- Episodes -

Nick Meyer has an amazing story of perseverance and strength. Shortly after line school ended Nick was back on the job and up a pole when in an instant his life changed forever. Nick was electrocuted and as a result of the incident he lost his hand. I hope you learn some valuable lessons from his story.

Alan Drew is a Lineman and author of The American Lineman, the most detailed book ever written on the history or our trade. His passion for linework and the Lineman stems all of the way back to when he first learned to climb poles at 6 years old. He has dedicated his life to this trade, and I was so grateful to have him share his story on this podcast. Please enjoy!

Eugene is a former police officer turned Journeyman Lineman. Growing up in a very large family on the rough side of town taught him about the value of work ethic. We discus topics ranging from mental health to work ethic and everything in between. Eugene is also the founder of @line11clothing

Ben Williams is Journeyman Lineman with a reputation for saying it how it is. I enjoyed every minute of this unfiltered conversation about linework and leadership.

David grew up in California and did what he had to do to get into the trade. He left home and moved to Alaska for a shot at an apprenticeship. Fast forward years later and linework has taken him all over North America and beyond. David has also been fortunate enough to check off a few of the bucket list items like becoming a helicopter Lineman and receiving a barehand certification with Quanta Services.

Josh is an electrician that’s been in the industry for 20 years. In his career he’s gone from apprentice to general superintendent. I get a ton of questions from electricians, so it was great to have Josh on the show to help answer and bring clarity to those questions. We also talk about surrounding yourself with good people and leadership in today’s industry.

Mark Paulsen founded Wilderness Athlete and Working Athlete® based on one simple question, “Why hasn’t the science of mainstream sports nutrition been applied to the specific needs of the outdoor/industrial athlete?” Mr. Paulsen answered his own question by launching Wilderness Athlete® and Working Athlete® for those who wear camo, hard hats and steel-toed boots. He did so to address their unique physical demands because there are no commercial timeouts for the wilderness and working athletes. Mark or ” Coach P ” as he’s often referred has spent a lifetime in athletics. He played for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League, spent many years coaching strength and conditioning and holds a Bachelors degree in Exercise Science as well as pursued his Masters degree in Nutrition.

Former military to safety professional, Alex Lacey is one of the most dedicated and discipline guys I know. Join us in this episode packed with thought provoking conversation about safety and leadership in the industry today.

Brian Muka, aka Fear Sherpa is a former US Navy EOD bomb tech and best selling author of “Your Secret Superpower, Tame Fear To Thrive”. Fear is your ally. In this episode we talk about how to harness fear and use it instead of letting it consume and control you.

Caleb’s love for electricity started at the age of 8. He became an electrician, a lineman and has cofounded a company that has created 100% safe system for training on primary voltage equipment. Caleb is a fascinating guy with a great story. Enjoy!

After taking over the entire investment department of a bank by the age of 19, Caleb saw firsthand how 98% of Americans were financially failing despite “professional” financial advising. After 3 years of traveling the country being mentored by the most successful financial minds, Caleb discovered a better way to build wealth. Leaving his prestigious position at the bank, Caleb founded the company BetterWealth, authored the best-selling book “The AND Asset”, hosts the Better Wealth Podcast, and speaks to thousands around the world. One of the youngest leaders in the industry, Caleb is quickly becoming The New Face of Finance. Caleb and his team have created a special offer for listeners of Powerline Podcast. He is giving away a free digital download of his book “The And Asset”. The link will be in my Bio as well you can find it at www.betterwealth.com/powerline

Alex has been practicing the art of Jiu Jitsu for more than 27 years and owned his own gym for 8 years. Needless to say, Alex is a coach. He has recently stepped away from owning a Jiu Jitsu gym to lead/coach men in ending burnout and enjoying holistic health. In this episode we dive into how lineworkers or any blue-collar worker can apply these techniques to change their health in a positive way.

Mike Bledsoe has a passion for coaching. He’s been in the fitness industry since he was a teenager. Mike served in the Navy, became an entrepreneur and cofounded the very popular podcast Barbell Shrugged. This podcast spent many years amongst iTunes top 10 podcasts in health and fitness. He now hosts his own podcast called The Bledsoe Show and is CEO of The Strong Coach. Mike is a coach, leader and mentor. There is a ton of value in this episode so please enjoy! Feel free to share this episode with anyone you feel would value its content.

Jason is a union Lineman that has been in the trade for years now. He took a chance early in his career and left his stable lineman position in search of adventure and a deeper understanding of the trade. He’s worked for both contractor and utility in various forms of leadership and gives back to the trade every chance he can. I enjoy every conversation I have with Jason, and I hope you enjoy this one!

In this episode I sat down with Jacques Lacasse from Milwaukee Tool to talk about everything Milwaukee. We talked a little bit about the history of Milwaukee and then dove deep on their great line of tools for Linemen.

Cameron Alley is a husband, father, Lineman, and survivor. While working on a transmission structure during storm restoration in Puerto Rico Cameron fell more than 100 feet landing on the mountainside below. Through the grace of God, the amazing work of his crew to rescue him and deep love and endless support from his wife Cam is here with us today. This is his story.

Junior Hammon is a third generation Lineman with two decades in the trade. As if that’s not enough he is also an artist, life coach and now entrepreneur. He and his wife Erica along with an amazing team have started Highline Tattoo and Fab shop. A true artist through and through Junior now combines all of his passion for powerline, art and life coaching into his business and most recently his podcast called “LET’S GO w/ Junior Hammon”. You can find it on most major podcast platforms including YouTube so show him some Lineman love and subscribe to his show. I hope you enjoy episode 49 as much as I did recording it.

Cody is a United States Army veteran with deployment experience in Afghanistan. He returned to the US and began a career in the fire service before taking a chance on line work and enrolling in Lineman collage. Since then, he hasn’t looked back and is now well into a line apprenticeship in Texas. Please enjoy episode 48 with Cody Skrabo!

Benjoy is a former actor and now head coach for a program called The Strong Coach. In this show we talk about how you can use principles from the fitness and coaching industry and apply them to your life in the line trade. I promise that if you add these practices to your life, it will forever change you in a positive way.

Ben is a Journeyman Lineman with an awesome story. In this episode Ben opens up about concurring addiction his journey to sobriety. We also talk a lot about union issues and how to we all need to get more involved. Enjoy!

In this episode I talk to a financial advisor and portfolio manager named Tom Kelly. We not only dive into wealth management but also get into training, athletics and mindset. Enjoy!

Barry spent 20 years on the tools as a lineman before deciding to leave it all behind and pursue his dream of running his own business. Our conversation is raw and real. We talk about business, mental health, addiction, family and of course line work. Enjoy!

Andrew is a Lineman from the North West with a powerful story that proves accomplishing your dreams is possible even through great adversity. He and his wife Heather have now started a company called Line Roots and are giving back to a trade that has given so much to them.

Dennis is a very driven lineman from the east coast. His intense work ethic landed him a spot as a helicopter lineman for 6 years. He is also a successful business man owning a powerline contracting company and two gym/ training facilities.

Eli is a strong amazing woman who loves life and her family. Her husband Jacob was a lineman that passed away on the job in 2016. She walks us through that day and how she overcame her loss to live a full and love filled life. This story isn’t easy for linemen, or anyone related to this trade to listen to but it’s important that you do. Jacob’s legacy lives on through Eliana and their two sons. Join me in listening to this powerful story filled with so many great lessons and takeaways.

U.S. Marine Corps Veteran, former Police Officer and Firefighter Travis Howze is an international touring Comedian and Motivational Speaker who has been igniting top stages around the world with laughter and inspirational messages for over a decade! Author of Create Your Own Light, Travis has been able to find healing after an extremely chaotic and traumatic past which led him on a path to helping others through his very personal story of “Finding Post Traumatic Purpose.” Join us in listening to episode 40 as Travis takes us through his story and gives us tools, we can use to help us find our own purpose.

In 1896, Wilmot Stephens founded The Stephens Company in Binghamton, NY. “Stephen’s Climbers” were handcrafted in his blacksmith shop and formed the genesis of entire product lines serving linemen and arborists. Several years later in 1913, W.H Buckingham purchased The Stephens Company and changed the name to what is now known as Buckingham Manufacturing Co., Inc. At that point in time, manufacturing was expanded beyond climbers to include linemen’s body belts, safety straps, climber pads, knives, and other tools. Andy Batty Jr. and a new management team took ownership in 1984 and grew the company substantially over the next several decades, solidifying Buckingham’s role as the world’s leading and most trusted manufacturer of equipment for major electric utilities, telecommunications companies, wireless and cable providers, and arborists. Today, Andy and his son Tim continue to guide the company and have expanded, improved, and introduced new products; built, maintained, and grew a robust sales and distribution system that spans the globe, and introduced new technology to the industries Buckingham serves as well as its own production facility. Join me in listening to episode 039 of Powerline Podcast with President and Owner of Buckingham MFG Andy Batty. When you’re talking about Buckingham you’re talking about Andy. They are one and the same. ENJOY!

Johnny is a genuine person and lineman from SoCal. He served in the Marine Corp for 4 years before finding line work in his thirties. We had a great conversation about growing up and working on powerlines in southern California, apprentices, brotherhood and mental health.

JP Dinnell is a former U.S. Navy SEAL and now a leadership instructor and speaker with Echelon Front, where he serves as Director of Tactical Training Programs. Jeremiah spent nearly a decade in the SEAL Teams with three combat deployments. Sent to the violent terrorist stronghold of Ar Ramadi, Iraq in 2006 with SEAL Team Three’s Task Unit Bruiser, J.P. served as point man, machine gunner, and lead sniper for Delta Platoon opposite the American Sniper, Chris Kyle, in Charlie Platoon. He worked closely with SEAL Officers Jocko Willink, his Task Unit Commander, and Leif Babin, and was the driving force on many of the daring combat operations Jocko and Leif wrote about in Extreme Ownership. Upon his return, J.P. again worked directly for Jocko as a training instructor at Naval Special Warfare Group One Training Detachment, where he orchestrated realistic and challenging special operations urban combat and close quarters combat training to better prepare SEAL units for the real-world battlefield. He also served as combatives and marksmanship instructor and earned his Master Trainer Specialist qualification while helping Jocko rebuild and enhance these training programs into the highly effective platforms they are today. J.P. brings exceptional experience and frontline leadership perspective into the winning mindset and culture of Task Unit Bruiser. He serves as Director of Tactical Training Programs, leadership instructor, speaker and strategic advisor for Echelon Front.

Dr. Lindsay Langill holds three trade tickets and a doctoral degree. He is the President of 3-Degrees Consulting and Board Chair of the Joint Line Apprenticeship Training Association. In this episode we dive into the idea of what a modern apprenticeship program might look like.