Ladies with Tradies - WORKIN' THE TRADE, LIVIN' THE LIFE!

AI is everywhere right now—but most tradies are still asking the same question: “Where the hell do I even start?” In this episode, Kate sits down with long-time Ladies with Tradies clients Marcus (Vivid Coats) and Andrew (Stay Bright Electrical) to unpack how they're using Artificial Intelligence in their businesses—and why it’s become one of the biggest productivity tools they've ever a...

This week, Kate is joined by Ladies With Tradies coach — Candice (aka Candy Ray) — for a real and relatable conversation about what it actually looks like to step into the trade world with zero experience… and build confidence from the ground up. Candice’s story isn’t the typical “tradie background.” She spent 17 years working in healthcare before stepping into her husband Murray’s business — Mild...

This week, Kate is joined by legal expert Helen Kay from Rise Legal — the go-to lawyer for Ladies With Tradies and hundreds of tradie business owners across Australia. And today’s conversation is all about the stuff most tradies put off… 👉 Legal. Because let’s be honest — when you’re flat out on the tools, quoting jobs, managing staff and trying to keep cashflow moving, legal feels like something...

PODCAST SUMMARY: This week on Working the Trade, Living the Life , Kate is joined by one of Ladies With Tradies’ longest-standing clients, Marcus Luscombe from Vivid Coats. A painter by trade and community man at heart, Marcus opens up about the season where “more” was the answer to everything — more staff, more hours, more jobs, more pressure. At one point running a team of 10 and working 60–80 h...

Podcast Summary Before she was a coach… she was a tradie wife. In this episode, Kate sits down with Donna Brown — one of the powerhouse coaches inside Ladies With Tradies — to share the full-circle journey from overwhelmed tradie partner to confident business leader. Donna didn’t start as a coach. She started where so many of you are: Supporting a tradie husband. Juggling cashflow stress. Growing...

This week on the podcast, Kate sits down with Kayla from Dopamine & Co , an ADHD coach who truly gets the construction industry — because she’s lived it. With nearly a decade in commercial construction before moving into coaching, Kayla brings a rare mix of lived experience, deep understanding, and straight-talking honesty to a topic that’s still surrounded by stigma: neurodivergence in adults...

Today’s episode is a powerful look at what really happens when a tradie finally decides enough is enough and steps into actual leadership. Meet Adam Hopwood , owner of Hopwoods Repairs — a family-run appliance repair business that’s grown from a three-person crew to a full team with technicians, admin support, and an operations manager. But the real story isn’t the growth… it’s the mindset shift t...

In this episode, Kate sits down with Mind Health Bender founder and tradie-turned-mental-health-coach, Nick Blair , for a brutally honest chat about the stuff most people avoid — booze, bags, and breaking bad habits. They dive into how tradies and their partners can take small, realistic steps toward better mental health (without pretending they’ll never touch a drink again). This isn’t about guil...

In this raw and inspiring episode, we sit down with Stacey and Jeff Connell from Connell’s Building and Renovation, alongside their coach Teresa Mullins, to share how they stepped off the hamster wheel and built a business (and life) they actually love. From clashing over “office vs tradie” roles, drowning in tiny jobs, and battling burnout, to raising their rates, letting go of the stress, and wo...

This week Kate is joined by her old friend Mel from The Little Sleeping Baby for a conversation that every parent with little ones needs to hear. Kate first met Mel years ago in Bendigo, when they were both diving into personal development. Back then, Mel had dreams of working with kids, but instead of becoming a teacher she became a certified baby and toddler sleep consultant. And as you’ll hear,...

Episode Summary In this heartfelt and unfiltered episode, we sit down with Kyle and Megan from Spring Tide Construction and their coach Shani to unpack how they transformed their building business from total burnout to booming success. From working 20-hour days and fighting to keep their relationship afloat, to six-folding their revenue and building a life they’re proud of, this episode is packed...

Russ Easther is the founder of Lead Partners Direct, a digital marketing veteran with over two decades of experience helping tradies ditch the guesswork and get real, qualified leads. Known for making the complex simple, Russ specialises in taking the risk out of marketing by offering tradie businesses exclusive, pre-qualified leads — without the fluff, gimmicks, or agency fees. With deep industry...

James and Bec Ware are the husband-and-wife duo behind Ware Builders , a thriving, family-owned business in Berrigan. With 14 years in the industry , they’ve built a reputation for quality craftsmanship across new homes, renovations, extensions, and commercial projects , including school maintenance and hospital work. James’ journey into building started with an apprenticeship under his father, fo...

In this episode, we chat with Lex Stanley from Vastly Digital about how tradies can get the most bang for their buck when it comes to digital marketing. Lex shares her expertise on SEO, paid advertising, and the importance of understanding your numbers before jumping into marketing campaigns. She also breaks down why quick-fix marketing promises are often a trap and why small businesses should foc...

Cory and Siobhan Gathercole are the powerhouse duo behind Evolve Projects , a thriving construction business built on resilience, adaptability, and a no-nonsense approach to growth. Cory’s journey began in carpentry, inspired by his uncle, and saw him complete his apprenticeship by 20 before spending a decade racing speedway in the UK. Returning to Australia, he worked in residential construction...

Get ready for a game-changing episode because today, I’m introducing you to someone who’s about to shake up the way you think about your business finances—Lyndon Russell! Lyndon is an Amazon bestselling author, a finance guru, and now, the newest trusted advisor here at Ladies With Tradies. He’s spent 15+ years working with small businesses (including heaps of tradies), and let’s be real—he gets i...

Get ready to be blown away in this episode by the very humble, but very successful Cindy & Ash Portwine from Portwine Joinery! These guys built their business from nothing, Ash started in his backyard under a tarp 20 years ago then when Cindy came along they worked hard to grow, build an impeccable reputation, and have gone from strength to strength. This episode is a true showcase of what nev...

This week, Kate Muldoon, founder of Ladies with Tradies , sits down with Ops Manager Megan Jackson for a raw and honest conversation about the challenges of early retirement and the lessons learned from stepping back from the business she built. Kate shares her deeply personal journey of navigating mental health struggles, rediscovering her purpose, and the power of trusting yourself in a world fu...

In this episode we chat with the incredible Shani Matheson from 'BrisVegas' in Queensland. Shani comes with an extensive background working in Trades businesses and has a nature about her that just makes you want to do well in business, and in life. Shani shares her great passions in coaching - seeing clients get results, and watching their teams succeed. Mostly, she adores seeing the Tr...

Meet our incredible trusted advisor, Janelle McCowatt from BAS to Basics - a book keeping comany with so much more, as well as our mutual client Tracey Brown, our long loved client and friend.  Janelle and Tracey are both prominent figures in the Ladies with Trades network - we love them both dearly. When we hooked them up so that Tracey had some book keeping support, they clicked instantly. Durin...

Kate and Teresa, a business coach from Ladies with Tradies, discussed Teresa's background, coaching style, and the positive impact of coaching on both personal and business growth. We explored the challenges of being a coach, the importance of household budgeting - T's FAVE thing to do with clients, and the parallels between her recent exciting opportunity coaching her kids sports team a...

Abby & Jordan White - come on down! These guys have been absolutely dominating from day dot when we started coaching them at Ladies with Tradies. With their coach Chane, they have been able to flip a property in a matter of months whilst doing their client's building projects, Abby has started her own consulting firm utilising her past career in agronomy, they purchased their dream acreag...

Welcome to another engaging episode of "Tradies Talk," presented by "Ladies with Tradies." I'm your host, Kate Muldoon, and today we're delving into a topic crucial for every trades business: "The Importance of a Sales Process in Trades Business." Don't let the word "sales" make you uneasy; we're turning this into a lively and light-heart...

TradeMutt is a social enterprise started by 2 legendary blokes, tradies, Dan & Ed who are chippies on a mission. They created a high vis shirt company with a difference, their product is loud, out there, and most importantly, starts conversations. TIACS (This Is a Conversation Starter) is their service that connects tradies with counsellors in order to work through issues and challenges people...

This chat with the amazing Jarrod and Bek from MSD Services, a security company in Bendigo was just so beautiful for me. As past clients of Ladies with Tradies, it is always amazing to reconnect and hear about what people are doing. These guys are A grade consolidating machines when it comes to coaching principles. So much of this podcast covers off on the things they learned in coaching and have...