
068: Dr. Angie Scott: Researching Interior Design's Influence on Psychological and Social Well-Being
Angie Scott, Ph.D., Allied IIDA, and Allied ASID, is a well-known expert regarding well-being and inclusive design in the built environment. She is the CEO, Principal Design Researcher, and Strategist at Culturwell. Through evidence-based design and strategy, her consultancy aims to improve retention, sense of belonging, and well-being in built environments by collaborating with innovative leaders in architecture, healthcare, housing, and education. Her previous positions include the Community Concept Lead and creator of the WELL Equity Rating at IWBI, and a tenure-track professor of interior design. We talk about: - Angie’s multiple advanced degrees and in what ways each has deepened her multidisciplinary understanding of the impacts of interior design.- We next chat about the science of neuroaesthetics and how design can influence stress, emotional regulation, and overall human experience.- We dive into Angie’s significant contributions to the creation of the WELL Equity Rating and how it integrates inclusive design strategies to promote health equity.- We end by talking about Angie’s design consultancy, how she advises organizations through evidence-based strategies, and her key takeaways from 2025’s NeoCon.Connect with Angie: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/angelita-scott-phd-503a5041Connect with Architectette:- Website: www.architectette.com (Learn more)- Instagram: @architectette (See more)- Newsletter: www.architectette.com/newsletter (Behind the Scenes Content)- LinkedIn: The Architectette Podcast Page and/or Caitlin BradySupport Architectette:- Leave us a rating and review!Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay.
Sep 22, 2025
40 min

Today we’re chatting with Robin Raines. Robin brings over 30 years of architectural expertise to Rowhouse Architects, focusing on affordable housing, adaptive reuse, and historic preservation. Today she resides in Asheville, NC but is originally from Grundy, Virginia, Robin proudly calls herself “a coal miner’s daughter,” embracing her Appalachian roots.She discovered her passion for architecture at Virginia Tech, where she earned her degree and began her mission to design spaces that truly make a difference.We talk about: - Robin Raines shares her experience in Asheville during and after Hurricane Helene, including the loss of historic buildings in the River Arts District and the challenges of rebuilding.- We discuss the architectural community’s role in recovery, from zoning changes to master planning and what are the opportunities to shape a more resilient future.- We then talk about Robin’s work as an architect in Asheville and how context-sensitive infill projects and missing middle housing can provide more affordable, livable options.- Robin shares how her journey to becoming majority owner at Rowhouse Architects started with a plate of spaghetti and she also shares the importance of support from her peer networks as she has risen in leadership in her career. ____Links:Rowhouse on IG: https://www.instagram.com/rowhouse_arch/Rowhouse Architects Website: https://rowhouse-architects.com/Robin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-raines-b0057135/Robin/ Asheville/ Hurricane Helene: https://styleblueprint.com/everyday/robin-raines-rowhouse-architects/?fbclid=IwY2xjawKgPRJleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETE3NFM4UUU2dXFJOXJDeEN0AR41fSr49iojMgPPc-PbOrZqz7mFS6jVRuQwFM7FZPMyDmnF0erpDunNVTDGTQ_aem_m8BbaGQTGvWKQoh7lmKnrgConnect with Architectette:- Website: www.architectette.com (Learn more)- Instagram: @architectette (See more)- Newsletter: www.architectette.com/newsletter (Behind the Scenes Content)- LinkedIn: The Architectette Podcast Page and/or Caitlin BradySupport Architectette:- Leave us a rating and review!Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay.
Sep 8, 2025
40 min

On today’s episode we welcome Bethany Lundell Garver. Beth is Dean of Practice at the Boston Architectural College, where she oversees college-wide courses and career programs that connect academic knowledge to real-world challenges. She directs the Gateway Office BAC, an innovative "community-based design uncenter" that expands design agency through civic engagement. Before joining the BAC in 2014, she spent many years with Rafael Viñoly Architects, working on significant laboratory and healthcare projects. She was recently recognized with the 2025 AIA/ACSA Practice and Leadership Award and the 2024 AIA Young Architects Award. Beth also maintains a Somerville-based design studio focused on architectural research and practice.We talk about:- The importance of pairing an education in architecture with real-world experience and how the BAC has designed and built a robust curriculum that balances academics with required hours in areas of practice.- We make comparisons to NCARB’s AXP program and Beth shares what her peers in education are thinking regarding licensure pathways and accreditation to broaden access to the profession.- We discuss the current state of studio culture, encouraging “good enough” design over perfectionism, and how Beth, as an educator, prepares students to manage their time effectively while maintaining work-life balance.- We end by talking about a growing emphasis on designing for material reuse and how the BAC challenges traditional “infinite materials” assumptions, teaches adaptive, resource-conscious design practices, and collaborates with community partners. ____Links:Connect with Beth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beth-lundell-garver/Learn about the BAC: go-bac.orgMore about the BAC: https://www.acsa-arch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/BLG-AT-MS-TMB-PL-2025Awards-5.pdfConnect with Architectette:- Website: www.architectette.com (Learn more)- Instagram: @architectette (See more)- Newsletter: www.architectette.com/newsletter (Behind the Scenes Content)- LinkedIn: The Architectette Podcast Page and/or Caitlin BradySupport Architectette:- Leave us a rating and review!Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay.
Aug 25, 2025
45 min

Welcome to a special bonus episode of Architectette!In this compilation episode, our 2025 Architectette guests share the advice they would give themselves at two pivotal points in their careers: just starting out, and after a decade of experience. Whether you're fresh out of school or navigating your mid-career chapter, this episode offers honest insights, lessons learned, and encouragement from women who’ve been there. Tune in for a thoughtful reflection on growth, grit, and what really matters in the long arc of an architecture career.Connect with Architectette:- Website: www.architectette.com (Learn more)- Instagram: @architectette (See more)- Newsletter: www.architectette.com/newsletter (Behind the Scenes Content)- LinkedIn: The Architectette Podcast Page and/or Caitlin BradySupport Architectette:- Leave us a rating and review!Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay.
Aug 18, 2025
23 min

On today’s episode of Architectette we’re chatting with fellow architect and podcaster, Catherine Meng, AIA. Catherine is an architect and project manager at DLR Group in San Francisco. She received her Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell University, and previously worked in both Shanghai and New York City. She has built a career designing and leading projects ranging from high-end single-family residences to multi-family housing, as well as workplace and commercial design. She is also the host and founder of the Design Voice Podcast which was active from 2018 through 2022. We talk about: - Catherine’s unusual solution to finding work during the 2009 recession and how landing a job in China helped her to level up her CA experience and helped to boost her career once she returned to the US.- We also chat about the Design Voice Podcast; the importance of being intentional when making guest selections and insights she learned over 80 episodes.- We next reflect on her experiences balancing career growth with motherhood- what it was like to return after parental leave and how she successfully advocated for a workplace wellness room her office’s renovation.- Most importantly, Catherine shares actionable strategies for cultivating mentorship. We talk about her mentors, how she plans for her career, and how she applies lessons learned from her mentors to her own role as a mentor to help elevate future leaders at her firm.____Links:Connect with Catherine: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherinewmeng/Design Voice Podcast: https://www.designvoicepodcast.com/Connect with Architectette:- Website: www.architectette.com (Learn more)- Instagram: @architectette (See more)- Newsletter: www.architectette.com/newsletter (Behind the Scenes Content)- LinkedIn: The Architectette Podcast Page and/or Caitlin BradySupport Architectette:- Leave us a rating and review!Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay.
Aug 11, 2025
43 min

Evon Calabrese, Assoc. AIA, EDAC, is a healthcare designer at NBBJ with a focus on evidence-based and trauma-informed design. Throughout her career, she has specialized in environmental psychology, inclusive design, design justice, and research. Her professional work includes notable contributions to substance use disorder facilities, college counseling centers, and health clinics, all focused on enhancing patient care and supporting mental health services. Evon is part of the Trauma-informed Design Society Research team and has an evidence-based design certification from the Center for Healthcare Design.We talk about: - The decision process for the selection of her dual degrees in architecture, the challenges she faced finding the right fit in the workforce after graduating, and the balance of mental health and studying for the AREs. - Her experiences working in healthcare architecture and Evon shares stories about smoking policies, shelter and exposure in healthcare spaces, AI inspiration images, and the best ways to solicit user feedback. - The power of selecting a specialty early in her career and how she has leaned into involvement with professional organizations such as AIA, the Oregon Design Conference, and the Trauma-informed design society and how they have helped her build leadership skills and connect her to other experts in the field.____Links:Connect with Evon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evon-calabrese-edac-23225b54/Connect with Architectette:- Website: www.architectette.com (Learn more)- Instagram: @architectette (See more)- Newsletter: www.architectette.com/newsletter (Behind the Scenes Content)- LinkedIn: The Architectette Podcast Page and/or Caitlin BradySupport Architectette:- Leave us a rating and review!Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay.
Jul 28, 2025
49 min

Carina Mills, AIA serves as Senior Talent Director and Senior Associate for RDC-S111, Inc, a group of design firms including: RDC, DyeLot Interiors and Studio One Eleven. Carina is the rising President of AIA California, currently serving her term as of 2025. She is a graduate of Cal Poly Pomona’s BArch program and began her service to AIA as soon as she moved to Long Beach and joined the local chapter. Carina began her career dedicated to developing her skills as a technical architect, and as her career path has evolved, she has taken on leadership roles to support practice improvements. Carina has great love for the architecture profession coupled with a tenacious commitment to continuously evolving aspects of it, such as her passion for making the profession more inclusive and equitable.We talk about: - Carina’s transition from a technical architect to leading a firm-wide role focused on culture, training, and staff development- How speaking up for junior staff and challenging the status quo positioned her as both an advocate and internal leader; helping her to lead initiatives to replace outdated learning models with intentional coaching structures and peer mentorship programs which support emerging professionals.- How her firm stayed connected and resilient through remote work by investing in mental health, flexible policies, and virtual engagement to maintain a strong firm culture- As the current President of AIA California, Carina discusses her leadership across local and statewide levels and how she advances initiatives that support culture change, climate action, digital innovation, and advocacy within the profession____Links:Connect with Carina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carinamills/AIA CA's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiacalif/Carina's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/architect_carina/RDC: https://www.instagram.com/rdc.collab/AIA CA Website: AIA California – The Voice of Architecture in CaliforniaConnect with Architectette:- Website: www.architectette.com (Learn more)- Instagram: @architectette (See more)- Newsletter: www.architectette.com/newsletter (Behind the Scenes Content)- LinkedIn: The Architectette Podcast Page and/or Caitlin BradySupport Architectette:- Leave us a rating and review!Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay.
Jul 14, 2025
48 min

Sydnor Elkins is a licensed architect and the Senior Director of Design and Construction at the Eames Institute. With over 20 years of experience in architecture, her rigorous approach to problem-solving and curiosity drive her pursuit of creating spaces and structures with lasting impact.We talk about:- We start with Sydnor’s early inspiration—how growing up in a creative family and attending NC State’s Design Camp sparked her passion for architecture.- She then describes her decision to leave architectural practice, the stigma of stepping away, and what drew her to the mission of the Eames Institute.- Next, Sydnor shares what it’s like designing for a living archive, and how the institute brings Ray and Charles Eames’ principles—like curiosity and the guest-host relationship—into everyday work.- Lastly, Sydnor reflects on how working alongside the Eames legacy has influenced her home life, creative process, and long-term outlook on design.This episode is for anyone navigating career pivots or seeking inspiration at the intersection of design, legacy, and innovation.____Links:https://www.eamesinstitute.org/ranch/https://www.instagram.com/eamesinstitute/https://www.dezeen.com/2024/08/01/eames-institute-headquarters-archive-california/https://www.instagram.com/sydnorelkins/Connect with Architectette:- Website: www.architectette.com (Learn more)- Instagram: @architectette (See more)- Newsletter: www.architectette.com/newsletter (Behind the Scenes Content)- LinkedIn: The Architectette Podcast Page and/or Caitlin BradySupport Architectette:- Leave us a rating and review!Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay.
Jun 30, 2025
38 min

Today’s bonus episode features the youngest licensed architect in the United States!Emily Almloff is a 2024 graduate from the University of Kansas with a Masters of Architecture and Masters of Construction Management degree. She is a Healthcare Architect with HFG Architecture where she works on hospitals throughout the Midwest. Her interests are focused on ways that the built environment can create a positive impact through crisis response, healthcare architecture, and affordable housing. We talk about her education, work, and her incredible effort to get through all 6 AREs and secure her license at 22. ____Links: Connect with Emily: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-almloff/____Connect with Architectette:- Website:www.architectette.com (Learn more)- Instagram:@architectette (See more)- Newsletter:www.architectette.com/newsletter (Behind the Scenes Content)- LinkedIn:The Architectette Podcast Page and/orCaitlin BradySupport Architectette:- Leave us a rating and review!-PatreonMusic byAlexGrohl fromPixabay.
Jun 23, 2025
18 min

Shadia Jaramillo is an architect at Goodwyn Mills Cawood in Pensacola, Florida. Originally from Panama, she moved to the United States in 2013 to pursue a career in architecture. Shadia is deeply committed to community engagement both in person and online and uses her social media platform, @shadia_architecture, to mentor emerging professionals, advocate for design, and promote the value of architecture.We talk about: - Shadia’s devotion to leading through service and how she has paired her architecture expertise with volunteer opportunities on local and state levels. - We next discuss her experience as an immigrant working in the US. She shares her perspective on higher education, work visas, sponsorship, navigating the naturalization process, and reasons why she has chosen to mentor others following the same path.- We also chat about the emotional and logistical challenges of passing the AREs! Shadia shares the realities of studying, failure, and licensure success.- The episode ends by highlighting Shadia’s post-ARE hobby: 3D printing! We talk about her printers, what she’s making, and why 3D printing is a fantastic creative outlet.____Thank you to our sponsors: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.- Website: Arcol.io- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arcol-tech- Twitter/ X: https://x.com/ArcolTechLayer is the workflow platform for buildings, empowering teams to capture field data & photos, connect it to their drawings & models, and create beautiful deliverables & reports.Use Layer to build your own workflow to generate Room Data Sheets from Revit, manage your CA processes such as RFIs or Punch lists, conduct field surveys and much more. The best thing is, it’s all connected directly to Revit so you’ll never have to copy and paste data between windows again.- Website: https://layer.team/architectette____Links:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shadia_architecture/LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/shadia-jaramilloPublications/Articles:https://www.beyondthebuilt.com/shadia-jaramillohttps://www.mentordino.com/are-experience-stories-shadia-jaramillo/https://www.aia.org/aia-architect/article/aia-celebrates-designing-together-winner-finalistshttps://www.aia.org/aia-architect/article/five-high-impact-quotes-wls-2024https://issuu.com/aiacollegeoffellows/docs/2024-q3_togetherinwashingtondchttps://issuu.com/youngarchitectsforum/docs/connection_2023_q2_v2Podcasts:https://www.iheart.com/podcast/338-from-the-honeycomb-96371578/episode/ep-89-understanding-the-symbiotic-relationship-121320540/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP4lhbYDDRE____Connect with Architectette:- Website: www.architectette.com (Learn more)- Instagram: @architectette (See more)- Newsletter: www.architectette.com/newsletter (Behind the Scenes Content)- LinkedIn: The Architectette Podcast Page and/or Caitlin BradySupport Architectette:- Leave us a rating and review!- PatreonMusic by AlexGrohl from Pixabay.
Jun 16, 2025
54 min
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