The Action Catalyst
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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Good Food, No Fuss, with Johnna French | (Holidays, Company Culture, Planning, Events)
<p>Johnna French, the food and lifestyle influencer behind Johnna Knows Good Food, shares practical and budget-friendly tips for planning memorable office holiday parties without the stress. From creating cost-effective menus using versatile ingredients and frozen foods to organizing potlucks with shared planning tools, French explains how businesses can host successful workplace celebrations that accommodate dietary preferences, encourage team engagement, and minimize waste. She also offers advice on food presentation, office-friendly finger foods, mocktail ideas, and creative holiday drink stations, while emphasizing the importance of simplicity, delegation, and fostering meaningful connections among coworkers. Packed with holiday entertaining ideas, office party...
CLIP: Saying No To Steve Jobs
<p>Greg McKeown, bestselling author of "Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less", shares the story of a man who proved a lesson about identifying the true value of one's work, by putting his foot down with Steve Jobs.</p><p>Hear Greg's full interview in Episode 141 of The Action Catalyst.</p>
The First 90 Days, with Dr. Lois Frankel | (Psychology, Career, Confidence, Communication)
<p>Dr. Lois Frankel, renowned executive coach, bestselling author, and psychologist, shares practical career development strategies for professionals seeking to build influence, confidence, and leadership presence during their first 90 days on the job. She emphasizes the importance of building strong workplace relationships, developing a personal brand, adding visible value, and mastering communication techniques such as “headline communication” to project confidence and credibility. Dr. Lois Frankel also explores common career obstacles including imposter syndrome, workplace visibility, corporate gaslighting, and the tendency to over-apologize, offering actionable guidance on self-advocacy, executive presence, networking, feedback, and professional growth. </p>
CLIP: 5 Minutes To Total Calm
<p>Pauline Nguyen, acclaimed entrepreneur, author, and speaker, guides the listener through a simple, 5 minute exercise which helps leaders regulate their nervous system and achieve emotional regulation, even in the middle of a high-pressure situation.</p><p>Hear Pauline's full interview in her special bonus episode of The Action Catalyst.</p><p></p><p>Click here for a special gift from Pauline for podcast listeners! </p>
REMASTERED: Essentialism, with Greg McKeown | (Time Management, Productivity, Achievement, Value)
<p>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.</p><p></p><p...
CLIP: Eliminating Offshoring Hesitation
<p>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.</p><p>Hear Jim's full interview in his special bonus episode of The Action Catalyst.</p><p></p>
The Way of the Spiritual Entrepreneur, with Pauline Nguyen | (Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Stress, Workplace Culture)
<p>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...
CLIP: The Apple Store / No Way Out
<p>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.</p><p>Hear Ron's full interview in Episode 508 of The Action Catalyst.</p>
Smiles Worldwide, with Jim Siti | (Nonprofit, AI, Finance, Staffing)
<p>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...
Cut For Time: Mitigating Risk at Target
<p>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.</p><p>Hear Ron's full interview in Episode 508 of The Action Catalyst.</p>
