Épisodes

  • Industry Leaders EP13 with Kate Meyrick

    Industry Leaders EP13 with Kate Meyrick
    Jun 26 2026
    Episode Overview:Seton Walsh-Rose sits down with Dr Kate Meyrick — Director at Urbis, former CEO of THI, and one of Australia's most respected urbanists and placemakers. With more than three decades of international experience across Australia, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the USA, Kate has spent her career on a single throughline: the process of change — how you imagine a better future and work out how to get there. It's a big-picture, generous conversation about city-making and leadership. Kate unpacks why a real strategy is something half of people should disagree with, what world cities like Singapore and London reveal about the courage to change, how South-East Queensland can stop its cities cannibalising each other, why the 'new Australian dream' has to evolve, and why AI — used well — is liberating rather than frightening. She closes with the advice she'd give her younger self after 35 years: you don't have to be right all the time. Chapters:00:10 Welcome & Introduction 02:15 Change as a Career Throughline 04:03 Lucky to Have Lived Through Transformation 06:23 Paralysed by Uncertainty 08:01 Strategy vs Strategic Planning 09:10 Democracy's Short Horizon 10:16 City Posters on the Wall 12:44 Brisbane vs Melbourne 15:00 Fares, Bikes & Habits 20:22 South-East Queensland's Assets 22:09 Levels of Government 26:06 Cooperate, Don't Cannibalise 27:57 The New Australian Dream 29:30 Smart People, Smart AI 30:13 AI as Liberation 32:13 Constraining the Parameters 34:23 “Be Everything You're Not” 36:10 Jobs Change, They Don't End 38:10 Who Thrives 40:14 Ask the Question Ten Ways 42:01 Advice to a Younger Self 44:23 The Privilege of the Work 46:11 Reflections & Close Key Takeaways:1. A strategy isn't a plan everyone agrees with2. You can drive change — if you know what change you want 3. Democracy gives us a shorter horizon — plan for it 4. Stop cannibalising, start cooperating 5. The quarter-acre dream has to evolve 6. You need smart people to use AI smartly 7. AI's superpower: it can be everything you're not 8. AI changes jobs, it doesn't end them 9. Curiosity is the meta-skill 10. You don't have to be right all the time Soundbites:“Strategic planning should be something we all agree to. But setting a strategy should be something around 50% of people disagree with — because it's a decision about our future identity that everybody won't necessarily agree with.” — Dr Kate Meyrick, ~08:01 “The older I've got, the luckier I've felt — because I've lived through a period of incredible transformation, and I know it's possible to drive change if you know what kind of change you want to drive.” — Dr Kate Meyrick, ~04:03 Connect and Follow Dr Kate MeyrickLinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/dr-kate-meyrick-0394575Website: https://urbis.com.au/people/dr-kate-meyrick References & Resources:- THI (The Hornery Institute) — Kate is a former CEO: https://www.wearethi.org - The Urban Developer — where Kate has spoken on AI and city-making: https://www.theurbandeveloper.com - AI tools Kate used: Perplexity (https://www.perplexity.ai), Claude (https://claude.ai), ChatGPT (https://chatgpt.com). - Greater London Authority — the body London reconstituted to govern the city: https://www.london.gov.uk - Singapore's transformation — referenced as a city that reinvented itself. - Queensland 50-cent public transport fares; Brisbane busway; Brisbane 2032 and the South-East Queensland region. LET’S BE Inspired📸 https://www.facebook.com/beinspiredcommunity/📱https://www.linkedin.com/company/beinspiredpodcast📸https://www.instagram.com/beconnected_podcast/🎧 https://open.spotify.com/show/5DbuoR8Ztq3sGYa5rrKzq7🔗https://www.youtube.com/@BEInspiredPodcast🎵 https://www.tiktok.com/@beconnectedpodcast🌍My website - https://be-inspired.net
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    47 min
  • Industry Leaders EP12 with Hamish Davies

    Industry Leaders EP12 with Hamish Davies
    Jun 19 2026
    Episode Overview Seton Walsh-Rose sits down with Hamish Davies, a director of Plus Studio — the trans-Tasman practice (formerly Plus Architecture) whose Auckland and Christchurch studios he leads with business partner Matthew Charles. A New Zealand architect who grew up in rural Manawatu and built a career across Wellington, Ireland, Melbourne and Auckland, Hamish brings three decades of perspective and a refreshing lack of ego to the question of what architecture is actually for. Chapters:00:11 Welcome & Introduction 00:38 Who is Hamish / Plus Studio 01:51 Pacifica — NZ's Tallest Tower 03:19 From Manawatu to the World 05:12 Moving Between Markets 05:40 No States, ~70 Councils 07:10 Why Diversity of Typologies 09:55 Auckland, 2004 — 20+ Years On 11:11 Becoming a Director & the GFC 12:36 Economic Cycles 13:39 Graduating Into a Downturn 15:46 The Brain Drain 17:42 An International Profession 19:04 “Bring In Some Mates” 19:53 Practice Sizes 20:20 Selling Into a Multinational 23:26 Architecture Inside an Engineering Firm 24:24 Plus Architecture → Plus Studio 25:30 Place-Making 28:24 The Discretionary Profession 29:52 Master Builder to Slivers of Service 33:01 It's a People Game 33:22 Communications + Psychology 37:09 The Privilege of Legacy 41:17 Designing With Constraints 42:15 Firmness, Commodity & Delight 48:13 Passion, Performance & Sketching 50:36 AI & the Risk to the Craft 57:45 “Nothing New in Architecture” 1:02:10 Trades, the Olympics & What Won't Change 1:05:33 Book Recommendation & Close Key Takeaways:1. Architecture is a people business 2. Firmness, commodity and delight 3. The brain drain is real — but obsessing helps less than getting on with it 4. Bigger isn't always growth 5. The future is partnerships 6. Constraints beat a blank page 7. The fracturing of disciplines is a warning 8. Projects live or die on people 9. AI is a powerful tool — protect the craft 10. What won't changeSoundbites:“Architecture is all about people, really. It's all about humanity — understanding how people are thinking and giving them back those thoughts as a built representation.” — Hamish Davies, ~08:08 Connect and Follow Hamish DaviesLinkedIn: https://nz.linkedin.com/in/hamish-davies-31720796Website: https://www.plusstudio.co/References & Resources:- Matthew Charles — Hamish's business partner; leads the Plus Studio Christchurch office. - Creative Spaces — Auckland practice Hamish directed, later acquired by GHD. - GHD — global multidisciplinary firm: https://www.ghd.com - New Zealand Registered Architects Board (NZRAB): https://www.nzrab.nz - Dr Paul Walker — architecture theory lecturer (Victoria University of Wellington).- The Pacifica, Auckland — New Zealand's tallest residential tower, by Plus Studio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pacifica_(Auckland) - Closer Economic Relations (CER) — the Australia–New Zealand agreement behind trans-Tasman work rights: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia%E2%80%93New_Zealand_Closer_Economic_Relations_Trade_Agreement - Vitruvius / 'firmness, commodity and delight' (De architectura): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_architectura - Frank Lloyd Wright & Fallingwater / Johnson Wax — referenced on engineering and cantilevers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallingwater - Revit, AutoCAD, ArchiCAD, SketchUp, Microstation — the design-software timeline discussed. Book Recommendation (from Hamish): - One Hundred Years of Solitude — Gabriel García Márquez: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Hundred_Years_of_Solitude LET’S BE Inspired📸 https://www.facebook.com/beinspiredcommunity/📱https://www.linkedin.com/company/beinspiredpodcast📸https://www.instagram.com/beconnected_podcast/🎧 https://open.spotify.com/show/5DbuoR8Ztq3sGYa5rrKzq7🔗https://www.youtube.com/@BEInspiredPodcast🎵 https://www.tiktok.com/@beconnectedpodcast🌍My website - https://be-inspired.net
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    1 h et 7 min
  • Industry Leaders EP10 with Matthew Mackey

    Industry Leaders EP10 with Matthew Mackey
    Jun 6 2026

    Episode Overview Seton Walsh-Rose sits down with Matthew Mackey — National Service Lead for Cost & Commercial Management at Arcadis and founder of Property Leaders Brisbane. Originally from the north of England, Matthew arrived in Brisbane in 2010 knowing no one, stepping down from a director role in Manchester to a senior cost manager position to crack a new market. Sixteen years on, he leads a national cost team he built from two people to twenty-five, and founded one of Queensland's most active industry communities. This conversation was recorded days before he returned to the UK for good. Chapters:00:10 Welcome & Introduction 00:23 The Role & Building the Team 01:39 From Preston to Brisbane 04:28 UK vs Australian QS 06:30 Founding Property Leaders Brisbane 11:16 First Thursday Club & the Shovel Podcast 14:40 Real Business Development 17:42 “Hard to Get Into Brisbane” 21:34 The Cost Story Nobody Believes 23:30 2023: +14.5% in a Single Year 25:44 The Quiet Market & Predictions to 2032 28:34 Labour, Trades & the Tier-One Squeeze 34:07 “No Silver Bullet” — The 15 Levers 38:29 Politics, Election Cycles & Surety 42:35 Why We Don't Build Homes Like Cars 46:00 Who's Doing Modular Well 47:44 Why Government Must Drive the Market 51:18 AI in Construction — Desk vs Site 54:08 The Three-Tier Labour Market & Unions 57:05 $250k Trades & What Drives Cost 58:13 Book Recommendation 59:09 Reflections & Thanks Key Takeaways 1. Relationships are the real pipeline 2. Business development is consistency, not lead-counting 3. The cost number nobody believes 4. The quiet market is the calm before the storm 5. There's no silver bullet — there are ~15 levers 6. You can't get production-line economics from one-off thinking 7. Certainty unlocks investment — and government must move first 8. AI changes the desk before it changes the site 9. Labour, not materials, is the real 2032 bottleneck 10. Leadership is a skill you keep earning Soundbites:“It's very hard to get into Brisbane when you're in Brisbane if you don't have relationships.” “If you're going to build relationships you will get opportunities ultimately, but it's not overnight — it's being consistent in that approach. And for me, that's what business development is.” “From about 2000 to 2019, construction costs year on year went up by about one to one and a half percent.” Connect and Follow Matthew MackeyLinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/mattmackeyWebsite: https://www.arcadis.com/References & Resources:Neil Gull — Matthew's long-time colleague who joined him to start Arcadis' Australian cost business in 2017. Mitchell Brandtman — Brisbane quantity surveying firm Matthew first joined on arriving in Australia. RICS — Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (UK professional body). AIQS — Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (https://www.aiqs.com.au). Brisbane 2032 Olympic & Paralympic Games — the infrastructure pipeline driving the conversation. Queen's Wharf Brisbane — major project referenced re labour competition and trades being poached.Cross River Rail — referenced re repeated business cases across changes of government. Queensland productivity / infrastructure review — referenced; Property Leaders contributed recommendations on pipeline surety. MMC — Modern Methods of Construction (umbrella term for prefab, modular, panelised and volumetric building). DFMA — Design for Manufacture and Assembly. ECI — Early Contractor Involvement. GMP — Guaranteed Maximum Price. GFC — Global Financial Crisis (the catalyst for Matthew's move to Australia).LET’S BE Inspired📸 https://www.facebook.com/beinspiredcommunity/📱https://www.linkedin.com/company/beinspiredpodcast📸https://www.instagram.com/beconnected_podcast/🎧 https://open.spotify.com/show/5DbuoR8Ztq3sGYa5rrKzq7🔗https://www.youtube.com/@BEInspiredPodcast🎵 https://www.tiktok.com/@beconnectedpodcast🌍My website - https://be-inspired.net
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    1 h
  • Industry Leaders EP09 with Michael Bailey

    Industry Leaders EP09 with Michael Bailey
    May 29 2026
    Episode Overview Seton Walsh-Rose sits down with Michael Bailey — Director of Open Architecture Studio in Brisbane, a team of nearly 20 with a growing integrated office in the Philippines. Michael's practice is built around community and social infrastructure: education, tourism, arts and culture, and sport. He's one of the most tech-forward architecture leaders in the Queensland market — actively experimenting with AI across hiring, project management, QA, and business operations — and one of the most candid about what it means for the profession. Chapters00:10 Welcome & Introduction 00:42 Open Architecture Studio — Who They Are 01:06 The Philippines Team — Integrated, Not Outsourced 03:30 Sector Deep Dive — Education, Tourism, Sport 06:38 Queensland Market Landscape — Two Client Buckets 08:35 Brisbane Apartment Prices Overtaking Sydney 12:11 Brisbane vs Sydney/Melbourne Design Culture 13:05 The Queensland Government's Can-Do Attitude 16:23 Challenges Ahead — Inflation, Costs, Government Budgets 21:35 AI in Architecture — What's Already Happening 24:16 What AI Won't Replace — Discernment and Trust 26:12 Architecture and Project Management Converging 32:42 How Open Architecture Uses AI Internally 34:39 QA by AI — The Reality Check 38:54 The 100-Person Practice Parallel 40:44 What Won't Change — Relationships and the Sixth Sense 46:05 Starting Every Project With the Right Intention 47:04 Wrap-Up Key Takeaways:1. Build your practice around genuine passion — clients feel it 2. An integrated international team is very different from outsourcing 3. Queensland's pragmatic, can-do culture is a competitive advantage 4. AI is already changing the edges of the profession — now 5. What AI won't replace: discernment, trust, and the sixth sense 6. Architecture and project management will converge 7. A 20-person practice in 2030 will deliver what 100 did a decade ago 8. Internal AI implementation is a competitive advantage right now 9. Start every project with the right intention 10. The relationship is the irreplaceable thing Soundbites:"I look forward to an architectural practice of 20 or 30 being the equivalent of a 100-person practice from only a decade ago. There will be pressure on fees, but along with that comes the ability to deliver more." "If you deliver great work but you're offensive in the way that you do it, I don't think you're going to build a great reputation. The ones that have that sixth sense — supported by AI — will deliver even more exciting spaces, if they're not value managed out." Connect and Follow Michael BaileyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-bailey-architect/Website: https://www.openarchitecturestudio.com.auReferences & Resources:• Claude — Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com • Google Gemini: https://gemini.google.com • Brisbane 2032: https://www.brisbane2032.com.au • BPO — Business Process Outsourcing. Rejected in favour of an integrated international team model. • DNC / ECI — Design and Construct / Early Contractor Involvement. Referenced as common procurement models in the Queensland market. • LMS — Learning Management System. Implemented by Open Architecture, connected to task management and QA systems via AI. • Value management — contractor and client-side cost reduction process referenced in context of inflation and budget pressure. LET’S BE Inspired📸 https://www.facebook.com/beinspiredcommunity/📱https://www.linkedin.com/company/beinspiredpodcast📸https://www.instagram.com/beconnected_podcast/🎧 https://open.spotify.com/show/5DbuoR8Ztq3sGYa5rrKzq7🔗https://www.youtube.com/@BEInspiredPodcast🌍My website - https://be-inspired.net
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    48 min
  • Growing Beyond | Industry Leaders Series EP08 with Lynette Apostolou

    Growing Beyond | Industry Leaders Series EP08 with Lynette Apostolou
    May 22 2026

    Episode Overview

    Seton Walsh-Rose sits down with Lynette Apostolou — CEO of Jackson Teece, a 50-year-old architecture practice with offices in Brisbane, Sydney, Japan, and a satellite presence in China and Taiwan. Lynette is on her second stint at Jackson Teece (eight months in, having doubled the business) and brings one of the most commercially rounded careers in Australian architecture: residential, DNC, council, construction, practice management, and now executive leadership.


    Chapters:

    00:10 Welcome & Introduction

    00:49 Jackson Teece Today

    02:07 The Asia Opportunity

    04:18 Cross-Sector Exposure for Staff

    06:38 The Sweet Spots: Scaling an Architecture Firm

    12:32 Succession Across Generations

    15:26 Doubling the Business in 8 Months

    17:09 Teaching Juniors to Win Work Early

    20:39 BD as a Mindset, Not a Chore

    21:59 Lynette's Career — The Full Journey

    28:17 What Running Your Own DNC Taught Her

    29:04 Listening as the Foundation of Everything

    30:53 AI — Tool, Not Replacement

    31:52 The Next Generation Challenge

    37:14 The Opportunities Ahead

    40:55 Book/Podcast Recommendation


    Key Takeaways

    1. Architecture firms have exact headcount sweet spots

    2. The diamond, not the pyramid

    3. Succession is a discipline, not a conversation

    4. Teach juniors to win work from the first day

    5. BD is about securing great opportunities — not selling

    6. Empathy is the foundation of every client relationship

    7. Asia is Australia's underutilised architectural opportunity

    8. AI is a tool — the risk is not using it well

    9. The next 20 years are a boom — if you're positioned for it

    10. Women in leadership: the work isn't done


    Soundbites

    • "The first thing I would say is listen to your client. Try and understand what it really is that they're after. And then say to them: is this what you want? If there's no empathy there, then you're the architect and they're the client — and there's no relationship."
    • "After the meeting, have a meeting after the meeting. Ask the engineer: what else have you got on your books? Do you have an architect on that project? When they start to hear that, they will associate you with someone who wants to win work."
    • "What I'm finding is some real star architects, but the majority are finding it very difficult to find a job. They'll say: I can't get a job because I don't have experience, but I can't get experience if I don't have a job. These practices need to give staff a chance — even if it's a three month internship."


    References & Resources

    -Alec Tzannes — Principal, Tzannes Associates https://www.tzannes.com.au

    -David Chesterman — Former Jackson Teece director

    -McConnell Smith & Johnson — Sydney-based practice where Lynette spent many years; AJC and Jackson Teece both emerged from MSJ.

    -The Future Women — https://futurewomen.com

    -Bradfield City Centre: https://www.bradfield.nsw.gov.au

    -Brisbane 2032: https://www.brisbane2032.com.au

    -Genton Architecture: https://www.genton.com.au

    -AJC Architecture — practice Lynette worked at between her two stints at Jackson Teece.

    -SONA — AIA: https://www.architecture.com.au/community/sona


    Connect and Follow Lynette Apostolou

    LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/lynette-apostolou-a16059134

    Website: https://www.jacksonteece.com


    LET’S BE Connected

    📸 https://www.facebook.com/beinspiredcommunity/

    📱https://www.linkedin.com/company/beinspiredpodcast

    📸https://www.instagram.com/beconnected_podcast/

    🎧 https://open.spotify.com/show/5DbuoR8Ztq3sGYa5rrKzq7

    🔗https://www.youtube.com/@BEInspiredPodcast

    🎵 https://www.tiktok.com/@beconnectedpodcast

    🌍My website - https://be-inspired.net
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    43 min
  • Growing Beyond | Industry Leaders Series EP07 with Dino Vrynios

    Growing Beyond | Industry Leaders Series EP07 with Dino Vrynios
    May 15 2026
    Episode OverviewSeton Walsh-Rose sits down with Dino Vrynios — Managing Director of Das Studio, the Adelaide-based architecture practice he runs with his wife and co-founder Sarah. Dino's journey is one of the most textured in the series: nanotechnology student turned nightclub operator turned architect, who worked through the GFC, had a burnout breakdown in 2017, walked away from a directorship, and built Das from a front room in Parkside to a 20-person practice delivering $55 million projects. Chapters00:11 Welcome & Introduction 00:34 Nanotechnology, Nightclubs & Architecture 02:56 GFC Hustling & Early Career 04:24 Dimity Anderson Architects & Award-Winning Residential 05:45 Grieve Gillett Anderson — The Key Mentors 08:14 Burnout, Breakdown & the Wake-Up Call 12:33 The Intervention & Walking Away 15:55 Das Studio — The Origin Story 17:40 Advice for Graduates in a Tough Market 20:52 Das Today — Modern Methods of Construction 25:18 The Jack Hobbs McConnell Fellowship 27:47 ESCA — Five-Star Off-Grid Tourism Cabins 29:51 Remote Health & Aboriginal Communities 38:57 Scale: From 2M to 300M Projects 43:43 The MMC Spectrum — Volumetric, Hybrid, Kit of Parts 48:01 Tonsley Technical College — The Arc Closes 50:49 Why Modular Doesn't Stack Up in Urban Contexts (Yet) 56:53 Architecture for the 1% vs Impact at Scale 1:05:29 The Future of Architecture — Phase Zero & AI 1:11:37 JVs as Strategy — Partnering With Wardle 1:18:08 Book Recommendations & Wrap-Up Connect and Follow Dino VryniosLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dinovrynios/Website: https://das-studio.com.auReferences & Resources (from Dino):-Mariana Mazzucato: https://marianamazzucato.com-Mission Economy: https://www.amazon.com/Mission-Economy-Moo...-Dan Hill — Dark Matter and Trojan Horses: https://strelkapress.com/products/dark-mat...-2022 National Tour Review https://www.architecture.com.au/wp-content...-Sara Horstmann — Co-founder, Das Studio. Background in architecture and industrial design.-John Hill — Former Member for Kaurna, SA Labor Cabinet Minister. Credited as the catalyst for Dino's modular obsession.-Dimitty Andersen — Dimitty Andersen Architects, Adelaide — early career mentor.-Steve Grieve & Paul Gillett — Grieve Gillett Andersen, Adelaide — key career mentors.-Shannon — Das Studio Architect who won the Jack Hobbs McConnell Travelling Fellowship (2025) researching the future of practice.-Jack Hobbs McConnell Travelling Fellowship — AIA SA: https://din949.wixsite.com/jhmtf-ESCA — Dino's self-funded modular off-grid tourism brand (McLaren Vale, SA)-Royal Flying Doctor Service — Maree clinic project ($3 million volumetric modular, 800km north of Adelaide) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKq9ulrqGaU-Future Forum - https://www.future-forum.com.au/-Dave Sharp - https://open.spotify.com/show/140w2NlhHmMH...-Yadu Health — Aboriginal health organisation, Ceduna SA-Purple House — Aboriginal community dialysis organisation. Das partner for remote renal dialysis clinics.-Purple House - https://www.purplehouse.org.au-Tonsley Innovation District — https://www.tonsley.com-Tonsley Technical College - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2dAPihMRbo-Flinders University — https://www.flinders.edu.au-Hickenbotham Group — https://www.hickenbotham.com.au-WSP — https://www.wsp.com/en-au-Wardle Studio — https://wardle.studio/-Modscape – https://modscape.com.au/-Arkit - https://arkit.com.au/-Hickory - https://www.hickory.com.au/-Sensum - https://www.sensum.com.au/LET’S BE Connected📸 https://www.facebook.com/beinspiredcommunity/📱https://www.linkedin.com/company/beinspiredpodcast📸https://www.instagram.com/beconnected_podcast/🎧 https://open.spotify.com/show/5DbuoR8Ztq3sGYa5rrKzq7🔗https://www.youtube.com/@BEInspiredPodcast🎵 https://www.tiktok.com/@beconnectedpodcast🌍My website - https://be-inspired.net
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    1 h et 20 min
  • Growing Beyond | Industry Leaders Series EP06 with Toby Ewert

    Growing Beyond | Industry Leaders Series EP06 with Toby Ewert
    May 13 2026
    Episode SummarySeton Walsh-Rose sits down with Toby Ewert — architect, co-founder of Ewert Leaf (60 staff, 14 years), co-founder of Landchecker (a proptech sold successfully to an investor), and now founder of Ewert Advisory and a co-working space called Two and a Half. Four years ago, Toby was diagnosed with a Type 2 glioma brain tumour. He’s had two craniotomies, stopped drinking, stepped away from the firm he built, and rebuilt his life around what actually matters. This episode covers Toby’s entrepreneurial journey, the Landchecker proptech exit, what a brain tumour taught him about burnout and identity, AI’s role in architecture, the wellness revolution in professional services, and his philosophy for business advisory: do it with people, not for them. Episode Chapters00:11 Welcome & Introduction00:51 The Beginning: Hospitality Design & Leaf Architecture02:18 Growing to 60 People in 14 Years05:11 Landchecker: The Proptech Story09:13 The Brain Tumour Diagnosis18:47 The Craniotomy — Awake Brain Surgery23:12 The Brain Cancer Research Connection24:06 Post-Surgery: Personality Changes & Recovery26:07 Rebuilding: Stepping Away From Leaf28:28 Ewert Advisory & Two and a Half31:26 Do It With, Not For36:51 Constraints & Productivity43:41 Burnout in Architecture Firms46:25 Authenticity & Transparency in Leadership49:25 Construction Industry Challenges50:24 AI in Architecture: Opportunity & Threat54:11 The Tech Advisor Problem58:03 Wellness, Longevity & the New Work Model1:01:13 Book Recommendation & Wrap-UpKey TakeawaysDon’t wait for something bad to happen to change directionDo it with people — not for themIdentity and business are dangerously intertwined in architectureConstraints make you better, not worseThe real AI opportunity in architecture is back-office and reportingAI moves faster than most firms can keep upThe construction market isn’t collapsing — it’s sortingBurnout is a culture problem, not a personal failingWellness is now a business strategyYour legacy is not your firmSound Bites / Quotes:“I learned that I was heading in the wrong direction. Unfortunately it takes something bad to happen for us to change. Don’t wait. You’re ahead of it. You’re in control of it.” “I’m not going to rescue you. I’m going to give you the processes I’ve learned over time. Do it with you, not for you.” “I spent two years trying to find my feet. Am I an architect? No. What am I if I’m not Leaf? I don’t really know.” Connect and Follow Toby EwertLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/toby-ewert-b715a41b/⁠Website: ⁠www.ewertadvisory.com.au⁠References & ResourcesCompanies & Projects Referenced: Ewert Leaf — Toby's former 60-person Melbourne architecture firm (co-founded, since departed) Landchecker — proptech platform (sold): https://www.landchecker.com.au Health & Research Organisations: WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute) — Brain Cancer Research Centre, Melbourne https://www.wehi.edu.au/research/research-fields/cancer/brain-cancer Professor Misty Jenkins — WEHI immunotherapy researcher, Toby's research team connection https://www.wehi.edu.au/people/misty-jenkins Carrie Bickmore's Beanies 4 Brain Cancer — charitable initiative referenced in episode https://www.beanies4braincancer.com.au Brain Foundation — Glioma Overview: https://brainfoundation.org.au/brain-tumour/glioma Concepts Referenced: Craniotomy — better health Victoria: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/craniotomyProptech Association Australia: https://proptechassociation.com.au LET’S BE Inspired 📸 https://www.facebook.com/beinspiredcommunity/📱https://www.linkedin.com/company/beinspiredpodcast📸https://www.instagram.com/beconnected_podcast/🎧 https://open.spotify.com/show/5DbuoR8Ztq3sGYa5rrKzq7🔗https://www.youtube.com/@BEInspiredPodcast🎵 https://www.tiktok.com/@beconnectedpodcast🌍My website - https://be-inspired.net
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    1 h et 4 min
  • Growing Beyond | Industry Leaders Series EP05 with Scott Clements

    Growing Beyond | Industry Leaders Series EP05 with Scott Clements
    May 1 2026
    Episode Overview Seton Walsh-Rose sits down with Scott Clements — Managing Director of Inertia Engineering, a 70-person civil, structural and flood engineering firm based in Brisbane with over 20 years of operation. Scott is at the forefront of applying AI to land subdivision and earthworks design, having partnered with software company Civics to develop a tool that is fundamentally changing the speed and economics of development feasibility in Southeast Queensland. The conversation covers Scott's unlikely path from civil engineer to sales and marketing to business founder, Inertia's culture-first approach to growth, the real-world impact of their AI earthworks software, the skills graduates will need in a world of automation, Queensland's construction opportunity and labour crisis, and the untapped potential of modular construction in Australia. Chapters:00:10 Welcome & Introduction 00:45 What Inertia Engineering Does 02:10 Scott's Career Journey 05:30 The Marketing Lesson Every Technical Person Needs 07:00 Culture, Values & Keeping the Fun 09:30 The AI Earthworks Software 11:00 The Real Value: Speed, Options & Savings 14:00 How the AI Actually Works 17:00 SMEs vs Large Firms in an AI World 19:30 Skills for the Future: What Won't Be Replaced 23:00 Queensland's Construction Opportunity 25:30 Queensland's Labour Crisis 29:00 Modular Construction: The Underutilised Opportunity 33:00 Book Recommendation & Wrap-Up Key Takeaways: 1. Doing a great job is only half the battle 2. Don't put your head in the sand on AI 3. AI gives engineers back their creativity 4. Speed + options = competitive advantage 5. The savings are real and quantifiable 6. Master the fundamentals before you direct the AI Soundbites "Doing a good job is only half the battle. You've got to tell people about it too." "Stop putting your head in the sand. Work out what you can do with AI and what you can achieve. If you don't, there are businesses that will go through a Blockbuster or Kodak moment." "They can think more creatively: how do I get a better layout? How do I change criteria to get the best result? That creative mind switch is what brings us happiness." Connect and Follow Scott ClementsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-clements-a0093915/Website: https://inertiaeng.com.au/References & Resources Civics — AI earthworks and civil design software (partner in Inertia's AI platform) https://www.civics.com.au Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us — Daniel Pink - https://www.amazon.com/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivates/dp/1594484805 Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs — referenced in the context of housing vs immigration policy priorities https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html PsiQuantum — https://www.psiquantum.com UDIA Queensland — https://www.udiaqld.com.au Blockbuster / Kodak LET’S BE Connected📸 https://www.facebook.com/beinspiredcommunity/📱https://www.linkedin.com/company/beinspiredpodcast📸https://www.instagram.com/beconnected_podcast/🎧 https://open.spotify.com/show/5DbuoR8Ztq3sGYa5rrKzq7🔗https://www.youtube.com/@BEInspiredPodcast🎵 https://www.tiktok.com/@beconnectedpodcast🌍My website - https://be-connected.co/
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    39 min