Tinkering Belles with Tamara Robertson
Tinkering Belles with Tamara Robertson
Tinkering Belles - Christina - Great Race Edition
Do you love skill sharing , road rally racing, new adventures 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 Sponsor Summit Racing, this episode kicks off with a Tech Talk about Exhaust Systems before Tamara sits down with Gear Head in Training , Trailblazer and Maker Extraordinaire Christina from Christina's Garage!
Topics they cover include (but are surely not limited to):
- 1969 Camaro
- Summit Racing
- Fun Dancing
- A Family of Fire Fighters
- Daddy's Girl
- Learning new Skills
- SEMA
- Being Unapologetically YOU
- Adapting Builds to Any Size, Shape and Ability
... and so much more
As we dig into Season 3's 26th 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 Christina's adventures here, here, and here:
Linktree - https://linktr.ee/christinalardie
Instagram - https://instagram.com/Christinalardie
TikTok - https://tiktok.com/@christinalardie
X - https://x.com/christinalardie
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=549312889
Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558031831375&mibextid=YMEMSu
Youtube - www.youtube.com/@christinasgarage
FREE Monthly Newsletter - https://mailchi.mp/6eba04a40064/christinas-monthly-newsletter
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.
Greetings, shopmates, and welcome to Tinkering Bows, a show about DIY, design, and all things hands-on. The sky's the limit as we talk props, metalwork, cosplay, woodwork, leather, electronics, and so much more. I'm Tim Robertson, your host, so strap on your tool belts because we're about to get into some skill sharing, y'all. Today, I'm going to be joined by a maker who is a self-proclaimed gearhead in training. I don't want to give away too much, but this maker is crash-coursing her way through rebuilding a 1969 Camaro from the tires up. So if that doesn't make you want to stick around and hear more, then you might be at the wrong podcast. But first, let's go ahead and have our tech talk of the day. So we're going to be talking all about the Hemings Great Race today, which has been made possible by the support of so many sponsors. Sponsors like Summit Racing, who has provided many of the parts for our vintage Ford Fairland, including an exhaust system and muffler. So let's back it up. Where did exhaust systems get their start? The earliest internal combustion engines in the 1800s had basic straight pipe exhausts, just enough to route gases away from the engine with little thought to noise or emissions. By the 1920s, automakers began designing mufflers to reduce noise, using a series of internal chambers and baffles to reflect sound waves and cancel each other out. Now, the rise of performance vehicles in the 1950s and 60s saw a surge in aftermarket exhaust systems. Pop riders started using glass packs and straight pipes to boost flow and sound, giving rise to the muscle car roar. A well-designed exhaust can boost horsepower by reducing back pressure and increasing scavenging. Summit's product lines make it easy to match components by your cam, compression, and engine setup, whether you're racing, cruising, or just daily driving. Now, in the 1970s, emission regulations added catalytic converters to exhaust systems, shaping modern performance engineering around both flow and environmental impact. Today, performance exhaust systems like the ones offered by Summit Racing are finely tuned for power gains, sound preference, and material durability, offering stainless steel kits, mandrel bent piping, and chambered or straight through mufflers for every style or build. So if you're on the market for a power boost, a new grout, or just cleaner emissions from a vintage ride, head over to your summit racing.com and check out their full exhaust systems catalog. Tell them tinkering bells sent to you. Well, that's it for your tech talk for today. As always, you can join in on the conversation with my maker friends and me on the tinkering bells, Instagram and Twitter pages. Just search for bells tinkering, hit follow and share your DIY adventures together with us. Have a tool you want to learn about? Let me know and it may be featured in a future episode. Tell us what you liked, what you hated, or possibly even what we missed. So now we're going to be getting into the main event and I am so excited to introduce you to our next maker. So drum roll please. Presenting Christina. Christina, thanks for joining me. How are you?
SPEAKER_00:I am doing great. I'm really excited to be here.
SPEAKER_01:I'm so stoked to have you. And we're going to get all into why we are spending time together right now. But first, I want to start off the episode by telling people, where can they find you follow you? And what should they predominantly expect to see when they go there?
SPEAKER_00:My main platforms is Instagram and YouTube. My Instagram is Christina Lardy and my YouTube is Christina's Garage Gearhead in Training. My YouTube is hyper-focused on everything from my perspective as a newbie automotive wise. So shorts, mostly long form content there. And my other social media, I do have TikTok and all that as well, but my main is Instagram. You're gonna see all over personal development. So the automotive does come into that, but I also am working on being the best version of myself. So that's mental, physical, emotional, all of those different things. And I'm a total goober. So you might see me dressing up up in a blow-up dinosaur costume and dancing around and doing all sorts of fun collaborative content with other people. You will see a lot more of that on all of my other social media platforms.
SPEAKER_01:Amazing. Yeah, I tell people all the time, like, come for the myths, but stay for the quirky, because, like, there is no telling what you're going to get. Like, I tell people, I'm like, I don't know why you're here. I don't know what brought you here, but I'm happy you're here. So you're... You actually have probably one of the most beautiful gearhead origin stories. So we actually met very briefly at SEMA like two years ago, I think. And it's funny because I started following you. And so I was seeing the fitness journey side of you and didn't actually get to really know the gearhead side of you until now. So I would love if you would just let the audience know about, you know, what led you to the path you're on today.
SPEAKER_00:Well, it's pretty crazy. I wouldn't have imagined myself in my current shoes five years ago, even. I'm a medically retired first responder. And I had interest in cars because my dad was very much into classic cars. And I had never actually had the opportunity to get hands-on. I didn't live full-time with my dad, so I didn't have the opportunities that my brothers often did. And I'm the oldest, so I was working all the time. We actually worked for the same fire department. So we would run into each other on calls and stuff like that. And him and I were really... I've always been a daddy's girl. Coming into adulthood, I felt like we started to get closer, and we had plans to work on a 69 Camaro together. He had purchased a 69 Camaro. To my understanding, it was running at the time when he bought it, and it had all the parts. I don't know what all the parts... was running he stripped the entire thing and i didn't see it until a year later when he surprised me on my 30th birthday it was the unibody on jack stands it didn't even have a subframe at the time and it had um the jams were done uh with the color that i had in mind without us actually seeing the physical color that i wanted us going to car shows together he was very sneaky at asking me like oh do you like that oh do you like that do you i didn't know he bought the Camaro. I might have slipped out a little bit with one of our coworkers that mentioned something. So I thought it was potential that he might have bought the Camaro. But I didn't know for sure until that moment. And the first thing I saw was the color. I was like, that's the exact color that I had imagined and described to you. It wasn't completely painted. It was just some of the jams they had stripped all the other paint away. So it legitimately was a blank slate. I think... It might've been like a year after that. I don't remember exact time. I'm off the top of my head, but my dad passed and I wasn't able to actually work on the project, get hands-on with him. And I didn't, didn't know where to start. I had no automotive experience. I did not know how to change a battery. I didn't know how to charge a battery. I didn't know how to change a tire. I did not know how to do any of that. And I didn't have any contacts either because my dad wasn't Like he was in the car community, but he wasn't like how you are. And a lot of the people that I'm interacting with now, they're very like community-based. My dad was just kind of doing his own greasy Gary thing. That was his nickname when he was younger. And he would just, you know, tinker and do his own thing. And so I didn't have any contacts. After he passed, I was like, okay, well, I have all of these parts. I decided to take all of them because I'm one of his five kids. And I'm the oldest. So he had I don't remember the years of all of them, but my stepmother had a Corvette and a T-Bird. The Corvette is still in another shop. The T-Bird is at the house. The youngest of the three brothers had a Bel Air. He has since sold that because it kind of freaked him out a little bit because he was in high school at the time. He didn't know what to do with it. The middle brother has a 68 Mustang Fastback, which I have. And then the oldest of the three brothers has a 69 El Camino. And then my sister, who's the second oldest, has not gotten a car at this point. She lives in Paris, France. That would have kind of difficult to do. So I was like, okay, well, I'm going to try to figure out how to work on the car. I started going to, I'm in Sacramento area. So I went up to Hot August Nights in Reno, had all these parts going, what do I do? I have no idea what this is. And I was going to the booths where it matched the label on the products and asking like, what is it? I didn't even know like the transmissions, for example, I have a Doug Nash four plus one and a Richmond five, yeah, five speed. I had no idea what those were. I didn't know that they were essentially the same transmission. I didn't know any of this stuff until after connecting with people. So I had started there and then I was sending the car to get work done. So the body is somewhat put together like the body parts are on it now it's a roller um but i wasn't able to get hands on with it because i was sending it to a shop and they put it together they sprayed epoxy primer so it's in a good place right now i just i felt really bummed out after getting it back and i'm like well it's together but i have no idea i need to take the fender back off because they didn't really powder coated when i purchased it um so it's already resting a little bit i'm like ah i don't even know how to take the fender off um and then the rear end the the same thing. I sent it and it is... I'm not going to open it back up. And they didn't send me pictures. So I have no idea like how they did it or anything like that. So I actually left the project off to the side for a while, felt really deterred. And about two years ago, one of my mentors inspired me to start a YouTube from my newbie perspective. So I'm like, I don't know what I'm doing. I'm figuring it out. And I really want to finish the project, not only for myself, I want to be able to do this for I want to carry that torch that my dad, like he kind of just left it there, not on purpose, right? And none of my siblings are in the same position that I'm at right now. And I really want to do that for them and also for other newbies to inspire other people like myself, not just women. I want to inspire men and women because I know there's a lot of men that are too afraid to say that they don't know how to change a battery because, you know, social norms and all that. So I really am still I'm super excited to be here talking with you. And I'm like, oh my gosh, I didn't realize that I was going to be on a call with Summit the other day. I'm like, this is so cool. I don't know what to do. And being able to go to, we're going to talk about it in a bit, being able to go to the Great Race. I'm like, ah, cool. So I feel like my story is the example of everybody starts somewhere. Exactly.
SPEAKER_01:I love that, I love that, and what a great segue. I love it when the conversation just organically goes to my next question, which is, before you got that huge Instagram invite that we all got to join this rally that has been just this amazing, act of love that Riley from Riley Rebuilds has been doing and assembling all of us together, which I swear is like herding kittens. Had you ever even heard of The Great Race? Did you know what it was? And if not, you're shaking your head no. So, okay. So what did you think at first, like one to like end up in this like chat room of just incredible trailblazers? Like I'm even in awe of the women that are in this chat that Riley's put together to like, Recruit us all in, but also just like the thought of going from where you're at right now to like being in this vintage race that's been around for generations.
SPEAKER_00:Uh, imposter syndrome for sure. I'm like, cool. Like I've learned over the last few years that if you are in the room where you're extremely uncomfortable and you don't feel like you're meant to be there, that means that is the exact room you need to be in. If you're comfortable, you're like, cool. I know all the things. It's like, you probably need to move on to another room where you are uncomfortable. So, uh, I am just like, okay, let's throw it all at the wall. And when she's like, who can go? I'm like, I will commit to the entire time because I don't know like the power of showing up, especially when you're a noob, especially when you don't have the same experience that everybody else has. What, what can I bring to the table? Okay. Well, my vulnerability, honesty, and the fact that I will show up and do what I can from my perspective, not trying to be like you or Riley or Caroline, like not trying to be one of the other girls. I'm just working on being comfortable as myself and, really sharing from the, I had no idea what this race, I didn't even know what a rally was.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. I knew, I knew what a rally was and I knew of the race because Jesse had been, you know, the, um, the lead person on it. What are they called? The grand Marshall. Sorry. It's like, I'm thinking, wait, is that surges or is that this? No, that is grand Marshall, no matter what kind of rally it is. Um, and so like, I knew everything. somewhat of it from the list but i didn't really know it know it like i had to go back and like be like okay wait i think i've heard of the great race but like even like even when jesse and when we say jesse says the um it's jesse combs for those of you that don't know uh the jesse combs foundation is our charities um partner for this race and so a lot of us have our jesse connects and jesse's stories but like that was the only reason i had kind of heard of it And then like, I got reminded by our, you know, our executive director that, hey, there's an actual, there's a list episode on it. Like, let's watch it. Let's, let's rewatch it. And so I like started watching it and I'm like seeing all the math and stuff that's going on because it's, it's not a speed race, right? It's actually a, what do they say? It's like, you gotta be precision. It's a precision driving race. And so like the engineer in me nerded out and was like, oh, I can do math. This will be good. I can, I can do that part of it. Let's let me be in the backseat math in it for everyone. And we'll be good. So one of the things I really love is how you tend to do in person live interviews at the great race. So we're all going to have chances to like collaborate. And you know, my thing is like talking about the tech and stuff. Is there anything in particular that you and I could do? Like, what could we do while we're on the great race together?
SPEAKER_00:I know there's going to be a lot of things to learn. I would love to do something where you are teaching me and it's not just you verbally teaching me, helping me be hands on. So like something maybe on the car or whatever that we can record the process of you teaching me and me figuring out how to do it. While we're there, because that's that's how I learned doing YouTube, like watching YouTube is OK. I learned best when I'm physically touching things. So that would be really cool. And especially since you're a nerd, like I got my degree in human physiology. So I ask why all the time my husband actually hates it. He says I interrogate him. But that would be something I would really love to do.
SPEAKER_01:We can absolutely do that. And I might give it some thought to it. Cause I'm actually, I've been wondering because we're going through so many different landscapes as we cross the country. If anyone's had the foresight to think about doing a coating on the windshields for rain. So I might be able to like hit Riley up and see if she's thought about it and they haven't like, they'll probably need to reapply by the time I come. Cause I'm coming about halfway through the race. So we could totally like apply that and talk about it because like, that hydrophobic technology is like some of the coolest stuff. Like, I love it. It's so nerdy, but I love it.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, I'm down a hundred percent.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, cool. We are definitely on for that. So the great race for you was something you hadn't heard of. So then what about your Riley story? Like, how did you meet Riley to begin with? How did, how did she know you to have you in the room?
SPEAKER_00:Same thing as how I met you. I showed up to SEMA, not this SEMA, but the previous one. I was invited back to when I was telling you about the transmissions. When I got connected with Richmond, I had talked to them over the last few years, and then I didn't realize that it was the lead engineer that I made friends with, and he was talking to me about SEMA. Are you going to SEMA? I'm like, I don't even know how I can get into SEMA. I didn't know. It was a And everybody's like, what? You can go to SEMA? I'm like, I don't know. And they're like, do you want to go? I'm like, yeah, sure, I'll go. So I showed up only knowing very minimal. And it's been, what, like almost two years now. So I was... introduced to the she shed and all of your group from Miguel at the Wilwood booth. I was chatting with him and he's like, Oh, have you gone over to the she shed? I'm like, what in the world's the she shed? They're like, Oh yeah, real deal revolution. And you know, all these other names. I'm like, I have no idea. Okay. I'll go over there. Um, and yeah, I don't remember if I met Riley when I did the carburetor rebuild. It was somewhere in that realm. Like, I definitely headed off with Teresa. And I was just like, I don't know anybody. And I'm healing my relationship with just being able... Like, mommy issues. You know, being able to have healthy relationships with other women just in general. So I'm like... Just, I'm more comfortable talking with men. So like showing up and all of these women that are like super gear heads, I'm like, I don't know anything. Hi, how are you? And everybody was super great. And the carburetor rebuild was a really cool experience to do with Riley. And I actually, I recorded it for my YouTube and it was really cool to see Dane there and getting emotional, like, oh, this is really cool to see you're doing it with your dad. And, you know, I I really would love to be here with my dad and doing it in his memory as well. So I feel like we headed off there and just continually showing up to these other events. I went to PRI that year and I've been to SEMA this last year on PRI this last year as well and going to other events. And Riley invited me to the Benedict Castle Concourse, not this year, last year I went. And so it's just slowly been building that relationship and just continuously showing up. And then Riley invited me into this group. And why say no, you know? I'm just blown away and grateful.
SPEAKER_01:It's been really incredible to see Riley just, like... this inspirational leadership that she's giving all of these amazing trailblazers, because every single woman in that chat, yourself included, is a trailblazer in our own rights. And so to have, again, Riley herding cats and getting us all in one place and being like, okay, how do we get you all in the vehicle? How do we get the vehicle made? And so we've been really, really lucky that we've had some incredible sponsors that are definitely built off of the relationships that Riley and Dane the Dadinger have created. And one of them that I started this episode with was actually Summit. And I specifically chose Summit for this episode because you have a special place in your heart for them. And I'd love for you to share that experience.
SPEAKER_00:I was going to Hogg's Nights. My dad would go pretty much every year for the last several years of his life. And I would do my best to go when I could. And the last time I remember going with him, he was at the Summit booth for like two plus hours. And I wasn't the type to tap my foot. I was like, oh, this is kind of interesting. I just didn't have like, I wasn't a part of the conversation. I didn't really know what was happening. He was having me pick out for quote unquote, my brother's car. Turns out it was for mine. So I actually have that on my car. He had me pick it out at the Summit booth. And it was just, it was pretty crazy to like now fast forward that like I've gotten parts through Summit and let me tell you, their shipping is so fast. Like they're, I'm in Sacramento, they're in, they have a place in Reno and sometimes within 24 hours, it's pretty crazy. That's pretty awesome. Yeah, I'm like, oh wow, you can't really get better than that. that. And the fact that I was able to go up there and talk with them because I had some of the Wilwood stuff, like there was a bunch of parts that I'd gotten that my dad had purchased already for my car. And I was trying to figure out what I was missing because the boxes had been open. Some stuff was kind of like, I didn't know what I needed. So I was there at talking with them and I was there for two plus hours. And it just made me think of like, wow, like I can understand why my dad was standing there for so long. And even after he passed, summit and get a history list of all the parts that he purchased not just for my car but for my brother's car my stepmother's car and trying to learn like okay well how do i even read this thing um and figure out that he bought a lot of stuff through summit um from these other companies um so that's how i was exposed to uh what they have to offer and it's really cool to you know, being able to be on a call with them the other day. I'm like, this is so surreal that I, even when I'm going to events, like I talk to people at the Summit booth, but I don't get the opportunity to talk to the people at Summit. And I was a little starstruck and a little in awe that, and grateful that Riley has really invited me to have a seat at the table and be able to have these conversations and build these relationships because that's really what I'm doing this for a lot of people are like oh you started a YouTube how cool whatever and I'm like you know the main reason I'm doing this is so I can learn and building relationships is a huge part of that I'm not here to you know we all need to make money in order to be sustainable but it's like that's not what I go into it for I'm not like hey give me a sponsorship hey do this it's like no hey can we like can I learn from you like I would love to do content with you so I can learn and get better and it's been actually a really great way to open the door to have further conversations so like the fact that like oh this is the I was like oh I'm going to pull up my summit jacket for this one even though it's a little bit hot today I was like okay I'm going to do it just Cause this is the only summit. Well for now. Right. This is the only summit. Well, I actually have the thing. What did they call it? The apron that goes inside of the car. I have some of those as well. So yeah, it's yeah. Again, I I'm just like, Oh, that's cool.
SPEAKER_01:It's been, it's been a really neat thing. And you know, what I like about the content that you're making is that it's you're lifting that veil with regards to like, how do you get in these rooms? How do you actually build these relationships? How do you meet these people? Because for so many people, that's been the really amazing part of the internet, right? Social media and YouTube, as it became a place for makers to go to, it became a place where they could learn these skills. Like I remember, the first year I was away, you know, like truly away from home and like having to do an oil change without like my dad around to ask questions to like, I literally was calling him and now it's like fast forward five years, the internet is big enough YouTube has something for everything. And I literally am able to change with spark plugs on my 2003 Honda element because there's videos on every vehicle you could think of, right? And it's something that, you know, as people are gaining skills, they have that access, but a lot of people don't actually pull the full veil up when it comes to the relationship building side of it. Like, how did you know to like, reach out to someone at summit to find an inventory list. Like, how did you know who to talk to? You know, those kinds of things. And I think that's one of the coolest things that, um, Riley is sharing with all of us right now is is that side of it like what does it look like to like be on a zoom with the owners of some of the top companies in motorsport that are just wanting to be excited and like see all of us succeed because you know, there's There's not a lot of girls that do the great race, right? And there's definitely not a lot of all women teams and there surely is not all women teams like ours because the ladies that we're showing up with, whether they're in the beginning of their automotive journey or their peak being out there at international motor sports mechanics kind of things, they all know how to get hands on the vehicle. And if they don't know exactly what they're doing, to your point, they're excited to learn. They wanna learn from everyone. And that's not something you see again, in a lot of these rallies, a lot, a lot of, you know, a lot of people stay away because they don't know if they'll find community there or someone that looks like them. And I think, you know, we're all showing up pretty, pretty, pretty bright and colorful with our polka dots and everything else to be like, Hey, we're here and we're taking up space. And, you know, I just, I really am honored to, to have been one of the people that Riley, you know, put in that chat room and it's going to be on this race. Cause I think Being a part of this specific group of trailblazers has been really incredible and enriching over the last few months. Even though it's chaos in that chat, I try to stay up.
SPEAKER_00:Luckily, that's what I do for a living now. So I'm like, okay, cool. I can go and check it. To your point of raising that veil, the biggest advice I can give for anybody is actually show up. You need to do your thing, right? You need to show up and do the work. You also need to go to these events because you don't realize how many people... I'm a noob, right? And I'm on a call with Summit. I'm going to the great race. I went to SEMA like the first year. I didn't even know what it was until like a couple months before I actually went. How did this happen? Because I actually went places and showed up. I went to Hot August Nights, talked to the people, went to Good Guys, talked to the people, went to SEMA, talked to the people, went to PRI, talked to the people, went to Benedict Castle Conquers, talked to the people, go. Go around and physically be there because the social media is great. You need to like from what I'm doing, being an influencer or whatnot, like I need to put my stuff out online. The difference that makes us stand out is when you actually show up and shake their hand and be like, hi, this is who I am. People are able to read a lot more based on your body language, how you interact with other humans, like not just what you put on the Internet. So it definitely filters out the because, you know, these kinds of things. companies are getting messages upon messages and tags from like everybody. What makes you stand out is that you show up and be who you are and be honest, not trying to be somebody else.
SPEAKER_01:I love that. That's great advice because you know, the uniqueness that each of us brings, whether it's our origin story or how, like how we, connect with the thing and vibe with the thing. So for me, it's the nerdy. I want to, I want to like talk about the tech. I want to talk about the engineer. I want to talk about the science. Can I find it? Like each of us bring something different. And that's been one of the really cool parts about looking at the 12 that we have that are consistently going to be at this race is that each of them has a different way that they share content. So when we're talking about like, oh, we're gonna have one full day that's all about summit. Each of us is gonna be doing something so different that they're gonna get 12 different points of material and kind of really cool PR, right, for the day. Okay, this has been like really amazing. I have one question that I really love to ask every single guest of the show. And that is, if you could have any superpower, what would it be and why? You
SPEAKER_00:know, it's interesting because I've thought about that. And along my personal development journey, I don't even wish that I had a superpower because like I might. who I am is a superpower. Like my life experience, like it sucks that my dad died. It sucks that I started with no experience. It sucks that I have back pain all the time because I'm medically retired and I lost my dream job. The thing is that that's helped, Put me in this position and help me become who I am. I struggle with anxiety, depression, suicidal ideations practically all the time, especially yesterday being Father's Day. That was definitely a hit hard. And it's like, you know, understanding that my superpowers is being me. I don't need to be somebody else or need any additional power. So, like, I've thought about this, actually, and it's crazy that through this whole process that Accept myself more. So I'm still working on it and this whole self-love thing but at the same time it's like oh that is my superpower my like walking in these rooms I'm a noob. I'm a gearhead in training and I am owning it and I feel really good about it So I guess just being me is my superpower. I don't need anything additional.
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SPEAKER_01:i love that and it's so true you know like what you bring is so unique and so great and it gives it a lens that someone else can't bring right
SPEAKER_00:like i get comments on some of my youtube videos where like today i got one because i was changing the headlight housing on my husband's 2005 ford escape and he had to take the bumper halfway off and all these other things and someone someone commented i'm actually having a just turning and turning. I'm like, Hey, you know, like nobody tells you, you have to have like insane finger strength to do those. Um, or the fact that the bolts on my 2006 Chevy Silverado for the, um, the engine mounts on top of the, like the bracket and the mount, the, the bolts broke off. So we had to get the whole thing replaced and people like, Oh my gosh, like, you know, what were the parts that you used? I'm like, just go to your Chevy dealership. They'll be able to help you with that. So it's, it's neat. to the fact that I'm sharing the difficulty. A lot of people are going, oh my gosh, like I've actually dealt with that. Or they're watching my hour long video and changing the alternator. And my husband's 2005 Ford Escape, which is a really long video for how to video. Yeah. every 48 hours, there are continuous views and stuff on it. Since I posted it over a year ago, it's my most consistent video, and I'm sharing all of it. I'm like, how do you move the thing? And then my husband's friend comes in, and he's like, oh, no problem, and just moves it. He's the one that's been helping me hands-on here. But that's my brand book. Hey, I am showing that it's freaking hard. You can talk crap all you want. That's great. But you know what? I can't get my dang finger on the thing. We used
SPEAKER_01:to always joke, one of my like really closest friends who he passed during the COVID times. Aaron Mattia, he was OG Mythbusters, had served in the same town that my parents literally were both serving as Marines and met on the base. And he and I just like, we're like two peas in a pod. And we used to always joke that you need one maker with tiny hands. That was me. And you need one banker that's just a big dude. And that was him. And so it's like, we needed brute strength. Aaron would come over when we needed tiny hands. I would come over and like, it was just like the perfect duo. So, you know, everyone has their little strengths that they bring. And, you know, I could be a big dude, but then I wouldn't have the tiny hands, right?
SPEAKER_00:The dexterity with also the know-how and plus for me with my back, I physically can't move or shouldn't move certain things. And then certain angles are difficult, like bending over the engine bays. I have to like, I have to lean on something. And so that's going to be interesting also with collaborating with companies and stuff to say, hey, like, do you have something that would help someone like myself? Like I saw someone had this cool like contraption that you could actually like it goes over the engine bay and you lay on it. And like it like it like scoops over where you can literally put your whole weight on the thing and be in the Indian Bay doing things. I'm like, that would be really cool to see how I could get that in a residential garage. Because I want to be able to do as much as I can. It just it's it's difficult, you know, figuring out ways that I'm and other times I just need to ask for help. So,
SPEAKER_01:yeah, it is. It is an interesting thing when you start looking at just like the different physiologies of people, right? Like, so with Mythbusters Junior, it was a benefit that they had me because I'm kid-sized, right? So I know how to use industrial tools with this stature. And so when you bring six kids on that have always either had a grownup helping or just haven't touched a tool like that before, being able to have someone that can not only show them how to use the tool, but how to do it safely for their body type. Right. So like how at five foot flat, do you pick up an eight foot ladder safely? Like how do you do these things? Like how do you get the extra torque that you need? How do you be, how do you get the compression that you need? Those kinds of things. And it is something that like, I really enjoy learning. watching other makers my size. And honestly, this aha moment didn't even come for me in the making field. It was going rock climbing with someone my size for the first time and seeing them do a climb and being like, I actually can learn from this versus every other person I'd ever climbed with before that was 5'10 and taller. And so getting to climb with another petite young woman my size, I was like, we have to do this more because I can learn. And so then I was like, why am I... watching makers my size online. Like, why? There are lots of little makers online. I should start watching them and start getting some of their tricks, you know?
SPEAKER_00:Well, it's hard to know, like, because Caroline, I'm like, holy moly, you're a giant. I didn't realize she is as tall as she is. And some people that, like, not with our group, but Dana Lynn Bailey, she was my inspiration as to why I even started doing my personal development journey to begin with. When I met her in person, I'm like, holy moly, she is tiny.
SPEAKER_01:So I absolutely love it. This has been so incredible. I cannot wait to meet you in person in a couple weeks. And for those of you that want to know, the Hemings Great Race kicks off June 21st in St. Paul, Minnesota. And it's going to run all the way until we hit the finish line, hopefully, on June 29th in Moorpark, Irmo, South Carolina. So Follow us on Instagram. Stay up to date with all things The Creator Race as we tackle this iconic vintage rally road one race mile at a time. Thank you all for joining Tinkering Bells. This episode is assembled and ready for delivery. Thank you so much, Christina, for being with me today. I super appreciate
SPEAKER_00:it. Thank you so much. I'm so excited.
SPEAKER_01:I want to thank you for choosing Tinkering Bells as your user's manual for all things maker on a bi-weekly basis. If you want to continue to hear more, don't forget to rate and review the show on your podcasting app of choice, as well as sharing it with your friends. I look forward to seeing you next week. Until then, don't forget to keep making.