Meet Mikki Paradis
Founder. Speaker. Builder of bold beginnings.
Mikki Paradis started her first construction company in her early twenties—with no business degree, no blueprint, and no one saving her a seat.
What she did have: a willingness to figure things out, a sharp eye for opportunity, and a level of grit that made her impossible to ignore.
Over the next two decades, she built PDI Drywall into an $8 million company, led teams across complex construction projects, and became known as a grounded, sharp, and quietly fierce leader in an industry where she was often the only woman in the room.
The story behind the seat
The name of Mikki’s keynote, Bring Your Own Chair, isn’t just a metaphor. It’s lived experience.
She knows what it feels like to walk into a room where people assume you're someone's assistant… not the one running the company.
She knows what it’s like to second-guess herself because her voice or presence didn’t match the usual script.
And she knows what happens when people stop waiting for permission - and start taking up space anyway.
Why she speaks
Mikki didn’t set out to become a keynote speaker. She started sharing her story because people kept asking:
The truth? It didn’t come naturally. It was built.
Now she speaks to share the real tools that helped her do that, especially with women navigating industries or environments that weren’t designed with them in mind. Her talks are direct, clear, and built around practical mindset shifts that make a lasting impact.
The story behind the seat
Mikki is also the host of the Chicks in Construction podcast, where she highlights voices that often go unheard in the trades. She’s been featured in Forbes, the Triangle Business Journal, and was invited to represent North Carolina at the White House for a small business symposium.
She still leads teams, still walks job sites, and still believes that leadership is something you do, not something you declare.
What to expect
Mikki doesn’t perform on stage: She connects. Her tone is straightforward, energized, and refreshingly unpolished. She’s not interested in grandstanding. She’s interested in making things click.
Whether she’s speaking to executives, tradeswomen, founders, or high school seniors, the message is the same:
You don’t have to wait for a seat at the table.
You have what it takes to build your own.