HAZARD GIRLS

JC Sykes is a carpenter, co-owner 90 Degree Construction, author and the Founder and Executive Director of Black Girls Build, a non-profit organization that “Brings boldness and authority to all women and young girls by providing exposure and opportunity in the construction industry.” On this episode of the Hazard Girls podcast, JC and Host Emily Soloby discuss overcoming gender and racial bias in the construction industry, dealing with unions, being a wife, mother and author, as well as the importance of self reliance and much more.

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Dr. Ronda Hamm is an entomologist, educator, and a princess in Reinvented Magazine’s Princesses with Powertoolscalendar. Dr. Hamm and Hazard Girls podcast Host Emily Soloby discuss her unique story and her passion for insects, agriculture, and STEM.

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On this episode of Hazard Girls we welcome Diana Iracheta to the show. Diana is the Founder of Latina Engineer, an organization she founded on 2019 and who’s mission is to empower Latinas in Engineering by providing educational and professional development resources. Diana sits down with Hazard Girls Host Emily Soloby and shares her experiences and obstacles as a Latina in engineering, her inspirations and what it took to grow the Latina Engineer network to over 10,000 women in STEM around the world.

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The Hazard Girls podcast welcomes high school edtech librarian Kristina Holzweiss to the show. Kristen and Host Emily Soloby discuss the importance of libraries and librarians for professional development, fostering a love of reading, creating a safe and welcoming space for students, and integrating STEM with literacy.

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After running her yoga studio for a couple of years, Hope Zvara said, “OK universe, what’s next?” The answer came to her after a question from a stranger at a small-town mixer in Wisconsin. On this episode of the Hazard Girls podcast, Host Emily Soloby welcomes Hope Zvara, Founder and CEO of Mother Trucker Yoga. She shares her fascinating story and some simple strategies truck drivers and everyone else can use to improve their fitness and health.

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As a child in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, Dr. Jenny Patel always wanted to be a pediatrician. During her last year of high school, she was introduced to the field of biomedical engineering and realized she could do so much more as a Biomedical Engineer. Join Dr. Patel and Host Emily Soloby on this episode of the Hazard Girls Podcast to hear all about her roller coaster ride including earning her PhD. during the pandemic, applying for her first job (16 interviews in one day!), leveraging the power of networking, her current work as a Senior Engineer at Becton Dickenson and her STEM influencer brand called STEMwithJen.

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Susan Martinez is a Payload Systems Engineer with a passion for space exploration. As long as she can remember Susan has dreamed of working at NASA. While studying engineering in college, a staff member at her school presented her with a tattered flyer from the 90’s she found on her desk. On a lark, Susan applied for what she thought was a one-week robotics course. When she received notice congratulating her on her 10-week NASA internship her response was “Is this a joke?” From there, her career has been no laughing matter! Listen in as Susan shares her experiences as an engineer and Flight Controller at NASA and all of her amazing subsequent accomplishments in space and here on Earth, including being featured as one of the outstanding women for the 2023 Princesses with Power Tools calendar.

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As a child, Maria showed an interest and proficiency in tinkering and improving things. When her father’s job took her from her home in Mexico to the suburbs of Detroit at 14, Maria joined the robotics team and never looked back. Today in her role as Chief Technical Officer and co-founder at Canvas, Maria has put her PhD. from MIT and a lifelong passion for improving things to good use. Maria joins Hazard Girls Host Emily Soloby for a closer look at her experiences in the fields of robotics and engineering and her passion for improving workers’ lives.

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Cait Lowe is the Principal of Pretty Pretty Precon, a preconstruction firm located in Acworth, Georgia. Cait joins Hazard Girls host Emily Soloby for a fun conversation about Cait’s journey through the male-dominated world of construction. As the founder of a woman-owned small business, she’s seen it all in a very short period of time. Cait talks about hitting the wall professionally, making the decision to go her own way, and the various changes she’s seen in the construction industry as a result of an influx of young people entering an industry desperate for talent. Stay til the end to hear how her company got its unique name!

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Growing up on a farm on the outskirts of Sydney, Australia Louise Azzopardi found her love for working with her hands early. By the age of 15, she had left school and was working full-time as a mechanic. During that time she attended an Apprenticeship Expo where she met a woman who was a Heavy Vehicle Mechanic. Inspired, she applied for and got a similar position. Unfortunately, her dream of working in the male-dominated world of heavy vehicle mechanics soured as she was lectured and bullied extensively. She witnessed the bullying of the women who were told they got their job to fill a quota and were relegated to menial tasks. Louise was told she can’t do her job effectively due to her gender. Initially, she used these incidents to motivate her. It was then she experienced a phenomenon she calls “high functioning anxiety”. She defines this phenomenon as trying to outrun anxiety by working constantly, motivated by the fear that you may not be good enough, a fear enforced by detractors and bullies.

After experiencing the rollercoaster of being a woman in a male-dominated trade and feeling like no one understood what she was going through she wanted to make sure no one else felt that way. Louise started training in 2018 as a volunteer for SALT (Supporting and Linking Tradeswomen) which is where her love of training started. She is now a qualified life coach and supports tradeswomen on their journey to overcome self-doubt and be confident in everything they do! Don’t miss this inspiring story on this episode of Hazard Girls!

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