Guest Shantel Batson - Carrying Excellence in Spaces Not Built for You

Guest: Shantel Batson

What does it take to pursue excellence in environments that were never designed with you in mind?

In this powerful first guest episode of Restless Excellence, host Tonya Richards is joined by Shantel Batson; a leader, entrepreneur, and former union licensed electrician who built her career in a male-dominated industry and emerged as the founder of her own company, AAAs Electrical Contracting.

Together, they explore what it really means to carry excellence in spaces that demand more from you.

This conversation goes beyond the surface. It’s about:

• The unseen cost of excellence 
• Navigating identity, perception, and bias in leadership 
• What it means to stay grounded in who you are while building something bigger 
• The shift from proving yourself to creating lasting impact 

Shantel shares her journey with honesty and depth; what she had to navigate, what she had to unlearn, and how she sustains herself while continuing to lead at a high level.

Excellence isn’t just about performance but what you carry and what you choose to release. 

If you’ve ever felt the pressure to do more, be more, or prove more … this conversation is for you.

Listen if you’re ready to:

• Rethink what leadership really looks like 
• Understand the cost of high performance 
• Learn how to build without losing yourself in the process 

Restless Excellence is where we explore the truth about success, the cost of it, the weight of it, and how to redefine it in a way that actually sustains you.

© 2025 Tonya Richards. All rights reserved.

Restless Excellence™ is a trademark pending.

All original content produced are the intellectual property of Tonya Richards and may not be reproduced or presented as original work without prior written permission.

Transcript

Speaker 0:16

I created this space because I believe that the tension between achievement and exertion. The tension between being capable and being created. The tension between success on the paper and something feeling off in my body. It's actually about telling the truth. The truth about war. The truth about leadership. The truth about ambition. And ultimately the cost of carrying too much for too long. These conversations that we'll explore in this podcast, they aren't going to be honest. They'll be reflective. And they'll be honest. And therefore people who don't want to lose themselves while building something on the audience about who you are.

Speaker 1 2:50

Hello everyone. So my name is Shantel. And I am a natural elecrician in New York city. And I'm also the owner of the AAAs Electrical Contracting.

Speaker 3:02

The other thing that I wanted to say to you is congratulations on your reasoning feature. That was well deserved. Congratulations. So when you think about your journey from being a union electrician, sort of leading your own company in the electrical company.

Speaker 1 3:34

So people don't see the 20 years of grit, I want to say.

Speaker 6:25

And that means proving that excellence often comes with a particular cost to that particular excellence. So what would you say, from your experience, did excellence cost you in those early years while you were pursuing a career in the electrical field?

Speaker 1 6:49

You have some great questions. And I'm not prepped for these questions in my life. You don't have to be prepped. It's a conversation. I'm enjoying it. So I would say that it costs me a lot of my time. It cost me a lot of my time away from my kids. One being a mom, I'm a mom of five children. And in the early years of my career, the very earliest, I had one child. I had no son, and when I entered the union, he was about two, maybe going on three at the time. Then within six years later, I had six or seven years later, I ended up having two more ch children. And me working and having to just you know not necessarily provide, but I love what I did, I love what I do. So for me, it was always like, Oh, can you work late today? Or um you know, I was always available. So if there was overtime that was given at the end of, you know, like your work day, can you can you work an hour or two later? Sure, I'm available. Um, do you mind working the weekends? Sure, I'm available. So the cost for me during my early to my early years, I would say we're definitely missing out on a lot um of the time being home with my kids because they have actually said to me, um more oftentimes than once that I was never around because I was always at work, and the takeaway of that is now that they're all grown and they're all adults, my oldest is 25 now. You know, it's not something that you want to hear as a mother or even as a father that you weren't around for your kids, especially in their early childhood years of life, because the most fond memories that they have, and although you're working, you don't want to hear that.

Speaker 8:42

Yeah, no, definitely, definitely. I can relate. Um, so you built your career in a male-dominated industry, and I think there's a layer of leadership that comes with that, where you're not just doing the job, you're navigating perceptions, expectations, and sometimes even biases. So, with that said, how did you learn to stay grounded in who you are while navigating spaces that may not have sort of reflected you?

Speaker 1 9:23

Uh, I would say that even the leadership actually started when I not only just um founded my company, it started for me when I became supervision. So when I became a a foreman for the first time, uh I was actually much younger. There would be project officers, project managers, or just whoever else, superintendents, safety people, and they'll be like, Oh, so where's the foreman on the job? Like, where's the foreman? I need to speak to the foreman, and I'm like, I'm the foreman, and a lot of times they would overlook that, or you know, there was some disrespect from people sometimes because not everyone wants to deal with a woman in a leadership role in construction, and some you know, there was a particular time where this guy, even though I was the the general foreman in the job, he literally was talking to the subforeman who was my number two, and literally just like didn't even recognize that I was there, or I don't even want to say recognize, he just rather not speak to me and rather speak to him, which at that time I was just like okay, whatever, because I knew what it is, and I should say I know what it is. Um, so it was something that I had to overcome in that leadership role, and then have to now take with me and transition to being a owner of a company, which the levels to me the perception was the same, but it's now on a different level. Um, some people respected me a little bit more because now I'm dressed differently, I'm speaking differently. I'm like, this is I have this contract, I'm the owner, as opposed to me just being a foreman and running the project, right? But the space sometimes would definitely be the same.

Speaker 11:21

Yeah, yeah. So in those moments that you just described, did you ever feel pressure to adjust who you were to be successful in in the work?

Speaker 1 11:35

So at times I did, like when I first started in my career, it was a little bit intimidating for me. Not in my career, I should say, as an owner. It was a little bit intimidating a little bit intimidating because it was new to me. I've been an electrician at that time for 20 years. I know electrical work, I didn't know the business aspect of it, I didn't know what requisitions were, I didn't know QuickBooks, I didn't know the back office work of which I had to learn um some of the languages that they spoke, the verbiage that they used, I didn't know. Um, so I felt a little bit intimidated, and I feel I was very quiet, so to say. I wouldn't necessarily not talk back, but um I can say that in the beginning I was a little bit more um I can't even think of the word, but now it's maybe conscious assertive. It wasn't as assertive then as I am now. Yeah. Now, you know, I would say, well, no, I'm not showing up to the site tonight because I don't have the manpower to do so today or whatever. Like in the beginning, I would kind of like want to bend over backwards. Sure. So please see what you're saying. Yeah. So like being them being like the GC or whatever, and then now I'm a little bit more resistant. It's like, okay, no, let me check my schedule, let me see if I have someone that can go there as opposed to trying to jump through hula hoops to please to give them what they wanted.

Speaker 13:11

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I got it, I got it. Well, thank you for sharing that. Um, so a lot of people think that leadership is about titles, but from what I've experienced and seen also with leaders like yourself, based on what you've built, it's really about how you carry responsibility, how you carry vision, and even the people that are working with you. So, how would you define leadership now just based on your journey from the beginning up until now, being you know, the owner of a particular company and being more senior in your career?

Speaker 1 13:50

Hmm. Well, I have listened to your podcast. So I could say I'm tired, um, I'm exhausted. Um being a leader is not for the they say faint.

Speaker 14:08

Right of heart.

Speaker 1 14:09

Faint of heart, yeah. No. Um I feel like well, obviously the more the more that you are responsible for, the more, you know, you just it's so much.

Speaker 14:28

Yeah. Heavy is the head that wears the crown.

Speaker 1 14:31

Yeah, definitely. So even though, you know, people think like um, and it all depends on how you carry it too, because when I tell people, uh, yes, I'm a business owner and this and that, that doesn't mean that there's not chaos, or you know, no one talks about the taxes, you know, the money taxes that you have to pay, the taxes that you owe, and the financial part, and everyone just thinks like, oh, she making money, but that's not actually always the case.

Speaker 15:02

Right.

Speaker 1 15:02

So being a leader and having more responsibilities, I feel like it's just like you you basically said it, the the heavier the load becomes.

Speaker 15:13

Yeah, yeah. Was there anything as a leader um having to you know oversee a team and have people work with you that you yourself had to unlearn? Like you went into leadership thinking that it was a certain way and having a particular perception, um, because you had bosses, now you're the boss, you're like, hmm, now that I'm a boss, things go really different than what I saw on the other side once upon a time.

Speaker 1 15:40

So, for one, I can definitely say the finances. So, as a foreman, um, materials, for instance, when I'm ordering materials for the project, it's like, yeah, get 3,000 nuts and screws, and yeah, get 500. The quantities are exponential because you know it's not my money, it's not coming out of my pocket. I wasn't even thinking of the cost of what it actually was to build a site or just to complete a project depending on the scope of work. But then once I became the owner of my own company and I realized how much a bag of wire nuts actually cost, you know, you think about how many wire nuts are actually on the floor that get swept away and go into garbage, and how much money that's just being wasted, right? So it took me a lot more of respect to understand and definitely respect more of the contractors that I worked for in the past to know that this is not cheap one and it wasn't anything that I thought of because material is expensive, right? Yeah, I mean, not to mention that and the labor, I'm sorry, but yeah, the yeah, that's another thing. I would put in the time for the the hours that the that the workers did, and again, it wasn't coming out of my pocket, so whether they worked the 35-hour week or 40-hour week, it didn't matter. So then for me now, it's like, okay, guys, um, we have nothing else to do. I think we should just wrap it up. Because I know if we go on into another half hour, then I gotta pay you for the hour. Right. And labor is expensive.

Speaker 17:25

Yeah, yeah, no, definitely. And then also having the responsibility now of helping people feed their families, right? So that's a different perspective too.

Speaker 1 17:37

That actually being able to provide for other people was and is the most gratifying thing that I have that I can say one of, gratifying that I can provide for someone else's family, is definitely being able to pay them a decent wage. And I'm very grateful and thankful that I'm able to do that in certain spaces.

Speaker 18:02

Yeah, no, definitely. Um, so at some point, excellence uh tends to shift, it's no longer about proving, it's about building something that actually lasts. So sustainability, um, legacy, and things of that sort. Do you want to share with us what are you building now that goes beyond you from a legacy standpoint?

Speaker 1 18:35

So, what I hope to leave behind from a legacy standpoint is basically just inspiring other women, um, and not just women alone, just people, because life can get very hard, and despite whatever circumstances you're going through, um the situation, just to keep pushing, like you know, um I always think that there's always someone that has a worse situation than yourself, so kind of lead with that. But definitely I wanna if the um the business doesn't continue going on, meaning if my kids don't want to take ownership of Ace Electric, I would at least want to leave with them and my grandchildren of tomb of which I have now, just know that hey, my mom and my grandmother, she had a pair, you know what, she snipped out of the box, and she tried it, you know. She succeeded, she failed, she did. You know, whether she succeeded, she failed, she tried, she got knocked down, but she actually did it. Not a lot of people come out of their comfort zone and try their own operate a business, you know, so at least they can remember that their grandma was tough, right?

Speaker 20:03

Yeah, no, definitely. I can attest to that too. What about the people that work for you, like on your team or as part of your business, as your employees? What do you want? How do you want them to say that you led? Like, what would be the legacy or the impact that you have um on those folks?

Speaker 1 20:21

Uh, I think I'm a good boss. I think I'm too nice. My husband tells me all the time, you're too nice.

Speaker 20:28

I've heard that before.

Speaker 1 20:29

These guys are not your friends, they work for you, you know. Um, I don't look at them or anyone in that way. Um, we we are all in it together. There have been nights that we are all there, we're working, we're working together, I'm working with them because the job has to get done and they're deadlines, and even though they know that I'm their boss, um, and they're like, oh no, like, you know, they they do respect me, and they're like, no, no, like I'll do it or whatever. And I'm like, no, like, come on, we gotta get this done. Like, I'm okay with it, like, like, let's just do it. Again, there's the just do it, but um, I think they're gonna remember me and appreciate me as being uh kind and basically someone who gets it, you know.

Speaker 21:24

Yeah, yeah. No, I like that. Um, on this podcast, we talk a lot about sustainable excellence because so many people are performing at a very very high level, but they're quietly burning out, and sometimes when you're building something, you don't even realize that it's happening, the burnout that is. So, what do you no longer carry that you used to? Like, for instance, how do you sustain yourself now mentally, emotionally, professionally? While still leading at a very high level, just to keep yourself grounded and sane.

Speaker 1 22:06

I think I'm at that burnout point now.

Speaker 22:08

Oh no!

Speaker 1 22:12

Um, I don't know. I feel like that's a difficult question right now. Um, what we what I usually do is go on vacation because we think vacations are a quick fix, you know, like okay, let's go, let's have a good time, let's get our you know, feet in the sand, enjoy some nice tropical water, and then when you come back, the load is still there, even more, probably, right? Yes, and you know, you realize, okay, now I just spent all this money on a vacation, and now I'll come back, and some of the issues are still there. So I feel like there is still some burnout, but where I am today, I kind of just let things go. So, as you know, we're the responsible ones, so we want things to be done, we want it to be perfect. We we just you you give us a task, we want to finish it, we want to do it, and we do it to our very best, and we put our best foot forward with everything that we do. And like you said in your first couple of episodes, that contract, you know, we hold this contract with ourselves, and it's like I don't even know why we do this. Who who made us want to be in this way or in this manner? Yeah, but now I'm to the point where I'm like I'm ready to tear up the contract because if I don't feel like doing it, I'm not gonna do it, and if I don't want to do it, I'm not gonna do it because it it has become very heavy.

Speaker 23:49

Yeah, no, and exactly what you're talking about is with regards to putting boundaries in place, yes, so that we can continue to sustain ourselves and be healthy from a mental and a physical standpoint. Um, so one of the things that I'm taking from this conversation, and thank you for this conversation, it was great. Um, one of the things that I'm taking is that excellence doesn't always look loud, sometimes it looks like persistence, sometimes it looks like carrying more than people see, and sometimes it even looks like choosing to keep going anyway, regardless of what's happening. So, Chantel, thank you again, not just for what you've built, but for how you've built it. So, with that said, I have a final question that I would like to ask you before we close out. If you could leave listeners with one thing for the person who's performing, for the person who's achieving, showing up, but feeling the weight of it, what would you want them to remember? The baby chantel that's coming up.

Speaker 1 25:09

I see I took a pause, right? Because I feel like like your other questions, this is a very, very good question. But one, don't give up. And I don't know how much of you have watched my episode on Inside Success, which is now aired in Women in Power, but don't give up. If there's something that you are passionate about and you want to do, um just do it.

Speaker 25:36

You know just do it.

Speaker 1 25:38

I hope I don't get a um a Nike thing for me saying that, you know, no copyrights or whatever, but um actually just I mean I can't say it in no more words than but that, but you know, keep going, don't stop because the world doesn't stop, and you don't want to live with regrets, you know, later on in life, the would have, the should's, the could've, because life is too short to live in regrets. So you haven't time now, you only have one life to live, you know, just do it, right?

Speaker 26:16

Yeah, no, definitely. I can attest to that. Um, and I really appreciate you sharing those particular nuggets. Now, this is restless excellence, where we don't just talk about success, we also talk about the cost of it, the truth of it, and how to redefine it in a way that actually sustains us. I'll see you all in the next episode. Thank you.