Breaking Barriers: Empowering Women in Construction with Dr. Gretchen Gagel

🎧 Episode Overview (EP 221)

The construction and engineering industries are changing—but inclusion hasn’t always kept pace. In this episode, Dr. James Bryant sits down with Dr. Gretchen Gagel, founder of Women Thriving in Construction Global Institute and author of Building Women Leaders: A Blueprint for Women Thriving in Construction.

With over 40 years in the industry, Gretchen shares lessons from her leadership journey—spanning construction, consulting, and academia—and reveals what it really takes for women and their allies to lead and thrive in environments that haven’t always welcomed diversity.

Together, they explore practical allyship, burnout and balance, dominant culture, and how to build workplaces where everyone can bring their whole selves to work.

“If you’re not going to back yourself, no one else will.” — Dr. Gretchen Gagel

Whether you’re in construction, engineering, or any technical field, this conversation will challenge how you think about leadership, inclusion, and sustainable success.

🧭 What You’ll Learn

• Why inclusion challenges persist across engineering and construction
• What “dominant culture” really means—and how empathy drives change
• Daily examples of allyship for men and leaders
• How women can overcome perfectionism and guilt to avoid burnout
• The power of asking for help and leading with authenticity
• How leadership growth carries into home life and personal wellbeing

🔩 Episode Highlights

00:00 – Welcome + Gretchen’s story and motivation for her book
04:00 – Dominant culture, inclusion, and empathy in engineering and construction
09:00 – Simple acts of allyship that change workplace culture
11:00 – Burnout, balance, and redefining success
15:00 – Asking for help and leading authentically
19:00 – Creating the Women Thriving in Construction Global Institute
22:00 – Encouragement for women whose careers have stalled
24:00 – James on living intentionally and bringing your whole self to work

🔗 Connect with Dr. Gretchen Gagel
🌐 gretchengagel.com
🌐 womenthrivinginconstruction.org
📘 Building Women Leaders: A Blueprint for Women Thriving in Construction (Available on Amazon)

🎧 More Ways to Connect

Private Podcast: Engineer Your Success Insiders
One story. One insight. One action to help you lead with intention.
🔗 engineeryoursuccessnow.com/insiders

Podcast Hub: sleekbio.com/eyspod
LinkedIn: Dr. James Bryant

🌟 Engineer Your Success — Dr. James Bryant

Success isn’t just about results—it’s about building a life shaped by your values.
Dr. James Bryant helps engineering and technical leaders create systems that bring clarity, confidence, and balance so they can win at work and at home.

www.engineeryoursuccessnow.com