Mike LaValley AIA, LEED AP's Linkedin Analytics

The most successful Architects I know aren't the ones working 80-hour weeks—they're the ones who learned to say "no" effectively. — I bet your design education taught you to push limits, blur boundaries, and pull all-nighters to meet impossible deadlines. What they didn't teach you was how those habits become destructive expectations in professional practice. After watching countless talented designers burn out in my 16+ years in the field, I've learned that the ability to establish clear boundaries is what separates sustainable careers from short-lived ones. — Today, we're tackling the second installment in our toxic workplace series with practical strategies for: • Creating boundaries in environments designed to erase them • Standing firm when clients and bosses push back • Protecting your creativity without compromising your commitment Let's transform those blurry lines into clear boundaries. — This month in the Resilient Architect Newsletter, we’re diving deeply into one of the most common causes of burnout among Architects: Toxic Firms. Part 1 — How to recognize a Toxic Firm before you start there Part 2 — Creating boundaries at a Toxic Firm Part 3 — How to break the cycle of a Toxic Firm Part 4 — Exit Strategies from a Toxic Firm Part 5 — Alternative practice models to prevent a Toxic Firm 📰 To read this week’s issue and sign up for my free newsletter, “The Resilient Architect,” check out the link below. — 👋Hi, I’m Mike. I share ideas like this to help Architects like you build a sustainably-balanced, burnout-resilient Archi-Life. Follow for more. https://lnkd.in/gPdnbfuR

Architects, Often the path to long-term positive change in our Archi-lives is staring right at us. — ⛰️ Story Time: March, 2017. It feels like a lifetime ago and yesterday. Without warning, burnout hit me like a runaway truck. • I was unhappy (with neglected relationships). • I was broken (from running myself ragged). • I was overweight (and my heaviest ever). — Today, I am not the same person. It’s all because of the very first step. I gave up my greatest vice—soda. Soda had been slowly taking its toll on my body and my choices. How could something so simple be killing me? → I was always waiting for the next drink. → I was always tired. The brown, bubbly, sugar drink had its hooks in me deep. I regularly stopped on my way home from work for one of those 32oz "Big Gulps.” Back out again a few hours later for more. I was addicted. — I realized the only way to get control back of my life was to stop—not just halfway, but totally and completely. I needed to let go of something that defined the “old” me. That's just what I did. This week in 2017—I stopped drinking soda. — Did soda completely cause my burnout—“No.” It was the fuel that burned me out faster. Something amazing happened though when I removed it from my life. I made better choices. Just as soon as I made one positive decision, I made another... and another. Until one day, I was on the other side of burnout—happier and 75lbs lighter. — Do I ever think about having another Root Beer with a Roast Beef Sandwich and a side of crispy fries? Um, abso-freaking-lutely. But I'm good. I'll keep living my life from the driver's seat. Vrrrooom. 🚗💨 If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the 8 years since burnout came into my life, it’s that I control who I am, what I do, where I go, and who I want to be every single day. Now I help other Architects realize the same so they never have to experience what I did. — 👋Hi, I’m Mike. I share ideas like this to help Architects like you build a sustainably-balanced, burnout-resilient Archi-Life. Follow for more.

Sometimes burnout doesn’t come from overwork. It comes from prioritizing "busy." When we keep ourselves busy for busy’s sake, we think we're doing well. But that's just what we tell ourselves. We begin to forget what it means to make meaningful progress in our lives. We burn out. You wanna know the real way to make a difference in your life? Cut out the noise. → Stay consistent with a handful of priorities you want to set for yourself and take a step forward. → Assess from time to time where you are, where you’ve come from and where you’re going. Keep it simple. Keep it clear. Progress > Movement — 👋Hi, I’m Mike. I share ideas like this to help Architects like you build a sustainably-balanced, burnout-resilient Archi-Life. Follow for more. ♻ If this post vibes with you please consider sharing it with someone you know.

It was a pleasure talking with Katelyn on the mentorDINO podcast 🦖 a while back. She continues to do great work helping AEC professionals of all kinds develop their careers. Check out the podcast episode and connect with her if you're trying to level up your own Archi-career! 🧑‍💼💼📈📐

Architects, Don’t let the profession consume you until there's nothing left. 😓 — Over the past month, we've examined: • The warning signs of toxic architectural workplaces • How to navigate them while protecting your well-being • Ways to communicate effectively in dysfunctional environments • When it's time to make your exit — Many of you have written back, sharing your own experiences and asking the same crucial question: ➡️ What does a healthy architectural practice actually look like? Today, we're closing our series by examining what's possible beyond toxic workplaces: → How flexible work structures create better designers → Why empathetic leadership produces superior architecture → How to implement systems that protect creativity while meeting deadlines Let's reimagine what practicing architecture can truly be. — In the Resilient Architect newsletter, we’ve been diving deeply into one of the most common causes of burnout among architects: Toxic firms. Part 1 — How to recognize a Toxic Firm before you start there Part 2 — Creating boundaries at a Toxic Firm Part 3 — How to break the cycle of a Toxic Firm Part 4 — Exit Strategies from a Toxic Firm Part 5 — Alternative practice models to prevent a Toxic Firm 📰 To read this week’s issue and sign up for my free newsletter, “The Resilient Architect,” check out the link below. — 👋Hi, I’m Mike. I share ideas like this to help Architects like you build a sustainably-balanced, burnout-resilient Archi-Life. Follow for more. https://lnkd.in/gmaFvsJm

The simple secret to launching an epic Archi-Career Be a Sponge. 🧽 Here's why becoming a sponge is so powerful for emerging professionals and what it means to be one. 👇 — ▶ Architecture is Hard This isn’t some old-school “you need to pay your dues” type of advice. Not at all. There’s a reason you don’t hear about most “famous” Architects until they’re in their mid to late 40s (or older). Architecture is a complex profession — comprehensive and difficult as hell. — ▶Get Curious At the starting line of your career (like in life), There are infinite directions you could go. Don’t worry yourself to death about the possibilities. Just stay curious and take it all in. → Experiment. → Take risks. → Fail. You need experience to make good decisions. But you don’t have enough… yet. — ▶Sponge 101. Sponges absorb water. YOU want to be a sponge of information. And the best kind of information is experience. Once you absorb enough of that experience, Use it to design and build great things. — ▶A Word of Caution 🙅‍♂️Don’t get ahead of yourself. → Be a sponge and let the experience guide you to the next step of your career. 🙅‍♀️Don’t close yourself off. → Learn from seasoned pros, new projects, and your peers. You'll get your chance to shine. But it is not this day. Now is the time to take it all in. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Be a Sponge. 🧽 — 👋Hi, I’m Mike. I share ideas like this to help Architects like you build a sustainably-balanced, burnout-resilient Archi-Life. Follow for more. ♻ If this post vibes with you please consider sharing it with someone you know.

Architecture's "suffer in silence" culture is slowly killing our profession, one burnt-out designer at a time. The unspoken rule that we must endure toxic workplaces as a rite of passage has become more and more normalized. I've witnessed countless talented colleagues leave the field entirely after years of accepting unhealthy work environments, believing that's just "how architecture is." I understand how isolating it feels to question these norms. The cycle continues because we've collectively accepted that speaking up may bury our careers, while silence is considered professional strength. But I think speaking up is the real power. Today, we're tackling the third installment in our toxic workplace series: How to break architecture's devastating silence cycle. • The hidden costs of accepting toxic norms • Why architecture developed its problematic "pay your dues" mentality • Practical strategies to challenge these systems without career implosion Let's examine how we can reclaim our professional culture by finding our voices. — This month in the Resilient Architect Newsletter, we’re diving deeply into one of the most common causes of burnout among Architects: Toxic Firms. Part 1 — How to recognize a Toxic Firm before you start there Part 2 — Creating boundaries at a Toxic Firm Part 3 — How to break the cycle of a Toxic Firm Part 4 — Exit Strategies from a Toxic Firm Part 5 — Alternative practice models to prevent a Toxic Firm 📰 To read this week’s issue and sign up for my free newsletter, “The Resilient Architect,” check out the link below. ————————— 👋Hi, I’m Mike. I share ideas like this to help Architects like you build a sustainably-balanced, burnout-resilient Archi-Life. Follow for more. https://lnkd.in/gEp8sbar

Architects, The most important project you may ever design… your exit strategy from a toxic firm. — 🔵 No Architect dreams of working in an environment where creativity is stifled, boundaries are violated, and well-being is an afterthought. Yet so many of us find ourselves trapped in precisely these conditions, wondering if we're the problem or if there's something genuinely wrong with our workplace culture. Having consulted with dozens of Architects making career transitions, I've witnessed firsthand how a methodical approach to leaving can transform what feels like professional failure into a powerful catalyst for career growth. — 🔵 Today, we're tackling perhaps the most practical part of this toxic workplace series: creating your strategic exit plan. Here's what we'll cover: • Deciding when it's truly time to leave (vs. when to fight for change) • Protecting your work, reputation, and mental health during the transition • Rebuilding your professional identity post-departure Let's break down the process into manageable steps that respect the unique challenges Architects face. — 🔵 This month in the Resilient Architect Newsletter, we’re diving deeply into one of the most common causes of burnout among Architects: Toxic Firms. Part 1 — How to recognize a Toxic Firm before you start there Part 2 — Creating boundaries at a Toxic Firm Part 3 — How to break the cycle of a Toxic Firm Part 4 — Exit Strategies from a Toxic Firm Part 5 — Alternative practice models to prevent a Toxic Firm 📰 To read this week’s issue and sign up for my free newsletter, “The Resilient Architect,” check out the link below. ————————— 👋Hi, I’m Mike. I share ideas like this to help Architects like you build a sustainably-balanced, burnout-resilient Archi-Life. Follow for more. https://lnkd.in/gxka_6kT