From Hot Tubs to Headlamps: Storytelling, Mining, and Finding A-Players
Mining doesn’t have a hiring problem—it has a story problem. Branded Recruitment™ solves it.
Built around insights from the Mine EX-Plorers podcast with Stuart & Crystal Burgess (Burgex Mining Consultants) featuring Only Co. co‑creator Brady McLean.
Watch the conversation here:
Why this conversation matters (especially in mining)
Mining is at a critical talent inflection point: shrinking graduation cohorts, retiring expertise, and a public narrative others have been telling for the industry. As Stuart put it, “If we don’t tell our story, everyone else will.” Meanwhile, the next generation asks, “Why does this matter?” If your brand doesn’t answer that with clarity and conviction, you’ll keep competing for B‑ and C‑players while A‑Players choose somewhere more meaningful.
Brady’s path: from small‑town credibility to global storytelling
Brady grew up in Wyoming, where your “brand” is every interaction people have had with you since grade school. That real‑world truth shaped his work at Only Co and the culture brand Go Fast Don’t Die—a community born out of loss, miles on a motorcycle, and rediscovering purpose. The takeaway: Story isn’t spin. It’s how you live and how people experience you—online and off.
“Success is when your last breath comes and you can smile about your story.” —Brady McLean
What is Branded Recruitment™?
Branded Recruitment™ is our system for using positioning, story, and culture to build an on‑demand pipeline of A‑Players. It goes beyond “We’re hiring” posts and generic job boards.
Reality check: A‑Players rarely apply cold. They choose. Your job is to become the team they can’t ignore.
Core moves
- Clarify your ‘Only’: What are you the only choice for? Make that the spine of your brand.
- Tell the story people want to join: Values in action. Field work that matters. Problems worth solving.
- Show the work, not just the work output: From headlamps to helicopters—document the journey.
- Build the culture: Turn behaviors into rituals, language, and momentum that carries people forward
- Recruit like a great coach: Map roles, build a bench, stay in conversations year‑round.
Signals you need it
- Your best hires come from chance encounters and friends‑of‑friends.
- “We’re hiring” posts alone attract the wrong crowd or a trickle of applicants.
- New grads don’t “get” the impact of your work.
- Veterans say, “We need the right people or nothing moves.”
A story about A‑Players (from the episode)
Burgex shared how an early‑career hire turned a hallway idea into a working prototype (Mineralocity) over a weekend, something a whole team might need a month to build. That’s the A‑Player effect: they raise the ceiling on what’s possible and force the rest of us to level up. The true cost isn’t the salary, it’s what you’ll never do if those people don’t choose you.
Why story beats “help wanted”
C‑ and B‑players respond to openings. A‑Players respond to meaning. They want:
- Problems worthy of their prime years
- Leaders who tell it straight and invest in people
- A culture with momentum
- Evidence that the work matters beyond a quarterly report
If your public footprint doesn’t show this, you’re invisible to the very people who would transform your business.
How Only Co helps (the short version)
Dream Bigger → See & Define the Story → Live the Story → Tell the Story
- Diagnostic (Positioning & Differentiation): Pressure‑test your ‘Only,’ customer/problem fit, and talent value proposition.
- Story Architecture: Translate strategy into narrative, visuals, and a recruitment content system (Branded Recruitment™).
- Culture in Action: Codify values into behaviors, hiring process, and day‑one experiences.
- Earned Attention: Field‑level content, Docuseries content, thought leadership, and story that drives action.
- Always‑on Recruiting: On-Demand Workforce Pipeline, increasing the speed of trust externally, and campaigns that run even when you’re “not hiring.” Because A-Players are curious, even when they aren’t officially looking for something new.
For mining leaders specifically
- Narrative gap: Show the why—materials to modern life, stewardship, and community—through people and place.
- Pipeline gap: Partner with programs, but market to hearts first: adventure, problem‑solving, camaraderie.
- Credibility gap: Let your field teams be the messengers. The work sells itself when we actually show it.
- Retention gap: A‑Players stay where the story keeps getting bigger and the standards stay high. Protect the culture.
Field notes & metaphors that stuck
- Hot‑tub serendipity: Great talent and partners arrive through story‑shaped opportunities—if your brand makes room for it.
- Keys in the desert: Adversity clarifies what matters and breeds stories worth telling (and joining).
- Campfire test: If your team wouldn’t stay late to swap stories about the day’s problems, you may have a culture issue.
Want A‑Players to pick you?
If this resonates, you already know the stakes. Let’s build the story that the right people can’t ignore.
→ Start a conversation with Only Co - CEO Josh Law
Email: Josh@theonlyco.com
Call: 307.751.2970 (you’ll get the CEO)
Or tell us about your challenge and we’ll map the first few moves.
Watch / Connect
- Full podcast with Burgex: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMgONc9uvUM
- Burgex Mining Consultants: https://www.burgex.com/
- Stuart Burgess: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuart-burgess/
- Crystal Burgess: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crystal-burgex/
- Brady Mclean: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brady-mclean-06975668/
Editor’s note: This article was created from the Mine EX-Plorers podcast conversation with Stuart & Crystal Burgess and Only Co’s Brady McLean (Fall 2025). If you prefer to watch the full discussion, you can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMgONc9uvUM
About the Podcast: Mine EX-Plorers is a podcast-style video show that digs deep into the world of mining, exploration, and entrepreneurship. Hosted by Stuart and Crystal Burgess—business partners, mining experts, and ex-spouses with a one-of-a-kind dynamic—the show uncovers stories from the past, explores modern challenges, and dives into the future of the industry.
From abandoned mines to cutting-edge tech, from historical insights to entrepreneurial lessons, Mine EX-Plorers offers a fresh, authentic perspective on what it takes to shape the world of minerals, mining, and beyond.
Join us for candid conversations, expert analysis, and a few laughs along the way—because exploring the depths of the mining world has never been this engaging!
