On most job sites, if you can’t see the hazard, you probably aren’t looking in the right place. Construction finance is no different. CFOs and controllers track every decimal, delay, and risk in the spreadsheet—but the biggest liability is often the one no one wants to talk about: the mental health of the people doing the work.
The Hidden Risk on Your Balance Sheet Construction consistently ranks among the industries with the highest suicide rates.
Mental‑health struggles rarely show up on a cost report, but they drive:
Lost productivity and presenteeism.
Absenteeism and unplanned time off.
Higher workers’ comp, disability, and health‑care claims.
Turnover, retraining costs, and lost institutional knowledge.
When leaders treat mental health as a “soft issue,” they:
Underestimate its impact on safety and profit.
Miss early warning signs that could prevent tragedy.
Why This Is Personal—and Why It Matters for Leaders Lived experience with:
Major depressive disorder.
Chronic suicidal ideation.
A near‑fatal suicide attempt.
Professional background in:
Comedy and communication (20 years writing jokes for The Tonight Show).
13 TEDx talks on mental health, resilience, and suicide prevention.
Leadership realities in construction finance:
Roles at the crossroads of responsibility and risk.
Juggling cash flow, compliance, and complex stakeholder expectations.
A very real sense of isolation at the top.
When leaders quietly struggle, it sends an unspoken message to everyone else: “We don’t talk about that here.”
The Real Cost of Silence Silence looks like:
“I’m fine, just tired.”
“Suck it up—we’ve all got problems.”
Jokes that deflect any serious conversation.
Under the surface, silence often hides:
Depression, anxiety, and burnout.
Increased substance use as a coping strategy.
Thoughts like “It’d be easier if I weren’t here.”
Financial impacts of unaddressed mental health:
Projects slowed by distraction, errors, and conflict.
Safety incidents linked to fatigue or inattention.
Good people leaving—not for more money, but for less pain.
If mental health doesn’t show up in your risk register, your risk register is incomplete.
Building a Safety Culture for Minds and Bodies You’d never sign off on a project without PPE or fall protection. Mental safety deserves the same rigor.
Key moves for construction‑finance leaders:
Normalize the question “Are you okay?”
Build it into one‑on‑ones and project check‑ins.
Train supervisors to ask it and listen without jumping straight to solutions.
Make support easy to find and truly confidential.
Promote EAPs and mental‑health benefits in plain language.
Offer anonymous screening tools and hotlines.
Put mental health into toolbox talks and safety meetings.
Short messages on stress, sleep, substance use, and suicide warning signs.
Reminders that mental fitness is part of being “fit for duty.”
Treat depression, anxiety, and burnout as safety risks.
Include psychological factors in Job Hazard Analyses and risk reviews.
Encourage people to speak up when their “mental PPE” is worn out.
The Power of Leaders Who Go First Culture changes fastest when the people with the most power model the most honesty.
Construction‑finance leaders can:
Share (appropriately) about their own stress, therapy, or tough seasons.
Admit that leadership can be lonely—and that no one is expected to carry it alone.
Publicly support those who use mental‑health resources, rather than quietly judging them.
Signal that asking for help will not cost someone their career.
When the boss opens up—carefully and professionally—it gives everyone else permission to drop the mask a little. That’s when real conversations start.
Practical First Steps for Your Organization Audit where you are now:
Do you have visible, trusted mental‑health resources?
Are mental‑health topics showing up in safety and leadership meetings?
Do supervisors know what to do if someone says “I’m not okay”?
Start one visible action:
Bring in a suicide‑prevention and workplace‑mental‑health speaker.
Launch a short manager training on recognizing and responding to warning signs.
Add a mental‑health moment to your next safety stand‑down or finance retreat.
Build from there:
Integrate mental‑health conversations into quarterly updates and project reviews.
Partner with your EAP or benefits provider on ongoing education.
Track relevant metrics—turnover, EAP utilization, incident trends—to see impact over time.
You’d never cut corners on a crane inspection. Don’t cut corners on mental health. The next safety revolution in construction finance starts with one honest conversation at a time.
25 Frequently Asked Questions from Meeting Planners Booking a Suicide‑Prevention & Workplace Mental‑Health Speaker 1. What types of organizations is this talk best suited for?
Construction companies, specialty trades, GCs, subs, construction‑finance teams, safety councils, trade associations, and any risk‑focused organization that wants to address suicide and mental health in a practical, relatable way.
2. Is the content only for construction audiences?
It’s built with high‑risk, blue‑collar and finance audiences in mind but can be adapted to corporate, healthcare, education, or public‑sector groups as needed.
3. What are the primary objectives of your keynote?
To normalize mental‑health conversations, clearly link suicide prevention to safety and productivity, teach simple “notice–ask–connect” skills, and challenge leaders to treat mental health as a core risk‑management issue.
4. How long is a typical keynote?
Standard: 45–60 minutes. It can be shortened to 20–30 minutes for a general session or expanded to 75–90 minutes if you want more interaction and Q&A.
5. Do you offer workshops or breakouts in addition to the keynote?
Yes. Options include: supervisor/foreman training, leadership sessions for finance and executive teams, and interactive workshops on tough conversations and crisis‑planning.
6. Do you speak directly about suicide?
Yes—with non‑graphic, hope‑centered language that focuses on warning signs, protective factors, and how to connect someone with help, not on sensational details.
7. How do you keep such a serious topic from feeling too heavy?
By blending lived experience with stand‑up‑level humor, construction stories, and practical tools. People usually describe the session as “real but surprisingly hopeful,” not depressing.
8. Is your approach evidence‑informed?
Yes. It aligns with widely accepted principles of workplace suicide prevention and psychological safety: education, early recognition, clear pathways to support, and leadership modeling.
9. Who is the ideal audience for this program?
Mixed groups work best: field leaders, project managers, safety pros, finance leaders, HR, and executives. Everyone hears how their role affects culture and safety.
10. Can you tailor the content to our company and projects?
Absolutely. With a short planning call, stories, examples, and language are customized to your trades, regions, and current challenges.
11. What concrete skills will attendees gain?
How to spot red flags, how to ask “Are you okay?” in a direct but respectful way, how to respond if someone mentions suicidal thoughts, and how to route people to internal and external resources.
12. Do you provide handouts or tools?
Yes—simple one‑page tools with warning signs, conversation prompts, and resource reminders, plus optional digital materials for follow‑up toolbox talks and safety meetings.
13. How do you involve leadership in the program?
Leadership is encouraged to attend and often to open or close the session. Optional executive briefings and leadership‑only breakouts focus on policy, modeling, and long‑term culture change.
14. Can this session support our existing safety or wellness initiatives?
Yes. It plugs naturally into Safety Week, stand‑downs, wellness programs, and risk‑management efforts, reinforcing what you’re already doing rather than competing with it.
15. What AV setup do you require?
For in‑person events: projector and screen, handheld or lavalier microphone, and house sound if using short video or audio clips. For virtual events: a stable platform and the ability to share slides and interact via chat/polls.
16. Do you offer virtual or hybrid presentations?
Yes. The program works well online or in hybrid formats and includes interaction (polls, chat, Q&A) to keep remote participants engaged; virtual training has been shown to be effective for suicide‑prevention education.
17. How do you handle emotional reactions or disclosures during the event?
Ground rules and support options are explained upfront. Participants are encouraged to step out if needed and are directed to EAP, HR, or crisis resources rather than processing deep personal stories in a public setting.
18. Can you highlight our EAP and internal supports during the talk?
Definitely. Your EAP, mental‑health benefits, peer programs, and local resources can be woven into the content so attendees leave knowing exactly where to get help.
19. Will you include both data and personal story?
Yes. The session blends key statistics about mental health in construction with personal experience, humor, and job‑site‑level examples, making the case both logical and emotional.
20. Is the talk appropriate for culturally and generationally diverse crews?
Yes. The language is plain and respectful, and stories are chosen to resonate across ages, roles, and backgrounds while honoring the realities of construction culture.
21. How do you address fears that speaking up will hurt someone’s career?
Those fears are named directly, and leaders are challenged to create and communicate policies that protect, not punish, help‑seeking. Attendees get language for safer disclosure and support.
22. Can this count toward required training hours?
Many organizations use it to meet internal training requirements (safety, mental health, CE). Specific accreditation depends on your governing body, but objectives can be written to align.
23. What follow‑up options are available after the keynote?
Follow‑up may include virtual Q&A, booster sessions, supervisor training, or help designing short mental‑health segments for ongoing safety meetings.
24. How far in advance should we book?
For large conferences or company‑wide events, 3–6 months’ notice is ideal. Smaller or virtual engagements can sometimes be booked on a shorter timeline, depending on the calendar.
25. How do we know if this program is the right fit for our event?
If your people wear PPE, manage risk, and are under pressure to perform safely and profitably—and you want more than a generic motivational talk—this program is almost certainly a good match. A brief planning call can confirm alignment with your goals, audience, and culture.
