Women in Blue Collar Fields
A Lesson in Darkness: How Mentorship Shaped My Journey as a Woman in Mining
As I think back on my career as a woman in the blue-collar industry—particularly as a scientist—I reflect on the experiences that shaped me the most when I first entered the mining industry. I was very green, but eager.
I remember one of my mentors, Steve Brierly, taking me underground for the first time. In that moment, I truly experienced raw emotion for the first time in my life. Steve guided me through the underground, showing me all the nooks and crannies of walls that looked exactly the same, and exposing me to the stale air of the ventilation areas—both appropriate and inappropriate. Steve was kind, down-to-earth, funny, and didn’t know a stranger.
I remember driving down the shaft in his truck, front seat buckled up per MSHA regulations. And down we went. We made it to the first level, then the second, then the primary crusher, and finally down to the third level. It was there that Mr. Brierly showed me where the gravel meets the pavement.
He got me out of the truck, took me into a secure heading, and said, “Hand me your light!” Being the ignorant underground miner I was, I handed it to him. Steve was about 25 yards away when he decided to turn off the lights.
Oh my God.
It was in that moment that I first experienced true fear—being in total darkness with absolutely no sense of direction. Panic set in immediately. Steve stood quietly, letting me feel it fully. I felt fear crawling from my toenails all the way to the tip of my scalp, and the hairs on my head stood up.
I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want to be weak. I didn’t want to be “not one of them.” I considered myself my brother’s keeper and was determined to be that, so I sat silently in the dark, waiting for his command. Then, about 25 yards away, he hollered:
“Y’all right?!?”
I responded, “Yes, sir. All good. How about we don’t do this anymore?”
Steve laughed, handed me back my light, and said, “I want you to hold onto this lesson throughout your career.”
Fast forward less than fifteen years later, and I still carry that lesson with me as if it were yesterday. I remember when I was first initiated into the underground miner life—I didn’t understand what it took. Fast forward to today, and I know what it takes, thanks to people like Steve Brierly, my husband Trevor Tallent, my good friend Jesse Kimbler, the incredible mechanic Matt Fountain, my best friend Dan Smith, the leader Marty Lynch, the soldier Kenny Adams, the McGyver Troy Porter, the most incredible people person and follower of God Durran Alexander, the heart-of-gold Mrs. Lisa Tate, and so many more. I am so proud to see my niece Maria continue the journey of Rosie.
I learned that a flagship team is real—and once you’ve had a flagship team, nothing will ever compare.
Be sure to remember those who have molded you and show appreciation to the people who helped shape the person you love today.
Thank you to my teammates. Cheers! Godspeed.
