Powered by Instinct

Hosted by Kolbe Corp

Business Management

Website RSS feed

Episodes

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Powered by Instinct is a podcast for professionals who think about how people's fundamental nature drives performance and want to get more out of themselves and the people around them. In each episode, Kolbe experts will interview top performers, team leaders, consultants, and coaches to discuss identifying team member strengths, aligning those strengths with their jobs, and optimizing individual and team performance. It's the perfect resource for curious, interested people who want to get more done, more naturally.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

August 17, 2026Episode 838 min

The Unconventional Financial Advisor: A 7-3-7-3 Kolbe A Index Result Unpacked | Private Sessions

Alex has been told her whole life that she starts a hundred things and never finishes any of them. Her husband named a room in their house Hobby Corner. She is also a CPA and a financial advisor with her own practice, three children under six, and a profession built entirely on systems and checklists. So how is someone who isn’t wired to stick to a plan running a finance business that works? In this Private Session, David Kolbe (CEO of Kolbe Corp) reads Alex's Kolbe A™ Index result out loud for the first time. He starts with her Natural Advantage™, Multitasking Hero, then breaks down the full result one Action Mode® at a time. By the end, the productivity advice she spent years failing at looks less like a discipline problem and more like a system built for somebody wired the other way. Alex's Natural Advantage: Multitasking Hero. Alex's full Kolbe A Index result: 7 in Fact Finder 3 in Follow Thru 7 in Quick Start 3 in Implementor This session breaks down what each number means, why most accountants sit at the opposite end of Follow Thru, and why the schedule she keeps trying to build was never designed for the way she takes action. Curious about yours? Discover your Natural Advantage, then unlock your full Kolbe A Index result: https://linktr.ee/naturaladvantage CHAPTERS: 00:00 Start a Hundred Things, Finish None of Them 01:20 Natural Advantage™: Multi-tasking Hero 03:25 Follow Thru: The 3 (Most Accountants Are a 7) 07:25 Implementor: The 3 (Why a 100-Page Plan Would Kill Her) 09:20 Fact Finder: The 7 (Gets Every Answer, Never From a Checklist) 16:32 Quick Start: The 7 (Do It Now, Not on a Schedule) 18:09 Her Husband Is a 7 in Follow Thru (Where They Complement) WHAT YOU'LL LEARN - What a Natural Advantage is (and how it's just one piece of your full result) - How your full Kolbe A Index result reveals strengths across all four Action Modes (Fact Finder, Follow Thru, Quick Start, Implementor) - Why a 3 in Follow Thru means she does not have to finish everything she starts - Why time blocking works for some people and will never work for others ABOUT KOLBE Kolbe measures how you naturally take action, your conative instincts. It's not personality. It's not IQ. Every Private Session follows the same path: the guest's Natural Advantage™ first, then their full Kolbe A™ Index result, one Action Mode® at a time. You see yourself in someone else's session before you ever take the assessment. Discover your Natural Advantage™ and unlock your full Kolbe A™ Index result: https://linktr.ee/naturaladvantage Learn more about Kolbe: https://www.kolbe.com Subscribe so you never miss a new Private Session. *** Find the freedom to be yourself by taking the Kolbe A™ Index or Kolbe Y™ Index for the youth in your life. Many successful companies work directly with a Kolbe Certified™ Consultant — find one in your area .

August 10, 2026Episode 735 min

Keep the Chaos at Bay: A 6-7-2-6 Kolbe A Index Result Unpacked | Private Sessions

George spent more than a decade editing for big companies like Meta and the NFL, and every time he landed the dream job it burned him out. So he left Los Angeles, moved to Texas, had a daughter, and started his own podcast agency to build a calmer, more predictable life. So why does someone who is wired to control chaos still experience it every single day? In this Private Session, David Kolbe (CEO of Kolbe Corp) reads George's Kolbe A™ Index result out loud for the first time. He starts with his Natural Advantage™, Chaos Controller, then breaks down the full result one Action Mode® at a time. As he interprets it, the restlessness George keeps trying to fix starts to look less like a problem to solve and more like the exact instinct that makes him good at what he does. George's Natural Advantage: Chaos Controller. George's full Kolbe A™ Index result: 6 in Fact Finder 7 in Follow Thru 2 in Quick Start 6 in Implementor This session breaks down what each number means, why the constant reach for more control is a strength and not a flaw, and how to work with your instincts instead of against them. Curious about yours? Discover your Natural Advantage, then unlock your full Kolbe A Index result: https://linktr.ee/naturaladvantage CHAPTERS: 00:00 Left the Chaos, Still Feels It Every Day 01:00 Natural Advantage: Chaos Controller 05:35 Follow Thru: The 7 (Builds the System and Sticks to It) 17:00 Fact Finder: The 6 (Researches Before He Leaps) 21:20 Quick Start: The 2 (Creative, Not Seat of the Pants) 28:00 Implementor: The 6 (Needs to Get His Hands on It) 34:00 Working With the Way You're Wired WHAT YOU'LL LEARN - What a Natural Advantage is (and how it's just one piece of your full result) - How your full Kolbe A Index result reveals strengths across all four Action Modes® (Fact Finder, Follow Thru, Quick Start, Implementor) - Why a "low" number is a strength, not a weakness - Why planned, structured creativity is just as creative as the seat-of-the-pants kind ABOUT KOLBE Kolbe measures how you naturally take action, your conative instincts. It's not personality. It's not IQ. Every Private Session follows the same path: the guest's Natural Advantage first, then their full Kolbe A™ Index result, one Action Mode® at a time. You see yourself in someone else's session before you ever take the assessment. Discover your Natural Advantage and unlock your full Kolbe A™ Index result: https://linktr.ee/naturaladvantage Learn more about Kolbe: https://www.kolbe.com Subscribe so you never miss a new Private Session. *** Find the freedom to be yourself by taking the Kolbe A™ Index or Kolbe Y™ Index for the youth in your life. Many successful companies work directly with a Kolbe Certified™ Consultant — find one in your area .

August 3, 2026Episode 637 min

Ask Your Questions: A 7-6-5-3 Kolbe A Index Result Unpacked | Private Sessions

Katie grew up in a house of journalists. As an Answer Authority, she also asks a million questions, naturally needing to know everything. Now she produces live TV, and the hardest moment of her day is the one where somebody wants an answer before she has had time to find the right one. Breaking news, weather, and things going wrong are just the job. She absorbs all of it so seamlessly that her newsroom leans on her without ever quite registering that she was the one holding it together, and she has spent her career saying yes to everything and giving herself credit for none of it. Between that, and her natural strength for researching and getting to the bottom of things, Katie is a great fit for the job, and David is giving her permission to recognize her natural contributions in dealing with the chaos around her. In this Private Session, David Kolbe (CEO of Kolbe Corp) reads Katie's Kolbe A™ Index result out loud for the first time. He starts with her Natural Advantage, Answer Authority, then breaks down the full result one Action Mode® at a time. As he interprets it, the thing Katie keeps trying to fix about herself stops looking like a flaw and starts looking like the reason she is good at her job. Katie's Natural Advantage: Answer Authority. Katie's full Kolbe A™ Index result: 7 in Fact Finder 6 in Follow Thru 5 in Quick Start 3 in Implementor. This session breaks down what each number means, why the strengths that get used the most are often the ones that get recognized the least, and how to work with your instincts instead of against them. Curious about yours? Discover your Natural Advantage, then unlock your full Kolbe A™ Index result: https://linktr.ee/naturaladvantage CHAPTERS: 00:00 Says Yes to Everything, Takes Credit for Nothing 00:54 Natural Advantage: Answer Authority 01:56 Fact Finder: The 7 (Has to Know Before She Answers) 05:15 Follow Thru: The 6 (Finds the System, Doesn't Build It) 07:44 Quick Start: The 5 (Absorbs the Chaos, Never Creates It) 19:27 Implementor: The 3 (Imagines It, Hands It Off to Build) 24:02 Working With the Way You're Wired WHAT YOU'LL LEARN - What a Natural Advantage is (and how it's just one piece of your full result) - How your full Kolbe A™ Index result reveals strengths across all four Action Modes® (Fact Finder, Follow Thru, Quick Start, Implementor) - Why the strengths that get used the most are often the ones that get recognized the least - How to stop trying to fix instincts that are already working ABOUT KOLBE Kolbe measures how you naturally take action, your conative instincts. It's not personality. It's not IQ. Every Private Session follows the same path: the guest's Natural Advantage first, then their full Kolbe A™ Index result, one Action Mode® at a time. You see yourself in someone else's session before you ever take the assessment. Discover your Natural Advantage and unlock your full Kolbe A™ Index result: https://linktr.ee/naturaladvantage Learn more about Kolbe: https://www.kolbe.com Subscribe so you never miss a new Private Session. *** Find the freedom to be yourself by taking the Kolbe A™ Index or Kolbe Y™ Index for the youth in your life. Many successful companies work directly with a Kolbe Certified™ Consultant — find one in your area .

July 27, 2026Episode 544 min

The Power of a Plan: A 7-8-2-4 Kolbe A Index Result Unpacked | Private Sessions

Raymond plans everything. He is an elementary school teacher, the rock for his students and his family, and for years he has quietly wondered whether the thing that makes him steady is actually holding him back. He is rarely spontaneous, and he has started to think of that as a flaw. So why does someone this dependable feel like he is missing out? In this Private Session, David Kolbe (CEO of Kolbe Corp) reads Raymond's Kolbe A™ Index result out loud for the first time. He starts with his Natural Advantage™, Master of Planning, then breaks down the full result one Action Mode® at a time. As he interprets it, the hesitance to leap stops looking like a weakness and starts looking like the reason everyone around him can count on him. Raymond's Natural Advantage: Master of Planning. Raymond's full Kolbe A Index result: 7 in Fact Finder 8 in Follow Thru 2 in Quick Start 4 in Implementor This session breaks down what each number means, why the instinct to look before he leaps is a strength and not a hesitation, and how to work with your instincts instead of against them. Curious about yours? Discover your Natural Advantage, then unlock your full Kolbe A Index result: https://linktr.ee/naturaladvantage CHAPTERS: 00:00 A Plan for Everything, and the Fear of Missing Out 01:25 Natural Advantage: Master of Planning 06:01 Fact Finder: The 7 (Research First, Then Decide) 10:00 Follow Thru: The 8 (Builds the System, Lives Inside It) 17:29 Quick Start: The 2 (The Rock Who Keeps Chaos Out) 25:37 Implementor: The 4 (Thinks It Through, Then Touches It) 33:10 Working With the Way You're Wired WHAT YOU'LL LEARN - What a Natural Advantage is (and how it's just one piece of your full result) - How your full Kolbe A Index result reveals strengths across all four Action Modes (Fact Finder, Follow Thru, Quick Start, Implementor) - Why not being spontaneous is a strength, not a weakness - Why you cannot use a plan you did not build yourself - How to plan for spontaneity without becoming a different person ABOUT KOLBE Kolbe measures how you naturally take action, your conative instincts. It's not personality. It's not IQ. Every Private Session follows the same path: the guest's Natural Advantage first, then their full Kolbe A Index result, one Action Mode at a time. You see yourself in someone else's session before you ever take the assessment. Discover your Natural Advantage and unlock your full Kolbe A Index result: https://linktr.ee/naturaladvantage Learn more about Kolbe: https://www.kolbe.com Subscribe so you never miss a new Private Session. *** Find the freedom to be yourself by taking the Kolbe A™ Index or Kolbe Y™ Index for the youth in your life. Many successful companies work directly with a Kolbe Certified™ Consultant — find one in your area .

July 20, 2026Episode 442 min

Know When to Pivot: A 4-4-7-4 Kolbe A Index Result Unpacked | Private Sessions

Eric sells pens to astronauts, leads a sales team, and is currently competing on a national game show. But every big idea he starts dies at the same point (what he calls hour 4) and he has spent years reading that as a lack of motivation. So why does someone this driven keep abandoning his best work halfway? In this Private Session, David Kolbe (CEO of Kolbe Corp) reads Eric's Kolbe A™ Index result out loud for the first time. He starts with his Natural Advantage™, Idea-Generating Powerhouse, then breaks down the full result one Action Mode® at a time. As he interprets it, the hour 4 problem stops looking like a discipline issue and starts looking like a job description: Eric is built for the start, and his real work is finding the people who finish. Eric's Natural Advantage: Idea-Generating Powerhouse. Eric's full Kolbe A Index result: 4 in Fact Finder 4 in Follow Thru 7 in Quick Start 4 in Implementor This session breaks down what each number means, why the same instinct that wins duels on a game show also runs his sales team, and how to work with your instincts instead of against them. Curious about yours? Discover your Natural Advantage, then unlock your full Kolbe A Index result: https://linktr.ee/naturaladvantage CHAPTERS: 00:00 Great at Starting, Gone by Hour 4 01:05 Natural Advantage: Idea-Generating Powerhouse 09:47 Follow Thru: The 4 (Goes With the Flow, Skips the Script) 10:50 Fact Finder: The 4 (Key Facts, Then Move) 11:15 Implementor: The 4 (Imagines First, Builds Second) 11:40 Quick Start: The 7 (Best When the Plan Breaks) 19:49 The Hour 4 Problem and the Ego Trap 30:46 A Pivoter Married to a Planner 38:19 Working With the Way You're Wired WHAT YOU'LL LEARN - What a Natural Advantage is (and how it's just one piece of your full result) - How your full Kolbe A Index result reveals strengths across all four Action Modes (Fact Finder, Follow Thru, Quick Start, Implementor) - Why quitting at hour 4 can be a strength, not a lack of discipline - How to hand your ideas off (and why the finishers deserve just as much credit) ABOUT KOLBE Kolbe measures how you naturally take action, your conative instincts. It's not personality. It's not IQ. Every Private Session follows the same path: the guest's Natural Advantage first, then their full Kolbe A Index result, one Action Mode at a time. You see yourself in someone else's session before you ever take the assessment. Discover your Natural Advantage and unlock your full Kolbe A Index result: https://linktr.ee/naturaladvantage Learn more about Kolbe: https://www.kolbe.com Subscribe so you never miss a new Private Session. *** Find the freedom to be yourself by taking the Kolbe A™ Index or Kolbe Y™ Index for the youth in your life. Many successful companies work directly with a Kolbe Certified™ Consultant — find one in your area .

July 13, 2026Episode 327 min

Born to Procrastinate: An 8-1-7-6 Kolbe A Index Result Unpacked | Private Sessions

Ava is a college student killing it on the debate team and eyeing law school, but she puts everything off until the last minute, and she has been told her whole life that it is a flaw. She’s majoring in national security and intelligence, the one who takes over every group project and wrote a 20,000 word paper in the final two weeks. So why does her best work keep showing up at the last minute? In this episode of Powered by Instinct: Private Sessions, David Kolbe (CEO of Kolbe Corp) reads Ava's Kolbe A™ Index result out loud for the first time. He starts with her Natural Advantage™, Multitasking Hero, then breaks down the full result one Action Mode® at a time, and gives her the advice no teacher ever would: she should procrastinate, because pressure is how she is built to work. By the end, a lifetime of last-minute guilt starts to look like a strength she was never taught to use. Curious about your instinctive strengths? Discover your Natural Advantage, then unlock your full Kolbe A Index result: https://linktr.ee/naturaladvantage Ava's Natural Advantage: Multitasking Hero. Ava's full Kolbe A Index result: 8 in Fact Finder 1 in Follow Thru 7 in Quick Start 6 in Implementor. This session breaks down what each number means, why real deadlines bring out her best work, and how to use an 8-1-7-6 in school, debate, and a future law career. CHAPTERS: 00:00 Killing It at Debate, Cramming Every Deadline 01:30 Natural Advantage: Multitasking Hero 03:37 You Should Procrastinate (The Counterintuitive Prescription) 06:50 Follow Thru: The 1 (Open-Ended by Design) 08:15 Implementor: The 6 (Get Out of the Library) 09:35 Fact Finder: The 8 (Never Guess, Calculate) 11:15 Quick Start: The 7 (Built to Throw Curveballs) 14:07 Working With the Way You're Wired (Ava's Questions) WHAT YOU'LL LEARN - What a Natural Advantage is (and how it's just one piece of your full result) - How your full Kolbe A Index result reveals strengths across all four Action Modes (Fact Finder, Follow Thru, Quick Start, Implementor) - Why a 1 in Follow Thru means she doesn’t need to finish everything she starts - How to procrastinate on purpose: real deadlines, binged research, and studying on your feet ABOUT KOLBE Kolbe measures how you naturally take action, your conative instincts. It's not personality. It's not IQ. Every Private Session follows a similar path: David walks through the guest's Natural Advantage first, then their full Kolbe A Index result, one Action Mode at a time. You see yourself in someone else's session before you ever take the assessment. Discover your Natural Advantage and unlock your full Kolbe A Index result: https://linktr.ee/naturaladvantage For the student in your life: KolbeYouthIndex.com Learn more about Kolbe: https://www.kolbe.com Subscribe so you never miss a new episode of Powered by Instinct: Private Sessions. *** Find the freedom to be yourself by taking the Kolbe A™ Index or Kolbe Y™ Index for the youth in your life. Many successful companies work directly with a Kolbe Certified™ Consultant — find one in your area .

June 29, 2026Episode 238 min

You Don't Have to Finish What You Start: A 4-3-9-3 Kolbe A Index, Unpacked | Private Sessions

Jenna Cooper has more ideas than she can finish — and no one's told her that's okay. She's chief of staff at a large state health agency, mom to a 5- and 2-year-old, and on her own time she's launched a block-level neighborhood organizing effort: potlucks, yard sales, cleanups, the whole thing. But the part where she stumbles? Remembering the knife to cut the birthday cake. 👉 Discover your Natural Advantage, then unlock your full Kolbe A™ Index result: https://linktr.ee/naturaladvantage In this Private Session, David Kolbe (CEO of Kolbe Corp) reads Jenna's Kolbe A™ Index result out loud for the first time. He starts with her Natural Advantage, Idea-Generating Powerhouse, then breaks down the full result one Action Mode® at a time. Along the way, he gives her advice she didn't expect to hear: you don't have to finish everything you start. Jenna's Natural Advantage: Idea-Generating Powerhouse Jenna's full Kolbe A™ Index result: 4 in Fact Finder 3 in Follow Thru 9 in Quick Start 3 in Implementor This session breaks down what each number means, how her ideas-first instinct shows up at work and at home, how to stop confusing "I don't love this" with "I'm bad at this," and how to share the planning load at home instead of carrying it alone. ⏱ CHAPTERS 00:00 — More Ideas Than She Can Finish 01:08 — Natural Advantage: Idea-Generating Powerhouse 06:20 — Fact Finder: The 4 (Distilling, Not Drowning in Data) 13:30 — Follow Thru: The 3 (You Don't Have to Finish What You Start) 24:08 — Implementor: The 3 (Envisioning, Not Building) 28:45 — Where She Lets Quick Start Run Free: The Block Party Project 30:35 — At Home: Letting Her Husband Lead the Planning 34:51 — The Birthday Party and the Forgotten Knife 37:00 — What Jenna's Taking Into the Week 📌 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN What a Natural Advantage is (and how it's just one piece of your full result) How your full Kolbe A™ Index result reveals strengths across all four Action Modes® (Fact Finder, Follow Thru, Quick Start, Implementor) Why not finishing every idea you start can be a strength, not a flaw How an initiating Quick Start shows up in your career and your personal life How to share the planning load at home based on how each partner is wired How to read a 4-3-9-3 result and spot it at work the next day 🧠 ABOUT KOLBE Kolbe measures how you naturally take action — your conative instincts. It's not personality. It's not IQ. Your Kolbe result is stable for life: research shows it stays statistically the same even decades later. At work, your result shows what kinds of work you'll naturally take on, what you'll resist, which roles fit your strengths, and how to collaborate with teammates who take action differently. Organizations use Kolbe for hiring, team building, leadership development, communication, and reducing the friction that comes from conative mismatches between people. At home, it shows how one partner naturally plans while the other digs into research, how your kids will naturally approach school and chores, and how to stop trying to change the people you love into someone they're not. The shared insight: you get more done, with less stress, when you work with your instincts instead of against them. 🔗 LINKS Discover your Natural Advantage and unlock your full Kolbe A™ Index result → https://linktr.ee/naturaladvantage Work with a Kolbe Certified™ Consultant → https://www.kolbe.com/consultantsearch Learn more about Kolbe → https://www.kolbe.com 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss a new Private Session. *** Find the freedom to be yourself by taking the Kolbe A™ Index or Kolbe Y™ Index for the youth in your life. Many successful companies work directly with a Kolbe Certified™ Consultant — find one in your area .

June 15, 2026Episode 135 min

Rethinking Imposter Syndrome: A 7-5-4-3 Kolbe A Index, Unpacked | Private Sessions

Tron Smith is thriving on paper, but she's quietly battling imposter syndrome. She works at Airbnb, runs her own rental staging company on the side, and her coworkers call her Professor Tron. So why does someone this capable still doubt herself? In this Private Session, David Kolbe (CEO of Kolbe Corp) reads Tron's Kolbe A™ Index result out loud for the first time. He starts with her Natural Advantage™, Answer Authority, then breaks down the full result one Action Mode® at a time. As he interprets it, her self-doubt starts to look more like a misread of her own instincts than a sign she doesn't belong. Tron's Natural Advantage: Answer Authority Tron's full Kolbe A Index result: 7 in Fact Finder 5 in Follow Thru 4 in Quick Start 3 in Implementor This session breaks down what each number means, why those strengths show up everywhere from her sales pitches to her team meetings, and how to work with your instincts instead of against them. Curious about yours? Discover your Natural Advantage, then unlock your full Kolbe A™ Index result: https://linktr.ee/naturaladvantage ⏱ CHAPTERS 00:00 — Thriving on Paper, Imposter in Her Head 01:04 — Natural Advantage: Answer Authority 07:00 — Fact Finder: The 7 (Why She Needs the Facts) 11:55 — Follow Thru: The 5 (Living Inside the System) 17:50 — Quick Start: The 4 (Calculated Risk Only) 21:05 — Implementor: The 3 (Builds Ideas, Not Objects) 25:14 — Working With the Way You're Wired 📌 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN What a Natural Advantage is (and how it's just one piece of your full result) How your full Kolbe A Index result reveals strengths across all four Action Modes (Fact Finder, Follow Thru, Quick Start, Implementor) Why a "low" number is a strength, not a weakness How to read your own 7-5-4-3 and use it at work the next day 🧠 ABOUT KOLBE Kolbe measures how you naturally take action — your conative instincts. It's not personality. It's not IQ. Every Private Session follows the same path: the guest's Natural Advantage first, then their full Kolbe A™ Index result, one Action Mode® at a time. You see yourself in someone else's session before you ever take the assessment. 🔗 LINKS Discover your Natural Advantage and unlock your full Kolbe A™ Index result → https://linktr.ee/naturaladvantage Work with a Kolbe Certified™ Consultant → https://www.kolbe.com/consultantsearch Learn more about Kolbe → https://www.kolbe.com 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss a new Private Session. *** Find the freedom to be yourself by taking the Kolbe A™ Index or Kolbe Y™ Index for the youth in your life. Many successful companies work directly with a Kolbe Certified™ Consultant — find one in your area .

January 21, 2026Episode 244 min

The Hidden Science of Building Unstoppable Teams

What if the person who irritates you most is exactly who you need on your team? In this eye-opening conversation, host Eric Herrera sits down with Marit Peters, President of the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas and recent winner of the Kolbe Professional Award for Individual Leadership in Building Conative Excellence. With over 20 years of experience transforming teams across industries—from aviation startups to medical laboratories to insurance agencies—Marit reveals how she uses Kolbe to predict team success with startling accuracy. Discover why diversity of strengths matters more than you think, learn the "silent brainstorming" technique that ensures every team member contributes, and find out why Marit refuses to work with clients who won't embrace this approach. Whether you're building a startup from scratch, stuck in unproductive meetings, or wondering why your team can't finish projects, this episode will change how you hire, coach, and collaborate forever. Host: Eric Herrera , VP of Growth and Strategic Alliances @ Kolbe Corp (Kolbe: 5-3-9-2) Guest-at-a-Glance 💡 Name: Marit Peters , President & Executive Director of the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) (5-3-9-2) 💡 What she does: Marit has spent more than 20 years helping organizations go from stuck to thriving. In addition to being the President and Executive Director of the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas, she is also the CEO of Catalyit. 💡 Company: Independent Insurance Agents of Texas 💡 Website: https://www.iiat.org/ Jaw-Dropping Moments Marit reveals a time when team dynamics were so polarized that continuing the project was impossible—and how the assessment predicted it before they even started. How understanding cognitive differences saved a family business relationship where the CFO sister was constantly frustrated by her CEO brother's "endless questions." A company that started with 10-12 people and grew to over 75 employees in just 5 years by strategically hiring based on conative diversity from day one. The moment when someone with a 7-7-3-3 profile admitted they hated working with others who had the exact same profile —proving that matching styles doesn't guarantee compatibility. Key Quotes from Marit Peters "Kolbe is kind of like oxygen. If I don't know somebody's Kolbe, I don't really know how to interact with them. I feel like I'm doing them a disservice by coaching." "We hear about diversity all the time, but for me, diversity is about how we think and how we problem solve." "If you want things to maintain status quo, don't hire me. I'm not the right fit. If you want somebody to come in and blow things up and look totally different and challenge things and take risks, I'm your person." "It's fun when you go into an organization and you inventory the team and you find out, wow, we could tap into this talent, and you're not even using it." *** Find the freedom to be yourself by taking the Kolbe A™ Index or Kolbe Y™ Index for the youth in your life. Many successful companies work directly with a Kolbe Certified™ Consultant — find one in your area .

January 7, 2026Episode 137 min

From Burnout to Breakthrough: How a Family Business Found Its Edge

In our first episode of 2026, we dive into the inspiring journey of Azure Standard, and the details behind their transformative journey with Kolbe. Karen Slusher, Chief Experience Officer of Azure Standard, sits down with Eric Herrera to share how Azure Standard embraced Kolbe’s principles to unlock the full potential of their team, foster a culture of conative excellence, and drive organizational growth. This commitment recently earned Azure Standard the Kolbe Enterprise Award for Organizational Leadership in Building Conative Excellence—a recognition of their dedication to empowering people and building a thriving workplace. If you’re curious about how Kolbe can spark real change, or you want to hear firsthand how Karen led Azure Standard through this evolution, this episode is a must-listen. Tune in for practical insights, candid stories, and the keys to building a stronger, more dynamic organization. Host: Eric Herrera , VP of Growth and Strategic Alliances @ Kolbe Corp (Kolbe: 5-3-9-2) Guest-at-a-Glance 💡 Name: Karen Slusher , Chief Experience Officer @ Azure Standard (3-2-10-3) 💡 What she does: She helps run Azure Standard, an organic food distributor and manufacturer with an organic farm. They do a lot of different things in that organic and natural space, and acts as a community across the United States of people who just want to build healthy and abundant lives. 💡 Company: Azure Standard 💡 Website: azurestandard.com Jaw-Dropping Moments When Karen describes crying and then getting angry after truly understanding her Kolbe results, realizing she hadn’t been able to be her authentic self for much of her life. A young employee, on the verge of quitting and estranged from his parents, reconnects with his family and changes his life path after a Kolbe training session. Karen shares how Kolbe transformed her marriage and family dynamics, reducing friction and improving communication with her husband and adult children. Key Quotes from Karen Slusher "When you suddenly sense that freedom for yourself, you want everybody to have that freedom. There's a joy within you that just explodes." "It's given us permission to stop asking people to be someone else as an organization." "We’re intervening before people burn out, before they're frustrated, before some conflict arises." "It’s freed us up to be who we truly are, right across the board in every dynamic or every part of our lives." "If I sound like I'm a Kolbe advertisement, I am—and they're not paying me to say this. I'm just telling you: go, because it will make a massive difference all around." *** Find the freedom to be yourself by taking the Kolbe A™ Index or Kolbe Y™ Index for the youth in your life. Many successful companies work directly with a Kolbe Certified™ Consultant — find one in your area .