Jimmy Wales , Founder of Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation , replays the origins of Wikipedia and the unique challenges it faced, examines the emotional and practical implications of trust, and chats about working with for-profit vs non-profit stakeholders, his issues with large language models and the way they work, the polarization of societal and business interests, and why he remains a “pathological optimist”. Mentioned in this episode: Learn more at SouthwesternConsulting.com/Coaching/...
Feb 03, 2026•34 min•Ep. 499
In honor of this year's Grammy Awards, we are taking a look back at a pair of Grammy nominated and Grammy winning artists that we have had the pleasure of welcoming to The Action Catalyst. We begin with Freddie Ravel, a virtuoso piano player and more who has performed with some of the biggest names in music, and co-produced and wrote the title track, as well as performed on the George Benson/Al Jarreau album “Given It Up”, which won 4 Grammys in 2007, and was nominated for a 5th, and continue wi...
Jan 30, 2026•10 min
Dave Mortensen, President and Co-Founder of Self-Esteem Brands / Purpose Brands , explains why the fitness industry is like the McDonald's ball pit, and what AI has taught his team about the behavior of it's gym members. Hear Dave's full interview across Episodes 497 and 498 of The Action Catalyst.
Jan 29, 2026•3 min
Dawn Fotopulos, Founder of Hidden Profit Academy , and Associate Professor of Business at The King's College, lays out the 3 financial questions to ask when running ANY business, what bankruptcy IS and ISN'T, the 3 main parts of a balance sheet, recognizing accounting yellow flags, and the importance of adopting a new mindset around managing your money.
Jan 27, 2026•16 min•Ep. 65
Overtime with Outland is Action Catalyst host Adam Outland's reflections and commentary on discussions with each of his esteemed and accomplished guests. In this segment, Adam dissects Episodes 497 and 498, with Dave Mortensen, President and Co-Founder of Self-Esteem Brands / Purpose Brands .
Jan 26, 2026•3 min
Dave Mortensen, President and Co-Founder of Self-Esteem Brands / Purpose Brands , continues the conversation with insights on advancement vs perfection, noise vs value, the 80/20 rule of where good ideas come from, listening to the voice not speaking in the room, and how to "live in the grey". Mentioned in this episode: Learn more at SouthwesternConsulting.com/Coaching/Students Southwestern Student Coaching This episode is brought to you by Southwestern Coaching. Southwestern Coaching...
Jan 23, 2026•22 min•Ep. 498
Adam Outland, Action Catalyst host and President of Southwestern Consulting , examines the true superpower of curiosity and it's relationship to risk, both in the business realm, and on a personal level. Hear more from Adam in his appearance in the Action Catalyst Panel, "Scaling With Purpose".
Jan 22, 2026•3 min
Dave Mortensen, President and Co-Founder of Self-Esteem Brands / Purpose Brands , recounts the improbable meeting between himself and his business partner of over 30 years, and shares why 80-90% of any great idea isn't about the idea itself, the secret to truly great partnerships, the 4 Ps of executing their business, doing vs leading, identifying passion and talent, and why the fitness industry is like the McDonald's ball pit. Mentioned in this episode: Learn more at SouthwesternConsulting.com/...
Jan 20, 2026•33 min•Ep. 497
Scott Stratten, Creator and President of UNMarketing Inc , explains what marketing is at it's core, and how you're never NOT doing it. Hear Scott's full interview in Episode 140 of The Action Catalyst.
Jan 15, 2026•3 min
Adam Outland, Action Catalyst host and President of Southwestern Consulting , and David Stuart, President and Founder of Southwestern Insurance Group , break down how they've each re-examined the structure of their long-standing businesses, including a few key decisions on what NOT to do, taking a hard look at where true revenue comes from, reframing and calculating risk, following the data, the push-pull relationship with tradition, improving the client experience, bringing technology into the ...
Jan 13, 2026•37 min
Vice President of Information Technology for the Southwestern Family of Companies , Ed Solima, and Training and Development Manager for Southwestern Consulting , Chad Rothermich, examine recent changes in AI, and explain how you can even use AI to learn more about...AI! Hear Ed and Chad's full discussion in their very special episode of The Action Catalyst.
Jan 08, 2026•5 min
Scott Stratten, Creator and President of UNMarketing Inc , explains how the context defines which sales approach you need, why marketing is an "always on" function, the huge lesson he learned from his wife's business, and the fear, promise, and future of social media and AI.
Jan 06, 2026•19 min•Ep. 140
Ron Alford , Senior Partner and a Professional Sales and Leadership Coach at Southwestern Consulting , lays out his holistic approach to coaching. Hear Ron and Josh's full interview in Episode 217 of The Action Catalyst.
Jan 02, 2026•2 min
Action Catalyst host Stephanie Maas helps turn the page on 2025, and takes a look ahead for this podcast and all of our listeners!
Jan 01, 2026•2 min
Host Adam Outland bids farewell to 2025, and looks ahead to the new year and everything that's in store for our listeners!
Dec 31, 2025•1 min
Vice President of Information Technology for the Southwestern Family of Companies , Ed Solima, and Training and Development Manager for Southwestern Consulting , Chad Rothermich, examine recent changes in AI and other tech, and offer an in-depth use case as well as some guiding principles for vetting potential tools and vendors, engaging stakeholders in your operation, integrating into existing systems, and even using AI to learn about AI....
Dec 30, 2025•30 min
Alex “Sandy” Pentland, a Professor at MIT, a Stanford University Fellow, and one of the most cited computational scientists in the world, explains the misunderstood issues around artificial intelligence, including alignment and human centricity, and shares the way you can apply AI in your business straight away that he calls "a little bit of genius". Hear Dr. Pentland's full interview in his special bonus episode of The Action Catalyst.
Dec 26, 2025•4 min
Host Adam Outland wishes all of our listeners a very "Catalyst" Christmas!
Dec 25, 2025•54 sec
Action Catalyst host Stephanie Maas shares what's keeping her spirits merry and bright at this magical time of the year, and her wishes for all of our listeners.
Dec 24, 2025•2 min
Ron Alford , Senior Partner and a Professional Sales and Leadership Coach at Southwestern Consulting , and Josh Hudson, CEO of Hudson's Furniture , cover the unique relational challenges of operating in a family business, how to establish a rhythm quickly with coaching, identifying patterns in yourself, learning to accept but also to question, and letting others help you help yourself. Mentioned in this episode: This episode is brought to you by Southwestern Coaching. Southwestern Coaching...
Dec 23, 2025•21 min•Ep. 217
Angie Moss , Sales and Leadership Coach and Certified Trainer with Southwestern Consulting , shares how her coaching client adopted the productive mindset of working ON your business rather than IN your business. Hear Angie and Brad's full interview in Episode 150 of The Action Catalyst.
Dec 18, 2025•2 min
Alex “Sandy” Pentland, a Professor at MIT, a Stanford University Fellow, and one of the most cited computational scientists in the world, dives into the misunderstood issues and opportunities around artificial intelligence, including alignment, human centricity, how different nations are handling the new tech, and the application you can put to work in your business straight away that he calls "a little bit of genius". Mentioned in this episode: Get 10% OFF Taelor gift cards right now using prom...
Dec 16, 2025•27 min
Richard Fain , the chairman and former long-term CEO of Royal Caribbean Group , explains how Royal Caribbean elevated the entire cruise industry, and why, early in his career, he literally, LITERALLY, had to cut a cruise ship in half. Hear Richard's full interview in Episode 496 of The Action Catalyst.
Dec 11, 2025•3 min
Angie Moss , Sales and Leadership Coach and Certified Trainer with Southwestern Consulting , and Brad Moore, Senior Vice President with BancorpSouth Wealth Management , talk about the principles of working ON your business not IN your business, moving your on goalpost for success, and becoming a leader even before you have people to lead. Mentioned in this episode: This episode is brought to you by Southwestern Coaching. Southwestern Coaching...
Dec 09, 2025•20 min•Ep. 150
Karla Lewis , an executive sales and leadership coach and Partner with Southwestern Consulting , and Steve Frody, co-founder of City2Shore Real Estate , share the value of aligning your business and team behind a shared creed (and how to create one). Hear Karla and Steve's full interview in Episode 171 of The Action Catalyst....
Dec 04, 2025•4 min
Richard Fain , the chairman and former long-term CEO of Royal Caribbean Group , recounts the dark days of the Covid pandemic for the cruise business, and explains cheap expensive decisions, the antidote to fear, elevating and innovating the industry, and why he literally, LITERALLY, had to cut a cruise ship in half. Mentioned in this episode: Get 10% OFF Taelor gift cards right now using promo code PODCASTGIFT at Taelor.style Taelor Get 25% OFF your first month of Taelor using code ActionCatayst...
Dec 02, 2025•29 min•Ep. 496
Gayathri Krishnamurthy, Head of Product Marketing at Level AI , explains how AI is beginning to use data differently from previous versions and how the rate at which it's capabilities are expanding is exponential, but how despite this, the emerging technology is still not without its drawbacks... Hear the full conversation in a first-ever "live" episode of The Action Catalyst.
Nov 28, 2025•5 min
Action Catalyst host Adam Outland shares what he's thankful for this Thanksgiving.
Nov 27, 2025•45 sec
Action Catalyst host Stephanie Maas breaks down her favorite parts of the Thanksgiving holiday, and what it really means to have an "attitude of gratitude".
Nov 26, 2025•3 min
Karla Lewis , an executive sales and leadership coach and Partner with Southwestern Consulting , and Steve Frody, co-founder of City2Shore Real Estate , share the value of hiring the right assistants and what to look for when doing so, identifying your ideal client, aligning your business and team behind a shared creed (and how to create one), and why remaining coachable is an essential skill. Mentioned in this episode: This episode is brought to you by Southwestern Coaching. Southwestern Coachi...
Nov 25, 2025•22 min•Ep. 171
