Sn5 #8 Louise Azzopardi: Working Through Self Doubt And Gaining Confidence

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!

MEET YOUR HOST

Emily Soloby

Emily received her BA in Women’s Studies and JD from Temple University. Early on, she worked as a legal advocate for women in domestic violence cases. After practicing law, Emily began working on the business side of things. She is the co-owner of AAA School of Trucking, a truck and heavy equipment safety training firm, which she has spent the last 10 years growing into a thriving national business through government and military contracting and corporate partnerships.

As an executive in the transportation industry, darting from client meeting to trucking range required safety boots that met her style standards, and when she couldn’t find them anywhere, she created Juno Jones Shoes. Emily trained in shoemaking in Cuernavaca, Mexico and at the Brooklyn Shoe Space, and assembled a powerhouse team of designers, consultants, and industry experts to bring Juno Jones to life. Through Juno Jones Shoes, Emily is fulfilling her dream of not only providing women with safe, stylish footwear options for their jobs but of helping to normalize and empower women in traditionally male-dominated fields.

For more information go to junojonesshoes.com.

SPECIAL GUEST

Louise Azzopardi

Louise has worked as a Mechanic for 7 years, becoming a field service technician and representing Australia at the world skills competition for heavy vehicle mechanics. She decided to become the person she wished to be. Louise is a life coach for Tradeswomen, coaching them through anxiety and sexism to become the most confident person they can be. She speaks on issues that matter to the Tradeswomen community but not only the issues but the solutions as well!!