Ep 18: The Blue Collar Poet: Dustin Crosby on Pain, Purpose, and Healing Through Poetry

Dustin Crosby is a journeyman carpenter and the voice behind the Blue Collar Poet, an online presence resonating deeply with workers across the trades. With more than two decades of experience in blue-collar work, Dustin’s journey spans industries, job sites, and life chapters shaped by instability, resilience, and reflection. Raised in rural Florida, Dustin’s path into the trades was driven as much by survival as it was by purpose. After navigating early hardship, dropping out of high school, and earning his GED, he found direction through trade school, building a foundation of skillsets that would carry him through carpentry, tile, solar, and beyond. All during this time, Dustin was quietly developing another craft, writing. What has emerged was not just a creative outlet, but a form of connection and healing for both Dustin and the thousands of workers who now see their own lives reflected in his words. In this episode we cover:Dustin’s Early Life & Path into Trades: Growing up in poverty, falling through the cracks in school, and finding direction through trade workSkills as Survival & Mobility: How learning a craft created confidence, opportunity, and resilience across industriesThe Emotional Reality of Blue Collar Work: Exhaustion, instability, grief, identity, and the mental load carried by workersPoetry & Vulnerability in the Trades: Writing as processing, reflection, and emotional translation for blue-collar experienceMental Health & Industry Culture: Isolation, addiction culture, emotional suppression, and the human cost of the workBlue Collar as Identity vs Aesthetic: The tension between social media portrayals and lived realityLooking Ahead: Dustin’s book project, creative mission, and long-term vision for building belonging & community * This episodes discusses job site deaths and deaths by suicide. Listener discretion is advised. -----Guest info:Follow Dustin at Blue Collar Poet 633 on TikTok & InstagramFacebook: Dustin Crosby Connect with The Skilled Project:Founder, Amanda Luchetti; ✉️: amanda@theskilledproject.comFollow on Instagram & TikTokSubscribe to newsletter Like the podcast? 🎧Subscribe to the podcastLeave a kickass reviewKnow someone Skilled AF? Submit a story here Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.