The Line Life Podcast

Part 3: Keeping Lineworkers Safe and Healthy in the Field and Beyond

For our third and final part of our series on safeguarding mental health in the line trade, we are featuring the how-to sidebars from the article, "Prioritizing the Mental Health of First Responders." 

Discover ways to focus on your well-being, look out for your crew members, and heal following a near-miss or a tragedy by listening to this Line Life Podcast episode.

While you're on Podbean, also check out Part 1, featuring a narrated version of the full article in our ICYMI series and Part 2, which includes an interview with Jenny Lavin, the founder and CEO of Union Care Solutions. 

Stay safe out there, lineworkers, and enjoy the holiday season with your loved ones!

Part 2: Safeguarding the Mental Health of the Line Trade: Featuring Jennifer Lavin of Union Care Solutions

For Part 2 of our Line Life Podcast series on mental health in the line trade, we are featuring an interview with Jennifer Lavin, the founder of Union Care Solutions, which supports mental health and peer support across the power industry.

She was featured in the article "Prioritizing the Mental Health of First Responders" in the 2025 T&D World Lineworker Supplement. Jenny also delivered the presentation, "Protection Under the Hard Hat: Mental Health and Safety in the Line Trade," at the 2025 International Lineman's Safety and Training Conference. 

She has deep roots in the line trade. Two of her sons are fourth-generation lineworkers, and her father-in-law was the business manager for IBEW Local 47, and her husband is now in this role. As the CEO of Union Care Solutions, she is an advocate for critical incident response and suicide prevention. Her mission is to make care and connection part of the job — not an afterthought. For more information, visit her website, and if you or your coworkers need someone to talk to, call 988 to be connected to local mental health resources. 

To listen to Part 1, which is a narrated version of the article from the 2025 Lineworker Supplement in our ICYMI series, go to Podbean. Also look for Part 3, which provides strategies and resources to help you get the support you need. 

Part 1: ICYMI: Prioritizing the Mental Health of First Responders

Line work is one of the most dangerous jobs in America, with fatality rates in the line trade more than six times those in all other occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. To come home safely to their families every night, lineworkers must not only follow safe work practices and wear proper personal protective equipment, but also safeguard their mental health. Oftentimes, lineworkers experience a near-miss themselves or the loss of a coworker, and the toll can be complete self-destruction, said Ken Lulow of Line Worker Solutions. Rather than trying to self-cope and hold it all in, they can reach out for help from their coworkers, company and community mental health professionals.

This episode, narrated from the article "Prioritizing the Mental Health of First Responders" in the 2025 T&D World Lineworker Supplement, delves beneath the surface of safety in the line trade to offer six strategies to help lineworkers focus on their mental health and wellness.

For more information, stay tuned to Part 2, which will feature an interview with Jenny Lavin, founder of Union Care Solutions and Part 3, which will offer more tips on how to break the silence on mental health struggles and get help. Line Life Podcast listeners in the United States can also dial "988" to be immediately connected to local resources in their community. Thanks for listening and sharing this special episode. 

Hurricane Helene Heroes, Part 2: Going Back to Old-School Line Work

Hurricane Helene washed out roads and bridges, toppled trees and made it nearly impossible for line crews to access certain areas for restoration. Part 2 of our two-part series on this hurricane looks back at the storm response one year ago, when line crews had to rely on everything from paper maps to walkie-talkies to get the job done. 

This episode features the 2025 International Lineman's Rodeo Duke Energy team of Miles Bell, Jordan Henderson and Heath Burrell, who share stories of working in the Bat Cave and Chimney Rock areas, setting poles by helicopter and partnering with the community and tree crews to clear fallen trees. 

To learn more about the restoration, listen to Part 1 or look for a future two-part series in T&D World's print magazine. You can also tune in to the episode, "Hurricane Helene: Voices from the Field." Thanks for listening to the Line Life Podcast!

ICYMI: Life After the Line

This audio story, narrated from the article "Line After the Line" in the 2025 T&D World Lineworker Supplement, highlights five journeymen lineworkers who have continued to serve their communities after their careers on the line. This episode, part of our ICYMI series for the Line Life Podcast, features the stories of Robert Padgett, Randy Beckes, Rustin Owen, Rick Owens and Maximo Fuentes. 

They share stories of their careers in the field and their ventures into new types of work following retirement from the line trade. The lineworkers also offered advice to other lineworkers who are considering retiring from their careers in line work. 

Stay tuned to the ICYMI series to listen to the final two audio stories from the Lineworker Supplement: "Prioritizing Mental Health for First Responders" and "Extreme Storms." Thanks for listening and subscribing to the Line Life Podcast. 

Hurricane Helene Heroes, Part 1: Featuring Miles Bell, Jordan Henderson and Heath Burrell of Duke Energy

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, we featured the Line Life Podcast episode, "Voices from the Field." For this new two-part series, we are featuring the 2025 International Lineman's Rodeo Duke Energy journeyman team of Miles Bell, Jordan Henderson and Heath Burrell, who all responded to Hurricane Helene. 

During this podcast episode, they discuss their careers in the line trade, their most memorable storms, and their memories of the Hurricane Helene response. They also share stories about how their families and communities came together to support the line crews as they worked long days to restore power and rebuild infrastructure. 

Stay tuned to the Line Life Podcast to hear Part 2, which will focus more on the damage caused by the hurricane and how the line crews worked together to overcome obstacles in the field. Also, look for a two-part article in T&D World magazine, "Hurricane Helene: One Year Later." Thanks for listening to the Line Life Podcast!

ICYMI: Fast Forward to the Future of the Line Trade, Part 2

This Line Life Podcast episode shines the spotlight on seven pre-apprentices, who are the future of the line trade. In the first part of this ICYMI series, we featured an overview of different training programs and the opportunities available in the line trade. Part 2 profiles recent and current pre-apprentices who are training to work on the line.

This episode shares the stories of Bryy Marriott, who won the Edison International Lineworker Scholarship and studied at LATTC; Matthew Miller, a former wildland forest firefighter who attended the Lineman Institute of the North East (L.I.N.E.); Klarence Pilinkington, who worked in the oil fields with his four brothers before becoming a student at American Lineman College; Wyatt McCauley, a pre-apprentice in the high-voltage training program at OSU Institute of Technology; Weston Fabian, a Marine Corps veteran who graduated from Northwest Lineman College (NLC); AJ Bruns, who is now working at Midland Power Constructors after wrapping up his training at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) and Justin Gonzales, who attended American Lineman College and is following in his brother's footsteps in the line trade.

For more information, listen to Part 1 of this series or read the full story, which went online as "How Training Programs are Shaping the Future of the Utility Workforce, on the T&D World website.

Live from the 2025 International Lineman's Rodeo Grounds

This episode looks back at the 2025 International Lineman's Rodeo competition, which was the largest event in more than four decades. This episode features highlights from the opening ceremony and interviews live from the Rodeo grounds. For more Rodeo coverage, stay tuned to the Line Life Podcast and visit the T&D World website to view photo galleries, videos, articles and more. Congratulations to all the winners and competitors, and we look forward to seeing you during the 2026 International Lineman's Rodeo Week!