June 23, 2025 • 34 mins
Do you love the Trades, Road Rally Racing, Empowering Others and general Maker Shop Talk?
If so, join Tamara Robertson (Mythbusters, Seekers of Science) as she revs up the fun in this all new mini-season dedicated to the Hemming's Great Race and the amazing team of Trailblazing Creators assembled by Riley's Rebuilds!
As a shout-out to Race Charity Partner, The Jessi Combs Foundation and inspiration Jessi the Welder, this episode kicks off with a Tech Talk about Welding Hoods before Tamara sits down with Motorcycle Enthusiast, Trailblazer and Maker Extraordinaire Dana from The Jessi Combs Foundation
Topics they cover include (but are surely not limited to):
- Jessi Combs
- The Great Race
- Riley from Riley Rebuilds
- Jessi's Show "The List"
- The Jessi Combs Trailblazer Scholarship
- The SEMA Rising Star Award from SBN & JCF
- The SEMA Hall of Fame
- Motorcycles and Snow Mobiles
- Harley Davidson
- Sturgis
- Empowering Women
- Educating Women in the Trades
- Inspiring the next generation of Trailblazers and Stereotype Breakers
- The power of Community
- Being in Service to a Mission
- Passing Jessi's Torch
- Being Fearless
- Advice for Trailblazers
.. and so much more
As we dig into Season 3 with the 25th episode of Tinkering Belles you're surely not going to want to miss it!
So join in on Tamara's adventure as a Maker as she works to amplify the BAMF Females Behind the Builds one interview at a time!
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If you enjoyed the show join in on the Maker adventure with Tamara and her guests on the Tinkering Belles Instagram page.
You can follow Dana & The Jessi Combs Foundation's adventures here, here, and here:
Website - https://thejessicombsfoundation.com/
Scholarship - https://thejessicombsfoundation.com/scholarship
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thejessicombsfoundation/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheJessiCombsFoundation
LinkedIN - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-jessi-combs-foundation
JCF Merch - https://jessicombsfoundation.mybigcommerce.com/
Jessi's Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@jessicombs430/playlists
Jessi's Show The List - https://youtu.be/Iclx9p5_bXU?si=MwrIGVmQsnfkhFHk
Jessi's Documentary "The Fastest Woman on Earth" - https://www.max.com/movies/fastest-woman-on-earth/
Music for this Episode was provided by Bill Trowell Music. Visit BillTrowellMusic.com to hear more and to subscribe to Bill's Patreon, where he covers favorite showtunes, movie themes, classic rock and jazz, as well as requests from Patron's.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Tamara Robertson (00:00):
Greetings, shopmates, and welcome to
Tinkering Belles, a show aboutDIY, design, and all things
hands-on.
The sky's the limit as we talkprops, metalwork, cosplay,
woodwork, leather, electronics,and so much more.
I'm Tamara Robertson, yourhost, so strap on your tool
belts because we're about to getinto some skill sharing, y'all.
Today, I'm going to be joinedby a maker who is fanning the
(00:28):
flames of a legend in thetrades.
I don't want to give away toomuch, but this maker is passing
the torch to the next generationof trailblazers.
So if that doesn't make youwant to stick around and hear
more, then you might be at thewrong podcast.
But first, let's go ahead andhave our tech talk of the day.
(00:49):
So we're going to be talkingall about the Hemmings
Great Race today, which has beenmade possible by the support of
so many sponsors and partners.
Partners like the Jessi CombsFoundation, our charity partner
for this year's rally.
Not only are they helping uselevate women in the trades, but
they also donated Jessi'ssignature red polka dot bandanas
(01:10):
that we'll be wearing in honorof Jessi the Welder, Grand
Marshal in 2016.
So in honor of Jessi theWelder, let's back it up.
Where did the welding hood orhelmet get its start?
Well, the first welding faceshields appeared in the 1930s,
originally crafted from leatheror hand-forged metal to protect
(01:33):
workers from arc burn andsparks.
The modern auto-darkeninghelmet that we see today was
actually invented in the 1980s,using LCD technology to protect
eyes from the harmfulultraviolet and infrared light
produced during welding.
Now before that, helmets had tostay down at all times, which
(01:54):
made it difficult to line up aweld.
Auto-darkening revolutionizedvisibility and safety for
welders of all levels.
Today's helmets includesensors, shade control, and even
Bluetooth for air supplymonitoring or integrated comms,
combining safety with smarttech.
Now, Jessi the welder, alsoknown as the fastest woman on
(02:14):
earth, was a master fabricatorand fierce advocate for safety
in the trades, often speakingout about proper welding PPE in
her shop work, fabrication onset, and at public demos.
This led to Jessi launching hersignature PPE line for women in
2012 with her partner, LincolnElectric.
Well, that's it for your TechTalk.
(02:35):
As always, you can join in onthe conversation with my maker
friends and me on the TinkeringBells Instagram and X pages.
Just search for BellsTinkering, hit follow and share
your DIY adventures togetherwith us.
Have a tool you want to learnabout?
Let me know and it may befeatured in a future episode.
Tell us what you liked, whatyou hated or possibly even what
we missed.
(02:58):
So now we're going to be gettinginto the main event and I'm so
excited to introduce you to ournext maker.
So drum roll, please.
Presenting Dana.
Dana, thanks for joining me.
How are you?
Dana (03:08):
Hi, Tamara.
Thanks for having me.
I'm so excited to be here.
I love your t-shirt, by theway.
That's one of my favorites.
Tamara Robertson (03:16):
Yes, I love the Mighty Duck Tape
Dana (03:19):
Oh my gosh, Tamara, I'm like a little bit kind of cloud
nine right now, I have to say.
I wish I could tell you exactlywhy I'm so excited, but I just
finished a meeting.
We've got something reallyexciting coming from the Jessi
Combs Foundation and anothercompany that I can't name right
now.
But I'm like beaming becausesome of the announcements are
(03:42):
starting to come out in some ofthe channels online.
behind the scenes and we'reproving some of the materials
right now and you guys like thisis really, it's really huge.
And I just, I'm so excited forwhat this, what this is going to
be, not only for thefoundation, but, you know, in
Jessi's message, reaching moreof the world, but really for the
(04:05):
movement that I really thinkthat it is for women in the
trades and representation and somuch of what Jessi stood for
that is, is going to be having aresurgence, put it that way,
that everyone is, in the UnitedStates anyway, we'll have an
opportunity to be a part of.
So stay tuned.
Tamara Robertson (04:26):
I love this.
And you know what, audiencemembers, I'm going to leave this
teaser in because I don't thinkthe dates will align for you to
know now, but like come back intwo weeks and check the show
notes and there will be a linkfor you to be able to see what
we're talking about.
Dana (04:41):
Yeah, stay tuned and watch the social channels and maybe
newspapers and other things.
Cause pretty exciting.
Jessi would be stoked becauseit's really her, her design, her
thing.
So I'll say no more.
Tamara Robertson (04:59):
Easter egg.
I love it.
It's very superhero to have anEaster egg in our, in our thing.
I love like everything aboutyou.
We have had so much fun overthe last few years getting to
know each other, but to start, Iwant the audience to know like,
where should they go to findyou, follow you, and what should
they expect to see when theyvisit those places?
Dana (05:19):
I think it's best if you go and look for the Jessi Combs
Foundation because that's whatI'm behind and that's what I'm
focused on.
So you can find us, the we ofus, on the
jessiecombsfoundation.com orfollow us on social media,
mostly on Instagram, but also onFacebook, the Jessi Combs
(05:40):
Foundation.
And so we feature all kinds ofcontent of our scholarship
recipients, our heroes and Jessiand keep her memory alive and
people remembering all theexciting things that she did.
And yeah, so and if you have aquestion about anything, you can
DM the Jessi Combs Foundationon Instagram and that'll be me
that would answer that.
So that's how you find me.
Tamara Robertson (06:03):
I love it.
So we actually met in the earlydays of the foundation founding
because of Steve, who at thetime was at the helm So I've had
the joy of getting to know theyou behind the Dana that is the
foundation over the years,including your own moto
background.
So as a superhero scientist, Ilove origin stories.
(06:25):
I like to share them with myaudience.
So let's lift the veil of Danafor a minute and share like,
where did you get your startwith regards to turning wrenches
and in your gearhead origin,you know, motorcycle or moto?
You have a little bit.
Dana (06:42):
Great question.
So I'm actually in theenvironment right now.
I'm traveling, but I grew upriding or driving anything I
could get my hands on.
So, I mean, boats, snowmobiles,motorcycles, you name it.
My brother and I, my dad and mymom both rode motorcycles and
snowmobiles and boats and allthe things.
(07:03):
And so right kind of outside ofthe windows that are here right
now is the place that I...
I grew up doing those things.
And I've said this before, butI thought I was the first born
and I'm a girl, but I didn't,you know, I thought every little
girl learned to ride amotorcycle when she was nine
years old.
I thought that that was justthe way things were.
(07:25):
And so, and so kind of, youknow, fast forward to get out
into the world and maybe it'snot that way, but that's really
where.
I kind of got my start and, youknow, my dad never showing me
any limits around, you know, Iwas on my own snowmobile when I
was eight years old and ridingbehind my dad.
And I'm like, that just, again,seemed normal to me.
And I couldn't wait to do anyof that.
(07:46):
And so, you know, that carriedme through, you know, grade
school and high school.
And I saw my mom ridingmotorcycles and it was a family
sport for us.
So again, it was a communitythat we were involved in.
It was a family sport andsomething that was just, It took
us to some of the most excitingadventures and relationships
(08:08):
that were just core to ourfamily and our values and who we
are.
And so that was...
That kind of was the start, andthen that really took me into
my career.
I turned that passion into mycareer with Harley-Davidson
Corporate.
Well, I guess even before I gotto that, though, when I was 15
and a half, I got my motorcyclelicense, and then you couldn't
(08:30):
keep me off the bike.
So I first worked in Harleydealerships in high school and
college, and then I moved toEurope to start my career with
Harley-Davidson.
So I spent two years in Europe.
working for the brand, I thinkwhere I got my sense of
adventure travel on two wheelsor four wheels or whatever, two
(08:51):
feet, anything.
And so that's really what kindof launched me into like this
world of excitement andadventure travel of like,
there's so much to see, there'sso much to experience.
And that's ultimately how I metJessi Combs.
So anyway, does that answer thequestion, Tamara?
Tamara Robertson (09:08):
It doesn't actually.
I love the organicness of howthat just led us and to the next
one because obviously, youknow, this mini series right now
is focused on the HemmingsGreat Race, which we as the
Creator Race team, we have thejoy of following and some
extremely big footprints.
And that is the Jessi Combs,you know, aspect of it.
(09:31):
She was the first female GrandMarshal, you know, she actually
did this race.
And so I would love for you tonow, Bridge that gap for us.
You know, you're leading theJessi Combs Foundation.
You, you know, are the reasonthat we are, that we have the
Jessi Combs Foundation as ourpartner org.
(09:52):
But there was a step in betweenwhere you actually met Jessi
because of your love of moto andthe work that you were doing
with Harley.
And I would love for you toshare your Jessi story with the
audience.
Dana (10:04):
My Jessi story.
I love it so much.
Jessi was my friend and she wasmy best motorcycle friend.
So I mean, for those, foranybody listening that, that
rides a motorcycle, you probablyknow what I'm talking about is
when you kind of find thatperson that, you know, you like
to ride with, you're like kindof bonded for life.
And cause there, you know,there's just certain things.
(10:24):
And if you sync up with someoneand, and, you know, you like to
ride, you know, fast and youlike to do, you know, go to the
same places and do the samethings.
It's like, it's just the best.
And so I met Jessi and, Youknow, I think I've told you
this, Tamara, when I invitedmyself to a meeting that I
wasn't invited to atHarley-Davidson and my boss at
the time had come and asked me,hey, you need to figure out how
(10:46):
to get more women to ridemotorcycles and how to get them
to ride to the SturgisMotorcycle Rally.
And I was like, oh, cool, I'llget right on that.
That's not a small task.
It's not something you solveovernight.
But he gave me a shot.
And so I had a lot of ideas ofhow we could go about that.
And there's a lot of women thatcame before me and that I
(11:09):
looked to for inspiration.
And I thought, well, who wouldknow a whole lot about this as
well?
And somebody said to me, hey,you should get in touch with
Jessi Combs.
And I thought, that name soundsfamiliar.
And so I guess to that point, Ididn't grow up watching Jessi
or, you know, because she was alot, you know, in her commercial
(11:31):
career focused in theautomotive space.
And I just, I hadn't had awhole lot of exposure to that.
Anyway, but I Googled her and Iwas like, holy crap, this woman
is exactly who I'd want toknow, to learn from and figure
out what she thinks aboutgetting more women on
motorcycles because she's abadass.
And she drives cars, she ridesmotorcycles, and she looked like
(11:54):
about the nicest gal you'd evermeet and someone that I wanted
to get to know.
So I found out that year thathappened to be the year that she
was named the first femaleGrand Marshal for the Sturgis
Motorcycle Rally.
And so Harley Davidson at thetime had a partnership with her
and was, was going to have herto give her a motorcycle and
(12:17):
help her grow the sport forwomen.
So I jumped on that call and Ilet our social team, you know,
got their questions answered.
And then I was like, hi, Jessi,I'm Dana.
And you don't know me, but youknow, would you talk to me?
Would you be willing to talk tome about Sturgis and, and, and,
and your riding history?
And she's like, sure.
And then, and, We kind ofjumped on a separate line.
(12:40):
And, you know, three hourslater, we'd covered just about
every topic you can name fromhow to get more women to ride to
Sturgis to boyfriends to, youknow, life and all the things
girlfriends talk about.
And then, you know, that wasjust the start.
From then on, we said, and wewere like, well, what are you
doing tomorrow?
And it was like, oh, well, whydon't we meet for lunch?
(13:01):
And so we both showed up on ourmotorcycles and went for a
ride.
And that was like, that was it.
We were just, we really bondedin that way.
And, you know, kind of, sheused to say sister from another
mister.
And I truly believe that.
I don't have a sister.
I never did.
But like that, you know, whenyou have that girlfriend
relationship with just a handfulof people, you hope in your
(13:23):
life that you get to share thatbond with them.
And she was that for me.
So that's how I met you.
Jessi.
And, and that really, you know,I learned so much from her.
I didn't even know at the timehow much I was learning, I think
just by being around her.
And that's the kind of personthat, that she was.
So she was, she had aninfectious kind spirit and, and
(13:48):
badassery all mixed into one,which I think is pretty cool.
Cause I, Yeah, I think thoseare some of the things that make
her unique was this fierceness,this fearlessness, this
badassery mixed in with kindnessand grace and grit.
And in that kind of package,it's pretty unique.
(14:11):
And I think the world needsmore of that.
Tamara Robertson (14:13):
Well, I think to flip a mirror, I think that
you're definitely doing that aswell.
You have this opportunity rightnow to continue to fan her fire
and pass that torch to thesenew incoming trailblazers.
But the reason why you're ableto do that is because you
yourself are authentically atrailblazer.
(14:35):
There's not a lot of peoplethat just go into a room that a
celebrity is going to be on theother line of to say, hey, I
think that you can help me withthis mission I have and I want
to reach this goal and you'rethe right person.
And so I hope that the audienceis hearing that and taking some
of that bravery that you'redispelling, Dana, because that's
(14:57):
pretty badass.
And we didn't even get intoyour off-roading stuff and
everything else.
I mean, I feel like everyminute that I spend with you, I
learn a little bit more aboutthe true trailblazer that you
are yourself.
Thank you,
Dana (15:10):
Tamara.
That's really kind.
And thanks for holding thatmirror up because you're just
kind of putting one foot infront of the next and doing what
your heart and your gut tellyou to do.
And so...
Thanks for saying that.
That means a lot to me.
A lot of us women, like you,Tamara, too, as a trailblazer,
we don't always slow down for asecond.
(15:31):
And so it's nice when ourfriends maybe take a minute to
slow us down and say that.
Thank you.
Tamara Robertson (15:37):
Yeah, girl.
For those of you that have nothad the chance to go to an event
where the Jessi CombsFoundation is...
If there is an event, mostlikely Dana is there at the helm
with our scholarship girls, andyou will find that she will
spend the entire time empoweringthose girls, elevating those
(15:59):
girls, amplifying Jessi and hermission, and very firmly few
times does she actually get thechance to talk about how amazing
she is.
And so that is part of whatwe're doing here today.
And yes, the foundation isincredible.
For those of you that have notapplied yet, that are going to
trade school as femaletrailblazers, the scholarship is
open till the 30th.
(16:20):
You still have time, apply.
And so Dina, I have to ask, asa trailblazer yourself, as
someone that knows what it'slike to be the only woman in
that room, trying to forge apath that no one else has As
you're helping pass Jessi'storch to this next generation of
women and as the audience islistening right now, are there
(16:43):
some pointers that you wouldgive to someone that's just
trying to figure it out butdoesn't even know, like you
said, where to put that nextfoot to get it in front of the
other?
Dana (16:55):
And I think it's interesting because I've said
this before, and I know you canprobably relate, Tamara, but it
can be lonely to be atrailblazer.
I mean, we use this word as,and it's fierceness and it's
fearlessness.
And by the way, you know,fearless doesn't mean not having
any fear.
It means that you might behaving fear of something, but
you do it anyway.
(17:16):
And that's what Jessi reallyembodied.
I admittedly hadn't thought ofbeing fearless in that sense.
actual definition.
Um, but before I knew Jessi andthen that, that term gets
thrown around and I'm like,well, wait a minute, you know,
and I'm like, wow, that, thatreally, that truly is kind of
the embodiment of it is when,you know, she was, it's not that
(17:40):
she didn't have fear, you know,you saw her in the film and,
um, in her documentary, thefastest woman on earth.
And it was like, you know,there was some times where it
was pretty, pretty darn scaryout there, but she did it
anyway, because she was sofiercely driven.
And so when you find yourpassion in that way, and that's,
it's like, you chase it, youjust you chase it, and you don't
(18:03):
let anything get in your way,things will get in your way.
But you don't let it stop you.
I think that this mission andbeing in service to something
greater than myself and biggerthan any one thing has been the
thing that's taught me that isputting one foot in front of the
next.
And it hasn't been easy, but asbeing a co-founder and knowing
(18:25):
that when we lost Jessi, it waslike, we have to continue the
work she started because shewasn't finished, but she really
changed the world.
That was her goal.
And I want her to know that shedid that.
She was here on the call withus, and so she did that, and we
have the honor, all of us,Tamara, you, the work that
you're doing, and every womanthat may be even listening, it's
(18:47):
like we're all carrying Jessi'storch.
You know, we need to do thingsfor ourselves, but we all
sometimes, you know, it helps tohave that mission and something
greater than ourselves, and soif it's Jessi and if it's
knowing that she's not here todo it, so...
Let's all step up and keep thatgoing.
If that can help us, thenthat's what it's all about, I
think.
I hope that translates.
And I guess the other piece ofadvice that I would give that
(19:11):
really resonated was just when Ifound Jessi as a friend, you
know, and finding yourcommunity.
And I know that the wordcommunity gets thrown around a
lot.
But that's because it really isthat important.
And being in the trades, asI've observed, and in the
tradeswomen that I have theprivilege of interacting with
and being in service to, havinga community can keep you going
(19:34):
when the times get tough.
It's on all of us to have theskills and to do the hard work
in whatever job or professionthat we choose.
But how to stay in it throughthose really hard days when you
want to give up, that's whenyour friends and your community
are like, hey, You got this.
Don't give up.
You're great.
We're proud of you.
(19:54):
And so that's what I hope thatwe do.
We've got a scholarshipprogram, the Jessi Combs
Foundation does in Jessi's name.
And that's just the tip of theiceberg, I'd like to think,
because we really...
those girls are our heroes andwe strive to treat them as such.
And so that they know howimportant and valuable they are
(20:16):
in the work that they do and thetrades in general as a field of
work and vocations.
That's just a little something.
So finding your community andthat can be at work, that can be
outside of work, but Tamara andmyself and the Jessi Combs
founders and board of directors,that's really core to what
we've been doing is We don'tjust give a scholarship.
(20:38):
We give a scholarship, ameaningful amount of money that
gets raised from donations.
We give that out, but that'snot the end of the relationship.
It's the beginning of lifelongconnection to community that is
there if you want it.
And some girls take the moneyand they go off and do their
thing.
And some girls stay and giveback in ways that, gosh, I just
(21:03):
can't even imagine.
These women are trulyexceptional.
And so I'll do anything I canto help them.
I'm like, what tools do youneed?
I'll go to Home Depot.
We're working on Jessi's car.
It's like, whatever, we'll getit.
And the scholarship is just thestart.
And then we use every door thatJessi kicked open.
I try to show those girlsthrough that, whether that's
(21:25):
career developmentopportunities, going to the SEMA
show, racing cars, racingJessi's car, things like that
someday.
It's really unlimitedopportunity.
Tamara Robertson (21:36):
So The Great Race was...
a bunch of women that the dotsgot connected by Riley from
Riley Rebuilds.
And so it's another aspect ofthe amazing work that the Jessi
Combs Foundation does at SEMAwith SBN is their Rising Star
Award.
Can you talk a little bit aboutwhat it takes to get that award
(21:59):
and then about Riley herselfand what this group of
trailblazers she's assembledmeans to you and the team?
Dana (22:08):
Riley, Riley, Riley, what an exceptional young woman.
I have to say, I've said thisto her, I said this to her dad,
her dadager, but really, shetruly embodies so much of what
we stand for at the Jessi CombsFoundation.
And she, in her young age, Ijust hope that women, that this
(22:29):
is a sign of the times of thisnext generation of trailblazers
that, you know, like Riley,because she has assembled just
the way that she's been leadingthis effort really.
And the way, again, we got toknow Riley is that she was
awarded.
So just backing up just a step.
So SEMA, the SEMA show that forfolks that hopefully know what
(22:50):
that is, if you don't, you canlook it up the automotive
aftermarket show called SEMAthat Jessi was a hall of famer
with SEMA.
And it's just a massive thingin the industry.
And Jessi was kind of reallythe darling of that, that, that
show and that, and an icon inthat way.
When we lost her, SEMA and theSEMA Business Women's Network
(23:12):
came up with an award to honorJessi and to continue to have
her name attached to excellenceand growth in the industry and
in the automotive aftermarket.
And that's the Jessi CombsRising Star Award.
So that gets awarded each yearsince Jessi's been gone.
And we, the Jessi CombsFoundation, stay close to and
(23:34):
are involved in the selectionprocess for that award.
And so we, you know, inaddition to the badass woman
that we get to meet through ourscholarship, we've got this Anne
Riley woman came up as as oneof those and when we were going
through the applications it waslike there's always a few that
stand out right tamra i mean youknow this about about our
(23:56):
scholarship program and and samewith the jesse rising star and
so when when we were part of theselection of of riley and that
was just the beginning of justtruly watching this young woman
and and what's possible and allthese things that she's created
for herself through her work.
The cool part about it was thatgave us, the Jessica Holmes
(24:17):
Foundation, the opportunity toget to know her and what an
awesome chick she is.
And so that could have been theend of it, but of course it
wasn't because these women arewho they are.
And so we've stayed close toRiley and she's kept us in mind
for opportunities.
And that's really what wereally see that stands out, I
(24:37):
think, is that striving forexcellence while bringing other
women along with.
And Riley's really doing that.
I mean, everything down to howshe has opened up and shared
sponsorship dollars, you guys,with other women.
She could have taken thosedollars, done the race on her
own, and that would have beenreally cool.
(24:57):
But she opened it up to allthese other women who are doing
things and shared.
And that's...
that's like the breakthroughkind of thing.
And that's what took Jessi, Ithink to a new level when she
realized, all right, somethingoutside of myself, something
bigger than myself.
And Riley's doing that.
(25:18):
And she's 19 years old.
She just turned 20.
So like, if that's a sign ofthe times that's getting younger
and younger, that's pretty,pretty fricking cool.
And so again, so Riley openingthat up and including the, the,
the Jessi Combs foundation inthis great race opportunity that
she had, um, you know, isreally, really special.
(25:38):
And so that's why we're herenow talking about it.
And we can't wait to see yougirls out there, Tamara, you
included.
That's really special.
And so that the Great Grace andthe Jessi Rising Star and all
of that has come from beingrooted in our mission, right?
And then the connectivity toJessi, something that's been
(25:59):
kind of core to our mission hasbeen showing up in service and
showing up in the communitiesthat were important to Jessi.
And The Great Race wassomething Jessi did with one of
her TV shows, The List.
People should check that outfor sure if they haven't.
Tamara Robertson (26:13):
On her YouTube.
I'll put a link in the shownotes, guys.
You should definitely watchthat episode and see what we're
up against.
Dana (26:19):
Yeah, exactly.
And so Jessi, you know, in 2016did The Great Race.
She was the Grand Marshalagain.
of not again for the rally butanother grand marshal title for
her did the great race with herco-host at the time jesse was
driving in a 1927 i think it wasbugatti like open cockpit wrote
(26:40):
you know drove from californiato illinois in this vintage
totally cool remarkable vehicleum and it wasn't easy but that's
part of the criteria probablythat made her want to say yes
Tamara Robertson (26:54):
Yeah, it definitely is.
And I can't wait audience forthose of you that haven't had
the time yet to go to Instagramand check out the Jessi Combs
Foundation and Riley Rebuildsand my pages.
We are sharing photos, thevehicle and you guys are going
to just absolutely love it is anextreme tribute.
(27:16):
to Jessi, to the foundation.
You know, Riley is absolutelyincredible.
And the fact that she isconnecting the dots between all
of these women that are actuallyskilled in the trades, know
what they're doing, you know,she's bringing 12 women to this
race, a race that probably hasnever had an all women's team,
(27:38):
let alone an all women's teamthat actually knows how to fix
the car.
So it's going to be reallyexciting.
But so we're gonna be racing tothe finish line.
And as we're racing to thefinish line at the great race,
the foundation is also gonna begoing towards a major milestone
finish line on June 30th.
And that is the end of yourscholarship application process.
(27:58):
So the one thing that I wannamake sure that anyone and
everyone knows is that if you'veapplied before, but didn't get
in, please apply again, becausewe literally, it is the hardest
decision we make every year as aboard.
What kind of pointers do youhave, Dana, for anyone that may
be looking at trying to use thenext 12 days?
(28:19):
You know, well, probably alittle bit less because I have
to edit this guy.
So sorry, you might only haveeight.
But that are trying to usethese final days to get their
applications in.
Are there any pointers that youcan share?
Dana (28:31):
Our scholarship's a little different.
I think others are starting.
We've been doing this since thebeginning for five years.
We're in our sixth year.
Wow.
But ours is a little differentbecause you don't have to do a
written application.
You're welcome.
We know that you girls arebusy.
You're working with your hands.
You're out in the shop.
(28:52):
You're working multiple jobs.
So you film a video, fourminutes or less, four questions.
And my advice is, and thissounds corny, but I really try
to take it to heart, is beyourself.
The video is your essay and beyourself.
You could call or DM any womanwho has received and been
awarded the scholarship over theyears.
(29:14):
We have over 50, five, zerowomen that have received this
and they will tell you the samething.
And that's be yourself.
They also would say how freakedout they were about filming
that video.
And if you are know that you'renot the only one that's
intimidated by it, do it anyway.
Cause that's that in itself islike, part of the brilliant
(29:37):
magic of I think what we're whatwe're doing is like you know
you push through that littlethat thing that seems scary and
come out the other side and youknow when we get to call the the
handful of women that thatstand out that do get selected
it's like oh my gosh we hearthese stories right Tamara like
women are like oh I wasn't gonnado it I was freaked out I'm
(29:58):
like I can't do this video andthey're like I just did it and I
submitted it and then when Igot chosen I couldn't believe it
and so like that's that'sreally the the authenticity is,
is what we seek and we seekwomen that are, are, you know,
driven and, and want to bringothers with.
And yeah.
And, and that's, so that, thatwould be my tip is to be
(30:19):
yourself and to go for itbecause what do you got, what
have you got to lose by filminga four minute video?
It could change your life.
I know it's changed some ofthem.
They've told us that.
So film it and go for itbecause it's, You know, we can't
wait to meet you.
And when you're a part of thisfamily, really, there's no
(30:42):
telling what's possible.
And I think that's prettyexciting.
So I know that some of thesewomen, you know, Tamara, like
they don't necessarily know whatit's going to turn into.
And then some of these women,it's like when we're so proud of
them and they've never hadsomeone to tell them that.
Tamara Robertson (31:02):
Yeah, I mean, being a part of this
organization, I mean, being afriend of Jessi's changed my
life, but being a part of thisorganization and getting to
watch these young women go fromjust a video and an idea of what
they want to be to fully beingempowered and inspired to blaze
(31:23):
that trail and to have thecommunity behind them that the
foundation gives is justamazing.
So incredible.
And so we are going to berunning out of time.
So there's one question I wantto hit that I hit with every
single one of my guests.
And I think, you know, don'tsay be yourself because we just
kind of covered how that'salready a superpower.
But if you could have anysuperpower at all, what would it
(31:47):
be and why?
Hmm.
always my favorite
Dana (31:57):
oh my gosh I was like I would say seeing into the future
but yet I feel like that's notI don't I don't now I don't I
don't want that I don't know Iwould a superpower that I could
I could translate oh gosh I wishthat I could take I wish that
(32:18):
Jessi like that I could bringJessi back I guess or something
in that way that people could
Tamara Robertson (32:24):
like that
Dana (32:24):
Yeah.
Yeah.
And that, that to have her beable to translate all of the
energy and and positivity andshowing, you know, she really
was able to translate to people.
She always used to say like,you know, showing the, showing
people, especially women, allthey're capable of.
And, and so that's, that's,that's a superpower that I hope
(32:45):
that not only that I'm able tohelp carry and that all of the
women that are on the board ofdirectors and that are, that
are, that are steering thisship, the ship that Jessi, you
know, kind of turned over to allof us that, that, that magic
and that superpower gets infusedinto this next generation so
(33:06):
that they know that they arecapable of everything and that
not to let anything stand in theway.
Cause while it seems like asuperpower, I think the cool
part is that it is availableand, And so that's, I don't know
if that answers the question.
Tamara Robertson (33:20):
I love it.
It's like, I, you want everyoneto have like, instead of rose
colored glasses, like let themhave the Jessi mirrors where
they see their own superpowersgoing.
I just, I think that'sincredible.
Well, So everyone, the HemingsGreat Race kicks off June 21st
in St.
Paul, Minnesota, and we'll runall the way until we hit the
(33:41):
finish line, hopefully, on June29th in Moorpark, Irmo, South
Carolina.
Come find us, visit us alongthe way, and follow us on
Instagram to stay up to datewith all things Creator Race as
we tackle this iconic vintagerally road race one mile at a
time.
That's it for Tinkering Bells.
This episode is assembled andready for delivery.
Dana, thank you so much.
(34:02):
This has been such a pleasure.
It's been incredible.
Dana (34:04):
Thanks, Auntie, Tammy.
Bye.
I had to.
Tamara Robertson (34:11):
I know, I love it.
I want to thank you for choosingTinkering Bells as your user's
manual for all things Maker on abi-weekly basis.
If you want to continue to hearmore, don't forget to rate and
review the show on yourpodcasting app of choice, as
well as sharing it with yourfriends.
I look forward to seeing younext time.
Until then, don't forget tokeep making.
Greetings, shopmates, and welcome to
Tinkering Belles, a show aboutDIY, design, and all things
hands-on.
The sky's the limit as we talkprops, metalwork, cosplay,
woodwork, leather, electronics,and so much more.
I'm Tamara Robertson, yourhost, so strap on your tool
belts because we're about to getinto some skill sharing, y'all.
Today, I'm going to be joinedby a maker who is fanning the
(00:28):
flames of a legend in thetrades.
I don't want to give away toomuch, but this maker is passing
the torch to the next generationof trailblazers.
So if that doesn't make youwant to stick around and hear
more, then you might be at thewrong podcast.
But first, let's go ahead andhave our tech talk of the day.
(00:49):
So we're going to be talkingall about the Hemmings
Great Race today, which has beenmade possible by the support of
so many sponsors and partners.
Partners like the Jessi CombsFoundation, our charity partner
for this year's rally.
Not only are they helping uselevate women in the trades, but
they also donated Jessi'ssignature red polka dot bandanas
(01:10):
that we'll be wearing in honorof Jessi the Welder, Grand
Marshal in 2016.
So in honor of Jessi theWelder, let's back it up.
Where did the welding hood orhelmet get its start?
Well, the first welding faceshields appeared in the 1930s,
originally crafted from leatheror hand-forged metal to protect
(01:33):
workers from arc burn andsparks.
The modern auto-darkeninghelmet that we see today was
actually invented in the 1980s,using LCD technology to protect
eyes from the harmfulultraviolet and infrared light
produced during welding.
Now before that, helmets had tostay down at all times, which
(01:54):
made it difficult to line up aweld.
Auto-darkening revolutionizedvisibility and safety for
welders of all levels.
Today's helmets includesensors, shade control, and even
Bluetooth for air supplymonitoring or integrated comms,
combining safety with smarttech.
Now, Jessi the welder, alsoknown as the fastest woman on
(02:14):
earth, was a master fabricatorand fierce advocate for safety
in the trades, often speakingout about proper welding PPE in
her shop work, fabrication onset, and at public demos.
This led to Jessi launching hersignature PPE line for women in
2012 with her partner, LincolnElectric.
Well, that's it for your TechTalk.
(02:35):
As always, you can join in onthe conversation with my maker
friends and me on the TinkeringBells Instagram and X pages.
Just search for BellsTinkering, hit follow and share
your DIY adventures togetherwith us.
Have a tool you want to learnabout?
Let me know and it may befeatured in a future episode.
Tell us what you liked, whatyou hated or possibly even what
we missed.
(02:58):
So now we're going to be gettinginto the main event and I'm so
excited to introduce you to ournext maker.
So drum roll, please.
Presenting Dana.
Dana, thanks for joining me.
How are you?
Dana (03:08):
Hi, Tamara.
Thanks for having me.
I'm so excited to be here.
I love your t-shirt, by theway.
That's one of my favorites.
Tamara Robertson (03:16):
Yes, I love the Mighty Duck Tape
Dana (03:19):
Oh my gosh, Tamara, I'm like a little bit kind of cloud
nine right now, I have to say.
I wish I could tell you exactlywhy I'm so excited, but I just
finished a meeting.
We've got something reallyexciting coming from the Jessi
Combs Foundation and anothercompany that I can't name right
now.
But I'm like beaming becausesome of the announcements are
(03:42):
starting to come out in some ofthe channels online.
behind the scenes and we'reproving some of the materials
right now and you guys like thisis really, it's really huge.
And I just, I'm so excited forwhat this, what this is going to
be, not only for thefoundation, but, you know, in
Jessi's message, reaching moreof the world, but really for the
(04:05):
movement that I really thinkthat it is for women in the
trades and representation and somuch of what Jessi stood for
that is, is going to be having aresurgence, put it that way,
that everyone is, in the UnitedStates anyway, we'll have an
opportunity to be a part of.
So stay tuned.
Tamara Robertson (04:26):
I love this.
And you know what, audiencemembers, I'm going to leave this
teaser in because I don't thinkthe dates will align for you to
know now, but like come back intwo weeks and check the show
notes and there will be a linkfor you to be able to see what
we're talking about.
Dana (04:41):
Yeah, stay tuned and watch the social channels and maybe
newspapers and other things.
Cause pretty exciting.
Jessi would be stoked becauseit's really her, her design, her
thing.
So I'll say no more.
Tamara Robertson (04:59):
Easter egg.
I love it.
It's very superhero to have anEaster egg in our, in our thing.
I love like everything aboutyou.
We have had so much fun overthe last few years getting to
know each other, but to start, Iwant the audience to know like,
where should they go to findyou, follow you, and what should
they expect to see when theyvisit those places?
Dana (05:19):
I think it's best if you go and look for the Jessi Combs
Foundation because that's whatI'm behind and that's what I'm
focused on.
So you can find us, the we ofus, on the
jessiecombsfoundation.com orfollow us on social media,
mostly on Instagram, but also onFacebook, the Jessi Combs
(05:40):
Foundation.
And so we feature all kinds ofcontent of our scholarship
recipients, our heroes and Jessiand keep her memory alive and
people remembering all theexciting things that she did.
And yeah, so and if you have aquestion about anything, you can
DM the Jessi Combs Foundationon Instagram and that'll be me
that would answer that.
So that's how you find me.
Tamara Robertson (06:03):
I love it.
So we actually met in the earlydays of the foundation founding
because of Steve, who at thetime was at the helm So I've had
the joy of getting to know theyou behind the Dana that is the
foundation over the years,including your own moto
background.
So as a superhero scientist, Ilove origin stories.
(06:25):
I like to share them with myaudience.
So let's lift the veil of Danafor a minute and share like,
where did you get your startwith regards to turning wrenches
and in your gearhead origin,you know, motorcycle or moto?
You have a little bit.
Dana (06:42):
Great question.
So I'm actually in theenvironment right now.
I'm traveling, but I grew upriding or driving anything I
could get my hands on.
So, I mean, boats, snowmobiles,motorcycles, you name it.
My brother and I, my dad and mymom both rode motorcycles and
snowmobiles and boats and allthe things.
(07:03):
And so right kind of outside ofthe windows that are here right
now is the place that I...
I grew up doing those things.
And I've said this before, butI thought I was the first born
and I'm a girl, but I didn't,you know, I thought every little
girl learned to ride amotorcycle when she was nine
years old.
I thought that that was justthe way things were.
(07:25):
And so, and so kind of, youknow, fast forward to get out
into the world and maybe it'snot that way, but that's really
where.
I kind of got my start and, youknow, my dad never showing me
any limits around, you know, Iwas on my own snowmobile when I
was eight years old and ridingbehind my dad.
And I'm like, that just, again,seemed normal to me.
And I couldn't wait to do anyof that.
(07:46):
And so, you know, that carriedme through, you know, grade
school and high school.
And I saw my mom ridingmotorcycles and it was a family
sport for us.
So again, it was a communitythat we were involved in.
It was a family sport andsomething that was just, It took
us to some of the most excitingadventures and relationships
(08:08):
that were just core to ourfamily and our values and who we
are.
And so that was...
That kind of was the start, andthen that really took me into
my career.
I turned that passion into mycareer with Harley-Davidson
Corporate.
Well, I guess even before I gotto that, though, when I was 15
and a half, I got my motorcyclelicense, and then you couldn't
(08:30):
keep me off the bike.
So I first worked in Harleydealerships in high school and
college, and then I moved toEurope to start my career with
Harley-Davidson.
So I spent two years in Europe.
working for the brand, I thinkwhere I got my sense of
adventure travel on two wheelsor four wheels or whatever, two
(08:51):
feet, anything.
And so that's really what kindof launched me into like this
world of excitement andadventure travel of like,
there's so much to see, there'sso much to experience.
And that's ultimately how I metJessi Combs.
So anyway, does that answer thequestion, Tamara?
Tamara Robertson (09:08):
It doesn't actually.
I love the organicness of howthat just led us and to the next
one because obviously, youknow, this mini series right now
is focused on the HemmingsGreat Race, which we as the
Creator Race team, we have thejoy of following and some
extremely big footprints.
And that is the Jessi Combs,you know, aspect of it.
(09:31):
She was the first female GrandMarshal, you know, she actually
did this race.
And so I would love for you tonow, Bridge that gap for us.
You know, you're leading theJessi Combs Foundation.
You, you know, are the reasonthat we are, that we have the
Jessi Combs Foundation as ourpartner org.
(09:52):
But there was a step in betweenwhere you actually met Jessi
because of your love of moto andthe work that you were doing
with Harley.
And I would love for you toshare your Jessi story with the
audience.
Dana (10:04):
My Jessi story.
I love it so much.
Jessi was my friend and she wasmy best motorcycle friend.
So I mean, for those, foranybody listening that, that
rides a motorcycle, you probablyknow what I'm talking about is
when you kind of find thatperson that, you know, you like
to ride with, you're like kindof bonded for life.
And cause there, you know,there's just certain things.
(10:24):
And if you sync up with someoneand, and, you know, you like to
ride, you know, fast and youlike to do, you know, go to the
same places and do the samethings.
It's like, it's just the best.
And so I met Jessi and, Youknow, I think I've told you
this, Tamara, when I invitedmyself to a meeting that I
wasn't invited to atHarley-Davidson and my boss at
the time had come and asked me,hey, you need to figure out how
(10:46):
to get more women to ridemotorcycles and how to get them
to ride to the SturgisMotorcycle Rally.
And I was like, oh, cool, I'llget right on that.
That's not a small task.
It's not something you solveovernight.
But he gave me a shot.
And so I had a lot of ideas ofhow we could go about that.
And there's a lot of women thatcame before me and that I
(11:09):
looked to for inspiration.
And I thought, well, who wouldknow a whole lot about this as
well?
And somebody said to me, hey,you should get in touch with
Jessi Combs.
And I thought, that name soundsfamiliar.
And so I guess to that point, Ididn't grow up watching Jessi
or, you know, because she was alot, you know, in her commercial
(11:31):
career focused in theautomotive space.
And I just, I hadn't had awhole lot of exposure to that.
Anyway, but I Googled her and Iwas like, holy crap, this woman
is exactly who I'd want toknow, to learn from and figure
out what she thinks aboutgetting more women on
motorcycles because she's abadass.
And she drives cars, she ridesmotorcycles, and she looked like
(11:54):
about the nicest gal you'd evermeet and someone that I wanted
to get to know.
So I found out that year thathappened to be the year that she
was named the first femaleGrand Marshal for the Sturgis
Motorcycle Rally.
And so Harley Davidson at thetime had a partnership with her
and was, was going to have herto give her a motorcycle and
(12:17):
help her grow the sport forwomen.
So I jumped on that call and Ilet our social team, you know,
got their questions answered.
And then I was like, hi, Jessi,I'm Dana.
And you don't know me, but youknow, would you talk to me?
Would you be willing to talk tome about Sturgis and, and, and,
and your riding history?
And she's like, sure.
And then, and, We kind ofjumped on a separate line.
(12:40):
And, you know, three hourslater, we'd covered just about
every topic you can name fromhow to get more women to ride to
Sturgis to boyfriends to, youknow, life and all the things
girlfriends talk about.
And then, you know, that wasjust the start.
From then on, we said, and wewere like, well, what are you
doing tomorrow?
And it was like, oh, well, whydon't we meet for lunch?
(13:01):
And so we both showed up on ourmotorcycles and went for a
ride.
And that was like, that was it.
We were just, we really bondedin that way.
And, you know, kind of, sheused to say sister from another
mister.
And I truly believe that.
I don't have a sister.
I never did.
But like that, you know, whenyou have that girlfriend
relationship with just a handfulof people, you hope in your
(13:23):
life that you get to share thatbond with them.
And she was that for me.
So that's how I met you.
Jessi.
And, and that really, you know,I learned so much from her.
I didn't even know at the timehow much I was learning, I think
just by being around her.
And that's the kind of personthat, that she was.
So she was, she had aninfectious kind spirit and, and
(13:48):
badassery all mixed into one,which I think is pretty cool.
Cause I, Yeah, I think thoseare some of the things that make
her unique was this fierceness,this fearlessness, this
badassery mixed in with kindnessand grace and grit.
And in that kind of package,it's pretty unique.
(14:11):
And I think the world needsmore of that.
Tamara Robertson (14:13):
Well, I think to flip a mirror, I think that
you're definitely doing that aswell.
You have this opportunity rightnow to continue to fan her fire
and pass that torch to thesenew incoming trailblazers.
But the reason why you're ableto do that is because you
yourself are authentically atrailblazer.
(14:35):
There's not a lot of peoplethat just go into a room that a
celebrity is going to be on theother line of to say, hey, I
think that you can help me withthis mission I have and I want
to reach this goal and you'rethe right person.
And so I hope that the audienceis hearing that and taking some
of that bravery that you'redispelling, Dana, because that's
(14:57):
pretty badass.
And we didn't even get intoyour off-roading stuff and
everything else.
I mean, I feel like everyminute that I spend with you, I
learn a little bit more aboutthe true trailblazer that you
are yourself.
Thank you,
Dana (15:10):
Tamara.
That's really kind.
And thanks for holding thatmirror up because you're just
kind of putting one foot infront of the next and doing what
your heart and your gut tellyou to do.
And so...
Thanks for saying that.
That means a lot to me.
A lot of us women, like you,Tamara, too, as a trailblazer,
we don't always slow down for asecond.
(15:31):
And so it's nice when ourfriends maybe take a minute to
slow us down and say that.
Thank you.
Tamara Robertson (15:37):
Yeah, girl.
For those of you that have nothad the chance to go to an event
where the Jessi CombsFoundation is...
If there is an event, mostlikely Dana is there at the helm
with our scholarship girls, andyou will find that she will
spend the entire time empoweringthose girls, elevating those
(15:59):
girls, amplifying Jessi and hermission, and very firmly few
times does she actually get thechance to talk about how amazing
she is.
And so that is part of whatwe're doing here today.
And yes, the foundation isincredible.
For those of you that have notapplied yet, that are going to
trade school as femaletrailblazers, the scholarship is
open till the 30th.
(16:20):
You still have time, apply.
And so Dina, I have to ask, asa trailblazer yourself, as
someone that knows what it'slike to be the only woman in
that room, trying to forge apath that no one else has As
you're helping pass Jessi'storch to this next generation of
women and as the audience islistening right now, are there
(16:43):
some pointers that you wouldgive to someone that's just
trying to figure it out butdoesn't even know, like you
said, where to put that nextfoot to get it in front of the
other?
Dana (16:55):
And I think it's interesting because I've said
this before, and I know you canprobably relate, Tamara, but it
can be lonely to be atrailblazer.
I mean, we use this word as,and it's fierceness and it's
fearlessness.
And by the way, you know,fearless doesn't mean not having
any fear.
It means that you might behaving fear of something, but
you do it anyway.
(17:16):
And that's what Jessi reallyembodied.
I admittedly hadn't thought ofbeing fearless in that sense.
actual definition.
Um, but before I knew Jessi andthen that, that term gets
thrown around and I'm like,well, wait a minute, you know,
and I'm like, wow, that, thatreally, that truly is kind of
the embodiment of it is when,you know, she was, it's not that
(17:40):
she didn't have fear, you know,you saw her in the film and,
um, in her documentary, thefastest woman on earth.
And it was like, you know,there was some times where it
was pretty, pretty darn scaryout there, but she did it
anyway, because she was sofiercely driven.
And so when you find yourpassion in that way, and that's,
it's like, you chase it, youjust you chase it, and you don't
(18:03):
let anything get in your way,things will get in your way.
But you don't let it stop you.
I think that this mission andbeing in service to something
greater than myself and biggerthan any one thing has been the
thing that's taught me that isputting one foot in front of the
next.
And it hasn't been easy, but asbeing a co-founder and knowing
(18:25):
that when we lost Jessi, it waslike, we have to continue the
work she started because shewasn't finished, but she really
changed the world.
That was her goal.
And I want her to know that shedid that.
She was here on the call withus, and so she did that, and we
have the honor, all of us,Tamara, you, the work that
you're doing, and every womanthat may be even listening, it's
(18:47):
like we're all carrying Jessi'storch.
You know, we need to do thingsfor ourselves, but we all
sometimes, you know, it helps tohave that mission and something
greater than ourselves, and soif it's Jessi and if it's
knowing that she's not here todo it, so...
Let's all step up and keep thatgoing.
If that can help us, thenthat's what it's all about, I
think.
I hope that translates.
And I guess the other piece ofadvice that I would give that
(19:11):
really resonated was just when Ifound Jessi as a friend, you
know, and finding yourcommunity.
And I know that the wordcommunity gets thrown around a
lot.
But that's because it really isthat important.
And being in the trades, asI've observed, and in the
tradeswomen that I have theprivilege of interacting with
and being in service to, havinga community can keep you going
(19:34):
when the times get tough.
It's on all of us to have theskills and to do the hard work
in whatever job or professionthat we choose.
But how to stay in it throughthose really hard days when you
want to give up, that's whenyour friends and your community
are like, hey, You got this.
Don't give up.
You're great.
We're proud of you.
(19:54):
And so that's what I hope thatwe do.
We've got a scholarshipprogram, the Jessi Combs
Foundation does in Jessi's name.
And that's just the tip of theiceberg, I'd like to think,
because we really...
those girls are our heroes andwe strive to treat them as such.
And so that they know howimportant and valuable they are
(20:16):
in the work that they do and thetrades in general as a field of
work and vocations.
That's just a little something.
So finding your community andthat can be at work, that can be
outside of work, but Tamara andmyself and the Jessi Combs
founders and board of directors,that's really core to what
we've been doing is We don'tjust give a scholarship.
(20:38):
We give a scholarship, ameaningful amount of money that
gets raised from donations.
We give that out, but that'snot the end of the relationship.
It's the beginning of lifelongconnection to community that is
there if you want it.
And some girls take the moneyand they go off and do their
thing.
And some girls stay and giveback in ways that, gosh, I just
(21:03):
can't even imagine.
These women are trulyexceptional.
And so I'll do anything I canto help them.
I'm like, what tools do youneed?
I'll go to Home Depot.
We're working on Jessi's car.
It's like, whatever, we'll getit.
And the scholarship is just thestart.
And then we use every door thatJessi kicked open.
I try to show those girlsthrough that, whether that's
(21:25):
career developmentopportunities, going to the SEMA
show, racing cars, racingJessi's car, things like that
someday.
It's really unlimitedopportunity.
Tamara Robertson (21:36):
So The Great Race was...
a bunch of women that the dotsgot connected by Riley from
Riley Rebuilds.
And so it's another aspect ofthe amazing work that the Jessi
Combs Foundation does at SEMAwith SBN is their Rising Star
Award.
Can you talk a little bit aboutwhat it takes to get that award
(21:59):
and then about Riley herselfand what this group of
trailblazers she's assembledmeans to you and the team?
Dana (22:08):
Riley, Riley, Riley, what an exceptional young woman.
I have to say, I've said thisto her, I said this to her dad,
her dadager, but really, shetruly embodies so much of what
we stand for at the Jessi CombsFoundation.
And she, in her young age, Ijust hope that women, that this
(22:29):
is a sign of the times of thisnext generation of trailblazers
that, you know, like Riley,because she has assembled just
the way that she's been leadingthis effort really.
And the way, again, we got toknow Riley is that she was
awarded.
So just backing up just a step.
So SEMA, the SEMA show that forfolks that hopefully know what
(22:50):
that is, if you don't, you canlook it up the automotive
aftermarket show called SEMAthat Jessi was a hall of famer
with SEMA.
And it's just a massive thingin the industry.
And Jessi was kind of reallythe darling of that, that, that
show and that, and an icon inthat way.
When we lost her, SEMA and theSEMA Business Women's Network
(23:12):
came up with an award to honorJessi and to continue to have
her name attached to excellenceand growth in the industry and
in the automotive aftermarket.
And that's the Jessi CombsRising Star Award.
So that gets awarded each yearsince Jessi's been gone.
And we, the Jessi CombsFoundation, stay close to and
(23:34):
are involved in the selectionprocess for that award.
And so we, you know, inaddition to the badass woman
that we get to meet through ourscholarship, we've got this Anne
Riley woman came up as as oneof those and when we were going
through the applications it waslike there's always a few that
stand out right tamra i mean youknow this about about our
(23:56):
scholarship program and and samewith the jesse rising star and
so when when we were part of theselection of of riley and that
was just the beginning of justtruly watching this young woman
and and what's possible and allthese things that she's created
for herself through her work.
The cool part about it was thatgave us, the Jessica Holmes
(24:17):
Foundation, the opportunity toget to know her and what an
awesome chick she is.
And so that could have been theend of it, but of course it
wasn't because these women arewho they are.
And so we've stayed close toRiley and she's kept us in mind
for opportunities.
And that's really what wereally see that stands out, I
(24:37):
think, is that striving forexcellence while bringing other
women along with.
And Riley's really doing that.
I mean, everything down to howshe has opened up and shared
sponsorship dollars, you guys,with other women.
She could have taken thosedollars, done the race on her
own, and that would have beenreally cool.
(24:57):
But she opened it up to allthese other women who are doing
things and shared.
And that's...
that's like the breakthroughkind of thing.
And that's what took Jessi, Ithink to a new level when she
realized, all right, somethingoutside of myself, something
bigger than myself.
And Riley's doing that.
(25:18):
And she's 19 years old.
She just turned 20.
So like, if that's a sign ofthe times that's getting younger
and younger, that's pretty,pretty fricking cool.
And so again, so Riley openingthat up and including the, the,
the Jessi Combs foundation inthis great race opportunity that
she had, um, you know, isreally, really special.
(25:38):
And so that's why we're herenow talking about it.
And we can't wait to see yougirls out there, Tamara, you
included.
That's really special.
And so that the Great Grace andthe Jessi Rising Star and all
of that has come from beingrooted in our mission, right?
And then the connectivity toJessi, something that's been
(25:59):
kind of core to our mission hasbeen showing up in service and
showing up in the communitiesthat were important to Jessi.
And The Great Race wassomething Jessi did with one of
her TV shows, The List.
People should check that outfor sure if they haven't.
Tamara Robertson (26:13):
On her YouTube.
I'll put a link in the shownotes, guys.
You should definitely watchthat episode and see what we're
up against.
Dana (26:19):
Yeah, exactly.
And so Jessi, you know, in 2016did The Great Race.
She was the Grand Marshalagain.
of not again for the rally butanother grand marshal title for
her did the great race with herco-host at the time jesse was
driving in a 1927 i think it wasbugatti like open cockpit wrote
(26:40):
you know drove from californiato illinois in this vintage
totally cool remarkable vehicleum and it wasn't easy but that's
part of the criteria probablythat made her want to say yes
Tamara Robertson (26:54):
Yeah, it definitely is.
And I can't wait audience forthose of you that haven't had
the time yet to go to Instagramand check out the Jessi Combs
Foundation and Riley Rebuildsand my pages.
We are sharing photos, thevehicle and you guys are going
to just absolutely love it is anextreme tribute.
(27:16):
to Jessi, to the foundation.
You know, Riley is absolutelyincredible.
And the fact that she isconnecting the dots between all
of these women that are actuallyskilled in the trades, know
what they're doing, you know,she's bringing 12 women to this
race, a race that probably hasnever had an all women's team,
(27:38):
let alone an all women's teamthat actually knows how to fix
the car.
So it's going to be reallyexciting.
But so we're gonna be racing tothe finish line.
And as we're racing to thefinish line at the great race,
the foundation is also gonna begoing towards a major milestone
finish line on June 30th.
And that is the end of yourscholarship application process.
(27:58):
So the one thing that I wannamake sure that anyone and
everyone knows is that if you'veapplied before, but didn't get
in, please apply again, becausewe literally, it is the hardest
decision we make every year as aboard.
What kind of pointers do youhave, Dana, for anyone that may
be looking at trying to use thenext 12 days?
(28:19):
You know, well, probably alittle bit less because I have
to edit this guy.
So sorry, you might only haveeight.
But that are trying to usethese final days to get their
applications in.
Are there any pointers that youcan share?
Dana (28:31):
Our scholarship's a little different.
I think others are starting.
We've been doing this since thebeginning for five years.
We're in our sixth year.
Wow.
But ours is a little differentbecause you don't have to do a
written application.
You're welcome.
We know that you girls arebusy.
You're working with your hands.
You're out in the shop.
(28:52):
You're working multiple jobs.
So you film a video, fourminutes or less, four questions.
And my advice is, and thissounds corny, but I really try
to take it to heart, is beyourself.
The video is your essay and beyourself.
You could call or DM any womanwho has received and been
awarded the scholarship over theyears.
(29:14):
We have over 50, five, zerowomen that have received this
and they will tell you the samething.
And that's be yourself.
They also would say how freakedout they were about filming
that video.
And if you are know that you'renot the only one that's
intimidated by it, do it anyway.
Cause that's that in itself islike, part of the brilliant
(29:37):
magic of I think what we're whatwe're doing is like you know
you push through that littlethat thing that seems scary and
come out the other side and youknow when we get to call the the
handful of women that thatstand out that do get selected
it's like oh my gosh we hearthese stories right Tamara like
women are like oh I wasn't gonnado it I was freaked out I'm
(29:58):
like I can't do this video andthey're like I just did it and I
submitted it and then when Igot chosen I couldn't believe it
and so like that's that'sreally the the authenticity is,
is what we seek and we seekwomen that are, are, you know,
driven and, and want to bringothers with.
And yeah.
And, and that's, so that, thatwould be my tip is to be
(30:19):
yourself and to go for itbecause what do you got, what
have you got to lose by filminga four minute video?
It could change your life.
I know it's changed some ofthem.
They've told us that.
So film it and go for itbecause it's, You know, we can't
wait to meet you.
And when you're a part of thisfamily, really, there's no
(30:42):
telling what's possible.
And I think that's prettyexciting.
So I know that some of thesewomen, you know, Tamara, like
they don't necessarily know whatit's going to turn into.
And then some of these women,it's like when we're so proud of
them and they've never hadsomeone to tell them that.
Tamara Robertson (31:02):
Yeah, I mean, being a part of this
organization, I mean, being afriend of Jessi's changed my
life, but being a part of thisorganization and getting to
watch these young women go fromjust a video and an idea of what
they want to be to fully beingempowered and inspired to blaze
(31:23):
that trail and to have thecommunity behind them that the
foundation gives is justamazing.
So incredible.
And so we are going to berunning out of time.
So there's one question I wantto hit that I hit with every
single one of my guests.
And I think, you know, don'tsay be yourself because we just
kind of covered how that'salready a superpower.
But if you could have anysuperpower at all, what would it
(31:47):
be and why?
Hmm.
always my favorite
Dana (31:57):
oh my gosh I was like I would say seeing into the future
but yet I feel like that's notI don't I don't now I don't I
don't want that I don't know Iwould a superpower that I could
I could translate oh gosh I wishthat I could take I wish that
(32:18):
Jessi like that I could bringJessi back I guess or something
in that way that people could
Tamara Robertson (32:24):
like that
Dana (32:24):
Yeah.
Yeah.
And that, that to have her beable to translate all of the
energy and and positivity andshowing, you know, she really
was able to translate to people.
She always used to say like,you know, showing the, showing
people, especially women, allthey're capable of.
And, and so that's, that's,that's a superpower that I hope
(32:45):
that not only that I'm able tohelp carry and that all of the
women that are on the board ofdirectors and that are, that
are, that are steering thisship, the ship that Jessi, you
know, kind of turned over to allof us that, that, that magic
and that superpower gets infusedinto this next generation so
(33:06):
that they know that they arecapable of everything and that
not to let anything stand in theway.
Cause while it seems like asuperpower, I think the cool
part is that it is availableand, And so that's, I don't know
if that answers the question.
Tamara Robertson (33:20):
I love it.
It's like, I, you want everyoneto have like, instead of rose
colored glasses, like let themhave the Jessi mirrors where
they see their own superpowersgoing.
I just, I think that'sincredible.
Well, So everyone, the HemingsGreat Race kicks off June 21st
in St.
Paul, Minnesota, and we'll runall the way until we hit the
(33:41):
finish line, hopefully, on June29th in Moorpark, Irmo, South
Carolina.
Come find us, visit us alongthe way, and follow us on
Instagram to stay up to datewith all things Creator Race as
we tackle this iconic vintagerally road race one mile at a
time.
That's it for Tinkering Bells.
This episode is assembled andready for delivery.
Dana, thank you so much.
(34:02):
This has been such a pleasure.
It's been incredible.
Dana (34:04):
Thanks, Auntie, Tammy.
Bye.
I had to.
Tamara Robertson (34:11):
I know, I love it.
I want to thank you for choosingTinkering Bells as your user's
manual for all things Maker on abi-weekly basis.
If you want to continue to hearmore, don't forget to rate and
review the show on yourpodcasting app of choice, as
well as sharing it with yourfriends.
I look forward to seeing younext time.
Until then, don't forget tokeep making.
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