EP.93 Lee Pagana on Supporting Miners Through Life’s Challenges and Managing FIFO Life

Navigating life in the mining industry has challenges at all stages, but you don’t have to go it alone. Today we look at how to take advantage of mental health support for mining workers and their families.

Each Wednesday join me, Peter Finn, managing director of FACE Contracting, as I navigate the ups and downs of the mining industry with forward-thinking professionals from all walks of life. If you’re involved in the mining industry in any way – whether you’re a lifer or a high-school student looking to make the leap – Full Production is the podcast for you.

This week we chat to Lee Pagana, Director, Counsellor, and Facilitator for Lifeskills Australia. Lifeskills Australia provides psychological and counselling services to the private and corporate sector. Lee started as a counsellor over 25 years ago and today Lifeskills is a national organisation.

This episode has some great life stories and advice as Pete and Lee chat over her journey to becoming a counsellor and how she’s built valuable resources for FIFO workers.

We also discussed:

Getting an inside view into Lifeskills and what it’s like.
How life was like growing up for Lee and the experiences that shaped her.
The importance of practising what you preach in your relationships.
Building resilience and what to do before calling it quits on difficult situations.
Lee’s own experience navigating relationships.
Lifeskills EAP services and what they look at when going into a new organisation.
The stigma around EAP on mine sites.
The most common issues Lee sees in her work.
The impacts of the FIFO lifestyle and how to deal with it.