
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

Mar 26, 2024 • 20min
REMASTERED: Managing Stress, Guilt and Overwhelm, with Carrie Wilkerson (Executive, Opportunity, Consulting, Business)
Best-selling author, international speaker, award-winning podcaster, and media personality Carrie Wilkerson breaks down the biggest productivity mistakes people make, why balance is in the eye of the beholder and comparison is "suicide on an installment plan", talks about playing to the "invisible audience", and explains how you REALLY ARE the person in your photographs.

Mar 21, 2024 • 2min
CLIP: Not Special, Just Intentional
Author, CEO of Ziglar, Inc, and son of legendary speaker and salesman Zig Ziglar, Tom Ziglar, explains how intentional = meaningful, with a very personal story about a very intimate moment between he and his father.Hear Tom's full interview in Episode 38 of The Action Catalyst.

Mar 19, 2024 • 26min
The Inside Innovator, with Louis Gump (Entrepreneurship, Business, Innovation, Digital Media)
Digital media executive Louis Gump, with time spent at CNN, the Weather Channel, Cox Media, and more, talks about breaking early ground in the mobile space, the 5 main characteristics of an intrapreneur, not putting efficiency over optimization, the symbiotic relationship between intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs, the genesis of innovation, and more.

Mar 14, 2024 • 4min
CLIP: All Businesses Are The Same Business
Digital strategist, author, and entertainment industry veteran Chris Hood explains why all businesses are really the same business at their core, and how entertainment, regardless of where you get it, is entertainment.Hear Chris's full interview in Episode 452 of The Action Catalyst.

Mar 12, 2024 • 15min
REMASTERED: He Walked His Talk, with Tom Ziglar (Motivation, Inspiration, Success, Sales)
Author, CEO of Ziglar, Inc, and son of legendary speaker and salesman Zig Ziglar, Tom Ziglar, explains how intentional = meaningful and the importance of getting a check-up from the neck up, and shares some of Zig’s favorite foods and activities, what he was like offstage, and why to “be, do, have”, in that order.

Mar 7, 2024 • 4min
CLIP: Mastering The 3 Types of Media
Rusty Shelton, Founder/Chairman of Zilker Media, and Barbara Henricks, Founder, President & CEO of Cave Henricks Communications, explain the 3 types of media, and how to best position yourself between them to promote your brand, your product, and yourself.Hear Rusty and Barbara's full interview in Episode 132 of The Action Catalyst.

Mar 6, 2024 • 2min
Overtime with Outland: Chris Hood, Episode 452
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 452, with digital strategist, speaker, and author Chris Hood.

Mar 5, 2024 • 32min
The Customer is the Constant, with Chris Hood (Entertainment, Media, Business, AI)
Digital strategist, author, and entertainment industry veteran Chris Hood talks about his award-winning work with films like Jurassic Park and Apollo 13, one HUGE missed opportunity with the Power Rangers, why even the worst leaders you know can be mentors, using the cloud before the cloud existed to develop the first known music streaming platform, why all businesses are the same business, the overhype of AI, the evolution of streaming versus cable, the fastest way to identify your target audience, and why entertainment is entertainment.Mentioned in this episode:Learn more at SouthwesternConsulting.com/Coaching/StudentsSouthwestern Student Coaching

Feb 29, 2024 • 4min
CLIP: Positivity Gym / 10,000 Ways NOT to Make a Light Bulb
Alden Mills, CEO of Perfect Fitness and Founder/CEO of GoalBud talks about how keeping a positive mindset is like building a muscle; you gotta hit the positivity gym, plus, why the greatest successes only follow the greatest failures, even for Edison.Hear Alden's full interview in Episode 451 of The Action Catalyst.

Feb 27, 2024 • 17min
REMASTERED: Mastering the New Media Landscape, with Rusty Shelton and Barbara Henricks (Marketing, Public Relations / PR, Social Media, Communications)
Rusty Shelton, Founder/Chairman of Zilker Media, and Barbara Henricks, Founder, President & CEO of Cave Henricks Communications, tag-team a fascinating talk on the "micromedia mindset", the 3 types of media, the power of perception, why you should prescribe, not sell, and the trick to being discoverable.
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