Skilled AF Podcast
Skilled AF Podcast
Podcast Description
Welcome to the Skilled AF Podcast, where we spotlight the trailblazers, powerhouses, and change-makers shaping the future of the skilled trades and construction industry. Hosted by Amanda Luchetti, founder of The Skilled Project, this podcast dives into raw conversations and authentic stories—unpacking the opportunities, challenges, and life-changing moments that define what it means to be "Skilled AF" while empowering the next generation of workers
The Skilled Project (https://www.theskilledproject.com/) is on a mission to inspire one million people to explore skilled trades and construction-related careers by 2028. Through storytelling, advocacy, and partnership-driven pathway creation, we’re aiming to make these careers more visible, valuable and accessible.
Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast covers a wide range of topics centered around skilled trades and the construction industry, including personal career journeys, mentorship, challenges in the workforce, and advocacy for women in trades. Notable episodes feature discussions about transitioning careers, like Hayley Campbell's leap into electrical work in her 30s, and Marie Patterson's initiatives to foster future leaders in construction education, emphasizing sustainability and job placement.
Welcome to the Skilled AF Podcast, where we spotlight the trailblazers, powerhouses, and change-makers shaping the future of the skilled trades and construction industry. Hosted by Amanda Luchetti, founder of The Skilled Project, this podcast dives into raw conversations and authentic stories with workers, educators, and innovators, that challenge culture, surface success stories and show what a better future for these careers can look like.
The Skilled Project (https://www.theskilledproject.com/) is on a mission to reshape how skilled trades and construction careers are seen, accessed, and experienced, so that more people enter, stay, and thrive.
Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
In this episode of Skilled AF, we sit down with Devon Havenaar – journeyman carpenter, construction supervisor, TEDx speaker, and founder of Bad Leader – a movement built on a simple premise: to help construction workers become who they were created to be. Devon journeyed out as a carpenter at one of the youngest ages in Canada, moved into supervision at 25, and has spent the years since untangling what good leadership on a jobsite actually looks like when the default is still “tyrannical, push your will on others.”
We get into his RISE framework – Respect, Invest, Support, Educate – and why he believes the industry is wrong that workforce investment is too expensive. As Devon puts it: it costs more to do nothing. Devon opens up about his own dark winter a few years back, the suicide rate in the industry, and why psychological safety training belongs on every job site next to fall prevention and hazardous material training.
In This Episode:
>Devon’s personal journey and what led him to found Bad Leader
>Why leadership in the trades is broken — and how to fix it
> Why “service” should be interchangeable with “leadership” in the trades
>Devon’s own mental health story and why men in this industry are isolated
>How self-doubt shows up for tradespeople and how to move past it
>What being a good leader actually looks like day to day
>Carpenters Union training in Vegas and what the rest of the industry is missing
>Building a life you’re proud of on and off the jobsite
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Guest info:
Devon Havenaar, Founder, Bad Leader
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Connect with The Skilled Project:
Founder, Amanda Luchetti; ✉️: [email protected]
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Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
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