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Building Doors with Lauren Karan

Building Doors with Lauren Karan

Von: Lauren Karan
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 Building Doors, hosted by Lauren Karan, is the podcast for ambitious professionals in construction, infrastructure, and engineering ready to accelerate their careers and lead with impact. Each episode explores how top industry leaders built their success and what it takes to stand out. Lauren shares practical strategies for career growth, networking, and influence, along with insights on leadership, hiring trends, and the future of the industry. You’ll hear real conversations with CEOs, project managers, and innovators shaping the built environment. Tune in every two weeks for expert guidance and inspiration—and start building doors to your future.Lauren Karan Erfolg im Beruf Persönliche Entwicklung Persönlicher Erfolg Ökonomie
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  • 87. Courageous Engineering: Breaking the Fear Cycle and Reclaiming Pride in the Profession with Ben Schnitzerling

    87. Courageous Engineering: Breaking the Fear Cycle and Reclaiming Pride in the Profession with Ben Schnitzerling
    Feb 15 2026
    In this episode of Building Doors, host Lauren Karan sits down with Ben Schnitzerling, founder of Red Fox Advisory, a Queensland-based civil and structural engineering consultancy delivering support across the full project lifecycle, from early planning and design through construction, contract administration, technical due diligence, and dispute avoidance. Red Fox helps clients navigate risk, protect value, and deliver practical, buildable infrastructure solutions.From nailing floors for his builder father as a kid to certifying major infrastructure projects just two years out of university, Ben’s career has been shaped by doing the uncomfortable. Today, he’s on a mission to challenge what he sees slowing the industry down: fear of litigation, fear of accountability, and fear of stepping outside the “safe” standard.Lauren and Ben unpack how this risk-averse culture is producing average outcomes and quietly failing the very communities engineers are meant to serve. With Queensland facing a massive pipeline of work and tighter budgets, Ben makes it clear that courageous, accountable engineering is no longer optional. It is essential.What You’ll Learn in This Episode:The Roots of a Courageous Mindset:How Ben’s upbringing on construction sites and struggle with dyslexia shaped his learning and leadership philosophy.Why embracing uncomfortable, high-stakes projects early in his career was foundational to his growth.The personal hierarchy for sustainable success: “Love yourself first, then your partner, then your kids, then work.”Confronting the Fear Culture in Engineering:Why the industry’s obsession with “cover your ass” and blind compliance is stifling innovation and delivering poor value.The critical difference between a compliant design and a good, accountable design.How an abundance of money over the past decade has incentivized safe, unthinking work and why the coming "burning platform" of financial constraint will force change.Courage, Accountability, and the Art of Negotiation:Why true accountability leads to positive consequences and professional pride.Advanced negotiation tactics: understanding the “deal zone,” moving past “stupid numbers,” and identifying what the other party needs to feel they’ve won.The danger of email “CYA” culture and the irreplaceable value of picking up the phone to build understanding.Building the Engineers of the Future:How Ben’s company, Red Fox, was born from asking clients one simple question: “What can’t you get right now?”Practical strategies for creating a “safe to fail” environment: setting clear safety rails, encouraging peer review, and resisting the leader’s urge to solve every problem.The link between personal pride in one’s work and magical outcomes for the community, the engineering profession’s true customer.Legacy, Grit, and the Next Generation:How stories of resilience from past generations (like his 102-year-old grandmother) inform a mindset of grit and determination.Why fostering discomfort and allowing the next generation to “have a crack” is essential for building courage.The legacy Ben wants to leave: training a generation of engineers who contribute to society and make the world a better place.Parenting and Modeling CourageWhy children learn courage by watching, not listening.The story of a teenage act of bravery that left a lasting mark.How leadership at work directly mirrors leadership at home.Key Quotes from Ben Schnitzerling:“I found I had to learn the concept of being uncomfortable to learn.”“We solve complex problems for the community. They’re our true customers.”“A compliant design does not mean a good design or an accountable design.”“Courage is no longer optional in engineering. It’s required.”“You’re better to have a go and get it wrong than do nothing safely.”“If you want magic to happen, give people pride and freedom.”About Our Guest:Ben Schnitzerling is an engineer, leader, and founder of Red Fox Advisory, with decades of experience across complex infrastructure, dispute resolution, negotiation, and business leadership. Known for his direct honesty and deep commitment to developing young engineers, Ben is passionate about restoring courage, accountability, and pride in the profession. His work focuses not just on projects but on shaping the next generation of industry leaders.About Your Host:Lauren Karan, founder of Karan & Co. and host of Building Doors, is dedicated to helping professionals unlock their potential. Through insightful interviews and real-life stories, Lauren empowers listeners to create opportunities and thrive in their careers.How You Can Support the Podcast:Subscribe and leave a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Share this episode with anyone interested in sustainability and leadership.Connect with Ben on LinkedIn and explore Red Fox AdvisoryStay Connected:Follow Lauren and the Building Doors podcast on LinkedIn.Subscribe...
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    59 Min.
  • 86. The Hidden Values of Engineering: Why the Future of Infrastructure Depends on People, Purpose, and Legacy with Felicity Furey

    86. The Hidden Values of Engineering: Why the Future of Infrastructure Depends on People, Purpose, and Legacy with Felicity Furey
    Feb 1 2026
    In this episode of Building Doors, host Lauren Karan sits down with award-winning engineer and author Felicity Furey to unpack the powerful ideas behind her upcoming book and her mission to transform the engineering profession from the inside out.Felicity shares how engineering’s DNA, inherited from the Industrial Revolution, has shaped the way we design, solve problems, and even unintentionally overlook the people those designs impact. She reveals why modern engineering must go beyond efficiency and output, and instead reconnect with values like well-being, community connection, and legacy.Through personal stories of burnout, motherhood, and rediscovering purpose, Felicity shows why engineers are not just technical problem solvers. They are inventors, creators, and community shapers whose decisions influence how society feels, moves, and thrives. Whether you are an engineer, a leader, or someone passionate about the future of our cities, this episode will challenge you to rethink what is possible.What You’ll Learn in This Episode:Engineering’s Hidden Values and Blind Spots:Why engineering still operates from industrial era assumptions.How designing for the “average” person creates safety and wellbeing gaps.The surprising ways that road design, seatbelts, vaccines, and even signage can unintentionally exclude people.Shifting From Efficiency to Human Impact:How reframing engineering around people, place, and legacy leads to better design.Examples from around the world where small, thoughtful changes created enormous community benefits.Why nature-connected, stress-reducing infrastructure must become standard.Diversity, Purpose, and the Future Workforce:Why engineering has a marketing problem and how creativity genuinely belongs in the field.What attracts young people, especially girls, to engineering today?The real reasons women struggle to stay in the industry and what actually works to fix it.Leadership, Wellbeing, and Cognitive LoadFelicity’s personal journey through burnout and complex PTSD, and how it reshaped her work.Why engineers cannot design for human wellbeing when they are overwhelmed themselves.How workplaces can rethink schedules, meeting structures, and expectations to support better thinking and better results.Legacy and the Next GenerationThe seven generational question that inspired Felicity’s book: “What Did You Do Once You Knew?Why engineering is entering an era where maintenance, stewardship, and long-term thinking matter more than ever.How small values-based shifts in design can create massive change over time.Key Quotes from Felicity Furey:“Engineers are superheroes. We can change the planet.""Everything we do as an engineer is for people, and often we are not actually meeting them.""What if we designed infrastructure that actually calms us down?"“Purpose is one of the most powerful ways to attract and keep people in engineering.”“What did you do once you knew? That question keeps me going.”About Our Guest:Felicity Furey is an award-winning engineer, entrepreneur, and speaker recognised for her leadership in engineering, diversity, and the future of infrastructure. With 18 years in the industry, Felicity has led major projects, launched national programs, advised organisations on gender equity, and is now reshaping how engineers think about values, legacy, and human-centered design. Her upcoming book explores how rewriting even 1% of the industry's mindset can have a profound impact on communities and the planet.About Your Host:Lauren Karan, founder of Karan & Co. and host of Building Doors, is dedicated to helping professionals unlock their potential. Through insightful interviews and real-life stories, Lauren empowers listeners to create opportunities and thrive in their careers.How You Can Support the Podcast:Subscribe and leave a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Share this episode with anyone interested in sustainability and leadership.Connect with Felicity on LinkedIn and visit felicityfurey.com for updates on her book and podcastStay Connected:Follow Lauren and the Building Doors podcast on LinkedIn.Subscribe to the Building Doors newsletter for exclusive content.Let’s Connect:Want to be a guest or share feedback? Email us at reachout@buildingdoors.com.au.Thank you for listening! It’s time to stop waiting and start building.
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    50 Min.
  • 85. Fixing Infrastructure Delivery: Collaboration, Procurement Reform, and Building High-Trust Teams with Mark Simister

    85. Fixing Infrastructure Delivery: Collaboration, Procurement Reform, and Building High-Trust Teams with Mark Simister
    Jan 18 2026
    In this episode of Building Doors, host Lauren Karan sits down with Mark Simister, a globally experienced program leader who has spent three decades reshaping how infrastructure is delivered. From London’s crumbling water network to disaster recovery in Queensland and Christchurch, and ultimately transforming Sydney Water into one of the world’s top-performing programs, Mark’s story proves that collaboration is not a buzzword. It is a system that works when leaders are brave enough to implement it.Mark opens up about his unconventional journey from the British Army to hydrogeology to major program delivery. He shares inside stories from rebuilding regions after natural disasters, pioneering early contractor involvement, cutting years out of procurement cycles, and leading one of the most influential collaborative frameworks in Australia.Whether you work in water, transport, energy, major projects, or leadership more broadly, this conversation will challenge you to rethink how teams engage, how contracts shape behavior, and how cultural clarity lifts productivity. Mark shows what happens when you replace fear-based systems with trust-based delivery: better outcomes, higher morale, and programs people are proud to be part of.What You’ll Learn in This Episode:Leadership & Career Journey:How Mark went from the British Army to hydrogeology to multimillion-dollar program leadership.Why early exposure to NEC contracts shaped his lifelong passion for collaboration.How major disaster events (2011 floods, Christchurch earthquake) taught him the power of co-location and shared purpose.Collaboration & High-Performance Delivery:Why early-contractor involvement removes waste before it starts.How co-located teams eliminate rework and build trust.Why standardized contracts accelerate decisions and cut procurement delays.How shared KPIs and open-book data create accountability instead of adversarial behavior.Procurement Reform & Industry Challenges:Why traditional tendering creates fear, inefficiency, and poor outcomes.How Sydney Water shifted from adversarial contracting to 10-year partnership frameworks.How behavioral scoring using organizational psychologists created world-class team alignment.Why governance should enable, not police, major programs.Culture, People & LegacyWhy emotional intelligence matters as much as engineering intelligence.How embedding finance, communications, and support staff into frontline teams boosts morale.Why Mark believes mature engagement between owners and contractors must define Australia’s next decade of delivery.What meaningful legacy looks like when billions of public dollars are on the line.Key Quotes from Mark Simister:“I want to see people enjoying being at work. I want to see a maturity in the engagement between owner and contractor.”“Everyone will work in a spirit of mutual trust and cooperation, that’s written into NEC, and it changes everything.”“Get what you want. Get what you’re really striving for. If you want something, plan it clearly from the beginning.”“When disaster hits, people turn up. Collaboration becomes natural when the purpose is clear.”“It’s public money, my money and your money so I want to see it spent effectively.”About Our Guest:Mark Simister is a program delivery and collaborative contracting specialist known for transforming some of the most complex infrastructure environments in Australia and the UK. From Sydney Water’s award-winning Partnering for Success framework to major disaster reconstruction and global best-practice adoption via Project 13, Mark’s work continues to influence the future of infrastructure procurement, governance, and team culture.About Your Host:Lauren Karan, founder of Karan & Co. and host of Building Doors, is dedicated to helping professionals unlock their potential. Through insightful interviews and real-life stories, Lauren empowers listeners to create opportunities and thrive in their careers.How You Can Support the Podcast:Subscribe and leave a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Share this episode with anyone interested in sustainability and leadership.Connect with Mark on LinkedIn to follow his work and insights.Stay Connected:Follow Lauren and the Building Doors podcast on LinkedIn.Subscribe to the Building Doors newsletter for exclusive content.Let’s Connect:Want to be a guest or share feedback? Email us at reachout@buildingdoors.com.au.Thank you for listening! It’s time to stop waiting and start building.
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    1 Std. und 3 Min.
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