In this episode of the Learnings and Missteps podcast, host Jesse Hernandez converses with Stephanie Wood, co-founder and CEO of Coal Build Construction. Stephanie, with a background in organizational leadership and trauma-informed neuroscience, shares her journey from English literature major to a construction industry leader. The discussion covers the challenges and innovations in fostering a collaborative and human-centered approach within construction, debunking the myth of toughness, and promoting grit and resilience. They introduce Builders Grit, an initiative designed to improve workplace culture and performance by addressing trauma and developing leadership skills. Stephanie also highlights the importance of creating environments for flourishing and the transformative impact her company's philosophy has on the industry's future.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Overview
02:45 The Meaning Behind Co Build
04:35 Challenges and Pushback in the Industry
06:33 The Importance of Respect and Collaboration
09:41 Shoutout to LnM Family Member
11:21 Building a Collaborative Construction Business
13:31 Hiring and Leadership Development
24:09 Personal Journey and Neuroscience of Trauma
30:35 Neglect and Abuse in Subcontracting
31:11 Falling into Leadership Roles
32:45 Learning Leadership Skills
33:50 Embracing Leadership and Overcoming Resistance
38:09 The Myth of Toughness in Construction
41:37 Understanding Trauma and Recovery
45:52 Introducing Grit and Resilience Cohorts
53:58 Final Thoughts and Call to Action

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Download a PDF copy of Becoming the Promise You are Intended to Be
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In this episode of the Learnings and Missteps podcast, host Jesse Hernandez sits down with Liberty Kogan, a construction social media expert with an impressive background in musical theater and business. Liberty shares her journey from performing in Legally Blonde to launching a successful babysitting agency in Atlanta and eventually transitioning into social media marketing for construction companies. Throughout the conversation, they discuss themes of vulnerability, the importance of human connection, and finding fulfillment in one's career and life. Liberty emphasizes the significance of doing what makes you happy, the challenges she faced, and how she rediscovered her passion for theater under different conditions. The episode is filled with insightful and heartfelt advice, making it a must-listen for anyone seeking to navigate their own career and personal growth.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction
01:29 Getting to Know Liberty Kogan
01:57 The Power of Vulnerability on Social Media
09:00 Liberty's Journey in Theater
17:57 Transitioning from Theater to Business
19:21 Starting a Babysitting Agency
31:40 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
39:46 Auditioning for Kiss of the Spider Woman
41:52 The Importance of Human Connection
43:09 Returning to Atlanta and Facing an Existential Crisis
44:28 Realistic View of Pursuing Arts
50:27 Transition to Social Media for Concrete Companies
54:01 The Power of Authentic Social Media
58:37 Encouraging Vulnerability and Storytelling
01:11:37 The Promise You Are Intended to Be

Set the stage for an amazing new year with the Self First Framework.

https://calendly.com/jesse04/self-first-webinar

Download a PDF copy of Becoming the Promise You are Intended to Be
https://www.depthbuilder.com/books

Want a year that actually changes your life? We break down a practical system to stop chasing busywork and start stacking wins that matter. It starts with a guilt-free brain dump to pull every idea, project, and half-finished goal out of your head so you can judge them by outcome, not overwhelm. From there, we introduce the Damn Matrix, a four-quadrant method that ranks your work by impact and effort. High impact, low effort goes first. High impact, high effort gets planned next. Low impact items wait their turn. The real twist: we score by the value of starting, not the fantasy of finishing, so momentum arrives early and fuels the bigger climbs.

Curveballs still happen, and we name them: rabid squirrels. Instead of letting emergencies swallow your day, we use the Daily Domination board to label, log, and move them through Done, then review weekly to spot patterns. When the same sources trigger fire drills, you design guardrails—clear expectations, calendar buffers, and ready-made responses. We also get honest about what overcommitment costs: sleep, exercise, and nutrition. The fix is counterintuitive and effective—shrink the number of daily targets so you stay calm, kind, and focused, even when plans shift.

All of this lives inside a self-first framework: plan, commit, execute. We plan across a year, then break it into thirds and months to see where impact compounds. We commit on the calendar to protect deep work and life habits. We execute daily with a simple workflow that tracks progress and interruptions without guilt. You’ll leave with a repeatable way to prioritize for impact, start sooner, and sustain energy so results stack without burning you out.

If this helps, share it with a friend who’s drowning in to-dos, hit follow for more practical tools, and leave a review telling us one high-impact, low-effort move you’ll start this week. Your next breakthrough begins with what you choose to start today.

Set the stage for an amazing new year with the Self First Framework.

https://calendly.com/jesse04/self-first-webinar

Download a PDF copy of Becoming the Promise You are Intended to Be
https://www.depthbuilder.com/books