Growing Beyond | Industry Leaders Series EP06 with Toby Ewert

Seton Walsh-Rose sits down with Toby Ewert — architect, co-founder of Ewert Leaf (60 staff, 14 years), co-founder of Landchecker (a proptech sold successfully to an investor), and now founder of Ewert Advisory and a co-working space called Two and a Half. Four years ago, Toby was diagnosed with a Type 2 glioma brain tumour. He’s had two craniotomies, stopped drinking, stepped away from the firm he built, and rebuilt his life around what actually matters. 

This episode covers Toby’s entrepreneurial journey, the Landchecker proptech exit, what a brain tumour taught him about burnout and identity, AI’s role in architecture, the wellness revolution in professional services, and his philosophy for business advisory: do it with people, not for them. 

Episode Chapters

• 00:11 Welcome & Introduction
• 00:51 The Beginning: Hospitality Design & Leaf Architecture
• 02:18 Growing to 60 People in 14 Years
• 05:11 Landchecker: The Proptech Story
• 09:13 The Brain Tumour Diagnosis
• 18:47 The Craniotomy — Awake Brain Surgery
• 23:12 The Brain Cancer Research Connection
• 24:06 Post-Surgery: Personality Changes & Recovery
• 26:07 Rebuilding: Stepping Away From Leaf
• 28:28 Ewert Advisory & Two and a Half
• 31:26 Do It With, Not For
• 36:51 Constraints & Productivity
• 43:41 Burnout in Architecture Firms
• 46:25 Authenticity & Transparency in Leadership
• 49:25 Construction Industry Challenges
• 50:24 AI in Architecture: Opportunity & Threat
• 54:11 The Tech Advisor Problem
• 58:03 Wellness, Longevity & the New Work Model
• 1:01:13 Book Recommendation & Wrap-Up

Key Takeaways

• Don’t wait for something bad to happen to change direction
• Do it with people — not for them
• Identity and business are dangerously intertwined in architecture
• Constraints make you better, not worse
• The real AI opportunity in architecture is back-office and reporting
• AI moves faster than most firms can keep up
• The construction market isn’t collapsing — it’s sorting
• Burnout is a culture problem, not a personal failing
• Wellness is now a business strategy
• Your legacy is not your firm

Sound Bites / Quotes:
“I learned that I was heading in the wrong direction. Unfortunately it takes something bad to happen for us to change. Don’t wait. You’re ahead of it. You’re in control of it.” — Toby Ewert, ~1:01:45 

“I’m not going to rescue you. I’m going to give you the processes I’ve learned over time. Do it with you, not for you.” — Toby Ewert, ~31:35 

“I spent two years trying to find my feet. Am I an architect? No. What am I if I’m not Leaf? I don’t really know.” — Toby Ewert, ~26:12 

References & Resources

• Companies & Projects Referenced: 
  • Ewert Leaf — Toby’s former 60-person Melbourne architecture firm (co-founded, since departed) 
  • Landchecker — proptech platform (sold): https://www.landchecker.com.au 
• Health & Research Organisations: 
  • WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute) — Brain Cancer Research Centre, Melbourne 
  • WEHI Brain Cancer Research: https://www.wehi.edu.au/research/research-fields/cancer/brain-cancer 
  • Professor Misty Jenkins — WEHI immunotherapy researcher, Toby’s research team connection 
  • Professor Misty Jenkins — WEHI: https://www.wehi.edu.au/people/misty-jenkins 
  • Carrie Bickmore’s Beanies 4 Brain Cancer — charitable initiative referenced in episode 
  • Beanies 4 Brain Cancer: https://www.beanies4braincancer.com.au 
  • Type 2 Glioma — the diagnosis Toby received 
  • Brain Foundation — Glioma Overview: https://brainfoundation.org.au/brain-tumour/glioma 
• Concepts Referenced: 
  • Craniotomy — brain surgery procedure (awake craniotomy referenced by Toby) 
  • Craniotomy — better health Victoria: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/craniotomy 
  • Scan Anxiety — the pre-MRI anxiety Toby describes as ‘skin anxiety’ 
  • Proptech / spatial planning — the category Landchecker operates in 
  • Proptech Association Australia: https://proptechassociation.com.au