86. The Hidden Values of Engineering: Why the Future of Infrastructure Depends on People, Purpose, and Legacy with Felicity Furey

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 Load

• Felicity’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 Generation

• The 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 podcast

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.