Architectette

Replay!
On today’s episode of Architectette we are branching out from the AEC industry to welcome our friend Tigress Osborn!
Tigress is the Board Chair of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance. NAAFA is a non-profit, volunteer, fat rights organization dedicated to protecting the rights and improving the quality of life for fat people. 

We talk about:
- Tigress’ leadership at NAAFA and the goals of the organization
- The challenges people of larger body sizes face in the built environment
- The language to use during these conversations, accessibility laws, and the burden of literally not being able to fit in some public spaces
- We also talk about the specifics of furniture, layouts, restaurants, bathrooms, and even parking spaces!
- I hope designers will leave this conversation being a bit more mindful about ways that they can design spaces to be more inclusive
>>>
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Music by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ AlexGrohl⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Alicia Ponce, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, is the Founder and Design Principal of APMonarch, an award-winning Chicago based architecture firm celebrated for its leadership in sustainable design and adaptive reuse architecture. Guided by her ethos of “Lift as you Climb,” Alicia is the founder of Arquitina, a national nonprofit with a mission to go above and beyond the 1% of licensed Latina architects in the U.S. 
She has published 3 books: Latinas in Architecture Volume I, II, and III which feature the inspiring stories of 60 architects. Her honors include the 2025 AIA Chicago Distinguished Service Award for her work with Arquitina, 2023 Breaking Glass Award from the Chicago Women in Architecture Foundation, Crain’s Notable Leaders in Sustainability, and the 2022 Landmarks Illinois Influencer Award. Alicia serves on the boards of Arquitina, United Way Metro Chicago, Professional Women in Construction, and is a Chicago Landmarks Commissioner. 
We talk about:
- The mentors who encouraged Alicia to attend architecture school, the formative experience of studying abroad in Versailles, and how global travel reshaped her understanding of culture, history, and architectural potential.
- The dynamics of working directly with Santiago Calatrava on the Chicago O’Hare International Airport competition and how her knowledge of Spanish and sustainable building practices gave her an edge during the collaboration process.
- Alicia recounts the story of founding her firm after being laid off, finding her first client, and building a practice rooted in sustainability. 
- The origins of Arquitina and how Alicia’s experiences during entrepreneurship, licensure, and motherhood helped her create a program that encourages participants to release shame, embrace their heritage, and achieve their goals in the profession. 
>>>
Connect with Alicia:
https://apmonarch.com/
https://www.arquitina.org/
@alicia_ponce_architect
@arquitina
@apmonarch
>>>
Thank you to our Sponsor:
⁠⁠Arcol ⁠⁠is a collaborative building design tool built for modern teams. Arcol streamlines your design process by keeping your model, data, and presentations in sync- enabling your team to work together seamlessly.
Learn more about Arcol on their ⁠⁠Website⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠, ⁠⁠X⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠.
>>>
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Replay!
On today’s episode of Architectette we welcome a dynamic duo! Aya Shlachter and Jing Lauengco are two outstanding women who connected over their mutual tenacity for entrepreneurship, design, and storytelling. Both women are business owners, entrepreneurs, and podcasters. 

Aya Shlachter is the CEO and founder of MGS Global Group, a company that accelerates growth for architecture and design firms worldwide by providing architectural support and staffing services internationally. Her team provides Revit, ArchiCAD, AutoCAD, and 3D Visualization services to architects and interior designers. Aya is a keynote speaker and the host of the Architect My Business Podcast – a business growth podcast for architects.

Jing Lauengco is an award-winning Brand and Business Strategist and Producer and Host of NEXT THING WITH JING, a podcast exploring next chapters in the new now. Jing teaches modern entrepreneurs how to connect, convert, and engage using signature storytelling and brand building to drive growth.
We talk about: 
- How Aya and Jing came to be friends and collaborators through their local entrepreneur community and how it has impacted their personal and professional lives.
- We talk about the challenges, uncertainties, and pivots of being serial founders and how each woman has built their own architecture and design industry businesses and have grown through each success, failure, or experiment.
- The power of storytelling: how understanding your story and being able to convey it to others can enrich your ability to connect, market, and grow.
- We also talk about their experiences as podcast hosts: favorite topics, guests, rebranding, and community building.
>>>
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Music by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ AlexGrohl⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Meghan Webster is the Co-Managing Director of Gensler Chicago, where she is driven by her lifelong passion for shaping human experiences. For the past 15 years, she has guided business strategy, built client engagement, and deepened her expertise in education, health, sciences, and civic markets at the firm. Currently, she is a Global Health Sector Leader, supporting the practice area’s focus on innovation and is a mentor and advocate for elevating the next generation of talent.
Meghan is a licensed architect and her notable project work includes the mHUB Innovation Center, Purdue University’s Mitch Daniels School of Business, and Wichita State University’s Barton School of Business.
We talk about: 
- Meghan’s elevation to co-managing director and how she approaches leadership of more than 250 people across 18 practice areas. 
- How leadership roles may emerge through a mix of self advocacy, finding your champion, client relationships, and being open to opportunities you may not initially feel ready for.
- Gensler’s thought leadership and how it is often a response to real client questions. Meghan shares how data can emerge from research partnerships, post occupancy studies, and design collaborations.
- The issues that her higher education clients are grappling with today, including funding uncertainty, AI, aging buildings, real estate strategy, and evolving global campuses. Meghan shares how Gensler is considering these topics and making their forecasts about the future of education.
>>>
Connect with Meghan:
LinkedIn
Gensler's Website
>>>
Thank you to our Sponsor:
⁠⁠Arcol ⁠⁠is a collaborative building design tool built for modern teams. Arcol streamlines your design process by keeping your model, data, and presentations in sync- enabling your team to work together seamlessly.
Learn more about Arcol on their ⁠⁠Website⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠, ⁠⁠X⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠.
>>>
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- LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Architectette Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Page and/or⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Caitlin Brady⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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Replay!
On today’s episode of Architectette we welcome Alexandra Chaves. Alexandra is a project manager at Restructure Studio in Austin TX, a mom, an Austin Women in Architecture (WiA) member, as well as the founder of the WiA 'Profiles' Subcommittee.
We talk about:
- Starting her education in Venezuela, finishing a graduate degree in the United States, and starting a career in New York City.
- Alexandra's career experience leading up to and during the 2008 recession and how she overcame getting laid off.
- We chat about her transition to Austin, working for a women-led and women employed architecture firm, and finding support and encouragement in WiA.
- What inspired her to establish the 'Profiles' series and how she works with her husband to put together exciting, thoughtful conversations with featured women in architecture.
- We end by chatting a bit about the architectural growth in Austin and how the design community is looking forward to encouraging positive change.
>>>
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- LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Architectette Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Page and/or⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Caitlin Brady⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
>>>
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