Lessons Built
From Mistakes
Hosted by Skip Thompson — after 43 years of wins, losses, and hard lessons in the green industry and life. Real conversations about the mistakes, pivots, and hard lessons that shape great leaders.
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Official Trailer
New to the show? Hit play and hear what Built by Mistakes is all about — straight from Skip.
Latest Episodes
Recent Conversations
Honest, raw, and real. Skip Thompson digs into the pivotal mistakes and lessons from 43 years of wins, losses, and hard lessons in the green industry and life. New episodes every week.
Failure Isn't the Problem — Avoiding It Is
What if the biggest mistake you're making as a leader isn't a bad decision — it's the decision you keep putting off? Skip Thompson shares the honest story of a crew leader he avoided addressing for too long, and what happened when he finally did.
I Expected Everyone to Be Me
What happens when a high-performer becomes a leader and never adjusts their expectations? The honest story of grinding alone on a Sunday — and the line that changed everything about how Skip leads.
Leadership Isn't About Being Right
A new episode drops every week. Subscribe on your favorite platform so you never miss one.
More Coming Weekly
Skip records new episodes every week — 43 years of hard-won lessons still to be shared.
"Your mistakes don't define you — they build you."
About the Host
Meet Skip Thompson
Skip Thompson is Vice President of Post-Merger Integration — after 43 years of wins, losses, and hard lessons in the green industry and life. He specializes in operational excellence, value creation, and building scalable teams.
As the host of the Built by Mistakes Podcast, Skip shares the hard-won lessons from a career built on real experience — the kind of leadership wisdom that only comes from living it, not just reading about it.
Why This Podcast Exists
The Roadmap Nobody Handed Me
I started this podcast because nobody handed me a roadmap. After 43 years of wins, losses, and hard lessons in the green industry and life, I realized the most valuable thing I could do was share what I actually learned — mistakes and all.
Real talk from someone who's been in the trenches for nearly four decades. Every episode is honest, direct, and built on lived experience.
These aren't theories from a textbook. They're lessons that came with a price — and are shared freely so you don't have to pay the same tuition.
Whether you're just starting out or leading a team of hundreds, these conversations will meet you where you are and push you forward.