Louise Azzopardi 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 she had. Louise is a life coach for Tradeswomen, coaching 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!
Louise Azzopardi, Development Solution
Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better.
I am a heavy vehicle and plant mechanic by trade. At present I concentrate on life coaching and mentoring tradeswomen and tradespeople. I am the oldest of four siblings and we grew up on a farm in Greater Western Sydney, Australia. I have a need for the fast lane which is no surprise as I have grown up ridding motorbikes and fell in love with motors and tinkering from a young age. I am always learning particularly about professional and personal development to assist all the amazing people I meet and get to connect with along the way!
How did I get here?
I started my trade apprenticeship in 2012 when I was 15 years old. I had a range of experiences some positive and some negative. I was surrounded by people who said they supported me and could help me but when things were difficult, they were either nowhere to be seen or had no idea how to help me through the situations I was facing.
I struggled with my mental health and my relationships trying to work out who I was in the world. I am second-generation Australian with a Maltese background that came with a lot of traditions and unspoken expectations. At work I was trying to fit in with the boys which in a lot of situations meant going against what I had been taught.
In 2015 I was put forward to compete in the regional WorldSkills competition where I competed against 6 other competitors in a range of mechanical tasks. I placed second in that competition. I was then put forward to compete in the Australian National competition in 2016 where I found out that I was going to be the first female to compete in the heavy vehicle category. This fact made me proud and a little sad. I won the National competition and went on the international competition held in Abu Dahbi in 2017 where I was also the first and only women and I placed fourth in that competition.
I, then, stopped working as a mechanic and become a trainer and assessor teaching the next generation of mechanics. I believed I could have a lasting impact on the men I taught showing them that women are capable whether they consciously knew it or not, simply by me being their teacher.
This did work but I was working for a large company that outwardly advertised that they supported diversity, inclusion and flexibility but the contrast of what I was hearing from my student both male and female, this did not match the number of women coming to my classroom in tears. They knew it was a safe space and they could get support. This also extended to the men sharing in the safe environment who were denied access to parental leave to spend time with their partners to support them with new kids or during school holiday periods.
This difference from what was being advertised and what was in practice lead me to go out on my own and start my own business which currently consists of two free resources and two paid resources for tradeswomen and tradespeople.
What are the free resources you offer?
My free closed Facebook community group has supported many tradeswomen, tradespeople and our supporters. We do weekly check-in’s where we share our wins and challenges and supporting one another within the community. Often when we are a minority, we may be the only one that looks like us in our workspace but with a global network, we connect with others who may also be alone at their workplace. It creates a space for us to see others that look like us and have similar goals to us reducing imposter syndrome by just being in the space!
The Second is my podcast – Anxious Tradeswoman. This podcast is where I share what I have learnt through the years, through the tears so you do not have too. I share the things I have learnt using examples from my life experience and the experiences of my coaching clients to give listeners actionable steps to create change in their situations. Whether it be sexism, mental health challenges or confidence, we have relatable and actionable strategies to add to their toolboxes. For so long I did not have the language to communicate my challenges and I hope people who listen to the podcast learn the language to communicate their challenges, get the support they need and create positive change in these situations.
What paid services do you offer?
I offer one-on-one coaching which is designed to help tradeswomen and tradespeople to sort through what is happening internally (thoughts, feelings etc) and externally (harassment, sexism, etc). We then create an action plan that creates the change they need. This can include working through limiting beliefs, recovering from previous workplace harassment, having uncomfortable conversations with employers or co-workers and making big decisions on whether you want to push through a challenge or move on from it.
The second is aimed for businesses who want to support the women and people within their business through professional development workshops. I have a few standard workshops such as creating true confidence, managing anxiety in the workplace and goal setting but I can also customize workshops to suit the business need e.g., going through the reasons why most employees leave the business and creating some tools and solutions that leaders and employers can use to create change in the culture. By assisting business rebuild and develop their internal culture, I have seen small and large workplaces able to maintain staff at a higher rate, better efficiency within workplace dynamics and have demonstrated a higher level of leadership from ground up.
Where do people find you, and how can they work with you?
You can find the podcast here.
The Facebook community here.
If you are interest in my services, please email me at louise@louiseazzopardi.com
