Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Blythe Zemel. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Blythe, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?
Much of my journey in Girl with Grit Program has definitely had me feeling like “the only one in the room” in a multitude of ways. Being the only one definitely has an air of awkwardness but it should be to your benefit. It means you are a leader and progressive. You are ahead of everyone else – you are just the first one – more will follow.
Much of the Girl with Grit advocacy relates to being “the only one in the room that looks like you” in a facet of ways. We bring to attention to all the women and girls that are “the only one in the room” and our mission overall is to put more girls in the room, We advocate for more girls in the skilled trades room. With women only making up 4 to 8% of that industry – you definitely know what it feels to be the only one in the room that looks like you.
We advocate for more independent skills for girls so they aren’t the “only one in the room that looks like them” that can change their tire, know how to handle tools, home emergencies and repair, and know their way into the wilderness. Often, being a girl with these particular skills is “being the only one in the room”. Our goal is to change that and grow girls more confident in learning these traditionally male skills.
I will add on a personal level, I absolutely have lived a life of being the only one in the room that looked like me. I am what I am. I have felt the need to overcome imposter syndrome quite a bit – I have often felt that people ask me a little more about my qualifications or I have to prove myself a little more. On paper, my resume and credentials are strong – it’s when my tattoos and red hair show up – eyes get a little shifty about me. I notice it and I just view it as discrimination. You will never stop me from being who I am, I should be the only one in the room that looks like me – there’s only one of me and quite honestly everyone looking alike would be pretty boring.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
In 2020, I founded a nonprofit called Girl with Grit Pro in a town outside of San Antonio, TX – Boerne. I was fortunate for other incredible women that joined me along the way – Briana Huhn, Stephani Risinger, Kriss Abigail – to bring the mission what it is today and it’s advocacy is growing.
Girl with Grit believes that saturating a variety of life skills – from changing tires to sewing, from tools to outdoor safety – all taught with a touch of hands-on DIY and a sprinkle of creativity – can grow independence and confidence. Without these skills, one can be held back from careers, hobbies, passions, interests, and just plain life. We believe the skills we teach will open doors for girls and close gaps. We advocate for girls entering the workforce in areas like the skilled trades – where their presence is low. We believe in equal chances and know it takes grit to get there.
We offer a multitude of curriculum options to bring our trainings to girls throughout the region.
Our most popular option is our camp which gets girls learning a whole slew of skills from tools to cars to wilderness in a really fun, creative, and project-based way. I am an art teacher, so my approach seems to be a little more creatively done to capture girls. We run these camps throughout the area and will even come to you. We do offer Camp Grit for boys. Currently, our camps in Boerne are run through Parks and Recreation and are located at The AgriCultural Museum and Arts Center. Check out girlwithgrit.com or @girlwithgritprogram for more info.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three qualities – grit,
perseverance, and passion. Passion, that’s probably the biggest one – people have to care about what they are doing with their time. If you care enough about something, if you are passionate – you’ll use your grit and perseverance to overcome obstacles naturally.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
The past 12 months has been pretty brutal. I have dealt with significant personal loss, business issues, burn out, medical stuff – the list has been really long,
This year should have broken me and instead I feel more genuine in my mission than ever. I have found myself more removed from wanting to show what I do or prove things – I know my power and rawness and realness. I can tell I am living my path out right – this is so genuine to me and my soul. That I am actually a girl with grit.
Contact Info:
- Website: girlwithgrit.com
- Instagram: @girlwithgritprogram
- Facebook: @girlwithgritprogram
