If you've ever led a business that looked impressive on paper but felt like it was quietly eroding your well-being behind the scenes, this episode will meet you exactly where you are. Many trades entrepreneurs begin with a craft, not a company blueprint. They hustle hard, fueled by grit, only to find themselves imprisoned by the very business they built—exhausted, reactive, and disconnected from the purpose that sparked it all.

That’s the real story behind Richard Walsh’s success... and collapse. After two decades running a nationally recognized, award-winning water feature company, Richard watched it all vanish in the 2008 housing crash. No systems. No contingency. No margin for error. But in the ruins, he discovered a deeper truth: the business wasn’t what defined him. And his rebuild would look radically different, grounded in systems, sustainability, and human-first leadership.

In this episode of The People Strategy Podcast, Traci Austin sits down with Richard Walsh, CEO of Sharpen the Spear Coaching, to explore how he redefined what “success” means and how he now equips trades leaders to design businesses that serve their lives, not consume them. From his book Escape the Owner Prison to real-world frameworks that prioritize freedom and purpose, this is a candid conversation for leaders ready to reclaim control.

In the trades, it’s not the perks that define culture—it’s how your people show up when things get hard. On job sites, in tight deadlines, across five generations—real culture is built through clarity, trust, and showing up every day. And that doesn’t happen by accident.

Too often, trade businesses measure success in activity: 500 calls made, back-to-back shifts worked, 100 tasks checked off. But when output becomes the goal, people burn out, trust breaks down, and culture becomes just another line in the handbook.

In this episode of The People Strategy Podcast, Traci Austin talks with Paul McCarthy, business development leader at Hero Facility Services, about how to build a strong culture that actually supports your people, especially in field-based, fast-moving environments. Real culture gets built one deposit of trust at a time. Paul shares insights from decades of experience across operations, hospitality, and business development—plus a clear-eyed philosophy on what he calls the “psychology of the heart.”

They dig into how to know whether someone is truly aligned with the team, what to do when your gut says no but the resume says yes, and how to structure tough conversations that build—not break—relationships. This is an episode about seeing your people, naming your values, and leading with presence. In Paul’s words, it’s not just about the sale—it’s about changing one person’s life every day.

If you’re serious about growing your business and keeping good people, you’ll want to hear this.

If your communication strategy only works for half your crew, it's not a strategy—it's a risk. And in the trades, that risk doesn’t just affect productivity—it affects safety, morale, and retention.

Today’s job sites are made up of multiple generations working side by side, each with their own preferences, assumptions, and expectations around communication. You've got Boomers printing out emails, Gen Xers living by their calendars, Millennials juggling inboxes and Slack messages, and Gen Zers who'd prefer a quick text over a long meeting. When leaders fail to adapt their communication styles to meet their people where they are, messages get lost, accountability slips, and trust erodes.

We see this breakdown most often when companies introduce new tools or systems—like that HRIS app everyone’s supposed to download but no one knows how to use. Without proper guidance, the disconnect between intention and execution widens. What starts as a missed message becomes a safety issue. A dropped thread turns into a missed deadline. And an overwhelmed employee—who might have thrived with a little extra support—becomes your next resignation.

In this episode of The People Strategy Podcast, Traci Austin sits down with Dawn Hart, HR leader at Center Phase Energy and founder of Manage with Hart, to unpack the nuances of generational communication in the trades. Dawn brings more than three decades of HR experience across construction, utilities, and finance, along with sharp humor and clear-eyed leadership advice. Traci also introduces a concept called the Tough Talk Audit—a framework for leaders to address misalignment before it becomes a retention issue.

Whether you’re rolling out new systems, running storm crews, or simply trying to get your team on the same page, this episode offers the clarity and empathy leaders need to create communication strategies that work for everyone.

Forget ping-pong tables and pay raises—this is what actual retention looks like.

In this episode of The People Strategy Podcast, Traci Austin sits down with Ray Cox, Co-founder and Senior VP of Marketing at Highfill Infrastructure Engineering, for a powerful conversation on what it means to build a people-first company in a technical world.

Highfill didn’t avoid the storm of COVID-19. Like many in the trades, they were hit hard. But instead of defaulting to quick fixes or chasing trends, they doubled down on what mattered most: culture, trust, and long-term development.

This episode pulls back the curtain on how Highfill rebuilt itself stronger by investing in relationships, not just resources. Ray breaks down how they've embedded coaching into their DNA, created career paths grounded in purpose—not pressure—and fostered a culture where people know they belong.

If you’ve ever struggled with turnover, disengagement, or leading multi-generational teams, this conversation will reframe what’s possible. It’s not about surface-level perks. It’s about leading with values and being bold enough to follow through.

This is culture done right—not as a corporate cliché but as a competitive edge.

If you’re constantly hiring but still coming up short, the issue might not be the labour market. It might be something deeper—a generational disconnect that’s quietly eroding trust, productivity, and retention.

In today’s trades workplaces, it’s common to see four generations working side by side. You’ve got veteran employees who’ve built the company’s foundation and younger workers who bring new skills and expectations to the table. When leaders don’t know how to bridge those differences, communication suffers, accountability slips, and your best people start walking out the door.

We see this play out all the time—especially in companies that promote top performers into leadership roles without giving them the tools to lead a multi-generational team. That’s where culture either grows stronger or starts to fracture.

In this episode of The People Strategy Podcast, Traci Austin sits with Kamber Parker Bowden, founder of Generational Performance Solutions, to talk about what trade organizations can do differently. Kamber brings hard-earned insight from over 5,000 interviews across 65+ industries—offering clear, actionable steps for creating a workplace where every generation feels seen, respected, and committed to the work.

This is a conversation about leadership in the real world—messy, human, and worth getting right.

Most new hires don’t fail because they’re unskilled. They fail because they’re unsure—and no one showed them how to build confidence on the job.

In the trades, technical ability is just the starting line. What determines long-term success is how leaders coach employees through the messy, uncertain moments of “firsts.”

In this recast episode, Traci Austin reveals the four coaching styles she sees most often—and how each one shapes a new hire’s experience. From setting clear expectations to coaching through first-time failures, this episode offers a blueprint for leaders who want to grow confident, capable teams that stay.

Because in today’s labor market, keeping good people isn’t just about hiring well. It’s about coaching well.

New hires in the trades don’t just need a paycheck—they need a reason to stay.

First impressions matter, and a lack of communication between the offer letter and day one can send the wrong message. Without an intentional preboarding and onboarding process, you risk high turnover, wasted training, and disengaged workers who walk off the job before they ever really start.

In this episode, Traci Austin reveals how trade industry leaders can overhaul their onboarding approach to improve retention and team performance. From engaging the entire crew to eliminating first-day roadblocks, Traci shares proven strategies to set new hires up for success and keep them on the team for the long haul.

Ignoring mental health in the trades isn't just costly—it’s dangerous.

Stress, burnout, and unspoken struggles impact retention, decision-making, and job-site safety. Yet, mental health remains an overlooked part of workplace safety programs.

In this episode, Bruce Morton, a 20-year safety expert and founder of the Wisconsin Construction Wellness Community, shares how companies in the trades can make mental health a core part of their safety strategy—without overcomplicating it.

From reducing stigma to training leaders and leveraging mentorship, Bruce offers practical, no-nonsense strategies to improve employee well-being, increase retention, and create a safer, more engaged workforce.