HAZARD GIRLS

“Hazard Girls is about women in male-populated industries.” Today on the Hazard Girls Podcast, we are discussing what we do on this podcast! You will hear all about why we do the podcast, what our mission is, whom we interview, and why we need to shift the terminology from “Male Dominated” to “Male Populated.” We go through some examples of great episodes we’ve done, look at Emily’s interview process, as well as the overarching themes we notice when interviewing guests. Lastly, we talk about what is on the horizon for Hazard Girls before telling you how to get in touch if you have any questions for us. Tune in for this incredible reminder of our important mission and thank you to all our listeners for supporting us and spreading the word! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With us today is Nancy Surak. She is a Senior Advisor and Managing Broker for the Tampa Bay office of the Land Advisors Organization. Nancy has more than 20 years of commercial real estate experience and has specialized in land brokerage since 2005. Tune in as we dive deeper into the commercial real estate industry to get up close and personal insight from Nancy. We take a close look at Nancy's professional experience as well as her efforts to support women in this male-dominated industry. You will not want to miss this insightful episode full of passionate stories and the ways Nancy is committed to the advancement of women in commercial real estate! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joining us today on the Hazard Girls podcast is the inspirational Jennifer Todd. Jennifer is a lawyer, the founder of an NPO called A Greener Tomorrow, and the founder and president of LMS General Contractors and is here with us to discuss being a woman in the construction industry. We discuss Jennifer’s journey to getting her law degree, starting her company and her NPO, and the importance of having a ‘why.’ You will hear all about how and why Jennifer became a spokesperson for women in construction, her course to assist women in the industry, why confidence is essential, and how we can apply ‘typical male advice’ to women in construction. We also go into the importance of speaking out against wrongdoings, why lip service is dangerous, how to handle mansplaining, and how to create and support male allies. Finally, Jennifer delves into why we need more women in construction (because women are amazing!) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The entrepreneurs who win the ‘game’ are the ones who keep going when the going gets tough! Joining us today on Hazard Girls is the CEO of Health-Ade, Daina Trout. Daina has an impressive resume and is passionate about gut health. In this episode, you will hear all about the positive effect kombucha and other fermented foods have on your health, the difference between prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics, and how to determine the status of your gut health. We discuss how Daina became interested in gut health, what inspired her to start her company, and what it is like to work in a “male-populated” industry as well as how to navigate the unfair assumptions that come with being a woman. Daina also shares some words of wisdom with us as she explains the importance of educating people tactfully; particularly when it comes to sexism in the workplace. You’ll learn about Daina’s philosophy of getting back on the horse to be a winner, and how her biggest mistakes turned into her biggest lessons. Finally, we talk about Health-Ade’s plans for the future. To hear all this and to unlock one of the keys of success as an entrepreneur, press play now! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As women in construction today, we deal with microaggressions in the workplace. But what was it like when sexism was a blatant part of women’s working lives? Here to tell us all about this is author of Tower of Lies, Trump’s ‘woman in construction,’ and incredible speaker, Barbara Res. Today on Hazard Girls we discuss Barbara’s illustrious career starting from her studies in construction all the way to today as an author. Tuning in you’ll hear all about her biggest challenges, the blatant sexism and sexual harassment she experienced, how she climbed the ladder, and how she became strong enough to stand up for herself. We also discuss how to assert yourself as a woman in the business, why you should find and become a female mentor, and how to support women in construction. Barbara also shares her experience of working with Donald Trump and gives us an overview of her book about it, Tower of Lies. You don’t want to miss out on this insightful conversation so press play now! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There appears to be a growing trend of women and minorities pursuing careers in STEM, but there is still a long way to go. Only 17 percent of civil engineers in the US are women, while minorities make up approximately 31 percent of civil engineers nationwide. And while many women and minorities may obtain a degree in STEM subjects, the likelihood of them staying within that field is far from certain. Today we are joined by Ally, a licensed construction engineer in Colorado, working in the road and bridge sector. You may know Ally from her videos on TikTok and Instagram, where she has grown an impressive social media following as she advocates for change in the industry one post at a time. Tuning in you’ll hear Ally share her experiences of working in construction as a woman, the important role that mentorship has played in her career, and the changes she’d like to see in the industry. We also discuss how she navigated her first pregnancy, including sexist assumptions in the workplace, and striving for work-life balance. We deeply admire the advocacy work that Ally is doing for women in engineering and construction, and can’t wait to share today’s conversation with you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Women have always been perceived to be weaker and less physically capable than men and the freedom that today’s children have has taken many years to achieve. Today on Hazard Girls we are joined by Emily’s mom, Rosemarie Heldrich Kiser. Rosemarie was a female track runner in the 1960s; a time when women did not have a constitutional right to play sports in schools. Rosemarie shares what it was like to be a sportswoman during this time, how it felt to train in an all-male college team as a teenage girl, how she became a competitor, and her experience competing in the Olympic trials. We also delve into how her experience shaped how she views the world, the change she has observed in women’s sports since then, and how you can continue your passion for sports throughout your life. Finally, she gives some advice to today’s fortunate generation of sportswomen. We also note that on June 23rd, 2022 it was the 50th anniversary of Title 9: Federal civil rights law in the United States of America that was passed as part of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program that receives funding from the federal government.To hear all this and more, tune in now! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Women in the safety industry need allies and the space to find their own voices! More importantly, PPE needs to be designed specifically for women’s bodies to ensure safety and efficiency. Joining us on the Hazard Girls podcast is the co-founder of the Iowa Women and Safety Conference and founder of The Safety Rack, Amy Roosa. First off, Amy tells us how she got started with the conference, who it targets, and what it’s all about as well as the main industries that safety professionals are coming from. She then gives us a breakdown of her background and how she got into safety before discussing why women get the brunt of the frustrations people experience in safety more than their male colleagues. Next, Amy delves into the pros and cons of being a woman in the safety industry, the importance of calling sexism out, and why men must be allies. We then discuss the importance of having PPE made for women specifically and how The Safety Rack is changing the ‘shrink it, pink it’ mentality.’ To hear all this and how you can educate your employers to make a change for women, tune in now! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a woman in the construction industry, all you want is to be treated as an equal in the workplace. Joining us today to discuss this topic is the director of Crew Collaborative, Kristina Mahler. We talk about how far the company has come since we last met with Kristina, the difficulties of starting a non-profit organization during a pandemic, and the company’s Classroom Talks and Ambassador Program projects. We also discuss their mission to change the face of construction and the stigma around a career in this industry. Next, we go into why we need to support women in construction being attacked on social media and why focusing on other people’s opinions can be detrimental. We then delve into why women in construction don’t want to be singled out and how the best thing we can do to support them is to treat them as equals. Finally, we discuss the importance of supporting the mental health of employees and how we can champion actual change in the industry. To hear all this and more, tune in today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to another installment of the Hazard Girls Podcast! Today on the show we get together with Nora Casanova, the Logistics Manager at Karsten Interior Services, a commercial construction subcontractor in Houston, Texas. Nora has three degrees to her name, including International Business, Supply Chain Management, and Entrepreneurship from the University of Texas, and is currently enrolled in the University of Texas, at Arlington Construction Management Master’s program. She is also on the board of directors for the National Association of Women in Construction and led this year's Women in Construction Week Committee in Houston. While Nora is clearly a logistical genius, she also thrives on the chaos that comes from working in the construction industry. In our conversation, we discuss how Nora got into construction, what she loves about it, and how her education in logistics has helped her in the industry. Tuning in you’ll hear about the fashion show at this year’s Women in Construction Week, and what Nora has planned for next year. We also discuss the value of finding women in construction to support your career journey and what it means to collect a board of directors for your career. Finally, Nora elaborates on the importance of representation for women in construction on social media, and some of the steps being taken to enhance their presence online. Tune in for key insights into this exciting industry and how women are thriving! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Navigating your time and boundaries while creating a business you love and cultivating client relationships is no easy feat. As a woman, being able to accomplish these things comes with even more challenges. Using more than 30 years of experience, Pamela explores all things networking, giving us a look at techniques that we can use, both online and in-person, to get to know people better and create sustainable and successful business relationships. We learn tips and tricks on how to renew our time management structures, prioritize the right elements on our to-do lists, and change what we view as important during our work day. We then take a look at how COVID has created a shift in the way people want both their work and home spaces designed: a new push for a space that fosters a work-life balance. From discussing personal stories of triumph, to understanding a business's overarching mission, we are lucky enough to get so much knowledge on how to level up and stand out above the crowd. Join us to learn how to align your creativity and proactivity to create a magnetism that attracts your perfect clients! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Knowing what drives your ambition is a key aspect of what motivates you to keep going! Without figuring that out for yourself first, you’re much more likely to give up on goals. Our guest on today’s episode of Hazard Girls is Andrea Janzen. She is the founder of Ambition Theory, a professional coaching and leadership development company focused on accelerating women in the construction industry into leadership positions. She is a certified executive coach with an MBA and the host of the Ambition Theory Podcast. Andrea is passionate about coaching women in the construction industry to develop themselves, set leadership goals, and get results. Tuning in, listeners will hear about how Andrea got involved in the construction industry, the story of her first-ever talk at a conference, and why it’s important to answer the question, “What drives your ambition?” She also elaborates on the different courses that are offered at The Ambition Theory, different types of leadership models, and the discrepancy between the different gender-related leadership skills. We end off the podcast talking about the worker shortage issue and whether women are the answer! So, don’t miss out on this great conversation. Tune in, and enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest has been in the construction industry since the 80s, a time when gender equality was not what it is today. Julie Laughton is a designer, general contractor, and the CEO of Julie Laughton Custom Homes, a unique one-stop-shop design-build service. Between New York City, where she began her career, and Orange County, California, where she is now based, Julie has designed over 500 spaces. Today she joins us to share some of the wisdom she has gained in her decades spent in the male-dominated industry of construction and design. Tuning in you’ll hear how Julie’s mom raised her without any boundaries around what women can or can’t do, how she started her business, some of the most notable projects she has been involved in, and what it’s like being a woman in a leadership role in a male-dominated industry. You’ll find out how Julie’s process works, why her company’s employee retention is so high, and how she developed the leadership skills that she has today. She also shares insight on her involvement in HGTV's Frozen in Time. Julie is the epitome of what Hazard Girls is all about, so tune in today for this inspiring conversation! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As part of our series of chats with diversity specialists, today we're speaking with Mercedes Gamor. Mercedes is the first-ever Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Specialist at Prime Electric, one of the most prolific electrical construction contractors on the West Coast of the US. Today, she joins us to talk about how Prime Electric is going above and beyond just ‘checking the diversity box’. Tuning in, you’ll hear about how she got involved in the construction industry, how she discovered her passion for DEI, and some of the DEI initiatives she is involved with at Prime Electric, including their Subcontractor Assist Supplier Diversity Program. Her passion overlaps with her role in the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) where she forms part of the National DEI Committee. You’ll also hear about her passion for affordable housing, the lack of this in Seattle, and her work to address this through the Habitat for Humanity Seattle King County Young Professionals Group. To learn more about DEI in the construction industry and some examples of programs that are making a difference, as well as Mercedes’ advice to anyone in a position of power, tune in today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is a distinct difference between building a sellable business and building yourself a glorified job. Returning to the show to preach the importance of starting with the end in mind and planning your exit, is the admirable Michelle Sieler Tucker. Michelle is a world-renowned expert in the field of mergers and acquisitions, and a leading authority on buying, selling, and improving businesses. She is the Founder and CEO of Seiler Tucker Incorporated, a frequent guest on CNBC and Fox Business, and the bestselling author of Exit Rich (which is now available as an Audiobook)! In this episode, she walks us through the top mistakes that business owners make and how to avoid them. We learn about the importance of ensuring multiple revenue streams, marketing channels, and client bases, as well as trademarking your products separately. Michelle explains the role of processes and patents in scaling and selling a business and what makes a business more appealing to prospective buyers. Tune in to find out why your business should be built according to the criteria of your target buyer and what you need to do to increase your chances of exiting rich! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Futurists are people who plan for the future by looking at trends and identifying what’s coming instead of only looking at the past. To explain more about this profession and the profound value it offers, today we are joined by Rebecca Ryan, a top 50 professional futurist, as well as an economist, best-selling author, and entrepreneur. She is also on the executive committee of the Global Association of Professional Futurists. As the founder of NEXT Generation Consulting, she partners with private and public sector leaders across the country. Through looking at the generation ahead, she outlines strategies in urban planning, economic development, and workforce development to ensure communities are well equipped for future trends and challenges. Tuning in today, you’ll learn more about futurism and how it differs from strategic planning. You’ll also hear about the four-phase process Rebecca uses to craft a vision with a client and how she uses this in her own life too. To find out why she insists on looking 10 years into the future instead of 5, how she helps clients get past their own egos when planning for the future, the benefits of considering the worst-case scenario even if you don’t want to, and so much more, tune in today!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest today is Libby Mendiratta, the Executive Vice President at G.E. Frisco Company, a family-owned business specializing in supplying lumber and building materials across the Mid-Atlantic region. Libby has been in the construction industry for over 20 years and she oversees the entire division of the business that serves state and federal contracts. She is also the chair of the Women Building Washington Committee, an active member of the Washington Building Congress, and on the programming and stewardship committee of the Annual Women in Construction Conference in DC. Libby teaches younger generations about the construction industry and trades, and is passionate about inspiring more women to enter the construction industry and elevate to leadership positions! Tuning in, you’ll hear more about her background, how she became the CPO and what that means to her, how she believes we can increase awareness of jobs in construction for women, and approaches that can elevate women into leadership positions in the industry. For all this, and more, join us for today’s episode of Hazard Girls! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joining us in conversation today is Kuma Roberts, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Arrowhead Consulting. Tune in to learn the difference between ‘DEI’ and ‘D and I’, and why the focus has shifted from the latter to the former. You’ll hear why everyone has something to contribute to the conversation around diversity, and how it doesn’t begin and end with skin color. Kuma is more concerned about policy than changing hearts and minds, and believes that when the culture of an organization changes, hearts and minds will follow. Next, we discuss fears organizations experience around communicating their values around diversity, and why it is necessary to overcome this in order to become successful. Kuma unpacks the business case for diversity and inclusion and reveals that much of her wisdom in this arena stems from her own years of experience. We discuss employee perception, inclusive language, pronouns, and email signatures, before exploring the role of top leadership buy-in on a personal and company level. Kuma explains what tokenism is, how to avoid it, and why prioritizing diversity can’t be understood as ‘helping’, but goes far deeper than that. Join us today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A few years ago, a house in Utah was built by a team made up entirely of women. Today’s guest, Mollie Elkman, is the owner and president of Group Two, and she and her team were responsible for the sales and marketing side of the build. As the project was nearing an end, Mollie saw the potential of this story to positively impact the lives of so many women and girls, and she embarked on a journey of writing The House That She Built. The book highlights 18 of the trades that are involved in building a house, from excavators to plumbers to landscapers, and it has become an invaluable tool used to educate women and girls and other underrepresented groups about the career paths that are available to them. Tune in today to hear Mollie’s story; what led her to the construction world, what she loves about working in this industry, and how she hopes the future of the construction industry will be impacted by The House That She Built. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The "command and control" leadership style is common within many organizations, but in today’s episode, we’re going to be discussing why a more inclusive and collaborative form of leadership holds so much value. Today’s guests are Shannon Karels and Kathy Miller, both of whom have had many years of experience leading manufacturing operations and implementing lean transformations. A lean transformation involves building an efficient, sustainable organization that is based on a foundation of respect for its people. The approaches that Kathy and Shannon have used (and the lessons they have learned) while successfully transforming businesses in this way have been documented in their book, Steel Toes and Stilettos, a must-read for any women (or men) in leadership positions! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices