Best Rachel Birchmore Podcasts (2023)

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Coaches On The Couch

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Eric Bull, SEW “We need to remember that sustainable design is just about the same thing as good design.” 24:09

15m ago24:09

24:09

Part two of our sustainability podcast with Rose Bard from Orms, Laura Baron from Purcell, Eric Bull of SEW, Stephanie Crombie from Morrow + Lorraine and Ruth Oates of Buro Four. In this episode the focus is on collaboration; sharing best practice; and safeguarding mental health. Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodgers and Rachel Birchm…

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Coaches On The Couch

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Ruth Oates, Buro Four “Part of the sustainability journey is about empowering us as individuals to do the right thing.” 25:57

3d ago25:57

25:57

A couch full of sustainability leads - Rosie Bard from Orms, Laura Baron from Purcell, Eric Bull of SEW, Stephanie Crombie from Morrow + Lorraine and Ruth Oates of Buro Four - come together to discuss their roles and the influence they have within their organisations. The first of two podcasts with these guests. Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by…

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Coaches On The Couch

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Andrew Lerpiniere, Director of Webb Yates Engineers “We’re consciously thinking about what we do, and how we do it, and how we can make a positive difference to society.” 33:34

1M ago33:34

33:34

Rachel and Louise are joined by Andrew Lerpiniere and Tom Webster to talk about what being an ‘ethical engineer’ means at Webb Yates Engineers, and how they are managing ‘stepping up’ and ‘stepping back’. https://webbyates.com Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodgers and Rachel Birchmore who are exec and leadership coaches. They design a…

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Coaches On The Couch

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Natalia Uribe, Director of AFK Studios, “You need to understand not only the skillsets of your team but their passions and how they want to grow as designers.” 30:42

2M ago30:42

30:42

Colombian-born Natalia Uribe, Director of AFK Studios, chats to Louise and Rachel about how her placemaking work is informed by her own background and how this influences her leadership style. https://afkstudios.com Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodgers and Rachel Birchmore who are exec and leadership coaches. They design and deliver …

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Coaches On The Couch

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Hanif Kara, Founding partner, AKT II. “I think that idea of a genius engineer is gone. We’re in a post-genius world. The product of the practice is more important.” 32:40

3M ago32:40

32:40

Hanif Kara OBE joins Rachel and Louise to talk about how AKT II developed a reputation for design and innovation and how they inspire the next generation. Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodgers and Rachel Birchmore who are exec and leadership coaches. They design and deliver bespoke leadership development programmes and coaching for ar…

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Coaches On The Couch

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Martyn Evans, Creative Director, U+I “If you've got an opportunity to rethink, then you've got an opportunity to rethink better.” 46:20

5M ago46:20

46:20

Rachel & Louise are joined by a panel of built environment leaders for a special COTC event to discuss social capital. What is it? And how do you build, or rebuild, it? Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodgers and Rachel Birchmore who are exec and leadership coaches. They design and deliver bespoke leadership development programmes and c…

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Coaches On The Couch

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Denise Bennetts, Founder of Bennetts Associates. “What EOTs are about is common purpose. It’s much more than the financial bottom line.” 34:57

6M ago34:57

34:57

Founders and next-gen leaders of ING Media and Bennetts Associates join Louise and Rachel to discuss what is often seen as the thorny topic of succession and the challenges and benefits of moving towards an employee-owned structure. Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodgers and Rachel Birchmore who are exec and leadership coaches. They de…

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Coaches On The Couch

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Damien Sharkey, Managing Director of HUB. “It's been said to me a lot in my career that you need to be old and have grey hair, to sit on a board or to have an opinion or voice. I disagree with that.” 28:45

6M ago28:45

28:45

Damien Sharkey, Managing Director of build-to-rent developer HUB Residential, talks to Rachel and Louise about his transition from architecture to development and shares his thoughts on making space for future leaders. https://hubresidential.com Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodgers and Rachel Birchmore who are exec and leadership coa…

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Coaches On The Couch

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Simon Henley, Director of Henley Halebrown “People have been saying recently that there's a real clarity to our work, now more than ever." 37:46

7M ago37:46

37:46

Louise and Rachel are joined by Simon Henley and Gavin Hale Brown, directors of Henley Halebrown, to talk about the importance of consistency in their work, both as leaders and as architects. https://henleyhalebrown.com Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodgers and Rachel Birchmore who are exec and leadership coaches. They design and deli…

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Coaches On The Couch

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Jas Bhalla, Jas Bhalla Architects “Leaders need to be flexible and adaptable because times are uncertain. We are all going to have to learn to adapt.” 38:34

8M ago38:34

38:34

Rachel and Louise discuss some of the key themes made by guests at the Coaches On The Couch summer party, when they were asked “What do we need from leaders today” as well as which COTC pod they liked best, and why. https://stepuplondon.com Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodgers and Rachel Birchmore who are exec and leadership coaches.…

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Coaches On The Couch

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Chris Williamson, Chairman of WW+P Board “We are keeping our name, our identity, our brand. We will keep on doing what we’re doing.” 30:42

11M ago30:42

30:42

Chris Williamson of Weston Williamson joins Rachel and Louise to talk about the practice’s new partnership with engineering company Egis and describes how the success of his long working relationship with Andrew Weston relies partly on playing to each others’ strengths. https://westonwilliamson.com Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodger…

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Coaches On The Couch

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Jon Ackroyd, Ackroyd Lowrie “As soon as you start to build a team, you realise the power of the team.” 30:40

12M ago30:40

30:40

Rachel and Louise chat with Oliver Lowrie and Jon Ackroyd of Ackroyd Lowrie about the power of teams and how to harness it; their use of external consultants; and why they think thought-leadership is an important part of their role. https://ackroydlowrie.com Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodgers and Rachel Birchmore who are exec and l…

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Coaches On The Couch

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Karen Mosley, HLM “I learnt early on that there are certain things in life that are really important. That sense of belonging, feeling respected, having opportunities. Money isn't everything.” 36:35

1y ago36:35

36:35

Karen Mosley of HLM Architects is Rachel and Louise’s guest. She tells the story of her 36-year journey with HLM, from fresh-faced school leaver to MD. There are many lessons here including about how the encouragement of life-long learning, which plays to people’s strengths and is linked to purpose, helps to create a culture of belonging. https://h…

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Coaches On The Couch

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Emily Slupek, Buro Four “You need to be able to listen and observe and sift through a lot of information and identify opportunities that you feel that you can bring into the company”. 31:34

1y ago31:34

31:34

Rachel and Louise talk to Emily Stupek of Buro Four about how she has carved out a niche for herself within Buro Four; developing her own career, leading the company’s activity in science and innovation and opening a new office in Oxford. https://burofour.com Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodgers and Rachel Birchmore who are exec and …

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Coaches On The Couch

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Andy Matthews, Roach Matthews “Getting to know yourself - how you react, how you respond, how you think - is, I believe, a really important part of leadership.” 27:44

1y ago27:44

27:44

Andy Matthews, co-founder (with James Roach) of newly-established practice Roach Matthews, joins Rachel and Louise on the virtual couch to talk about setting up a studio, inclusive leadership, and what it was like to receive an ADHD diagnosis at the age of forty-two-and-a-half. https://www.roachmatthews.com Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Loui…

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Coaches On The Couch

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Jenni Montgomery, Barton Willmore “There are a whole range of different ways to participate in business development and you need to find a way that you’re most comfortable with.” 35:49

1y ago35:49

35:49

Kristofer Adelaide of KA-A and Jenni Montgomery of Barton Willmore talk business development with Louise and Rachel. What is the legacy of the Pandemic and how can we open up conversations that may lead to new opportunities? https://ka-a.co.uk https://bartonwillmore.co.uk Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodgers and Rachel Birchmore who …

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Coaches On The Couch

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Carl Turner, Turner Works “We felt the term ‘architect’ was holding back the practice and limited people’s perception of what we can do.” 31:30

1y ago31:30

31:30

Carl Turner and Suzi Winstanley of Turner Works join Rachel and Louise to discuss what it takes to be ‘future fit’; which for them means being prepared for whatever problem they are going to solve next. https://turner.works Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodgers and Rachel Birchmore who are exec and leadership coaches. They design and …

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Coaches On The Couch

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Scott Grady, Haptic Architects “Collaboration has been within the Haptic DNA from the very first few months of the practice.” 30:36

1y ago30:36

30:36

Louise and Rachel chat with Timo Haedrich, Scott Grady and Geraldine Molia of Haptic Architects about culture, collaboration, communication and the Nordic influence on their ways of working. https://hapticarchitects.com Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodgers and Rachel Birchmore who are exec and leadership coaches. They design and deli…

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Coaches On The Couch

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Annalie Riches, Mikhail Riches “We have turned down work…and it drives our decisions on whether to take projects on or go for bids.” 21:27

1+ y ago21:27

21:27

In this episode we talk with Annalie Riches, co-founder of Stirling Prize-winning architects Mikhail Riches, about purpose, morals and ethics, and how the decision to work only on net zero projects has impacted the studio. http://www.mikhailriches.com Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodgers and Rachel Birchmore who are exec and leadersh…

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Coaches On The Couch

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“A year on from our first ‘Made Visible’ event, we explore, with special guests, how leaders and business are adapting to the new reality of flexible working patterns.” 29:17

1+ y ago29:17

29:17

Welcome back! Series 5 of Coaches On The Couch kicks off with an edited version of our second ‘Made Visible’ web event, held on 13th January. Rachel and Louise check-in with a panel of built environment leaders to see how hybrid working is working, and the adaptations being made to ensure that new patterns deliver stronger and more resilient busine…

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Coaches On The Couch

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Louise Rodgers, Step Up - At EOT and BCorps with their newer structures of ownership they are about a less literal and more emotional ownership over an organisation’s purpose’ 26:01

1+ y ago26:01

26:01

To close series four, Louise and Rachel reflect on the rich use of metaphor through these seven episodes and its importance in coaching. Also having been in conversation with leaders and future leaders from both EOTs and BCorps in this series, we discuss how these newer company structures seem to support a more emotional sense of ownership, enablin…

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Coaches On The Couch

1
Connie Ivanova, Stride Treglown “If you approach leadership in a more collaborative way and look out for people’s interests and inspiration, and connect with them..this helps to build future leaders." 30:04

1+ y ago30:04

30:04

In the second of our two-part podcast on motivation to lead, we are joined by four younger professionals from the consultancies we featured last week - Fathom Architects and Stride Treglown, Core Five and LDA Design. What do they see, feel, experience and think about leadership, and what do they have to offer those that lead them? https://corefive.…

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Coaches On The Couch

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David Gabe, Core Five “Growing and leading our team through a period of rapid growth has been far harder than delivering on a technical level.” 35:52

1+ y ago35:52

35:52

Four leaders from four different consultancies - architects Stride Treglown and Fathom, quantity surveyors Core Five, and landscape designers LDA - share their perspectives on leadership. The first of a two-parter on motivation to lead. How can we encourage more people to aspire to leadership roles? https://corefive.co.uk https://fathomarchitects.c…

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Coaches On The Couch

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Neal Shasore, London School of Architecture “The worst thing one could try to do would be to emulate one’s predecessor, when they are a founder.” 20:16

1+ y ago20:16

20:16

Neal Shasore, head of school and CEO at The London School of Architecture, takes his seat on the virtual couch to chat about his route to leadership, what it’s like taking over from a founder and the lessons he learned from his family role models. https://the-lsa.org Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodgers and Rachel Birchmore who are e…

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Coaches On The Couch

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Pete Swift, Planit-IE “To achieve continuous improvement it is absolutely vital to hold yourself accountable to the B Corp framework.” 33:05

1+ y ago33:05

33:05

On the first day of COP 26, Rachel and Louise talk to Pete Swift and Naomi Burl, Founding Director and Practice Manager of Planit-IE (Planit Intelligent Environments), landscape designers and architects, about their B Corp journey and how it has shaped not only what their business does, but how it is. https://planit-ie.com Coaches On The Couch is c…

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Coaches On The Couch

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Alex Ely, Mae Architects “In the early years I was more of a chess master….now I am more like a gardener.” 23:04

1+ y ago23:04

23:04

Alex Ely, principal of Mae Architects, reflects on 20 years in practice and explains how Mae’s commitment to architecture that contributes to the betterment of society and improves people’s quality of life, helped the practice to navigate public sector procurement methods. https://mae.co.uk Evolution of practice articles from RIBA Journal (by Rache…

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Coaches On The Couch

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David West, Studio Egret West “Our relationship has matured as we have matured.” 35:36

1+ y ago35:36

35:36

We are joined by architectural story-tellers David West and Christophe Egret of Studio Egret West, to explore their beginnings and how they have navigated their relationship since founding the practice in 2004. https://studioegretwest.com Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodgers and Rachel Birchmore who are exec and leadership coaches. T…

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Coaches On The Couch

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Pooja Agrawal, Public Practice “I think it is important to understand and to own your strategy for making change” 36:29

1+ y ago36:29

36:29

Joining us from her charpoi, and kicking off the fourth series of Coaches On The Couch, is Pooja Agrawal CEO of Public Practice and co-founder of spatial equality platform Sound Advice https://www.publicpractice.org.uk https://nowyouknowshop.bigcartel.com. Among other things we discuss the intersection between strategic and provocative disruption a…

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Coaches On The Couch

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“Working virtually has in some ways been a great leveller. That’s one of the positive things to take forward.” 26:26

2y ago26:26

26:26

In this final episode of the current series, Louise and Rachel take time out to reflect on the lessons from the guests who have been on their virtual coach since January and what these mean for how we live, work and lead in the new post-pandemic reality. To mark our 12 month anniversary we created our first publication 'Learning from Lockdown'. Thi…

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Coaches On The Couch

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Adam Scott, FreeState “There is an opportunity to rethink the office as a kind of perpetual field test.” 27:43

2y ago27:43

27:43

Adam Scott of FreeState talks to Louise and Rachel about the need to stop thinking of the workplace as a designed space, and start thinking of it as a curated space if we are to engender that sense of “belonging” that will bring people to the other side of the ‘soft line’ that will exist between home and office, post-Covid.…

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Coaches On The Couch

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Jacob Willson, Sarah Beth Riley, and Luke Tozer “We like to think we put in a lot of the ground work as designers to help the projects fly.” 33:44

2y ago33:44

33:44

What happens when the client is also a designer? Rachel and Louise chat with Jacob Willson and Sarah Beth Riley of BeFirst and Luke Tozer of Pitman Tozer. We also touch on the difficulty of finding time to get “in the flow”, and discuss how learning partnerships may be a way to build strong client/architect relationships in a hybrid world.…

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Coaches On The Couch

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Angharad Palmer and Bernadette Keane, Landsec “Influence requires a certain level of self-confidence.” 31:24

2y ago31:24

31:24

On International Women’s Day, Louise and Rachel chatted with developer Landsec’s Angharad Palmer (design director) and Bernadette Keane (marketing director) about influence, celebrating diversity and the importance of having an overall vision.

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Coaches On The Couch

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AJ’s 40 under 40 “I had an ethos I wanted to see through.” 41:47

2+ y ago41:47

41:47

A very full virtual coach as Rachel and Louise are joined by five young, emerging architects representing three practices featured in the AJ’s 40 under 40. We talk about the impetus to go it alone and what’s been important to them over the last year.

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Coaches On The Couch

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Paul Monaghan, AHMM “Zeev Aram once told me that he had never seen his own candle diminished by the light of someone else’s. And that stayed with me.” 29:33

2+ y ago29:33

29:33

Rachel and Louise are joined on the virtual couch by Paul Monaghan of AHMM for a rich conversation about the importance of joining, belonging and leaving with grace and generosity, and how his own experiences have shaped his style of leadership.

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Coaches On The Couch

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Dan Whittingham “I have certainly felt a weight of responsibility in terms of our people, who are giving the best years of their career to us. We have to make sure those years are well-served.” 30:12

2+ y ago30:12

30:12

Dan Whittingham is MD of the project management company, Opera. He joins Rachel and Louise to explore the differences between leading a project and leading a company, and to discuss how, at Opera, they leverage motivation by being attuned to the needs of the people who work for them.

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Coaches On The Couch

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Jo Bacon “We have taken the opportunity to reconsider our workspace and make a bigger commitment to long-term flexibility.” 32:19

2+ y ago32:19

32:19

Louise and Rachel are joined by Jo Bacon, managing partner of Allies and Morrison, who reflects on what the practice achieved during 2020 despite having to clear the 330 desks in their “mothership” London office and looks forward to a future of flexible working.

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Coaches On The Couch

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Grimshaw, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, Gbolade Design Studio “How can leaders maintain connectivity, presence and visibility in distributed teams” 36:20

2+ y ago36:20

36:20

From our first ‘Made Visible’ event, Louise and Rachel explore, with their panel of speakers from Grimshaw, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, Gbolade Design Studio, Hawkins\Brown and Place Careers, the new demands placed on leaders when uncertainty and agile working have been through a step change.

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Coaches On The Couch

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Domi Oliver and Alexis Butterfield “How do you retain the culture in a workforce that is more agile? How do you continue to do things that live and breathe the brand?” Domi Oliver, PTE 32:31

2+ y ago32:31

32:31

For this final episode of 2020, Louise and Rachel chat with Domi Oliver and Alexis Butterfield of architects Pollard Thomas Edwards, about how the practice has evolved and grown over five decades and in what ways it has changed forever as a result of this momentous year.

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Coaches On The Couch

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Catherine Greig, make:good “It feels incredible to be heard and to be seen. We don’t even have to agree with each other.” 33:55

2+ y ago33:55

33:55

Rachel and Louise get back to the basics of good communication as they are joined on the virtual coach by Charlotte Morphet of Women In Planning and Catherine Greig of make:good, to discuss the role of listening and empathy in design, planning and leadership.

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Coaches On The Couch

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Allan Dunsmore, Conisbee “For everything to function you can’t have everyone wanting to be a leader.” 23:05

2+ y ago23:05

23:05

Louise and Rachel talk succession with Allan Dunsmore, a director of award-winning civil and structural engineering design practice Conisbee. Conisbee’s approach ensures that technical and people skills have equal value, and we talk about how important it is to understand people’s individual motivations and play to their strengths.…

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Coaches On The Couch

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Rachel Birchmore, Coaches On The Couch Co-Host “Leadership comes in many guises from different personality types and from different levels of the organisation.” 16:07

2+ y ago16:07

16:07

Five key leadership myths are busted, as Rachel and Louise take time out and put their feet up on their respective virtual couches to reflect on some common assumptions made about leaders and leadership.

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Coaches On The Couch

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Hari Phillips, Bell Phillips “Whether you are two or three you need enough common ground so that you’re pushing in the same direction.” 32:28

2+ y ago32:28

32:28

Hari Phillips, Tim Bell and Melissa Dowling of Bell Phillips Architects join Rachel and Louise on the virtual couch to discuss the Power of Three, and what it’s like to start a practice when you have barely finished your Part 3. They also reflect on what they would do differently if they were doing it all over again.…

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Coaches On The Couch

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Matt Mason “We have some responsibility to make sure that all of our teams are functioning properly and that the people are well.” 30:12

2+ y ago30:12

30:12

As we head into a new national lockdown, Matt Mason, a partner at real estate company Crosstree, joins Rachel and Louise on the virtual coach to reflect on the peak experience of leading the team on London’s Standard Hotel and talk about how celebrating small wins and finding new ways to create team camaraderie are going to be important this winter…

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Coaches On The Couch

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Harbinder Birdi, Hawkins Brown “The apprenticeship route is a way of relieving some of the unnecessary stress that qualifying as an architect entails.” 34:16

2+ y ago34:16

34:16

Louise and Rachel are joined by Upinder Bahra, an architectural assistant Part 1 and level 7 apprentice with Hawkins Brown, and Harbinder Birdi, head of infrastructure and transport sector at the practice. We discuss the apprenticeship approach to training architects, including balancing work, training and time to chill on the couch; and the challe…

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Coaches On The Couch

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David Ogunmuyiwa, ArchitectureDoingPlace “Reverse mentoring allows you access to a world that you are incapable of experiencing.” 35:35

2+ y ago35:35

35:35

Joining Louise and Rachel on the virtual couch this week are Yemi Aladerun and David Ogunmuyiwa. We chat about what, and who, motivates and inspires them; the importance of reverse mentoring and why architecture remains the least diverse of the “old professions.” Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodgers and Rachel Birchmore who are exec …

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Coaches On The Couch

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Joe Morris, Morris+Company “It is our responsibility as leaders of the practice to liberate people to explore with more abandon different ideas.” 24:35

2+ y ago24:35

24:35

Welcome back to the second series of Coaches On The Coach with Rachel and Louise. In this first episode, they are joined on the virtual couch by Joe Morris of Morris+Company to explore the importance of meaning, purpose, and veganism; and how to create a studio environment where “the best idea wins”. Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodg…

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Coaches On The Couch

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Rachel and Louise discuss the impact of “The ‘disorientating dilemma’ that has broken an inertia around flexible working and is presenting quite a few opportunities.” 26:33

2+ y ago26:33

26:33

In a departure from the usual format, co-hosts Rachel and Louise reflect on the themes that have emerged from their couch conversations with leaders from across the built environment sector during the first series of Coaches On The Couch. Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodgers and Rachel Birchmore who are exec and leadership coaches. T…

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Coaches On The Couch

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Ross Hutchinson, Hutchinson and Partners “We wanted to take control of our own destiny rather than waiting for the politicians to sort out what Brexit looks like.” 33:35

2+ y ago33:35

33:35

How do you open an office in a new city without either a business plan or a clear strategy? Coaches On The Couch goes international, as Louise and Rachel are joined by Hutchinson and Partner’s Ross Hutchinson in London, and Jorn Rabach in Berlin, to chat about curiosity, courage and organisational resilience. Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Lo…

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Coaches On The Couch

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Bradley Webster, Baily Garner “What I yearned for was clear, strong, experienced leadership which people may perceive now as being autocratic or dictatorial.” 33:50

3y ago33:50

33:50

In this episode, Rachel and Louise explore leadership styles and the importance of flexing between them with Bradley Webster, equity partner of multidisciplinary consultancy Baily Garner. In two interviews, one recorded during lockdown and one just after, the conversation covers this, and also what’s required of leadership now that everyone’s lives…

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Coaches On The Couch

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Leanne Tritton of ING Media “You’ve got to get back, show yourself and hustle for new work.” 25:07

3y ago25:07

25:07

The good, the bad and the bonkers of everyday office life. Leanne Tritton, Managing Director of ING Media, joins Rachel and Louise from her office couch to discuss the challenges of getting her team out of their bedrooms and back into the office, and why it was so important to her (and for them), that she bit that bullet. Coaches On The Couch is co…

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