Tradies Who Lead

After 20 years of listening to tradies, you recognise the patterns in the challenges and leadership role models that span industries. Harry Murtough is the editor of The Tradie magazine, a trusted industry voice that spotlights and supports the trades. He takes us behind the scenes of telling the trade’s stories and shows how self-awareness relates to showing up for others. In this episode, we cov...

Managing and leading aren’t the same thing. And on a job site, knowing the difference is what builds a crew that performs under pressure. Dave Malone from SMD Projects has two decades of construction experience. He’s blunt about the mistakes he made and what they taught him about owning your mistakes, communicating to ensure understanding and leading diverse teams. In this conversation, we get int...

Construction runs at full noise. Learning to slow down and lead from a steadier place is how you keep performing without burning out. Stacey Combe is a mindful career mentor who brings calm to the chaos of construction. She works with everyone from site managers to designers, helping them handle pressure and the mental load without losing the plot. In this conversation, we get into: • How to lead...

The trade sector has a habit of guarding its knowledge instead of sharing it, and it’s holding the whole industry back. Chad Perry is the director of Trik Con Construction and founder of Master Form Concrete Academy. With 20-plus years in concreting, he’s built a successful business leading diverse teams with the simple practice of paying more attention. In this conversation, we get into: • The mi...

In a trade world that rewards toughness, leading with kindness sounds soft. Jonno’s built a business that proves it’s a competitive advantage. Jonno McCartney is the Director of Prolink Trade Group. He leads with grit and heart in equal measure, building purpose-driven communities and putting people first — and it’s worked. In this conversation, we get into: • How kindness drives results in the tr...

Nobody hands you a manual when you go from doing the work to being responsible for the people doing it. Gavin’s spent 30 years working out the lessons the hard way. Gavin Cribb started as an apprentice at Ford and now leads a team of 70 trainers as a trade school. He’s got three decades of automotive and leadership experience and a clear view of what the next generation needs. In this conversation...

Feeling like the odd one out on site is more common than anyone admits, but it doesn’t have to stop you from leading. Louise Azzopardi is a heavy vehicle mechanic turned coach and workshop facilitator. She started her trade at 15 and represented Australia at the 2017 WorldSkills competition, placing 4th in heavy vehicle maintenance. Now she helps women in trade back themselves. In this conversatio...

Leading a team that’s been at it longer than you have is its own kind of test. The fix isn’t more authority — it’s a different way of leading. Chris Hale is a sales manager in the wind energy industry who came up through sport and coaching. He brings an outside-the-trades view on leading experienced teams, building partnerships, and driving training that actually changes culture. In this conversat...

Leading a crew on site and representing the trade online are two different jobs, and parenthood has a way of changing how you do both. Andrew Hopkins (a.k.a. Hoppo) is a Melbourne carpenter, business owner at Hopkins Construction, content creator and dad. He’s led teams for over eight years while building an online presence that shows the good side of the trade. In this conversation, we get into:...

Surface-level banter keeps a crew comfortable, but it doesn’t keep them safe. Going beyond the usual back-and-forth is where we build stronger teams. Aaron Huey (a.k.a Coach Huey) is a construction mental health advocate, life coach and founder of Hustletalk Coaching. With 20-plus years in the industry and a hard-earned story through stress, anxiety and single fatherhood, he talks straight about w...

The trade gets passed down by the people willing to teach it, and mentoring the next generation doesn’t have to be hard. Raman is a vocational training specialist with international experience in education and training. He’s spent a career working out how people actually learn a trade, how to teach it better, and the diverse pathways a trade career can provide. In this conversation, we get into: •...

Plenty of tradies are carrying more than they let on. Bardie knows, because she spent years wearing a mask to fit in, while the hard stuff went unspoken. Bardie Somerville is the founder of The Shift, a platform built to give tradies real tools for life. She’s lived the mental health struggle she now helps others through with practical strategies that work onsite, whether you're leading teams...

A bad attitude on the crew is usually a symptom, not the problem. The real question is whether you’ll sit down and find out what’s actually going on. Matt Gilbert is a diesel mechanic who came up through the workshop and into a workshop manager role at a large civil mining company in regional Australia. He’s led crews that didn’t want to be led — and worked out how to win them over without throwin...

Welcome to Tradies Who Lead, the podcast about everyday leadership for everyday legends. Join Ashley Belteky, a diesel mechanic by trade, as she talks to a diverse range of tradies from across industries to uncover their leadership journeys and the tools of the trade they use to lead. From hard-learned lessons to practical strategies you can apply in your work, this podcast celebrates how tradespe...

Leadership for tradies starts here. Tradies Who Lead is the podcast bringing practical leadership to every tradie in Australia and New Zealand, whether you're an apprentice, a supervisor, or running your own crew. Hosted by Ashley Belteky, a diesel mechanic by trade, each episode features real tradies, supervisors, and business owners from mining, transport, and construction talking about how...