How two former construction workers are breaking the stigma of seeking help

31/07/2025 33 min
How two former construction workers are breaking the stigma of seeking help

Listen "How two former construction workers are breaking the stigma of seeking help"

Episode Synopsis

For Aaron Walsh and James Pursell, the work of LEAN-STL is personal. As peer support specialists, they work to break down the stigma of talking about addiction and mental health — often sharing their own experience with addiction, recovery and healing in the process. In the two and a half years since LEAN-STL was founded, the pair has connected hundreds of St. Louis laborers and their families with resources. It’s a model they believe will lower the high rates of substance use and suicide among construction workers — one they hope to see adopted by more trade associations in the future.

More episodes of the podcast St. Louis on the Air