speaker-0: Welcome in

speaker-1: Round the basis, everybody knows Joe Goldberg. It's a round the basis, everybody knows Joe Goldberg.

speaker-0: Hello everybody and welcome into another episode of rounding the basis presented by Community America Credit Union invested in you. My name is Joel Goldberg great show coming up today and a shout out as always to my good friends at Chief of Staff Kansas City whether you are in Kansas City like my upcoming guest here or around the country. If you are on the hunt for a job, if you are looking for someone to hire, if you're looking for a great resource, even just to talk about the job market and much more, check them out. I partner with them on a lot of different things because they believe in people and culture. Chief of staff, KC.com, making connections that matter. I've got a great guest here today. And today on Rounding the Bases, we're breaking ground and challenging bias with a guest who climbed the rungs until the ceiling was shattered. Her name is Barb Allen. She's a carpenter turned construction executive who spent 30 years building a successful career despite industry norms. Now, Barb is a keynote speaker giving other women the tools to do the same. The ladder may be tall, but with a pro who has worn the boots before, the load becomes less challenging to carry. Barb has done it all. been good to get to know her a little bit. Us speakers tend to chat a little bit about this and that. It could be a lonely world and maybe even a much lonelier world, at least early on. For a woman in construction, you've lived it all. Barb, how are you?

speaker-1: I'm good. How are you today?

speaker-0: I'm good. It's good to see you and I love what you're doing in the speaking world. you know, here we are, Women's History Month. And I didn't realize actually until we had you on that the first week of March, women in construction, how long has that annual ⁓ recognition been going on?

speaker-1: That's a great question. wish I knew the answer off the top of my head. About 30 years ago, the National Association of Women in Construction chartered Women in Construction Week as the first week of March.

speaker-0: really like you like like years Very cool and perfect timing, right? To kick off ⁓ women's history. Absolutely. Let's start this with this. ⁓ You're not the only profession where women are in a male dominated world, but I can't think of traditionally too many other professions that, you know, speak man, man, man, rugged, tough construction guys. And by the way, they're not all rugged and tough and they're not all men, but that's certainly what you. what you think about how did you get into this industry?

speaker-1: Yeah, I got really lucky as a junior in college. I stumbled upon construction management as a degree and I was I was actually about ready to quit college. I could not figure out what I wanted to do. Felt like I was wasting my money and decided to go through the course book for one. Yeah, course book, you know, like when they were actually physical pages. Book back in the nineteen hundreds.

speaker-0: ⁓ well, ⁓ well.

speaker-1: So yeah, went through those and I found construction management as a degree. And as soon as I read it, I just knew that everything in my life so far had been leading up to that. That was exactly what I was supposed to do. I called the dean's office, got enrolled and started the next semester.

speaker-0: The rest is history. So were you a kid that was always building stuff?

speaker-1: I was, I was building stuff. was always outdoors. liked being, ⁓ I liked being in charge. I liked leading. ⁓ it all just, it all just fit. And my dad also, owned an HVAC company, but it was never, you know, I was raised to believe, like I think a lot of people, I was raised to believe that construction is a job. It's not a career. And I was told I was going to have a career. I was going to go to college. I was going to have a career and Construction absolutely can be a career. So it was just nothing I was ever pushed toward. I wasn't pushed away from it, but it was just never a conversation.

speaker-0: What did it take to get in? It's one thing to study for it and get the education. It's another thing to knock down those doors, right? And maybe today, it's a little bit different than it was back in the 1900s, which isn't that long ago, by the way, right? For those of us that actually remember the 1900s. It is weird. Like at some point, they're going to look back at even the 1990s and say that was ancient. It feels like it was yesterday. It's not. What challenges did you have breaking in or if any at all?

speaker-1: You know, for me, when I joined the construction management program, I knew I wanted to be a jobsite superintendent and the largest contractor in Kansas City is who I wanted to work for. And I sent a resume and I was the first female they ever hired to train to become a jobsite superintendent. you know, looking back at that time, I went through, I guarantee, I went through more interviews with their team all the way up to the president and every one of them saying, are you sure you know the difference between project management and superintendent? Are you sure you want to do this? And I finally, by the last interview with the president of the company, I'm like, I can promise you, you don't want me in an office. I am meant to be in the field. I'm meant to be out there. That's what I meant to do. And they hired me.

speaker-0: But that took some courage and confidence in yourself and at a very young age too. Most people at that age, young man, young woman, whatever, don't have the guts to really stand up for themselves the way that you did and a lot more pressure on you because, wait, you're not supposed to do this role, right? Just what you said. Are you sure this is what you want to do? And maybe that's just who you are in terms of the ability to advocate for yourself even at a young age. But I'm guessing this doesn't and maybe not, but I'm guessing that this doesn't happen if you don't push back, right?

speaker-1: That's right. And I wasn't that person. I was not a pushback person. was a make everybody happy person. was not a what happened for me is that I would get pushed far enough that I finally was tired of having a conversation. And when I got pushed to that point, that's when I would finally say, all right, I would stand up for myself. And, by interview number eight, that that was enough for me. But it happened throughout my entire career. Every time I just, would take and I would take and I would take until I finally would stand up for myself. And once I did, I was like, ⁓ a couple of years in, I was like, okay, this is what I have to do. I've got to find a way to stand up for myself, to advocate. And then once you start doing it, you become really good at it. And then you start advocating for others as well, which is even more rewarding.

speaker-0: Well, how much of this message ends up with you on stage now?

speaker-1: ⁓ 90 % of it. There are some things that are just not ⁓ not stage ⁓ appropriate. Some of the things that I went through, but yeah, most of it comes out in the in the stories and the lessons that I share on stage.

speaker-0: think about kind of where you've been and he just said, you know, you can't share most of it. And I get that because, you know, look, I live in the sports world where sometimes what you hear in the locker room. Well, a lot of what you hear in the locker room is not going to make a television broadcast or anywhere else, right? However, I'll say this and I'm just I'm curious if there's a correlation or not, because I always see things through my lens. Well, we all do, right? But when I started in television if a woman walked into the locker room. And at that point there were women in sports. So yes, they were allowed to live in my last book there's a really powerful chapter on Susan Waldman who's not a long time radio voice of the New York Yankees but when when she got into sports radio as a total career change she been on Broadway and she gets in the sports radio she's the first one she was blackball by everyone she she. She was told while in tears in a locker room, I don't know if I can remember now if it was up in Toronto or if Toronto was at the Yankees or whatever it was, she's told by a star player that he would not do the interview with everybody around until she was out of there. By the time I got on the scene, it was getting better, but it still wasn't, and I'm not giving away terrible secrets here, but it still wasn't uncommon to see players dropping that towel and just. that they're getting dressed. mean, that happens, but lingering a lot longer than they should have, we'll put it that way. You know, just to make that woman feel uncomfortable. That's right. I don't see that anymore at all. And I'm not saying that to say that everything is better because if anyone listens to this podcast, they will hear me on a regular basis say that that the equity has a long ways to go. And that's across the board, corporate America all over the place, including my industry too. And I'm an advocate for that change happening. But I don't see the younger generation of men or athletes coming up doing the same stuff that they did before. Now that doesn't mean that there's equity in pay or that there aren't biases all over the place. But I don't see some of the extra junk and shit. No pun intended. That really was not intended. But I'm glad I got a good laugh.

speaker-1: Ha

speaker-0: I don't see that happening. see I see more respect and dignity in there. I see a younger group of players that were raised in a way that that's not acceptable. Again, I don't mean to minimize that there's still stuff going on that I might not see. Do you see any correlation to that in the world of construction?

speaker-1: I do. see it both ways though. I think that there are definitely improvements and I think the biggest improvement comes from girl dads. ⁓ Girl dads are, I mean, such fierce advocates for what their girls are going to grow up and be and protecting and building safe spaces for them that they become advocates for those women that they work for or with or that work for them. But I also think that, I also, There have been multiple times when someone, a man has said to me, don't know, I don't know why we're still having these conversations. Aren't women already equal? And I, my first response is I love that you think so, right? Like that, when they say that to me, that tells me they truly feel that, right? Like they don't see differences that happen, but what it also tells me is that they're missing things because their lens is so shaped the way that it has been shaped. so sometimes they're not seeing it because it doesn't happen in front of them. Like you said, right? Like people know better than to do something in front of them. But then sometimes it's just like they don't, it's just things they don't think about. So they're not realizing it may be happening. And once that, once that is awakened in them to, pay a little more attention, it's interesting how they come back and they're like, Okay, wait, so I saw this happen. I didn't know this was still happening. How can I be part of that solution? And that's, that's what I really want to do. I not only want to help women navigate these predominantly male industries, but I want to help the men who are curious about what role they can play in it as well.

speaker-0: I think this is across the board, by the way. This is across the board with anything having to do with equity and diversity. By the way, we don't have to talk about it and use the letters DEI. Let's just talk about what we're trying to accomplish because I've always said from the beginning that what company or team wouldn't want access to the best people? So just put it in terms of dollars and cents. You know, in culture, do you want to close yourself off and only get one group of people or would it maybe be best to look at everyone? So I, you know, in the end money talks and, and so to me, the story that always needs to be told is what if you could be better? What if you make more money? Because that always will catch the attention. So what does it matter whether it's a man or a woman? Are you good in construction or you're not? Are you good leader? Are you not? Are you? On and on and on. Was there a point in your career, I mean, so many years as a leader that, all right, if they gave you the funny eye and are you sure you want to do this? Are you sure you want to do this? Are you sure you want to do this? Was there a point? Maybe there never fully was or maybe there was early. I don't know the answer. When you were accepted as a leader, like, ⁓ wait a minute. Yeah, she's great. No, like, ⁓ Well, she's a woman, she's, you whatever garbage you heard every step of the way. When, if at all, did you feel like things changed for you?

speaker-1: Yeah, I would say that I've never felt fully accepted as a leader. And instead, what happens is I feel like I'm on the start line a lot, a lot more than people have to be. And what I see happen is that, yes, there are people who automatically do not care about my gender, my size, anything about me. ⁓ She's a leader. OK, going to give me the fair shot. But there are lot of other people who come in as skeptics. Is she the boss's daughter? Is she this? Like, how did she get to this? Is she really the superintendent? she like, what, what does she really do? Right. ⁓ but what I've noticed is that it takes people usually two weeks to two months to figure out, she actually does know what she's doing. She did earn this position. She has my best interest in mind as well. And then that loyalty that follows that skepticism is stronger for me than it was for a lot of my male peers and counterparts. I definitely see it happen where I get that full belief, but a lot of times it takes more time than it would for someone who may look like you.

speaker-0: Which has to be so exhausted because nobody likes to run a race and think you're at the finish line and then have to start it over and over and over again. Right. mean, that that just that has to wear on anybody over the course of time.

speaker-1: It does. And for me, I spent most of my career as a job site superintendent and most of my projects were a year and a half to two years long. So you start a project and throughout a construction project, people are always coming in at a new time, new subs, you know, once you get to different stages of the project and then you start to build that group that really trusts you as more people are coming in. So it becomes a little faster, but then jobs over. you go somewhere else to build a new project. And for me, ⁓ you know, it was, I'm in Kansas city. And then the next thing you know, I'm building in Des Moines and then I'm building in Houston, Texas. And then I'm building in St. Louis and you're starting over every time. And, and I think everyone deals with it at some point, right? At some level they're dealing with starting over, especially when they're sent to a new town. But there's, there's definitely an added element when it's someone who looks like me.

speaker-0: I want to talk about the speaking because, and I don't know, I'm guessing that that in the along the way and of the journey and certainly early on, you had the epiphany that this is what you want to do. But yeah, guessing that getting on stage and being a keynote speaker and building that business was something on the radar early on, was it?

speaker-1: It was not. was ⁓ in 2016, I got asked to speak for the first time and I remember getting off of that stage and feeling like, man, that was fun. I really enjoyed that. And then just the feedback I got from it was incredible. And I thought, okay, I want to keep doing this. So I started doing it more and Then in 2022 is when some things happened at work and I was like, you know what, I think it's time for me to go out and see if I can make a real difference for women in this industry. And that's when I started doing it full time.

speaker-0: The branding, by the way, that you have is so good. And so I want to encourage everybody to check out the website. It's perfect. Constructionbarb.com. But just the topics, everything you're doing, the pictures, I mean, it captures so much of, you know, who you are professionally, but what you believe in, what you're teaching, the impact that you're making. It's very clear ⁓ to look at it all. And I wanted to ask you about, you know, as someone that lives in the keynote world and and loves this like you do. I want to ask you about the three keynotes because they're really unique, they're really cool. Let's talk about the first one, One Ladder. Tell me about that.

speaker-1: Yeah, so one ladder is there's there's two keynotes that come off of this. One is one ladder to leadership and one is one ladder to entry. And both of these are about the gender specific challenges women face, either getting into predominantly male industries or advancing to leadership positions within them. And it both of these are keynotes that came from real lived experience and thinking about how can we work together as all genders in predominantly male industries, how do we work together to solve this? And what that means to me is we have to first make sure everyone is aware that these things exist for some women. And granted, not all women face the same challenges. Some women don't face all of them and men also face some of these challenges. So it's not really just about women, but that's my experience. So that's what I can speak from. And that's what I want people to First recognize them, understand what they look like, understand how to recognize them, and then providing them with solutions on how, in whatever role they're at, are they a leader, are they a climber? Here are things that they can do to start repairing these rungs.

speaker-0: Love that and I think and I like the descriptions to keynote target audience male female and mixed gender. This is for everyone and I think back I'll get to the second speech in a minute, but I think back to what you're saying before to it. It's so often overlooked, but I always feel like people that are doing the work that you're doing whether it be gender related race related or whatever it might be that that yes, it might be if you're if you're doing what you're doing it is for a lot of women, but. A lot of times you can make that impact by getting to the men, those advocates. And you mentioned the girl dads before. I'm a proud girl dad myself. The importance, can you talk about that a little bit of the men and getting them on board? Because I don't know that anything changes if they're looking the other way.

speaker-1: Absolutely not. And I think a lot of men aren't intentionally looking the other way. They're just not looking for it, right? And I'm also not advocating that we need to start paying really close attention. Where are women really getting slighted? But just being more aware. And the first time I spoke to an all-man audience was, well, there were maybe six women in the whole room. But I was in Vegas to the International Union of Painter and Allied Trades a couple of years ago. And being able to speak to those men about the challenges women face trying to get into their trade, into our industry, watching the expressions and watching them see that, wait, she gets it. She's actually lived it. She is one of us. She's done this. And then the conversations afterwards where they pull me aside and they're saying, hey, this is happening with one of the people that works for me. How can I help with this? Or when somebody comes and says, I didn't realize I was actually part of the problem. This is what you said is something that I've been doing that I thought was helping and I didn't realize how that could hurt. And just seeing that and hearing those conversations where they're genuinely curious about learning more and how can they truly be part of the solution is so important because women right now make up 14 % of the entire higher construction industry. That's all roles. That's white and blue collar roles in the industry. They make up less than 4 % of trades workers. So women alone can't make these changes and get them to stick. We need everyone in the industry working together to do it.

speaker-0: And I think that what you're talking about is a lot of what your second speech is about. You've sort of referenced this multiple times now, awakening unconscious bias. so that speech really has to be the one that's filled with a lot of the aha moments, right? Like just these little maybe microaggressions that men don't mean to do. That if they don't know they're doing it, then they're never going to learn. But I'm guessing that once they see it, suddenly they're much more aware of it and that's when the change happens, right?

speaker-1: Yeah, and that keynote is really twofold. It's one about how do we help people recognize their own unconscious biases and helping people understand what they are. Because I think too many companies have checked the box unconscious bias training that nobody, they still walk away not sure what it was or not feeling like it was a requirement and still feeling like they got something out of it. This keynote is meant to make them feel like, oh, now I get it. Now I know what to do. But the other part of this keynote is about how can we awaken it effectively? Because what I did for years as a job site superintendent, someone would walk up to me more times than I could count and say, ⁓ you must be the safety girl. And it would infuriate me. And I'm thinking, why? Why do they think I'm the safety girl? Why they don't think I'm capable of doing anything else? Yes, I'm the superintendent and I would bite back. Right. That one, it didn't win me any friends. But two, it didn't. change their perception and figuring out how to awaken unconscious bias is the key. And what I learned to do instead, because I finally realized that these biases, they come from people's lived experience. Most people in the industry have never worked on a job site that had a female superintendent. So why would they walk up to somebody who looks like me and think I'm the female superintendent, right? So my response became, I kind of am. I am the safety girl, but I'm also quality control. And by the way, I'm the superintendent. I'm barb. there's anything I can do, let me know. And it's, shifting that language so that we can effectively awaken it. And that person walks away thinking, ⁓ didn't even cross my mind that that is who she could have been.

speaker-0: Hmm. It's good. That's again, that's where the change happens. Yeah, the third keynote says key target audience female. I'd still like to see it though. ⁓ And this one is who am I now? Yeah, journey to authenticity and that one. I think to me. Well, all of these by the way don't have to be construction, right? ⁓ There are women in every profession that are dealing with the same type of things. Maybe not to the level that someone in construction is dealing with, but I have yet to meet a woman that doesn't deal with this in some form or another. Right. In whatever, whatever their walk of life. So what I hear from so many people, guests, or just people on my network is, this, how would I say it? This sort of refinding yourself along the journey. ⁓ I've said this many times on the podcast by my mom's generation and I wrote about her in the book. Susan Waldman from the Yankees I wrote about her in the book. they're both, I'm not going to give their age, you know, I'm not stupid, they, you know, they were told coming out of high school and college that you had to either go into nursing or teaching and that was it. And so yes, the world has become a better place. But what I'm seeing now from a lot of women is, is an understanding and a knowledge, whether it started that way or somewhere a little bit later. I can go do anything I want. And I know young girls now are growing up seeing a world where there are less limitations, even with the bias that is still out there. So tell me about this speech, because I've got to think that this is one that would really impact any woman out there.

speaker-1: Yeah, this speech is a realization for me that happened after I left my executive role and trying to figure out exactly what I was going to do to help women in predominantly male industries. I was on the porch one day and I was on the phone with a friend of mine that I had worked with years ago and we had remained friends. And at the end of the phone call, he said, man, You sound like you're happy. Welcome back, sunshine. And I thought, man, I haven't heard anyone call me sunshine in such a long time. And I started just like reeling, thinking, where did this change happen? How long ago? Because when I started in the industry, everyone called me sunshine. And then it stopped. Like the names became something different. And, you know, I thought back and it really happened within the first year and a half of my career. And it's when I I started to become who I thought I needed to be to succeed in the industry and I was left pieces of myself behind. And standing on that porch that day is when I really started thinking about, ⁓ well, who do I want to be? Who am I now and who do I want to be in the future? Because there are things and qualities about myself that I developed along the way, like we mentioned earlier, that I'm capable of standing up for myself effectively and for others. I want to keep that change. That's something I want to carry with me. There are other things that I changed about myself as I was ⁓ moving in the industry that I've decided that they don't suit me anymore. Maybe they don't even suit the industry anymore and I want to let go of those things. So it was this internal audit of who I had become, why I had become and adopted these traits and which ones I wanted to carry with me forward. And the crux of it all is helping people to realize that I would love for them to realize it now instead of after 25 years in your career.

speaker-0: a bunch of things that I want to ask you most specifically about your books. So we'll wrap up with that, but let me get to my baseball themed questions first. First question, what's the biggest home run that you've hit professionally?

speaker-1: My biggest home run was actually learning to delegate. I spent a lot of time. mean, we don't get taught to delegate. It's something you have to learn. And I got hit with literally a hurricane when I was building a huge project in Texas and I had no choice. Once you learn to delegate, it opens up your career. Like it's life changing.

speaker-0: Yeah, I think that's true for everyone as they climb the ranks. But I would also think that as a woman and certainly a woman in the male dominated field, there's got to be that pull and that pressure. But I've got to show everybody I could do it all and I can't take my foot off the gas pedal. Is that right?

speaker-1: You are exactly right.

speaker-0: Not fair. that those are, you know, those that's that's the steeper hill that you've got to climb and that you've got to, you know, you're climbing that hill with a lot of baggage and it becomes harder to climb. Right. So how about a swing and a miss along the way? And what did you learn from it?

speaker-1: You know, this question for me, I think my biggest swing and a miss was when I went through a phase where my boss and I were simply not getting along. And I thought I did everything I could. And I went above his head to try to resolve it. And as you can imagine, it didn't go great. And it's one of those things that as we were sitting there at dinner, when his boss sat us both down for dinner and all the right things were set at the table. And I thought, man, I totally misread the situation. Like this is I this is on me. And afterwards, I went to my boss and I said, I'm sorry. Like, I totally misread this situation. And he said to me, no, you didn't. This this is this is a problem. And we are not friends. And it was a complete shift. And for me, was a realization that as a leader taking that with me that you've got to be careful what people say in front of you versus what they say in front of other people. And ⁓ not only as an individual climbing your way up, but as a leader, when people bring those things to you and making sure that you get both sides of every story, that was a big lesson for me.

speaker-0: All right, good stuff with with that last baseball theme question, small ball, what are the little things that add up to big results for you?

speaker-1: think it's caring about people, trying to remember as many people's names as you can, remembering what's going on in their lives, their kids, seeing when they accomplish something big, celebrating with them, when you see that they're struggling, making sure they know that they're there for you. If you care about people that you work with and for and that work for you, it is creating that team that feels like a family that you love going to work for.

speaker-0: great. I talk about that a lot. It's pretty simple. But sometimes in this day and age and world we live in forgotten peace. Just take care of people. Start with that. Yeah, start with that. And ⁓ as the late David Glass, the former owner of the Kansas City Royals used to say all the time, everything we do in life is about people. And he would say whether it's business or baseball, that so whether it's construction, whether whatever it is, ⁓ it's always about people. Okay, let's the people are going to get the opportunity. to buy and read a new book very soon coming out in April. How's that for a segue? My four final questions as we round the basis. First one, tell me about the new book, what people can expect.

speaker-1: Yeah, the book is based on the keynote, One Ladder to Leadership. It is an expansion of that speech because so many people kept saying, is there a book that I can learn more? And real quick, the premise of One Ladder to Leadership is about the four gender specific challenges that women most often face climbing ladders to leadership. And I relate them to ladder rungs that are missing, broken, sticky and slippery. And so within the book, it's not only talking about how to recognize them, each section has a leader's section and a climber's section so that they can see for them, focus on their own part of the ladder at that point and how they can most effectively make change for themselves or the people they work around.

speaker-0: Okay, and that is coming out April.

speaker-1: It is April and the goal is April 14th. is 414 is trades women with four women in construction at 14. That's 414. So that's the goal.

speaker-0: All right, and they'll be able to buy that where?

speaker-1: Amazon and on my website.

speaker-0: Okay, so check out the website, constructionbarb.com, or if you just want quicker and easier Amazon. But as an author myself, go to the website and support that way. That's what I would say to that too. Always happy when I see the Amazon purchases come in, even happier when they come through the website. So we'll leave that at that. Second question as we round the bases, let's talk a little bit about the podcast. You're doing it all, that's what we do nowadays, right? If you're a speaker, you gotta... You got to write books, you got to do podcasts and it's a lot of fun. Tell me about the podcast.

speaker-1: Yeah. So the podcast is called Constructive Behaviors and it is getting a revamp in 2026. I've spent the first couple of years on the podcast interviewing people in the industry and just letting people hear their stories, their trials, their tribulations, their successes. But 2026 is really going to dive into more or less kind of coaching on how can we be more successful getting more women advanced into predominantly male industries. And that not only with things from the book, but also guests speaking about their experiences related to each of the wrongs and their expertise in it as well.

speaker-0: All right, third question as we round the basis. I don't want to make this the last one because it involves me at least a little bit. But the National Association of Women in Construction, something that you've been very involved with for a number of years. And for some reason, though, I know a reason. people within that great organization and the local chapter have decided that that I will be a good speaker for them, which I believe that I will, by the way. But, you know, like leadership is leadership. I'm honored that that the group believes that I could come out there and add value. But tell me about this group and how tight knit. I mean, I think anytime for me, at least personally, when I'm involved in an association, it's nice. I mean, it's the same thing for my speakers association. Like it brings people together that are going through similar things. ⁓ What about for you on the construction side and women in construction? And any advice for me before I get in front of the... I'll encourage all these women in construction to give me as much grief as they want because I deserve it.

speaker-1: Yeah, these associations are so important. I will say that when I was volun- told that I would be joining the association 13 years ago now, and I did not want to join. I wanted nothing to do with other women in the industry. I was so trying so hard to fit in and be one of the guys that I did not want to do it. And it less than six months and I was hooked. Like being able to be in a group of women who understand what you're going through, facing similar challenges, supporting you, learning from each other is really important, ⁓ especially in this industry where, I mean, for me, I could go weeks and never see another woman at work. So it's a really great thing and they're gonna be super welcoming to you. I'm super excited. The event that you're speaking to is, we call it the Construction Industry Celebration and it is open to anyone wanting to attend. And this year it's gonna be held at Kauffman. So it's on May 21st. It is an amazing event. We've been doing it for years. Last year, our keynote speaker was ⁓ one of the goats of all time for women's soccer. Michelle was there. She was amazing. ⁓ we, I mean, it's about looking outward into other industries as well. And what can we learn from those? there's, I'm very excited for you to speak to the group. They're going to love you. You're going to love that.

speaker-0: I'm very excited too and I just, I do believe it's important to have those different perspectives, to see things through different lenses and to connect those dots. That's what I always say that I am and I think you probably feel the same way. When we get on stage, we're just dot connectors. It's not that we're saying something that they've never ever heard before, but you hope they've never heard it in this way and that there's those aha moments that come. I'm so excited to be able to do that. And you know, I'm always excited too when. when the timing actually works because as you know, for my six months of the year, I'd like to speak every day just like you would, but very limited during baseball. And so the timing worked perfectly. And so I'm very, very excited about that. And ⁓ we'll talk more about that down the road. But anyone that's interested, check out, I think probably they could just go to the National Association of Women in Construction's website or the local chapter and do that. I want to wrap things up. Final question, my walk off. Something just... I think really cool and unique that you've done the founder of the 14 percenters box and you reference the 14 percent before so there's a lot of significance in that but this is I think something really super cool that you've done a subscription box created for women in construction by women in construction. Tell me about it.

speaker-1: Yeah, so we've got one year under our belt at this point, but it's one of those things. It's a way to help women feel like they belong in the industry because a lot of times we do feel like we may be the only woman we see all week or very few, but it's also a way to bring products in front of women that ⁓ actually fit them. How many times, I assume in yours as well, but in ours, Somebody's like, oh, here's a coffee mug. Oh, here's a shirt. Oh, here's a hat. And we look at it we're like, what are we going to do with that? Right? Like that fits a six foot two white bald guy, right? Like that's not meant for us. And so this box provides gear that is actually fit and made for women in the industry. It provides them a sense of empowerment and femininity as well as growth components. So it's really one of these boxes that they're supposed to hopefully open and feel like somebody gets me. it's, cause it's hard. If you're in this industry, like none of my friends before NAWIC, none of my friends worked in construction. And so trying to have a conversation about your industry with someone who doesn't get it, you can feel like you're kind of alienated. it's, it's a, it's a sense of, it provides a sense of a belonging.

speaker-0: No doubt about it. ⁓ you know, hopefully provide some inspiration too for, for I would think a lot of people in a lot of other professions can do this in situations where it's that quote unquote one size fits all. And ⁓ we know that it's generally not the case. congratulations on everything you're doing. Good luck with the book coming up. Again, I'll remind people to check out the website, construction barb.com, the book coming up, the podcast, come check us out in May as well if you're interested in something like that. And just really admire the work that you're doing, the work that you've done, but more importantly, the work going forward to make such an impact. really appreciate you spending time today,

speaker-1: Thanks, Joel. See you

speaker-0: back