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The Action Catalyst

Southwestern Family of Podcasts - Southwestern Family of Companiestheactioncatalyst.com
The Action Catalyst interviews top leaders and achievers, sharing hard-earned tips and advice to help you uncover your inspiration and gain valuable insights to overcome setbacks, defeat mediocrity, and reach your goals in life, business, and beyond. Southwestern/Great American, Inc., dba Southwestern Family of Companies, for itself and its related entities and their assigns, reserves and retains all rights to their copyrighted materials and trademarks contained in this podcast.
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Episodes

CLIP: Relaters & Bottom-Liners

Hall of Fame speaker, author, and human behavior expert Connie Podesta breaks down the differences between relaters vs bottom-liners, and how those differences manifest in everything from a sales relationship, to a marriage. Hear Connie's full interview in Episode 34 of The Action Catalyst.

Mar 05, 20263 min

Celebrating 500 Episodes - Action Catalyst Host Roundtable

Action Catalyst hosts past and present unite to mark a major milestone; the 500th episode of The Action Catalyst. The trio of Adam Outland, Stephanie Maas, and Dan Moore gather and reflect on their favorite guests, lessons learned, mistakes made, and the impact, both personal and professional, that the podcast has had on them over the years.

Mar 03, 202615 minEp. 500

CLIP: Pulling People Out of "The Matrix"

Tom Bilyeu , co-founder of unicorn company Quest Nutrition and CEO of Impact Theory , explains what "The Matrix" is for him, and how his life's purpose is to help pull people out of it. Hear Tom's full interview in Episode 198 of The Action Catalyst.

Feb 26, 20264 min

CLIP: Work-Life Balance / Work-From-Home

Internationally renowned psychologist and author Dr. Guy Winch reveals the biggest misconceptions about work-life balance, and how the pandemic presented an opportunity that didn't quite pan out. Hear Dr. Winch's full interview in his special bonus episode of The Action Catalyst.

Feb 19, 20264 min

From Podium to Podcast - Olympians Johnny Quinn, Vince Poscente, & Scott Hamilton

With the 2026 Olympic Games underway, we dug into The Action Catalyst archive for three guests who have represented Team USA on an Olympic level; Vince Poscente , who is now an in-demand speaker and expert on resiliency, explains how he used determination and innovation to rise to the ranks of an Olympic skier in just four short years, Johnny Quinn , a professional speaker and former professional football player with the Buffalo Bills and Green Bay Packers tells the story of his unbelievable jou...

Feb 13, 202626 min

CLIP: Trust and Purpose

Jimmy Wales , Founder of Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation , examines the emotional and practical implications of trust, both in personal relationships, and also inside of organizations, including a cautionary tale from Uber. Hear Jimmy's full interview in Episode 499 of The Action Catalyst.

Feb 12, 20265 min

Mind Over Grind, with Dr. Guy Winch | (Psychology, Stress, Business, Mental Health)

Internationally renowned psychologist and author Dr. Guy Winch shares how a life-changing event in an elevator set him on his path, reveals the biggest misconceptions about work-life balance, and explains how to distinguish between true physical and mental fatigue, burdens vs. nuisances, using “stress thermometers”, and when to take email intermissions.

Feb 10, 202627 min

Cut for Time: The Internet - Both Wonderful and Horrible

In this cut-for-time clip from Episode 499 of The Action Catalyst, Jimmy Wales , Founder of Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation , explains how the internet has ALWAYS had dark corners, and what he sees as one of the bright spots on the web today. Hear the rest of Jimmy's interview in Episode 499 of The Action Catalyst.

Feb 09, 202656 sec

NFL Stars on The Action Catalyst!

In honor of this year’s Superbowl, we've put together a special episode featuring the many guests we've been pleased to welcome to the show, all of whom have had a career with the National Football League. Hear from: Jim Steeg, former Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the San Diego Chargers from 2004 to 2010, head of the NFL’s Special Events Department, and “the man who branded the Super Bowl”. You can hear Jim's full interview in Episode 139. Shawn Harper, a seven season o...

Feb 06, 202622 min

CLIP: Bankruptcy / Net Income / Cash Flow

Dawn Fotopulos, Founder of Hidden Profit Academy , and Associate Professor of Business at The King's College, explains what bankruptcy really IS and ISN'T, and some common mistakes around income, invoicing, and cash flow. Hear Dawn's full interview in Episode 65 of The Action Catalyst.

Feb 05, 20263 min

Overtime with Outland: Jimmy Wales, Episode 499

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 Episode 499 with Jimmy Wales , Founder of Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation .

Feb 04, 20263 min

The Seven Rules of Trust, with Jimmy Wales | (Leadership, Internet, Entrepreneurship, Media)

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, 202634 minEp. 499

Grammy Winners on The Action Catalyst

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, 202610 min

CLIP: The McDonald's Ball Pit of Fitness

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, 20263 min

Overtime with Outland: Dave Mortensen, Episodes 497 and 498

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, 20263 min

Living in the Grey, with Dave Mortensen | (Fitness, Leadership, Franchising, Partnerships)

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, 202622 minEp. 498

CLIP: The Super Power That Fights Risk

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, 20263 min

Leading With Purpose, with Dave Mortensen | (Fitness, Leadership, Franchising, Partnerships)

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, 202633 minEp. 497

CLIP: Never NOT Marketing

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, 20263 min

Scaling With Purpose: An Action Catalyst Panel (Business, Leadership, Growth, Technology)

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, 202637 min

CLIP: Using AI to Learn AI

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, 20265 min

CLIP: We're Building a LIFE

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, 20262 min

A Toast to '26, from Stephanie Maas

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, 20262 min

So Long to 2025, from Adam Outland

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, 20251 min

Innovation at the Edges: An Action Catalyst Panel (AI, Technology, Security, Business)

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, 202530 min

CLIP: "A Little Bit of Genius"

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, 20254 min
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