Once Shellie Layne realized that learning how to fix things around her house could also give her the confidence to fix her life, she was eager to pass on her skills and message to other women. With that, the Women Under Construction Network was born. Through the years, this Birmingham-based nonprofit has empowered women to confidently take on home-improvement projects and take charge of their lives. Get this know this inspiring FACE of Birmingham!
How did you first get interested in construction and home improvement?
I first got interested in home repair in my real estate days; I used to sell real estate and flip houses. Many women will tell you they enjoy shopping for shoes and clothes. I enjoy looking at toilets and tile.
What inspired you to create the Women Under Construction Network?
My life took a turn. I was a real estate broker and doing really well. I was making six figures. I had a son, and I thought I was happily married. Then my world crumbled because I got a divorce. I just didn’t know it was coming; it was out of the blue. And it was during that time when the market crashed, so I wasn’t making six figures anymore. It was a really meager time.
I was writing a column for the Birmingham Times called “At Home with Shellie.” I covered everything from toilet flappers to termites, renting versus owning — all of those things. When my husband left, I wrote the true story of how everything happened, and so many women reached out and said, “Shellie, I get it. I’ve been there.” It wasn’t just about the loss of a spouse or a divorce. So many women could identify because they had lost their careers or even their identity.
So, I started what we call Power Tools Socials. The first one was called “From Stuck to Unstoppable.” We taught women how to repair and unclog their sinks and how to become unstoppable as women. From there came the Women Under Construction Network. Now, nine years later, the organization is still thriving.
Today, Women Under Construction has several programs for women and children. How did the organization grow?
I’m blessed. I don’t take any of it for granted because it certainly isn’t me. It is God in my life. I think the organization mushroomed based on the women we began to see a need for.
Now, we help elderly women. We’re starting a girls’ camp this year. We’ve got Youth Tools for Life, our after-school program for boys and girls. We’ve got Mom’s Tool Shed, which is specifically for mothers with children who have special needs. We all need to be fixed in some area of our lives. I think that’s why the organization has grown and is thriving.
What’s next for Women Under Construction?
We’re launching an internet show called Tool’N Your Life with Shellie. It will be on our Facebook and YouTube pages — probably starting in August. It’s a lifestyle show, and we’ll have guests who will talk about the things that helped build their lives. We’ll also do some fun stuff with tools.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to learn how to do their own home repairs?
Find out what it is that you want to do around your house and find the tools to help you do it — you can do that, nails, makeup, and all. You can find a lot of stuff on YouTube now. Of course, you can also come to the Women Under Construction programs and find out how to do sheetrock and plumbing and change your locks and caulk windows and paint and all kinds of stuff.
You’re a Boston native, but you call yourself a Southern girl. What do you love about Birmingham?
I came here in 1995, and I love Birmingham’s hospitality. In the North, you’re running fast. You don’t really have time to think about other people. In the South, you’re slowing down a little bit. You have time to think about other people and show kindness. That’s what I love about it. And the weather — I don’t want to shovel snow anymore!
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
I trade the stock market. I love that I’m part of a trading community; it has taught me so much about the NASDAQ and the Dow, and I’ve been able to use those skills. When you work for a nonprofit, nobody’s rich. But trading has given me the opportunity to do other things financially.
I also like hiking at Ruffner Mountain and working out at the Moody Civic Center.
And I’m a church girl. I attend More Than Conquerors Faith Church.
What’s the best advice you’ve been given or have to offer?
Every experience you have can be a tool. Use that tool to build yourself and others.
The Women Under Construction Toolbox Theory is: if you put a tool in the hands of a woman, not only can she change, fix her family, and repair her home, but she can actually build the world.
We all have a tool belt — our experiences. The things we’ve gone through are tools that help us build ourselves back into the women we want to be as we move into our future.
Other than faith, family, and friends, name three things you can’t live without.
Laughter, lobster, and my air fryer.
Lightning Round
What’s on your travel bucket list? Egypt, Greece, and Paris.
What’s on your bedside table? My glasses, a Bible, and a book.
What book are you reading right now? The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
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WUC also offers programs and events like Freedom Friday, helping women find freedom and community through multicultural dance!
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Meet more dynamic and inspiring Southern women in our FACES archives!
