Women Thriving in Construction

"Start with the attitude that it's possible."Such great advice from three extraordinary leaders in the construction industry. While each of us wants to be known simply as a leader who is good at her craft, women thriving in construction requires a long-term investment in women—a vision that supports women not at the expense of men but in support of everyone—to make it work. And it requires out-of-the-box thinking. When Elizabeth came back to work thirteen years ago part time in the field it was unheard of, but it worked.The vision for this podcast began when I saw a picture of the all female Mortenson Construction winning proposal team for the Denver Summit women's professional soccer program. Men will lead and thrive on this team as well, but a long-term investment in women made it possible. Many thanks to Maya Erickson, Elizabeth Erfling, and Jessica Ostoyich for sharing your wisdom with our audience.

How exciting to be joined by co-host and fellow author Brent Darnell for this amazing podcast with UK construction industry leader and author Faye Allen to discuss her book, "Building Women: How Everyone In Construction Can Win". This book is a gift to the industry.  Faye speaks from experience when describing an industry that is "not great for men either," as evidenced by UK construction suicide statistics. Two male construction workers die by suicide daily, four times the national industry average. We discuss how our culture and project pressures contribute to this staggering mental health challenge, and the importance of allyship as an "active role" in shifting this culture and supporting the success of both men and women. You can learn more here - https://fayeallen.co.uk/

In this episode, we explore how one moment of leadership accountability sparked lasting change in the pipeline industry.At an industry conference, APGA CEO Steve Davies publicly acknowledged the absence of women on a senior leader panel — and challenged the industry to do better. That moment led to the creation of the APGA Women’s Leadership Development Program, modeled after a similar initiative at the American Gas Association.The program, designed to retain and advance women in the pipeline industry, sold out its first cohort in 24 hours. Seven cohorts and 175 participants later, 90% report increased confidence, and many have experienced measurable career growth.This conversation highlights how courageous leadership and intentional investment can drive meaningful progress in inclusion and workforce development.

In this episode, we’re joined by Bill Proudman, co-founder of White Men as Full Diversity Partners (WMFDP), an organization that has worked for over 30 years at the intersection of leadership, equity, and inclusion.WMFDP partners with leaders to build cultures rooted in courage, consciousness, and competency — environments where people feel seen, connected, supported, and proud to belong.Bill shares the origin of his work, recognizing that people experience systems differently, and emphasizes that inclusion is not about blame or shame. It’s about acknowledging systemic unearned advantages and equipping leaders to steward meaningful, sustainable cultural change.This conversation challenges leaders to engage thoughtfully and lead inclusively.

In this episode, we highlight the importance of women supporting women to build a more inclusive construction industry.We’re joined by Erica Jones, Vice President of MMC Corporation and Founder of On The Rise, a program designed to elevate women in construction through focused leadership workshops. In addition to leading marketing for a $1.2 billion organization, Erica actively champions mentorship, advocacy, and intentional support for women and minorities across the industry.She shares practical insights on building strong teams, scaling marketing operations during significant company growth, and why lifting others up ultimately strengthens the entire industry.Her message is simple: advocate for one another, mentor intentionally, and embrace the diverse perspectives that make organizations better.

Laura Miranda shares her journey from Columbia to Australia and how that led her to a two-year technical degree and to co-founding the podcast called "You Don't Look Like an Engineer". Laura's story is remarkable, wise beyond her years with incredible insights to share with us. 

Suzanne Arkle is a remarkable woman who has devoted her 25 year career to driving inclusivity in large construction programs. Suzanne shares her insights on how we can all help small business and underrepresented communities thrive in our industry.

Lisa Hinz, Founder of The Confidence Track, shares her journey with imposter syndrome and how she shifted from constantly reacting to focusing upon living an intentional life. Lisa shares concrete techniques for building confidence - finding safe environments to talk about self-doubt, identifying the triggers of self-doubt, and intentional responses to self-doubt. Lisa also shares specific techniques for women in male-dominated fields to build confidence (stop over-apologizing!) and yet her advice is applicable to us all.

Jennifer Wilkerson, Vice President of Innovations and Advancements for the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) shares the results of a recent research, In Her Own Words: Improving Project Outcomes, that explores why we need more women in the trades (currently we have about 4%) and how we build the inclusive industry that will help them thrive. The research involved 29 focus groups, 176 interviews with tradeswomen, and 770 surveys; and discusses specific actions we can all take such as stressing zero tolerance for disrespectful behavior and properly fitting PPE.

It started with a question. Why are we still having a conversation about women in construction? Simon Sinek taught us to start with why, and after 40+ years in construction, my "why" for starting the International Institute for Women in Construction is explained in probably the most meaningful podcast I've ever recorded. Thank you to IIWIC Board member Ale Spray for curating such a beautiful conversation. IIWIC is not here to replicate efforts to attract, develop, and retain women in construction. We bring passion, we support effective strategies, we accelerate efforts. We share the success stories that inspire action and move needles. 

Evelyn Lai recently participated in a leadership panel at the Australian Pipelines and Gas Association annual conference and shared their experiences of being a gender diverse person in our industry. Evelyn takes the time to candidly share their journey and help us understand how we can create an industry where all people feel they belong.

Dean Riha of Fulton Hogan shares a case study of the implementation of the construction industry Culture Standard in Australia that focuses upon increasing 1) time for life, 2) wellbeing, and 3) diversity while improving productivity and project outcomes. This pilot project finished on time, on budget, and people worked 21 days less with no loss in take home pay and no loss in productivity. RMIT's academic research showed an improvement in engagement and wellbeing. The project had 21% women and over 8% women in the trades versus the typical 2-3% (a third of the senior leadership was female as well). 

Angie Cacace and Kate Glantz are two tradeswomen who are doing amazing work to attract teenage girls into the construction industry. Their strategy of a free "sassy little magazine" for not only these girls also but their parents, guidance counselors, and teachers with specific information on how to explore a career in construction trades is incredibly creative. 

Perlla makes many great points during this discussion of how to attract more women into construction trades, including the fact that they must like it. She also provides concrete tips for how men can support women in our industry. 

Margot Brassil, Director, Construction Leadership Group, Infrastructure New South Wales (NSW), the state containing Sydney in Australia, joins the podcast. With A$118 B in infrastructure projects in the state over the next four years, NSW is committed to creating a more gender balanced construction industry to facilitate success. An initial A$20.2 million investment has been renewed, funding strategies such as choosing 23 pilot projects with a full time person dedicated to the effort and over 30 $300,000 entrepreneurial grants to fund trail strategies to attract and retain women. As Margot says, this is not a challenge that will be solved in three years, and men must be a part of the conversation.