The Shortlist

In this bonus episode, the tables are turned as Becky Ellison takes over hosting duties and puts Wendy in the guest seat. As Middle of Six celebrates its 10-year anniversary, the conversation becomes part interview, part reflection on the people, experiences, and unexpected moments that have shaped the journey. Wendy shares her experiences from a decade of business ownership, and producer Kyle Davis reminds us of the value in building genuine relationships through the simple act of being ourselves.

As The Shortlist celebrates its 100th episode and Middle of Six marks 10 years in business, Wendy Simmons sits down with Melissa Richey, Grace Takehara, Becky Ellison, and producer Kyle Davis to reflect on the moments that made both possible. From the story behind naming the company to experience shares about entrepreneurship, career pivots, and building a thriving remote-first team, the conversation is equal parts reflection and celebration. Grab a cup of coffee and listen in as the team shares "pinch me" moments and their vision for the future. It's a look back at a decade of growth, 100 episodes of conversation, and the Hustle & Heart values that guide everything MO6.

Not every client or firm lives in InDesign. And sometimes, for whatever reason, you're not able to use the Adobe Creative Suite programs, but still have to produce a presentable product. It may not be ideal, but it's going to be okay. In this episode of The Short(er) List, Becky sits down with Grace Takehara to talk about a reality every AEC designer eventually faces: the dreaded Word doc, the pesky PowerPoint deck, or the well-intentioned Canva link. How do we make the most of these tools and create something polished and professional? We have ideas. Becky and Grace dig into how to make the Microsoft and non-Adobe programs work harder than they're given credit for, how to overcome technical limitations, and how to keep your design standards intact even when the software is fighting you the whole way. This one's for every designer who's ever opened a proposal in Word or presentation in PowerPoint and felt their soul leave their body—and who made their peace, made it work, and lived to tell the tale.

AI has moved from an experimental playground to an everyday reality, and AEC firms are figuring out how to use it responsibly and effectively. On this episode of The Shortlist , Wendy Simmons, Becky Ellison, and Hana Kaneko explore how AI is impacting AEC marketing from proposal support and content editing to data organization and workflow efficiencies. The Middle of Six team discusses the opportunities and challenges of AI adoption, including security, bias, intellectual property concerns, and environmental impacts. Their ultimate stance: MO6 is Human at Heart. While AI can accelerate tasks and improve efficiency, it cannot replace strategic thinking, authentic relationships, or the creativity that helps firms differentiate themselves and win work. And robots will never be funny. CPSM CEU Credits: 0.5 | Domain: 6

In the era of remote and hybrid work, your home office is either working for you or against you. And if you're reading this from your couch with a laptop balanced on a throw pillow—you might be ready for some improvements to your situation. In this episode of The Short(er) List, Becky sits down with guest Hana Kaneko to tackle the space where the real work takes place, and where so many ergonomic decisions come into play. They dig into what it takes to build a home office setup that supports a happy, healthy, and efficient day—and how to keep your mind right when the tether of the desk feels unbreakable. From lighting and layout to tools and temperature, they discuss the small upgrades that can make a big difference. No, you don't need a standing desk that costs more than your car. Yes, you probably do need to stop working from the kitchen table. Settle in and get ready for some tips! Your wrists, your eyes, your brain and your back will all thank you.

What type of AEC marketer are you? Are you the Eagle Eye, catching every compliance detail? The Octopus, juggling a dozen priorities at once? The Cheerleader, keeping your team motivated? Or maybe the MacGyver; the marketer who always finds a way to save the day?! In this special episode of The Shortlist, the entire Middle of Six team jumps on the podcast to discuss "The Marketers"—MO6's wildcard personalities that celebrate the strengths and superpowers that make AEC marketers so unique and invaluable. Through personal stories, shared experiences, and plenty of laughter, the team spills the tea on how these traits show up in their daily work and how to leverage these strengths without getting pigeonholed into certain roles. Listen in, see which character sounds most like you, and take the quiz at middleofsix.com/wildcards.

There's always a lot going on in the world of AEC marketing. The deadlines are real, the pressure can build, and somewhere between all of the submittal requirements, check-in meetings, task lists, and marketing production, it's easy to get overwhelmed by the details and lose sight of the bigger picture. In this episode of The Short(er) List, Becky sits down with Grace Takehara for a conversation that has nothing to do with proposal strategy and everything to do with the person behind all that planning. They talk about finding balance (even in the small moments), setting up a home office that actually feels good to sit in, and how to make space to celebrate the wins—without immediately pivoting to the next thing. Whether you're thriving, surviving, or somewhere in the middle, we're got you covered with a conversation that is practical, honest, and committed to sparking joy in your day-to-day—because you deserve it!

Have you ever wondered what it’s actually like to work with Middle of Six? In this episode of The Shortlist, Principals Wendy Simmons and Melissa Richey answer one of the most common questions they hear from AEC firms: “How does this even work?” From the first meet-and-greet conversation to onboarding, discovery sessions, project check-ins, and final deliverables, Wendy and Melissa walk through how MO6 plugs into teams to provide strategic marketing and business development support. And in classic MO6 style, they're transparent about the challenges many firms face before bringing on extra support, including back-to-back deadlines, budget constraints, team personalities, and even the fear of letting an outside consultant see behind-the-scenes. Leave those worries behind and hear first-hand how bringing on an outside perspective can add tremendous value to your in-house team.

In this episode of The Short(er) List, we're bringing you the software debate event of the century! Becky welcomes guest and sparring partner Katy Byers for knock-out, drag-out, no holds barred throwdown over the best tool for collecting proposal feedback from technical staff. Katy is team Bluebeam. Becky is not. She is very, very not. What follows is a good-natured and delightfully passionate argument about markups, workflows, and whether Bluebeam is a powerful proposal tool or just a PDF editor that engineers love a little bit too much. Becky makes her case for Adobe Share for Review. Katy holds her ground. Neither is backing down without a fight. No proposals were harmed in the making of this episode. Please leave your feedback for the team by highlighting text, adding a comment, or typing out a note in a red squiggly cloud—we're flexible, kind of.

Proposal deadlines have a way of testing even the most seasoned AEC marketers. No matter how carefully a pursuit is planned, you never know when you'll have to defuse a ticking time bomb, minutes before the deadline. In this episode of The Shortlist, Wendy Simmons is joined by designers Becky Ellison and Lauren Jane Peterson to discuss the “MacGyver moments” that happen when proposal teams are racing against the clock. From InDesign crashes and corrupt exports to oversized PDFs, emergency printer fixes, and hand-assembled printed proposals, Becky and Lauren Jane share stories from the trenches along with practical troubleshooting tips that can save a submission in the final hour. They also explore strategies for making impossible amounts of content fit on the page, compressing files under strict upload limits, and knowing when to make a sacrifice to the "proposal gods" rather than missing the deadline entirely. If you’re a proposal manager, designer, or marketer who’s ever submitted with seconds to spare, this episode offers equal parts practical advice, camaraderie, and comic relief for surviving the chaos of pursuit work. CPSM CEU Credits: 0.5 | Domain: 4

No notes. No outline. No edits. No regrets. (Okay, maybe a few regrets.) In this episode of The Short(er) List, Becky and Kyle are going live . After deciding on the episode topic approximately four minutes before hitting record, they just ... went for it. The result? An unfiltered, unscripted, and unrehearsed conversation about one of AEC marketing's most quietly complicated relationships: the interplay between graphic designers and content writers. Listen to find out if they pull it off. No safety net and nowhere to hide—just raw, organic, and all-natural AEC marketing talk without the artificial colors, preservatives, or added sugar. Sneezes included.

Strong project management isn’t just for the construction jobsite—it’s a critical skill for every AEC marketer. In this episode of The Shortlist, Wendy Simmons is joined by Melissa Richey and Lauren Jane Peterson to explore how marketers naturally step into project management roles across proposals, events, and campaigns. From defining scope and managing risk to leading communication and keeping teams aligned, the MO6 team breaks down practical strategies that keep work moving. We also dive into effective kickoff meetings, visual communication tools, and how project management platforms like ClickUp, Basecamp, and Asana can help streamline workflows. Ultimately, successful project management comes down to clear communication and team accountability to stay organized, efficient, and ahead of deadlines—and this episode is chalk full of tips for day-to-day project management. CPSM CEU Credits: 0.5 | Domain: 6

On this episode of The Short(er) List, we're leveraging innovative and collaborative solutions to provide comprehensive expertise that's both strategic and sustainable. And we're passionate about it, too. If that introduction sounds both nonsensical and completely normal, then you're in the right place. Don't worry, we're also guilty. Becky Ellison and Kyle Davis are back to call all of us out, including themselves. From world-class delivery to holistic experience, they're unpacking the words that have been doing the heavy lifting in AEC marketing for so long that they've become tired and worn out. We dig into the phrases that have taken over proposals and websites, what we actually mean when we use them, and what to say instead. Because the selection committee just read 12 other submittals that said the exact same things. Here’s the deal: your people and your firm actually are unique —so let's start writing like it.

Collaboration is at the heart of how the team at Middle of Six works—and being fully remote means finding tools that keep ideas flowing and groups aligned. In this episode of The Shortlist, MO6ers Kyle Davis and Lauren Jane Peterson share the ins and outs of using Mural, their favorite digital whiteboard platform. From internal brainstorming sessions and design charrettes to client workshops and presentations, Mural serves as a shared workspace where ideas can be captured, organized, and refined in real time. They also share how Mural's user interface makes it easy to onboard first-time users, encourage live note-taking, and import and export to PowerPoint. With this tool in your toolkit, you just might experience more efficient meetings, stronger alignment, and a shift from presenting ideas to actively building them alongside your team. CPSM CEU Credits: 0.5 | Domain: 2

Close your eyes. Breathe. Relax your shoulders. The RFP document is only five pages long. The Project Manager won't be on vacation during the interview. The entire team agrees on the deadline for content. There is no page limit. No one cares about margins. This is ASMR for AEC Marketers. In this episode of The Short(er) List, Becky and Katy are whispering reassuring sweet nothings into your headphones with a topic that's both absurd and (oddly?) therapeutic. Your hosts are talking smooth and soft. The music is calm and non-descript. Are you in a spa? Did you fall asleep at your desk? What does ASMR even stand for anyway? None of that matters. Because we see you, AEC marketers, and we're leaning all the way in. So put in your earbuds, turn down the lights, and let the soothing sounds of stress-free marketing wash over you.

Losing a pursuit is never fun but it can be one of the most valuable opportunities for growth. In this episode of The Shortlist, Wendy Simmons is joined by Melissa Richey and Katy Byers to talk about what it really means to “fail forward” and how to turn losses into smarter strategy. From running more effective debriefs and asking sharper questions to digging into scoring feedback and gut-checking your go/no-go decisions, the team shares practical ways to understand what happened and how to improve next time. And because losing streaks are part of the process, the conversation also leans into the human side: keeping team morale high, celebrating wins (big or small), and recognizing when a new approach or perspective might be exactly what your team needs. CPSM CEU Credits: 0.5 | Domain: 4

Most firms treat RFP questions as a formality—a quick clarification before the real work begins. But what if the questions you ask (and how you ask them) could actually give you the answers you want? In this episode of The Short(er) List, Becky and Melissa are back with their eagle eyes fixed on the details, cutting through the noise on one of the most underutilized tools in the AEC pursuit process: the RFP clarification question. We dig into strategic phrasing and considerations, air a few grievances, and talk about how to use questions to uncover hidden value and efficiencies. Did you even read the RFP? After this episode, there will never be any doubt.

In the AEC industry, RFPs and RFQs are a fact of life—but that doesn’t mean we can’t vent about the quirks that make RFPs unnecessarily challenging. From overly detailed questions squeezed into tight page limits to unclear addenda, Monday due dates, and outdated submission requirements, Middle of Six principals Wendy Simmons and Melissa Richey swap tales of headscratchers and horror stories alongside designers Becky Ellison and Lauren Jane Peterson. And in true roast fashion, the panelists also turn the spotlight on themselves, confessing their own “Wildcard" marketer tendencies that show up when proposal deadlines loom. The result is a candid, relatable roast for anyone who has ever opened an RFP and wondered … why? CPSM CEU Credits: 0.5 | Domain: 4

In this episode, Becky and Melissa spotlight one of the most underrated gems in the proposal world: Adobe Share for Review—the live-PDF reviewing tool that keeps your team organized without derailing your sanity. Between enthusiastic SFR praise and some truly premium BlueBeam shade (sorry to all you BlueBeam lovers out there; but fear not, you will be represented on the pod soon), the duo walks through how this simple tool can turn a chaotic review process into organized bliss. Think tidy comment panels, @ mentions that actually work, and the sheer joy of resolving a markup with one satisfying click. They also share their best hot tips, workflow hacks, and wise advice for helping even the most hesitant reviewers embrace the magic of SFR. Tune in to see how SFR can make your reviews collaborative, efficient, and—most importantly—painless.

Business development (BD) can feel like a job reserved for firm leaders or dedicated rainmakers, but in reality, it touches everyone in the AEC industry. In this conversation, Wendy Simmons sits down with Middle of Six Senior Marketing Strategist, Katy Byers, to break down how BD intersects with everyone's role. Katy, a natural-born networker and connector, unpacks common barriers—lack of permission, time, or confidence—and shares practical ways to make BD more accessible and less intimidating. With the right mindset and tools like a CRM, marketers can stop reacting to RFP "opportunities" and start pre-positioning for the next win. The big takeaway? BD isn't about selling. It's about consistency, curiosity, practice (because "practice makes progress"), and making space to develop genuine relationships with your firm's clients and project partners. CPSM CEU Credits: 0.5 | Domain: 3