SEASON 4 | Episode 7 | How Motherhood Fits into the Construction Industry
You have to meet Tonia Rivers, a remarkable woman who wears many hats in the construction industry!
Tonia is a mother, the founder and executive director of Mothers in Construction, a podcast host, motivational speaker, owner and president of WLS Construction Consultants LLC, and a 17-year construction professional.
During our conversation, we discuss Tonia’s transition from architecture school to the construction industry, her career path from estimator to working for the Army Corps of Engineers, and her journey beyond.
We also talk about the benefits of taking on tasks before they are expected of you. It’s a fantastic opportunity to get paid to train and even make the inevitable mistakes. You build your skillsets that will make you a more valuable player in the long run.
Tonia also shares her experience entering motherhood as an assistant project manager. Nothing went as planned with her first child, who arrived TWO months early in a city two hours from home. If that wasn’t overwhelming enough, you’ll want to hear what that looked like for her as a working mother in construction! Work was a whirlwind! How did she recover? What did she do when she got back to work? She gets vulnerable with us in this episode. (Something I am immensely grateful for. It was eye-opening for me.)
I also want to take this opportunity to highlight Tonia’s incredible work as an advocate for mothers in construction. She is the driving force behind Mothers in Construction, an organization dedicated to supporting and empowering working mothers in the industry. Through her podcast, Tonia brings together a community of like-minded individuals to share their experiences and offer insights and advice to other mothers in construction. She even will bring on the men to get a different perspective on parenthood and balancing a career.
Tonia’s dedication to her work and her advocacy for mothers in construction serves as an inspiration to us all. We are grateful to have had the opportunity to chat with her and learn from her experiences. We look forward to continuing to follow her journey and supporting her important work.
If you want to learn more about Tonia and her work, you can check out her website at mothersincon.org or listen to her podcast, the Mothers in Construction, on your favorite podcast platform.
RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
Pregnancy Book Recommendation: What to Expect When You’re Expecting
TO CONNECT WITH TONIA:
Tonia Rivers – LinkedIn
www.mothersincon.org – Episode 16, My Why is the episode she recommends
HOW TO CONNECT WITH KATHRYN & SPACE TO BUILD:
Find me on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @spacetobuild.
E-mail me at kathryn@spacetobuild.co.