HER STORY | Giannina Mihalic

Her Story. A series of blog posts telling the stories of 'women who ride' from all corners of the globe. We hope that by sharing these stories we can help encourage other women to build their confidence, learn from others and inspire others.

This month we have a story from Nina who is working at  Australia’s first DIY Moto Workshop, Kustom Kommune. Nina is running the show as their Venue Manager and is also an incredibly talented artist who has adapted her creativity & skills into the moto world.

We hope you enjoy her story.

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Giannina , 28, Melbourne.

Four years ago, I decided to pack up my stuff in Germany and travel as far away as possible, and found myself in Australia. I travelled, because I had the urge to find my own adventure. And to find myself.

After being in NSW for three months, it took me to Melbourne. There, I felt so "in the right place" that I decided to cancel all my flights back, after only 24 hours, and have stayed ever since.

My moto journey started in 2017, when I met and fell in love with my partner in crime, Jimmy Goode. He introduced me to his work and life at Kustom Kommune, a DIY Motorcycle workshop. The passion, love and creativity behind it, ignited my own passion for creativity again. 

I felt so inspired, that I started drawing again, on everything and anything I could find. Tanks, helmets, leather, glass and even the walls. Currently you can find me there every day. As well as being the resident artist, I also run the space now as Venue Manager.

Without any prior experience, I started building my own bike: A little KL250. 
I feel so confident and driven, because this community is so encouraging and supportive. There’s no judgement here and I have space to discover and learn at my own pace. 

Part of my role at Kustom Kommune, and one that I’m truly passionate about, is creating an open and inclusive space for females. Somewhere, where they can come to work on and learn about their bikes, no matter what age or level of experience. Somewhere safe and comfortable. One of these passion projects is our monthly Women’s Wrench Night. 

I’m actually so proud to see our community growing so much, with more and more females joining us. Heck yeah!

I hope that by being part of this, I can help to make a small impact, to show that a male-dominant industry can be very open and inclusive.

Thank you to Nina for sharing her story. You can follow Nina's work on instagram at @ninamhlc or see what's going on at Kustom Kommue via @kustomkommune