The Action Catalyst

Professional coach Shelly Smith shares one of the most common complaints she hears from her coaching clients, and the simple exercise that she uses to combat it. Hear Shelly's full interview in Episode 175 of The Action Catalyst.

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 506 with Phil Le-Brun, former McDonald’s VP and International CIO and current AWS leader.

Phil Le-Brun, former McDonald’s VP and International CIO and current AWS leader, shares powerful leadership and organizational strategy insights from his book The Octopus Organization , emphasizing how modern businesses can thrive by balancing centralization and decentralization. Drawing on experience scaling technology across 38,000+ global locations, Le-Brun explains why curiosity, clarity of pu...

Janice Kapner , former communications leader at Microsoft and T‑Mobile, shares the experience of interviewing and working alongside Bill Gates. Hear Janice's full interview in her special bonus episode of The Action Catalyst.

Mortgage professional Jennifer Bennett and professional coach Shelly Smith share a powerful story of resilience, mindset transformation, and business growth through coaching. Bennett discusses rebuilding her career after a difficult divorce and personal setbacks, revealing how limiting self-talk, stress, and a lack of control were holding her back from regaining top performance in sales. With Smit...

Bestselling author and researcher Tom Rath explains that meaning—not happiness—is the key to fulfillment, emphasizing that focusing on helping others, leveraging strengths, and connecting daily work to a larger purpose leads to higher productivity and better outcomes. Hear Tom's full interview in Episode 185 of The Action Catalyst.

Janice Kapner , former communications leader at Microsoft and T‑Mobile, shares expert insights on navigating high‑stakes corporate transformation, mergers and acquisitions, and leadership without formal authority. Drawing on her experience leading communications during the largest telecom merger in U.S. history, Kapner explains how transparency, strategic storytelling, and consistent stakeholder c...

Monica Nassif , founder of Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day and Caldrea, explains how bravery is like a muscle, and why it's only one of the many essential attributes for a successful entrepreneur. Hear Monica's full interview in Episode 505 of The Action Catalyst.

Bestselling author and researcher Tom Rath shares insights from his book "Are You Fully Charged?" on how to improve performance, well‑being, and engagement at work and in life. Rath explains that meaning—not happiness—is the key to fulfillment, emphasizing that focusing on helping others, leveraging strengths, and connecting daily work to a larger purpose leads to higher productivity and better ou...

Dr. Barb Rembiesa , founder and CEO of the International Association of IT Asset Management, shares how a small act of kindness on her part led to an enormously outsized impact on the residents of a small Kentucky town. Hear Dr. Rembiesa's full interview in her special bonus episode of The Action Catalyst.

Monica Nassif , founder of Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day and Caldrea, reveals hard‑earned lessons on entrepreneurship, leadership, and building a successful consumer brand from the ground up. Nassif emphasizes the importance of simplicity, resilience, and belief—highlighted through her “plant, water, weed, believe” philosophy—as well as the mindset that failure is simply learning. She explains how succes...

New York Times bestselling author Darren Hardy explains how, in truth, EVERYONE is an entrepreneur, but how being a TRUE entrepreneur means leaving the “herd,” which often generates criticism, isolation, and resistance from peers. Hear Darren's full interview in Episode 93 of The Action Catalyst.

Dr. Barb Rembiesa , founder and CEO of the International Association of IT Asset Management, shares how small, intentional acts of kindness can create outsized impact in leadership, business, and everyday life. Drawing on her experience building IAITAM into the world’s leading authority on IT asset management and guiding organizations through technology compliance, AI governance, and digital trans...

Meg Tuohey , licensed psychologist, author, speaker, and host of the Wisdom Stripes podcast, introduces the concept of "heartprint"—the unique inner blueprint that guides fulfillment, purpose, and growth, and explains how high‑achieving women can feel successful yet emotionally numb, and a bit of the neuroscience behind elite performance. Hear Meg's full interview in her special bonus episode of T...

New York Times bestselling author Darren Hardy delivers a candid and practical look at why most entrepreneurs fail—and how to beat the odds. Hardy explains that the 66% small‑business failure rate is driven less by external factors like capital or competition and more by internal, emotional unpreparedness, lack of focus, and unrealistic expectations about the entrepreneurial journey. He explores t...

Hal Elrod , bestselling author of "The Miracle Morning", shares the experience that set him down the path to self-improvement, and the snooze‑proof wake‑up strategy that KEEPS him on that path each day. Hear Hal's full interview in Episode 53 of The Action Catalyst.

Meg Tuohey , licensed psychologist, author, speaker, and host of the Wisdom Stripes podcast, explores why modern self‑help culture often fails women by encouraging self‑override instead of self‑trust, and introduces the concept of "heartprint"—the unique inner blueprint that guides fulfillment, purpose, and growth. Learn how high‑achieving women can feel successful yet emotionally numb, why intuit...

Dr. Tony Alessandra , founder of Assessments 24x7 , addresses the lessons he learned from failure, and how learning when to say "no" is the REAL test of your goals and objectives. Hear Dr. Alessandra's full interview in Episode 504 of The Action Catalyst.

Hal Elrod , bestselling author of "The Miracle Morning", shares the life‑changing philosophy behind his globally influential morning routine, recounts his extraordinary journey from being clinically dead after a head‑on collision with a drunk driver and weathering financial collapse, to overcoming the odds. Learn about the six core practices that help individuals improve health, income, mindset, a...

In this cut-for-time clip from Episode 504 of The Action Catalyst, Dr. Tony Alessandra , founder of Assessments 24x7 shares how when it was time to leave the speaking circuit, he looked to a few MLB greats for guidance... Hear the rest of Dr. Alessandra's interview in Episode 504 of The Action Catalyst.

John Livesay , funding strategist and author, reveals how to structure a winning pitch, grab attention in the first 90 seconds, and position the founder as the “jockey” investors want to back. Hear John's full interview in Episode 145 of The Action Catalyst.

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 504 with Dr. Tony Alessandra , founder of Assessments 24x7 .

Dr. Tony Alessandra , founder of Assessments 24x7 and a pioneering authority in personality assessments, sales psychology, and leadership development, shares insights from more than five decades in the assessment and training industry. In this conversation, Alessandra recounts his journey from door‑to‑door sales and academic leadership to creating widely used assessments that help individuals and...

Entrepreneur Julie Wainwright, founder and former CEO of unicorn company TheRealReal , shares the importance of relying on data and balancing passion with objectivity as you both start, and scale, your business. Hear Julie's full interview in Episode 503 of The Action Catalyst.

John Livesay , funding strategist and author, reveals expert insights into how entrepreneurs and startup founders can craft compelling investor pitches that win funding, including a shift from feature‑based presentations to emotionally driven storytelling, how to structure a winning pitch, grab attention in the first 90 seconds, demonstrate traction, show empathy for both customers and investors,...