Speakers

Louise Azzopardi is a heavy vehicle mechanic turned coach, speaker and advocate for tradeswomen who are ready for more than just “putting up with it.” Starting her apprenticeship at just 15 years old, Louise built a successful career in heavy vehicle mechanics, culminating in representing Australia at the WorldSkills International Competition in 2017, where she placed fourth in Heavy Vehicle Maintenance.

Throughout her time in the trades, Louise repeatedly heard that women needed to have “thick skin” to survive in male-dominated industries. She lived that reality herself — until she realised resilience alone wasn’t the answer. Rather than accepting burnout, isolation, or silence as the cost of entry, Louise chose to create a better way forward.

After working as a trainer and assessor to support the next generation of tradespeople, Louise stepped into coaching — a less-travelled path at the time, particularly for women in blue-collar industries. Today, she works with tradeswomen and tradespeople through coaching, workshops and speaking engagements that focus on practical tools, emotional intelligence, confidence, communication and sustainable success.

Louise is known for her honest, relatable and no-nonsense approach. She doesn’t sugar-coat the realities of working in masculine environments, but she also doesn’t leave people stuck there. Her work empowers individuals to build self-belief, navigate challenges, and create real change in their workplaces without losing themselves in the process.

As the host of The Anxious Tradeswoman podcast, Louise continues to challenge outdated narratives in the trades, creating space for conversations around mental health, identity, leadership and growth — all grounded in real experience, empathy and action.