Catalysts: The Leaders Shaping the Future of Learning and Growth

What if company culture wasn’t just a set of values on the wall—but a daily operating system?

In this episode of Catalysts, Jacob Ratliff sits down with Chris Dyer—globally recognized leadership speaker, best-selling author, and remote work pioneer—to break down what high-performance culture actually looks like in practice.

Chris has been named a Top 50 Global Thought Leader, a #1 Leadership Speaker by Inc. Magazine, and the CEO of one of America’s fastest-growing companies. His message is clear: Culture isn’t a vibe. It’s a system. And leaders have to own it.

In this conversation, we explore:

• Why most culture efforts fail—and what to do instead
• Chris’s 7 Pillars of Culture and how to put them into action
• What happens when leaders don’t model clarity and accountability
• The secret to balancing speed, trust, and flexibility—especially in remote teams
• Why transparency isn’t just ethical—it’s strategic
• What new managers and senior execs need to unlearn to lead effectively
• How to create cultures of intentional communication, not chaos
• Why “culture eats strategy for breakfast”—but only if it’s designed, not assumed

If you want your people to move faster, collaborate better, and stick around longer, this episode gives you the blueprint.

🎧 Listen now on Catalysts: The Leaders Shaping the Future of Learning and Growth

🔗 Connect with Chris on LinkedIn

🌐 chrisdyer.com

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In this episode of Catalysts, Jacob Ratliff sits down with Ash Seddeek, founder of Executive Greatness Institute, to talk about what it really takes to elevate your executive presence, master influence, and earn trust in the rooms where decisions get made.

Ash has coached senior leaders at Amazon, Salesforce, Cisco, and Capital One—and his message is clear: If you can’t communicate with clarity and power, you won’t move the business forward.

In this conversation, we dig into:

• Why trust is the real currency of leadership—and how to earn it
• The difference between executive visibility and self-promotion
• What it means to speak the “language of power” without posturing
• How to tailor your message to different stakeholders—including the C-suite
• The 3 big communication mistakes even smart leaders make
• Why being strategic isn’t about talking more—it’s about listening differently
• How to break the “curse of knowledge” and communicate for impact, not information
• What L&D leaders can do to coach executives through growth moments

Ash doesn’t just teach influence—he helps leaders embody it. Whether you’re coaching senior leaders or stepping into bigger visibility yourself, this episode is a masterclass in strategic communication that moves people—and businesses—forward.

🎧 Listen to the full episode on Catalysts: The Leaders Shaping the Future of Learning and Growth

🔗 Connect with Ash: LinkedIn | executivegreatness.com

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If your learning team is still seen as a cost center, this episode will change how you show up.

Jacob sits down with Andrew Scivally, CEO of ELB Learning, to explore why L&D’s credibility is suffering—and what it takes to reposition the function as a performance-driven strategic partner.

Andrew has worked with Fortune 100s, led L&D at JPMorgan Chase and Zion’s Bank, and now helps learning teams stop building “fluff” and start driving results.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why traditional L&D metrics like completion rates and smile sheets are killing your team’s influence
• The language shift needed to earn a seat at the table with executives
• How to position L&D as a revenue generator, not just a training team
• What it looks like to build onboarding experiences that match your external brand promise
• How marketing principles can help you sell the value of learning internally
• Why learning professionals need to become business professionals with an expertise in human capital transformation
• The connection between needs assessment, strategic planning, and C-suite credibility that ELB is building next to support the future of AI-powered, performance-focused learning

💡 “If you want to be seen as strategic, stop calling yourself a learning team. Call yourself a performance team. That’s what the business actually cares about.”

This is a bold, practical, and energizing conversation for any L&D leader ready to step up and be seen as essential to business growth.

🎧 Listen now and get ready to transform how you lead learning:

👉 Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn

👉 Explore ELB Learning

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In this episode of Catalysts, I sit down with Rahul Karan Sharma—organizational development consultant, fractional CLO, and Forbes Coaches Council member—to explore what it really takes to lead through change that matters.

Rahul has spent 20+ years helping companies navigate post-merger integration, cultural alignment, and leadership acceleration. But his secret isn’t in a strategy deck—it’s in centering the people behind the process.

Together, we unpack:

• Why most change efforts fail—not because of planning, but because of people
• How poor communication during transitions drives attrition and burnout
• The difference between executing a training and building real leadership capability
• How fractional CLOs can fill a crucial gap for small and mid-size organizations
• What leaders get wrong at the “achiever” stage—and how to move beyond it
• Rahul’s proprietary CLIMB Framework, a roadmap for evolving from invisible contributor to legacy-building influencer
• Why internal trust is the most undervalued currency in transformation
• How “visibility is the new currency”—and why content matters for leaders

Transformation is personal. It requires consistency, empathy, and the courage to lead from the inside out.

🔗 Connect with Rahul on LinkedIn or at rahulkaransharma.com

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In this episode of Catalysts, I sit down with Ron Price, Chief Learning Officer at Yukon Learning—Articulate’s official training partner for over 17 years. Ron brings a rare blend of deep instructional design expertise and hands-on development experience, helping organizations turn good ideas into great learning experiences.

Together, we explore:

• Why scenarios and storytelling are essential for meaningful e-learning
• The “3 Cs” model—Challenge, Choice, and Consequence—and how it transforms passive content into immersive learning
• Why bad design speaks louder than good content
• The hidden value of aligning tools, strategy, and design with learner intent
• How Yukon balances training teams to use Articulate with building courses for them
• What most e-learning creators get wrong—and how to fix it

Ron shares how his team helps organizations move beyond rote click-through courses to design learning that earns its place—and drives real behavior change. Whether you’re an L&D leader, an instructional designer, or just curious about elevating the digital learning experience, this episode is packed with practical insights and expert perspective.

🎧 Listen in and learn why Ron believes the future of e-learning isn’t about covering content—it’s about helping learners uncover it.

🔗 Learn more about Ron and Yukon Learning: https://www.yukonlearning.com

📺 Watch their free Articulate tutorials on YouTube: Yukon Learning on YouTube

🔗 Connect with Ron: Ron Price on LinkedIn

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In this episode of Catalysts, I sit down with Arika Pierce Williams, CEO and Founder of Piercing Strategies, to talk about what it really means to lead in the AI era—without losing what makes us human.

Arika isn’t just rethinking leadership—she’s rebranding it. Through her Human-First Leadership™ framework, she’s helping organizations develop leaders who are self-aware, emotionally intelligent, and equipped to guide teams through rapid change, without burning out.

We dive into:

• Why Gen Z is reshaping how leadership is defined—and what they want from it
• What “conscious unbossing” is, and why some emerging leaders are opting out of promotions
• How AI is freeing up time—but also eroding connection, unless we’re intentional
• The five elements of the HUMAN method: Hear, Understand, Motivate, Amplify, Navigate
• Why reflection, habits, and vulnerability are key to lasting behavior change
• What L&D teams must do now to remain strategic partners in cultural transformation
• The importance of relationship-based learning in creating real, lasting impact
• How Arika balances thought leadership with grounded, client-driven insights

If you’ve been wondering how to build the next generation of leaders—and how to help people managers lead with empathy, resilience, and authenticity—this episode is your roadmap.

🔗 Connect with Arika on LinkedIn or at piercingstrategies.com

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In this episode of Catalysts, I sit down with Mark Cruth, Principal Modern Work Coach at Atlassian, to explore what it really takes to create effective, energized, and high-performing teams in today’s complex world of work.

Mark is a keynote speaker, collaboration coach, and one of the leading voices in the future of teamwork—internally at Atlassian and across the broader industry. He’s helped shape how 16,000+ employees at Atlassian operate while also empowering countless other organizations to rethink how teams learn, grow, and lead.

We unpack:

• How Atlassian scaled its culture from 2,000 to 16,000 people
• The secret to decentralized decision-making (and why most orgs get it wrong)
• What makes Atlassian’s Team Playbook such a powerful operating tool
• Why curiosity—not content—is the future of learning
• The evolving role of the facilitator in an AI-powered workplace
• How team learning creates deeper trust, faster behavior change, and longer-lasting results
• Why visibility matters for leaders—and how to show up without selling out
• The one mindset shift every emerging leader should make to spark change

If you care about how teams work—and how learning can accelerate that work—this is an energizing, practical, and deeply human conversation you don’t want to miss.

🔗 Connect with Mark on LinkedIn or at markcruth.com

🔍 Explore the Atlassian Team Playbook: atlassian.com/team-playbook

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In this episode of Catalysts, I’m joined by DavidLee Richardson, Head of Organizational Leadership Development at Harris & Harris. David brings a grounded, deeply human approach to developing leaders—focusing on trust, credibility, and connection as the foundation for high-impact leadership.

We explore:

• Why employee engagement data should drive leadership development
• How he turned How Full Is Your Bucket? into a training program that boosted NPS and team connection
• What it really means to “give the team away”—and how it transforms culture
• Why credibility isn’t self-defined—and how to earn it
• The difference between being collaborative and being perceived as collaborative
• How people skills will define the next generation of leaders in the age of AI
• Why empathy, listening, and emotional intelligence are non-negotiables for the future of work

DavidLee doesn’t just talk about leadership—he models it. Tune in for a rich conversation full of insights on leading with intention, building trust, and becoming better at being human.

🎧 Listen now on Catalysts: The Leaders Shaping the Future of Learning and Growth

🔗 Connect with DavidLee Richardson on LinkedIn or visit davidlee.ai

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In this episode of Catalysts, I sit down with Andrew O’Malley, instructional designer and learning strategist, to talk about how L&D is evolving—and what it takes to stay ahead. From experimenting with AI to designing emotionally intelligent learning experiences, Andrew is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in training and development.

We explore:

• How AI is transforming content development (and where it still falls short)
• Why speed doesn’t equal quality—and what’s needed to evaluate AI-generated materials
• The emerging importance of emotional intelligence in leadership and learning
• Lessons from building a course in a day using generative tools
• Why reflection, empathy, and resilience matter more than ever in L&D
• Advice for newcomers breaking into the instructional design field

Whether you’re experimenting with new tools or rethinking your leadership approach, Andrew brings clarity, candor, and creativity to the future of L&D.

🎧 Listen now on Catalysts: The Leaders Shaping the Future of Learning and Growth

 🔗 Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn or follow his insights on YouTube and Instagram @andrewomalley.id

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In this episode of Catalysts, I’m joined by Cole Bastion, Senior Director of Learning and Culture at HOA Brands, where he's helped reduce management turnover by 10% and transformed L&D into a powerful driver of enterprise-wide change.

We dive deep into how Cole positions his team not as order-takers—but as change makers.

Key topics we cover:

• Why L&D must become the “epicenter of transformation” in the org
• The risks of staying in the traditional training lane
• How Cole earned the trust to facilitate annual strategy sessions with the executive team
• His process for evaluating new tech (and avoiding shiny object syndrome)
• Why visibility matters—and what it’s opened up for him as a leader

Cole’s story is packed with insight on what it really takes to lead learning with purpose, partnership, and influence.

🔗 Connect with Cole on LinkedIn: Cole Bastion, MSIOP

🎧 Listen now and subscribe to Catalysts: The Leaders Shaping the Future of Learning and Growth.

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