Denny LaVé survived childhood abandonment, sexual trauma, poverty, shame and suicidal thoughts. He then rebuilt his life from the ground up.

In this episode of Raw Minds, Denny shares the personal story behind the construction company, the United States Senate campaign and the legendary beard.

At four years old, Denny was taken across state lines and separated from his mother for six months. He grew up surrounded by instability, emotional neglect and experiences no child should have been forced to process.

Those early experiences created patterns of shame, compulsive behaviour, emotional numbness and self-condemnation that followed him into adulthood.

Denny became a union ironworker, spent nearly two years living in a monastery in France and co-founded Precision Precast Erectors with his father. The company grew into an award-winning business employing hundreds of ironworkers.

He became a husband, father to six sons, business leader, author and candidate for the United States Senate in Idaho.

But success did not erase the trauma.

Denny speaks openly about suicidal thoughts, therapy, faith, marriage, masculinity, fatherhood and stopping generational trauma from reaching his children.

This is not a political debate. This is the story of a wounded child who became a man determined to build a better life for his family.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction

02:42 Men’s mental health

04:17 Blue-Collar Blessed

05:17 Writing a vulnerable memoir

08:14 Earliest childhood memories

09:30 Separation from his mother

11:10 Early exposure to pornography

12:25 Trauma and the developing brain

13:57 Shame and self-condemnation

15:00 Erick’s childhood food trauma

16:49 Why shame makes addiction worse

18:45 Emotional numbness and joy

20:29 Masculinity and accountability

21:23 What real strength means

23:06 Humility and self-worth

25:18 Accepting compliments

27:03 Knowing you are enough

28:18 Burnout and recovery

30:03 Rest and high performance

33:36 Children and smartphones

35:32 Entering therapy

36:13 The therapist who predicted the book

37:11 Writing the memoir in five weeks

39:16 Reopening old wounds

41:05 Searching for purpose

43:55 Considering the Marine Corps

44:25 Heat stroke and near death

45:24 Living in a French monastery

46:16 Generational trauma

49:42 Breaking the cycle

50:10 Telling his sons the truth

51:04 His children’s response

53:08 Marriage and the past

54:38 The book’s central message

55:14 Denny’s suicidal episode

56:07 When someone says nothing

56:52 How Joey supported Erick

57:59 Holding space

58:26 Recent suicidal thoughts

59:08 The golf invitation

59:17 Erick’s mental-health struggle

01:00:47 Five ways to handle sorrow

01:03:18 Why men need permission to cry

01:03:57 Grieving the father Erick never had

01:05:29 Raw Minds around the world

01:06:07 Trauma crosses borders

01:08:15 Healing is a process

01:09:45 Recovery has no finish line

01:11:28 Final message

CONNECT WITH DENNY LAVÉ

Website:

https://www.dennylave.com/

Blue-Collar Blessed:

https://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/9781510786172/blue-collar-blessed/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/denny-lave-38315a5

Precision Precast Erectors:

https://www.ppe-llc.com/

CONNECT WITH RAW MINDS

Website:

https://www.rawminds.ca

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@RawMinds-cs3ci

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/3I7hBJgYDdS8UQpbMl9bdt

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@rawmindspodcast

All links:

https://linktr.ee/rawmindspodcast

Email:

rawmindspodcast@gmail.com

Raw Minds features honest conversations about men’s mental health, trauma, grief, addiction, fatherhood and rebuilding your life.

Follow and share this episode with someone who may be suffering silently.

For the ones we’ll never meet.

Healing out loud.

CRISIS SUPPORT

If you may hurt yourself, call emergency services or call or text 988 in Canada or the United States.

Canada:

https://988.ca

United States:

https://988lifeline.org

#MensMentalHealth #ChildhoodTrauma #TraumaRecovery