Dirt Talk Podcast – Episode 418

Jason Richmond w/ BuildWitt – February 19, 2026

Episode Overview

In episode 418, host Aaron Witt sits down with Jason Richmond, President of Dirt World at BuildWitt. The conversation dives into BuildWitt’s evolution, the lessons learned from organizing the Ariat Dirt World Summit, the power of leadership communication, the importance of authentic storytelling, personal growth, and how mental health and physical wellness intersect in the construction industry. The episode is rich in behind-the-scenes anecdotes, honest self-reflection, actionable insights for industry leaders, and memorable moments about personal values and family life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Embracing Change and Focus at BuildWitt (00:00–05:00)

• Reflecting on Chaos and Growth: Both Aaron and Jason acknowledge past chaos in the organization as they experimented with different business arms—media, agency, software, events, podcasting—before finding focus in three main segments: Dirt World, BuildWitt, and Improve.
• Letting go of the creative arm was a massive, positive shift for alignment and scalability.

  “We let go of creative, which was no small feat... it was just a different business. A service business. Very different.” — Aaron (01:42)

2. The Ariat Dirt World Summit: Growth & Impact (04:28–09:30)

• The Summit is nearly sold out—over 1,050 tickets with only 200 left, and 60 sponsors lined up.

• Early years required intense team effort to build momentum; now, reputation and word-of-mouth drive registration and sponsorship.

• Unique leadership focus sets the Summit apart from association events and expos.

  “It’s the best leadership conference in the industry—by a mile.” — Jason (05:53)

• Participants now attend in groups, accelerating meaningful change in their companies:

  "Now there’s a group of five plus people that have all experienced learning, growing, benchmarking, networking... they’re cascading it into their organization to actually make change." — Aaron (08:02)

• Industry leaders are sharing the Summit’s impact, influencing other industry gatherings and formats, such as seating arrangements and speaker selection.

3. Leadership Development & Communication (11:00–18:00)

• Jason and Aaron discuss how focusing on the “top of the industry” creates a ripple effect of positive change without having to “convince” the entire industry.

• Jason’s shift in business development: “If I’m still having to talk you into it… you’re off the list. I’m just focusing on people that get it now… I’m not here to convince people anymore.” (11:14)

• Importance of communication skills for leaders—Jason details his journey in public speaking, the fear, and the progress made.

  “It’s easily the hardest, scariest skill I’ve ever worked on… now I’m starting to play with it and iterate, I think, faster as a result.” — Jason (12:13, 13:52)

• Regular, authentic communication—like Aaron’s “Monday morning” video updates—are highly valuable, even if simple or imperfect.

  “Keep it simple, stupid… Every time we simplify it, things get better.” — Jason (16:17)

4. Creating Transformational Experiences (18:00–22:00)

• Dirt World provides a platform for authentic industry leaders to share real stories from the trenches—not just highlight reels, but also struggles.
• Speaking at Summit helps foster better communication skills among leaders, driving growth back at their organizations.
• Highlighting new Summit speakers (e.g., SRM, Jerry from Ames, Barry Tutor) and what they bring in terms of perspective—international, family-based, and mining.

5. Building Resilience, Facing Doubt, and Long-Term Vision (23:53–29:14)

• The parallels between personal/professional faith, passion, and persisting through doubt.
• Barry Tutor’s mining operation as inspiration—vision, perseverance, and global, forward-thinking perspective.
• Aaron and Jason discuss how international exposure breaks down “American arrogance” and brings valuable perspective back to the U.S. construction industry.

6. Personal Growth, Family, and Work-Life Balance (54:30–60:00)

• Physical fitness and daily routines as keys to mental health and productivity.

• Sharing struggles and embracing imperfection builds connection, both at home and in business.

• Jason and Aaron candidly discuss parenting philosophies, regrets, and the evolving approach to nurturing family creativity and choice.

  "I was winning at work, but I was losing at home last year and had to make some changes." — Aaron (58:54)

7. Breaking the Mold: Creativity in Life and Business (63:33–68:16)

• Life and business are more fulfilling with creativity—apply this to offices, events, and even family vacations.
• Dirt World Summit experiments with event formats, intentionally disrupting comfort zones to foster deeper engagement.

8. Vulnerability, Shame, and Letting Go (87:15–90:00)

• Honest reflections on how shame from past mistakes can poison future growth if not addressed and released.

  "You can let that shame poison the future... it perpetuates the suffering in a way the longer you carry it." — Jason (87:26, 89:32)

• Sharing mistakes, learning from them, and moving forward are crucial—not just personally, but for organizational health and innovation.

9. Mental Health, Physical Well-Being, and Leadership Modeling (93:10–105:13)

• Mental and personal health issues (suicide, addiction, physical health) far outpace on-the-job fatalities, but remain under-addressed.

  "Suicide is five times [more frequent] than on-the-job fatalities… accidental drug overdose, sixteen times the on-the-job fatality." — Jason (93:22)

• Real leadership in this space starts with personal example—not just policy. Authentic stories from leaders, not directives, drive change.

• Faith, trust, and supporting each other are ongoing themes.

  "Are you healthy? From a mental health standpoint, the only effective thing I’ve done is talk about how I’ve worked through it myself." — Jason (100:32–101:06)

10. Faith, Authenticity, and Community (110:19–119:45)

• Faith is a personal journey for both hosts; they celebrate transparency and respect differences, while noting a strong undercurrent of faith in the construction industry.
• Initiatives like Dirt Theology and Dirt World Connect foster ongoing support, community, and personal flourishing.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Letting Go and Focusing the Business:

  "I’m not here to convince anybody anymore… just focusing on those that really understand—boy, is that a big shift for me at least." — Jason (11:22)

• On Speaking & Leadership Communication:

  "In the early, early years, it was just like, just try to say something that's kind of coherent… now it's like I'm starting to dig into the craft of it, which is really cool." — Jason (12:46–13:21)

• On Industry Impact of the Summit:

  "The industry is starting to talk about what we’re doing—it’s not just us telling the story now… it’s people that are in our ecosystem starting to share." — Aaron (06:48–07:38)

• On Inspiring (Not Forcing) Change:

  "You create a new model that's so good, it makes the old model obsolete." — Jason (44:11)

• On Progress over Perfection:

  "Progress over perfection is the important part of communication." — Aaron (17:34)

• On Fitness and Mental Health:

  "If you have problems mentally... what are you eating? Are you exercising? That’s pretty low-hanging fruit." — Jason (55:16)

• On Being Transparent with Teams:

  "Here’s the information as of today. Just so you can be thinking about it… Just so that when we do create a plan, you can weigh in." — Jason (75:44)

• On Industry Challenges:

  "It’s hard for me to buy into 'our people are number one' when there’s that level of focus and investment in something that is a very small piece of what’s actually going on." — Jason (95:20)

• On Faith:

  "It's not about church, I don't need church. It's not about anyone else. It's just me, Bible, God. That’s it." — Jason (111:19)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Letting Go of Creative & Focusing – 01:38–04:18
• Dirt World Summit Momentum – 04:28–05:53
• Authenticity in Industry Events – 05:55–09:30
• Leadership Communication & Public Speaking – 12:13–13:52
• Five+ Ticket Strategy & Group Impact – 07:57–08:44
• Table Assignments, Disrupting Comfort Zones – 68:16–69:32
• Parenting, Regret, Redemption – 78:03–82:01
• On Shame and Letting Go – 87:15–90:00
• Mental Health - Industry Data & Critique – 93:10–98:33
• Faith and Personal Growth – 110:19–117:00

Final Thoughts

This free-flowing conversation is packed with honest leadership lessons, practical ideas for building resilient organizations, encouragement for personal well-being, and the importance of authenticity at both the summit and in daily life. The takeaway: by focusing on transparency, communication, and community, Dirt World leaders can create a new paradigm for the construction industry—one grounded in purpose, wellness, and connection.