The Action Catalyst

Shep Hyken, Chief Amazement Officer of Shepard Presentations, customer service and experience expert, author, and speaker, explains the true meaning of being "helpful", why it takes one to say yes, but two to say no, finding moments of magic, misery, and mediocrity, and the handy index card trick for your staff.

Championship speaker and executive coach Dananjaya Hettiarachchi explains the difference between pull vs. push messages, which is better, and how to craft it.Hear Dananjaya's full interview in Episode 61 of The Action Catalyst.

Topaz Adizes, an Emmy Award-winning writer, director, author, experience design architect, and founder of The Skin Deep, explains why the mind is built to protect you but heart is built to connect you and how the quality of your life is correlated with the quality of your relationships, why not sleeping in your kitchen is important and why not to confuse comfort with safety, shares the importance of his first kiss and on focusing on questions over answers, dives into his new book, and tackles the question of what IS humanity?

Brand leadership expert, author, and speaker Denise Lee Yohn explains the modern dynamics of branding and brand competition, and the need to be crystal clear on your brand, not just to customers, but internally.Hear Denise's full interview in Episode 84 of The Action Catalyst.

Championship speaker and executive coach Dananjaya Hettiarachchi shares the two principles behind crafting a great message, the three biggest things he changed to create a championship speech, pull vs. push messages, the two types of stories that exist, the power of connecting with failure, and why sometimes just being yourself is the hardest part.

Employment law attorney, author, and Founder/CEO of the Crone Law Firm, Alan Crone reveals the list of things a new or small business absolutely MUST do to stay on the right side of the law.Hear Alan's full interview in Episode 475 of The Action Catalyst.

Brand leadership expert, author, and speaker Denise Lee Yohn explains what it means to have "brand as business", why you’re ALWAYS representing not one, but two brands, and the importance of having an integrated approach.

Action Catalyst host Stephanie Maas shares season's greetings and her best wishes for an amazing holiday.

Entrepreneur, author, founder, and physician Dr. Josh Axe talks about managing your stress the healthy way for businesspeople. Hear Dr. Axe's full interview in Episode 75 of The Action Catalyst.

Employment law attorney, author, and Founder/CEO of the Crone Law Firm, Alan Crone explains how what you do defines who you are, reveals the 3 biggest constants over 30 years of law, as well as the list of things a new or small business absolutely MUST do to stay on the right side of the law, and shares why diversity is death (but not how you think).

Ellen Hoggard, President of High School in the USA cultural exchange program, a part of GEC, Global Educational Concepts, shares memories of hotels with bullet holes in the walls and being followed by the KGB, and all the good that comes from cultural exchange.Hear Ellen's full interview in Episode 474 of The Action Catalyst.

Entrepreneur, author, founder, and physician Dr. Josh Axe identifies a few of the health trends that are most dangerous for business people, talks about managing your stress the healthy way and some of the cultural and religious differences in health, and addresses one of the most pressing questions of our times… IS Caesar salad the enemy?

Author, speaker, and Founder of Courage Crafters, Andrea Waltz, talks about setting “no” goals, why hearing “no” is important EVEN for top producers, and why to never be afraid to ask for what you want.Hear Andrea's full interview in Episode 31 of The Action Catalyst.

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 474 with Ellen Hoggard, President of High School in the USA cultural exchange program, a part of GEC, Global Educational Concepts.

Ellen Hoggard, President of High School in the USA cultural exchange program, a part of GEC, Global Educational Concepts, shares memories of being detained at the Berlin wall, hotels with bullet holes in the walls, and being followed by the KGB, and talks about staying true to yourself at forks in the road, getting 100s of kids home during Covid, some tips on what to pack from a VERY well-traveled person, and ALL that we have to gain from worldwide cultural exchange.Mentioned in this episode:Learn more at SouthwesternConsulting.com/Coaching/StudentsSouthwestern Student CoachingThis episode is brought to you by High School in the USA. Learn more at HighSchoolintheUSA.com.High School in the USA

Entrepreneur, professor, and Founder/CEO of Smarty, Denzil Eden, shares the 3 principles of AI, and some common fears and concerns around the emerging and exciting technology.Hear Denzil's full interview in Episode 473 of The Action Catalyst.

Author, speaker, and Founder of Courage Crafters, Andrea Waltz, talks about setting “no” goals, why hearing “no” is important EVEN for top producers, and why to never be afraid to ask for what you want.

Author, speaker, and serial entrepreneur Kevin Kruse explains how you can use time travel (at least mentally) to defeat procrastination and get things done.Hear Kevin's full interview in Episode 109 of The Action Catalyst.

Entrepreneur, professor, and Founder/CEO of Smarty, Denzil Eden, shares the 3 principles of AI, addressing some common fears and concerns around AI, the importance of role models and seeing yourself in the work, and the one tiny word that shifts imposter syndrome to a growth mindset.

Jim Sebenius, a Harvard Business School professor, author, negotiation expert, and host of the new podcast Dealcraft: Insights from Great Negotiators, explains the steps to his novel approach to bargaining known as “3D negotiation”.Hear Jim's full interview in Episode 472 of The Action Catalyst.

Author, speaker, and serial entrepreneur Kevin Kruse shares advice he extracted from Mark Cuban, the 3-21-0 and 4-D email methods, the importance of making friends with the calendar, the productivity tips supported by Harvard research, taking the "I" out of getting things done, and using time travel to defeat procrastination.

Author, speaker, and leadership strategist Neen James explains why in many cases, YOU, yes YOU, the leader, might be the distraction, and the roadblock to increased productivity for your team.Hear Neen's full interview in Episode 238 of The Action Catalyst.

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 472 with Jim Sebenius, a Harvard Business School professor, author, negotiation expert, and host of the new podcast Dealcraft: Insights from Great Negotiators.

Jim Sebenius, a Harvard Business School professor, author, negotiation expert, and host of the new podcast Dealcraft: Insights from Great Negotiators, shares what group of people are instinctively the best negotiators, the steps to “3D negotiation”, how sometimes you can win by everyone losing, why internal negotiations are sometimes the hardest part, and the importance of being careful with your gift giving and keeping a deal diary.Mentioned in this episode:Learn more at SouthwesternConsulting.com/Coaching/StudentsSouthwestern Student Coaching

Chuck Runyon, the CEO at Self Esteem Brands including the wildly popular Anytime Fitness, explains the 4 P's of work, and the importance of finding your purpose, combining brain power with HEART power.Hear Chuck's full interview in Episode 220 of The Action Catalyst.

Author, speaker, and leadership strategist Neen James reveals the thing you touch 2,000 times a day, and breaks down concentric circles of attention, dedicating yourself in increments, the very real economic cost of distraction, and why YOU, the leader, might be the problem.

James Keyes, former CEO of both Blockbuster Inc. and 7-Eleven, explains why 7-Eleven and Blockbuster were really part of the same business, and what REALLY happened to Blockbuster (and why you may not have seen the last of it).Hear James' full interview in Episode 471 of The Action Catalyst.

Chuck Runyon, the CEO at Self Esteem Brands including the wildly popular Anytime Fitness, covers ROEI vs ROI, the 4 P's of work, finding your purpose, the business lesson of It's a Wonderful Life, the balance of work and play, and why Anytime spends the big bucks as a company on tattoos.

Author, speaker, and certification expert Pamela Slim covers the contentious topic of whether or not switching jobs and companies regularly REALLY makes a difference to your appeal in the job market, and towards your goals overall.Hear Pamela's full interview in Episode 44 of The Action Catalyst.

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 471 with author, and former CEO of both Blockbuster Inc. and 7-Eleven, James Keyes.

James Keyes’ career has included serving as CEO of two Fortune 500 companies; Blockbuster Inc. and 7-Eleven, but he starting off working to be an astronaut. Hear how, plus find out what Einstein called “intelligence having fun”, learn about what CEO really stands for, why 7-Eleven and Blockbuster were really part of the same business, what REALLY happened to Blockbuster (and why you may not have seen the last of it), the root of all commerce, the best way to prioritize your time, dealing with change and fear, and the key to true freedom, and how James narrowly avoided the mafia…we think.Mentioned in this episode:Learn more at SouthwesternConsulting.com/Coaching/StudentsSouthwestern Student Coaching

Andrew Cooper, a top attorney in his field and the Legal Coordinator and Head of Patent Acquisitions for Meta, shares several of the most essential and actionable tips for protecting your intellectual property rights, no matter what size business you own or work for.Hear Andrew's full interview in Episode 470 of The Action Catalyst.

Author, speaker, and certification expert Pamela Slim addresses the “new world of work”, including what makes it so unpredictable, what is considered THE meta skill throughout all of history, and how to talk to our kids about what we do professionally.

Coach, facilitator, and mediator Beth Buelow explains what exactly an "ambivert" is. Never heard of it? Well listen up; you just might be one...Hear Beth's full interview in Episode 116 of The Action Catalyst.

Andrew Cooper, a top attorney in his field and the Legal Coordinator and Head of Patent Acquisitions for Meta, talks about going from a trailer to a trailblazer by way of Japan and rural South Carolina, lays out just what intellectual property IS, covers non-compete and non-solicitation agreements, the 4 moral imperatives for any leader, shares a LOT of actionable tips for protecting your IP, and addresses how AI has changed things.

Barry Conchie, Founder and President of Conchie Associates, and business partner Sarah Dalton, explain why the common discussion around what defines leadership has been "immature, inaccurate, and ineffective", and they lay out which 5 skills REALLY matter in leadership, based on wide-spanning research and data.Hear Barry and Sarah's full interview in Episode 469 of The Action Catalyst.

Coach, facilitator, and mediator Beth Buelow gets into the mechanics of energy drain and gain, the "Friday night test", and the definition of what exactly is an ambivert?

Author, speaker, and executive Jay Papasan explains a few of the biggest lies you've been told about productivity, and how to overcome them.Hear Jay's full interview in Episode 82 of The Action Catalyst.

Barry Conchie, Founder and President of Conchie Associates, and business partner Sarah Dalton, discuss their research taken from over 58K executive leaders, including insights on holding two conflicting truths together, how people don’t change, but the context they exist in does, being both rigid and flexible like an air traffic controller, why likeability is not an indicator of job performance (but it sure informs a lot of hiring), the ROI of a tortoise vs. a squirrel, identifying the 5 talents that REALLY matter in leadership, and how sometimes leaders just can’t be made.

Author, speaker, and physician Dr. Thom Mayer recounts the intense experiences of working at the burning Pentagon on 9/11, and leading a group of Marines into Ukraine at the start of the ongoing war.Hear Dr. Mayer's full interview in Episode 468 of The Action Catalyst.

Author, speaker, and executive Jay Papasan explains a few of the biggest lies about productivity, defines "switch-tasking", and dives into the science of discipline, LITERALLY feeding willpower, and the demonization of open floorplans.

Seth Bolt, bassist of rock band NEEDTOBREATHE, and his brother Chandler, CEO of SelfPublishing.com, explain why some, but not all of your friends can be Pop-Tarts. Wait...what?Hear the Chandler brothers' full interview in Episode 30 of The Action Catalyst.

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 468 with author, speaker, physician, and Medical Director of the NFL Players Association, Dr. Thom Mayer.

Author, speaker, and physician Dr. Thom Mayer explains how a magical series of serendipitous circumstances took him west, the tragic event that led him (back) to the NFL, putting relationships over resumes, finding where your joy intersects the world’s needs, leading the NFL through the concussion crisis, sucking down vs. sucking up, working at the burning Pentagon on 9/11, the Boss vs. the Leader, innovation at the speed of trust, making failure your fuel, and the virtue in thinking of yourself less.Mentioned in this episode:Learn more at SouthwesternConsulting.com/Coaching/StudentsSouthwestern Student Coaching

Author, entrepreneur, Fortune 50 senior executive, and award-winning podcast host John Miles shares a story about the man who humbled not-yet President Jimmy Carter, and the valuable lesson he took away from it.Hear John's full interview in Episode 467 of The Action Catalyst.

Seth Bolt, bassist of rock band NEEDTOBREATHE, and his brother Chandler, CEO of SelfPublishing.com, dive into their co-authored book, “Breaking Out of a Broken System”, talking about “forced opportunities”, the boomerang effect of giving, sharing a $624 billion secret, and explaining why not all of your friends can be Pop-Tarts.

Best-selling author, CEO of SEALFIT, and retired Navy SEAL commander Mark Divine explains the Navy SEAL concept of "Hell Week", the most grueling period of training for any new recruit, and the importance of breaking you down to build you back up again.Hear Mark's full interview in Episode 218 of The Action Catalyst.

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 467 with author, entrepreneur, Fortune 50 senior executive, and award-winning podcast host John Miles.

Author, entrepreneur, Fortune 50 senior executive, and award-winning podcast host John Miles recalls ALMOST becoming an FBI agent, shares a cautionary tale from Microsoft and a story about the man who humbled Jimmy Carter, and explains why there’s no such thing as a practice mentality, the perfect recipe for greatness, the dehumanization of work, being a “gardener leader”, social impact theory, and how to NOT live like a pinball.Mentioned in this episode:Learn more at SouthwesternConsulting.com/Coaching/StudentsSouthwestern Student Coaching

Marketing, PR, and comms expert Kim Rozdeba shares the 5 C’s of branding: commitment, construct, community, content, and consistency, and how to turn them into customer loyalty.Hear Kim's full interview in Episode 466 of The Action Catalyst.