Learnings and Missteps by Depth Builder

Jesse
  • 5.0 (19)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Biweekly

The Learnings and Missteps Podcast is about unconventional roads to success and the life lessons learned along the way.You will find a library of interviews packed with actionable take aways that you can apply as you progress on your path to Becoming the Promise You are Intended to Be.Through these interviews you will learn about the buttons you can push to be a better leader, carve your own path, and build your influence. Find yourself in their stories and know that your path is still ahead of you.

  1. 5d ago

    "I'd Rather My Company Go Under Than Stay Quiet": The Subcontractor Project with Tara Cristel

    Tara Cristel was owed about $200,000 on the biggest job her glazing company had ever done. She’d filed a lien, and the banks wouldn’t lend against the money because nobody could say when it would show up. So she did the one thing still in her control. She started talking about it, out loud, on the internet. And that’s how The Subcontractor Project got going.  Day to day, Tara runs a subcontracting business, and she’s got the pink hard hat to prove it. In this episode she explains how a system that looks like “just the way it’s always been” ends up making subs finance the whole project. She’s not talking only about small shops, either. Tara tells the story of a $50 million sub who says $12 to $15 million is sitting past due at any given time. Even companies that size are scrambling to make payroll on Wednesday. Tara is clear about her intent. She isn’t out to trash GCs. She wants the people at every level of the chain to understand what it’s like at the bottom of it. In this conversation: Why Tara calls late payment a “free loan” subs give to everyone above themHer own retainage story: a project that slid from summer 2025 to summer 2027, with money still heldWhy pay-when-paid and pay-if-paid clauses leave subs with no payment date at allWhat a good payment answer looks like: a real date, within 24 hoursHer challenge to subcontractors: if we keep signing the contracts, nothing changesA sub owner she spoke with revenues of $50M a year but has $12-15M that sits past due at any given timeWhat she’s building: The Subcontractor Project, a podcast, and a book, The Subcontractor TrapConnect with Tara on LinkedIn Contractor Compliance https://www.linkedin.com/company/contractor-compliance-co/ 00:00 Welcome + why Tara's content is rattling cages  03:00 Why Tara advocates for subcontractors getting paid  05:00 "Reverse reimbursed": the free loan subs give to everyone above them  07:00 One project, three delays, and retainage that won't release  10:00 "It's the cost of doing business" (and why that answer falls short)  14:00 What drives late pay? Pay-when-paid, pay-if-paid & zero transparency  16:30 Pay apps in the horse-and-buggy era (and the tech that already exists)  18:00 Jesse's view from the GC side  20:00 Fast pay: the company or the leader on the job?  23:00 Could a 45-day pay guarantee be a GC's competitive edge?  24:30 Net 30 wins, and a 70-day wait that ended a relationship  27:30 The "dummy tax": how GC reputation changes a sub's bid  30:00 Subs are part of the problem too: the call to action  33:00 Burnout, lowest-bidder trouble & the labor shortage  35:30 Transparency: what a straight answer on payment date looks like  38:00 The $200,000 turning point that started it all  40:00 Thousands reach out: $12-15M in past-due receivables  41:30 "Have your materials in hand before you can bill" and the 90-day gap  43:00 What is The Subcontractor Project?  45:00 The Subcontractor Trap: Tara's book  47:00 "Aren't you afraid you'll lose work?" Tara's answer  49:00 Where to find Tara  Lets leave the Construction Industry Better than We Found It https://www.depthbuilder.com/construction-leadership-lab Download the free PDF copy of Becoming the Promise You are Intended to Be

    "I'd Rather My Company Go Under Than Stay Quiet": The Subcontractor Project with Tara Cristel

  2. Oct 22

    Stop Trying to Impress People: The Listening Habit That Makes You More Likable

    You walk away from a conversation and nothing happens. No follow-up, no rapport, no real connection. What if the problem isn’t that you’re boring, but that you’re trying too hard to be interesting? In this episode, we break down why leading with your resume, credentials, and accomplishments can quietly sabotage the connections you want, and what to do instead. Resume stuff has its place on a job application. Face to face, it often builds a wall. In this episode, you’ll learn: The mindset shift that makes people instantly more comfortable around youThe behavioral shift: how asking more questions changes every conversationWhat “toppers” are, and why one-upping people kills rapportHow to measure your “airtime” so you stop dominating the conversationSimple, curiosity-based questions you can use at networking events and on the job siteWhy people who feel listened to become your biggest advocatesBeing more interested than interesting is one of the simplest ways to build influence, earn trust, and become the person people want to work with and recommend. 00:00 Stop Selling Your Resume 01:44 Be Interested Not Interesting 03:23 The Topper Problem 05:05 Learn About Them 06:05 Questions That Open Doors 08:20 Why Interest Works 11:01 Pressure to Sell 12:47 Back Pocket Questions 15:01 Jobsite Conversation Starters 19:42 Measure Your Airtime Download the free PDF copy of Becoming the Promise You are Intended to Be

    Stop Trying to Impress People: The Listening Habit That Makes You More Likable

  3. Oct 15

    From 5,000 Rejections to the Grand Ole Opry: Doug Berry's "Think Huge" Story

    A “big zero” in writing credentials and a C in English. That’s how Doug Berry describes his qualifications, and he’s now a children’s book author, a sci-fi novelist, and a Josie Music Award nominee headed to the Grand Ole Opry. Doug is a recently retired Air Force veteran from South Carolina who asks the question most of us are afraid to answer: why am I not working on my dream? For Doug, it started when he watched his Air Force buddy study to become a pilot. It led him to send about 5,000 emails and letters until one NASCAR team finally said yes. None of his success happened overnight. It’s been about 26 years since the NASCAR days to the Opry stage, with hot spots and cold spots along the way. The one thing about Doug is that he never stopped.  In this episode: Why Doug’s advice for retirement is “keep busy and enjoy it”How a baby rabbit named Jasper, caught in the backyard by his nine-year-old son, became the Jasper and Friends children’s booksThe part of publishing nobody warns you about: choosing the illustrator’s scenes, getting an ISBN, and why Doug took photos from “rabbit height” around his yardHybrid publishing vs. Amazon KDP, and why he did one for his children’s books and the other for his sci-fi novels, Guardians of the Unknown and Guardians of the Unknown: ConvergenceHow rejection toughened his shell, including about five hybrid publishers saying no before one said yesThe “make a decision and fix it if it’s wrong” mindset he learned in the Air ForceThe advice from game-show creator Dave Knoll to “think huge” that sent Doug from books to a jingle and songwritingThe story behind “We Don’t All Come Home the Same,” nominated for Social Impact Song of the Year at the Josie Music AwardsWhy Doug says he's “years into a 10-year overnight success”Connect with Doug: You can find him on LinkedIn. His Jasper and Friends books are on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart online.   00:00 Think Huge Mindset 02:00 Retirement Transition Tips 03:21 No Credentials Needed 06:23 Air Force Grit 07:31 NASCAR Dream Pursuit 13:03 Handling Rejection 14:56 Jasper Book Origin 16:59 Publishing Reality Check 20:40 Sci Fi On KDP 22:26 Writing Process Flowcharts 25:05 Songwriting And Branding 28:38 Song Meaning and Message 29:26 Josie Awards Nomination 31:24 Long Game of Success 33:40 Make the Decision 37:29 Handling Rejection and Ghosting 39:09 Outside Perspective and Networking 44:27 Dream Bigger Than Big 47:36 Where to Find Doug Lets leave the Construction Industry Better than We Found It https://www.depthbuilder.com/construction-leadership-lab Download the free PDF copy of Becoming the Promise You are Intended to Be

    From 5,000 Rejections to the Grand Ole Opry: Doug Berry's "Think Huge" Story

  4. Oct 8

    I'm Your Buffer Between the Company and OSHA: Kim Pierce on Safety That Works

    Fourteen years on the tools. About twenty in safety. A safety expert witness. An author. And a woman who got a 98 on her journeyman's test, better than the guys who did all four years. Kim Pierce is the kind of safety professional Jesse says he wishes he'd had on every job. She doesn't stand over the crew like a "bird dog" and then tattle to the foreman. She shows up early, asks what's coming, explains the why, and finds a compliant way to get the work done. In this conversation, Jesse and Kim dig into: Why safety is still hard 50 years into OSHAHow production pressure and personal risk tolerance shape what happens on a jobsiteWhy the "safety guy" who only writes people up kills trust and retentionWhat new safety grads need to hear before they walk onto a site (hint: go get dirty first)What happens when a company hands the safety job to someone with no training and a chip on their shoulderHow Kim became a construction safety expert witnessWhy she wrote The Hands That Built This: Restoring Respect and Rebuilding the Future of the Trade, and what it will take to keep new people, especially women, in the tradesIf you work in construction, lead people in the field, or are the person who gets called when something goes sideways, press play. Connect with Kim: https://www.kajelegacy.com/    Author Site 02:30 Why Safety Is Hard 04:27 Risk Tolerance Clash 05:53 Proactive Safety Planning 08:04 Real World Safety Lessons 12:29 Field Experience Matters 16:52 Advice for Young Safety Pros 22:22 Punitive vs Culture Safety 25:23 Credentials and Career Paths 27:33 Mentorship and Knowledge Loss 31:17 Choosing a Service Mindset 32:04 Safety Bird Dog Problem 33:41 Building Trust On Site 36:44 Safest Option Not Perfect 38:12 When To Drop Hammer 39:46 Life As Expert Witness 43:41 Writing The Hands That Built This 48:38 Retention And Respect In Trades 52:09 Breaking In As Woman Apprentice 54:57 Where To Find Kim Online Lets leave the Construction Industry Better than We Found It https://www.depthbuilder.com/construction-leadership-lab Download the free PDF copy of Becoming the Promise You are Intended to Be

    I'm Your Buffer Between the Company and OSHA: Kim Pierce on Safety That Works

  5. Oct 1

    Mistakes, Lessons, and the Mud: What 250 Interviews Taught Us with Rene Duron

    Six years after episode zero, Jesse is back with his original co-host (and baby brother) Rene for a 250th episode full of laughs. They recorded at 6 a.m. on a Sunday, with Rene hiding out at his office so his four kids, the "raptors," wouldn't crash the interview. Rene explains why he stepped back from co-hosting, and he shares the whiteboard drawing behind his advice for new podcasters: a pipe full of mud, with clean water waiting behind it. They look back at the messy early days, including the conversation Jesse forgot to record. Rene admits what he was really doing with some of his questions ("let me get some air time"). He also tells how he ended up editing five podcasts at once and making the most money of his life, and why that taught him he isn't driven by money. Jesse explains why the guest list grew beyond tradespeople, and why he'll keep doing the show even though it costs him money. Along the way, Rene says Jesse is secretly showing guests the Dragon Scroll from Kung Fu Panda. Then Rene throws Jesse a curveball on the closing question: What is the promise you are intended to be? The answer involves a goofy lizard named Rango.   00:36 250th Episode Reunion 02:44 Starting the Podcast Messy 07:02 Pipe Full of Mud Advice 10:58 Confidence and Questions 13:10 Stepping Back to Edit 15:44 Values Beyond Money 18:23 Career Growth and Connections 20:53 Big Guest Takeaways 23:45 Unicorns and Caring Leaders 24:56 Family Life and Editing Time 25:43 Family Support and Diapers 26:28 Podcast Guest Shift 28:30 Finding Guests Gets Hard 30:44 How to Ruin It 31:58 Why Keep Going 36:27 Same Format Debate 37:24 Dragon Scroll Metaphor 40:55 Future of the Show 42:07 The Promise Question 47:15 God Given Purpose 48:28 Becoming the Hero Lets leave the Construction Industry Better than We Found It https://www.depthbuilder.com/construction-leadership-lab Download the free PDF copy of Becoming the Promise You are Intended to Be

    Mistakes, Lessons, and the Mud: What 250 Interviews Taught Us with Rene Duron

  6. Sep 24

    "Nobody Wants Your Elevator Pitch": Neel Zbinden on Field Marketing, Integrity, and Ending the War Between Sales, Ops, and Brand

    Sales blames marketing. Marketing blames ops. Ops blames sales. Neel Zbinden says it usually starts at the top. After 30 years in restaurants, Neel quit on April 1st with no plan. A few months later she was in construction marketing, teaching herself the job through trial and error. Today she's the founder of Z Collab Group and co-founder and president of Contractors, Closers, and Connections (CCC) Fort Worth. She fixes the disconnect between sales, marketing, brand, and operations, and she won't work with anyone who lies, cheats, or steals. She tells them on the first call. In this episode: Why service-industry people make great hires in constructionWhat field marketing really is (hint: the extra mile)Why departments battle, and why great people get fired for bad leadershipQuarterly reviews, simple CRMs, and cutting the busy workWhy "What's in it for me?" loses the room  00:00 Leadership Sets the Tone 06:04 From Restaurants to Construction 12:20 Service Mindset and Transferable Skills 15:39 What Field Marketing Really Is 22:35 Aligning Teams and Fixing CRM Chaos 29:41 Integrity and Ops vs Sales Disconnect 32:56 Speaking Up at Work 34:36 Consulting Gets Heard 37:00 Sales Marketing Reality Check 39:10 Delegation and Giving Value 40:43 Training as Retention 44:07 Bachata Training Lesson 47:38 Owning Your Voice Lets leave the Construction Industry Better than We Found It https://www.depthbuilder.com/construction-leadership-lab Download the free PDF copy of Becoming the Promise You are Intended to Be

    "Nobody Wants Your Elevator Pitch": Neel Zbinden on Field Marketing, Integrity, and Ending the War Between Sales, Ops, and Brand

  7. Sep 17

    Built Not Forced: Jody Fitzgerald on Ownership, Flow, and Building People (Not Just Buildings)

    Most superintendents don't run jobs; they survive them by firefighting their way to the finish line. Jody Fitzgerald did it that way for 40 years, until it cost him more than he was willing to keep paying. In this week’s conversation with Jesse, he breaks down what separates a superintendent who protects tomorrow's work from one who's just good at creating the next fire. What you'll get out of this one Why most jobs have zero flow — superintendents run on personality, not a system, because nobody ever taught them the why behind the steps.The five pillars of Built Not Forced — identity, preparation, flow, standards, stewardship. Everyone talks about the middle three; Jody explains why the bookend pillars are where all the money actually is.A one-sentence definition of the job that'll stick with you: protect tomorrow's work. Everything inside the fence is his to own.The "dummy tax" is real. Jesse confesses exactly how trade partners quietly price bad superintendents differently than good ones — and Jody's reaction says it all.Ownership can be taught — and Jesse gets vulnerable about the moment it finally clicked for him.Technology gave us speed and stole our communication. Why instant information created an expectation of instant, "complete" answers — and why that's wrecking decisions in the field.The 23-year-old kid Jody handed a job to — proof of what it looks like to actually build someone up. Connect with Jody: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-jody-fitzgerald-73235843/ 00:00 People Build Buildings 00:33 Meet Jody Fitzgerald 03:16 Why Jobs Lack Flow 05:42 From Screamer to Leader 13:56 Built Not Forced Origins 15:21 Five Pillars Framework 16:05 Superintendent Role Defined 19:12 Ownership and Self-Improvement 20:27 Tech vs Real Communication 22:53 Teaching Ownership the Why 28:08 Dummy Tax and Trade Respect 30:54 Industry Perfect Storm 32:08 Training and Listening Fix 34:26 Listen Not Apps 35:24 Translation On Site 37:20 Huddles And Systems 38:17 Surface Problems Safely 40:44 Trust And Standards 42:50 Mentoring The Next 47:58 Tech And Expectations 50:35 Drawings Owners And No   Lets leave the Construction Industry Better than We Found It https://www.depthbuilder.com/construction-leadership-lab Download the free PDF copy of Becoming the Promise You are Intended to Be

    Built Not Forced: Jody Fitzgerald on Ownership, Flow, and Building People (Not Just Buildings)

  8. Sep 10

    Why Your Best Employees Clock-in and Coast (And How to Fix It)

    Every leader has that employee who clocks in, does the bare minimum, and clocks out. Jesse says that's not a "them" problem — it's a "you" problem. In this episode, he flips the script on who your most important customer really is (hint: it's not the one paying the invoice) and breaks down why the people on your team who seem checked out are actually starved for two things: autonomy and critical thinking. Jesse gets brutally honest about his own journey, reframes why some people show up guarded and afraid to make decisions, and shares the exact reflective questions he uses to turn hesitant "doers" into confident decision-makers. Plus, he tackles two pop-up questions: what to do when your boss is underutilizing you, and how to "manage up" without becoming a bootlicker. If you've ever thought "why won't they just think for themselves," this episode will make you rethink who's really responsible for that.   00:00 Failure Fuels Growth 00:14 Your Most Important Customer 01:00 Internal Customers First 02:01 Activating the Doers 02:58 You Are Not Paying Them 06:18 Autonomy Explained 08:50 Stop Overreacting 10:01 Reinforce with Reflection 16:42 Critical Thinking Muscle 23:34 Fear Based Backgrounds 25:23 Underrated by Your Boss 30:01 Managing Up Without Sucking Up 36:33 Fulfillment Beyond Work 37:20 Fernando’s Wake Up Call Lets leave the Construction Industry Better than We Found It https://www.depthbuilder.com/construction-leadership-lab Download the free PDF copy of Becoming the Promise You are Intended to Be

    Why Your Best Employees Clock-in and Coast (And How to Fix It)
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5
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About

The Learnings and Missteps Podcast is about unconventional roads to success and the life lessons learned along the way.You will find a library of interviews packed with actionable take aways that you can apply as you progress on your path to Becoming the Promise You are Intended to Be.Through these interviews you will learn about the buttons you can push to be a better leader, carve your own path, and build your influence. Find yourself in their stories and know that your path is still ahead of you.

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