Meghan Silva

We Can Do It Better: Building a Bigger Table for Women in Automotive

By Meghan Silva | Founder of Auto Babes & AB Foundation

I didn't enter the automotive industry because someone opened the door for me.

I entered because I decided I was going to find a way in.

Before automotive, I was working in the medical field. Then COVID-19 changed everything. Like so many people, I found myself at a crossroads. I could hold on to the career path I had planned, or I could take a chance on something completely different.

I chose the risk.

I started as a parts delivery driver for AutoZone. Then I became a parts manager and service writer at an independent repair shop, followed by working as a technician at a major dealership before moving into marketing and sales.

I learned the industry from the ground up.

And everywhere I went, I noticed something:

There weren't enough women in the room.

Not because women weren't capable.

Because, for generations, women have been made to question whether they belong in certain spaces.

That's Where Auto Babes Was Born

I didn't want to create just another automotive brand. I wanted to create a movement—a community where women could walk into an automotive shop, dealership, event, or networking room and know they belonged.

Our motto became:

WE CAN DO IT BETTER.

It's our modern take on the iconic "We Can Do It!" image of Rosie the Riveter.

Rosie represented women stepping into roles that had traditionally been held by men and proving that they were capable of building, creating, leading, and contributing.

We wanted to take that message and make it our own.

We can do it better.

Not because women are better than men.

But because we believe that when women are given the opportunity to bring their ideas, talents, perspectives, and strengths to the table, they can make an industry better.

And better doesn't mean tearing anyone down.

It means building something stronger together.

That's the Culture I Want Auto Babes to Represent

A place where women don't have to compete with each other to succeed.

Where asking questions isn't a weakness.

Where being new doesn't mean being incapable.

Where women can learn from women who have already walked the road they're beginning to travel.

Because I believe one of the most powerful things we can do is hold the door open for the woman behind us.

Through Auto Babes, we've built a community around connection, education, mentorship, networking, and support. Through the AB Foundation, we're taking that mission even further by creating tangible opportunities through education, mentorship, financial assistance, grants, and community programs.

Our mission is simple:

Fueling women's futures.

The automotive industry still has work to do when it comes to representation and opportunity for women. But I don't see that only as a challenge.

I see an opportunity.

There is an entire generation of women who are ready to build careers, start businesses, become technicians, lead teams, create companies, and change the industry.

They just need someone to tell them:

You belong here.

I've learned throughout my own journey that you don't have to wait until you're completely ready.

You don't need everyone's approval.

You don't need to know exactly where the road will take you.

Sometimes, you just have to take the first step.

And when someone tells you that you can't?

Let that become fuel.

My own career didn't follow the plan I originally imagined. But that unexpected change ultimately led me to something much bigger than a career.

It led me to a community.

It led me to a purpose.

And it led me to a mission I want my daughter to grow up believing in.

I want her generation to look at an automotive shop, a dealership, a boardroom, or any traditionally male-dominated industry and never think, "Do women belong here?"

I want them to think:

"Of course we do."

And then I want them to walk through the door.

Because the goal isn't to become the only woman in the room.

The goal is to make sure we're no longer the exception.

So, to every young woman standing outside a door wondering whether she's good enough to walk through it:

• Walk in.
• Learn.
• Ask questions.
• Make mistakes.
• Try again.
• Take up space.

And when you finally make it to the table, don't forget the women still trying to get there.

Reach back.

Bring them with you.

Because "We Can Do It Better" isn't just a slogan.

It's a promise.

A promise to ourselves.

A promise to the women coming after us.

And a promise to the industries we're helping reshape.

We aren't waiting for a seat at the table anymore.

We're building a bigger table.