The Action Catalyst With Rory Vaden

Jon Gordon's best-selling books and talks have inspired readers and audiences around the world. His principles have been put to the test by numerous NFL, NBA, MLB coaches and teams, Fortune 500 companies, school districts, hospitals and non-profits. He is the author of numerous best-selling books including The Energy Bus, The Carpenter, Training Camp, The Seed, You Win in the Locker Room First and The No Complaining Rule. Jon and his tips have been featured on The Today Show, CNN, CNBC, The Golf Channel, Fox and Friends and in numerous magazines and newspapers. His clients include The Los Angeles Dodgers, The Atlanta Falcons, Campbell Soup, Dell, Publix, Southwest Airlines, LA Clippers, Miami Heat, Pittsburgh Pirates, BB&T Bank, Clemson Football, Northwestern Mutual, Bayer, West Point Academy and more. Jon is a graduate of Cornell University and holds a Masters in Teaching from Emory University. He and his training/consulting company are passionate about developing positive leaders, organizations and teams.

Maurice Clarett has traveled throughout the nation speaking to universities, businesses, non-profits, faith based organizations and high schools. His life experiences has led him to be one of the most sought after speakers. Maurice continued his success at Ohio State becoming the first freshman running back to start, being named Big Ten freshman of the year, and setting the freshman rushing and touchdown season record. He was also instrumental in helping Ohio State clinch the National Championship in 2002 with two pivotal plays "the strip" and scoring the go ahead touchdown. This was Maurice's only season at Ohio State due to a series of events that took place in his life (These events be seen in the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary "Youngstown Boys"). After much success on the field Maurice had trouble finding that same level of success off of the field and found himself serving 7 1/2 year prison sentence. It was there that Maurice began to take that work ethic and discipline that brought him so much success

Jeff Keen is a registered loan agent for Ideal Home Loans, LLC in Denver, Colorado. He has been in the mortgage industry for 17 years. Jeff is in coaching with one of Southwestern Consulting's Certified Coaches, Jamie Hourahan. Jamies' experience is vast, but what sets him apart is his innate drive to achieve, excel, and exceed expectations. He’s an expert in helping people realize their potential and boldly deliver it to the world. He has a love for systems and operations and is constantly working to make strong existing systems better and more effective. Jamie is a relentless pioneer when it comes to finding sharper and more efficient ways of conducting business. He understands what it takes to start a new business, and has the energy and enthusiasm needed to be a top producer himself while leading teams to success. Show Highlights: Discipline creates freedom.  – Jeff Keen I had to create new habits that make for a more productive day. – Jeff Keen If you start your day in reaction mode,

Lolly Daskal is one of the most sought-after executive leadership writers in the world. Her extensive cross-cultural expertise spans 14 countries, six languages and hundreds of companies. As founder and CEO of Lead From Within, her proprietary leadership program is engineered to be a catalyst for leaders who want to enhance performance and make a meaningful difference in their companies, their lives, and the world. Based on a mix of modern philosophy, science, and nearly thirty years coaching top executives, Lolly’s perspective on leadership continues to break new ground and produce exceptional results. Of her many awards and accolades, Lolly was designated a Top-50 Leadership and ManagementExpert by Inc. magazine. Huffington Post honored Lolly with the title of The Most Inspiring Woman in the World. Her writing has appeared in HBR, Inc.com, Fast Company (Ask The Expert), Huffington Post, and Psychology Today, and others. Show Highlights: Am I operating out of greatness or am I operating out of

Christy Wright, both entertaining and inspiring, presents messages that educate and give hope to audiences nationwide. As the creator of Business Boutique and through her podcast and sellout live events, Wright has equipped thousands of women to successfully run and grow a business so they can make money doing what they love. Wright is a Certified Business Coach and Ramsey Personality. Since joining Ramsey Solutions in 2009, she has spoken to audiences across the country at women’s conferences, national business conferences and Fortune 500 companies. Her new book, Business Boutique, releases April 2017. Show Highlights:  When people know what selling really is, they can sell with confidence. @ChristyBWrightWhen you’re meeting people’s needs and solving their problems, the sale is natural. @ChristyBWrightMany people don’t have sales simply because they aren’t asking. @ChristyBWrightIt’s easy for us to look in the rearview mirror of our life instead of through the windshield. @ChristyBWrightThe be

Tom Merritt is a branch manager at Summit Funding, Inc. As a privately owned residential mortgage company operating across the country, their customers enjoy the benefits of working with a mortgage banker that is powerful enough to be a direct endorsed seller/servicer with GNMA & FNMA. This means they process, underwrite, fund, and service your loans - all in house. This enables Summit to speed up the lending process in a more make sense process so our customers close on-time! Steve Reiner is an expert at helping people remove the emotional hurdles that prevent them from excelling in business and in life. Having personally delivered over 2,500 1:1 sales and leadership consulting calls, he understands how to get the most out of his clients, helping them to break personal belief barriers and achieve their maximum potential. Steve begins this life-changing journey with his clients by helping them to identify their purpose, crystallize their vision and reinforce their desired behavior change with the right sel

Behind the fancy job titles, the awards, the TV appearances, and the $1 billion-dollar-business that her company’s service brands do each year, Dina Dwyer-Owens equates her success to having a living by a proven Code of Values. Her first book Live RICH: How to build success in your company and your life with a proven Code of Values has connected with thousands of readers by offering a simple message that in a world of constant change, values can be ever-present. Now in Values, Inc., named one of the Top Ten Business Books from 2015 by Forbes, Dina aims to help inspire more hope for the future by taking the spotlight and shining it on those doing the things she loves to cheer about: living and leading with integrity. Show Highlights: Live R.I.C.H: Respect, Integrity, Customer Focus and Have fun in the process. @DinaDwyerOwensPeople create the systems and then we coach those systems. @DinaDwyerOwensWe teach our principle and system to people. Franchising is our vehicle. @DinaDwyerOwensFocus on re-

Tom Rath is a researcher, author, and filmmaker who studies the role of human behavior in business, health, and well-being. He has been described by business leaders and the media as one of the greatest thinkers and nonfiction writers of his generation. Tom has written six New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers over the past decade, starting with the #1 New York Times bestseller How Full Is Your Bucket? In 2016, his book StrengthsFinder 2.0 was listed by amazon.com as the top selling non-fiction book of all time. Tom’s bestsellers include Strengths Based Leadership, Wellbeing, and Eat Move Sleep: How Small Choices Lead to Big Changes. In total, his books have sold more than 6 million copies and have made more than 300 appearances on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list. Tom’s latest bestseller, Are You Fully Charged? The Three Keys to Energizing Your Work and Life is receiving acclaim as “Rath’s best book yet”. Tom also hosts Fully Charged, a feature-length documentary film which explores

Andy Andrews, hailed by a New York Times reporter as "someone who has quietly become one of the most influential people in America," is the author of the New York Times bestsellers How Do You Kill 11 Million People?, The Noticer, and The Traveler's Gift, and is also an in-demand speaker for the world's largest organizations. The Noticer and The Traveler's Gift were featured selections of ABC's Good Morning America and continue to appear on bestseller lists around the world. His books have been translated into over 25 languages. Andy has spoken at the request of four different United States presidents and toured military bases around the world, being called upon by the Department of Defense to speak about the principles contained in his books. Arguably, there is no single person on the planet better at weaving subtle yet life-changing lessons into riveting tales of adventure and intrigue — both on paper and on stage. He lives in Orange Beach, Alabama, with his wife, Polly, and their two sons. His latest boo

Ray Edwards is a Communications Strategist, Copywriter, Author, Speaker, and host of one the top iTunes Business Podcasts. He has worked with Fortune 500 companies, and with some of the most powerful voices in leadership and business. His clients include New York Times best-selling authors Michael Hyatt (author of Platform and co-author of Living Forward), Tony Robbins (author of Unleash the Giant Within and Money: Master the Game), Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen (co-authors of Chicken Soup For the Soul), Jeff Walker (author of Launch), and many more. Show Highlights: Copywriting is salesmanship in print. @RayEdwardsWe communicate in a way that is either credible or puts people off. @RayEdwardsThe keys to writing in a way to that is influential without being manipulative is to be: relevant, enthusiastic, aspirational, congruent and helpful. @RayEdwards"Salesmanship is the transfer of enthusiasm" – @TheZigZiglarMake sure you are truly enthusiastic about what you’re doing and in an unbridled

Greg Head helps founders and CEOs develop stronger growth strategies for their businesses. He has helped three software companies grow from startup to global scale in more than 25 years in the software industry. Most recently, he worked with Infusionsoft growing it from $15 million to $100 million in revenues in five years as Chief Marketing Officer, leading the company's marketing strategy, demand generation, communications, partner marketing and product marketing functions. Greg also held leadership positions at the startup through acquisition stages of two other highly-successful CRM software businesses, ACT! and SalesLogix, which have generated more than $1 billion in total revenue. Show Highlights: You have to figure out what your message is for the world. @GregHeadThings that scale up do so by narrowing down. @GregHeadSuccessful companies start with one customer, doing one thing massively well, usually with one tactic. @GregHeadGoing from ADD to OCD is a requirement for scaling up. @GregHe

Dr. Marshall Goldsmith has been recognized as one of the Top Ten Business Thinkers in the World and the top-rated executive coach at the Thinkers50 ceremony in London since 2011. Published in 2015, his book Triggers is a Wall Street Journal and New York Times #1 Bestseller! He’s also the author of New York Times bestseller and #1 Wall Street Journal Business Book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, winner of the Harold Longman Award as Best Business Book of the Year. With a PhD from UCLA, Marshall is a pioneer 360-degree feedback as a leadership development tool. His early efforts in providing feedback and then following-up with executives to measure changes in behavior were precursors to what eventually evolved as the field of executive coaching. With nearly 40 years of hands-on experience, Marshall Goldsmith is the leading expert on leadership and coaching for behavioral change. Show Highlights: A trigger is any stimulus that may impact our behavior. @coachgoldsmithAlmost all of us have a g

David Burkus is a best-selling author, an award-winning podcaster, and associate professor of management at Oral Roberts University. His latest book, Under New Management, challenges the traditional and widely accepted principles of business management and proves that they are outdated, outmoded, or simply don’t work — and reveals what does. He’s delivered keynotes to the leaders of Fortune 500 companies and the future leaders of the United States Naval Academy. David is a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review and Inc. Show Highlights: "Great leaders don't innovate the product, they innovate the factory." - Dane AtkinsonA boost in moral happens when mutual trust is formed. @davidburkusWe are living in a 24/7 World and it is killing us. @davidburkusAre we overloading our people with too much communication? @davidburkusLeaders should be in the business of elimination. @davidburkusWhat things block your people from doing their best work? How do I eliminate them? @davidburkus“The future is

Personal Development’s breakthrough power couple, Preston Smiles and Alexi Panos, have supported thousands of people who have dramatically changed their lives by participating in the various programs and workshops they teach all over the world, including their groundbreaking 12-week online training program The Bridge Method, and the popular workshop The Bridge Experience. As agents of change, passion and possibility, they both founded their own movements that inspire and empower people worldwide, including Preston’s Love Mob and Alexi’s non-profit E.P.I.C. Preston and Alexi’s trainings are action-oriented and address all learning styles while engaging the Mind, Body and Soul. They are insanely committed to leading others on this same path and inspiring people to step fully into their unique gifts. They have created a movement of transformation and have built a tribe of loyal fans around the globe who aren’t just inspired by their work, but empowered by it. Their previous books include Love Louder and 50 Ways

John Lee Dumas is the Founder and Host of EOFire, an award winning Podcast where he chats with today's most successful Entrepreneurs 7-days a week. With over 1400 interviews to date and multi-millions a year in net revenue, JLD has shown how delivering free, valuable, and consistent content can create a successful business and impact the world! Show Highlights: Productivity is producing the RIGHT things on a daily basis. @johnleedumasWhat is productive to you may not be productive to someone else. @johnleedumasSelf-evaluation is necessary to know what productivity looks like for you. @johnleedumasDiscipline is setting up plan and executing step by step. @johnleedumasTo be disciplined, you have to be a disciple of your day. @johnleedumasI want to spend the best parts of my day producing the content that matters. @johnleedumasWe are human all going to shift and slide so we need an anchor like the mastery journal. @johnleedumasPencils of promise’s mission is to give the gift of education to those l

Lt. Col. (ret.) Rob ‘Waldo’ Waldman - The Wingman – is a professional leadership speaker, executive coach, and author of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller Never Fly Solo.  He teaches organizations how to build trusting, revenue producing relationships with their employees, partners, and customers while sharing his experiences as a combat decorated F-16 fighter pilot and businessman. He is a highly experienced combat veteran with over 2,650 flight hours and sixty-five real world combat missions, having flown both in Iraq enforcing the “No-Fly Zone” and in Yugoslavia during Operation Allied Force in 1999. Some of his military honors include five Air Medals, two Aerial Achievement Medals, four Air Force Commendation Medals, and two Meritorious Service Medals. Waldo is a graduate of the U.S Air Force Academy and also holds an MBA with a focus on Organizational Behavior. He is an inductee into the Professional Speaker Hall of Fame, a prestigious award that honors speakers who have reached

Shelly Smith, a Professional Sales Coach here at Southwestern Consulting, is a natural encourager and loves to laugh hard while working hard. She honed her sales and recruiting skills working 9 years with The Southwestern Company selling door-to-door. She is passionate about helping people visualize where they want to go and holding them accountable on the journey there. She has experience in the travel and fundraising industries. Lately, she has been having a blast encouraging a new sketch and improv group that she directs. Jennifer Bennett has been in the housing market for 25 years. She is currently working at Caliber Home as a Loan representative. Jennifer is dedicated to providing superior service and personal expert guidance throughout the home financing process. Show Highlights: We had to catch the negative self-talk and change the way she was thinking about her situation. – Shelly SmithWhen you’re in sales, it’s hard to hide what is going on in your personal life. – Jennifer BennettSe

John Nemo is a #1 Bestselling LinkedIn Author & Trainer. Since 2012, he has helped hundreds of Business Coaches, Consultants, Trainers, Entrepreneurs, Small Business Owners, Sales Executives and other professionals across more than 50 different industries leverage LinkedIn to generate nonstop sales leads, clients and revenue. He's personally rewritten the LinkedIn profiles of Chris Brogan, John Lee Dumas, Bob Burg, Jairek Robbins and many others, and also guest blogs regularly for Inc. Magazine, American City Business Journals and others on all things LinkedIn. Show Highlights: LinkedIn is the electronic version of your assistant. @JohnNemoPRLinkedIn is a virtual assistant that helps you do 1-on-1 personalized marketing. @JohnNemoPRPeople on LinkedIn are in “work mode” and are ready to do business. @JohnNemoPRYou can pick up conversation icebreakers just by looking at someone’s LinkedIn profile. @JohnNemoPRLinkedIn is an efficient way to do marketing to your exact target market. @JohnNemoPRThe m

John Ruhlin is the founder and CEO of the Ruhlin Group, a North Canton, Ohio-based firm that specializes in high-level gifting plans to build relationships and acquire new clients. John is a sought-after speaker on the topics of C-level selling, relationship development and strategic gifting. He is also the co-author of the book Cutting Edge Sales. Show Highlights: If you take care of the inner circle, everything else takes care of itself. @ruhlinWhen it comes to gratitude, there is an incongruence between what we say and do. @ruhlin If relationships are your most important asset, how you show them that you care really matters. @ruhlinWhen you show gratitude well, you stand head and shoulders of everyone you’re competing against. @ruhlinWe teach people to give gifts ‘just because.’ @ruhlinA gift, by its very nature, should be about the recipient not about you. @ruhlinInstead of sending two hundred of something, send twenty to your top clients and personalize it. @ruhlinAn unexpected gift at an u

Arnie Malham created a small side venture to help a few clients market beyond just the TV station. That venture ultimately got him fired and quickly became his best and only career option.Without a clue as to how to run a company, Arnie repeatedly “got it wrong” when it came to hiring, firing, and everything else related to building a business. Armed with his belief that different is better than good, outliers are fascinating, and mind-set is everything, Malham persevered. Thanks to hundreds of business books, dozens of patient mentors, and a universe conspiring to help him, Malham stumbled upon a bold, culture-first approach that gave his fledgling company the momentum it needed. cj Advertising grew to become the largest full-service brand-building agency in the country… exclusively for law firms. Malham has since leveraged his cutting-edge culture to launch two other businesses, Legal Intake Professionals and BetterBookClub.com. Malham lives in Nashville with his wife of more than 20 years, two stubbo