Stop Digging!

Hosted by A-Squared Lamp Group

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Latest episode

Oct 2026

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About the show

First, put your shovel down and listen to our monthly community podcast, Stop Digging! Only YOU can decide how to move through whatever pile of dirt your life or work struggles have put in your way. But we can help. Explore various pain-point topics with our nonprofit's podcast team that hosts engaging conversations with real people. We focus on three main community pillars: 1. Health & Relationships 2. Learning & Leadership 3. Organizations & Growth Each pillar aligns to our nonprofit’s individual member levels (wellness, career, leadership & solopreneurship), which are considered tax-deductible donations that support our work to develop people and organizations for success. We need the community to partner with us to fund Stop Digging!, and you can donate directly toward the $1150 we need annually by going here: https://buy.stripe.com/5kA4gCaOd0qBaFq28c Otherwise, sit back and enjoy our discussions with experts and experienced people who share their expertise and stories, who often provide resources, information, and connections to build up the purpose, passion, and pursuits of listeners’ Life Work. Share your own story of personal or professional development and what has helped you best by posting in our Stop Digging! self-development LinkedIn group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14209768 If you have a unique story about your Life Work transition, transformation, discovery, and notable success, you might be a good guest for our next show. We typically schedule six months in advance. Visit us here to apply: asquaredlamps.org/stop-digging

Listen to episodes

44 recent

October 6, 2026Episode 421 hr 29 min

Travel Experience & Learning | S04 | 2026 | Episode 42

In this episode, Stop Digging! is on the road to talk about learning opportunities with people joining the A-Squared Lamp trip.

September 9, 2026Episode 4155 min

Growing the Show-Up Leaders | S04 | 2026 | Episode 41

This month's interview is with Dorine Lawrence-Hughes, J.D., Ed.D., CPCC, principal consultant of Brazen Communications, about her origin story shaped by educator parents, her path from teaching to a law career and back to higher education and coaching. She discusses distinctions between coaching and mentoring, leadership challenges like criticism and loneliness, the importance of building a support “bench,” and practices such as self-care, community, creativity, and writing/journaling.

August 4, 2026Episode 4057 min

Building Cultures Through Trust, Feedback, and Leadership | S04 | 2026 | Episode 40

Leadership expert Bryan Hughes joins Chris to explore why organizational culture isn't just a "soft skill," but a measurable driver of business performance, trust, accountability, and long-term success. Through practical stories and actionable strategies, they discuss how leaders at every level can create environments where honest feedback, psychological safety, and genuine human connection thrive.

July 7, 2026Episode 3956 min

Benchmarking 3rd-Stage Company Health | S04 | 2026 | Episode 39

This month we welcome business coach and author Rob Young of Stage 3 Group, who explains his focus on “stage three” companies—businesses past startup but still chaotic and undisciplined—and his book "Stage 3 Success." Young describes common stage-three challenges, especially people issues like hiring friends or family and struggling to fire or reassign the wrong people, as well as the need for processes, procedures, and leadership structures that many owners were never trained to build.

June 2, 2026Episode 3854 min

Leadership with Soul | S04 | 2026 | Episode 38

This month, our host Chris Knierem interviews retired Presbyterian pastor Reverend Doug Rumford, who served 44 years across churches in Connecticut, California, and Kansas City before founding Lorica Ministries to equip people for spiritual vitality and intentional living. Rumford describes rewriting his 1996 book Soul Shaping through independent publishing and now coaching pastors and leaders facing cultural pressures, helping them live from the inside out.

May 5, 2026Episode 3723 min

Building Excellence While Fighting Chronic Fatigue Syndrome & Fibromyalgia | S04 | 2026 | Episode 37

This month's episode is something a little different: instead of an interview, host Chris Knierem shares his experience with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. Learn how this affected his life, how he chose to change habits to overcome his illness and gain some useful advice about how to help get yourself out of similar situations.

April 7, 2026Episode 3658 min

Leaders Don't Eat Lunch Alone | S04 | 2026 | Episode 36

This month we interviewed Peter Camacho, CFO, HR Expert, EMT-certified and Boy Scouts of America community leader. He and host Chris discuss leading by example, building trust, and how teaching deepens learning, along with the need for proper training and support when promoting employees as well as the problems with punitive cultures and the importance of open communication, asking for help, and treating mistakes as team learning opportunities.

March 3, 2026Episode 351 hr 1 min

Leader's Luck & Lessons Learned | S04 | 2026 | Episode 35

In this episode we interview self-published sci-fi author JR Winton, creator of the Desolation Trilogy and the Witch and the Rifleman series. Winton explains how a Josiey Wales/Star Wars image sparked his “space western” style, how his hero Reed Cooper drew from old-school lawmen he knew as a child and a fighter-pilot father, and how mentors and life events shaped his grit, rewrites, and eventual decision to self-publish via Amazon KDP with improved second-edition covers and edits. He discusses pitfalls like marketing scams, the importance of discernment and learning from anyone.

February 3, 2026Episode 3456 min

Heart Languages and Leadership | S04 | 2026 | Episode 34

In this episode of Stop Digging!, Chris welcomes two language experts, Brian Rovito and Dr. Kaitlyn Tagarelli from Mango Languages. Together, they explore the significance of learning new languages for personal travel, professional success, and cultural preservation. Highlighting unique features of Mango’s conversational approach, they discuss the cognitive benefits of multilingualism and the company's initiatives to support endangered languages. Tune in to discover how speaking someone's native language can enrich lives and create genuine connections across the globe.

January 21, 20262 min