In Her Words: Before You Judge Someone, Learn Their Story
Featured DisruptHERs:
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Primed DisruptHER Gabby Held: Wallys and Welds: 15-Year-Old Gabriella Held is Built for Speed
At just 15 years old, Gabriella Held is still too young to hold a driver’s license, but that hasn’t stopped her from steering her future forward! For nearly three years, Gabby has spent a significant portion of her free time in the body shop, learning to weld, paint and repair vehicles through Trade Up Level Up, a non-profit organization focused on connecting today’s youth with the trades. Gabby was only 13 years old when she first began her collision journey, learning to weld and mastering the delicate balance between technical precision and creative artistry. While most teens are just beginning…
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Polished DisruptHER-Cassandra Thibeault: Promoting Positivity and Cultivating a Community for Bodywomen
Cassandra Thibeault’s path into collision repair did not start with a perfect plan, a polished resume, or a neat little “how I found my purpose” bow tied around it. It started with a woman who once dreamed of fashion design, found out sewing was absolutely not her love language, left retail management behind, stepped into collision repair, and eventually built a career around structure, safety, creativity, and community. In this Polished DisruptHER feature, Cassandra talks about becoming a collision technician, finding her love for structural repairs, and taking the responsibility of safe repairs seriously because real lives are riding on…
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Dynasty DisruptHER: Kristen Felder: The Take-No-Shit & Offer No Apologies DisruptHER
Kristen Felder was not introduced to collision repair later in life. She was practically born into it, with a childhood spent in the body shop and a work ethic shaped by sanding, repairing, arguing, learning, and refusing to back down. In this Dynasty DisruptHER feature, Glossed & Gritty spotlights one of the most recognizable, respected, and controversial women in the collision repair industry. Kristen’s story travels from her family’s shop to insurance claims, from dreams of civil rights law to the creation of Collision Hub, and from being underestimated to bringing the whole damn table with her. She talks candidly…
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In Her Words: Your Voice Matters, So Use It! By: Kristen Felder
(Warning: Explicit language – May be offensive to some readers) Collision repair is the only industry I know, and although I love what I do, I fully realize it’s not pretty for women here. It’s full of double standards, pitfalls and traps. It really sucks to be a woman in this industry a lot of the time. And it all starts with the messaging we receive about being a woman, especially if we’re going to work in a male-dominated space. We are told to be nice, to get along and earn our place – if we keep our heads down…
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Breaking the Brass* Ceiling: Jaime Shewbridge Welds “Like a Girl” (Don’t You Wish You Could Too?)
In an industry often defined by grit, grease and a “boy’s club” mentality, Jaime Shewbridge doesn’t just fit in – she stands out as a master of her craft. With a career spanning 33 years, Jaime has evolved from a high school data entry clerk to becoming the first woman to earn all three of I-CAR’s highest instructor honors. A fierce advocate for vocational education, she balances a demanding career as an I-CAR Welding & Hands-on Skills Development instructor with her role in an oversight department for a major insurer. As we celebrate National Welding Month, Jaime’s story serves as…
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In Her Words: Lowered Voice, Stronger Boundaries-Petra Schroeder
Petra Schroeder’s voice may be calm, but her boundaries are anything but weak. In this thoughtful In HER Words column, Petra reflects on respect, cultural differences, harassment, communication, and the quiet authority that comes from consistency. She shares how being believed shaped her, why “no” should never require negotiation, and how speaking up does not always have to mean raising your voice. Polished does not mean passive, and Petra proves that strength can arrive softly and still change the room.
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Dynasty DisruptHER: Petra Schroeder
Petra Schroeder is known throughout the collision repair world as the Collisionista, but her legacy cannot be contained in a single title, scarf, language, or boardroom introduction. With nearly six decades connected to the industry, Petra’s story is one of reinvention, curiosity, global influence, cultural fluency, and a kind of leadership that does not need to shout to command the room. Her strength is not packaged in the predictable costume of grit. It arrives polished, elegant, soft-spoken, and absolutely immovable. This Dynasty DisruptHER feature follows Petra’s journey through corporate spaces, industry associations, volunteer leadership, mentorship, and the many connections she…
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Primed DisruptHER: Jaelyn Walker
Jaelyn Walker grew up around mechanics, JDM culture, loud engines, and Puerto Rican pride, but she found her lane in the cosmetic side of the industry. Now working as a non-structural body technician while training toward structural repair, Jaelyn is building skill, confidence, and a future that does not fit anyone’s outdated assumptions. In this Primed DisruptHER feature, she talks about mentors, family support, career goals, shop challenges, and why women belong anywhere panels need shaping and expectations need breaking.
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Polished DisruptHER: Shelly Jones
Shelly Jones did not enter collision repair through a perfectly paved career lane. She took the scenic route through waste management, sales, operations, education, workforce development, and eventually helped build one of the industry’s most ambitious technician pipeline initiatives. In this Polished DisruptHER feature, Shelly talks about career pivots, family, mentorship, student success, and the steady leadership behind Collision Engineering Career Alliance. Her story proves that building the future of collision repair takes strategy, relationships, integrity, and a willingness to create the roadmap as you go.
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Polished DisruptHER: Jill Tuggle
Jill Tuggle’s career changed every time someone convinced her to “hear me out.” From delivering wheels to leading the Auto Body Association of Texas, her unconventional path proves that leadership does not require knowing everything—it requires curiosity, collaboration and the confidence to ask the right people. Jill opens up about loss, faith, imposter syndrome, advocacy and the relationships that helped her recognize her value. Fair warning: her actual job description may still require the word “miracle worker.”
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Primed DisruptHER: Madison Warren
At 18, Madison Warren is already a Toyota- and Lexus-certified estimator, a national SkillsUSA champion and a young professional determined to raise the standard of collision repair. Her path from shy freshman to skilled repair planner was built through mentorship, preparation and one lesson she refused to forget: trust the process. Madison shares how OEM procedures, customer advocacy and one disappointing competition finish became pieces of a much bigger—and remarkably promising—career puzzle.
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Dynasty DisruptHER: Micki Woods
Marketing may attract attention, but Micki Woods knows it cannot rescue weak leadership, unhealthy culture or broken trust. After owning a shop, surviving the 2008 recession and sitting in the chair where payroll becomes personal, Micki built a career helping collision businesses become stronger from the inside out. She shares the hard-earned lessons behind her people-first approach—and why the healthiest, most resilient businesses are built around relationships rather than transactions.
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In Her Words: Before You Judge Someone, Learn Their Story
After more than a decade volunteering with women affected by sexual exploitation, Jill Tuggle has learned how rarely assumptions resemble reality. She challenges us to look beyond someone’s behavior, circumstances or mistakes and get curious about the story underneath. From strip-club outreach to collision-shop culture, Jill explores dignity, accountability and the difference between excusing harmful choices and understanding what shaped them. Because real leadership does not reduce people to their worst moment—it recognizes who they could still become.