Angelo sits down with James Boseley, Trades Lead at Pain BC, whose 25+ years in the oil field and heavy equipment work ended with a nine-foot fall that shattered his heel, broke his hip and leg, and herniated his discs. James worked through those injuries for four months, spent six years off work, and rebuilt his life through pain coaching and counseling. Now he leads Pain BC’s outreach to the trades, including the Guideline text support service and the Don’t Be the D*****s campaign. This conversation covers the culture of silence around pain, the path from injury to addiction, and the free resources most trades workers have never heard of.

Key topics covered:

• The rub-some-dirt-in-it culture and how pain stigma gets passed down on site

• James’s nine-foot fall, the system failures that followed, and six years off work

• The acute-to-chronic pain window and why early intervention matters

• Pain, mental health, and addiction as one connected problem, not three separate ones

• The BC numbers: 21% of toxic drug deaths are trades workers; nearly 80% of construction opioid overdose deaths involved a prior pain condition

• Diagnosis as a stepping stone rather than an identity

• Pain BC’s free resources: the Guideline text line, Pain Support Line, 12 free coaching sessions, peer support groups, Empowered Relief, and the Making Sense of Pain course

• Why lived experience connects where clinical language fails

• The one thing leaders can do Monday: sit back and listen

Guest bio:

James Boseley is the Trades Lead at Pain BC, a British Columbia non-profit dedicated to pain education, support, and research. A former oil field and heavy equipment worker, James retrained as a certified pain coach and counselor after a workplace injury ended his field career. He brings lived experience of chronic pain, workers’ compensation battles, and recovery to his work supporting tradespeople across BC.

Pain BC Info:

Text ‘TRADES’ to 1-833-261-PAIN (7246) to access free, confidential support and chronic pain tools designed for BC trades workers. Available Monday to Thursday, 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM PT.

To learn more about the Guideline, please visit painbc.ca/guideline.

Pain BC’s Trades and Pain Program has created a Toolbox Talks facilitator’s guide and videos to help make conversations about pain easier to bring into safety meetings. Register for our free webinar on August 5 or September 9 to learn more about the guide and videos.

* August 5 - register here

* September 9 - register here

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