In this episode, Tony Martignetti, Founder of Inspired Purpose Partners, explores the role of extreme curiosity as a powerful driver for meaningful impact. Tony shares his insights on what it takes to be a Catalyst—a courageous force willing to take bold action while inspiring others to join in. He discusses the art of bringing stakeholders along on a change journey without compromising the heart of a vision, cautioning against letting an idea morph into a “Frankenstein” just to please everyone. Tony’s motto, “The work is us,” challenges us to turn our extreme curiosity inward, focusing on personal growth, relationships, and ideas. Listen in as Tony reveals how leading with emotional courage creates a foundation for authentic, impactful leadership. Original music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lynz Floren⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In this episode, Amnah Ajmal, Executive Vice President of Market Development for Mastercard EEMEA, joins Shannon Lucas and Tracey Lovejoy to discuss her transformative journey as a Catalyst. Starting from her early days in Pakistan, Amnah’s determination to challenge cultural norms led her to a career marked by resilience, independence, and a focus on empowering others. She shares real-world strategies for leading big, transformative change, which has been a hallmark of her career. Amnah believes that perseverance and bold decision-making are essential when pushing through resistance to drive impactful change in large organizations. Ajmal also highlights adaptability and empathy—encouraging leaders to immerse themselves in different cultures to better understand and connect with global teams. She knows that change leadership can feel isolating, so she stresses the need for a strong support network of like-minded allies. Optimism, she adds, is crucial; creating a positive environment can turn hesitant team members into committed contributors. Original music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lynz Floren⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In this episode, we chatted with Yvette Standberry, former Head of Innovation at Mathematica, about her journey as a Catalyst leader. Yvette shares how her commitment to "learning by doing" shaped her success. She shared the importance of recognizing patterns across systems to create efficiencies and how learning to tell compelling stories helps bring stakeholders on board at the right time. She emphasizes the importance of empowering others in the change process, cautioning that Catalysts can burn out if they try to carry all the weight themselves. Her wisdom reminds us that it’s never "all about me"—true change happens when we treat stakeholders like customers, listening deeply to their needs and co-creating the future with them. For one of her favorite inspirational Catalysts, Yvette chose Maria Montessori, because she loves that inter-age group focused, learning by doing and through peers – all of which she is building into her next endeavor. Original music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lynz Floren⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Ralph Loura, Co-founder of Sustainable IT.org and former CIO – Catalytic Transformation is 99% Mindset In this episode, we sat down with Ralph Loura, seasoned tech executive, former CIO at HPE and Clorox, and Co-founder of Sustainable IT.org , to discuss the unique dynamics of being a Catalyst executive. Having recently shared his wisdom at Davos and UN Climate Week, we were thrilled to learn from Ralph about insights from his personal catalytic journey. Ralph unpacks how the ability to see the world through a different lens and always find alternative ways of doing things is his Catalyst way of operating and has guided his entire career. However, to be a successful Catalyst, Ralph emphasizes the importance of tying that creativity clearly to the corporate strategy and value creation within the organization. Along his journey, as he encountered the inevitable resistance Catalysts face from stakeholders who often prefer the "old way" of doing things, his mentor reminded him “It makes sense to them.” Ralph explained that when that resistance emerges, you either have to figure out why the change is making people uncomfortable or realize that perhaps it will never make sense in that organization, in which case it’s time to go. Lastly, Ralph shares insights on why, even for those of us who thrive on change, it’s vital to get comfortable with discomfort—a key to navigating the uncertainties of transformational leadership. Original music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lynz Floren⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Manoj Govindan, a Venture Leader with a 30-year career, takes us through his transformative path from engineering to becoming a strategic force in business and innovation. Manoj reflects on his early influences, particularly his upbringing in India, where he was steered into engineering despite his passion for politics and policy. His journey led him to the U.S., where he embraced his true identity and transitioned from technical roles to business analysis and consultancy. Early in his career, while working in sales, he learned the power of networking—understanding that building genuine connections and relationships was key to creating opportunities and driving change. At each stage, Manoj deepened his self-awareness, continuously building upon his experiences to refine his approach to leadership and innovation. He defines a Catalyst as someone who identifies and creates mutual value, emphasizing the importance of connection over simple networking. Through his involvement with the Catalyst Leadership Trust, Manoj’s understanding of being a Catalyst evolved, recognizing the role of scaling personal development to help others maximize their potential. Manoj also discusses the challenges of navigating hubris and risk aversion within large organizations. He explains how these challenges can impede innovation, particularly when risk aversion is linked to political agendas. To overcome these obstacles, he leverages strategic partnerships and ensures the right mix of talent to drive successful innovation. The conversation concludes with Manoj expressing admiration for his father, whom he considers his favorite Catalyst. He hints at the three biggest lessons learned from his father, leaving listeners intrigued. Original music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lynz Floren⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In this episode we had the great fun of having two amazing guests, Stephen Kelner, President & Tiffany West, Head of Programming at Ascent Leadership Networks. Collectively they bring decades of experience working with some of the world’s largest organizations to drive change. As we discussed the challenges Catalyst leaders face, they shared two great insights into how aligning motivations can unlock transformation. To help reduce resistance to change, we need to align to the motivations and wins of the key stakeholders we need to bring along on the journey. To help maintain our own energy throughout the ups and downs of leading change, we need to continually check-in to make sure our personal motivations are aligned with the change capacity and capabilities of the organization. They shared the concept of zooming in on the daily activities that can give us energy as we get stuff done and have that sense of accomplishment with zooming out to evaluate if we are still aligned to the type, breadth and vision of change we’re being invited to create. Tiffany also shared two of her favorite Catalysts that have inspired her in different ways during her years at the World Economic Forum: Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever for the work he did mainstreaming sustainability into the Fortune 100 world and Beth Comstock, former CMO at GE, for her work leading change by flexing outside-in and inside-out innovation. We couldn’t agree more! Original music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lynz Floren⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In this episode, Meghann Brock, Director of Innovation for The Permanente Medical Group Northern California region, shares her insights on how to match catalytic speed to what she calls “the organizational speed limits.” Our desire as Catalysts to move quickly and get things done at speed can feel good at first, but she points out, as we leave people behind in our desire to move quickly, it will actually take us longer to get to the finish line. This can be particularly true in heavily regulated industries. But if you arrive at the finish line alone, you’ve lost. Meghann describes several key steps we need to take to make sure we’re moving at a velocity the organization can handle including: paying attention to the different stakeholder groups you need to engage, sensing when the timing is right for your vision, the power of storytelling that must include stories of customers that illustrate the power and impact of your vision, and being able to manage this emotional load by creating intentional breaks in your day, even if it’s just a few minutes between meetings. Original music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lynz Floren⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In this episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Dominick Bizzarro, a Catalyst executive and former Chief Strategy Officer at MVP Healthcare, now an executive coach specializing in guiding women and humanistic leaders into top leadership roles. Dominick shared valuable insights on driving change within large organizations, emphasizing the importance of kindness, involving others in realizing a shared vision, and fostering self-awareness. He highlighted how supporting Catalysts in his organization through these core skills helped accelerate positive change and increase organizational agility. He also shared his super fun idea about how he has used generative AI to create a virtual personal Advisory Board to support him as he moves into a new phase of his Catalyst executive journey. Book recommended: My Life In Full by Indra Nooyi Original music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lynz Floren⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In this episode, Andre Christian, founder of Evoke IQ and former VP of Innovation and Product Design at SES Satellites, shares his journey of discovering his unique value as a Catalyst and how it has shaped his leadership approach. Andre begins by discussing the realization of his unique skills. Throughout his career, he often felt like a "jack of all trades, master of none," until he connected with the Catalyst community. This experience helped him understand that his ability to anticipate change, think ahead, and drive transformation was not only rare but highly valuable. Finding his tribe of like-minded Catalysts made him feel "forever employable," as he finally recognized and embraced his true worth. Andre then delves into how a Catalyst must lead with empathy, have support, and identify the right environment. He emphasizes the importance of understanding where an organization is in its readiness for change and leading with questions rather than a hard sell. Strong support from senior leadership is crucial for a Catalyst's success, as it provides the confidence needed to push forward with innovative ideas. Andre also highlights the necessity of finding an organization that is genuinely open to transformation, ensuring that the Catalyst's efforts will be supported and valued. He also addresses the challenges of running ahead, burnout, and performing while transforming. As a forward-thinking leader, Andre has experienced the difficulties of moving too far ahead of his organization, as well as the personal toll of burnout. He shares his strategies for managing these challenges, including the importance of mindfulness and self-care. Andre also introduces the concept of "perform while transforming," emphasizing the need for leaders to balance ongoing performance with the demands of organizational change. Finally, Andre reflects on the success of the Catalyst Program at SES, where he played a pivotal role in identifying and empowering change agents within the company. This program not only drove significant transformation but also created a network of Catalysts who were instrumental in moving the organization forward. Original music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lynz Floren⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In this episode, we connect with Tricia Carey, Former Chief Commercial Officer at Renewcell, a leader with decades of experience in the industry. Tricia shares her insights on overcoming resistance to change by emphasizing the importance of knowing your audience and building strong relationships. She highlights how understanding the motivations and needs of different stakeholders is key to driving transformation. Tricia underscores this with her belief that "it's not companies who do business together. It's people who do business together." Tricia also delves into the power of building a personal and professional persona. She explains how reflecting on your approach and adapting your persona to fit different roles and audiences can be crucial in leading change. This self-awareness allows leaders to connect more effectively with their teams and stakeholders, ensuring that their message resonates and drives action. Throughout the conversation, Tricia emphasizes how these relationships and a well-crafted persona can create a supportive network that amplifies efforts and overcomes resistance, particularly in advancing circularity initiatives. Her approach to community-building, such as through the "Carved to Blue" blog, showcases how aligning people around a shared mission can drive significant innovation in the textile industry. Original music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lynz Floren⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.