She’s electric electrical: A story of resilience, growth and reinvention, Meet Megan

Meg’s path to becoming an electrician is anything but ordinary. From overcoming health challenges to celebrating her 30th birthday hugging cows, she brings a refreshingly real perspective on resilience, integrity in the trades, and carving your own path as a woman in the electrical industry. 

Meg opens up about the realities of being a female electrician in a male-dominated field, the strength she’s built through personal health challenges, and how her love for powerlifting keeps her motivated. 

With honesty at the core of her work, Meg discusses why integrity matters so much in the trades and how she wants to use social media to uplift and empower others. This episode is packed with insight, humour, inspiration, and a candid look at what it means to thrive as a woman carving her own path in the trades. 

Key Takeaways 

• Meg transitioned from hospitality to becoming an electrician by chance. 
• She enjoys the practical aspects of her job and the variety it brings. 
• Self-employment has its challenges, but Meg has had a positive start. 
• Building trust with clients is crucial in the trades. 
• As a female electrician, Meg has faced scepticism but has earned respect. 
• Daily tasks include renovations and complex electrical systems. 
• Health challenges have made Meg more resilient and appreciative of life. 
• Powerlifting has become a significant part of Meg's life post-recovery. 
• Meg's unique 30th birthday involved spending time with rescued cows. 
• She aims to empower others, especially women, through social media. 

Follow Me:

Instagram: LifeOfAFemaleTradie_

Facebook: Life Of A Female Tradie

Follow Guest:

Instagram: Shes.electric.electrical

Facebook: Shes Electric - Electrical Contractor

Chapters 

00:00 Trigger warning 

00:30 Start of Megs Journey Into Becoming An Electrician 

04:51 Transition to Self-Employment 

10:27 Experiences as a Female Electrician 

16:30 Health Challenges and Resilience 

26:32 Journey into Powerlifting 

33:36 The Addictive Nature of Strength Training 

37:23 Unique 30th Birthday Experience 

42:15 Social Media and Empowerment in Trades 

47:30 Future Aspirations and Lifting Competitions 

55:36 Thank You and Follow For More 

Transcript

Meg (00:30)

Hi, I'm Meg and I'm an electrician based in Hertfordshire.

Laura (00:34)

Thanks for joining me, Meg. It's brilliant to have you on the show. So yeah, let's just get straight into learning about you. How did you get into being an electrician? What's your background?

Meg (00:34)

And then you're like...

My background, I mean I was working in catering and hospitality since I was about 14 or 15 and then it was actually just by chance that I'd helped my dad start a catering unit in Sauston on a business park and then one of the customers there, he just opened up his own centre teaching electrics and I was getting very fed up of hospitality as you do. And they were like just come and have a look and it was really weird because it was one of those things I've...

walked in, had a look around the centre and then it just felt right and I just decided to do it. So it was quite off the cuff but it was good. I I did it as an intensive so I did my level 2 and 3 in think it was about 7 months, so was Monday to Friday 9 till 5 and then I worked in the evenings and weekends outside of that and then obviously

Laura (01:31)

wow.

Meg (01:40)

because I'd done it as an intensive I didn't have all those years of learning all the nitty gritty doing rubbish stuff on site that you'd get when you do an apprenticeship so I worked for a firm for two and half, three years I think just doing house bashing, learning the nitty gritty and yeah still doing it now

Laura (01:49)

Gotcha.

Nice,

awesome. So what sort of age did you get into that then?

Meg (02:08)

was 21 or 22? I'm 31 now so I'm about 10 years ago now. Feel old. My joints will tell another story though I think.

Laura (02:10)

Okay.

I don't even ask, yeah. You're still young, don't panic. Oh, tell me about it, yeah. That's the key signs,

isn't it? The joints, when they start aching and the back, yeah, definitely. So what would you say that you enjoy most about being an electrician?

Meg (02:36)

Do you know what I think? Probably most is just doing something practical because I mean I'm not diagnosed but I'm probably quite sure I'm on some sort of spectrum of ADHD and I cannot sit still doing things. I tried doing a job before where I was quite stationary and I just couldn't do it. So it's probably just doing different things, being in different environments a lot of the time so you might be on one job for a long period of time.

Laura (02:49)

Okay.

Meg (03:04)

but then you're doing different things or you're going to another job in between. So it just keeps it interesting and keeps me fit and healthy doing a lot of moving around as well.

Laura (03:13)

Yeah, definitely, definitely. And what's been the types of jobs that you've done most of? What kind of buildings, properties do you work on the most?

Meg (03:26)

So I've only recently, about two months ago, gone fully self-employed because I was working for a company that was doing social housing and things like that. So I've seen it all. But yeah, so that was ⁓ ventilation, basic things, bit of solar and all of that kind of stuff. And now, mostly renovation work.

Laura (03:33)

Nice.

Okay.

Meg (03:53)

I'm unsure of where I want to niche into at the moment. Strangely enough, I enjoy working out the puzzle that is doing all the heating, wiring and stuff like that because generally no one likes to touch that.

Laura (03:57)

Okay.

Hmm,

yeah. I mean, when the two kind of combine, heating and electrical, it can scare some people, can't it? Because you don't know where the line is where you're to stop or have the knowledge of the overlap, isn't it?

Meg (04:24)

Yeah, absolutely. And I really found this recently on a job I've got going on. It was a big underfloor heating system. It has four, five manifolds. And then they've got a separate immersion, which has a solar diverter. And then they've got the boiler as well. Then they've got towel rails on a different circuit. When I first looked at it, was like, so I did my own wiring diagram combining all of them. And then I actually looked into what each component's doing within it, because then...

Laura (04:39)

Whoa.

Meg (04:53)

I know what it's supposed to be doing, I know where I need to put it in the sense of wiring. I said to the plumber, I like I've no idea what any of this is otherwise. I know. I like a problem solve.

Laura (04:57)

yeah.

Goodness, you couldn't have picked a more complicated job.

Nice,

nice, that's good. you say you've just gone into self-employment. How are you finding your feet with that? What would you say is the most difficult part of it, shall we say?

Meg (05:25)

I went self-employed while I was full-time employed and sunk myself in work but in my head I was like I'll get my foot in the door and then do it so I was really lucky to have a bit of a unicorn job as like my first big job and

Laura (05:30)

Yeah.

Meg (05:43)

I've been really fortunate that I've not had much issue in chasing clients for money and payments and things like that because I know generally that is it and I think I've not been in it long enough yet to feel the struggle that you sort of feel when you're struggling for work or putting yourself out there so I think it's all quite new at the moment but I know that will definitely be a cross to bear at points doing it but...

Laura (06:08)

Yeah,

well that's good that you've started off with a nice group of customers to start with that have treated you well and vice versa. Obviously comes hand in hand, you treat your customers well, you're honest, then hopefully they reciprocate. So yeah, hopefully that keeps going for you.

Meg (06:21)

Yeah.

yeah 100 % I find

a lot from people working in trades or working alongside them or hearing from other clients that there's so much of it in this in all of the industries where people just don't turn up when they're committed to be there or they don't do it properly they don't want to come back and fix it or they're trying to dupe people out of money and I think when people get a sense that you are just honest I think that does go a long way because yeah

couldn't deal with the stress of having to lie and be dishonest all the time.

Laura (06:55)

Absolutely.

I know it's like why would you, one, why would you do that anyway? Two, like you've just said, you've got to remember what you said if you're the liar and play along, you know? no, just don't do it. Don't do it. Yeah.

Meg (07:11)

Yeah.

Just like

everyone makes mistakes, it happens. You've got insurance there for that or as long as you... Most people, if you say, look, this has happened, I've made a mistake, I'll come fix it, no charge, they're normally fine about it. But no one likes to do that.

Laura (07:20)

Yeah.

Absolutely, absolutely.

We are only human, we make mistakes, you see. It's just owning them and being honest because unfortunately these people that don't stay true to themselves and be honest, they set a bad rap for the rest of the trades really, don't they?

Meg (07:35)

Exactly.

Yeah, they do. They do. Definitely. It sort of like leaves people a bit scorned by it and they're really scared to trust a lot of trades people, I think.

Laura (07:58)

Mmm.

Yeah, definitely. And I feel that sometime, well, I've actually had customers say to me, they've had these horror stories, et cetera, et cetera. And that's why they were looking for a female trades person because in their mind, they felt that a female would be the opposite. They would be trustworthy. They stick to their word. They turn up on time. They'd be tidy. mean, you know.

Meg (08:17)

Yeah.

you

Laura (08:29)

Yes, most of us are those positive things, but again, we are all human and we all have our own downfalls at times. But it is nice to think that customers out there, people out there have that opinion of female tradies.

Meg (08:44)

Yeah, because I think when when I first was getting into the industry, so I obviously spent all this money and all this time qualifying. And then when it came to getting a job, I sort of shot myself in the foot because I had all the qualifications, but not the real life experience to go with it. So people couldn't take me on as an apprentice because I already had the qualifications. But my practical skill set as such wasn't advanced enough to just send me to a job by myself because I'm still sort of learning.

But I struggled trying to find work in it and also a lot of people were like, probably the older blokes were a like, no you can't have a woman on site, it's a distraction. It's changed so much in a short amount of time really and I think there's so many more female tradespeople as well, which is nice. They all seem to be up north though, there's not that many down in Hertfordshire that I know of. We need some more down here.

Laura (09:37)

Put your hands up ladies if you're down Meg's way, she wants to get to know you. That's it, that's it. Brilliant. You've obviously just touched on there about ⁓ some difficulties of fellas taking you seriously and taking you on on site so to you faced any other difficulties being a female electrician slash tradie?

Meg (09:40)

Yeah, come give me a shout.

I've been really lucky I haven't. Years ago the sites I used to work on with, obviously you get to know everyone that you work with regularly when it's the same builder you work with and all that kind of stuff, if anything, you know people's perception of a building site is men might wolf whistle you or be a bit crude when you're walking past or something, but when you're on site it's not actually like that. They're not intending things like that, they're probably bantering with each other, but I actually got met with nothing but respect because they were just kind of like fair play.

Laura (10:29)

Nice.

Meg (10:29)

I I remember

my first day on site, they actually cleaned the portalo for me because they were like, you can't use that. And I was like, thank you. But you're the ones that made it like that.

Laura (10:35)

Wow, yes, winner.

Well, this is true. Yes.

Brilliant. goodness.

Meg (10:45)

But no, I've been quite

lucky. think everyone's... and I just get treated like one of the blokes on site as well. They'll still give me a nickname or a bit of banter and have a laugh. And I'm not easily offended. And I think to work on site, you've got to be able to take a joke and see the funny things and stuff. I've not yet work with anyone that is generally rude or that says, ⁓ you can actually do your job. You know what you're doing.

Laura (11:12)

⁓

yeah, that's good then, definitely. I think, like you say, from what I've learned from all the other women that I've spoke to, because I haven't done much site work at all myself, ⁓ you've got to have a thick skin and be able to just take a joke and give it back. Because I think when you can give it back, that's where it builds the bit of, hopefully, builds the bit of respect that, she's one of the lads, so to speak.

Meg (11:32)

Yeah.

Yeah exactly that because I think people at first like what the old company I used to work for I was probably more crude than a lot of the blokes because I am just quite immature like that but they'd be like you can't say that there's a lady present and then one of my close colleagues would be like she's not a lady don't worry you can you can be blunt no I think it is quite important for them to I think a lot of people's perceptions are like there's a girl on site yeah

Laura (12:03)

Brilliant.

Meg (12:11)

or like, but it's just like having another bloke. I if I had different things down there, there'd be no difference.

Laura (12:18)

Well, this is it.

This is it. You're all there to do the same job. It shouldn't matter what you look like, sound like, et cetera, should it? Yeah. And well, it sounds like you've come across a really nice group of fellas. So, yeah, you're lucky, I think. Yeah.

Meg (12:23)

Yeah, exactly.

Yeah, yeah, I've

heard some people have not obviously been as fortunate and I think perhaps if you're working in London or the big cities on the really big commercial sites there's a lot of agency staff there and things like that you might be met with a bit of a different attitude because everyone doesn't know each other they're probably sticking a click almost. But I feel like the smaller jobs it's more like little community.

Laura (12:51)

Yeah, good point.

Nice, I love that. what does a typical work week look like for you at the moment? What are you working on?

Meg (13:04)

At the moment, I've had a week this week of just tying up my loose ends of my small jobs because there's the big job I was talking about. They moved in about three weeks ago so it's just going back here and there to finish off all the outside stuff now. Lots of making of SWA and fun like that. I've done fuse board change, had to cut out the wall because they'd built a really tiny cupboard around the fuse boards covering the screws to remove the covers.

Laura (13:16)

Okay.

Meg (13:31)

they had new aircon unit needing to be fitted but the fuse wall was too old so I've just cut out a panel, put a bigger one in, added some lighting and things, done some accessory upgrades in the property so just bits here and there like that really this week but prior to that I've mostly been on this big job just getting everything done and to a point because it's really interesting house

Laura (13:55)

It sounds it, yeah. you mentioned solar and obviously underfloor heating has been around a little bit more than, well, I think a little bit longer than solar. how is it working with those kind of components?

Meg (14:08)

Yeah, so I'm not MCS accredited. they started MCS because basically, obviously solar panels go on a roof. A lot of roofers were going and installing solar panel systems with no qualifications on the battery or the electric. So a lot of people just had these really unsafe solar panel systems on their houses. So they started MCS and then I'm not accredited with them.

Laura (14:30)

And what is MCS?

Meg (14:32)

It's the governing body for solar installs basically, like you'd have Alexa on the NIC and things like that. And you essentially have a portal, you upload pictures at specific times of what you've done and where you've put it to make sure you've done it all safely really. But I just used to do it covered by my old company. So I've done small parts of it but I haven't got the qualifications yet to sign off myself. But it's something I want to do.

Laura (14:35)

Okay.

Gotcha.

Gotcha.

Meg (15:00)

because obviously it's getting bigger and bigger and it makes sense.

Laura (15:03)

Yeah,

absolutely. The renewable energies sector is huge, isn't it? Like the EV charging and the heat pumps and stuff like that. Yeah, definitely. That'd be a good one to get.

Meg (15:15)

such a misconception

with heat pumps though because everyone thinks they're green they're like energy efficient they're green on emissions because they're not using gas like a boiler but they're so juicy on electricity yeah they're so juicy on electricity to run if you've got a heat pump and because they're on all the time the way they work they don't suddenly kick in they've got a big compressor so they've got more startup current but they're really juicy because when people say to me they want to get one installed i would say to

Laura (15:27)

Are they?

Okay.

Meg (15:44)

wouldn't really bother having one unless you've got solar panels as well because it combats the cost. They generally were made for when you've got a wet heating system and you're in middle of nowhere and there is no gas then it's kind of a need but they're quite good for heating a pool.

Laura (15:48)

Yeah, wow.

Okay.

⁓ There

we go. So if you've got something pool and you've got solar panels, get yourself a heat pump. You heard it here first. Brilliant. I would like to just delve into getting to know you a little bit more on a personal level. ⁓ Obviously, we've had a bit of a pre-chat and I've seen your social media profiles and I understand a couple of years ago,

Meg (16:08)

Get a heat pump.

Laura (16:30)

Quite a while ago now you went through some life-changing health events. Do you mind telling us how that even started?

Meg (16:39)

Yeah, well, do you know what? think everyone could probably agree that everything within the NHS got a bit lax during COVID. It was hard to get addressed properly and things, but I basically went in January 2021, think it was, routine gynae procedure. I was awake, just had gas and air. They were supposed to use a scope, like the camera, when they did it, but didn't.

Laura (16:48)

Yeah.

Meg (17:09)

He basically advanced his equipment too far, ruptured through my cervix and my uterus and then macerated my bowels essentially. I was awake so I felt them do all of that and I was literally, I just remember, burning up and I was like, why is it so hot? Why am I in so much pain? And people coming in and cannulating me and things and then they took me for keyhole surgery to check my bowels for damage and suture where they burst through.

I got discharged the next day, a bit out of it, didn't really know what had gone on. They were just like, here's codeine, here's antibiotics, off you go. Didn't know where I was in the hospital, because I was in a different part where they'd had space. Made my way out and obviously with, I don't know if you've ever had, keyhole, but when you get pumped full of the gas it settles in the tips of your shoulders and you're in a lot of pain.

Laura (17:50)

Okay.

That's it.

Meg (18:00)

Yeah, because the gas has to dissipate somewhere and obviously it will sort of rise and you can get like shooting like nerve pains. So I was expecting to be in pain, didn't think much of it, but I couldn't even keep water down. And it turned out, I was throwing up I'm like coffee grounds and the other end, obviously a sign of internal bleeding. I went back to the doctors, they were reluctant to see me because they were like, I'm sure it's not COVID. I was thinking, no, it's not, it's not.

Laura (18:04)

Yeah. Okay.

Thank

Meg (18:31)

Eventually they saw me and they'd given me tramadol instead of codeine for the pain. So when I'd gone home I was really out of it. I couldn't really take myself to hospital or anything. But they said if it gets worse, go to A &E within 24 hours we can't help you. But I didn't remember they said that and I was just too much pain, too out of it. So it was probably about two, three days after that that I went back to A &E and they were like, ⁓

Laura (18:51)

⁓

Meg (19:00)

Yeah, you seem fine, like your bowels can't be leaking because you'd be in more pain. I'm like, well, it's COVID. I can't have anyone push me around in a wheelchair. So I've got no choice. But it turned out that my bowels were leaking because they'd torn my large bowel where it would sit on top of your uterus, and then macerated my small bowel. And where they'd been leaking...

Laura (19:08)

Yeah.

Goodness me.

Meg (19:24)

my bowel started to rot and die essentially and went necrotic and my surgeon said to me it was all stuck in a clump. So I had an eight and a half, nine hour emergency surgery and I had no idea what any of this meant. I signed a piece of paper to say that they might need to give me a stoma, no idea what a stoma was and they said we might, we'll try to do it keyhole but you're so swollen that we might have to do open surgery.

Laura (19:31)

my god.

Meg (19:52)

and they said it will be about a 15cm opening. It's not, it's literally tit to clit. I woke up in ICU with my intestines sticking out in a bag and stapled top to bottom. And it all just happened so fast and no one really told me what happened or why. Though it was quite bad because it was only three months after I came out of hospital that my surgeon actually told me what

Laura (19:58)

my goodness.

Meg (20:20)

in the surgery and all of this and it wasn't until I think I've been in hospital for about two or three weeks and one of the surgical residents came to me and said like I just wanted to come and check in with you that you probably won't recognize me because you're quite out of it when I last saw you but you've been through a lot and you're really lucky to even still be alive and I was like what? I was like no one said anything to me about sepsis no one said anything to me about

Laura (20:42)

What?

Meg (20:49)

nearly dying but it turned out I'd had two blood transfusions because I think by the midpoint of the surgery I'd lost three litres of blood which obviously you generally have about five I think don't you? So yeah it sort of really hit home because I was like I had no idea but you don't really think that anything's ever gonna be that serious. Yeah so I because it was all stuck and I'd been open on the table for so long

Laura (20:59)

Wow.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Meg (21:18)

they just had to cut that lump out so now I've got short bowel syndrome because I've only got 1.4 metres of small bowel instead of 3 metres so that just affects nutrient absorption, energy, hydration and things like that but yeah, I'm good now there's things I have to deal with for the rest of my life but I'm very much like if I sit and wallow in something it's not gonna hurt them that did it because they don't care

Laura (21:22)

Okay.

Okay, wow.

Okay.

Meg (21:48)

it's not going to help me, it's just going to hurt me so I choose to just get on with things and just do what

Laura (21:54)

Yeah.

Well, that is an unfathomable situation that you lived through and I want to, yeah, I feel a bit emotional for you about that, yeah. At such a young age as well. Yeah. ⁓

Meg (22:17)

Yeah, it was

a whirlwind and do you know what, when I was going through it, I suddenly realised that so many people don't have a clue about ostomy bags or what that entails or why you might have them. People's conception was that you're old or you've had bowel cancer if you've got a stoma bag and I've really found a lot of comfort in loads of other people in the community. Most people had IBD and Crohn's and Colitis and things like that that had stomas.

But was just nice to connect with other people in a similar boat because as you can imagine, no one else really knows what it's like until you've got one because it's very strange. You also get phantom feelings that you need to go to the toilet but you can't because nothing is connected. It's just coming out in your bag. So there's so many strange things about it but I can say this now looking back with hindsight and

Laura (22:55)

Yeah.

Okay. Okay.

Meg (23:13)

if you'd have told me this or said this to me when I was in the midst of it, I'd have told you to f*** off. But I do think I'm a better person for going through all of that because it's made me more mentally and physically strong and just a bit more resilient I think to life in general. So I think now I'm looking back, I'm not glad it happened but I'm okay with it but it's definitely something you can look back to with hindsight rather than when you're going through something.

Laura (23:21)

Okay.

Wow.

Yeah.

Definitely, yeah. It's like you say, I commend you for looking at it as something, I've gone through it, I need to just process it and I need to then move forward because like you've said, sticking in a negative, not woe is me, because that sounds a bit harsh because it was a massive thing,

But sticking in that sad mindset, it only hurts you like you've said, isn't it? But again, I think you still need to give yourself time to process such a big thing, but have that strength within to realize, right, I need to grab life by the horns, so to speak now and power through and just live my life. Because we only get one, don't we? So.

Meg (24:33)

Yeah exactly, think as well when I I'd spent a lot of my life not being a particularly happy person and I think when I actually got faced with like all of this and the fact that I nearly died it kind of there made me have like a bit more respect for life and that regardless of how things are different or you might not have be able to do the same things as everyone else you still have a life it still warrants giving it effort.

Laura (25:01)

Yeah.

Meg (25:01)

I

think that changed my outlook on things, in a good way.

Laura (25:05)

Okay.

Well, ⁓ I, yeah, it's something that I've obviously haven't gone through and find it hard to comprehend your strength, but you come across as a very strong woman who can, power through. I think it's, to me, you come across like you've found your way.

I mean, we don't really know each other, but I have a sense from you. You seem very calm and you just ooze happiness to me. I don't know why, you've got energy. Yeah.

Meg (25:35)

Yeah.

fantastic.

Yeah I think I'd definitely say that. think you know people say sometimes you've got to hit rock bottom before you're okay sort of thing and I think just when you go through anything it does just any kind of trauma does just change you but I think yeah definitely it definitely has helped me find my way and find myself as well. no. Turned out good in the end.

Laura (26:04)

Yeah.

Amazing. It's the light at the end of the tunnel.

Amazing. Well, I'm glad to know that you are doing well and are healthy and have found a way to manage what you've gone through and moving forward with life now. that's, yeah. the other thing that on a happier tone, should we say, of your life,

Talk to me about live to lift and power lifting. This is yes, I wanna know more.

Meg (26:40)

So

it's something I fell into because basically when I put it on social media about everything that had happened, a friend of mine, Nick, reached out to me and said he's a coach and a PT and he reached out to me at the time and said look when you're well enough I'll coach you, just come in, we'll get you back to where you were. I'm really grateful that he did because as you can imagine at that point I'm like I look awful.

I don't feel confident enough in what I'm doing and things like that so I was really grateful that he reached out because as soon as I got the all clear after I'd had my stoma reversed I was in the gym and I think there was actually a video of I was literally just squatting the bar for five reps which is 20kg and he was spotting me didn't need to because he could just pick it off my back but I remember how difficult it was like doing five reps just felt

immensely hard and I just kept going back a couple of times a week and he wouldn't let me pay him so I'd just bring him lunch as a thank you while I was doing it and then he was like I really think as a you know like a full circle for your journey you should compete in something whether it be like bodybuilding or powerlifting and I was thinking I can't get off on stage in front of loads of people and pose I'd be too nervous for that

Laura (27:59)

Cool.

Yeah.

Meg (28:08)

I just ended up in hysterics and laughter.

And I actually said to him, was like, oh, I don't want to do powerlifting because I hadn't even pulled 100kg at this point. And I was like, I don't want to do it and then just be a bit crap. Like if I do it, want to do it and be alright at it And it turns squat and bench aren't my main lifts, but deadlift. I've got no torso. I've got long arms, so it works out quite well.

Laura (28:35)

Nice.

Meg (28:37)

We just kept adding, I think I was dead lifting maybe twice a week, and we just kept adding two and a half kg every time, and then it just kept going up. then progressive overload works. And then I remember we booked my first competition, which actually got cancelled, and then they did another one. I was just gonna do a dead lift only one. And then it's like, why don't we just do a full...

Laura (28:47)

Yes.

Okay.

Meg (29:00)

don't know you've watched much powerlifting but when you bench it's got these collars on the side which weigh 2.5kg I think each. So when I went up there and I literally opened three lifts and I opened it at think 35kg, literally it's a bar and these tiny plates like this and it just looked so hilarious to walk up and go do it. But I did that and then did the squats as well and then when it came to deadlifts

Laura (29:07)

⁓

bless ya.

Meg (29:29)

pulled 140kg and I think at the time I was 50kg and I was surprised I did it but you have someone that tells you when to put the bar down essentially and when they're satisfied that you've got the lift and she stood there with her arm up for ages and she was like ⁓ put her arm down she said I'm so sorry I was just astounded that you're so small and you did that

Laura (29:34)

Whoa.

Okay.

⁓ bless her

Meg (29:57)

But we

went to a gym in Rhyl, very long drive, lots of traffic, we were on a road trip, did the competition, it was really good. And it was a nice, that was my first competition, so it was a nice sort of thing and that sort of gave me the taste of powerlifting because if you go to a competition, I don't know anyone that's been and hasn't thought, yeah, I want to do this because no matter if you're lifting against someone else in a weight class or anything like that,

Everyone's cheering for you when it comes to deadlifts. Everyone's screaming at you to lock it out and get it and keep trying and keep pulling. So it's really like fun environment to be in. And I'm quite fortunate in a sense that I've got two world championships I've won and then British and European as well.

Laura (30:45)

Wow.

Goodness me.

Meg (30:51)

I do sometimes

feel like I've cheated it because not a lot of... I'm in the under 48kg weight class. So not as many people do compete in my weight class, so I have less competition in a sense. But it bodes well for me.

Laura (30:59)

Okay.

It's all competition

as long as there's at least one person, know, it doesn't matter, you know

Meg (31:13)

Yeah, exactly.

The last two world championships I've done, the last one I went to Chicago for, it's the same girl I'd been against. ⁓ She was better on bench than me, similar on squats. And then she was like, another year of you absolutely thrashing me on deadlifts. ⁓

Laura (31:29)

⁓

bless you. Well you've got to have one out of three, come on. ⁓

Meg (31:33)

you

I

I know, I'm a one trick pony really.

Laura (31:38)

Amazing.

So you lifted, what is that, three times your body weight.

Meg (31:47)

Yes, so generally when I've been at either 50kg, 52kg or 48kg I've lifted three times bodyweight which is quite good. did nearly get 160kg at a single lifts competition and when the owner of the federation was like, you pussy, you could have had that, you put that down and then I looked back at the video, literally, I'd got it out, all I had to do was bring my hips through and sort of...

Laura (32:07)

Hahaha!

Meg (32:16)

At that point i was like, i just remember in my head, I i feel like im pissing myself, which is fine, everyone does when they deadlift it happens to women, but i was like i think i might shit myself, I'm just going to put it down.

Laura (32:27)

Oh no. Oh

no! Oh, what a thing!

Meg (32:31)

and then I looked

at the video and I was like oh I should have just done it no one would have cared

Laura (32:37)

Ha ha ha!

bless you, damn.

Meg (32:43)

I think everyone's

just... mean at powerlifting competitions they've got bit of sawdust or whatever, they've got a mat and they'll just roll up because so many women do pee on the platform it just happens, it's your anatomy when you've got a belt on it's just gonna happen yeah the downforce and the straining quite fine everyone's just hardened to it now I think

Laura (32:53)

Okay. Yes. Put all the downforce.

That's it. Yeah,

That's good to know. That's good to know. I've just, I'm kind of a little bit at the beginning of my weightlifting journey. So I'm like nowhere near where you are. I last week I lifted 57 and a half kg and I'm five foot 11. So I'm quite tall and long, but yeah, I'm kind of working through.

knee, hip and lower back weakness. yeah, when I saw your Instagram, was like, wow, she's incredible. I need to keep going, keep adding. Love it.

Meg (33:48)

You will

get there and I think definitely your accessories that you do play a massive part in it because if you've got a weaker side, I've sort of fallen out of powerlifting while I've sort of been investing in the self-employed life, but he's really good at watching how someone's lifting and seeing the weak point and then saying okay, do this exercise, keep doing that for...

Laura (34:04)

Yeah.

Hmm.

Meg (34:14)

block of

5 or 6 weeks and then you strengthen that but it's always when you strengthen one muscle another one starts to lack so you're always chasing the circle of what you need to bring up but once you do it you find the way that's best to lift do a certain lift for you as well depending on your body type because I've got no torso but really long femurs so if I squat I really lean forward whereas if you've got a longer torso you're quite upright when you're doing it

Laura (34:36)

⁓ okay.

Meg (34:42)

there's no wrong or right way as such, just everyone's got different mechanics, but if you stick at it and just strengthen all those parts you're you're definitely this lot.

Laura (34:50)

I'm definitely enjoying the process for sure. think I'm eight weeks in now, I think. And yeah, I already can feel a difference. I'm definitely a lot stronger than I was when I started. I mean, I'm 38 now and where I was before I had started lifting weights, you would have thought I was like a 70 year old. I felt like I was falling apart. Honestly, I was so weak. Like to look at me, you'd think I was strong, but no.

So yeah, sticking at it, even for just a short period of like eight weeks, it's, yeah, I love it. It's Mmm.

Meg (35:20)

you

It's quite addictive feeling as well because

essentially you're your own competition in it and you think, ⁓ I've done better than that or you do something and once something starts to feel easy and like, it's easy now I can move up and then you're proud of yourself and I think everyone that gets into fitness and in the gym you generally just feel really good for it. mentally as well.

Laura (35:49)

Definitely. And I don't think it matters

when you go. I choose to go after work on an evening just because I can't get my head around going to the gym and like putting in 100 % effort and then going to work. I can't get my head around how that would work for me. So I would rather put my effort, like do work and then go in the evening and just, yeah, just give everything I've got left in the tank. So yeah, but you'd...

Meg (36:04)

Yeah.

Yeah,

Laura (36:17)

always leave feeling better.

Meg (36:17)

that was always my time. Yeah, and do you know what? Especially the days when you think, can't be bothered, I've had a stressful day, you go and do it and things might seem a bit difficult, but might, depending on what point you are in your cycle, you might feel like you want to have a cry when something doesn't go as planned or a stress cry, but you do always feel better after you've gone and done it. But they do say as well, even for like...

Laura (36:40)

Absolutely.

Meg (36:45)

elderly people, the ones that are really sedentary have so many more problems than the ones that have been quite active and keep moving because it just pushes everything around your body to help processes and stuff so it's nothing but a good thing.

Laura (36:57)

Absolutely,

absolutely. I mean, the main reason I got into it at this particular place I go to is because my dad and my stepmom both go and they're in their 60s and they love it. They love it. So I was like, I've got to get a piece of this, you know? So it's like a family gym now.

Meg (37:13)

I put you to shame.

you

Well that's nice, that's cute.

Laura (37:23)

Definitely.

Yeah, it's brilliant. I love it. I also saw something on your Instagram that you did for your 30th birthday last year. Please tell us what you spent the day doing for your 30th birthday. This is brilliant.

Meg (37:38)

you

So it was actually Nick that got it for me as a present for my 30th birthday because I'm a massive animal lover. It could be really ugly but the uglier the cuter. I just want to hug it, or be its friend. I just had this obsession with cows and they always look so cute and friendly although they're massive and I've always wanted to hug a cow. It was Ahimsa eco farm. It's only about an hour from me.

And basically you go and spend the day with these rescued, retired dairy cows and then you stroke them, brush them, feed them, milk them, which is very strange experience but interesting. I remember we got there, had our wellies on, went in there and said, when you're so close to one, they're so much bigger than you realise. They were huge. They were laid there, like you know when a dog just lays out on its feet sticking out a little bit.

Laura (38:39)

Yeah.

Meg (38:39)

but they

were like 5 times as wide as me just spilled out there and they just let you hug them and like they make like these like grunting noises when they like it when you're scratching their chin and stuff it was really cute definitely lived my dream but so many people I've got one of the cows as the background on my phone they're like why do you have a cow in your background? I like I actually hugged that cow I know her

Laura (38:54)

⁓

I know that cow, excuse me.

Meg (39:10)

It was really weird milking them though because they give you this fat or grease, it's like animal fat, massage the udders to stimulate, it's kind of like when you breastfeed the baby, it stimulates milk, but you massage their udders and I thought they had like more than four teets but they only have four teets learned something, and then they're a lot firmer than I thought, I thought they were going to be really soft and like squishy but they really firm.

Laura (39:17)

Okay.

Right?

Okay.

You

Meg (39:37)

and have to sort of like grab it like this and then pull and then it comes out and I managed at some point to I was trying to they're like you can do it like all four others at one time and I had like basically a nipple through this finger and this one and I had them just in my hands and I was just pushing I was like the milk's just coming out and he was like you can move them it's fine I'm just like milk everywhere but it was quite funny it was like

Laura (40:02)

⁓ brilliant.

Meg (40:06)

gold top because it's obviously unpasteurised but it literally was like double cream coming out. They give you something to take home as well, it's like gold top milk, like just raw milk but the Spaniards were so used to either semi skimmed or skimmed milk you could get in the supermarket which was like water. So yeah, it interesting experience.

Laura (40:08)

Yeah.

Wow, goodness me.

Whoa.

Yeah, like see through.

Amazing. Wow, well, think you trump everyone for ideas on 30th birthday. I can't even remember what I did. I probably just went out on the town or something.

Meg (40:37)

would

you know what it was itself because where I've ⁓ so if you drink alcohol and things like that you absorb it in your small bowel ⁓ and because I don't have enough of it and I don't have the valve between the two if I drink loads of liquid close together it just comes straight through and I it just goes straight to pee basically so I can't really drink unless I drink a ridiculous amount in a short space of time

Laura (40:56)

Okay.

Meg (41:04)

So eating out and drinking is not really something I can do that freely. So doing things like that was quite nice because it's just something I enjoyed. I could do it. It didn't cause me any harm, just joy.

Laura (41:08)

Okay.

Absolutely.

And you've got memories. It's all about making memories, isn't it? Incredible.

Meg (41:19)

Exactly! Do you know

what so many people have said to me? They're like, do you know what actually I'd like to hug a cow because apparently if you google it, cows are meant to be like really grounding to be around apparently and there's yeah because obviously they know when apparently if you've got a leak on an electric fence where you've got cows they won't go to that patch of ground where there's a voltage leak or something like that because they'll sense it

Laura (41:32)

Yes, I've heard that.

Meg (41:48)

So I think they're quite in tune with just things and when I've seen more things pop up everywhere where people are like cow hugging and stuff, people are catching on now.

Laura (41:56)

There you go, you've started a trend. Brilliant. I'm gonna have a look now after this. I'm gonna see if there's any local cow-hugging ⁓ farms. I am, I'm gonna do it.

Meg (41:59)

I definately recommend it.

do it.

This

is quite fun.

Laura (42:15)

Amazing, amazing. So I like to just ask about social media and its impact, positive, negative, et cetera, on your business. Obviously, you're still, you're just fresh within your self-employment, but do you or can you see yourself using social media to promote yourself or would it be mainly to connect with other trades?

Do you think social media would be part of your scope?

Meg (42:46)

I

I mean obviously at the moment, because I decided just to use my personal account and just change that to my electrical account rather than try and re-add everyone again and things like that just made sense. I'm in the process of doing that still. But a bit of both really. think it's always nice to connect with other people in the trades, get tips off other people because no one knows everything and someone's always thought of an easier way of doing something or a way to get around a problem.

Laura (43:10)

No.

Meg (43:15)

So a bit of that and also promoting myself and I'd also quite like to go down the avenue of just like, because I get so many women say to me that aren't in a trade, like, I wish I could do that, I wish I could do this or wish I knew how to put a shelf up or things like that, just things that if you work in a trade, probably are just your second nature sort of knowledge. But so many women would love to be able to do that for themselves and feel a bit more capable. So I think I'd like to also go down the...

of doing a bit of content just on little things like that or things that don't necessarily require you to have a qualification but say you've wheeled over a plug top on something like you can change the plug because if you had to call out an electrician to come and change just the plug top which costs like two quid it's a lot of money just for something simple. But yeah I'd like to do that because I think if anything

Laura (43:55)

Yeah. Absolutely.

Meg (44:11)

Most of the comments I get about being a female in the trade are actually from other women. So I've turned up to people's houses before to install a big ventilation unit in the loft and they're like, we don't have any install done today. And I'm like, yeah, I'm doing it. And they're like, there's a man coming to help you. there's almost like this disbelief that because they couldn't fathom doing that themselves that women can't do it. And I've actually had more comments on speaking to,

Laura (44:30)

Really?

Ok

Meg (44:42)

Charlotte electric I think it might have been Beth about this she was saying she gets more comments from women that aren't in a trade as well yeah just sort of and it's not necessarily that they're doubting you but I think they kind of possibly doubt that they could be capable of doing that if they tried and then they're like ⁓ it seems like a foreign thing so yeah I'd like to help more people realize that anyone can do it if you if you want to do it

Laura (44:46)

Okay.

Really?

Yeah, I like that idea.

Definitely. I think you're onto a winner there for sure. Definitely put that forward on your social media because yeah, just small things like changing a switch, a light switch or a plug socket or a plug like you say. I know I've had a go at changing light fittings out once or twice and when I've took the old one down and saw that there's

like nine wires instead of three, I'm like, yep, that's going back up.

Meg (45:36)

cables.

you

what that's the most common thing I'll get called out to or like someone thinks ⁓ have a go and I remember years ago when I'd not long qualified but someone I used to work at the pub he changed the light fitting and basically ⁓ if you get old color wiring but you generally get it where one of the neutrals should be sleeved as a line because it's actually the switch line it's not a neutral but before I'd got there he hadn't taken a picture of what it looked like before

But he had this light with loads of separate little LEDs. He basically separated every black and every red cable, put every blue on this light thing with a black separately, and then done the same with the reds. Then there so many cables at this light that it stopped his downstairs lights from working, it stopped the doorbell from working. So I had to just bend everything out and I was like...

Laura (46:29)

my goodness.

Meg (46:33)

it would have taken me five minutes to change this if you'd just got me to come and change the light fitting and it took me hours because I'd and forth turning the thing on and off to like check things, check everything worked, got it working, one thing wasn't working and it's always when people get their switch wires, when it's two-way lighting as well or intermediate they get it confused but that's most common thing people get a bit messed up with with light fittings

Laura (46:41)

⁓

Yeah.

I can

definitely understand that for sure. when I did that particular light fitting, I did take it off and then it was some troubleshooting to get it to work again afterwards. And it was the main hallway light. So it had to work before my partner came home at the time. I was like, I've got to get it back on. But yeah, that's it. That's it. goodness me. Yeah. Brilliant. Brilliant. So.

Meg (47:11)

you

you

Don't tell me you're filming me things!

Laura (47:30)

are there any other big competitions or big events coming up for you in anything weightlifting work? Any big moves from Meg?

Meg (47:39)

any big moves? Well, it's not really a big move, but there's just qualifications that I want to get booked in. Next week's my sorty-outy week of getting more things booked in. Because I've been a bit apprehensive about advertisement and things like that, because I don't necessarily know what direction I'm wanting to necessarily go in. So I'm just going to have a little plan and see where I want to take things, essentially. But I was supposed to compete in South Africa.

Laura (47:51)

Cool.

Okay.

Meg (48:09)

in November but I've kind of left it too late to start training for that because when I was working full-time employed and self-employed my expenditure was really high and I lost a lot of weight just because of my bowels and condition and I like I don't want to add to my expenditure and keep training so I didn't then I've kind of fallen out of the swing of training so I need to get back into it but to train for a competition

probably left it too late and I don't think I'd pull any impressive deadlifts right now. know, I know. But powerlifting's great though, is one of those things you can come back to it. I mean there's people in the sport that have, they were booked in for a competition, they've gone and had a baby, they've had their baby, got back into it. Because I mean in Team Lift to Lift we had people of all shapes and sizes, mums.

Laura (48:39)

Aww. Damn.

Meg (49:05)

you name it and it's a sport that anyone can do. People always think you have to be ridiculously strong to do it but you don't. You can just, there's novice competitions, you just do it because you enjoy it really.

Laura (49:09)

Awesome.

No.

Amazing. That's great to know. Hopefully more people will start pushing themselves out of their comfort zone and just try it. That's what you've got to do, isn't it? Just try it.

Meg (49:29)

I don't think, from what I've seen in team members in Team Live to Lift I've not seen anyone that's ever gone, no it's not for me, I don't like it. think people have watched from the outside and gone, oh that looks quite fun. And they're teetering on the edge, they've come to a competition or given it a go and they're like, yeah I want to do this, they do a qualifier and they're like, yeah when can I put my next one in?

Laura (49:53)

Amazing. I love it.

Meg (49:55)

think being part of a team is quite good as well because you've got so many people in the same boat, people you can ask questions and it makes a nice community as well so think that's what draws people to it as well. We're quite lucky that Nick would always travel to competitions to handle you and be there on the day and you don't need to think, you just go lift

Laura (50:00)

Yeah.

That's a good point.

Brilliant. Well, we've kind of come towards the end of the podcast now and I always like to finish with a quick, well, not particularly finish because there's a couple of other questions I want to ask, but I like to do a bit of a quick fire this or that kind of question round just to get to know you a little bit more. So, right, let's go. Driver or passenger?

Meg (50:31)

Go for it.

Laura (50:42)

deadlift or bench press.

Meg (50:45)

Deadly. ⁓

Laura (50:47)

No brainer, we already know that one. ⁓

New builds or renovations?

Meg (50:55)

renovations.

Laura (50:56)

A tea or a coffee?

A beach holiday or a city escape?

Meg (51:03)

beach holiday.

Laura (51:04)

A first fix or a second fix?

First fix.

Meg (51:11)

I actually find second fix really tedious sometimes.

Laura (51:16)

Too

easy. ⁓

Meg (51:18)

It's always a lot on my knees putting sockets on and things like that as well.

Laura (51:22)

yeah, it is,

yeah. A starter or dessert?

Sweet tooth

Meg (51:29)

I do bake a lot, I feed everyone up and fatten everyone up

Laura (51:33)

Brilliant. And morning session or evening session at the gym.

Meg (51:39)

evening session.

Laura (51:40)

Yes.

Brilliant. So to end the show, there's three questions that I like to finish on. first one is if you could be another trade, what would you choose and why?

Meg (51:54)

If I could be another trade and I had the patience for this trade, I would be a carpenter. Because watching the accuracy involved and the things you can build, you can build anything really. You could build a house out of it and on site they had a Murphy door built and the chippy on site built that. I'm envious of their skills they have because it's definitely a skill.

Laura (52:22)

I'm the same.

I think I would choose a carpenter for sure. There's, like you say, something about the precision and how it all just fits together when you get it right. It's, yeah.

Meg (52:32)

When

they do like their mitre saw that likes cuts and it just you wouldn't even see a cut it's chef's kiss.

Laura (52:40)

Sure is, sure is. And what trade do you think or even who do you think I should have on the show next? Putting you on the spot.

Meg (52:51)

⁓ what a Do you know who I think, she is a carpenter training kitchen fitter, is Victoria. think her name, her handle was VP Apprentice, but now she's changed it. yeah, yeah, no the one. Yeah, I think her, because I think she's had a really interesting journey with starting her apprenticeship a bit later in life and things like that. ⁓ But yeah, I think she'd be...

Laura (53:06)

⁓ yes, I know her. Okay.

Meg (53:21)

really good to have on and sort of get her side of it.

Laura (53:25)

I agree.

Definitely. I'll have to see if I can get hold of her in a busy schedule. She always looks so busy, doesn't she? Travelling all over the place. Awesome. So where can people find you Meg? What's your social media handles and what platforms are you on?

Meg (53:47)

so my social media handle on Instagram is she's dot electric dot electrical, the only one that was available still and then the same on Facebook as well but I'm still under construction here, they're not finished articles yet but I don't have a website, not really got a need for it but

Laura (53:55)

Hahaha

Yeah, I don't

Meg (54:09)

We got my contact details on there, and I'm based in Hertfordshire So yeah, that's about it in terms of my platforms at the moment I want to start putting a bit more on TikTok because that's quite good for just getting out there as well, but I am a technophobe and I'm terrible with technology ⁓

Laura (54:17)

Cool.

Just do

what you can do. This is the thing. You've got to be able to manage what you've got. yeah, stick to what is easier to you. then once that works, you know, if you want to go onto Tiki Top, Top T, ⁓ then yeah, awesome. So we've got you on Instagram and we've got you on Facebook for now and you'll be building on those platforms. So yeah.

Meg (54:29)

Give me.

you

Yeah,

yeah. Well you very much for having me.

Laura (54:58)

Awesome. you're

welcome. I've really, really enjoyed it. And hopefully we can continue chatting off the show. And yeah, I wish you well in your self-employment journey. You're going to smash it. I've got a feeling.

Meg (55:09)

Definitely.

⁓ I'll wish you well on your gym journey as well, you'll be dead lifting like a no time.

Laura (55:22)

Thank you.

Yeah, I'll have to keep you updated on what I'm lifting. Cool. All right, well, thank you again, Meg, and I'll speak to you soon.

Meg (55:28)

Yeah, do.

Thank you, see you soon, bye!