On today’s episode, Andy is joined by Mike Rowe, television host, narrator, and founder of the Mike RoweWORKS Foundation. Best known for his show Dirty Jobs, Mike has spent years spotlighting the essential workers who keep the country running and advocating for the skilled trades through scholarships and public outreach.

In this conversation, Mike talks about the growing labor shortage in America and the cultural shift that led to the decline in respect for hands-on work. He and Andy explore how education, media, and policy have steered young people away from trades, the consequences of that shift, and what it will take to reverse the trend.

Change Agents is an IRONCLAD Original

Sponsors:

Firecracker Farm

Use code IRONCLAD to get 15% off your first order at https://firecracker.farm/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode details and artwork are published by the show’s own feed. Sentinel plays short cited excerpts and links every episode back to its publisher.

← All episodes from Ironclad

Mike Rowe: What America Sacrifices by Ignoring Skilled Labor

Search the Record

Ironclad Episodes Around April 30, 2025

Surviving Scientology: Growing Up and Escaping Its Abuse (with Jenna Miscavige Hill)

Cartels, Fake Agents, and Human Trafficking in Sports (Chris Dalby Returns)

Hunting Digital Predators: The Real Dangers Hiding in Kids’ Games and Devices (with ethical hacker Ryan Montgomery)

The Power of Cartels: How Sinaloa and CJNG Maintain Their Stranglehold on Mexico

Confronting the Threats of Ukraine, Russia, and China in U.S. Military Strategy

Neo-Nazis in America: How an FBI Agent Infiltrated the "The Base" Extremist Group

Annie Jacobsen: Nuclear War, Government Secrets, and the Future of Global Security

Change Agents: Black Project Trailer

Black Project Ep. 1: A Dark History

NSA Whistleblower Thomas Drake Exposes the Truth Behind Surveillance and Corruption

Black Project Ep. 2: Unidentified

Asia's Most Dangerous AI Crime Lords: Are Digital Scam Networks the New Face of Organized Crime?

Black Project Ep. 3: Black Site

Inside Syria, Iran, and the Terror Networks Targeting America (with Sarah Adams)

Black Project Ep. 4: Reverse Engineered

Mike Rowe: What America Sacrifices by Ignoring Skilled Labor

Veterans Are Doing the Job the Government Won’t (with Scott Mann)

How Deep Does Government Protection Go for Epstein and His Network? (Nick Bryant Returns)

Are We Heading Toward a Bigger War? U.S. Targets Yemen After Houthi Attacks

How the War on Terror Created a New Generation of Enemies (with CIA Whistleblower John Kiriakou)

Cattle Mutilations, the Pentagon, UFOs & Billionaires: The Skinwalker Ranch Mystery

The U.S., China, Taiwan, and the Coming Collapse of Global Stability (with Peter Zeihan)

Al Qaeda Is Rapidly Rebuilding: Afghanistan & the New Terror Threat

How Jihadist Movements Took Root in the Sahel—and Why the U.S. Should Care

The Mobster Who Refused to 'Rat': Ex-Mafia Heist Specialist Lou Ferrante Tells All

Bonus Rebroadcast: Was Jeffrey Epstein an Intelligence Asset? (with Nick Bryant)

Inside The Secret U.S.–Iran Deal That Created the Next Global Nuclear Threat

Exposing a Massive CCP Infiltration Plot—Uncovered at the Southern Border

Inside China’s Spy Game: How the MSS Targets the U.S. Military

Nuclear Treaties Are Failing. Proliferation Is Rising. What’s the Global Response?

From Internet Forums to Murder: The Disturbing Rise of the Zizians Cult

Summary