Industry Challenges Episodes

In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Ali Salman of Workspace Modular Structures to explore how prefab and modular construction can help solve some of the construction industry’s biggest challenges.This conversation challenges a common assumption: that the industry’s current methods are sufficient. Instead, Ali reframes the opportunity—highlighting how modular construction offers a scalable path to address infrastructure, housing, and labor shortages.Together...

Friction slows down decision-making in construction—but removing it doesn’t mean replacing expertise. In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Scott Reynolds, Co-Founder and CEO of UpCodes, to explore how construction leaders can reduce friction in decision-making while maintaining control, judgment, and expertise. This conversation reframes a critical challenge in the AEC industry: too much time is spent searching, verifying, and stitching together fragmented inform...

Access to healthcare isn’t just a policy issue—it’s a delivery problem. In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Peter Nicholson, Co-Founder and CEO of Modern Clinical Planning, to explore how micro hospitals are reshaping healthcare access in rural and underserved communities. This conversation reframes a critical challenge: healthcare systems often struggle to justify investment in low-density regions, leaving communities without reliable access. Instead, Peter int...

Change doesn’t start with strategy—it starts with choice. In this Mini Series Part 1 of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware breaks down the first step in building a stronger relationship with change: understanding how we make decisions and how those decisions impact others. In the construction and AEC industry, change often feels imposed—new technology, shifting delivery models, or evolving business strategies. But before we can lead change effectively, we need to understand how we personally re...

How are construction leaders managing decentralized teams in an industry built for command-and-control? In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware explores decentralized work models and how AI is reshaping staffing in AEC with Mandy McGill, founder of Aedifico. From construction leadership culture to labor productivity, discover why decentralization isn't just a trend—it's the future of how AEC firms organize work. Plus: the leadership mindsets that make it work.Traditional staffing...

You can build great projects—and still run an unhealthy business. In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Jessica Krause, Founder and CEO of New Lyfe Accounting, to explore why financial clarity is one of the most overlooked drivers of construction leadership and decision making. In the AEC industry, many construction leaders treat financials as a "back office" problem. But when you lack visibility into your business's true health, you can't make strategic decisions th...