With Her Two Hands

Andrea Dello Russo's journey to shop ownership is a testament to resilience and adaptability. After six years in the Navy as an engineer, where she faced extreme hazing and sexism, Andrea left the military and initially planned to pursue an old dream of doing theater in New York. However, life took a different turn when she became pregnant, prompting her to stay on the island and raise two children. During her time on Martha's Vineyard, Andrea spent 10 years farming, which sparked her interest in working on farm equipment. This hands-on work reignited her passion for mechanics, leading her to seek out opportunities to become a mechanic. Her perseverance paid off when she became the first woman to own an auto shop on Martha's Vineyard. Andrea's story reflects the unexpected paths life can take and her unwavering determination to follow her passions despite challenges.
 
Make sure you check out this week’s guest and see all the awesomeness she has been up to since this aired. 
www.instagram.com/wrenchwench69  
 
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Join us LIVE on YouTube every Wednesday for new episodes, and every Monday for a new archived episode!
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Make sure to subscribe and follow along on social media
Instagram ~ https://www.instagram.com/withhertwohands
 
And follow your host - Bogi!
Instagram ~ https://instagram.com/bogisgarage
Website    ~ https://www.bogisgarage.com
                  ~https://www.girlganggarage.com

Born to a mechanic father, Chelsea Lesnoski had a natural love of cars. However, her traditional family only allowed her into the shop to sweep the floor. Adding to this, she has faced a variety of serious health struggles, leaving her future uncertain. Taking a job in retail, she bought her first car for transportation but didn’t love the way it looked. She started dabbling with paint correction and detailing, eventually selling that car for a profit. This led to a cycle of buying, restoring, and selling cars for profit. Little did she know that she was launching a career which would gain her many accolades. Today, Chelsea is the co-owner of Throttle Thrashers Garage, is a two time SEMA award builder and is the first female Top 3 builder in SEMA history. One of her SEMA cars was built solo by her, in her one bay garage in only two months!
Don’t miss the conversation with this ridiculously talented yet humble young woman as she details her journey of being self-taught and continually pushing herself and her skills to the next level.
 
Make sure you check out this week’s guest and see all the awesomeness she has been up to since this aired. 
www.instagram.com/chelc.ttg  www.instagram.com/@throttlethrashers
 
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Join us LIVE on YouTube every Wednesday for new episodes, and every Monday for a new archived episode!
Or listen on your favorite podcast platform anytime!
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Make sure to subscribe and follow along on social media
Instagram ~ https://www.instagram.com/withhertwohands
 
And follow your host - Bogi!
Instagram ~ https://instagram.com/bogisgarage
Website  ~ https://www.bogisgarage.com   
                ~https://www.girlganggarage.com

Robin Reneau, also known as Rob the Blonde Mechanic, is a shop owner and mechanic who transformed her frustration with auto maintenance into a thriving career. Initially, she felt ripped off and overcharged for car repairs, so she educated herself on auto maintenance and fell in love with the industry. Despite her passion, Robin faced resistance when seeking hands-on training, often being relegated to the role of service advisor because others thought she was "too pretty" to be serious. She excelled in this role, which provided for her and her daughter, but she wanted more. Determined, she enrolled in an automotive technology program and became a mobile tech upon graduation. Using her extensive experience as a service advisor, service manager, store manager, and tech, she finally opened her own shop.
Her shop now houses three technicians and a service advisor and includes Glam Studios, offering spa services like nails, lashes, and a massage chair. This unique business model is geared towards females, demonstrating that one can be both pretty and skilled in the trades.
Listen in as she openly describes her struggles as a high school dropout, single mom and being a female of color in a male dominated industry. Robin attributes her success to a strong conviction of self, knowing what she wants, learning from every experience, and perseverance. With a huge smile, sense of humor, and pure passion and drive, Robin candidly shares her not always smooth journey to success.
 
Make sure you check out this week’s guest and see all the awesomeness she has been up to since this aired. 
www.instagram.com/rob.theblondemechanic
 
***
Join us LIVE on YouTube every Wednesday for new episodes, and every Monday for a new archived episode!
Or listen on your favorite podcast platform anytime!
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Make sure to subscribe and follow along on social media
Instagram ~ https://www.instagram.com/withhertwohands
 
And follow your host - Bogi!
Instagram ~ https://instagram.com/bogisgarage
Website  ~ https://www.bogisgarage.com   
                ~https://www.girlganggarage.com

Australian born Louise Azzopardi is a speaker, mentor and coach for tradeswomen. She started out as a heavy equipment tech apprentice at 15 and became fully qualified at 19. After spending some time in the field, she became burnt out due to her experiences with discrimination. These challenges revealed the need for support for women in male-dominated industries. This led to the creation of her mentoring and coaching business, addressing the most common issues she was seeing and experiencing. Aside from how to handle male misconduct in the workplace she also addresses women’s physical health and the role it plays in work life. She helps bring to light how women beat themselves up, catastrophize, take on imposter syndrome and the heavy mental load of home life.
Join us in a very real and open conversation as Louise shares the intimate details of her difficult journey as a heavy equipment technician and candidly discusses some of the least talked about topics that women in the trades face. 
 
Make sure you check out this week’s guest and see all the awesomeness she has been up to since this aired. 
www.instagram.com/louiseazzopardicoaching
 
***
Join us LIVE on YouTube every Wednesday for new episodes, and every Monday for a new archived episode!
Or listen on your favorite podcast platform anytime!
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Make sure to subscribe and follow along on social media
Instagram ~ https://www.instagram.com/withhertwohands
 
And follow your host - Bogi!
Instagram ~ https://instagram.com/bogisgarage
Website    ~ https://www.bogisgarage.com
                  ~https://www.girlganggarage.com

Kimberly Dimmick is such a fun and adventurous woman! She is a boat technician who says “YES” to big opportunities. Right out of high school, Kim was rising through the ranks at a local hotel, cleaning, doing room inspections and also learning maintenance. With only the front desk left to learn, she was feeling uncertain about her next steps. A construction crew came to stay at the hotel and randomly, Kim jumped on a job offer to work in road construction. There was a lot to learn and the hours were long. At the end of their road work day, the 5 person crew was then responsible for repairing and maintaining their own equipment. This is where she began to shine, learning how to repair service trucks, working on diesel equipment, performed welding, and fabrication. Within seven years, Kim went from grinding gravel to lady foreman! After 10 years, she took a break, got married and became a mom. One day, when she helped her husband on some boat projects at his job, she was also offered a job and now she is a Certified Yamaha Technician.
It’s so refreshing to hear how so much of her experience has been positive and how her gender never really mattered. No doubt that Kim’s drive and mastery of any job she is given, not to mention her positive attitude, plays a role in her success.
 
Make sure you check out this week’s guest and see all the awesomeness she has been up to since this aired. 
www.instagram.com/kimberlydimmick
 
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Join us LIVE on YouTube every Wednesday for new episodes, and every Monday for a new archived episode!
Or listen on your favorite podcast platform anytime!
***
 
Make sure to subscribe and follow along on social media
Instagram ~ https://www.instagram.com/withhertwohands
 
And follow your host - Bogi!
Instagram ~ https://instagram.com/bogisgarage
Website  ~ https://www.bogisgarage.com
               ~https://www.girlganggarage.com

Guest:  Andrea Strommen
Automotive Technician and Shop Instructor 
Meet the amazing Andrea Strommen! Andrea is a high school automotive instructor at Atlanta College and Career Academy. As a master ASE tech, her passion for automotive work began as a teenager, working alongside her grandfather on his classic cars. She pursued this passion by attending college for automotive studies and started her first shop job while still in school. Frustrated with years of discrimination and hazing, she turned to her former college instructor for a new direction. With his encouragement, Andrea found her calling teaching college and eventually high school automotive classes. She now teaches kids the skills they need, helps them find their place in the industry, and mentors them on finding and holding jobs.Join us as Andrea speaks candidly about the resistance and pushback she faced in shop life and shares how she managed these obstacles without burning bridges. She also discusses the deep satisfaction that her career brings her and her advice to those just starting out.
Make sure you check out this week’s guest and see all the awesomeness she has been up to since this aired. www.instagram.com/hotrodtechmom
***Join us LIVE on YouTube every Wednesday for new episodes, and every Monday for a new archived episode!Or listen on your favorite podcast platform anytime!***
Make sure to subscribe and follow along on social mediaInstagram ~ https://www.instagram.com/withhertwohands
And follow your host - Bogi!Instagram ~ https://instagram.com/bogisgarageWebsite  ~ https://www.bogisgarage.com                   ~https://www.girlganggarage.com

This lady is a bad ass and she is not afraid to say so! Lindsey Wright happened into her restoration career when a friend gave her a job as a lot attendant at a collision repair shop. As she moved between various shops across different states, Lindsey continuously expanded her skill set. She progressed from buffing to replacing vinyl, decals, and emblems, then to paint-prepping, and eventually fabricating dump trucks. When she was  laid off from the truck shop, she embarked on a two year mechanics program at her local community college. Though she spent her 20’s “running from herself,” the hands-on training ultimately led to the creation of her own successful restoration shop, Lady Luck Restos.
Tune in as Lindsey candidly speaks about her rocky past, the challenges of balancing motherhood and career and about the influence Covid had on her brand new business. She attributes her newfound place in life to setting goals over expectations and her ability to see the value of herself.
 
Make sure you check out this week’s guest and see all the awesomeness she has been up to since this aired. www.instagram.com/ladyluckrestos
 
***
Join us LIVE on YouTube every Wednesday for new episodes, and every Monday for a new archived episode!
Or listen on your favorite podcast platform anytime!
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Make sure to subscribe and follow along on social media
Instagram ~ https://www.instagram.com/withhertwohands
 
And follow your host - Bogi!
Instagram ~ https://instagram.com/bogisgarage
Website  ~ https://www.bogisgarage.com
               ~https://www.girlganggarage.com

What an incredible young woman! Faith Ortega grew up wrenching alongside her dad on various boat and car restorations, which naturally drew her to take automotive classes in school. Curious about exploring aviation mechanics in college, she discovered an unadvertised helicopter tech program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Upon touring the hangar where the program is held, it just clicked and she knew this was her next step. Despite initial nerves, she quickly realized that she could easily apply the principles of her automotive training and that she knew much more than she realized. Faith has since acquired both her Airframe and Powerplant licenses, giving her a “license to learn” on any part of a helicopter. Her favorite part of the job is flying in the helicopters after making repairs, and she now aspires to earn her helicopter pilot’s license.
You can hear the enthusiasm and passion Faith has for this industry in her voice as she gives us a detailed account of her path and advises future lady techs that you are never too young to start learning a trade.
 
Make sure you check out this week’s guest and see all the awesomeness she has been up to since this aired. www.instagram/howtohelicopter
***
Join us LIVE on YouTube every Wednesday for new episodes, and every Monday for a new archived episode!
Or listen on your favorite podcast platform anytime!
***
 
Make sure to subscribe and follow along on social media
Instagram ~ https://www.instagram.com/withhertwohands
 
And follow your host - Bogi!
Instagram ~ https://instagram.com/bogisgarage
Website  ~ https://www.bogisgarage.com 
               ~https://www.girlganggarage.com

Tune in to hear the inspiring story of Allie Pugna. Recognizing that her life as a hairdresser of eight years and new mom was not fulfilling her, she had the courage to meet her own needs by taking herself back to school to be a mechanic. After enrolling in tech school and earning her certificate, she knew exactly where she wanted to work. Her persistence in contacting the owner at an all female shop paid off and she began her career Kinetic Automotive service Ltd, where she has been happily employed for two years. Allie shares a refreshing perspective of her positive experiences being a female in the industry, how she talks nice to cars and her advice to the up and coming women in the industry.
Make sure you check out this week’s guest and see all the awesomeness she has been up to since this aired.  https://www.instagram.com/Runningwithwrenches
 
***
Join us LIVE on YouTube every Wednesday for new episodes, and every Monday for a new archived episode!
Or listen on your favorite podcast platform anytime!
***
Make sure to subscribe and follow along on social media
Instagram ~ https://www.instagram.com/withhertwohands
 
And follow your host - Bogi!
Instagram ~ https://instagram.com/bogisgarage
Website  ~ https://www.bogisgarage.com 
               ~https://www.girlganggarage.com

This week, meet Lori Johnson, the dynamic force behind “Ladies, Start Your Engines!”—an innovative automotive maintenance class designed specifically for women. With over 30 years in the industry, Lori has contributed to the field as an instructional aide and adjunct faculty member in the Automotive Technology program at both the Community College of Philadelphia and Harrisburg Community College.
She has also served as an automotive editor for Chilton Repair Manuals and has also prepared test preparation guides for ASE. She has 7 years of hands-on experience as a technician and new car service manager for Honda. Her technical skills are complemented by her academic achievements—she earned a certification in Automotive Technology from Pennco Tech, an A.A.S. degree in Automotive Technology from the Community College of Philadelphia, and a B.A. from Temple University.
Phew! She has had quite a career and is still at it! 
Listen in as Lori shares about being the FIRST woman to graduate from her tech program in the 80’s, pushing herself to the top despite discrimination and how she has used her knowledge to blaze a path for female techs everywhere.
Make sure you check out this week’s guest and see all the awesomeness she has been up to since this aired.  https://www.instagram.com/ladiesstartyourengines
https://ladiesstartyourengines.com/
 
***
Join us LIVE on YouTube every Wednesday for new episodes, and every Monday for a new archived episode!
Or listen on your favorite podcast platform anytime!
***
 
Make sure to subscribe and follow along on social media
Instagram ~ https://www.instagram.com/withhertwohands
 
And follow your host - Bogi!
Instagram ~ https://instagram.com/bogisgarage
Website  ~ https://www.bogisgarage.com
               ~https://www.girlganggarage.com