

The Action Catalyst
Southwestern Family of Podcasts
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.
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 11, 2022 • 21min
When Women Lead, with Julia Boorstin (Leadership, TV, Media, Gender, Communications)
Julia Boorstin, Senior Media & Tech Correspondent for CNBC, talks about what inspired her new book, “WHEN WOMEN LEAD - What They Achieve, Why They Succeed, and How We Can Learn from Them”, and touches on the changing face of leadership, contextual thinking and communal leadership, the unusual case of Elizabeth Holmes, the gender issue in tech and computer science, being camera-ready in 40 minutes or less, the great value of reaching out to your "outer circle", and why there’s no such thing as a cold call anymore.

Oct 6, 2022 • 4min
CLIP: A Fitbit For Your Brain
Ariel Garten, neuroscientist and the co-founder of tech startup Muse, explains how her company’s revolutionary technology helps you become the coach and the guru inside your own brain, the broader mission of her work, and how if you don’t know what to do for yourself, do something for someone else.Hear Ariel’s full interview in Episode 397 of The Action Catalyst.

Oct 4, 2022 • 21min
Going "Crazy", with John and Mark X. Cronin (Family, Business, Down Syndrome, Advocacy, Apparel, Fashion)
John and Mark X. Cronin, entrepreneurs, advocates for Down Syndrome, and co-founders of the largest sock store on the planet, John's Crazy Socks, explain the 5 essential pillars of business, the joys and the challenges of working as a father and son team, a small problem they ran into with opening a food truck, making friends with Washington elite, and the importance of uplifting differently-abled employees.

Sep 29, 2022 • 2min
CLIP: We're ALL Going to Pay For It; You're Going to Be OK
David Stuart, Founder and President of Southwestern Insurance Group, describes the current state of the insurance industry, and what sets his company apart from others in the ever-more-competitive insurance landscape.Hear David’s full interview in Episode 396 of The Action Catalyst.

Sep 27, 2022 • 21min
Discovering the Muse, with Ariel Garten (Neuroscience, Technology, Meditation, Wellness)
Ariel Garten, neuroscientist, former psychotherapist, and the co-founder and visionary of tech startup Muse, explains the mission behind her company’s revolutionary technology, the way inspiration can translate from art to science, hitting the research lab at the age of 17, the power of naivety, her responsibility to society, calming the nervous system and relying on yourself, and how if you don’t know what to do for yourself, do something for someone else.*Listeners, use code POD10 at checkout at ChooseMuse.com for special savings!

Sep 22, 2022 • 4min
CLIP: A Wedding, An Earthquake, and the Kindness of Strangers
Patty Hoppenstedt, Chief Operations and People Officer for Southwestern Family of Companies, shares the story of the tragic natural disaster that nearly changed the course of her family’s history, and how the kindness demonstrated by strangers helped shape who she is today.Hear Patty’s full interview in her special bonus episode of The Action Catalyst.Mentioned in this episode:This episode is brought to you by ThinkingAhead.Thinking Ahead

Sep 20, 2022 • 22min
Making Insurance Fun Again, with David Stuart (Insurance, Team Building, Inspiration, Starting a Business)
David Stuart, Founder and President of Southwestern Insurance Group, shares successful philosophies on expanding your team, why hindsight is the best foresight, how your trials are someone else’s inspiration, and what it means to define “fun” in business, plus covers his adventures in water polo, getting hit in the face, and the similarity between himself and Mark Wahlberg.Mentioned in this episode:This episode is brought to you by Southwestern Insurance Group.Southwestern Insurance Group

Sep 15, 2022 • 4min
CLIP: Employee Innovation and Challenging the Boss
Gary Garfield, speaker, author, and former CEO of Bridgestone Americas, shares a few times when he empowered his workforce to speak truth to power, drive innovative ideas from within, and speak up for themselves, resulting in one of Bridgestone's most well-received initiatives.Hear Gary's full interview in Episode 395 of The Action Catalyst.Also be sure to check out Gary's first appearance on the podcast, in Episode 243 of the Action Catalyst.

Sep 13, 2022 • 24min
Patty Hoppenstedt: Nicaragua, 9/11, and Serving Southwestern
Patty Hoppenstedt, Chief Operations and People Officer for Southwestern Family of Companies, shares her upbringing in Central America and the natural disaster that helped shape her early life, to her beginnings in security in the 9/11 era, stint in city management, and the influences and determination from her unique background that help her create the safest, most inviting work environment for employees of all types.Mentioned in this episode:This episode is brought to you by Thinking Ahead.Thinking Ahead

Sep 8, 2022 • 4min
CLIP: Korean Mafia, CIA, and The Two Minds
Author and mental scientist Dr. Hank Seitz shares the unbelievable story of his time as a double agent for the Korean mafia and the CIA and explains how the conscious and the subconscious minds shape our beliefs.Hear Dr. Hank’s full interview in Episode 394 of The Action Catalyst.