Skilled AF Podcast

About Skilled AF Podcast

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.

Publisher

The Skilled Project

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

27 Aug 2024

Latest episode

4 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

22 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   4 Aug 2026

   Ep 22: From Prison to Leading an HVAC Company | The Power of Second Chances with Brad Henderson

   In this episode of Skilled AF, we sit down with Bradley Henderso (https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradley-henderson-0267b9384/)n, Operations Leader at Bay Climate Control & Refrigeration and Founder of Plumb Line Operations, to explore one of the most powerful comeback stories in the skilled trades. Brad's path wasn't conventional. After battling opioid addiction, serving time in prison, and losing nearly everything, he made a decision that changed the course of his life. Today, he leads operations for a growing HVAC company while building a mission-driven organization focused on helping people with criminal records rebuild their lives through careers in the skilled trades. This episode explores what it really means to earn a second chance, and why giving someone that opportunity doesn't just change one life – it changes the people around them's life and can strengthen an entire industry. In This Episode: >Brad's journey from addiction and incarceration to executive leadership >How prison became the turning point that changed his life >The opioid epidemic and addiction in the construction industry >Why accountability became the foundation of his recovery >The mentors who helped him rebuild his life >Why consistency matters more than talent >Building Plumb Line Operations and creating opportunities for second-chance workers >Why the skilled trades need to rethink hiring people with criminal records >The workforce shortage and an overlooked talent pipeline >Leadership, operational excellence, and creating systems that help people succeed >What employers can learn about giving people a genuine second chance Guest info: Bradley Henderson Project Manager for Bay Climate Control & Refrigeration | Founder, of Plumb Line Operations Connect on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradley-henderson-0267b9384/) Connect with The Skilled Project (http://theskilledproject.com/): Founder, Amanda Luchetti (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-luchetti/); ✉️: amanda@theskilledproject.com (mailto:amanda@theskilledproject.com) Follow on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/theskilledproject), TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@theskilledproject), YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@The-Skilled-Project) Subscribe to Substack (https://www.theskilledproject.com/) Like the podcast? 🎧 Subscribe to the podcast Leave a kickass review Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy (https://ausha.co/privacy-policy) for more information.

2. 

   27 May 2026

   Ep 21: Why the Trades Keep Losing Good Workers with Devon Havenaar, Bad Leader

   In this episode of Skilled AF, we sit down with Devon Havenaar – journeyman carpenter, construction supervisor, TEDx speaker, and founder of Bad Leader (https://www.badleader.ca/) – 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 ----- Guest info: Devon Havenaar, Founder, Bad Leader (https://www.badleader.ca/) Follow on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/badleader_/?hl=en) Connect with The Skilled Project (http://theskilledproject.com): Founder, Amanda Luchetti (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-luchetti/); ✉️: amanda@theskilledproject.com (mailto:amanda@theskilledproject.com) Follow on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/theskilledproject), TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@theskilledproject), YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@The-Skilled-Project) Like the podcast? 🎧 Subscribe to the podcast Leave a kickass review Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy (https://ausha.co/privacy-policy) for more information.

3. 

   23 Apr 2026

   Ep 20: 1,200 Tradeswomen, One Group Chat: Inside the Sisterhood of the Trades ft. Brooke Laing

   In this episode of Skilled AF, we sit down with Brooke Laing, a third-year steamfitter and welder apprentice with UA Local 46 in Toronto, Canada, and Chief Strategy Officer of Sisterhood of the Trades, to explore what it’s really like navigating a career in the skilled trades as a woman. From dropping out of college and spending two years on a union waitlist, to navigating harassment on the job, to building the kind of community the industry has never offered women before. She also breaks down the rise of Sisterhood of the Trades (https://www.sisterhoodoftrades.com/), the largest global interactive community connecting women across the skilled trades, with nearly 1,200 members across Canada, the US, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand — providing support, shared experiences, and a space to talk about what can't always be said on the job site. This conversation goes beyond surface-level diversity talk and gets into the real barriers, culture shifts, and opportunities shaping the future of women in the trades. In this episode: > What it’s like being a woman in the skilled trades >The reality of job site culture > Union apprenticeships and waitlist challenges > Steepest learning curves as an apprentice > Why women leave (and stay in) the trades > How we grow the share of women in construction and the trades > Sisterhood of the Trades and its global community > The impact of the Amber Czech murder and the advocacy work they’re involved in > The moment Brooke almost walked away > Advice for women entering the trades ----- Guest Info: Brooke Laing (https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-laing11/), Steamfitter & Welder Apprentice, CSO, Sisterhood of the Trades (https://www.sisterhoodoftrades.com/) Follow Brooke on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/lainggerr/) & TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@lainggerrr) Connect with The Skilled Project (http://theskilledproject.com): Founder, Amanda Luchetti (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-luchetti/); ✉️: amanda@theskilledproject.com (mailto:amanda@theskilledproject.com) Follow on Instagram, TikTok & YouTube Like the podcast? 🎧 Subscribe to the podcast Leave a kickass review Know someone Skilled AF? Submit a story here (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0GmqZQILiYJItHLvRit0rF54DGspFRJSii2mSH0Gf-2nbCg/viewform?usp=sf_link) Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy (https://ausha.co/privacy-policy) for more information.

Who has been a guest on Skilled AF Podcast

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Wilson Betances
• Angelo Suntres
• Jeremy Mistretta
• Keith Benson
• Amy Atchley

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

6 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 47 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

76

Social presence

94

YouTube

0

Engagement

0

Contact Skilled AF Podcast

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Skilled AF Podcast