The Mother’s Day Legacy Of “The Lady Tradie” Aimee Kate Stanton

When asked what kind of mum she is, Aimee Kate Stanton didn’t apologise for her answer. 

“I know mums don’t like to admit it, but I definitely call myself a really good mum. We’re all just trying our best and you’ve got to do what works for you.” 

A simple statement, but it says a lot about how she approaches both work and life. 

Aimee - known as The Lady Tradie - has built her life around flexibility so she can say with confidence that she does, in fact, have it all. Starting out as a plumber, she spent over a decade on-site before backing herself to build businesses of her own. 

But for Aimee, the idea of building something didn’t start on the tools. It started much earlier, watching how her parents lived and worked. 

Growing up, work and life weren’t separate. Her dad was a builder. Her mum ran the books, alongside a bed and breakfast business they built together. There was no fixed version of balance, just a shared understanding that you could make it work if you were willing to prioritise. 

That early example has shaped how Aimee approaches everything now.

When her daughter Delilah was two, she took her on the road, travelling around Victoria in a caravan to introduce her workwear brand to stores. It wasn’t conventional. It drew a few looks. But for Aimee, it made sense. 

It’s the same approach she grew up with - not separating life into neat compartments, but bringing it together. She saw that first-hand through her mum. Someone who built a career that worked around family, not against it. Someone who created flexibility by design, not by chance. 

That’s what Aimee wants her daughters to see. 

“I don’t care what my daughters do,” she says. “They don’t have to go to uni. As long as they’re happy and passionate about what they do.” 

That mindset is backed by how she works.

“You only have to work 5–10% harder than everyone else to get extraordinary results. You just go in with a smile on your face, rock up on time, be curious about what you're doing and show passion. That’s what got me from being a scared little apprentice to an entrepreneur who can really stand the test of hard situations.” 

It’s not about doing everything perfectly, and she’s the first to say that. 

“I tell everyone how much I fail. In a good way. I’ll say I mucked that up, but now I know that’s not the way to do it and just move on.” 

There was a point where success looked very different. 

At 21, Aimee had the house, the car, the lifestyle, even a pet pig named Constable Crackles. From the outside, it looked like everything was sorted. But it didn’t feel that way. She felt she was getting lost in keeping up with materialistic priorities that really didn’t matter to her – the makeup, the clothes, the possessions. So, she sold everything. Walked away from the lot.  

And when someone offhandedly said she couldn’t walk from Melbourne to Canberra, she decided to prove them wrong, setting off the next day on foot. 

That trip changed things. 

It stripped everything back and made it clear to Aimee that she’s more invested in experiences than possessions, and that perspective has stayed with her ever since. 

Ask Aimee what she hopes her kids take from all of this, and the answer is straightforward. 

Don’t take everything so seriously. 

“If you mess up, if you fail, it doesn’t matter,” she says. “Life’s a rollercoaster. You’re going to fail, but if you keep getting up, that’s all that matters.” 

It’s already showing up. Bringing her daughter into her work, getting her involved, letting her see what it actually looks like to put in the effort. 

“She’s already got a good work ethic,” Aimee says. “I can see she’s not going to be lazy.” 

Mother’s Day can lean heavily into one version of what being a mum looks like. Aimee’s version still comes with the same pressures - time, work, and the constant feeling of not quite getting it perfect. 

But she’s clear on where she stands. 

"No mum is perfect. You always get mum guilt about work, meetings, not spending as much time as possible with your children. But I know I give them everything I’ve got."