96. Resilience, Data, And The Future Of Engineering with Ben Cryan

In this episode of Building Doors, host Lauren Karan sits down with Ben Cryan, founder of Praxis Engineering, Axesse, and Carbon Trace, for a powerful conversation about resilience, engineering, data, AI, and the future of project delivery in construction and infrastructure. At 31, Ben’s life changed in an instant after a surfing accident left him facing 18 months in hospital, more than 55 operations, three months unconscious in intensive care, two strokes, and a kidney transplant donated by his mother. Doctors told him he may never walk again. But Ben refused to let that moment define him. One step at a time, he fought his way back to walking, back to engineering, and eventually into building businesses that are helping reshape how the industry understands cost, carbon, risk, and better design decisions. Ben shares how his recovery taught him the importance of community, asking for help, and never giving up. He also explains why data has always been central to the way he thinks as an engineer, and how structured project data can help teams reduce rework, improve decision-making, understand cost and carbon earlier, and create better outcomes across major infrastructure projects. Tune in for a deeply human, practical, and forward-looking conversation about what happens when resilience meets innovation — and why the future of construction will depend not just on AI, but on better data, better frameworks, and the courage to think differently. **What You’ll Learn in This Episode:** **Resilience, Recovery, and Rebuilding:** \- How Ben’s surfing accident changed his life and career \- What 18 months in hospital taught him about people, family, and community \- Why Ben never wanted sympathy, and what it took to return to engineering **Never Giving Up:** \- How Ben rebuilt his life and career after being told he may never walk again \- Why his businesses are shaped by the same mindset that carried him through recovery \- The role determination, patience, and courage play in both life and entrepreneurship **Mental Health, Speaking Up, and Asking for Help:** \- Why putting a problem out into the world is the first step to solving it \- How asking for help shaped Ben’s career in engineering and business \- The importance of openness, honesty, and support in high-pressure industries **Building Businesses After Setbacks:** \- The reality of building an engineering consultancy and two technology platforms \- Why rejection, resilience, and persistence are part of entrepreneurship \- How Ben turned personal adversity into a drive to solve industry problems **Data, Design, and Better Engineering Decisions:** \- Why “the data tells a story” \- How structured data can help engineers understand cost and carbon in real time \- Why early visibility of project data can reduce rework and improve design outcomes **AI, Construction, and the Right Framework:** \- Why companies should not build AI for the sake of AI \- The importance of getting the data framework right before adopting AI \- How AI can support engineers by helping them filter complex information and make better decisions **Reducing Cost, Carbon, and Project Risk:** \- How better data can help teams understand cost risk earlier in the design phase \- Why embodied carbon needs to be considered alongside cost \- The opportunity to deliver better infrastructure with more certainty and control **The Human Cost of Poor Project Tools:** \- How rework affects design teams, project timelines, and people’s wellbeing \- Why better systems can help reduce unnecessary pressure on engineers \- How technology can free up time for deeper thinking, creativity, and better solutions **The Future of Engineering and Construction:** \- Why AI will not change construction overnight \- How engineers can lean into change without losing the fundamentals \- Why the industry needs to think differently if it wants to deliver better projects **Key Quotes from Ben Cryan:** \- “Once we put a problem out into the world, we can actually solve it.” \- “I’ve never wanted sympathy for my accident. I’ve never wanted to be treated differently. I just wanna be normal.” \- “The data tells a story.” \- “Never giving up is so powerful.” \- “Building a small engineering consultancy is hard. Building two tech startups is even harder.” \- “Don’t build AI for the sake of AI.” \- “Things don’t change overnight, and our industry’s not gonna change overnight.” \- “I made a career out of asking for help.” **About Our Guest:** Ben Cryan is a civil engineer, founder, and entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience in linear infrastructure design. He is the founder of Praxis Engineering, Axesse, and Carbon Trace. Through his work, Ben is helping the construction and infrastructure sectors use structured data to better understand cost risk, embodied carbon, design decisions, and project outcomes. His personal journey of recovery, resilience, and rebuilding has shaped his belief in never giving up, asking for help, and using data to make better decisions. **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 engineering, construction innovation, resilience, AI, data, project delivery, and the future of infrastructure. \- Connect with Ben Cryan to learn more about Praxis Engineering, Axesse, and Carbon Trace. **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](mailto:reachout@buildingdoors.com.au). Thank you for listening! It’s time to stop waiting and start building.