Host Brian Brogen introduces leadership readiness speaker and trainer Stephanie Nowak, who works with early-career professionals in the AEC industry.

Nowak shares her background as an electrical design engineer, construction project manager, and engineering/construction group manager, thendefines leadership as servant leadership centered on trust, respect, collaboration, and advocating for one’s team.

The conversation focuses on self-advocacy as both promoting oneself and setting boundaries, especially for middle managers managing up and down, including respectful ways to say no, clarify deadlines, and avoid burnout.

They discuss reducing tension between engineers,contractors, office, and field through curiosity, communication, collaboration, and explaining requests with “because.” Stephanie explains she founded her work to improve leadership by building emotional intelligence and self-awareness, after recognizing her own gaps and seeing their impact on workplace culture and relationships.

Guest LinkedIn: Stephanie Nowak,MBA | LinkedIn

Guest Website: https://www.engineeredtobecome.com/

Host Email:[email protected] Host LinkedIn: Brian Brogen, PMP 🧱| LinkedIn

Host Website: BuildConsulting Services - Mulberry, FL - Brian Brogen

About the host: Do you want true engagement at your event?Expect Brian Brogen to deliver a keynote that sparks dialogue, inspires growth, and leaves your audience thinking long after the event ends.

Drawing on his extensive experience as a general contractor and project manager in the construction, power, and mining industries, Brian brings the real-world credibility and relatable rapport your audience craves.

On the Build Your Success podcast, host Brian interviewsLuke Hill, a Marine Corps veteran and staffing manager for Telson in Houston, about leadership, mentoring, and construction recruiting.

Luke shares his background in staffing and apprenticeshipplacement, his family ties to the trades, and how a former gunnery sergeant shaped his leadership “true north”: leaving an organization and its people better than he found them.

They discuss the ripple effect of mentoring, the mission ofthe nonprofit Crew Collaborative to improve lives in blue-collar and construction careers by sharing real stories in schools, and the importance of presenting trades as a destination while acknowledging long hours, toughconditions, and cyclical work.

Luke explains MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing), notesongoing workforce shortages and retirements and describes the most surprising and rewarding part of recruiting: the industry’s tangible community impact through projects like hospitals and schools.

Guest Social: Luke Hill |LinkedIn

Guest Website: Tellepsen| Commercial Contractor

Host Email:[email protected] Host LinkedIn: Brian Brogen, PMP 🧱| LinkedIn

Host Website: BuildConsulting Services - Mulberry, FL - Brian Brogen

About the host: Do you want true engagement at your event?Expect Brian Brogen to deliver a keynote that sparks dialogue, inspires growth, and leaves your audience thinking long after the event ends.

Drawing on his extensive experience as a general contractorand project manager in the construction, power, and mining industries, Brian brings the real-world credibility and relatable rapport your audience craves.

In this Build Your Success Podcast episode, Brian welcomesleadership coaches Missy Washam and Mayce DelValle from Mpactful Messages, they share how they met, became best friends and business partners, and help companies transform through leadership development.

They define strong leadership as authentic, vulnerable, androoted in connection, emphasizing that everyone deserves to be led well and that connection drives trust, buy-in, commitment, productivity, profit, and accountability.

They discuss how leaders can move teams from compliance tocommitment by knowing people’s lives, strengths, passions, and motivators, and identify micromanagement as a major cause of disengagement. The conversation highlights practical examples from blue-collar environments, the impact ofleadership on work and home life.

 Get the Mpactful Messages Offer by texting: Time to (772)732-6684

Missy: MissyWasham | LinkedIn

Mayce: MayceDelValle | LinkedIn

Guest Website: MpactfulMessages

Host Email:[email protected] Host LinkedIn: Brian Brogen, PMP 🧱| LinkedIn

Host Website: BuildConsulting Services - Mulberry, FL - Brian Brogen

About the host: Do you want true engagement at your event?Expect Brian Brogen to deliver a keynote that sparks dialogue, inspires growth,and leaves your audience thinking long after the event ends.

Drawing on his extensive experience as a general contractorand project manager in the construction, power, and mining industries, Brianbrings the real-world credibility and relatable rapport your audience craves.

On this episode of the Build Your Success podcast, host Brian Brogen welcomes Rob Sublette Vice President of Mountain Man Welding, a family-owned Denver welding and fabrication company founded in 1992 that transitioned from oil and gas into water infrastructure and has welded much of Colorado’s major welded-steel water pipelines over the past 34 years.

 Rob shares his path from welder helper to project engineer, operations manager, and VP in 2024, and discusses buying out the business as his mom serves as president. He defines leadership as being people-first, accessible, and willing to work alongside crews.

Rob outlines opportunities for young people in fabrication, emphasizing starting at the bottom, gaining real field experience, and being patient about pay and progression.

 He highlights 2026 challenges including tariffs affecting material lead times and the ongoing labor and training gap, and advises newcomers to stay humble, invest in themselves, and avoid job hopping.

 Guest Social: Rob Sublette |LinkedIn

GuestWebsite: https://mountainmanwelding.com

Host Email:[email protected] LinkedIn: Brian Brogen,PMP 🧱 | LinkedIn

About the host: Do you want true engagement at your event? Expect Brian Brogen to deliver a keynote that sparks dialogue, inspires growth, and leaves your audience thinking long after the event ends.

Drawing on his extensive experience as a general contractor and project manager in the construction, power, and mining industries, Brian brings the real-world credibility and relatable rapport your audience craves.

On this episode of the Build Your Success podcast we welcome Justin Barksdale, founder of Barksdale Safety and Barksdale Leadership. Justin shares his 15–16 years as a safety professional, starting as a scaffold builder, and explains his companies’ missions: educating, equipping, and empowering organizations to create safety and building leaders people want to follow and cultures people never want to leave.

Justin defines leadership as servant influence that adds value and builds trust, and defines culture as how people think, act, and interact. They discuss how leaders shape culture through what they reinforce and tolerate, how “culture isn’t what we expect; it’s what we accept,” and how poor culture drives disengagement, turnover, and hidden costs.

Justin warns against “flavor of the month” change, stresses measuring culture, investing in leadership development, and cites Microsoft’s culture shift from “know-it-alls”to “learn-it-alls.”

Guest Social: JustinBarksdale, CSP | LinkedIn

Guest Website: BarksdaleLeadership Solutions ; BarksdaleSafety Solutions -Safety Consultants

Host Email:[email protected] Host LinkedIn: Brian Brogen, PMP 🧱| LinkedIn

About the host: Do you want true engagement at your event?Expect Brian Brogen to deliver a keynote that sparks dialogue, inspires growth, and leaves your audience thinking long after the event ends.

Drawing on his extensive experience as a general contractorand project manager in the construction, power, and mining industries, Brian brings the real-world credibility and relatable rapport your audience craves.

In this Build Your Success Podcast episode, host Brian Brogen interviews Rob Newman, Vice President of DeWalt Business Development Strategies, aboutleadership, innovation, safety, and workforce development in construction.

Rob shares his 27-year journey at DeWalt, emphasizing leadership through listening, continuous learning, and self-reflection in communication. He highlights DeWalt’s new down-drilling robot partnership with August Robotics, tested on data center projects to improve accuracy, reduce dust exposure, enhance safety, and save significant schedule time, including reducing a seven-week drilling scope to seven days.

 They discuss labor shortages and how automation can repurpose workers into higher-value roles, including operating and programming robots. Rob also covers inherently safer tools and DeWalt’s Grow the Trades commitment, including expanded funding, tool donations, support for trade schools, veteran’spathways, and programs exposing youth and girls to skilled trades.

Guest LinkedIn: Robert Newman |LinkedIn

Guest Website: https://dewalt.com and https://stanleyblackanddecker.com

Host Email:[email protected] LinkedIn: Brian Brogen,PMP 🧱 | LinkedIn

About the host:Do you want true engagement at your event? Expect Brian Brogen to deliver a keynote that sparks dialogue, inspires growth, and leaves your audiencethinking long after the event ends.

Drawing on his extensive experience as a general contractor and project manager in the construction, power, and mining industries, Brian brings the real-world credibility and relatable rapport that your audience craves.

Welcome to this episode of the Build Your Success Podcast! Host Brian Brogen is joined by Jeff Martin, EHS Manager for Komatsu America, as they discuss leadership, culture, and community involvement.

With over 34 years at Komatsu, Jeff shares his journey from EMT to Environmental Health and Safety Manager, his insights on leadership and extreme ownership, and the importance of building a strong culture.

Learn about Komatsu's innovative pre-apprenticeship programs that invest in future workforce and the company's commitment to community and technical education.

Don't miss out on this episode filled with inspiring stories and valuable lessons on leadership and community building!

Guest Social: Jeff Martin |LinkedIn

Guest Website: en-us| Komatsu

Host Email:[email protected] Host LinkedIn: Brian Brogen, PMP 🧱| LinkedIn

About the host: Do you want true engagement at your event?Expect Brian Brogen to deliver a keynote that sparks dialogue, inspires growth, and leaves your audience thinking long after the event ends.

Drawing on his extensive experience as a general contractorand project manager in the construction, power, and mining industries, Brian brings the real-world credibility and relatable rapport your audience craves.

In this episode of the Build Your Success Podcast, hostBrian Brogen welcomes Marie Milord, a safety and health professional specializing in utilities and heavy civil sectors.

Marie, a board member of the New York City American Societyof Safety Professionals and an accomplished coach, delves into leadership dynamics, the importance of emotional intelligence (EQ/EI) in construction, and her bold initiative, 'Bold and Safe'. Discover her unique perspective on beinga leader, the value of diverse leadership styles, fostering psychological safety, and her passion for nurturing young talent.

Marie also shares personal insights about her daughter'saspirations in construction management, highlighting the familial and educational influences in career choices. This episode offers invaluable lessons for professionals and newcomers in construction, emphasizing safety,empathy, and collaborative innovation.

Tune in to learn how to build yourself so you can buildothers.

Guest Email: [email protected]

Guest Social: Marie Milord, CSP, CHST, SMP |LinkedIn

Guest Website: https://somatculture.com

Host Email:[email protected] Host LinkedIn: Brian Brogen, PMP 🧱| LinkedIn

About the host: Do you want true engagement at your event?Expect Brian Brogen to deliver a keynote that sparks dialogue, inspires growth,and leaves your audience thinking long after the event ends.

Drawing on his extensive experience as a general contractorand project manager in the construction, power, and mining industries, Brianbrings the real-world credibility and relatable rapport your audience craves.

Welcome to the Build Your Success podcast, hosted by BrianBrogen. In this episode, we welcome Jared Millar, founder of Big Blue Collar, an expert in lead generation and smart automations for blue collar businesses.

Jared shares his background growing up in the trade industryand transitioning to helping blue collar businesses scale and reclaim their time. He discusses the importance of having the right systems in place, from quality websites and social media presence to effective lead management andautomation.

Jared also delves into leadership, emphasizing theimportance of leading by example and creating a path for others to follow.

Tune in to gain valuable insights on reverse engineering your business goals, preparing to handle leads, and optimizing your operations for success.

Don't miss out on these actionable tips to take yourblue-collar business to the next level!

Guest Email: [email protected]

Guest Website: https://bigbluecollar.com

Host Email:[email protected] Host LinkedIn: Brian Brogen, PMP 🧱| LinkedIn

Host Website: https://buildcs.net

About the host: Do you want true engagement at your event?Expect Brian Brogen to deliver a keynote that sparks dialogue, inspires growth, and leaves your audience thinking long after the event ends.

Drawing on his extensive experience as a general contractorand project manager in the construction, power, and mining industries, Brian brings the real-world credibility and relatable rapport your audience craves.

Here is a replay of a popular episode a few years ago.

Grady Judd is the Straight Shooting Sheriff of Polk County FL, he is the first sheriff in the county's history to be elected to 5 consecutive terms. Sheriff Judd believes in servant leadership and listens to those that he serves. "When you mess up, you have to dress up, fess up and fix up" Own your mistakes and get better. "Don't get wadded up by the naysayers" stay focused on serving others. Please listen, subscribe and share this podcast with others.

https://www.polksheriff.org/ 

Host Email:[email protected] Host LinkedIn: Brian Brogen, PMP 🧱| LinkedIn

About the host: Do you want true engagement at your event?Expect Brian Brogen to deliver a keynote that sparks dialogue, inspires growth, and leaves your audience thinking long after the event ends.

Drawing on his extensive experience as a general contractorand project manager in the construction, power, and mining industries, Brian brings the real-world credibility and relatable rapport your audience craves.