Construction has the highest suicide rate of any industry in Australia.

That is not a headline designed to shock. It is a fact that has sat in the background of every site safety briefing, every RUOK Day morning tea, and every quiet conversation between mates for years.

Yet for all the awareness campaigns and wellbeing resources, something is still missing from the conversation in construction. Not information. Not funding. Not programs.

Trust.

When Todd Carney and Mitchell Pearce joined us on The Good Builder Podcast, they said something that stopped the conversation dead. Pearce put it plainly: men relate to community, and when genuine trust exists within that community, people start telling the truth. That is where change actually begins.

For builders and tradespeople who have sat in site sheds and watched blokes quietly unravel, that will land.

Two People Who Know What Pressure Actually Looks Like

Mitchell Pearce and Todd Carney are two of the most decorated rugby league players of their generation. They are also two people who publicly fell apart at the height of their careers, paid serious consequences, and then did the harder thing.

They rebuilt.

Not quietly, and not with spin. They have been open about their struggles, the poor decisions, the personal fallout, and the turning points that came when things got serious enough to force genuine change.

That honesty is the foundation of everything they have built through REBOOT: Mindset Academy. The registered charity was established to empower individuals to realise their full potential, born from a shared desire to help others navigate life’s challenges.

But what makes this relevant to construction is not the charity itself. It is what Todd and Mitch actually understand about the psychological terrain that builders live in every day.

The Pressure Is the Point

On the podcast, Pearce talked about a line from Sam Burgess: pressure is a privilege. If you are feeling pressure, it means people care about what you do.

For builders running a business, managing a team, keeping a client happy, making payroll and dealing with defects all at once, that reframe matters. The weight is not a sign that something is wrong. It is a sign that the work is real.

Carney spoke about something most builders will recognise but rarely name. The self-sabotage pattern. Working hard to get somewhere, arriving, and then creating chaos because the chase was the only thing that made sense. The struggle as validation.

That pattern exists in construction. The builder who finishes a big job and immediately takes on three more because stillness feels dangerous. The tradie who thrives under pressure but has no idea how to manage success. The business owner who is excellent at the work and quietly falling apart at home.

These are not weak people. They are people who were never given a framework for what comes next.

What REBOOT Is Actually Doing

REBOOT: Mindset Academy runs programs that include mental health education, resilience training, leadership development, and life skills workshops, designed to support disengaged youth, those at risk of offending, and school-aged children, with a professional team of counsellors, psychologists, and psychiatrists behind the work.

The focus on youth is deliberate. Early intervention is where the biggest returns are. If a young person entering the workforce, or a young apprentice getting their first taste of what construction culture looks and feels like, has access to tools for building resilience and emotional intelligence, the downstream effect is significant.

Construction is one of the largest employers of young men in this country. The culture on site shapes how those young men understand what it means to be a professional, a teammate, and a person. That is both a responsibility and an opportunity.

When Pearce said on the podcast that men start to tell the truth once trust and respect are present, he was describing exactly what good site culture looks like when it is functioning well. And what goes missing when it is not.

An Event Worth Getting Behind

On 31 July 2026, Care-Factor is hosting its annual Christmas in July event at the Hyatt Regency Sydney. This year, the beneficiary is REBOOT: Mindset Academy.

The evening is dedicated to celebrating generosity, the spirit of industry, and the power of giving back, bringing together industry leaders, supporters and friends for a night filled with purpose. Mitchell and Todd will be there on the night to share the Reboot story in person.

Last year, 350 people attended and raised over $100,000 for charity. This year is set to be bigger.

For the construction industry, this kind of event is an easy yes. The work REBOOT is doing aligns directly with what the industry already knows needs to happen: earlier conversations, more honest culture, and better tools for the people coming through.

Tables and tickets are available now at care-factor.com.au/2026event.

The Conversation Construction Needs to Keep Having

There is a version of the mental health conversation in construction that is performative. A poster in the smoko room. A toolbox talk in October.

What Todd and Mitch represent is something different. Lived experience, delivered without ego or performance. An honest account of what it took to rebuild, and a genuine commitment to making it easier for others to do the same.

When they talked about their own turning points, the parallel to construction kept surfacing. The culture of hardness that mistakes silence for strength. The isolation that builds when no one around you seems to be struggling either. The moment when someone finally says the true thing and realises the person across from them has been carrying the same weight.

Construction is a human industry. It always has been. The margin for pretending otherwise is getting thinner every year.

REBOOT is not a program asking builders to become something they are not. It is asking people to be honest about what they are dealing with, and giving them tools and community to do something about it.

That is a conversation worth backing.

Grab tickets to the Care-Factor 2026 Christmas in July event on 31 July at the Hyatt Regency Sydney: care-factor.com.au/2026event

If you would like further information on Care Factor or Reboot Mindset Academy email [email protected]

Listen to the full episode with Mitchell Pearce and Todd Carney on The Good Builder Podcast here.

Author: TGB Editorial