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AJ Waters wanted to design stadiums. Instead, he ended up rebuilding the operating system for one of the largest construction companies in the world and learning, the hard way, why so many digital transformations quietly collapse in the field. In this episode, AJ takes Jesse inside the messy reality of tech adoption at scale: what it was really like leading a major platform overhaul at Kiewit, why executives sometimes override the "right" decision for reasons that have nothing to do with the da...

There's a version of "authentic" that's just an excuse to be obnoxious. Amy Houk isn't that version. Amy is the president of National Lien Services and RSC Preliminary Lien Services and joins Jesse to talk about turning 50 and how that moment changed everything: she stopped caring about most things and started caring a lot more about the things that mattered. She gets real about the line between authenticity and being difficult, why she owns her role in conflict instead of playing the victim,...

Feedback is optional. Performance isn't. Most managers default to soft, vague feedback, the "poo-poo sandwich" of compliment, critique, compliment, because it feels safe. But feedback is suggestive by nature, appropriate for social settings or volunteer environments where the stakes are low. Performance conversations are different. They require clarity, accountability, and follow-through. This episode breaks down a 3-part framework for having real performance conversations: Anchor language — ...

Bradley Henderson built a company that bridges the field-office gap in construction, but the story of how he got there is the one worth hearing. Plumb Line Operations founder and field worker advocate Bradley Henderson joins Jesse to talk about the personal cost of traveling construction work, what addiction and prison taught him about radical ownership, and why he now builds a "second chance" lane connecting skilled workers with structured employers. Jesse opens up about his own 10 years of sob...

Most construction leaders think they have an accountability problem. What they actually have is a clarity problem, and they're pointing the finger in the wrong direction. Coralee Beatty, founder of Thrive HQ and one of the most honest voices in the construction leadership space, joins Jesse to get into the real reasons teams underperform, people quit, and culture stays stuck. From her point of view the fix is simpler (and harder) than most leaders want to admit. In this episode, Coralee refram...

Every time you say yes to avoid discomfort, you're saying no to yourself. Over time, that trade leads straight to burnout — and to showing up for everyone else at a fraction of your capacity. In this episode, Jesse breaks down two foundational steps to stop operating on everyone else's terms and start advocating for yourself for real. What you'll hear: Step 1 — Do an inventory. Jesse walks you through a simple two-column exercise: what you do because you want to, versus what you do because so...

Boone White grew up with a stutter. Public speaking was something he avoided until years of running weekly safety meetings forced him to figure it out. He got better by going shorter, ditching the scripts, and replacing bullet points with stories. Now he's a general superintendent at ICM Construction, a construction influencer, and one of the more honest voices in the trades about what it actually takes to shift a jobsite culture from the inside. In this episode, Jesse and Boone get into what i...

Most people think Lean is a manufacturing methodology. Sneha Kumari lives it as a mindset. Sneha is back on Learnings & Missteps. She's the president of Merlin AI and one of the most recognized women in manufacturing; and this conversation gets into the stuff that actually moves the needle. Jesse and Sneha dig into why Lean isn't just a process tool, it's a way of thinking about simplicity, eliminating waste, and respecting people's time. That includes your team, your clients, and yes, ev...

Time management for construction leaders isn't about working harder — it's about deciding what actually matters before the week decides for you. In this episode, Jesse breaks down the hyper-reactivity loop that keeps construction superintendents, foremen, and project managers double-booked and frazzled — and shares two practical tools to fix it. You'll learn: The "Book Your Week" system — one weekly reset, a daily task limit of seven, and how it makes it easier to push back on last-minute req...

Your people aren't running out of steam because they're soft. They're running out of electrolytes — and the water cooler isn't fixing it. Jennifer Martinez is a sports-medicine-trained performance specialist who decided the trades deserved the same recovery science as elite athletes. She calls it rapid restoration. And she's got an approach that turns depleted workers around in about 10 minutes. In this episode, Jesse and Jennifer break down what's actually draining your workforce — filtered ...

Hanna Bauer, founder of Heartnomics, joins Jesse to talk about what she calls "Leadership Tachycardia" — what happens when leaders skip recovery and wonder why they're running on empty. Hanna blends Six Sigma, systems thinking, and personal experience to help leaders align internally so they can execute externally. In this conversation: empowerment, fabricated stress, the difference between excellence and perfection, and why purpose and passion aren't the same thing. Topics covered: Leadershi...

You'd never start a project without knowing what it's going to cost you. But most people say yes to commitments without running those same numbers. Jesse calls it choose your consequence. Consequence isn't punishment. It's just the result of every decision you make — whether you thought it through or not. He puts his own life on the table. Explains why he doesn't date. Not because he can't. Because he did the math on what it costs — hours, money, focus — and decided that's not where he wants ...

Most leaders say culture matters. Very few are willing to do what it actually takes to build one. In this episode, Jesse sits down with Lisa Corrales - Field Verified leader with 25 years in organizational development and healthcare - to unpack the uncomfortable truth: culture isn’t built through values on a wall. It’s built through conversations most leaders avoid. They get into why promoting people based on seniority quietly erodes teams, what separates leaders who grow from those who stall...

Most construction owners treat insurance like a bill they just have to pay. Micah Salas thinks that's exactly why they overpay. Micah is an Austin-based commercial insurance author and the guy who wrote The Business Insurance Playbook — not for agents, but for owners like you. In this episode, he breaks down why the way most contractors shop for coverage is quietly working against them, what it actually looks like to "sell your risk," and the specific things happening inside your operation ri...

You can be great at your job and still be losing the parts of life that actually make success worth it. That’s where we start: the quiet trade so many high performers make, sacrificing sleep, health, learning, and real presence with the people we love so we can keep delivering, keep getting promoted, and keep looking “fine” from the outside. I share a personal wake-up call that made it impossible to ignore the gap between professional execution and personal neglect. From there, we lay out the S...

Most people in construction get promoted and handed a completely different job with the same title. No roadmap. No manual. No honest conversation about what moving up is actually going to cost them. Gary Borque lived that. Multiple times. He started as a fabricator, worked his way through the millwright and carpenter's union, spent five years as a traveling superintendent, built a training department from scratch, and now serves as director of field operations at Hemi Systems. Every transitio...

Jesse hosts the Learnings and Missteps podcast and interviews Manja Horner, founder and CEO of Boost Learning Design, about solving skilled-trades workforce shortages driven by retirements and the long push toward college over trades. Manja introduces her book, “Pass the Torch: A Call to Rescue the Future of Trades,” and explains her “talent flywheel” for retention: strong onboarding, trained supervisors who give clear feedback, clear expectations and standards, and career pathways with training...

Came home from a week on the road to an empty fridge and a full inbox. Sound familiar? This episode is about figuring out what only you can do — and letting everything else go. Simple framework. Real talk. Get the time management system that will make you dangerously effective: https://www.depthbuilder.com/time-management-webinar-sign-up-page Subscribe to the Monday Morning Hugs Newsletter for thought provoking topics to accelerate your growth: LinkedIn Newsletter Download the free PDF copy of ...

What if the biggest problems in dating, leadership, and workplace conflict all come from the same place? In this episode of Learnings & Missteps, Jesse sits down with Jackie—romance coach and consultant who works in crime reduction and reentry—to explore why humans are wired for connection and what happens when that connection breaks down. Jackie argues that the common advice to “leave your personal problems at home” is unrealistic—and often harmful. When resentment, trauma, and poor communica...

Jesse hosts the Learnings and Missteps podcast and interviews Scott Evans, founder of Scott Evans Speaks, about mental health in the construction field as “operational integrity” and “invisible PPE,” emphasizing a 360-degree safety culture that extends beyond the jobsite gate. They discuss the disconnect between corporate, compliance-focused tools like apps and HR videos versus the field reality that trust and real conversations—often one-on-one on site—drive help-seeking, while stigma and polic...

Jesse hosts the Learnings and Missteps podcast and introduces guest Maya McGlynn, a Pennsylvania-based construction influencer, writer, photographer, and fractional support partner who focuses on “the people behind the work.” Jesse gives an LnM Family shout-out to Bryce Ager for reviewing one of Jesse’s construction trainings, and notes his business offers training, coaching, and consulting. Maya explains her passion for blue-collar stories comes from building relationships and bridging gaps bet...

In this episode of the Learnings and Missteps podcast, Jesse interviews Mike Chiles, a seasoned project director in the construction industry. They discuss the unpredictable challenges of construction, the importance of relationship building, and effective leadership. Mike emphasizes the role of leaders in developing their teams, creating a balanced and supportive work environment, and the value of feedback from those on the ground. They also delve into the importance of character development an...

The truth landed on us after dozens of job site chats: some folks know our training but not the show, and others love the show but don’t know we train crews for a living. So we’re making it obvious. Learnings and Missteps is now Learnings and Missteps by Depth Builder, a single, honest banner that matches how we work and who we serve. New color, same voice, more clarity. We walk through what stays rock solid: candid interviews with builders who’ve earned their wisdom the hard way, and solo sess...

What if your calendar isn’t the problem—your priorities are? We walk through the FIRE Box, a clear, practical framework that helps you stop living reactive and start building a week that reflects what you value. Instead of chasing every ping, you’ll learn how to Finish First on the urgent and important, and, more critically, Invest Focus Here on the important and not urgent work that drives real progress. We start by clarifying urgency and importance in plain terms so you can judge tasks withou...