Architectette

Replay!
On today’s episode of Architectette we share a conversation with Jill Bergman, FAIA, FACHA. Jill is a Senior Health Strategist at HDR, based in San Francisco, California. She has focused on healthcare facility design for her entire career, mostly working on large projects and medical planning. 

We talk about: 
- The power of focusing her career on one specific project type and how her after-work involvement helped her deepen her knowledge of healthcare architecture, build a strong community, and expand her impact.
- Her recent elevation to FAIA and why she was advised to consider applying as a milestone, rather than a lifetime achievement (fun fact: it’s both!).
- We next talk about Jill’s early career experience as a mentee and how she draws from that experience as she heads the AIA Academy of Architecture for Health, Colleague 2 Colleague Mentorship Program.
- We talk a bit about applying the “yes, and...” principles of improv to architecture and Jill shares a few specific lessons from her incredible standing-room only 2023 Women’s Leadership Summit Session.
- We end by discussing how data analytics and benchmarking as well as in-person shadowing experiences in the hospital have influenced her work as an architect.
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Cari White is currently an Outsourced Controller with BlueStone Accounting Solutions. She has almost two decades worth of experience in the accounting industry where she has built meaningful relationships with her clients and colleagues. She prides herself on presenting financial information in an easily digestible format. 
When not working, Cari is spending time with her family; watching the Ravens, Orioles, and Terps; and seeing Broadway shows at the Hippodrome.
We talk about: 
- The relationship between design excellence and business sustainability. Cari explores the basic tenets of financial literacy for architects and defines essential KPIs. She explains how architecture firms can improve cash flow through more efficient invoicing and proactive communication with clients about scope creep.
- She highlights the positive impacts of introducing mid-career architects to project management concepts like budgets, staffing strategies, and profit margins to prepare them for leadership roles.
- As a person with architecture firm and non-architecture firm experience, Cari candidly discusses the benefits of seeking outside financial support when running a business.
- We end by chatting about the financial impact of caregiving on women’s careers, including how flexible work arrangements can retain talent while supporting long-term financial stability. Cari shares her experience negotiating flexible work schedules, making the business case for reduced hours, and maintaining trust in client-facing professional services roles.
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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 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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- Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @architectette⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (See more)
- Newsletter:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ www.architectette.com/newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Behind the Scenes Content)
- LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Architectette Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Page and/or⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Caitlin Brady⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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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. 
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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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- LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Architectette Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Page and/or⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Caitlin Brady⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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