On International Women’s Day, we had the pleasure of speaking with a talented American female woodworker who has made remarkable strides in a traditionally male-dominated field. Her journey and insights offer inspiration and encouragement to women everywhere. Here is a transcript of our conversation:
Q1: How did you get started in woodworking?
I grew up with parents who were always working with their hands. We were constantly surrounded by tools, doing a lot of home repairs, car repairs, and a ton of home remodeling. I also took woodshop in middle school and was the only girl in the class. But it wasn’t until my husband and I purchased our first home that my skills truly flourished. What began as flipping a few pieces of furniture for our home soon evolved into a passion. This passion is what gave birth to my love for finding and restoring beat-up furniture and turning it into something beautiful. Reselling these pieces is really where it came to life for me. From there, I quickly progressed to building custom furniture for myself and then for customers.
Q2: Can you share some of the most memorable projects you’ve worked on and why they are special to you?
I’m all about diving in headfirst and figuring things out as I go. So, probably my most unforgettable build was my very first furniture project. It was a massive 9-foot by 9-foot bookcase. It was a beast! You know, it took me forever to complete, but it was an incredible learning experience and taught me so much along the way. Unfortunately, I had to leave that bookcase in the old house because I couldn’t get it out without completely dismantling it. But it was still my proudest build.
Q3: As a female woodworker, have you faced any unique challenges or biases in the industry? How did you overcome them?
Oh boy, yeah, I’ve probably heard it all. From remarks like “get back into the kitchen” to accusations that my videos are staged, as if you’re not literally watching me build. But honestly, those kinds of comments only fueled my determination to excel at what I do. I’m always learning and growing. I’m going to fail sometimes, and that’s okay.
I actually have a funny story. I had some guys come to our old house to install some flooring that was damaged. I was talking to the main guy, telling him that I wanted to install the risers differently and that I just wanted them to do the carpet on the stair treads and the rest of the flooring. So, this gentleman proceeded to pull out his tape measure and explain to me how a tape measure worked. I bit my tongue because I truly think he meant well. I don’t think he meant it as an insult, but if I were a guy, that would have never happened.
Fast forward to when he came for the final walkthrough. He noticed the baseboards were installed and asked who did it. I responded, “I did,” and he looked over at me a little surprised. And I was like, “You’re hired.” So, my advice is to ignore the nonsense and keep pushing forward. There will always be people trying to bring you down, but for every one of them, there are 50 others lifting you up.
Q4: What do you think are the unique strengths that women bring to woodworking?
I believe women bring a unique perspective to building projects, often focusing more on design and fine details. It’s not that men don’t consider these aspects, but women might identify a certain necessity that men might overlook simply because they wouldn’t personally use them. For example, I recently went to a comedy show where a female comedian was joking about mammograms, saying they must have been invented by a man. After all, no woman would agree to being smashed between two cold metal plates and say, “Sure, that’s fine.” It’s the same idea here. Women just approach things differently, and that perspective can lead to some truly creative and unique features.
Q5: Do you have any advice for young women who are interested in pursuing a career in woodworking?
My advice to young women—or honestly, any woman, because you can start at any age—is that it doesn’t matter if you don’t give it a shot. You’ll never know what you’re capable of. It’s absolutely okay to stumble and fail. That’s how we learn, evolve, and get stronger. Tune out all the doubters, get out there, and just prove them wrong. Show the world just how much of a badass you truly are.
To every female woodworker:
Thank you, women who build. You’re shaping the world.
Watch the full interview video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1b3e-1pngM&t=23s
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