Over the past couple of months, Xiris is grateful to have had incredible conversations with different members of the welding industry. This has led us to spark important conversations about education and pursuing your passion within the trades. Recently, we virtually sat down with welder Daniela Torelli who discusses women empowerment in welding.
Six years ago, Daniela was searching for independence and financial freedom while working as a vet technician. Growing up, she was always encouraged to study books, however she felt that working with her hands was always where she belonged. In high school, while excelling in an automotive class, her teacher encouraged her to potentially think about a career in trades. Remembering this, Daniela attended Sheridan College for a year and fell in love with welding. She shared with us that “in the beginning, I was discouraged to try welding, so I had to do this on my own, but I have never looked back since.”
Once she finished trade school, Daniela explored the different paths of welding to find one she was deeply passionate about.
During this exploration, the Canadian Welding Bureau needed an assistant welding instructor and Daniela jumped at the opportunity. While teaching, she was able to share her experiences with the next generation of welders and grow her passion for welding. She told Xiris, “I never knew I would love teaching so much, it made me fall in love with welding all over again, so the assistant position turned into my full-time job.”
When Daniela wasn't teaching during the holidays, she was creating welded horseshoes for her friends and family. Before she knew it, a sudden demand from the community arose.
This led to the creation of her Instagram account “Think Pink Welding.”
This account and new business she had created for herself, allowed her to experience more opportunities with the welding community through attending tradeshows and markets. She explains, “When I was out at markets, people would be confused and ask me if I was really a welder. What started out as promoting my business, turned into an opportunity for me to talk to people about women in welding.” Her Instagram account then turned into a platform that was a safe space to ask questions and empower women in trade.
Why Think Pink Welding?
Daniela tells us that “having the word pink next to welding makes them think and question what it means. This opens the door for healthy conversations and helps people change the mindset they have about welding.” She continues, “I am the girl who shows up to a job site in all pink being doubted by many, however as soon as I start welding, I change their minds.”
Women in the welding industry can often face discrimination, inequality, and many barriers to success. Daniela shares that one of the biggest challenges she faced was during her pregnancy, where many people discouraged her from continuing to weld. She said, “Being a woman in the industry, there is a misconception that you cannot have a family, but that is not true, with hard work and determination, you can be a successful mom and welder.” She continued by talking about how important diversity is within trade. She said, “Unfortunately today, there are still job sites that do not have another washroom for women. Everywhere you go there are multiple washrooms and that should not be different from a job site... it's about equality.”
She shared that one of her goals for the industry is to normalize women in the workplace and eliminate the stigma of women not being able to succeed in trades.
When Daniela started welding, she had come across one other woman working in welding. However, “now six years later it is really incredible to see that number increase.” Daniela encourages any women in the industry to “feel the fear and do it anyway.” The industry needs more representation of women in welding, and Daniela asks that leaders of the welding community continue to inspire and empower women to weld and to become models for generations to come.
Xiris Automation thanks Daniela Torelli for spending the time to talk with us and sparking a conversation about women in welding. You can follow Daniela and check out her journey with welding through her Instagram @ThinkPinkWelding.
Have a story you would like to share? Contact us and tell us about your welding journey.
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