Who do you have in your corner when life starts getting heavy?Ryan sits down with returning guest Kevin Taylor, a longtime lineman who spent nearly 12 years with CenterPoint Energy before heading outside and working on the road for several more years. Kevin first appeared on Powerline Podcast in Episode 76, and this time the conversation goes much deeper into mental health, road life, family, safety, and the people who helped him through some of his hardest seasons. Together, they talk about the reality of isolation on the road, therapy, alcohol, the pressure to appear fine, and why having people you can actually call matters. Kevin shares the idea behind his personal “boardroom,” a small group of trusted people he relies on for different parts of life, and explains how that support system helped change the way he handles difficult moments. Kevin also opens up about the serious 2022 accident that left him in ICU, forced him to relearn everyday tasks, and permanently changed how he thinks about risk, decision-making, and the ripple effect our choices can have on the people around us. He also shares why he started the Ace of Spades Project, built around one goal: helping someone through a place he already knows firsthand. The conversation explores what it really means to have an “ace in the hole,” why sometimes the person struggling will not be the one to reach out first, how road life can amplify isolation, and why one person showing up at the right time can matter more than they realize.Whether you’re a lineman, traveler, foreman, apprentice, spouse, parent, or simply someone trying to show up better for the people around you, this conversation is a reminder that you do not have to handle everything alone.If you or someone you know is struggling, support is available.U.S. + Canada: Call or text 988, 24/7.If there is immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.✌️SUPPORT THE PODCAST HERE ✌️ 📱FOLLOW THE PODCAST ON SOCIAL MEDIA📱Instagram: @powerlinepodcastTikTok: @powerlinepodcastYouTube: @powerlinepodcastLinkedIn: Powerline PodcastFacebook: @Powerline-PodcastX: @PowerlinePodcst⚡️GUESTS: KEVIN TAYLOR⚡️TikTok: @aceofspadesprojectYouTube: @AceofSpadesProjectInstagram: @itskmfit🎙️HOST: RYAN LUCAS🎙️Instagram: @ryanwlucas TikTok: @ryanwlucasLinkedIn: Ryan Lucas💥INQUIRIES OR GUEST SUGGESTION💥Email: powerlinepodcast@quantaservices.com
What does brotherhood look like when life gets hard?Ryan sits down with Christopher Thomas and Clint Vick for a deeply personal conversation about mental health, isolation, identity, and what it really means to look out for one another in the trades.Christopher is a Marine Corps veteran and journeyman lineman with more than 15 years in the trade, whose career has evolved into training, leadership, and helping strengthen the culture around the people doing the work.Clint returns to Powerline Podcast for a second time (listen to his first episode here). He is a longtime journeyman lineman whose career has taken him through utility work, barehand transmission, years on the road, leadership, and substation construction. Clint is also a very talented country artist; check out his music here.Both share openly about periods in their lives when they struggled to keep going, the isolation that made those periods harder, and the people who helped simply by showing up and continuing to check in.Together, they talk about the toll of road life, chasing overtime, losing connection at home, moving from the tools into increasingly isolated leadership roles, and tying too much of your identity to the job.More importantly, they talk about what helped: honest conversations, friends who kept calling, finding the right person to talk to, rebuilding purpose, taking care of your physical health, reconnecting with family and community, and creating a culture where checking on someone is simply part of the brotherhood.This episode isn't about having the perfect words.It's about knowing your people, noticing when something changes, making the call, and staying connected.If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs immediate support, call or text 988 in the U.S. or Canada.✌️SUPPORT THE PODCAST HERE ✌️ 📱FOLLOW THE PODCAST ON SOCIAL MEDIA📱Instagram: @powerlinepodcastTikTok: @powerlinepodcastYouTube: @powerlinepodcastLinkedIn: Powerline PodcastFacebook: @Powerline-PodcastX: @PowerlinePodcst⚡️GUESTS: CHRISTOPHER THOMAS & CLINT VICK⚡️Christopher's Instagram: @gummy_bears_and_deadliftsClint's Instagram: @vickclint🎙️HOST: RYAN LUCAS🎙️Instagram: @ryanwlucas TikTok: @ryanwlucasLinkedIn: Ryan Lucas💥INQUIRIES OR GUEST SUGGESTION💥Email: powerlinepodcast@quantaservices.com
What if mental health was treated with the same urgency as every other jobsite safety risk?Ryan sits down with Wykisha Thomas-McKinney of MATES North America, alongside Nate Strickland and Tyler Smith of Summit Line Construction, for an important conversation about suicide prevention, mental health, and what it really means to look out for the people working beside you.Wykisha is the Program Operations Manager for MATES North America, helping bring the peer-led suicide prevention model into North American construction. Nate is Summit Line Construction's Safety Director and shares both his professional perspective and personal experience with depression and losing close friends to suicide. Tyler is a Senior Project Manager with 23 years in the industry, including roughly 18 years living the realities of field and road work.Together, they unpack some of the pressures that can make construction and line work uniquely challenging: long rotations, isolation, missed family milestones, relationship strain, workplace trauma, substance use, and a culture that has historically told workers to put their game face on and keep moving.The conversation also breaks down the MATES Network of Safety, including General Awareness training, peer Connectors and advanced suicide intervention training designed to put support directly inside the workforce. The goal isn't to turn coworkers into therapists. It's to give people the tools to notice when something is wrong, ask the question, listen, offer support and help someone find the right resources.They also discuss why leaders set the tone for psychologically safer crews, why being vulnerable doesn't make someone less tough, how to check in with a coworker who seems off, and why building a mental-health plan before a crisis can make it easier to know where to turn when things get difficult.Whether you're an apprentice, journeyman, foreman, supervisor, safety professional, contractor, leader, spouse or friend, this episode is a reminder that safety doesn't stop at the hard hat.CONTENT NOTE: This episode discusses suicide, suicidal thoughts, depression, substance use, loss and workplace trauma.If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available:United States: Call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.Canada: Call or text 9-8-8 for the Suicide Crisis Helpline.If someone is in immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.Learn more about MATES North America:matesna.org✌️SUPPORT THE PODCAST HERE ✌️ 📱FOLLOW THE PODCAST ON SOCIAL MEDIA📱Instagram: @powerlinepodcastTikTok: @powerlinepodcastYouTube: @powerlinepodcastLinkedIn: Powerline PodcastFacebook: @Powerline-PodcastX: @PowerlinePodcst ⚡️GUESTS: WYKISHA THOMAS-MCKINNEY & NATE STRICKLAND⚡️LinkedIn: Wykisha Mckinney | Nathaniel StricklandMATES NORTH AMERICA PILOTWebsite: matesna.orgInstagram: @matesnorthamericaTikTok: @matesnorthamericaLinkedIn: MATES North America PilotFacebook: @MATES North America PilotX: @MATESNthAmerica🎙️HOST: RYAN LUCAS🎙️Instagram: @ryanwlucas TikTok: @ryanwlucasLinkedIn: Ryan Lucas💥INQUIRIES OR GUEST SUGGESTION💥Email: powerlinepodcast@quantaservices.com
What does it take to build a life most people only dream about?Ryan travels to New York to sit down with Dennis Kelly for his third appearance on Powerline Podcast, and this time, they do it in person. Over the course of the visit, Dennis takes Ryan inside the world he has built, from KR Utilities and multiple businesses to airplanes, helicopters, supercars, motorcycles, racing, and the experiences that define his “Live the Lifestyle” mentality.Dennis shares how he went from working in the line trade to building his first fitness centre while working six tens, using every spare hour and available dollar to keep moving forward. He explains why small steps compound, how reputation creates opportunities, why relationships matter, and what it means to live according to your own values instead of someone else’s expectations.This conversation is not about copying Dennis’s lifestyle. It is about deciding what you want your own life to look like and taking practical steps toward it. Dennis breaks down the mindset, work ethic, calculated risks, relationships, and problem-solving that helped him build seven businesses and create a life centred around freedom, progress, and meaningful experiences.Topics covered:What “Live the Lifestyle” really meansStarting a business while working full-time in the tradeTaking one step and solving one problem at a timeWhy your reputation can create opportunities years laterBuilding relationships before you need somethingUsing linework as the foundation for entrepreneurshipWhy success brings bigger problems, not fewer problemsDesigning a life around freedom, values, and experiencesLearning to fly airplanes and helicoptersDennis’s Hurricane Helene rescue and relief effortsBuilding businesses without taking an early paycheckWhy small actions compound into extraordinary resultsInterested in storm work with KR Utilities? Join the KR Utilities storm list by visiting KRutilities.com.Subscribe to Powerline Podcast for more conversations with the people building careers, businesses, and lives beyond the trade.✌️SUPPORT THE PODCAST HERE ✌️ 📱FOLLOW THE PODCAST ON SOCIAL MEDIA📱Instagram: @powerlinepodcastTikTok: @powerlinepodcastYouTube: @powerlinepodcastLinkedIn: Powerline PodcastFacebook: @Powerline-PodcastX: @PowerlinePodcst⚡️GUEST: DENNIS KELLY⚡️Instagram: @denkelly10 | @krutilitiesLinkedIn: Dennis Kelly | KR Utilities🎙️HOST: RYAN LUCAS🎙️Instagram: @ryanwlucasTikTok: @ryanwlucasLinkedIn: Ryan Lucas💥INQUIRIES OR GUEST SUGGESTION💥Email: powerlinepodcast@quantaservices.com
How does a company survive for 100 years in one of the most niche industries in America?Ryan sits down with Rod Paul, President & CEO of Bashlin Industries, and Justin Tate, leader in Sales & Product Development, to explore the story behind one of the utility industry's most trusted manufacturers. From humble beginnings to becoming a name generations of lineworkers rely on, Bashlin's journey has been defined by one constant: adapting to change.Rod and Justin share how the company has navigated a century of industry shifts through product innovation, customer feedback, leadership transitions, and a commitment to earning trust one product at a time. They also discuss the challenges facing modern manufacturing, including workforce shortages, automation, robotic welding, and what it takes to continue building products in America.The conversation explores why trust is earned through consistency, how companies stay relevant across generations, the importance of listening to customers, and why every successful business eventually reaches another moment where it must adapt or risk being left behind.Whether you're an apprentice, journeyman, supervisor, contractor, manufacturer, business owner, or simply interested in leadership and innovation, this episode offers valuable lessons from a company that has spent 100 years evolving alongside the industry it serves.Topics covered:The history of Bashlin IndustriesSurviving 100 years in a niche industryWhy innovation never stopsBuilding products lineworkers trustCustomer-driven product developmentLeadership through changeThe future of American manufacturingWorkforce shortages and skilled tradesRobotics and automation in manufacturingLessons from a century of adaptation✌️SUPPORT THE PODCAST HERE ✌️ 📱FOLLOW THE PODCAST ON SOCIAL MEDIA📱Instagram: @powerlinepodcastTikTok: @powerlinepodcastYouTube: @powerlinepodcastLinkedIn: Powerline PodcastFacebook: @Powerline-PodcastX: @PowerlinePodcst⚡️GUESTS: ROD PAUL, JUSTIN TATE & BASHLIN INDUSTRIES⚡️ROD PAUL / BASHLIN INDUSTRIESWebsite: bashlin.comInstagram: @bashlinincYouTube: @bashlinindustriesinc.9630LinkedIn: BashlinFacebook: Bashlin IndustriesX: @bashlinincJUSTIN TATELinkedIn: Justin Tate🎙️HOST: RYAN LUCAS🎙️Instagram: @ryanwlucas TikTok: @ryanwlucasLinkedIn: Ryan Lucas💥INQUIRIES OR GUEST SUGGESTION💥Email: powerlinepodcast@quantaservices.com