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Chapter 1: What challenges did Kim-Louise Liddell face as a single mom in business?
I really fell into that victim mode. And I just didn't know how to get myself out of it until I had this light bulb moment. Kimley Dell is a resilient, strategic, and purpose-driven keynote speaker, consultant, and the founder of Dirt Boss.
Through her work, she helps leaders and organizations build confidence, lead with integrity, and drive meaningful results, translating her journey from civil construction and entrepreneurship into lessons that create lasting impact.
Well, do you feel like you have an unfair advantage being a woman and seeing the world differently, especially when you're in these massive construction yards and there's piles of dirt everywhere?
Well, I wouldn't call it an unfair advantage. I would call it that we were on an equal footing. However, as a woman, you had to prove yourself more There weren't many of us. So actually there weren't any of us.
Chapter 2: How did Kim-Louise transition from a victim mindset to empowerment?
I was just doing this solo thing and then created a industry around that women could do it too. And that actually we're 50-50 and we should be like that. I created this business so I could create something different.
It spans the globe like a super high school internet Elvis. Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone. It's not over until I win. The Living Your Legacy podcast for those who live to leave a legacy. That's extraordinary. The impossible has happened. Oh, that is sensational. Jordan, open. Chicago was the lead. You said Paul is the fastest man on the planet.
You can live your dreams.
Welcome back to another episode of Living Your Legacy. I'm Ray Gutierrez for Insight Success. Joining me today is quite the boss of all bosses, a boss that enjoys getting dirty. It is the dirt boss herself, Kim Liddell, all the way from Australia. Yes.
Chapter 3: What unique perspective does being a woman bring to the construction industry?
You flew in and boy, I'm sure your arms are tired.
Oh, my God. So good to be here. Thanks for having me.
Oh, it's such a pleasure. Where does... I got to work backwards here. The Dirt Boss. How does one get knighted with this name?
Oh, look, it was a long journey, but a very gritty one. I built a business in the construction industry. We moved dirt for a living. Right on. And it was down and dirty. And so the Dirt Boss became, you know, the thing. I was the boss and I moved dirt. And so... Yeah. Everybody had go nudge, nudge, wink, wink. We will have a boss too, but I was actually the boss in a male dominated industry.
Well, congratulations. How many puns a day do you have? Like when it comes to dirt?
Oh, look. So we actually have so many stories about dirt built from the ground up, you know, down and dirty. Give you the dirt on that.
Go on. I'll wait. I think that's enough, right? So I have to talk about dirt. Is the dirt different in Australia versus the United States dirt?
Actually, funny you should say that.
I do that.
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Chapter 4: How did Kim-Louise build a multimillion-dollar construction business?
Of course, it's going the opposite way because it's in Australia, obviously. So how does one get into dirt? What's your origin story? Were you walking to school and then you tripped and fell into a bag of dirt? Like, how does this happen?
I think my story is more around water. We're an island continent. Grew up with water all around me. Swimming teacher, aqua aerobics instructor, all those sorts of things. Just love the water. And then I sailed on a tall ship, actually, from Greece to America. So I turned up in the States and spent a lot of time here. But fast forward back into Australia after a whole lot of travel.
And I married a guy who was from the construction industry. And we saw an opportunity in the market in Sydney, Australia. He kept his day job and I bought a truck and started digging dirt.
Wow. What was your why? What was the problem with dirt?
Yeah.
Well, actually, the problem was, is that on construction projects, the old school way of doing things, digging with excavators and backhoes, mechanical means, actually started damaging services under the ground. So imagine your optical fibres that provide the internet to all our businesses. If you impact one of those, we're in big trouble.
And so the utility company started to support us because we excavated safely. We were like your insurance policy. So we'd go in and locate the services, physically dig it, expose it, work out what's under the ground, and then contractors could come in and build on top of it.
How nerdy can you get about the technology you use to kind of see underground?
It's pretty, pretty basic. So we say it's not rocket science. We're literally just digging the ground with high pressure water and having a look what's under there. So we excavate a hole, we dig out the mud slurry, suck it out with the vacuum hoses.
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Chapter 5: What role does mental resilience play in leadership?
more efficient and more reliable and consistent and so when the going got tough we'd come in and fix the problem and so that what that became our trademark we were honest and reliable and just got the job done whatever it took and so that made all the difference we from a couple of companies we just grew and grew and grew so that i became this massive business multi-million dollar
exercise, lots of trucks, lots of workers. Yeah, it was incredible. And then we were able to impact the market and realize that there were only, we benchmark women and they're only like 4% women. And so, and 76% of those were in admin roles. So not running companies, not out on the ground. So we worked out, you can't be what you can't see. And so we worked on that really quite diligently.
Well, do you feel like you have an unfair advantage being a woman and seeing the world differently, especially when you're in these massive construction yards and there's piles of dirt everywhere?
I wouldn't call it an unfair advantage. I would call it that we were on an equal footing. However, as a woman, you had to prove yourself more. So perhaps we had an unfair disadvantage actually. So you had to work harder. You had to prove yourself more. There weren't many of us. So actually there weren't any of us. I was just doing this solo thing and then created an industry around women
that women could do it too. And that actually we're 50-50 and we should be like that. So it was a lot of work in that regard.
So it seems like you're into adventure here. I've got some notes from your actual script that we're using to film your episode. Does the STS Young Endeavor in 1992 ring any bells?
Oh my God. Now you're going to show my age. So don't do the math. That was a life-changing thing. It's Australia's sail training tall ship. Yep. And so they ran a world voyage in 1992 and we sailed from Athens, Greece, or actually Piraeus from the port through into New York for the 4th of July. Oh, my God.
So it was four months at sea, I think 20-odd days without any land in sight, completely character building, still friends with those people today. Wow.
I was going to say a hundred percent character building. Were you sailing towards something or away from something where you're in that?
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Chapter 6: How does Kim-Louise balance motherhood and entrepreneurship?
Are you still sailing today?
My kids are sailing. My son just competed in the Olympics last year.
What's it like being a mentor speaker and a mother to an Olympian?
Oh, look, it's actually really interesting because I have two sons and a daughter, but my sons are the sailors and they compete against each other. Sure. So my older son had a dream of going to the Olympics and his little brother thought that was an amazing idea. And so they've been sailing together and against each other for a really long time. Wow. And his little brother got the spot.
So deservedly so, completely...
hugely talented but it's hard as a mom watching two boys both wanting the same dream and only one realizing it at the moment but there is there are future olympics so i'm holding out hope that's that's so powerful quite a legacy you're building here it was really powerful and i think you know when we're in marseille watching that the sailing at the olympics and i'm holding my other son
cheering for one and, you know, just holding the other, that is a moment for a mother that, you know, I'll never forget.
Right on. It says here you're writing three books.
I know, I know. Don't, why stuff at one?
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Chapter 7: What inspired Kim-Louise to write her books?
Amazing. Fun fact, my first kiss was with my backdoor neighbor. She enjoyed playing in the dirt. And when we kissed, it was just a mouthful of dirt.
Fabulous.
That is great because I grew up like that too. Now you've taken me back. I used to climb this tree and I used to sit up and watch the world go by, but I remember my first kiss was a little boy that just kept running around the tree and I sort of had to chase him.
Amazing. I'm glad we went there. I'm going to cheat a little bit. I'm going to pull some questions from your episode. It says here, you built a multi-million dollar business in a male-dominated industry. What advice would you give to women entering non-traditional fields about thriving under pressure?
Yeah, there's so many things and where to start is probably a good question. Where to start, I think, is the mental resilience and being able to cope under pressure is critical no matter whether you're running a multimillion dollar business or you're raising a family or you're working a nine to five. Mental health is critical.
We need to look after our mental health and being really resilient in that regard is really, really important. And so meditation's been a massive part of my life. Being a fitness instructor, I learned that you have to train the brain too. Fitness is specific. You have to train each muscle specifically as you do with the brain. And, you know, we're meaning making machines.
We're making meaning all the time. Just like our heart pumps, our brain thinks and those thoughts are not ours.
Yes.
So to control that narrative, you need to train it.
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Chapter 8: What legacy does Kim-Louise aim to leave behind?
What are we going to learn about you in this episode before we wrap up?
You're going to learn that I came from a tough background. I had challenges. You're going to learn my philosophy on life about, you know, the law of equilibrium. The higher the high, the lower the low. The river of pain allows the joy to flow through. But just... Get in and do it. And, you know, I was the silent achiever.
I was just head down, working hard, achieving things, but it wasn't for the outside world. It was not a sexy business. I was in construction. You know, there's a lot of unsexy businesses that make the world go around. It's really important. And to do that critical work,
There's a lot of us out there doing it and it's hard and you need to find ways to survive and do that successfully because it makes the world a better place.
Kim, thank you so much for your time and energy and for raising my IQ a couple of points. I really appreciate your mentorship and congratulations on becoming a legacy maker and you're off to film with Lauren and really excited for you.
Thank you, Ray. Thank you so much for having me. It's an absolute pleasure. I'm really grateful.
Hell yeah. And that concludes yet another episode of Living Your Legacy. For Inside Success, I am Ray Gutierrez.
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