My Story Vault: Amanda Zepka on Integrity, Construction, and Being More Than One Thing

Amanda Zepka joins Dr. Dennis Rebelo in the Vault to reflect on a life shaped by movement, observation, and values-driven decision-making. Born and raised in rural Savoy, Massachusetts, Amanda grew up immersed in imagination, outdoor play, reading, and film, while dancing competitively from age three through high school. Dance became both a discipline and a form of expression, shaping how she understands rhythm, collaboration, and embodiment.

Amanda attended Emerson College with plans to pursue film, drawn to storytelling and creative production. Internships with Warner Brothers and Paramount Pictures offered industry exposure, but her time in Los Angeles revealed an environment that felt inauthentic to her values. Graduating during the recession, Amanda moved to Chicago, where years of juggling multiple part-time jobs prompted a deeper reckoning with what mattered most. A pivotal visit home, marked by seeing her father’s aging firsthand, clarified her desire to return to family and community.

After moving back to the Berkshires, Amanda began working at Adams Plumbing and Heating, gaining firsthand insight into growing a family-run construction business. She later joined Souliere & Zepka Construction, where she now serves as President alongside her brother and father. Amanda describes learning to translate institutional knowledge, ask questions without ego, and build trust through respect for experienced tradespeople.

The conversation explores Amanda’s role in building the Greylock Glen Outdoor Center, a net-zero public building at the base of Mount Greylock, which she continues to volunteer at. She reflects on integrity as a guiding principle, the importance of collaboration, and her belief that people can be more than one thing. Today, Amanda balances leading a construction firm with teaching dance, serving on the Adams Theater board, and intentionally choosing where she invests her time and energy.

Links:

Souliere & Zepka Construction:

https://souliereandzepka.com/

Greylock Glen Outdoor Center:

http://greylockglenresort.com/

Berkshire Innovation Center Accelerator Program:

https://www.berkshireinnovationcenter.com/accelerator-program

Narrative Research Group:

https://narrativeresearchgroup.org/