Learnings and Missteps by Depth Builder

Jesse
  • 5.0 (19)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated 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. 3d ago

    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

  2. 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

  3. 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)

  4. 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)

  5. Sep 3

    From Cheat Codes to Self-Trust: Stefanie Reichman on LinkedIn, Identity, and Building a Life Outside Your Job Title

    Stephanie Reichman has done everything "right". She is the co-founder of AEC Tech Jobs, creator of More Than an Engineer, a stage speaker, and a customer success manager at Bluebeam. So why did hitting a major follower milestone leave her flat instead of fired up? In this episode, Stephanie returns to unpack the moment she stopped chasing "cheat codes" for success and started building her own definition of it instead. A cross-country move from Las Vegas to the Midwest cracked open questions she hadn't let herself ask: What pace of life actually fits me? What happens after I hit the goal? And who am I if it's not exciting anymore? Jesse and Stephanie get into: Why can a big milestone feel like nothing, and the one thing that changes thatThe real reason she left Las Vegas, and what it forced her to confront about her valuesHow showing up on LinkedIn became less about growth and more about connection, fun, and impactThe blunt truth about employers who shut down employees who create content (and why that's a mistake)Why content creation quietly makes you better at your job, and more valuable to your companyHer take on AI and tools lowering the barrier to start, and the one thing that still separates people who succeed from people who don'tWhat "More Than an Engineer" really means, and the identity work behind reclaiming a labelThe promise she made to herself: to become the person her younger self neededIf you've ever hit a goal and felt strangely underwhelmed, or you're an engineer (or anyone) quietly wondering if there's more to your identity than your job title, this one's going to hit close to home.   00:00 Taking Back Control 00:26 Meet Stephanie Reichman 02:00 No Perfect Plan Confession 06:46 Redefining Success After Moving 09:18 Finding Your Pace 12:35 Celebrating Goals Without Parades 17:39 Followers Versus Purpose 20:27 Keeping Content Fun 23:10 LinkedIn Impact at Work 26:14 Employers and Employee Advocacy 31:14 What Community Means 33:11 More Than an Engineer Origins 34:03 Turning Ideas into Action 34:44 AI Lowers the Barrier 36:13 Building A Personal App 38:18 Iterate and Improve Fast 40:26 Marketing and Distribution 43:32 Choosing Projects Wisely 45:49 Fun Versus Practicality 49:26 More Than an Engineer Meaning 56:00 Momentum Train Mindset 49:27 The Grand Slam Question 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 Cheat Codes to Self-Trust: Stefanie Reichman on LinkedIn, Identity, and Building a Life Outside Your Job Title

  6. Aug 27

    Dino DePasquale on Construction's Mental Health Crisis, Burnout, and the Steel Erector's Playbook

    A 31-year ironworker doesn't scare easily. But ask Dino DePasquale what keeps him up at night, and it's not the job site; it's the industry's silence around mental health. Dino built DePasquale Steel over 21 years and created the Steel Erector's Playbook along the way. In this episode, he goes to the side of construction leadership nobody puts on a business card: the suicide and overdose statistics haunting the trades, the impossible task of "shutting work off," and why connection might be the most underrated safety equipment on any crew. Jesse and Dino don't stay in the dark for long. They dig into why leaders hesitate to teach and mentor publicly because of confidence, added responsibility, and the fear of getting it wrong out loud; and how Dino turned his own mistakes into the systems now running his company. His answer to burnout and bottlenecks? "Clone yourself" through documentation and training, so the business doesn't live and die by one person's memory. Then things get real when Dino walks through a recent job that went sideways, and what it actually looks like to earn trust when you own the problem instead of hiding from it. He also previews his plans to help lead a construction-focused peer group on mental health. If you run crews, run a business, or just run yourself into the ground more often than you'd like to admit, this episode’s for you. In this episode: The mental health and addiction crisis hiding in plain sight across constructionWhy "shutting off" work is a skill most leaders never learnBuilding a peer support network for an industry that doesn't ask for helpTurning mistakes into systems: how to document, train, and clone yourselfWhat it really takes to earn trust after a job goes wrongProtecting focus time and staying resourceful enough to climb the ladder  00:00 Industry Pain Opens 00:14 Meet Dino DePasquale 02:17 How Hard Is It 02:59 Steel Life Story 04:59 Mental Health Crisis 08:46 Peer Group Plans 09:23 Addiction And Overdose 11:19 Jesse Recovery Story 15:23 Why Share A Playbook 18:55 Cloning Yourself Systems 21:00 Confidence To Teach 26:39 Document Your Day 28:26 Track Your Time 29:00 Stop Answering Every Call 29:31 Delegate With Clarity 32:15 Progress Over Perfection 32:55 Being Real Online 36:24 Job Went Off Rails 37:58 Own The Fix 41:35 Purpose Beyond Hard Work 46:42 Resourcefulness To Advance 51:46 Where To Find Dino 53:32 Why Converge Hit Different 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

    Dino DePasquale on Construction's Mental Health Crisis, Burnout, and the Steel Erector's Playbook

  7. Aug 20

    How to Say No Without Guilt: A Simple Framework for Builders and Leaders

    Here’s a test for you: write down every single thing on your plate today and tomorrow. Now circle only the ones that would fall apart if someone other than you did them. Most people circle almost nothing. And that's the problem. In this episode, Jesse breaks down "strategically selfish"; a framework for builders and leaders who can't delegate, can't say no, and are quietly running on tasks that were never actually theirs to carry. He walks through the exercise in real time, then shows you what to do with everything left uncircled: reduce it through optimizing or automating, delegate it, or extinguish it outright, and why time deserves more vigilance than money ever will. The twist: he says you don't build this skill in the high-stakes moments. You build it at home, in the small stuff, asking for help before you need to; so when it counts in your business or on the jobsite, saying "not me" is second nature instead of a crisis decision. If you've ever ended a workday exhausted but couldn't name what you actually accomplished, this one's for you.   00:00 Focus on What Matters 01:25 Framework Overview 02:30 Step One Write It Down 04:33 Step Two Circle Only You 07:11 Why Delegation Feels Hard 11:37 Step Three Reduce Tasks 19:34 Extinguish Nonessential Work 21:09 Outsource and Guard Time 24:15 Ask for Help and Communicate 29:09 Final Recap and Homework 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

    How to Say No Without Guilt: A Simple Framework for Builders and Leaders

  8. Aug 13

    From Backhoes to CEO: How Tim Tuoni Built a Site Development Company from the Ground Up

    Tim Tuoni went from riding backhoes as a kid to running Tuoni Site Development, and he's got zero patience for people who think construction guys are just difficult for the sake of it. In this episode, Tim breaks down what actually gets mislabeled as "a-hole energy" in this industry: it's standards. It's direct communication. It's not tolerating half-effort on a highway job where mistakes cost real money and real safety. He and Jesse dig into what it's like building a company under public scrutiny, including dealing with the YouTube and social media critics who've never swung a hammer but have plenty of opinions. Tim also gets real about the moment that changed his trajectory: walking off a job after a safety incident and taking a leap into subcontract work before he was "ready." He talks about the mechanical skills that saved him money and made him dangerous in a good way, how he uses LinkedIn every single day to market himself and scout opportunities, and why he now shows up for Crew Collaborative classroom talks to give students a real alternative to the college-or-bust narrative. If you need a reset on what actually matters in this trade, Tim's closing line says it all: "It's just f*ing dirt. You're never above a shovel." Connect with Tim https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothy-tuoni-16730893/ https://tuonisitedevelopmentllc.com/ In this episode: Why the industry's reputation for being "difficult" is really about standardsBuilding a business in the age of social media criticsThe safety incident that pushed Tim into entrepreneurshipUsing LinkedIn as a daily marketing and research toolWhy he's showing up in classrooms to change how kids see this career path00:00 Just Dirt Mindset 00:18 Meet Tim Toonie 02:09 Construction People Standards 05:41 Mentors And Online Critics 09:52 Why Equipment Life Chose Him 13:03 First Machines First Memories 15:24 Skid Steer Lessons And Antics 18:25 Getting Hired Certified Today 21:09 Starting His Own Company 24:39 Resourcefulness Under Pressure 30:27 Saving Money With Repairs 33:03 Time Versus Money Skills 33:59 DIY Marketing Learning Curve 35:28 LinkedIn Outreach Playbook 39:28 Creative Prospecting For Contractors 42:35 Why He Volunteers 44:02 Trades Versus College Paths 51:27 Where To Connect Online 54:48 Promise Intended To Be 58:00 Never Above A Shovel 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 Backhoes to CEO: How Tim Tuoni Built a Site Development Company from the Ground Up
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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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