I've been thinking about starting a podcast for a while now. And building a website. And sharing more of the ideas and questions that have been occupying my mind lately.
I've also spent plenty of time thinking about all the things I should probably figure out first. What's the plan? Who's the audience? What exactly am I trying to accomplish? Do I have enough to say? And perhaps the most intimidating question of all: Who am I to be doing this?
I'm an architect, a business leader, and a mom of three. I've spent much of my adult life building a career, raising a family, and working toward the next milestone. Along the way, I've become increasingly curious about something that reaches beyond any one of those roles: What makes a life well lived? And how much influence do we actually have over the lives we're creating?
As an architect, I've spent my career thinking about how the environments we design influence the way people live, work, learn, and connect. But I've come to appreciate that our environments extend far beyond the buildings we occupy. They're our habits, relationships, communities, workplaces, and the countless little choices that make up our days. We shape these environments, and they shape us right back.
That idea has become something I can't stop exploring. It's also the inspiration behind my new podcast, Shaped by Design.
The funny thing is, my first podcast recording wasn't supposed to be a podcast at all. I was driving, had an idea I wanted to capture, and started recording a voice memo. Just some thoughts about what I might want to talk about someday. When I listened back, I realized that the messy, spontaneous recording captured something I might have lost if I'd tried to script it perfectly: my excitement, my curiosity, and the reason I wanted to do this in the first place.
So I decided to share it. Not because it was polished, but because it was genuine.
I've been thinking a lot about the difference between preparing thoughtfully and waiting until we feel ready. In architecture, we know that great ideas rarely emerge fully formed. They evolve through curiosity, experimentation, collaboration, and the willingness to put something on paper before we know exactly where it will lead. Yet somehow, when it comes to our own lives, we can convince ourselves that we need a complete plan before we're allowed to begin.
Maybe that's backward. Maybe the clarity we're waiting for is something we discover through the act of creating.
So here it is: a new website, a new podcast, a few ideas I'm excited to share, and plenty I haven't figured out yet. I don't know exactly what this will become, and for once, I'm trying to be comfortable with that. I'm giving myself permission to explore, experiment, change my mind, and enjoy the process.
This is what it looks like to start before you feel ready. And I'm excited to find out what happens next.
Introducing Shaped by Design
Shape What Shapes You.
My new podcast is a place for curious conversations, personal stories, and exploring the ways we influence our environments—and how they influence us in return. We'll talk about everything from habits and human behavior to relationships, leadership, creativity, and what it means to build a life that helps us flourish.
Listen to the trailer on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Follow along on Instagram.
