BRANDY GOFF

 

  Brandy Goff comes from a long line of impressive road warriors!  With mechanics in her blood, she has been dominating the world of automotive since she was a kid.  She recently was interviewed on the "Femcanic Garage" Podcast.  Follow along as we find out what exactly makes this mechanical masterpiece, tick! 

  

Kris: "Thanks for taking the time to hang with us today Brandy!  I guess to start things off let's just start by you telling us a little bit about yourself".

 

Brandy:  "My name is Brandy Goff, I'm a 29 year old automotive technician for a Buick/GMC dealership and have been for the past 7 years. I am married to a wonderfully supportive and amazing man named Jacob, and we have a beautiful daughter named Quinn. I identify as a strong, independent woman working in the blue collar industry. I strive to advocate for and empower the underrepresented minorities trying to make their own path in the automotive industry or any other non-pink collar industry. By using my social media platform, my goal is to shed some light on women in the workforce and how we champion our daily struggles like the badass ladies that we all are.

Kris:  "That's amazing! I honestly think it's the perfect time to be shedding light into the trade world.  The good, the bad and the ugly!  Ive noticed so many amazing women starting to pick up their social platforms and using it for good.  Good for you!  So,  you must have had some great mentors growing up! Can you describe what your childhood was like ?"

Brandy: "My childhood was wonderful, and fairly average. Aside from the fact that quite a bit of my time was spent in a garage or a race track from as far back as I can remember. I come from a long line of mechanics and car enthusiasts so I was never a stranger to being around race cars and hanging in garages. I remember watching my father and grandfather toil away on their latest project car while I sat in the driver's seat with my little brother fighting over the racing helmet and who would be the one “racing” this round. Instead of going to the playground on the weekends, we would go to the track and watch my father race his 1970 olds f85, rooting for him to win while eating all of the junk food my mother would allow. This is what started my love affair with cars (especially nostalgic race cars), and ultimately aided in my decision later in life to become a mechanic."

"My greatest inspirations were my father and grandfather. Each for vastly different reasons, aside from their irrevocable passion and talent for racing and building cars. I always admired my father because he has been a car guy literally since birth. His unwavering admiration and loyalty for his passion of cars is almost envious. I always respected the hell out of him for that reason. To be so sure of something and love it unconditionally for 50+ years is nothing short of amazing. I admire my grandfather because, in my eyes, he is a superhero. Not only does he have a passion for cars, but he loves theatre. He has written and directed several movies, and has assisted in the making of others as well. He is passionate about horses, my grandparents own a 40 acre horse farm and used to show horses quite a bit and were very successful. He was a teacher for 30+ years and donated countless time to a creative arts centre to help kids learn everything from dance, to musical instruments, to acting. There's really nothing this man hasn't done. He is a jack of all trades and he excels and pretty much everything he sets his mind to."

 

 

 

Kris: " It's so funny but when I do these interviews and I find out that the guest  has grown up surrounded by what they love, it makes me super jealous !.  I had a distant relationship with my father and I never really got to see the trades side of things growing up.  It is something I just naturally gravitated to on my own but man, how many years it would have saved me of trying to figure out what the FUCK I wanted to do, Haha!"  

"So, being in the automotive industry what would you say were the greatest challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?"

Brandy: "Fortunately growing up I didn't have many challenges. It wasn't until I reached the age of 21 that I started really dealing with a lot of obstacles, this was when I became a mechanics apprentice. Starting out I began apprenticing at a very large, well known dealership in my area. I was paired with them through my automotive service education program through my local community college. Within the first week I knew I wasn't being taken seriously as a mechanic. The other mechanics basically saw me as a joke and assumed I wouldn't make it in this industry. So much so that, after a few short months I was let go by the service director stating that I was too “green” for the job. I was baffled as the entire program I was associated with predicated on the fact that dealerships like these ones were taking raw, green newbie mechanics and teaching them how to work on cars. Later, I found out the real reason was because my mentor told the service director that he didn't want a girl as a helper. Once I heard this, I was determined to prove them all wrong. Years go by and I am now a successful auto tech at a dealership just down the road. Every Time I need parts from the other dealership where I was fired I make a point to get them myself instead of a parts driver to passively rub it in their face, like “Here I am, i'm still wrenching and I'm killing it, so fuck you!” It’s a very rewarding feeling."

 

Kris:" I cant even begin to tell you how much that resonates with me.  I feel like I spent the most of my life with the " Ill prove you wrong" mentality.  I am so beyond grateful to have that mindset as it pushed me through so much bullshit and actually, truth be told, pushed me closer to myself.   Not to mention the satisfaction of being able to watch the faces when you blow people out of the water ;)"

"Ok so the readers by now know you are a bad ass mechanic but lets just go over the basics ..... Please explain what you do for a living and why"

Brandy: "I am an automotive technician for a general motors dealership and have been for the better part of a decade. There are a couple reasons for that. The most obvious reason is my love for cars and working on them. The other reason to be perfectly frank is because I wanted to push the envelope so to speak on gender roles and do something new and exciting. I've always been the type of girl that enjoyed breaking barriers and doing what I essentially, should not be doing. Some call it defiant and being hard headed, while I prefer to call it adventurous and unapologetic. I like what I like and if I want it, I take it. Regardless of the backlash and the consequences. A lot of the time it can get me into hot water, but it has also pushed me to do great things that I never thought I had in me."

 

Kris: " What are some of your passions out side of your career "?

Brandy : "Besides, my passion for cars. I absolutely love interior design and plants. I enjoy changing my surroundings and being creative with my space by designing my home with a unique twist that's special to me. I also very much enjoy plant styling and watching my plant babies grow".

 

Kris: " What are some tools or products you swear by?"

Brandy:  "I swear by my pocket screwdriver! That thing is my most used tool and has helped me in more ways than I can even count. Also, you can never go wrong with some good old fluid film or PB blaster."

 

Kris: "One of the hardest things I've found being a women in trades,  is balancing my career from my personal day to day routine.  I am definitely not a beauty regimen person so this question really interests me.  Do you have a beauty regimen and what products do you use?"

Brandy: "I can't really speak to any beauty products as I'm a pretty low maintenance girl. Although, I do love using "Full Bore" products (formerly known as mean green) to clean my hands after a day's work. I am a female mechanic, but I still do have a feminine side. So I prefer not to have gross, dirt and oil stained hands. "Full Bore" helps with that."

Kris: "Do you listen to podcasts? If so, what are your favourites and why?"

Brandy: "I don't listen to many podcasts but one I do enjoy listening to is "Femcanic Garage". It’s amazing, go check it out. I was also a guest on the podcast and my episode should be out in the next month or two."

 

Kris:" Ok this is our final question.....

"If you had one thing to say to the young women in trades/arts etc. what would it be?"

Brandy: "It would be to KEEP YOUR HEAD UP GIRL!!!. If your journey is anything like mine, you will come in contact with some people that will belittle you. They will doubt your abilities and take you as a joke. THEY ARE WRONG. You will be pushed to your absolute limits, you will cry, you will get hurt. These things are all temporary. Your passion and dedication to your craft and to yourself is NOT. Take pride in that and don't let anyone sway your feelings or make you feel less than. You got this girl!

 

 

If you want to learn more about this bad ass babe check out her most recent interview on the podcast "Femcanic Garage" or check out her  Instagram page @Mama.Tired.  .  Thanks for tuning in  to "The Modern Tradeswomxn" and please like , follow, SHARE and subscribe!!!!