner himself.

From his journey as a sub to joining the GC side, to building a business in the Gallatin Valley alongside his spouse, Hayden shares the lessons that only come with real skin in the game — and the grace he now extends to every business owner he works with.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why grace in leadership works both ways — and how stepping into ownership changed everything about how Hayden shows up at work
• What the construction industry really looks like from both sides — as a sub and as part of the GC team
• What it's like to build a business in the Gallatin Valley and the unique challenges that come with it
• Why building a business will break you down and build you back up stronger — and why Hayden wouldn't trade it for anything

If you've ever wondered what your team members are carrying outside of work — this episode is a powerful reminder that the people around you are building things too.

The Success Architect is the podcast for builders, entrepreneurs, and leaders committed to 10x growth in business, health, mindset, and legacy.