#41 - Between is Beautiful with Mani A. Farhadi

Mani Farhadi is a Senior Facilities Planner at Stanford
University School of Medicine in the Office of Facilities,
Planning and Management. A global thinker and creative thought
leader, Mani has three decades of experience in planning and
architecture, and in collaborating with both public and private
institutions. She enjoys combining her passion for education with
her extensive planning skills to bring about stakeholder
consensus and thoughtful solutions.


Mani’s leadership extends into volunteer duties as well. She is a
former Board of Trustee member at Los Gatos Union School
District, and Chair of the Bond Oversight Committee, for which
she received the ‘Citizen Architect’ award. Mani also volunteers
for the AIA Silicon Valley Women in Architecture Committee, as
well as for various Iranian-American cultural and advocacy
groups.


In this episode, we talk about:




Mani’s experience of growing up in Iran, and how she came to
embrace her intersectional identity




On feeling in-between




Bonding with other Iranian-American architects




The duality of being a mother and working professional, and
Mani’s advice for how to merge the two sides of yourself




How Mani made the transition from working at private
architectural firms to becoming a Senior Planner at Stanford
University School of Medicine




Mani’s volunteer work with the Women in Architecture
Committee for the AIA Silicon Valley, and how organizations
like WIA have evolved to become more than just about women’s
issues




Mani’s experience during COVID and having her two adult sons
at home (they made a Tik Tok video!)