Podcast Videos

Construction and AEC leaders may be using the wrong definition of standards in prefab and modular construction. What if the standard is not the size, color, or shape of the building—but the team behind it? Melanie Taylor of BILT explains why industrialized construction requires leaders to rethink what “standard” actually means. Key drivers: Prefab does not have to look one specific way Modular construction should not be limited by old assumptions The team may matter more than the physical format Better collaboration can redefine the standard The future of construction may depend less on making every building look the same and more on building stronger teams around better processes. Watch the full Melanie Taylor episode through ActivatingCuriosity.com. Subscribe for more conversations about construction leadership and change.

Construction and AEC leaders: rural communities can be forced to drive hours for healthcare—or go without it entirely. Melanie Taylor explains how faster healthcare construction can help close that access gap by fabricating a building and installing it in as little as six weeks. This conversation explores: Rural healthcare access Labor shortages in construction Faster healthcare construction Industrialized construction methods Better outcomes for underserved communities The shift is not simply about building faster. It is about helping construction leaders deliver essential facilities where traditional labor and timelines fall short. Watch the full conversation with Melanie Taylor on Activating Curiosity™: 📷Activating Curiosity™ Episodes Subscribe for more conversations on construction leadership, AEC innovation, and leading meaningful industry change.

Construction and AEC leaders — great leadership isn't managing the project. It's knowing the people. Dina Fodero on what separates a great leader from a busy one: understanding your people's strengths, their blind spots, and how to help them bring out the best in each other. The human side of leadership, in her own words. Full episode: "Construction Protects the Body. But What About the Person?" — watch here: https://youtu.be/Mi1UIN_ORvo

Construction and AEC leaders often spend too much time dissecting the process and not enough time focusing on the finished building. We do not dissect every part of an engine before using it. So why do we keep dissecting every part of the construction process? Melanie Taylor of BILT explains why construction leaders should focus more on the product—the building—and allow better systems to manage the complexity behind it. Key drivers: Why construction processes are overcomplicated The difference between managing parts and managing outcomes How industrialized construction can simplify delivery Why process improvement should raise quality The value of focusing on the finished building Construction leaders do not need to personally manage every component of the process. They need to create systems that consistently produce better buildings. Watch the full Melanie Taylor episode through ActivatingCuriosity.com https://www.activatingcuriosity.com/videos/built-on-waste-why-construction-…

Construction and AEC leaders — the whole industry is built around managing waste. What if we changed the definition of standards instead? RFIs. Submittals. Field challenges. Rework. For decades, construction has treated waste as the cost of doing business. Melanie Taylor, Vice President of BILT, argues it doesn't have to be that way. In fact, the organizations that are choosing differently are already pulling ahead — and the math backs them up. In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Melanie Taylor to explore why industrialized construction isn't about factories. It's about leadership, collaboration, and the courage to challenge assumptions the rest of the industry still accepts as standard. What we get into: • Why "the math didn't math" — yet the results blew every projection out of the water • Why industrialized construction is about people, not factories • How DfMA and early collaboration eliminate waste before ground breaks • The labor cliff coming i…

Construction and AEC leaders — the seat at the table isn't meant to be guarded. It's meant to be shared. "Once you get the seat at the table, you're thinking that I better protect this seat, not let anybody else come near this seat." Dina Fodero — creator of I-PPE™ — flips that instinct: there's enough room on the beam for everyone. Why women in construction supporting each other — and making men their allies — is how power and opportunity actually multiply on the jobsite. Full episode: "Construction Protects the Body. But What About the Person?" — watch here: https://youtu.be/Mi1UIN_ORvo

Construction safety isn't just PPE. What we don't see doesn't mean it's not happening — and the invisible side of safety is where psychological safety lives. PPE protects the body, but safety doesn't stop at the hard hat. Dina Fodero — creator of I-PPE™ (Invisible Personal Protective Essentials) — explains why the invisible side of construction safety is the part most leaders never account for. Protect only what's on the outside, and you miss what makes people actually stay. Full episode: "Construction Protects the Body. But What About the Person?" — watch here: https://youtu.be/Mi1UIN_ORvo

Construction and AEC leaders — you hired for skill. But did you hire for heart? "Hiring people with heart was my thing." Dina Fodero built teams on the skills no résumé lists: communication, respect, and genuinely being on someone's side. In this teaser for the full Activating Curiosity conversation, she explains why the person you hire matters more than the credentials — and why "soft skills" are the hardest work a leader actually does. Full episode: "Construction Protects the Body. But What About the Person?" — Ryan Ware sits down with Dina Fodero, creator of I-PPE™ (Invisible Personal Protective Essentials), to widen how construction and AEC leaders define safety. Construction and AEC leaders who want teams that stay — not just teams that show up — this one's for you. Watch the full conversation: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFeAM37ZTLCHueSvXqG8Z86HFXo0ngGqv

Construction and AEC leaders — we've made the hard hat mandatory, the harness routine, and the steel-toe a given. But the person wearing all of it is still the most unprotected thing on the jobsite. This episode asks one question: what's the PPE you can't see? Ryan Ware sits down with Dina Fodero — speaker, certified Enneagram Practitioner, and creator of I-PPE™ (Invisible Personal Protective Essentials) — to explore the human side of safety in construction. Dina's core belief: "PPE protects the body. I-PPE protects the person." Drawing on 20+ years in leadership, communication, and personal development - and her own experience of feeling like an outsider - she unpacks what it takes to build cultures where people actually stay. Key drivers: Why physical safety is only one part of protecting people at work What I-PPE™ (Invisible Personal Protective Essentials) really means How psychological safety and belonging shape construction culture Why "soft skills" are the hardest work leade…

Construction and AEC leaders — a facilities manager with 107 open issues, each requiring data entry across systems. That's 5 hours of admin. Timber Barker shows how AI collapsed it to 15 minutes — not by replacing the human, but by automating the repetitive work so the expert could focus on decisions. 🎧 Full episode on Activating Curiosity — links below. https://www.activatingcuriosity.com/episodes/