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The Action Catalyst

Business & Economics 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.

Location:

Nashville, TN

Description:

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.

Language:

English


Episodes
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REMASTERED: Breaking Through the Barrier of Busy, with Elizabeth Saunders (Time Management, Productivity, Business, Decision Making)

3/10/2026
Best-selling author and time management coach Elizabeth Saunders explains why more input doesn’t equal more busy, and shares ways to expertly manage email, use text expanders, define "time investment", and get clarity from your calendar, plus breaks down techniques like the I.N.O. method, and priority-based decision making.

Duration:00:16:53

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CLIP: Relaters & Bottom-Liners

3/5/2026
Hall of Fame speaker, author, and human behavior expert Connie Podesta breaks down the differences between relaters vs bottom-liners, and how those differences manifest in everything from a sales relationship, to a marriage. Hear Connie's full interview in Episode 34 of The Action Catalyst.

Duration:00:02:57

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Celebrating 500 Episodes: Action Catalyst Host Roundtable

3/3/2026
Action Catalyst hosts past and present unite to mark a major milestone; the 500th episode of The Action Catalyst. The trio of Adam Outland, Stephanie Maas, and Dan Moore gather and reflect on their favorite guests, lessons learned, mistakes made, and the impact, both personal and professional, that the podcast has had on them over the years.

Duration:00:14:35

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CLIP: Pulling People Out of "The Matrix"

2/26/2026
Tom Bilyeu, co-founder of unicorn company Quest Nutrition and CEO of Impact Theory, explains what "The Matrix" is for him, and how his life's purpose is to help pull people out of it. Hear Tom's full interview in Episode 198 of The Action Catalyst.

Duration:00:04:28

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REMASTERED: How To Get People On Board, with Connie Podesta (Influence, Sales, Relationships, Business)

2/24/2026
Hall of Fame speaker, author, and human behavior expert Connie Podesta explains why EVERYTHING is sales, breaks down the difference between relaters vs bottom-liners, and shares how the person doing the selling should be the person to have to shoulder any discomfort in a situation….but why people are reluctant to do so.

Duration:00:15:02

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CLIP: Work-Life Balance / Work-From-Home

2/19/2026
Internationally renowned psychologist and author Dr. Guy Winch reveals the biggest misconceptions about work-life balance, and how the pandemic presented an opportunity that didn't quite pan out. Hear Dr. Winch's full interview in his special bonus episode of The Action Catalyst.

Duration:00:04:27

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CLIP: Trust and Purpose

2/12/2026
Jimmy Wales, Founder of Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation, examines the emotional and practical implications of trust, both in personal relationships, and also inside of organizations, including a cautionary tale from Uber. Hear Jimmy's full interview in Episode 499 of The Action Catalyst.

Duration:00:04:40

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Mind Over Grind, with Dr. Guy Winch (Psychology, Stress, Business, Mental Health)

2/10/2026
Internationally renowned psychologist and author Dr. Guy Winch shares how a life-changing event in an elevator set him on his path, reveals the biggest misconceptions about work-life balance, and explains how to distinguish between true physical and mental fatigue, burdens vs. nuisances, using “stress thermometers”, and when to take email intermissions.

Duration:00:27:29

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Cut for Time: The Internet - Both Wonderful and Horrible

2/9/2026
In this cut-for-time clip from Episode 499 of The Action Catalyst, Jimmy Wales, Founder of Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation, explains how the internet has ALWAYS had dark corners, and what he sees as one of the bright spots on the web today. Hear the rest of Jimmy's interview in Episode 499 of The Action Catalyst.

Duration:00:00:56

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CLIP: Bankruptcy / Net Income / Cash Flow

2/5/2026
Dawn Fotopulos, Founder of Hidden Profit Academy, and Associate Professor of Business at The King's College, explains what bankruptcy really IS and ISN'T, and some common mistakes around income, invoicing, and cash flow. Hear Dawn's full interview in Episode 65 of The Action Catalyst.

Duration:00:03:22

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Overtime with Outland: Jimmy Wales, Episode 499

2/4/2026
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 499 with Jimmy Wales, Founder of Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation.

Duration:00:03:17

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The Seven Rules of Trust, with Jimmy Wales (Leadership, Internet, Entrepreneurship, Media)

2/3/2026
Jimmy Wales, Founder of Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation, replays the origins of Wikipedia and the unique challenges it faced, examines the emotional and practical implications of trust, and chats about working with for-profit vs non-profit stakeholders, his issues with large language models and the way they work, the polarization of societal and business interests, and why he remains a “pathological optimist”. Mentioned in this episode: Learn more at SouthwesternConsulting.com/Coaching/Students Southwestern Student Coaching

Duration:00:33:41

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CLIP: The McDonald's Ball Pit of Fitness

1/29/2026
Dave Mortensen, President and Co-Founder of Self-Esteem Brands / Purpose Brands, explains why the fitness industry is like the McDonald's ball pit, and what AI has taught his team about the behavior of it's gym members. Hear Dave's full interview across Episodes 497 and 498 of The Action Catalyst.

Duration:00:03:20

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REMASTERED: Accounting for the Numberphobic, with Dawn Fotopulos (Finance, Business, Education, Mindset)

1/27/2026
Dawn Fotopulos, Founder of Hidden Profit Academy, and Associate Professor of Business at The King's College, lays out the 3 financial questions to ask when running ANY business, what bankruptcy IS and ISN'T, the 3 main parts of a balance sheet, recognizing accounting yellow flags, and the importance of adopting a new mindset around managing your money.

Duration:00:15:37

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Overtime with Outland: Dave Mortensen, Episodes 497 and 498

1/26/2026
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 Episodes 497 and 498, with Dave Mortensen, President and Co-Founder of Self-Esteem Brands / Purpose Brands.

Duration:00:03:07

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Living in the Grey, with Dave Mortensen (Fitness, Leadership, Franchising, Partnerships)

1/23/2026
Dave Mortensen, President and Co-Founder of Self-Esteem Brands / Purpose Brands, continues the conversation with insights on advancement vs perfection, noise vs value, the 80/20 rule of where good ideas come from, listening to the voice not speaking in the room, and how to "live in the grey". Mentioned in this episode: Learn more at SouthwesternConsulting.com/Coaching/Students Southwestern Student Coaching This episode is brought to you by Southwestern Coaching. Southwestern Coaching

Duration:00:21:42

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CLIP: The Super Power That Fights Risk

1/22/2026
Adam Outland, Action Catalyst host and President of Southwestern Consulting, examines the true superpower of curiosity and it's relationship to risk, both in the business realm, and on a personal level. Hear more from Adam in his appearance in the Action Catalyst Panel, "Scaling With Purpose".

Duration:00:03:25

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Leading With Purpose, with Dave Mortensen (Fitness, Leadership, Franchising, Partnerships)

1/20/2026
Dave Mortensen, President and Co-Founder of Self-Esteem Brands / Purpose Brands, recounts the improbable meeting between himself and his business partner of over 30 years, and shares why 80-90% of any great idea isn't about the idea itself, the secret to truly great partnerships, the 4 Ps of executing their business, doing vs leading, identifying passion and talent, and why the fitness industry is like the McDonald's ball pit. Mentioned in this episode: Learn more at SouthwesternConsulting.com/Coaching/Students Southwestern Student Coaching This episode is brought to you by Southwestern Coaching. Southwestern Coaching

Duration:00:32:44

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CLIP: Never NOT Marketing

1/15/2026
Scott Stratten, Creator and President of UNMarketing Inc, explains what marketing is at it's core, and how you're never NOT doing it. Hear Scott's full interview in Episode 140 of The Action Catalyst.

Duration:00:02:48

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Scaling With Purpose: An Action Catalyst Panel (Business, Leadership, Growth, Technology)

1/13/2026
Adam Outland, Action Catalyst host and President of Southwestern Consulting, and David Stuart, President and Founder of Southwestern Insurance Group, break down how they've each re-examined the structure of their long-standing businesses, including a few key decisions on what NOT to do, taking a hard look at where true revenue comes from, reframing and calculating risk, following the data, the push-pull relationship with tradition, improving the client experience, bringing technology into the mix, and the superpower of curiosity. Mentioned in this episode: This episode is brought to you by Southwestern Coaching. Southwestern Coaching This episode is brought to you by Southwestern Insurance Group. Southwestern Insurance Group

Duration:00:37:13