Emily Schickner (Tuttle), AIA, NCARB

I attribute my success to being self-competitive rather than competitive with others. It took me a long time to realize that about myself. I'm not self-critical or hindering my self-image, but if something doesn't go right, I hold myself accountable and then find a way to turn it around. I ask myself what I learned from that and how I can shift it for the next time, using the information I gathered to make it better. Some of that is learning how to harness the need for control and use it to an advantage - figuring out what I can control and what I cannot. One of my New Year's resolutions lately is working on patience. With three little kids at home who constantly need their mother, you want to constantly be able to give to them, but you can't - that would be burnout. But if you have the patience, you can always make time for everything that needs to get done and teach that patience to those around you. It's about building a big level of trust with everyone, saying don't worry, I will get to it, and you always do. I'm very committed to giving quality time where it's needed, not just where I deem it worthy. Everyone gets my quality time, and I don't shortchange anyone because it may be a bigger task or a smaller task. Everyone and everything is deserving of that quality time.

The best advice I got was to find one or two mentors, not a million, but just a couple who align with how you want to approach your career and your life. It's not just any mentor because they're successful - it's somebody that aligns with your wants, your goals, and your desires that can mentor you in the profession. That's why you need more than one sometimes, because someone may be really good if you're interested in sustainability, but another person could be really good because they wanted to build a family at the same time, or start their own business, or work for a corporate company. I applied the same concept I learned as a new mother - find a couple other mothers that are mothering like you, with a mothering system like yours, so that when you field your questions to them, the answers coming back are something that would actually work for you. I would apply that same thing professionally - find one or two successful leaders or mentors in your community that align with you and where you want to go in your career.

My advice would be twofold. First, you can have it all. You can do it the way you want to do it. But you have to know what you want. I've been shocked to hear lately that some women are being told that you can't have it all, that you can't have this and that if you're going to be an architect, that you're going to have to give up on something. There's this informed knowledge without the exposure in the profession yet, and people are making assumptions and judgments based on things they are hearing and seeing without actually being part of that personal experience themselves. Second, find one or two successful leaders or mentors in your community, and lean on them for guidance. But here's the key piece - it's not just any mentor because they're successful. It's somebody that aligns with your wants, your goals, and your desires that can mentor you in the profession. You might need more than one sometimes, because someone may be really good if you're interested in sustainability, but another person could be really good because they wanted to build a family at the same time, or start their own business, or work for a corporate company. Find people whose professional philosophy aligns with where you want to go.

One of the biggest challenges is maintaining consistent, long-lasting traction for women in the profession and ensuring that momentum keeps moving forward and doesn't go in the other direction. I noticed during COVID a big shift in the workforce - there became a disparity in who had to stay home during that time, and what I saw with men and women in the workforce during COVID and the post-COVID era was concerning. A lot of women are predominantly the ones taking more care of that home front, even that mental load. We need a hell of a lot more support than what the base standard is right now. When you actually think about what is acceptable, it's not acceptable. But there are organizations working very hard towards changing that base standard. I'm very focused on making sure we're all making traction, but that the longevity of that traction is very important to me - that we move that needle and it keeps moving and doesn't go the other direction. There's also a substantial need to promote women in the industry where it is a predominantly male-dominated industry, and to talk about how we want to maintain and keep quality talent, women, and diversity in our profession.

The values most important to me center around giving quality time and being fully present. I'm very committed to giving quality time where it's needed, not just where I deem it worthy. Everyone gets my quality time, and I don't shortchange anyone because it may be a bigger task or a smaller task - everyone and everything is deserving of that. What I do at home is very important to what I do at work, and what I do at work is very important to what I do at home. I'm obsessed with being a mother, and it's very empowering. I want other moms to be able to be proud of themselves and say those things too. I'm a huge advocate for making sure that women feel confident to say I'm a damn good mom, or I'm a damn good human, and here's why, and not have to always feel like we have to follow. We can lead just by being who we are. I also value community and culture - we all have a way of contributing to community and culture, and we all have a value to bring. Whether women want to have a career or do something different, that's their choice, but we should all feel empowered in whatever path we choose.