Thick Skin: Womxn in the Trades Podcast Series

It's HAPPENING- at last! You've heard me talking it up and so many of you have shared your personal stories with me. I've collected almost 60 hours worth of interviews of women in the skilled trades and now I need your help to help fund the final production of the project, market it, and grow the project from 4 episodes into 8.

Help get Women in the Skilled Trades over the finish line and into the ears of the nation!

Donate $5 or $5000. Every bit helps! The goal is to raise the funds by December 1, 2020.  (Rewards for donors available- scroll down to read more)

These are truly ESSENTIAL workers' stories! Women in the skilled trades build our world, and their voices need to be heard!


FIRST, take a sneak listen to a few choice audio clips here.
LISTEN HERE: AUDIO CLIP SNEAK PEEK 

FACEBOOK SHARE and LIKE 


WHAT IS THIS PROJECT?

Tough Skin: Women in the Skilled Trades (or, a podcast about how women will save the American economy)

· Hear honest, raw, and often funny conversations with 35 women and men in the skilled trades, cross generational, welders, machinists, electricians, executives, retired and at work, advocates and educators

· Find out what it's like (from the 1970s to 2020) to work in a male-dominated, legacy industry

·  Get an understanding of possible solutions to encourage more women into the trades and as a result, positively change the  U.S. economy

2020 revealed America’s need for essential workers; yet, there’s a gaping hole in the pipeline to fill manufacturing and construction jobs in the skilled trades. Women are showing up to save the day, much to the confusion and sometimes delight of their teammates.

This is an eight-part podcast series, untangling the essential and skilled labor shortage in the construction and manufacturing trades and exploring America’s opportunity to reclaim its economy in this time of crisis.

(Yes! This photo is of the Wonder Woman Electric Inc. in San Francisco, late 70s, Founding Sisters, Courtesy of Molly Martin)



Who are you helping by donating?  

SO SO many people! Thousands!

·   Women searching for reliable, livable wages, this will encourage them to explore the trades

·   Women who are already employed in the trades, story sharing about the truth and humor, love and sorrow of the trades, it will create an opportunity to support their networks and improve the discriminatory, male dominated culture

·   The skilled trades advocates and educators who beat their drum to a few local ears can instead, have a nationwide platform and recruit and support more women into the trades

·   The families of the women in the trades, sharing in the pride, celebrating them!

·   The companies who supported this project receive their due credit for hiring and advocating for a diverse workforce and supporting women in the trades

·   Your intrepid podcast host and writer (this is my passion project and self-appointed new job!) and my production team so we can complete the 8 part series

...and you are helping the cause of encouraging women into stable, well paid jobs. We need this!


DID SOMEONE SAY REWARDS???

There are special REWARD gifts being offered to the first three people who donate $1000.

To the first two donors who contribute $1000 your reward is either:

WELD! *A private welding workshop for you and one friend with Diana CooperSmith in her welding studio.

*You'll get welding 101, it's social distanced, PPE provided because the trades were doing PPE before it was cool, and you and a friend will design your own piece and take it home with you! All levels welcome!
Diana was the 4th female ironworker on the Golden Gate Bridge and as an artist, has also worked closely with world renowned, artist Richard Serra. She is an educator, advocate and lifelong ironworker. You will have a blast with her!  www.dianacoopersmith.com

OR:

AUTO MECHANICS! * A private automotive lesson with Julia Johnson, the Professor of the Automotive Department at Skyline College.

Julia is the founder of the Heart Wrenchers, an all female automotive course and job placement initiative. She builds her own hot rods and has so many amazing stories!!! You'll  get hand on instruction on car maintenance and repairs.  All levels welcome! PPE and social distanced, strictly adhered to.   Come meet Julia and embrace your inner auto mechanic!

( The in-person gifts are easiest to redeem if you are Northern CA local unless you want to re-gift your gift- which we can do! How WILL you decide?)



How will the donated funds be used?

To pay podcast staff (producer and editor) for 4 episodes in 2020 and 4 episodes in 2021 (staff includes myself and an audio editing expert to round out my green Protools editing skills- learning though!)

To pay my social media manager (YAY! for Francis!) to get the word out nationwide, because you all know, I have never, ever been on FB.

What does your support mean to me?
What began as a casual podcast piece about my welding friends and coworkers quickly revealed a critical cause and movement for women and essential workers.

This project has a larger purpose. I want to help give a platform so women can share their stories, celebrate the victories,  explore behavior paradigms of those working in, hiring in and designing pipelines, for cis-gender, gender non-conforming, non-binary, LGBTQ women in the skilled trades and industrial arts. I want more women to hear the strength and joy of everyone I spoke with- and to encourage more women into the trades.

Women represent just 3% of those working in the skilled trades- let's change that!

The women I spoke with are fearless, brainy, and are the unsung pioneers in traditionally male dominated fields. They don't take NO for an answer. In fact, it fuels them toward success. Their general badassery is mind-blowing! You'll see and hear, soon! (Go listen to those audio clips.)

You’ll also be supporting my career leap! Like millions of others, I was also laid off in May of 2020 and this project has provided me hope, inspiration and a chance to take a turn I’d been waiting for- to become a radio journalist.

This project is only the beginning of the Women in Trades series. Women were so excited to tell their stories and there are thousands more women waiting to share! I cannot wait to get this out of my cloud drive and into your podcast feed!

I’ll be so grateful as will every project participant, that you contributed to getting the word out about women in the skilled trades, their impact and potential to forever change our country’s industries.

DONATE TODAY!

Even if donating isn't possible for you, donate your time and please FACEBOOK SHARE LIKE FOLLOW with your family, friends, colleagues. 

You are SUPPORTING

·  all women in the skilled trades in the United States working their badasses off

· their families

· the future of the young women to follow in their forged path!

THANK YOU!!! (Did you listen to those audio clips yet- GO!) 
LISTEN HERE: AUDIO CLIP SNEAK PEEK 



Want to be a guest? Contact me!

Podcast Guest List (and growing):

Alexandra Torres Galancid
Ana Gallira
Anna Donnely
Carol Barry
Dawn Hill
Diana CooperSmith
Diane Star
Elisa McCormick
Erin Cuellar
Evelyn Donis
Heather Hanson
Jazzy  Schwinges-Williams
Jeanne Park
Jeff McEuin
Jessika (Gescykae Wrecca Welz)
Joanna Duron 
Jocelyn Mak
Julia Johnson
Liisa Pine Schoonmaker
Linda Renteria
Louis Quindlen
Dr. Lynn Shaw
Madison Olson
Marisa Zuk
Missy Perez
Molly Martin 
Sarah Pritchard
Susanne Lauda