How a Female Electrician Built Power in a Man’s World

Summary

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Episode Overview

Title: How a Female Electrician Built Power in a Man’s World
Podcast: Living Your Legacy
Host: Ray Gutierrez (for Inside Success)
Guest: Chantelle Batson, President of A's Electrical Contracting
Date: May 6, 2026

This episode spotlights Chantelle Batson, a resilient and disciplined master electrician who has forged her path as both president and founder of her own certified MWBE (Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise) electrical contracting firm in New York. Through candid conversation, Chantelle sheds light on her unique journey navigating a traditionally male-dominated industry, balancing motherhood with entrepreneurship, and the standards and discipline she brings to her craft. The discussion ranges from practical career insights to deeply personal moments, all driving home a message of perseverance, pride, and the power of building one’s own legacy.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Woman in a Male-Dominated Field

• Initial Impressions and Challenges:
  • Chantelle openly discusses the intimidation both women and men sometimes feel on job sites when discovering a woman is in charge.
    • “It’s intimidating to many other women. I think it’s also intimidating for men too as well… they’re like, ‘who’s running this?’ And then I’m like, ‘hey, that’s me. I own the company.’” (B, 00:06 & 04:04)
• Responsibility and Authority:
  • She addresses perceptions and the dynamics of being the “boss” in such environments.
    • “I am the boss.” (B, 04:17)

2. Journey to Master Electrician

• Achievement and Licensing:
  • Chantelle details how rare it is for women to achieve the status of a master licensed electrician in NYC.
    • “I’m a master licensed electrician in New York City…that was a great achievement for me, just [to] attain the license and to keep going.” (B, 05:03)
• Exam Difficulty and Continued Education:
  • The exam is tough, few pass on the first try; she juggled motherhood, apprenticeship, and study.
    • “You have to take a continuing education class every year for eight hours… Everything has to be done by code, of course.” (B, 05:41 & 06:22)
  • She passed the two-part licensing exam on her first try while being a full-time mom and apprentice.
    • “Not too many people pass it on the first try. And I did.” (B, 05:51)

3. Motherhood, Sacrifice, and Hustle

• Balancing Roles:
  • She describes cramming for exams using index cards and recordings, all while managing three kids, commuting from Pennsylvania to NYC, and working full-time.
    • “I would take notes on index cards… recite them as I was driving to and from work every day…” (B, 07:01)
    • “At night time…I’m writing down, taking these notes on these index cards and then recording myself reading the cards. And then I’d have to tell them like, sh… go in the other room…” (B, 08:38)
• Sacrifice and Motivation:
  • Chantelle highlights the mental toughness and sacrifice necessary for her achievements.
    • “You make the sacrifices and you do what you have to do at that moment because you have to do it. You don’t have a choice.” (B, 09:49)

4. Entrepreneurial Lifestyle and Mindset

• A Day in the Life:
  • Even on vacation, work doesn’t stop—she describes the never-ending mental labor of entrepreneurship vs. physical labor of on-site work.
    • “Work for me does not stop…my mind is always going. I’m trying to plan for the next day, I’m trying to plan for the week…” (B, 10:44)
    • “I work more now than working a regular 9 to 5 or you know, clocking and clocking out. Mentally laboring.” (B, 11:30)

5. Identity & Meaning in Her Business

• Naming Her Company:
  • “A’s Electrical Contracting” is an acronym from her children’s initials, symbolizing personal pride and family legacy.
    • “That’s A’s for the three first initials for my three first children…when I received my license in 2015, I only had three children at the time. Now there’s five A’s…” (B, 12:42)
    • “It’s meaningful to me. It’s not triple A’s. No…it signifies something.” (B, 13:32)

6. Discovery and Passion for the Trade

• Early Inspiration:
  • Her path began in a vocational high school trade program, where a teacher recognized her passion and recommended her for a union apprenticeship right out of school.
    • “My 12th grade shop teacher…told me…‘I think you should go to this program’…so thankful for my 12th grade shop teacher because he saw something in me...he saw that spark.” (B, 14:39)

7. Craftsmanship, Standards, and Pride

• The Artistry of the Job:
  • Chantelle describes the pride in the aesthetics and precision of her electrical work.
    • “Not only does it look good, it’s like aesthetically pleasing…you put pride in your work and make it look right.” (B, 17:31)
  • She always inspects wiring and admires “clean” work, relating it to pride and diligence.

8. Profound Personal Moments

• Connecting Life and Work:
  • She shares an affecting story about her daughter’s spinal surgery—how the neurosurgeon’s metaphor comparing nerves to electrical circuits resonated deeply with her as an electrician.
    • “Your spinal cord, think of it as electricity…you have all these circuits and all these little wires, and the nerves are definitely like a circuit. If there’s like a short or something, then you won’t be able to get the signals through…I’m an electrician…I get it.” (B, 19:26–21:14)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On being a woman boss:

  • “It might be a little bit intimidating too for some males, some men, because I am the boss.” (B, 04:17)

• On achievement:

  • “I’m a master licensed electrician in New York City…Not too many people pass it on the first try. And I did.” (B, 05:33 & 05:51)

• On sacrifice:

  • “You make the sacrifices and you do what you have to do at that moment because you have to do it. You don’t have a choice.” (B, 09:49)

• On pride in work:

  • “You put pride in your work and make it look right.” (B, 18:00)

• Powerful analogy:

  • “Your spinal cord, think of it as electricity…all these circuits and all these little wires, and the nerves are definitely like a circuit. If there’s like a short or something, then you won’t be able to get the signals through…That moment for me was everything because I was able to understand.” (B, 19:26–21:14)

• Message to listeners:

  • “It can be done. Whatever it is, it can be done. No matter what it takes…If you really want to do something and you have a passion for it, just do it.” (B, 21:30–22:27)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:06–04:17: Discussing intimidation and empowerment as a woman in construction
• 05:03–06:49: Earning the master electrician license; exam rigor
• 07:01–09:49: Daily struggle balancing parenting, commuting, and studying
• 10:44–12:10: Entrepreneur life—constant mental hustle
• 12:42–13:53: Naming the business and personal meaning
• 14:39–16:57: Origins—discovering electrical work in high school
• 17:25–18:23: The pride and aesthetic discipline of electrical work
• 19:26–21:14: Deep personal reflection—analogy between spinal cord and electricity
• 21:30–22:27: Chantelle’s inspiration and message for listeners

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Key Lessons & Takeaways

• Don’t be discouraged by traditional gender roles—leaders can come from anywhere.
• Pride in your work, down to the finest detail, can be a form of legacy.
• Determination and sacrifice are essential; you must “just do it” even when it’s tough.
• Deep personal connections between one's profession and life can create powerful perspectives.
• Every name, every choice in your business journey can and should be meaningful.

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Tone & Style

Chantelle is humble yet proud, soft-spoken but determined. The episode is candid and inspiring, blending storytelling, practical advice, and deep personal reflection.

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This recap delivers the essence, detail, and emotional highlights of the episode, ensuring that listeners—and even those who missed it—grasp Chantelle Batson’s powerful legacy and pragmatic wisdom for anyone building a life or a business against the odds.

Transcript

[A]

What is it like being an entrepreneur but a woman entrepreneur in such a masculine dominated field?

[B]

I would say it's intimidating to many other women. I think it's also intimidating for men too as well to walk on a site and they're like, hey, who's running this? And then I'm like, hey, that's me. Like, I own the company.

[A]

Chantelle Batson is a resilient, disciplined master electrician and the president of A's Electrical Contracting. Drawing from her journey of rising in a male dominated industry and building a certified MWBE electrical contracting business, she leads with grit, purpose and a commitment to creating opportunity while delivering impactful infrastructure work across major projects and communities.

[B]

Life sometimes throws many different obstacles in your way and as long as you have the determination or the desire to do something, you're going to do it.

[A]

It's expands the globe like a super

[B]

high cold Internet Elvis.

[A]

Brandon, I have agreed today Apple is going to reinvent Levon. It's not over until I win. The Living youg Legacy podcast for those who live to leave a legacy that's extraordinary. The impossible has happened. Oh, that is sensational. Jordan, open Chicago with the lead. You said Paul is the fastest man on the planet. You can live your dream. Welcome back to another episode of Living your Legacy. For Inside Success, I'm Ray Gutierrez. Joining me today is quite literally a woman of power. It's almost like talking to a super villain. Joining me today all the way from New York is Chantel Batson. Don't correct me. How are you, Chantel?

[B]

Hi. I'm good, I'm good. Thank you.

[A]

Right on. So. So you literally just finished filming your episode for Women in Power. How do you feel?

[B]

Oh, I feel great. The interview. Thank you. It was phenomenal. I'm so thankful to just be here and sit here in this seat and be a part of it and be here in Miami.

[A]

Right on. Gosh, there's so many places that we can start. I kind of feel like I got the short preview of your life was just over an hour we filmed. Learned a lot about you. You are actually in a vacation within a vacation at this very moment.

[B]

Correct. We just got off of a cruise ship yesterday. Hence the sunburn and everything else going on. The tan. It was all of us, 14 of us. And now we're going to head back to New York City.

[A]

Well, that's, that's quite the lifestyle. Like you literally get off a cruise ship and you walk into our studio to film an episode of Women in Power. You've got cameras, you've got expensive microphones. You've got a dorky looking guy like me asking you questions. How do you, how do you feel? Do you feel empowered?

[B]

I definitely feel empowered. I feel like this. First of all, this was nothing that I could have imagined or would have expected actually not in my wildest dreams. So it just started off with filling out an application on Instagram and who knew that it would actually be something for real. I thought it might have been like, you know, some type of a scam. You see something come across your page on Instagram is like, apply now. And then you're like, okay, is this going to, are they going to steal my identity? And then no. It's definitely, definitely true. Definitely real. I am here and I'm definitely thankful and feel privileged to, to be a part of this. And I thank you guys for choosing me.

[A]

You know, I really appreciate the affirmation. That's really sweet of you especially coming from New York. Standards there are very different from the standards here in Miami. Can we start there before we do the big reveal of what you do? What, what are, what is it like being an entrepreneur? But a woman entrepreneur in such a masculine dominated field. Let's not reveal what it is just yet, especially in New York.

[B]

Well, I'll tell you, one is very challenging, very tough. I would say it's intimidating to many other women. I think it's also intimidating for men too as well to walk on the job or walk on a site and they're like, hey, who's running this? Who's the foreman? Who's the owner? Like. And then I'm like, hey, that's me. Like I own the company. So I think it might be a little bit intimidating too for some males, some men, because I am the boss.

[A]

Yeah. You're so soft spoken. Are you always this soft?

[B]

Always?

[A]

No way.

[B]

Well, my husband might say differently, but I think I'm always so focus.

[A]

So you've already revealed a couple of clues of what you do. You've heard psych construction.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

I'm sure you wear a hard hat. There's a lot of loud noises, a lot of, a lot of, a lot of machismo, a lot of energy. Hey you, you're. You're an electricianist.

[B]

Yes. So I'm an electrician by trade. A master licensed electrician in New York City. To add which I don't think there many at all that are licensed. We do have a lot of women electricians, but not so many other license. So that at its, that in itself was a great achievement. Achievement for me, just attain the license and to keep going with the license and just keep it running and, and have it.

[A]

You said master class.

[B]

I heard a very master license.

[A]

Master.

[B]

I'm a master licensed electrician.

[A]

That's awesome. You really should be proud of that. How does one just become a master electricianist?

[B]

So you have to have basically all the experience years. You got to be smart, you got to have the experience in the trade.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And you got to be kind of good at it. Know what, you know what you're doing. And you have to take an exam. So it's a two part exam which is pretty hard. Not too many people pass it on the first try. And I did. But good for you. Thank you. It's, it's a lot of dedication too because once you get your license it's not like, oh, you know, similar to like a driver's license where you just go renew it every year, you mail it in or whatever. You have to take a continuing education class every year for eight hours. So you have to still do classroom time. You know, bring you up to date to New York City codes. Everything has to be done by code, of course. And again, you know, it's, it's just having the knowledge and knowing what to do and what not to do with it just ever changing because the rules change every, every. So you got to be up to standard.

[A]

Yeah. You. I want you to brag some more that you pass this test on your first try because you weren't just on your own studying. You were a full time mom.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And a full time apprentice and a full time a lots of things. Talk about your hardships here.

[B]

So when I was going for my to get my license, I had three children at the time. I was living in Pennsylvania and work in New York City. And I would cram my brain, so to say. I would take notes on index cards and write them down and then recite them as I was driving to and from work every day and just play it back so I can listen. Which prepared me for a very short span of taking my license so taking the exam. So I started taking the class in October. By January I was already set up to, to take the class. So I had to, like I said, just cram all that information in my head as much as I can, which I did in order for me to pass.

[A]

No. That's awesome. Can you talk about maybe a story that stands out where you know, you've got babies crying or, or, or, or kids are crying out. You're like, I want to hear. I want to feel that chaos.

[B]

Oh yeah, it's chaos. So I know like, sometimes I, I'd have. It was for probably like 50 index cards or, or more. And I had them like in categories highlighted, you know, certain codes. Because you definitely had to know code.

[A]

Can you give the craziest code? Like code 1289.

[B]

Oh my gosh. Please don't put me on the spot.

[A]

No, do it. I want you to nerd out. I want people to know like what?

[B]

No grounding in the code book is.co.is 250 in the code book.

[A]

Oh gosh.

[B]

But yeah, so I just knew like, specifically at night time, like I'm writing down, taking these notes on these index cards and then recording myself reading the cards. And then I'd have to tell them like, sh. Like, be quiet, be like, go to the other room, go in the other room. Because, you know, I'm. I'm trying to make this recording so that in the morning I could play it to hear myself again and coming back home. So, you know, at the time they had no idea what was going on. They probably did.

[A]

You literally talk to yourself and be like, you can do this.

[B]

Oh, every day.

[A]

I know you really want to stop. You really should keep going.

[B]

It was something that I really wanted. So I just wanting things, the sacrifices and determination that you have. Pretty much like, I can't imagine doing it now. First of all, driving back and forth. Like, we did it because we. Yeah, 4:00am every morning because we had the house there and I was. We were both working in New York. But now I still have my property in PA and just sometimes to go up just to check. Maybe twice a month or whatever it is. I, we. I dread the drive. It's just like, I can't believe I did this every day or even every weekend. It's two hours, two and a half hours. But now it's like, oh my gosh, when we say, okay, we're gonna drive to PA today, we're like, you know, and it's like, oh, it's like forever. Needless to say, we just took a 20 hour drive down here. But I'm like, I can't believe I did this, but can't believe you just do that. Yeah. But then it's like, you know, in life you just, you make the sacrifices and you do what you have to do at that moment because you have to do it. You don't have a choice. Like, I had to leave at that time to get to work and be at work for sure, you know, at 7:00am like, and I can't even do it now for two hours. Just for one day. Yeah, it's like, I dread it.

[A]

So what's your lifestyle like today? Before we start talking about like your passion and, and how you and I share the very similar OCD ness of like cleanse production and energy of having a very, very tidy workflow. But what's your lifestyle today?

[B]

Oh, so today you brag a little time mom.

[A]

Of course you're always be a full

[B]

time, full time entrepreneur life. I'm entrepreneur, so work for me does not stop. I mean, although I'm on vacation now and whenever we're on vacation or we're away or just take time out, even 10 o' clock at night, 9 o' clock at night, I'm constantly working. My mind is always going. I'm trying to plan for the next day, I'm trying to plan for the week, two week look ahead. How many guys do I need? What are we going to do? What can we accomplish? So my brain is always going. It takes a while for me to just, okay, put the phone down. And even when I put the phone down, it's still like, all right, I gotta order this material. That's big too. You got to make sure you have the material on the job so the people could do the work. You don't want to have the people there waiting around for material because labor costs more than material for sure. So it's just, it's. I work more now than working a regular 9 to 5 or you know, clocking and clocking out. Mentally laboring. No. Whereas before I was in a laboring job, carrying, lifting, putting things together up and down the ladder. Definitely a more laboring job and I could just turn it off. And now it's more mental.

[A]

Yeah, it's more of the mental strain and mental coaching. I'm kind of curious. Have you explored the idea of having a, a coach, an entrepreneur coach, Someone that can. Because I hear so many pain points, I'm like, you just need to pull yourself off of that and find micro

[B]

versions of someone wants to come coach me. Yes.

[A]

Are you kidding me? Like, oh my God, you're so like green and so ready to just be. You're primed up to be coached and be like, you've got the energy, this energy. Let's. Before we go down path, I want to talk about the name of your company and where it comes from and some of those, those, those things that, that true, that ring true to you.

[B]

So name My company is A's Electrical Contracting. And that's a S for the three first initials for my three first children. Because when I received my license in 2015, I only had three children at the time. Now there's five A's and S for Chantel. No, I wasn't going to go back and change the company's name with five A's. And S doesn't set the tone as some people call it. They, when they see the name of the company, they say triple A's. And then I honestly, I correct them. I'm like, no, it's A's. Like it's an acronym. And they're like, oh, okay. You know. But I take, I took a lot of pride when picking my company's name or name for business or whatever. You, you know, you have to be thoughtful of something that you like literally birthing or bringing to life. So it's, it's meaningful to me. It's not triple A's. No, it's not triple A's. It's not, you know, it's not. It's. It's A's. It's three capital A's and an S capital. They're all capital. So it means something, it signifies something. So. Yes.

[A]

No, I, I wanted to touch upon that just because it's so important. Some folks don't pay much attention to their logos or their name of their company. I'm like, are you silly? Sure, if it's like a, like a third whatever llc, I get it. But if it's really something so meaningful to you, especially yes, you're wearing this coat of armor, you know, in this field and you're a mom. I'm like, there's, there's energy there. Like that's very important. It's, it's essentially you're already off to a great start. You've already. And to me as, as a focus, a person that focuses on energy and synergies. I'm like that to me rings true. Than like a clever logo or something, you know. So let's talk about your passion and, and how you knew right away that you wanted to be work in the, the world of electricity. Talk about your early days and, and what really pushed and motivated you.

[B]

Sure. So it all started. I went to a vocational high school where they, they gave you the opportunity to learn different trades. So you had the opportunity. You can pick ophthalmology, jewelry making, like cabin cabinetry and electric. Other courses there too, I think cooking. And I had picked electrical and I kind of knew then that I, that I liked it. Because it was more, it was very challenging. And it became challenging because you was partnered up with a partner and you had projects that you had to do. So I mean, this was as, you know, time went on in ninth grade, you're not just doing projects, you learned what electricity was, you know, you learned the basics. But then as the years went by, by the time you're in 12th grade, you were actually doing physical projects on a board. And when you started off in ninth grade, those of the, those of the people, excuse me, who continued on in the electrical trade, they went. It was the same people in the class nine through 12. You have, of course, you had some people that dropped it, they went to something else, they tried something else, but your partner kind of stayed with you from 9 through 12. And my partner and I, it just became challenging because, you know, you start off with little projects like wiring, you know, like, like science experiments. Like if you put a potato or a battery, like, you know, two wires of a 9 volt battery and you, the light will come on or something simple like a bell and buzzer. And then by the time you're in 12th grade, you're actually putting a small piece of conduit on a project board, running the, the wires, you know, installing an outlet and making it work. And it was just great because, you know, we, we saw something that we started and we were able to finish and see it work. So I liked it. And then it was in my senior year, my 12th grade teacher, he recommended me to a program that actually got me directly into the union at such a young age, right out of high school. But he, he told, I guess he saw it in me that I actually liked it. So he was just like, I think you should go to this program. I'm like, I don't know. And he's like, I'm signing you up. So thankful for my 12th grade shop teacher because he saw something in me that. He saw that spark.

[A]

Yeah, I saw you did there. I sparked there. Welcome to television. You're, you're not your podcasting. So let's talk about this spark. Actually, one of my favorite Reddit's to follow is the Electrician is Reddit and how folks on there are bragging about their wire work and how clean it is and they show like the before and afters of like, look at this mess that I just walked in. And they're so there's. It's like an art form of running cables and making.

[B]

It definitely is.

[A]

So talk about some of this art and the philosophies of why this is so important.

[B]

Oh, it's important because not only does it look good, it's like aesthetically pleasing. Like you can look at something and it's like a part of the room. Like, walking in here, I looked at the condos. That was outside from the bathroom because I. I just do all the time. I always look up. I always. It's just innate. But to see something, that someone took their time and their effort to make it look good, you know, it's easy to just throw up anything and with no care, but that you actually just take the time to make it look good is important. And. And who doesn't want to look at something? And it's nice. You don't want to look at the wall or look anywhere. And it's just like, oh, who did that? Like, you know, why would they do that? It doesn't even look good. You know, it's just you. You see it. So, you know, it's like you put pride in your work and make it look right.

[A]

Yeah, cool. Yeah, it's about pride. And then it's. It's always kind of like, folks expect wiring to always be chaotic. Because it's wiring, it's always chaos. And then when you have that good electrician, as I always say, Miami's got a lot of videographers but very few cinematographers. So there's a big difference between the two. And like, I always kind of. I always kind of make fun of Rudy. I'm like, you really thought you were going to run four studios with a videographer? Like, it takes a complete operations, like where cameras are to run, where batteries are charging stations, and a flow. Because if something shuts down here, you need a backup over here. And there's always, like, you've got a mic on, but we've got mics. Like, there's a. Definitely a circuit to the way, how this, all this flows. And it's always a human interaction. Like, even I'm looking at the time now. I've got a moment here where I exit, here you walk. So it's like very much wiring to the flow of life. Have you found some of that magic in what you do? Like, you're looking at wiring, you're running cables. You're like, shit, this is very much like life. No wonder I'm a woman in power. Have you ever made that connection?

[B]

I actually defer, so it takes me right back. So my daughter, she was born with a tumor in her spinal cord, but she was four weeks old when the tumor was removed. And the surgeon said to me, I don't. First of all, I don't think about my spine, my brain, whatever. You know, I'm not. I'm in the medical field. He made reference to your spinal cord as electricity. He didn't know what he did, really. He didn't know anything. But he said to me and my husband, actually, after she had the surgery and everything else, he said to us, you know, the tumor compressed some of her nerves. We don't know what's going to be the future. She was four weeks old, so we had no clue as to what her future and what her future was going to be. But he said that your spinal cord, he said, think of it as electricity. I looked at him, and he's like, you know, you have, like, all these circuits and all these little wires, and the nerves is definitely like a circuit. If there's, like, a short or something, then you won't be able to get the signals through. And I was just like, I'm an electrician. And he's like, oh, okay. I said, I get it. You don't have to explain anything else. That moment for me was everything because I was able to understand. And when I explained to them her spinal cord injury, I again, I explain it to people, too. Like, think of it, you know, like, the electricity is not going any further. It just stops or whatever. It's like a short circuit.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

You know, so that was my moment.

[A]

Right on. You made the connection there.

[B]

I made the connection. Okay.

[A]

What can people learn from your episode? I know, I know. I was there. I. I was there in the moment with you. Give us a quick preview, and that. That way we can wrap up with a nice teaser.

[B]

Oh, I think you will be able to learn from my episode that. It can be done. Whatever it is, it can be done no matter what it takes. Life sometimes throws many different obstacles in your way, and as long as you have the determination or the desire to do something, you're gonna do it. Whatever. Listen, it's not an easy road. It's not easy. Especially owning a business, making payroll taxes. You know, it's not easy. But watch my episode, and you'll be able to see all the difficulties and just having to overcome. And even every day, I mean, you still have to overcome certain things, and just. If you really want to do something and you have a passion for it, just do it. I know I said that before, but just do it. Just do it.

[A]

Just go for it. Chantal, thank you so much for your lovely energy.

[B]

You're welcome.

[A]

And I hope you had an amazing Monday morning in Miami.

[B]

I did.

[A]

We're going to send you off right. And reunite you with the village. Safe travels to New York.

[B]

I'm very jealous, and I thank you all for having me.

[A]

Right on. I'm very jealous to get to go back to New York. I'm stuck here in this peninsula in Miami with all the hurricanes. With that. That concludes another episode of living your legacy. I am your host for inside Success, Ray Gutierrez.