
The Action Catalyst
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.
Latest episodes

Jul 3, 2024 • 2min
Overtime with Outland: Ron Alford, Episode 463
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 463 with Ron Alford, author, Executive Coach, Certified Trainer, Keynote Speaker, and Senior Partner with Southwestern Consulting.

Jul 2, 2024 • 30min
Possibility, Redefined, with Ron Alford (Leadership, Vision, Confidence, Focus, Running)
Ron Alford, Executive Coach, Certified Trainer, Keynote Speaker, and Senior Partner with Southwestern Consulting, covers the principles and parables in his newly revised edition of "Redefining Possible", and talks about finding the joy in having his soul crushed, collecting “Ron's Rambles”, the importance of putting on blinders, truths vs. lies, diving into the data, but going with the gut, and why his pals call him “Switzerland”.Mentioned in this episode:Learn more at SouthwesternConsulting.com/Coaching/StudentsSouthwestern Student CoachingOrder today at RedefiningPossible.comRedefining Possible

Jun 27, 2024 • 4min
CLIP: Treats, Not Rewards
Best-selling author, speaker, and podcast host Gretchen Rubin explains why rewards are dangerous (but treats are good) when creating habits.Hear Gretchen's full interview in Episode 83 of The Action Catalyst.

Jun 26, 2024 • 2min
Overtime with Outland: Chris Hunter, Episode 462
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 462 with Chris Hunter, founder of several successful beverage brands, including the iconic Four Loko as well as the health-focused Koia, and the unique Not Your Father's Root Beer.

Jun 25, 2024 • 34min
Blackout Punch, with Chris Hunter (Entrepreneurship, Food and Beverage, Business, Leadership)
We’re going loko! Chris Hunter, founder of several successful beverage brands, including the iconic Four Loko as well as the health-focused Koia, and the unique Not Your Father's Root Beer, shares insights from his memoir, “Blackout Punch: an Entrepreneur’s Journey from Chaos to Clarity”, including the gap in the market that he identified that led to the creation of Four Loko, what they SHOULD have done at the very beginning to avoid disaster later, how the role of Founder/CEO is ill-defined (and why that's a good thing), hunters vs. gatherers in sales, fighting the government to keep Four Loko legal, creating Not Your Father’s Root Beer, what success means as a younger man versus now, and the value of knowing you’re going to be wrong but taking the first step anyways.Mentioned in this episode:Learn more at SouthwesternConsulting.com/Coaching/StudentsSouthwestern Student Coaching

Jun 20, 2024 • 4min
CLIP: Speaking Spontaneously, Exiting Small Talk, Answers When You Haven’t Got An Answer
Matt Abrahams, host of the Think Fast, Talk Smart business show from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, as well as an acclaimed Strategic Communication lecturer, and author of the new book Think Faster, Talk Smarter, shares the secrets to spontaneous speaking, how to get out of a conversation you DON’T want to be in, and how to answer a question you DON'T have the answer to.Hear Matt's full interview in Episode 461 of The Action Catalyst.

Jun 18, 2024 • 13min
REMASTERED: Better Than Before: How To Change Your Habits, with Gretchen Rubin (Behavior, Productivity, Goal Setting, Self Improvement)
Best-selling author, speaker, and podcast host Gretchen Rubin talks about why habits are superpowers, why rewards are dangerous (but treats are good), and how the easiest habits to change are the ones that are, well…the most habitual.

Jun 13, 2024 • 5min
CLIP: Winning "The Apprentice" / "The Mega-Brands That Built America"
Entrepreneur, television personality, author and speaker Bill Rancic talks about becoming an entrepreneur at age 10, the 3 biggest lessons he learned from competing on (and winning) The Apprentice, and "The Mega-Brands That Built America”, airing on The History Channel.Hear Bill's full interview in Episode 460 of The Action Catalyst.

Jun 11, 2024 • 28min
Connection Over Perfection, with Matt Abrahams (Communication, Speaking, Behavior, Business)
Matt Abrahams, host of the Think Fast, Talk Smart business show from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, as well as an acclaimed Strategic Communication lecturer, and author of the new book Think Faster, Talk Smarter, explains why his name, in some way, led to his life’s work, and shares the secrets to spontaneous speaking, the construction of conversation, speaking up without freaking out, controlling your actual BODY during discussion, how to get out of a conversation you DON’T want to be in and how to answer a question you don’t have the answer to, listening to what’s NOT said, daring to be dull and maximizing your mediocrity, finding the third side of a coin, and the role of martial arts in all of this.

Jun 6, 2024 • 3min
CLIP: Progress Over Perfection
Luis Báez, a Sales Enablement Strategist who has worked with tech giants like LinkedIn, Uber, Tesla, and Google, explains why LinkedIn is the best employment experience he’s ever had, how the same customers behave radically differently depending on the platform they're engaging with, creating a "water cooler" in a virtual setting, and how accepting messiness was important to his success.Hear Luis's full interview in Episode 459 of The Action Catalyst.
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