The Action Catalyst

Established in 1855, Southwestern Advantage is the oldest entrepreneurial program in the world for university students. The program has given hundreds of thousands of participants the opportunity to graduate debt-free with transferable personal and professional skills, and has earned praise from everyone from Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, to financial expert Dave Ramsey. Student Reps spend their summers building their businesses in a community away from home, demonstrating a learning system that is a trusted industry-leading resource for students receiving any public, private, or homeschool education, with apps, websites, and books designed by a national board of top educators. Millions of families across the US & Canada have added Southwestern Advantage products to their home. Be on the lookout for Student Reps in your community this summer, and learn more at SouthwesternAdvantage.com.

Since launching in May of 2013, The Action Catalyst podcast has helped listeners uncover inspiration, through valuable insights to overcome setbacks, defeat mediocrity, and reach life's biggest goals. Dan, Dustin, and the rest of the team are SO appreciative that you've joined us for the past 8 years, and look forward to bringing you more of the nation’s top thought leaders and experts as we kick off the 9th year of The Action Catalyst!

Rick Ruth spent his career creating cultural connections throughout the world on behalf of the United States. Join Dan Moore for this broad ranging conversation with Rick Ruth as he teases out the wisdom, understanding, and lessons learned from a lifetime spent creating cultural connections throughout the world.Rick Ruth recently retired from his role as acting principal deputy assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. He also served as senior advisor to the assistant secretary. In this capacity, he advised on all aspects of international exchange policy, programs and management.Ruth is a former foreign service officer and member of the Senior Executive Service. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, he taught Russian language and literature at the University of Arizona. He joined the government in the mid-1970s as a Russian-speaking staff member on a traveling exhibition in the Soviet Union. Ruth subsequently joined the Foreign Service, serving abroad in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the Soviet Union.He was deputy chief of staff at the United States Information Agency (USIA) from 1988 to 1999. With the integration of USIA and the Department of State, Ruth organized the office of the under secretary of state for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs and served as its first chief of staff. In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, he was the sole public diplomacy representative on the senior level steering committee responsible for coordinating the U.S. State Department’s response to the attack.Ruth has also served in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs as deputy assistant secretary for Policy, deputy assistant secretary for Private Sector Exchange, and principal deputy assistant secretary. He established the Department’s first global alumni network, spearheaded cultural heritage as a key component of foreign policy, pioneered the quantitative measurement of exchange programs, originated the first high school exchange for the Arab and Muslim world, and implemented historic reforms in the regulation and oversight of private sector exchanges.Ruth has received numerous awards, including the Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Service, the Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Public Diplomacy, awarded jointly by the U.S. Department of State and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, the Lois Roth Foundation’s Ilchman-Richardson Award for contributions to cultural diplomacy, and the Alumnus of the Year Award from the College of Humanities of the University of Arizona.Mentioned in this episode:This episode is brought to you by GEC, Global Educational Concepts.GEC, Global Educational Concepts

Will Bartholomew, Founder and CEO of D1 Sports, shares how he developed a belief system that helped him create one of the market's 50 fastest growing companies.Mentioned in this episode:Order today at RedefiningPossible.comRedefining Possible

Nolan Pattee, Regional Director at Bankers Life talks about life, business, leadership and Redefining Possible to make an impact on the world by impacting the people around him.Mentioned in this episode:Order today at RedefiningPossible.comRedefining Possible

Fortify your faith with Josh Hudson, CEO of Hudsons Furniture. Join Ron Alford, of Southwestern Coaching, as he interviews Josh Hudson about his journey of Redefining Possible and how it reshaped his company and priorities by leaning on his faith to find success not only in business, but in life as well. Mentioned in this episode:Order today at RedefiningPossible.comRedefining Possible

Cultivate confidence with Kelley McClurkin, former owner of successful bakery Bread Kneads. Ron Alford, of Southwestern Coaching, interviews Kelley about her journey of Redefining Possible and how she gained the confidence to take her small town bakery in Findlay, Ohio from failing to flourishing. Mentioned in this episode:Order today at RedefiningPossible.comRedefining Possible

Emil Tsvetkov highlights the tools, habits and principles that helped him achieve the harrowing feat of taking the #1 salesperson spot in Southwestern Advantage. Mentioned in this episode:This episode is brought to you by Southwestern Advantage.Southwestern Advantage

Join Ryan Groom, Regional Director for Southwestern Advantage, discussing principles that build your business immune system and help you overcome adversity to achieve your goals. Ryan expounds on these principles and shares how they have helped his business grow by 44 percent during the COVID-19 Pandemic.Mentioned in this episode:Order today at RedefiningPossible.comRedefining Possible

Join Mark Rau of Southwestern Advantage on this discussion about how to clarify your vision, find your bigger why and hold to your mission. He dives into how these principles have led to success in his career and the opportunity to personally impact over 7,700 young lives.Mentioned in this episode:Order today at RedefiningPossible.comRedefining Possible