The Action Catalyst

Hosted by Southwestern Family of Podcasts - Southwestern Family of Companies

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Episodes

500

Latest episode

Oct 2026

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About the show

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.

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60 recent

October 27, 202617 min

REMASTERED: Essentialism, with Greg McKeown | (Time Management, Productivity, Achievement, Value)

Greg McKeown , bestselling author of "Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less", challenges the modern belief that success comes from doing more and instead advocates for focusing on less but better. McKeown explains how “non-essentialism” leads to overwhelm, burnout, and diluted performance, while essentialism empowers leaders to identify their highest-value contributions and eliminate distractions that do not meaningfully move the needle. Through practical frameworks such as the 90% Rule, extreme prioritization, and strategic negotiation, he demonstrates how professionals can make better decisions, reclaim their time, improve productivity, and achieve greater impact by concentrating only on what is truly essential. The AEC Project Controls Playbook

October 22, 20262 min

CLIP: Eliminating Offshoring Hesitation

Jim Siti, CFO of Operation Smile , shares some common hesitations he hears in regards to offshoring talent, and why many of those hesitations, in the modern age, are unfounded, particularly with a partner such as Southwestern Talent . Hear Jim's full interview in his special bonus episode of The Action Catalyst.

October 20, 202622 min

The Way of the Spiritual Entrepreneur, with Pauline Nguyen | (Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Stress, Workplace Culture)

Pauline Nguyen , acclaimed entrepreneur, author, speaker, and founder of the world-renowned Red Lantern restaurant, shares powerful insights on emotional mastery, conscious leadership, and sustainable high performance. Drawing from her extraordinary personal journey as a Vietnamese refugee and successful business owner, Nguyen explains why many high-achieving leaders excel externally while struggling internally with stress, burnout, and emotional overwhelm. She introduces her framework for emotional literacy, emotional intelligence, and emotional maturity, along with her SSS Method (Semantic, Somatic, and Soulmatic transformation), which helps leaders regulate their nervous systems, build resilience, increase self-awareness, and lead with greater authenticity and influence, and explores leadership development, mindset, emotional regulation, breathwork, workplace culture, employee retention, and personal growth, offering actionable strategies for entrepreneurs, executives, and business professionals seeking stronger leadership, improved performance, and a more fulfilling life and career. Click here for a special gift from Pauline for podcast listeners!

October 15, 20262 min

CLIP: The Apple Store / No Way Out

Ron Johnson , the visionary behind the Apple Store and the iconic Genius Bar, shares the thinking behind the launch of Apple Stores, and how if he and Steve Jobs were going to do it, everybody needed to be ALL IN....there's simply no other way. Hear Ron's full interview in Episode 508 of The Action Catalyst.

October 13, 202626 min

Smiles Worldwide, with Jim Siti | (Nonprofit, AI, Finance, Staffing)

In this special bonus episode of The Action Catalyst, Southwestern Talent 's Martin De Waal guest hosts, sitting down with Jim Siti, CFO of Operation Smile , as he shares how the global healthcare nonprofit is transforming lives by providing cleft lip and palate care to children in underserved countries while building sustainable local healthcare systems through medical training and education. Siti discusses the challenges of scaling a rapidly growing nonprofit in a post-pandemic world, the importance of strategic financial management, and how leveraging offshore accounting talent, process optimization, and AI-powered tools has improved operational efficiency and mission impact. He also offers valuable insights on nonprofit leadership, financial technology, workforce development, and using automation to reduce manual work so organizations can focus more resources on serving communities. This episode is a must-listen for nonprofit leaders, CFOs, finance professionals, and social impact organizations seeking innovative strategies for growth, operational excellence, AI adoption, and mission-driven success.

October 9, 20261 min

Cut For Time: Mitigating Risk at Target

In this cut-for-time clip from Episode 508 of The Action Catalyst, Ron Johnson , the visionary behind the Apple Store and the iconic Genius Bar, explains the unique strategy he employed to shake up the design offerings during his time at Target, without risking it all. Hear Ron's full interview in Episode 508 of The Action Catalyst.

October 8, 20264 min

CLIP: Effecting Decisions vs. Effecting the Decider

Rana Gujral , CEO of Behavioral Signals and former exec at Logitech and Cricut, challenges common misconceptions about AI, and argues that the greatest risk is not a dramatic technological takeover but the gradual outsourcing of human judgment and critical thinking. Hear Rana's full interview in his special bonus episode of The Action Catalyst.

October 7, 20263 min

Overtime with Outland: Ron Johnson, Episode 508

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 508 with Ron Johnson , the visionary behind the Apple Store and the iconic Genius Bar, as well as the former CEO of J.C. Penney, and VP of Merchandising for Target.

October 6, 202629 min

Shop Different, with Ron Johnson | (Leadership, Retail, Management, Productivity)

Ron Johnson , the visionary behind the Apple Store and the iconic Genius Bar, shares powerful lessons on leadership, customer experience, innovation, and company culture drawn from his leadership roles at Apple, Target, and J.C. Penney. Johnson explains how principles of unconditional support, authentic leadership, and empowering frontline employees helped transform retail by creating meaningful customer relationships rather than transactional experiences. He reveals the thinking behind the creation of the Apple Store and Genius Bar, discusses the importance of pushing decision-making to the lowest levels of an organization, and outlines a simple framework for building customer loyalty through launching, deepening, and restoring relationships.

October 1, 20262 min

CLIP: Be The Bamboo Tree

Joshua Medcalf, founder of Train 2 Be Clutch and author of Burn Your Goals and An Impractical Guide to Becoming a Transformational Leader, shares the "bamboo tree" principle of patience and persistence. Hear Joshua's full interview in Episode 85 of The Action Catalyst.

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