01:56
Bogi Lateiner Highlight
People told me I couldn’t be a mechanic because I’m a girl. Don’t let anyone tell you your dreams aren’t good enough or they’re not the right dreams to have. If something is your passion, do it.
About Bogi
- Was originally on a path to go to law school—had a senior advisor once ask her, “Why do you want to go to law school?”, and she didn’t have an answer.
- She knew at that moment that academia was never going to be enough for her and she needed to do something different.
- Has always had an obsession with Volkswagen Beetles; started reading VW magazines to learn more about them, but she was bothered by the objectified representation of women in auto magazines.
- Says she got frustrated by being treated like “a dumb little girl” every time she would bring in her car to be fixed—took it as a personal challenge to learn mechanics so she could fix it herself.
- Early on, she was more interested in proving a point—that women could do it too—eventually, that grew into a genuine love for the auto industry and she now is a passionate advocate for the field.
- She constantly encounters negativity; says people either don’t believe a woman should be in the industry or they think she is too smart to just be a mechanic.
- Her main goal was to create an environment that was “180º different from what people expected from the automotive experience.”
- She now runs her own auto shop, is an industry recognized coach, is master certified, and hosts her own national television show, All Girls Garage.
