Breaking the Stigma: Rob’s Journey to Mental Health Advocacy in Construction

When I had the opportunity to ask Rob some questions, he recalled a time he was on a site and felt hesitant to read a mental health awareness poster that was on the wall. “I was afraid that others would see me looking at this poster. There was a team of workers who I was supposed to be supporting, and I didn’t want them to know I was struggling.” Rob’s reluctance to ask for support and his worries about the reactions from others reflects the feelings of a lot of tradespeople. “I just wasn’t talking. I was a typical construction worker who didn’t speak about their mental health and didn’t know how.”

Eventually, Rob decided he had to be honest with himself and admit that he needed help. After leaning into support, things started to improve. “I had to break down my barriers and remove the ‘mask’ I was wearing.” Determined to change the culture around mental health in construction, The MYH Podcast was born, a platform dedicated to open discussions. The podcast attempts to remove the stigma attached to speaking up, featuring conversations with other construction workers sharing stories about their mental health struggles.

Rob is also part of the Make It Visible team for The Lighthouse Charity, where he travels to construction sites across the UK, delivering mental health talks to workers. “I was at a talk last summer in a warehouse between Manchester and Liverpool and stood in front of around 400 workers and broke down mid-speech because of things I was going through at the time. It takes that one person to be vulnerable to let others know it’s okay to do that too.”

His talks resonate deeply with workers who are likely to be experiencing similar mental health struggles. “People will speak to me after I’ve done a talk and share things they say they’ve never told anyone before.” One particularly powerful moment came when a worker messaged Rob after attending one of his talks, saying he had been inspired to seek therapy. A decision that not only changed his own life but also inspired his father to seek help.

“The construction industry is unique. Teams may argue, but they always come together.” Despite this strong sense of camaraderie amongst workers, it’s evident the industry still has a lot of work to do in breaking the stigma around conversations about mental health. I was curious to hear Rob’s thoughts on the main causes of mental health struggles among tradespeople. “Money, relationships, the pressures of life!” He explains that the industry’s culture, particularly among men, can make it even more difficult for people to open up.

Despite the years Rob spent leading large construction projects, he reveals nothing gives him the same satisfaction as his current work. By connecting with workers in ways they can relate to, even drawing parallels between mental health and football, Rob manages to resonate with those who attend his talks and listen to his podcast. Comparing the stress before a penalty to anxiety and the sadness of a missed shot to depression helps people understand these feelings and how to deal with them.

Having pulled himself out of a dark place by leaning into the support around him, Rob’s work encouraging other construction workers to do the same has made a real difference — not just in their lives, but in his as well. “I wasn’t put on this planet just to lay bricks. It was to help change lives through the work I do today.”

Read our Mental Health in the Trades Report to learn more about the mental health challenges faced by tradespeople and the resources that are available to offer support.