FLUID Mentoring Stories | Karen & Karen

Her story FLUID Mentee Karen Ridgewell

It was a work colleague who suggested that I take a look at the Fluid Mentoring Programme.  In our conversation, I had confided that what I really needed was to talk to someone who understands the context of working in the built environment and the challenges that we are all facing at the moment in relation to the Climate Emergency. I don’t have many peers that understand my multi-disciplined skillset and I don’t know what to do with it. I don’t know whether to focus on leadership or to focus on the delivery of projects.

He recommended Fluid but said that I’d better move quickly because the closing date for applications for the next year’s programme was the very next day. I read through all the details and information, and the different types of programmes that were open and settled on Fluid because it offered me the opportunity to seek someone out, if I got through, who would understand my perspective.  I do so many different things now that it’s difficult to explain what I do or to express it in a clear and succinct way that people would value and understand. This is ultimately what lead me to apply for the Fluid programme.

During the interview process, I was open and honest and said there are two things I wanted, someone who understands my context within the built environment and has some empathy towards my passion to tackle the climate emergency. 

I’ve been lucky enough to be paired with Karen Fugle (we are ‘the two Karens’).  We’ve met once a month since the beginning of the year, I drive the agenda, shaping what we will cover, informed by monthly updates which include things I’d like to talk about and prioritise and my aspirations for the session.  This helps frame our one-and-a-half-hour conversations.

I was recently unsuccessful in an interview and I asked for feedback, which I never would have done before, and I shared it with Karen. The feedback is very much aligned with what we are trying to tackle at the moment and that’s my own articulation of what I’m good at, or my inability to do so. We are working on this right now because it’s really important. I have imposter syndrome, like a lot of people, and I want to eradicate it because there’s no reason for it. I’m in my 40s, I’ve been working for 20 years, there are people who come to me for help, and I’ll willingly give it, yet I have a real issue with talking about my successes and achievements. Karen is really helping me with this. 

In the last six months we’ve worked on what my priorities and values are and my articulation of these. This has helped with my current work because we are going through some organisational change and I’m being open and honest and clear about what I want and it’s having a positive impact. I want to be able to support my peers at work to think positively and to work well together as a team.  Karen is really helping me embrace that.

Karen and I are halfway through the programme and I’m really enjoying it. There are two opportunities that I’m pursuing that I might not have done before I met her. It’s challenging to recognise the uniqueness of my situation, my experience and my knowledge and trying to match that with people who don’t know they need me yet. With an obscure multi-disciplined skill set like mine the perception is that there aren’t many organisations who are looking for people like me. Karen’s encouraging me to value that what I do is leading the adaptation of the built environment and that I am part of an initial wave of built environment professionals who are dealing with a problem that’s never going to go away.

Karen’s Mentor Karen Fugle

I've always worked in the construction industry, first as a draughtsperson and then as a CAD/BIM manager and consultant. It was the recession of 2008 that made me question my future career path. Many good people were being let go from their jobs, and I realised that I was more concerned about the well-being of the people than the technology. I retrained and have been a professional Executive Coach for the last nine years.

I've been following Built By Us since its inception, so I knew about the Fluid Diversity Mentoring Programme and its merits. The Fluid programme is a personal way for me to give back. 

When I signed up to be a Fluid mentor, it was important for me to have the right mentee candidate. My pairing with Karen is a great match. I feel that it's a peer-to-peer pairing rather than a teacher-student relationship. We gelled immediately, and over the four sessions we've had so far, I think that we have similar values and that our energies are well matched.

Karen and I have looked at leadership and what it means to be a good leader. We've discussed what Karen feels is holding her back and where she wants to be in the future. She's challenging herself, changing and taking positive steps. It takes time to get where you want to be, so having 12 months for the programme is excellent.

I view my role as helping Karen develop a 'toolbox' to help her overcome old beliefs, challenge assumptions and find fulfilment in her role within the sustainability sector. We've done various written activities and role-play, helping Karen understand how to articulate her skills and values and appreciate her worth. 

I respect Karen and the work that she's doing. I feel it's a privilege to be helping her and to be cheering with her when she achieves something she wants – this is what brings me enormous satisfaction, to be able to say, "Yes, you've done it!"

Biographies

Karen Ridgewell

Acting on the Climate and Biodiversity Emergencies has been the motivation for my working practice for over 15 years. 

It began at University when working on volunteer projects for local charities and self-build groups in Brighton and has continued throughout my time within an Architectural Practice, a national Contractor and an Active Travel charity. I am now a Principal Design Officer at Architecture and Design Scotland (A&DS) focusing on the intersection between climate action and a place-based approach, a Trustee of Creative Carbon Scotland and the Chair of A Place in Childhood, a charity that supports young people to change our world.

My time at A&DS has focused on delivering projects on behalf of the Scottish Governments Energy and Climate Change and Planning, Architecture and Regeneration Directorate.  I am supporting and enabling local authorities and communities to act on Scotland’s commitment to tackle the climate emergency, plan to adapt to the impacts of climate change and harness the ability of our built environment to create positive change.  

Prior to A&DS I had the role of ‘Ambitious Projects Coordinator’ at Sustrans, an active travel charity where I worked in partnership with The City of Edinburgh Council (The City Centre Transformation Project) and Scottish Canals (Stockingfield Bridge, the award-winning Bowline and Claypits Nature Reserve)In a previous role  I assessed and supported in excess of 50 BREEAM rated projects including the Arboretum Nursery at Kew, The Baird Family Hospital Aberdeen, the Centre of Refurbishment Excellence (CoRE), Edinburgh Climate Change Institute (ECCI), The Piece Hall Halifax and the Great Hall Lincolns Inn. I am also an Expert Panel Member (Specialist) for the Design Council and an Innovation Champion at BE-ST

Karen Fugle

Karen Fugle is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) who has more than 25 years of experience in the Architectural industry. Karen founded SleepingGiant Consulting in 2014 after a successful career as a leading UK CAD/BIM consultant. She has been supporting the careers of architects, designers, and construction professionals ever since. 

Karen elevates her client's ability with results-oriented coaching, achieved through clear, actionable planning. She has a strong work ethic, manifested in high standards, clarity of approach, and simplicity of delivery. 

Karen is a committee member of the Women in Architecture UK network and is the author of the 2020 report: Women in Architecture: Self Development and Career Advancement for Mid-Level Professionals.