Empowering women with some tools of the trade

In a cluttered workshop in Wakefield, Que., Wanda Seguin sorts through old door knobs and hinges.

Seguin is a contractor by trade — particularly handy with drywall and plumbing — who also spends time fixing up other people's junk to sell.

Now she's teaching others the skills she's picked up over the years, first as a child figuring out how toys worked, then on the streets as she struggled with addiction, and finally, after completing treatment, during years of work as a contractor.

"Most of the skills I think came from a survival place. Not having a lot of money and being a drug addict on the streets in Toronto, you learn to make a pipe out of anything," Seguin — who also goes by Wanda Wommin, which sounds like Wonder Woman — told CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning on Monday.

"I was a figurer, always figuring toys out and how they moved and how they operated," she said. "I used to pick garbage and find wood or glass blocks and make shelves out of them, just out of absolute necessity. And now it's therapy."

Seguin is offering a workshop this weekend to teach girls and women ages 16 and older how to build plant stands out of reclaimed material.

It's happening Sunday, Nov. 18, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Royal Canadian Legion in Wakefield, and registration is $80 with all materials included. Space is limited, and those interested can email Seguin at wandawommin@gmail.com.

Seguin said teaching is rewarding work for her.

"I love figuring out how people learn and how I can teach them to learn. It's almost like a game for me. It's like, everybody has a gift, and I've got to zone in on the person's gift," she said.

"The gift for me is when they don't call me again. Because I could make tons of money off of them, but it just feels better to teach them, and it seems to be catching.

"My heart goes out to women who are buying houses now. It's the biggest investment of their life, and they know nothing about it. So that's kind of why I do it, just to empower women."

Listen to more of the interview with Seguin below.