ST. JOHNS, Mich. — What some St. Johns neighbors might not know is that underneath St. Johns Lutheran Church is a construction workshop. Inside, women are honing their trade skills and inspiring other women to try do-it-yourself projects to save money.
- St. Johns mother-daughter team runs MyHandyma'am with 90% female crew, completed 800+ projects in 5 years
- Company launched how to podcast and plans in-person classes to teach women trade skills to save money
- Goal is empowering women to enter construction trades and tackle home repairs themselves
WATCH: Women-led repair company empowers others through DIY education
St. Johns neighbor Samantha Pearl and her daughter Emily Pearl Reist started their home repair company, MyHandyma'am, in 2020.
"Over the last almost six years, we've worked really hard to create a pathway for women to enter the trades. So 90% of those on our crew are women," Samantha said.
"A lot of it is about empowerment. Personally in my own home, it feels empowering to be able to fix things," Emily said.
After completing more than 800 projects in five years, their mission has expanded. Arlene Streed honed her skills with help from Samantha and Emily, and now serves as field services manager for MyHandyma'am.
"For a long time, it's been kind of like women don't need to know this stuff because men have it covered. And now, it's being able to give some control and choices back to those women," Arlene said.
To reach more women, the team launched a how-to podcast in hopes of leading to something bigger.
"It allows us to build a community of women who are interested in learning, and that becomes the pathway for in-person education, which we have lots of dreams about," Samantha said.
Samantha says those future classes could help neighbors save money by learning to tackle projects themselves.
"Most tile is very affordable. You might spend $200 or $300 on a fairly large tile project for just the tile. It's the labor that's expensive," Samantha said.
From fixing homes to teaching skills, Samantha says the goal is opening doors for women.
"Creating a community where women have access to trustworthy trades people, and where women have access to enter the trades themselves if they wish is very important," Samantha said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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