March is Women’s History Month, and the team at Family Handyman is marking the occasion in the best way possible: by putting the spotlight on the women who help run one of America’s most trusted home improvement resources. From content directors to associate editors, these women bring real hands-on experience to everything they publish. And honestly? Their stories sound a lot like ours.

For many of us out here in the suburbs, DIY started the moment we signed our mortgage paperwork. Content Director Nicole Doster knows that feeling well. She rented for years before buying a home, and once she did, the learning curve came fast. “When something breaks, there’s no landlord to call,” she explains. Over time, that reality pushed her into fixing appliances, patching drywall, replacing electrical outlets, and tackling small upgrades throughout her home. Her philosophy? Always ask whether there’s a safe, reasonable way to handle it yourself before calling a professional. She also makes a point that resonates with anyone who has ever peeled off a previous owner’s questionable tile choices: doing the work yourself makes a house feel genuinely yours. And the small imperfections? You barely notice them when your own hands made them.

Deputy Editor Noelle Devoe takes a refreshingly honest approach. She is not claiming to be the most naturally handy person around, but she commits to trying things herself first. Before she owned a home, that looked like sewing journal covers and hand-binding her own books. Once she became a homeowner, she graduated to power tools. She is now fully comfortable with an electric drill, which means curtains and wall decor go up without a second thought. Her enthusiasm for peel-and-stick products is something a lot of busy parents can relate to. Fast, low-commitment, and surprisingly satisfying.

Supervising Project Editor Carmen De La Paz brings a story that is equal parts inspiring and motivating. She got into DIY simply to save money, which is about as relatable as it gets. But one project led to another, and before long she was flipping houses, taking on projects for clients, and eventually landing multiple television appearances on networks including HGTV and the Oprah Winfrey Network. She has earned several Emmy nominations along the way. Her belief that the right path has a way of finding you feels especially fitting for anyone who has ever started a small home repair and ended up learning a completely new skill set.

Associate Editor Rebecca Wright grew up with sawdust in her hair, more or less. She started helping her dad with home repairs as soon as she was old enough to hold a tool. One of her earliest memories is helping him build a backyard swing set. She was too young to operate the saw, but she held the hardware, passed the tools, and stayed right in the middle of the action. As she got older, the projects grew more complex and the power tools became fair game.

What makes all of these stories worth sharing is not that these women are extraordinary outliers. It is that their paths into DIY are so familiar. A broken appliance. A tight budget. A dad who handed over a drill. A house that needed work and a landlord who was suddenly no longer part of the equation.

Here in the suburbs, we are surrounded by homes that need things. Scuffs need painting. Outlets need updating. Curtains need hanging. And most of the time, with a little research and the right tool, those jobs are well within reach.

Between soccer practice and homework and everything else on the weekly calendar, it can feel impossible to carve out time for home projects. But the women at Family Handyman are proof that DIY does not require a contractor’s license or a workshop full of tools. It starts with deciding to try. The skills build from there.

So this Women’s History Month, take a page from their playbook. Pick one small project that has been sitting on your list. Grab a drill. Watch a tutorial. And see what you can do.

You might surprise yourself.