As the founder of Attic Queen LLC, Jessica Azarelo has built a business known for its bold chartreuse branding, no-nonsense honesty, and a deeply customer-first approach. Her journey, recently highlighted in this episode of “If Walls Could Talk” with Walls & Ceilings’ Tanja Kern, is a story of resilience, reinvention, and a growing mission that reaches far beyond insulation.

Azarelo did not set out to work in the trades. After 16 years in sales and management roles in mortgage and banking, she was recruited by a Tampa-area insulation company for a sales position. The opportunity gave her pause. The industry was male-dominated, physically demanding and required navigating tight, unforgiving attics. “I was definitely nervous,” she recalled. “I was clumsy and the thought of falling through a ceiling was real.” Still, she said yes.

Attic Queen’s Rise Through Resilience

What started as a career pivot became a calling for Jessica Azarelo, who founded Attic Queen to address the root causes of home comfort and efficiency. Her resilience after a devastating injury now fuels her goal of expanding the brand and empowering others to follow a similar path.

Instead of remaining behind a desk, Azarelo insisted on learning the business from the ground up. She began in the office, then volunteered for field work, joining crews on large insulation projects. Within months, she was vacuuming attics, filling hoppers and doing the same physically demanding work as her team. Homeowners took notice. Seeing a woman crawl out of an attic, covered in insulation dust, left a lasting impression, especially on the children watching nearby. “You can see their minds going, ‘Wow, that’s cool,’” Azarelo said.

That hands-on experience became the foundation of Attic Queen, which Azarelo founded in April 2021. From day one, her focus was different. Rather than simply selling insulation, Attic Queen specializes in diagnosing the root causes of comfort, health and efficiency issues in homes. “Ninety percent of people need insulation,” she said, “but insulation alone isn’t the solution.” Her company emphasizes building science, air sealing, and verifiable results that homeowners can feel immediately.

Just over a year into business, Azarelo’s trajectory was abruptly altered by a freak accident on a jobsite that crushed her spine. Though not paralyzed, she was told she would never enter an attic again. For a moment, she believed her business—and her purpose—were over. Instead, the injury forced a transformation. Azarelo shifted from fieldwork to systems-building, developing detailed inspection processes that allowed her installers to be her eyes in the field while she reviewed everything from behind a desk.

The injury also reshaped her role as an advocate. Unable to physically perform the work, she began speaking more, attending conferences, and sharing her message about healthy homes, entrepreneurship and the real impact of building performance. To date, Attic Queen has served more than 1,000 customers, and Azarelo believes her voice now allows her to reach far more people than she ever could alone.

That expanding vision recently led her to audition for Shark Tank, encouraged by mentors at the Building Performance Association. Her goal is ambitious: to franchise Attic Queen nationwide and create opportunities for hardworking women looking for purpose, financial independence, and meaningful work.

“I didn’t buy this company,” she said. “I built it from the ground up. I want other people to be able to duplicate what I’ve done.”

As Attic Queen approaches its fifth anniversary, Azarelo shows no signs of slowing down. With plans for a second location, franchise expansion, and continued advocacy, she remains driven by impact rather than fear. “I broke my back to get here,” she said. “And I didn’t stop. I won’t stop.”