The worst way to start your PM career (Irene lived it)

Hey Reader,

If you think you can step into your first project manager role and just figure it out as you go, I’ve got news for you — you can, but you’ll probably age 10 years in the process.

Too many new PMs are thrown into the deep end without a life vest — no training, no mentor, just a pile of problems and the expectation they’ll magically know how to handle it. That’s exactly what happened to Irene Walsh Garcia when her first PM project was a 60-story high-rise. Spoiler: She survived — but not because anyone made it easy.

In this week’s Construction Trailblazers episode, Irene shares the raw, unpolished truth about what it really takes to lead a project, own your value, and advocate for yourself in an industry that still doesn’t make room for you.

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​Episode 33: Thrown Into the Deep End: How Irene Walsh Garcia Built a Thriving Career in Construction​

Yelling and screaming might get you a short-term result, but it destroys relationships — and in construction, you need people to want to help you.

There’s a lot of bad advice out there for new project managers — act confident (even when you have no clue), work harder to prove yourself, and hope someone notices. Irene’s story smashes all of that to pieces.

You’ll hear how she built respect with the field, navigated a total lack of support, and learned to negotiate pay by flipping the script — from asking to confidently stating her value.

If you’re tired of outdated advice and want real talk about surviving and thriving in construction management, this episode is exactly what you need.

👉 Listen now and get the lessons no one teaches — until it’s too late: https://constructiontrailblazers.com/episodes/33-thrown-into-the-deep-end-how-irene-walsh-garcia-built-a-thriving-career-in-construction​

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Keep building,

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