We had the good fortune of connecting with Laurina Esposito and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Laurina, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
I assumed that there must already be a Porsche specific group of women out in the world somewhere and I spent countless hours trying to find it… to no avail. Ever determined and not one to stop at a roadblock, I decided to create a community for the Women in Porsche who needed to connect, be validated, heard, appreciated and respected while also offering them a place to indulge in their passion for PCars, get together for drives and social events, and cultivate friendships that would not otherwise have the opportunity to thrive. I also wanted to create a safe space where women could be supported and held up by others, backed by sisters who have experienced adversity and were ready to stand behind/next to one another as we seek to normalize women in the car industry- getting away from the sensationalism that all too often accompanies it. While I have no judgement of the typical display of women in the car world- sprawled out often scantily clad ladies, draped across mechanical works of art- I also wanted to ensure the community I was cultivating strove to empower feminine energy, break down outdated barriers of societal standards and encourage new generations of women to embrace their own passions for motorsport. Women can change their tires, oil, brakes and suspension. Women can work on their motors. Women can pick out, negotiate deals and buy a car without their husbands or fathers. Women can track their cars, hit the road and tackle some of the toughest drives out there. Women can do what was once perceived as a masculine only trait. Simply- Women Can Too. As we continue to grow, I hope that it will remain evident in all we do that Women in Porsche was created to tell the stories of and connect the women who love their Porsche Cars, drive them, work on them, and know every nuance, nut and bolt of them- both literally and figuratively- and that these new communities of WIPsters will continue to break down the outdated standards that keep attempting to press on, encouraging younger generations in their pursuits, and joining forces with newfound friends for rallies, drives, dinners, car shows, events, retreats and so much more.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
When I first entered the world of Porsche, I was a child who was seeing through the lens of her very skilled and knowledgeable father. A mechanic and body man by trade, my dad was passionate about P-Cars before it was popular among others and long before the current phenomena of today; before the excitement of Luftgekult, Singer, Emory and Wilhoit, before Seinfeld or Leno were revered as the leaders of the collector community worldwide, before the 964 became the new cool, before backdates and Safari and HotRods hit the roads, my dad was tinkering and massaging and building and loving on Porsche Cars in his own driveway. It was there, still in diapers, that I began to help him with his work- handing him a screwdriver here, holding onto nuts and bolts there, soaking in the knowledge he wanted to impart- but more so, building on the passion and love he had for these works of art. We had weekly dinner dates where he would pick me up to whisk me off to the ever-fine dining establishments of Taco Bell or Wendy’s, in vintage 356’s or (at the time) not-so-old 911’s. I remember, vividly, being so small that my feet barely extended past the edge of the seat I was thrust back into it as my dad hit the gas, my first experiences of the gorgeous sound that is so well known by our community, unfolding. Flash forward to 2016 and a life changing decision would land me at the forefront of the Porsche world, although I had little understanding of just how much that choice would in fact alter the trajectory of my norm. I made the fairly quick-whimsied, although urgently necessary, decision to leave my world of high-end fashion management and the jet-set life of trips to New York for fashion week, bottles of champagne, designer dresses and high heels. I joined my dad in the gritty, dirty, (male dominated) environment of a body shop, donning jeans and t-shirts, learning an entirely new way of communicating and selling, and discovering very quickly that my knowledge, skills and experiences in business and management meant absolutely nothing to many of the people (cough*<men> cough*) who were walking through our doors, and even for the rest of my customers and clients- though slightly more welcoming- it would take a great amount of “proving myself” before they would accept me as an authority in the Porsche Scene. It is within this newfound (to me) isolation that I began my search for like- minded women.

Any great local spots you’d like to shoutout?
I love Malibu, and anywhere I can get away from the crazy hustle of BUSY. I love getting up to Angeles Crest, too- taking drives with others who love to get out Of the city streets and traffic and into the quiet of the hillsides.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have the incredible support of my ambassadors, one of whom is an incredible business woman and leader as well- Mailani Deyoung- a Ferrier in OC who works in her family business along alongside HER dad. She’s an incredible brand ambassador for WIP while also working hard to maintain her own brand and show that women are able to work in male dominated industries

Website: www.womeninporsche.org
Instagram: @womeninporsche @esporesto
Linkedin: LinkedIn.com/in/laurinaesposito
Twitter: @womeninporsche1
Facebook: Facebook.com/womeninporsche and EspoResto
Youtube: YouTube.com/WomeninPorsche

Image Credits
@alexlarson Alex Larson Photography

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