Hazard Girls:
Women in Non-Traditional Fields

Host Emily Soloby, founder of Juno Jones Safety Shoes, interviews women who have successfully broken barriers in traditionally male-dominated fields. These dynamic women share their stories and advice for the next generation. Emily's goal with this podcast series is to show listeners that there are many ways to be successful - and being successful often requires hard work, community, and creativity, even when faced with adversity.

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Hazard Girls
EPISODES

Sn 6 #2: Julie Chin – The Real AF Guide for New Real Estate Agents

Julie Chin is a mother of 3, a licensed Realtor, the founder of the Real AF Program, and the author of the book The Real as F*ck Guide for New Real Estate Agents. Hazard Girls Host Emily Soloby talks with Julie about her business journey and her Real AF Program which helps her share what she’s …

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Sn 6 #1: Bree Carroll – Event Planning As A Strategy

Bree Carroll is an Event Strategist and Speaker with a background in Civil Engineering with the U.S. Air Force. Today as the CEO of B. Carroll Events, Bree uses the problem-solving and strategic thinking skills she mastered as an engineer to create memorable, brand-building events. Hazard Girls Host Emily Soloby takes a deep dive into …

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Sn 5 #25: Kasey Kelly – Bringing A Women’s Voice John Deere’s Construction Division

The Hazard Girls podcast is proud to welcome Kasey Kelly, Product Marketing Manager, Articulated Dump Trucks at John Deere to show. Kasey and Host Emily Soloby share an insightful conversation about Kasey’s career before John Deere as well as the rewarding and challenging experiences in her current role at the company.

Sn 5 #24: Failing Forward with Bose Houser

On this episode of the Hazard Girls podcast, host Emily Soloby welcomes Bose Houser, President and CEO of Rocks + Cornerstones, a design décor and construction company. Bose was born and raised in Lagos Nigeria, West Africa. Her incredible success story takes us through her college years, her first jobs, her successes and failures and …

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Sn 5 #23: Julie Berman – Learning More About What Sparks You

Today’s guest on the Hazard Girls podcast is Julie Berman, host & producer of the “Women With Cool Jobs” podcast and a Sparkologist. As a Sparkologist,  Julie helps people and teams do more work that sparks them. Host Emily Soloby learns what it means to be a Sparkologist, the infinite possibilities for women who want …

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Sn 5 #22: Liz Prestella – NASCAR Crew Member and Clothing Company Founder

Liz Prestella is a tire specialist and mechanic in NASCAR as well as the founder of Torq’d Clothing, a clothing line that makes work wear designed for women by women in racing and similar trade industries. On today’s episode of the Hazard Girls podcast, Host Emily Soloby sits down with Liz to learn all about …

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Sn 5 #21: Erin Moore – Approaching Sales As A Woman In A Male Populated Industry

The Hazard Girls podcast is proud to welcome to the show Erin Moore. With over 10 years experience as a leader in the male-populated tech industry, Erin brings a unique perspective and a strategic mindset to her role as Director of Sales at Centerspan. Erin and Hazard Girls Host Emily Soloby discuss the difference between …

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Sn 5 #20: Haleigh Fickett is a Truck Driving Champion

Professional Truck Driver Haleigh Fickett made a name for herself by competing in the National Truck Driving Championship and winning first place in the Tanker Class. This makes her first female in the state of Maine to ever take first place in any class as well as the youngest female in the nation to ever compete in …

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Sn 5 #19: Abby Ferri – Keeping The Workplace Safe Is No Accident

Abby Ferri, Chief Risk Officer at Insurate, and Hazard Girls podcast Host Emily Soloby take a deep dive into Abby’s important work in the field of safety and beyond. They touch on everything from the selection and fit of PPE for women (never DIY your PPE!), the pay gap, and making sure the construction field is …

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Sn 5 #18: Perilla Deluca – Living Proof That Women Can Do Well In Construction

Perilla Deluca came to America with $100 in her pocket, a phenomenal work ethic and little else. Today she is a General Contractor and Owner of Southeast Constructors as well as the Founder of the Iowa School of Construction. Perilla joins Hazard Girls podcast host Emily Soloby for an incredible, inspiring interview, during which we …

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Sn 5 #17: JC Sykes Founder of Black Girls Build

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 …

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Sn 5 #16: Dr. Ronda Hamm – Passionate About Providing Enriching Science and Agriculture Experiences For Everyone

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

Sn 5 #15: Diana Iracheta – Founder of Latina Engineer and A Strong Advocate for STEM

On this episode of Hazard Girls we welcome Diana Iracheta to the show. Diana is the Founder of Latina Engineer, an organization she founded in 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 …

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Sn5 #14: Kristina Holzweiss – Education Is The Great Equalizer for Everyone

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.

Sn 5 #13: Hope Zvara – Yoga Can Be A Mother Trucker

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. …

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Sn5 #12: Dr. Jenny Patel: On a Mission to Engineer, Educate, and Empower.

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 …

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Sn5 #11 Susan Martinez: Payload Systems Engineer with a Passion for Space, STEM and Star Wars

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 …

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Sn5 #10 Cait Lowe: Pretty Pretty Precon Is Getting The Job Done In A Male Run Industry

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. …

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Sn5 #9 Maria Telleria: Augmentation Over Automation

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 …

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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 …

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Sn5 #7 She’s Not Here To Get Attention. She’s Here To Win

Ashton Thompson has been burning rubber since the age of 6. Now at 22 her impressive racing resume and passion for motorsports stand out in the male-dominated racing field. On today’s episode, Ashton takes time out of her busy racing schedule to talk to Hazard Girls Host Emily Soloby about the challenges and rewards of …

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Sn5 #6 Asia Fee: Bridging The Gap Between Science And Beauty

Asia Fee is a chemist, the founder of Alchemist Asia cosmetics, a self-described “Remote Chemist”, and a Princess in Reinvented Magazine’s Princesses with Powertools 2023 calendar. Today Asia is our very special guest on the Hazard Girls podcast. Growing up in a small town, Asia had a passion for science but didn’t have a lot …

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Sn5 #5 Ayesha Iftiqhar: Taking Her Love For Physics From The Electronics Lab To The Skatepark

Growing up in a small community in India, Ayesha Iftiqhar saw most of the women in her family getting married and starting a family. When Ayesha read about Kalpana Chawla, an Indian-born American astronaut and mechanical engineer and the first woman of Indian origin to go to space, she said to herself “I can do …

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Sn5 #4 Dr. Hannah Shows: At The Intersection of Mathematics, Engineering And Communication

On this episode of Hazard Girls, we welcome Dr. Hannah Shows, Artificial Intelligence Specialist at Haynes Beffel & Wolfeld LLP. When Dr. Shows was in tenth grade, her geometry teacher told her he would be placing her in a remedial math class “as a favor to her” because she would never use math in her …

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Sn5 #3 Kaylin Leas: Journeyman Welder, Rodeo Cowgirl and sometimes… Wonder Woman

On this episode of Hazard Girls, Host Emily Soloby welcomes back to the show Kaylin Leas. Kaylin is a Journeyman Pipe welder for TDIndustries in Fort Worth, Texas She is their first Leadwoman welder. and Empowering Women in Industry initiative’sTradeswoman of the year 2021. Kaylin and Emily catch up on Kaylen’s work with projects including …

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Sn5 #2 Jennie Blumenthal: Ditch The Hustle Culture and Thrive Again

Jennie Blumenthal is a professional speaker, author, CEO and founder of Corporate Rehab, an acclaimed professional coaching consultancy that has helped hundreds of executives ditch workplace hustle culture and find their path toward a greater sense of purpose. When the pandemic hit it gave Jeannie a moment to think. The constant hustle, being on 3 planes a week, …

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Sn5 #1 Linking Unlike Things with Sydney Floryanzia

As a young girl, Sydney Floryanzia was forced to attend an engineering camp one summer. There, she was introduced to the field of neuro-engineering, which ultimately skyrocketed her into a career that she is incredibly passionate about today! Sydney is a National Science Foundation (NSF) graduate research fellow and a Ph.D. student in chemical engineering …

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Sn4 #25 World-renowned Researcher Dr. Rachel Kowert Talks Girls, Gaming and The Pragmatic Princess

On today’s episode of Hazard Girls we welcome Rachel Kowert, Ph.D. Dr. Kowert is the Research Director of Take This, a mental health advocacy organization that provides resources, training, and support to individuals and companies that help the gaming community improve its mental well-being and resilience. Rachel and Emily discuss how Take This addresses issues women …

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Sn 4 #23 The Intersection of Modern Construction and Environmental Responsibility with Nadean Carson

Nadean Carson graduated from college in the morning and was in the Air Force that evening. While serving she learned how important it was to protect the environment by preventing stormwater pollution. On this episode of Hazard Girls,  Host Emily Soloby talks with Nadean about how she fell in love with stormwater which led to …

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Sn 4 #22 Running a female-dominated construction firm, with Skelly Build CEO

When Diana Skellenger graduated from the University Of Texas with a degree in Public Relations she never imagined a career in construction would be in her future. On this episode of Hazard Girls, Host Emily Soloby shares an amazing conversation with Diana who recounts her incredible journey to her position as CEO and Founder of …

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Sn 4 #21 Former Hustle Culture Devotee Sara McElroy Hits The Reset Button On Her Life And Career

The Wall Street Journal’s poster girl for pandemic career burnout Sara McElroy sits down with Host Emily Soloby to discuss her journey from Chief Marketing Officer to founder of Raze to Rise – an organization created to amplify women’s voices from the Great Resignation. Her journey took her through Peru’s Sacred Valley (with a few …

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Sn 4 #20: Finding Your Voice As A Double Minority Professional with Tasanee Durrett

Tasanee Durrett has spent her life surrounded by strong, resilient, powerful women, so it’s no surprise that she has turned into one herself. As a double minority professional working in the architecture and construction spaces, Tasanee has had to learn to find her voice and build her confidence in order to thrive. And thrive she …

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Sn 4 #19 Emily Soloby: A Recap of The Hazard Girls Podcast and The Future of This Show

“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 …

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Sn 4 #18 Nancy Surak: Getting Under The Hood of Commercial Real Estate

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 …

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Sn 4 #17 Jennifer Todd: Taking up Space in Construction and Beyond

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 LMSGeneral Contractors and is here with us to discuss being a woman in the construction industry. We discuss Jennifer’s journey to getting her …

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Sn. 4, #16 Founding Health-Ade Kombucha: Daina Trout

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 …

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Sn. 4, #15 Barbara Res: Blatant Sexism in the Workplace and Working with Donald Trump

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 …

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Sn. 1, #1 (Re-air) Alison Mountford: Busting Gender Stereotypes and Reducing Food Waste

According to the US Department of Agriculture, Americans waste more than $161 billion each year on food, with most of it ending up in landfills. Our guest, interviewed by host Emily Soloby of Juno Jones Shoes, is a creative problem solver on a mission to end this kind of household food waste. Chef Alison Mountford …

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Sn. 2, #4 (Re-air) Jhanel Wilson: From Chemical Engineer to Real Estate Investor

Transitioning from one male-dominated industry to another is not easy, but it is something our guest, Jhanel Wilson, has managed to do successfully. Jhanel is a Philadelphia-based chemical engineer turned real estate investor with a portfolio of over 10 million dollars. Her strategy focuses on small multifamily buy-and-hold, and she now teaches others in STEM …

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Sn. 4, #14 Ally: Not Your Average Engineer

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 …

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Sn. 4, #13 Rosemarie Heldrich Kiser: The Race to Women’s Rights in Sports with Emily’s Mom

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 …

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Sn. 4, #12 Amy Roosa: Giving Women Their Voice and Finding Allies To End The ‘Shrink It, Pink It’ Mentality

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 …

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Sn. 4, #11 Kristina Mahler: Normalizing Women As Construction Workers

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 …

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Sn. 4, #10 Nora Casanova: Mentorship, Representation, and Construction

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 …

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Sn. 4, #9 Pamela Durkin: How To Level Up and Separate Yourself From the Crowd

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, …

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Sn. 4, #8 Andrea Janzen: The Ambition Theory

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 …

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Sn. 4, #7 Julie Laughton: Why Women Make Great Leaders in Construction

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, …

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Sn. 4, #6 Mercedes Gamor: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Construction Industry

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 …

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Sn. 4, #5 Michelle Sieler Tucker: Top Mistakes Made By Business Owners

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 …

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Sn. 4, #4 Rebecca Ryan: An Introduction to Futurism

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 …

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