PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — When Monica Miraglio purchased her first home, it was also the groundbreaking of her career in design and construction.
“Didn't have a lot of money, because I invested it all into the home. And then I had to figure out a way to make this house a home,” Miraglio said.
She said she did all the projects in the house on her own.
“I started laying tile. I started putting in cabinets,” she said. “I would go back and forth to Lowe's or Home Depot, and I would ask constant questions to the guys there.”
That was 20 years ago. Today, as the founder and CEO of Girlbuild, the Philly native and graduate of the High School for Performing Arts and Temple University, Miraglio is teaching other women to do the same.
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“I was like — you know what? I'm gonna start a platform that will … give women the tools to be able to build whatever they want — whether it be their homes, their lives, or their dreams. Because I was given that platform. I was given an opportunity. So I am here to give them the fundamental tools, or the foundational talk pillars, to be able to build whatever they want,” Miraglio said.
“I want to equip [women] with knowledge so that they understand how and what they need to do in building or rehabbing their first project — where they can go for resources; what do they need to have; what do you do. Like, do you get permits first? Do you have to get OSHA? Should you go to school?”
Through Girlbuild, Miraglio has developed workshops and labs to show women the basics so they can get a start on tackling their first project — whether they do all the work themselves or not.
If they should come across a contractor that might take advantage of them, Miraglio said, “They are wise, they understand, they know what they're talking about, and they cannot be taken advantage of.”
Miraglio, who worked as a model, has traveled all over the world. She says it’s a special thing for her to be able to give back to the community she’s from. And she says she’s not just teaching women the trade of building, she’s also teaching them how to build a pathway to financial freedom and generational wealth.
“I always say that women are the backbone of building everything. We build homes, we build lives, we build relationships, we build families. So what better way than to build each other up and empower each other. And that's been my mission.”
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