THE REAL DEAL // Interview with Theresa Contreras

Instagram: @designmuse | @realdealrevolution

MEET THERESA CONTRERAS

She’s the real deal.

The Real Deal Revolution was born out of a shared mission between two powerhouses: the late Jessi Combs, a fearless racer and fabricator, and custom automotive painter and designer Theresa Contreras. What started as a passion project quickly turned into a full-fledged movement, rooted in the belief that women belong in the trades, behind the wheel, and at the center of the build. Through hands-on workshops, mentorship, and community events, Real Deal has empowered countless women to pick up tools, learn new skills, and step confidently into spaces that weren’t always welcoming.

In this edition of Highway Diaries, we catch up with Theresa to talk about carrying the torch after Jessi’s passing, the evolving mission of Real Deal, and how she continues to build both machines and a legacy– one woman at a time.

CREATION + INSPIRATION

When I first met Jessi, we quickly became best friends through motorcycles and building things together in the garage. Besides my family business, I had recently helped co-found an automotive ROP nonprofit for high school students in Los Angeles County called AXC. When I started to share more about the nonprofit and how much I loved helping others, Jessi in turn shared her dreams of wanting to start a nonprofit as well. She had asked other people but hadn’t found the right person yet…and she knew she couldn’t do it alone.

The more we talked, the more we realized we were the right fit to make it happen. So we started dreaming together about a community that would empower others! We focused on girls and women, to help them see that they’re capable of doing anything they set their minds to. We both had mostly male mentors— which had their pros and cons of course (another story for another day)—so by becoming women mentors ourselves, we naturally taught differently. We wanted to create a space that felt welcoming and inclusive. Like you found your place in the garage with the rest of your tribe.

People would always refer to Jessi and me as the “Real Deal” because we walked our talk. That phrase became the heartbeat of our ethos. When someone can say, “I DID THIS,” that’s true empowerment. It’s not about us doing it for them. It’s about creating an environment where they feel invited, included, and unafraid of the tools we put in their hands. Everyone needs that one opportunity to light the fire inside them to want more.

The whole idea was about building a community. Jessi and I were just part of it; we simply had to get it started. The ecosystem we envisioned was one where students we taught at Real Deal Workshoppes would go on to learn more, then eventually come back and teach as instructors!

How do you change the world? You teach others to be the Real Deal. That environment is how this movement has grown into what it is today.

JOURNEY OF A MOVEMENT

When you give to others, when you share a little part of your knowledge or gift, it fuels your own energy. You see the excitement in someone’s eyes, and it brings you right back to that feeling yourself. You both get it in that moment. That shared understanding is why each woman who teaches as a Real Deal Renegade (what we call our instructors) keeps coming back. It fuels them, knowing they’re helping someone else on a journey they’ve been on too.

It’s the same with riding a motorcycle. We can’t ride it for them; they have to do it themselves. But we can support them. We provide a space where they’re not judged, just invited to try something new.

Like The Litas, Real Deal Revolution is a community that provides those opportunities.

“Empowerment isn’t something you give to others, it’s something you help them discover in themselves.”

CONFIDENCE + COMMUNITY

It’s literally in that one aha moment. When you see their eyes light up—that’s when the confidence is ignited.

When we started this, we knew it had to specifically incorporate putting tools in people’s hands! They need that moment of them doing themselves. That they are capable. We literally have stories all the time of people telling us they built a bike after doing a workshoppe, or they started a business! That’s confidence, helping others find who they are and helping them achieve their dreams!

Learning skills is just that. Learning. We all start somewhere. My advice? You just have to start. Ask questions. Find a mentor. Or jump right in.

The first time is never perfect, so don’t expect it to be… but do it anyway. That’s how you grow.

MOMENTS OF AFFIRMATION

It was really doing this next to Jessi. To find someone else that loves to do this kind of work alongside you is priceless. I can give you countless experiences of who we have taught, and every one of those moments are special.

To give you an example, this photo says it all! And I wasn’t even there, but I feel the power of what we do through it! One year after the Women’s Motorcycle Show that was at the Lucky Wheels’ garage in Los Angeles, I received a photo that someone had taken at the show (photo by Brittany Morrow). We had Joyfire there teaching blacksmithing, which can be so mesmerizing! Well this photo was of a girl, maybe about 6 years old, standing there watching Joyfire, absolutely intrigued by what she was doing! Moments like those, even the ones I miss in person, make this all worth it! Inspiring others no matter how young or old they may be!

ART + MOTORCYCLES + MENTORSHIP

Design was so important to both Jessi and me. I have a background in graphic design, and Jessi was going to study interior design before she went to Wyotech for Automotive. These are literally all the things we love. Oh, and off-roading too!

As I’m writing this, we’re gearing up for Harley-Davidson Homecoming next week. We’re honored to be leading Real Deal Revolution Workshoppes with them, alongside the Jessi Combs Foundation (which was founded after Jessi passed away in 2019 as the fastest woman on earth). We will also be participating at the Buffalo Chip with biker Belles for Women’s Day in Sturgis! Follow our “Trailblazer Rides” journey to Sturgis to find out more female centric events that will be happening in Sturgis!

It’s an honor for Real Deal Revolution to be collaborating with iconic brands like Harley-Davidson, Dickies, and Lincoln Electric: putting tools in people’s hands at Real Deal Workshoppes all across the U.S. for over 10 years now.

ON EMPOWERMENT

Empowerment comes from within. It’s the freedom of knowing you are capable of anything you set your mind to. That you were always capable. This just unlocked it.

It’s knowing you don’t have to wait for permission. It’s your God-given right to be exactly who you are.

Empowerment isn’t something you give to others, it’s something you help them discover in themselves.

Too often, people shrink, not because they want to, but to make others comfortable or to fit into society’s stereotypes. But it’s okay to be different. To stand out. With Real Deal Revolution, we created a space where people can find themselves—not the version society told them to be.

It’s about being the example. About showing it’s okay to be bold, to push your limits, and see what’s really possible. We wanted to create the spark: the moment where someone sees change in themselves. That push to the next level, outside their comfort zone.

Because where we’re going? It takes grit and grind, filled with grace. And we know none of us are perfect. So we lead with grace… because we’ve been there.

This is a movement. Be the Revolution. Be the Change. Be the Real Deal.

It’s a way of life. It’s pushing for more. It’s leading by example. It’s not giving up. It’s helping others realize they can give themselves permission to lead their own life.

We’re all capable of anything we set our minds to—which means… anything is possible.

REAL ADVICE

Start. Ask questions. Be ready to fail, to fall… and then to get right back up and keep going. And through all of that, give yourself grace. That’s the key.

A lot of us start alone. But having a community behind you will take you to the next level. So don’t be afraid to join others.

My advice? Ride the bike. Pick up the tool. Create. Build.

Because it’s not just about building something. It’s about building YOU.

Visit realdealrevolution.org to find out how to get involved and where our next WorkShoppe will be. And remember… Be the REAL DEAL!