Episode Details

In this milestone 100th episode of Hoots on the Ground with No Bullshido, the microphone gets flipped. Mike Chiles takes over as host and interviews Adam Hoots, bringing the podcast full circle from Episode 1 and creating space to pause, reflect, learn, and look ahead. Adam revisits the beginning of the show and the trust Joe Donarumo and Keyan Zandy placed in him to bring a field-first voice to The Lean Builder. What began as a podcast focused on translating Lean concepts into language builders could actually use became something much bigger: a four-year learning journey about people, leadership, health, faith, relationships, and the responsibility leaders have to improve the lives of the people doing the work. The conversation gets deeply personal as Adam reflects on the 48-day hospitalization that stopped his fast-moving consulting career in its tracks, the loss of his transplanted kidney, dialysis, and the eventual kidney transplant that gave him another chance. He shares how Buddy Brumley became an anchor during that season and helped pull The Old Dawg Lean Thesaurus out of him while simultaneously challenging Adam to see Lean as something far greater than a collection of tools. Mike and Adam revisit the people and conversations that shaped the first 100 episodes, including lessons from Buddy Brumley, Jesse Hernandez, Felipe Engineer-Manriquez, Mack Story, Jeff Reilly, Brent Darnell, Boone White, Gabe Lightner, and many others. The recurring lesson is clear: construction does not transform through tools alone. It transforms when leaders develop themselves, genuinely see the humans doing the work, and create environments where those people can flourish. Adam also finally defines the phrase that has lived in the show's title for 100 episodes: "bullshido." Borrowed from the martial arts world, it describes what happens when ideas are mixed, repackaged, and separated from their original meaning. For Adam, Lean becomes bullshido when tools, certifications, jargon, and consultant-driven systems become more important than the frontline people they were supposed to serve. The episode then turns toward the future. Adam announces that Hoots on the Ground with No Bullshido is beginning to sunset as the mission expands beyond one person and beyond the word Lean. The next chapter is centered on the Old Dawg Builders community and the Old Dawg Leadership Podcast: builders building builders, sharing construction wisdom with the next generation, and developing leaders who improve themselves first, others second, and ultimately their teams, companies, and industry. After 100 episodes, this is not a goodbye. It is a reflection on where the journey started, gratitude for everyone who helped shape it, and a declaration that the work is only beginning.

• Pause, Reflect, Learn, Share — Reflection is where experience begins turning into wisdom. Episode 100 intentionally looks backward so those lessons can be carried forward.

• Continuous Improvement for the Betterment of People — Lean is not improvement for improvement's sake. The purpose is to create greater value and better conditions for the humans doing the work.

• Develop the Capability to Develop Capability — Leadership is not about becoming the person with every answer. It is about creating environments where other people can learn, grow, solve problems, and eventually develop others.

• Respect Must End