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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
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.
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
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.
In this episode of the Powered by Instinct podcast, Kolbe CEO David Kolbe sits down with Bill Isaacs, Founder of Dialogos. They delve into the core principles of organizational communication, the essence of dialogue, and how to unlock individual and team potential. Learn how to turn conflict into opportunity, the transformative power of genuine dialogue, and the groundbreaking impact understanding instinctive strengths can have to propel your organization to new heights. Don't miss out on these insider tips to supercharge your leadership and team performance!
Host: David Kolbe,CEO at Kolbe Corp (Kolbe: 8273)
Guest-at-a-Glance
💡Name: William Isaacs, Founder and President at Dialogos(Kolbe: 6393)
💡What he does: He helps to shape the field of dialogue-driven leadership and systemic change.
💡Company: Dialogos
��Book: Dialogue: The Art of Thinking Together
��Website: https://www.dialogos.com/
Jaw-Dropping Moments
Key Quotes
“To communicate, you don’t have to agree. If you give up trying to agree and simply work toward understanding. That’s transformational.”
“Trust is an outcome, not an input. It arises when people genuinely endeavor to listen in ways they normally wouldn’t.”
“Most meetings are serial monologues. Dialogue only begins when we suspend our certainty and start to inquire.”
“It takes more time not to have the conversation you need to have.”
“If you’re a hundred percent certain the other guy is the problem, you can count on the fact that you don’t have it right.”
“Leaders are much more likely to be successful if they understand the architecture and wiring of the people they’re leading — including themselves.”
***
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.
What if the chaos in your business wasn’t a problem—but a sign of opportunity?
In this episode of Powered by Instinct, host David Kolbe sits down with Chris Ronzio, founder and CEO of Trainual, to talk about entrepreneurship, scaling businesses, and why every company needs a playbook. From his early days running a video production company as a teenager to building Trainual into a platform used by thousands of businesses, Chris shares the lessons he’s learned about operations, leadership, and letting go as a founder.
Chris doesn’t hold back on the tough parts of entrepreneurship either—letting go of control, recognizing when the problem is the person vs. the training, and finding the right balance between chaos and structure. Along the way, he dives into how being an Initiating Quick Start (2594) on the Kolbe A™ Index fuels his energy for big ideas and rapid experimentation, while also creating challenges that he’s learned to solve with the right people and systems around him.
Host: David Kolbe, CEO at Kolbe Corp (Kolbe: 8273)
Guest-at-a-Glance
💡 Name: Chris Ronzio, Founder and CEO at Trainual (Kolbe: 2594)
💡 What he does: The creator of Trainual, Chris is “a founder, systems thinker, and storyteller at heart—driven by one core mission: to make business easier by empowering people with clarity, purpose, and scalable tools.”
💡 Company: Trainual
�� Book: The Business Playbook
�� Website: https://www.chrisronzio.com/
Jaw-Dropping Moments
Key Quotes
“If there’s no chaos in your business, that’s a bad thing. That means you don’t have opportunity coming at you.”
“Every company should have an instruction manual. It’s malpractice to run a business without one.”
“Bad performance is either the wrong person or the wrong training.”
“The good businesses fix problems the first time they happen. The bad ones retreat and try to avoid ever scaling past them.”
“I’m very open to being wrong, but I’ll still throw out crazy ideas—just don’t take every one as gospel.”
“Current best practices—that’s the phrase I use. It keeps everyone aligned today, but leaves room for innovation tomorrow.”
***
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.
Two-thirds of US businesses are family-owned. Most won't survive to the third generation. But what if we've been blaming the wrong people?
In this eye-opening episode, Amy Bruske sits down with family business expert Sara B. Stern to challenge everything you think you know about why family businesses fail. Spoiler alert: it's not the entitled grandkids who kill the company—it's the founders themselves.
Amy and Sara dive deep into the messy realities of mixing blood with business, sharing war stories from the trenches (including Amy's legendary "pizza fight" with Kathy Kolbe that changed everything). You'll discover why hiring your brother might be the riskiest move you'll ever make, how a simple three-circle diagram can save your family relationships, and why most succession plans are doomed from day one.
Whether you're running a family business, thinking about joining one, or just want to understand why your friend complains about working with their dad, this conversation will change how you think about family enterprises forever.
Host: Amy Bruske President at Kolbe Corp (Kolbe: 3583)
Guest-at-a-Glance 💡 Name: Sara B. Stern (Kolbe: 5691)
💡 What she does: Helps family businesses figure out where they're going, how they'll get there, and how to stay healthy while doing it | Expert EOS Implementer® at EOS Worldwide
💡 Company: EOS Worldwide
💡 Book: Start Here: A Guide for Family Business Succession
💡 Website: sarabstern.com
Jaw-Dropping Moments
Key Quotes
Sara: "People like to talk about how the family business is killed by the third generation... I think it's the first. If the first generation creates a business that is not being run thoughtfully, it's like having a sports team where half the people have injuries."
Sara: "I've talked to way too many second, third, fourth generation family business owners who, when I ask them, 'Why do you own the business?' their answer is 'because.' And that answer does not get you through the hard days. It maybe didn't even really get you through the good days."
Amy: "If you can't trust me to order pizza, you cannot trust me to run your business."
***
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.
What makes great leadership teams tick?
Few people understand the answer to that better than CJ DuBe’, an Expert EOS implementer and experienced Kolbe Certified™ Consultant.
In this conversation, she and Amy Bruske bring us into the room where it happens, by exploring the work CJ does in leadership team sessions. They discuss the importance of understanding team member strengths, building intentional cultures, and enhancing leadership team dynamics to optimize performance. They delve into real-world examples of how different Kolbe strengths affect teamwork and problem-solving, emphasizing the importance of open, honest, and vulnerable communication. In addition, CJ shares personal insights from her career, highlighting the need for leaders to advocate for themselves and their teams, and the value of understanding individual strengths in fostering a successful team environment. She also recounts the importance Kolbe played in setting her son up for success, and she and Amy break down the many benefits that come from understanding your instinctive strengths at an early age.
Host: Amy Bruske (3583)
Guest-at-a-Glance
💡 Name: CJ DuBe’ (4483)
💡What she does: CJ is a renowned speaker, best-selling author, and Expert EOS Implementer®. She is also the former Global Community Leader at EOS Worldwide®.
💡Company: EOS Worldwide
💡 Where to find them: LinkedIn
Takeaways
Key Quotes from CJ
" Ultimately we're thinking about how do you build an intentional culture and what does that look like to build an intentional culture? And the reality is, Kolbe is part of that.”
“ Most people say things honestly, but are you willing to be vulnerable?”
“ All of the good research around emotional intelligence shows that teams that have a level of trust thrive. And that is why Kolbe is one of our trust builders.”
“When I finally did my Kolbe, the light bulb went off for me.”
“ That is the biggest gift that we can give our kids, is being able to understand, no, you have these strengths. When you're in a position to work against them, it's not gonna feel real natural and it's gonna be a little bit of a struggle.”
Chapters
01:27 CJ's Background and Expertise
02:49 The Importance of the People Component in EOS
03:33 Building an Intentional Culture
06:55 Challenges in Leadership Teams
08:08 The Role of Kolbe in Team Dynamics
16:00 Balancing Team Strengths and Weaknesses
16:10 Leadership and Middle Management
21:43 Navigating Human Instincts in Business
23:46 The Visionary-Integrator Dynamic
28:20 Personal Insights and Career Journey
38:33 Effective Team Communication
***
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.
Nothing great is done alone, so finding the perfect assistant is essential for any top executive. And what makes the perfect assistant? Someone who matches your needs in all three parts of the mind!
In this episode of the Powered by Instinct podcast, Eric interviews Jenna Spencer, the CEO and founder of AssistPro®, a company that matches entrepreneurs with executive assistants. Together, they explore the significance of effective delegation, the evolution of Jenna's role as a visionary leader, and the impact Kolbe has in both professional and personal relationships. They delve into the importance of understanding one's Kolbe Index results, discussing how these instinctive strengths can be leveraged in an executive/assistant relationship. Jenna shares her journey from the corporate world to starting her own company, emphasizing the role of Kolbe in her entrepreneurial success.
Host: Eric Herrera (5392)
Guest-at-a-Glance
💡 Name: Jenna Spencer (7482)
💡What she does: Jenna is the Founder and Visionary of AssistPro®, an executive assistant matching and delegation coaching service created to free up time and create growth for busy leaders.
💡Company: AssistPro®
💡 Where to find them: LinkedIn
Takeaways
Key Quotes from Jenna
" I knew that I had to take action, I had to have a sense of urgency, and I had to do the same three to five things every single day to get traction in my business.”
“ The biggest aha for me was it kind of gave me permission to give myself a little bit of grace. Like, oh, I'm not actually crazy.”
“ The cool part is once you figure out what your superpowers are, the more of that stuff you do, it feels like you start to gain momentum and you can just keep going and going and going.”
”Kolbe has worked really great in my marriage, honestly.”
"Delegating is really personal."
Chapters
03:12 Understanding Kolbe Results and Personal Insights
05:57 The Role of AssistPro in Business Growth
09:07 Launching a Business: Jenna's Journey
11:55 The Visionary Role and Its Evolution
15:11 Effective Delegation and Common Mistakes
17:53 Identifying the Need for an Assistant
21:04 The Impact of Kolbe in Personal Relationships
23:54 Advice for Business Leaders
27:12 Connecting with AssistPro
***
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.
Imagine a world where productivity is easy and performance is effortless.
David Kolbe and Amy Bruske break down the 'Do More, More Naturally' concept from their best-selling book and introduce the Three C's of Sustainable Performance —Clarity, Commitment, and Collaboration—as essential components for effortless success.
They explore how to attain sustainable high performance by aligning work and personal goals with one's natural strengths, discuss the common pitfalls of traditional productivity advice, and highlight the significance of balancing productivity with natural instincts. David and Amy also offer insights into leveraging conative strengths for better results in both personal and professional settings and delve into practical implications, such as parenting and team collaboration, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and appreciating diverse strengths for long-term success.
Hosts:
💡 Names: David Kolbe (8273) and Amy Bruske (3583)
💡What they do:
David is CEO/Visionary.
Amy is President/Implementer.
💡Company: Kolbe Corp
💡 Where to find them: Kolbe.com/DoMore
Key Takeaways
Quotes:
“What's missing in this how to be more productive formula is sustainable high levels of performance, and that is this magic that is the do more naturally part of Do More, More Naturally.”
“The perfect MO is the one that you appreciate. So I always tell people, learn to appreciate what you have rather than look for something else.”
“It can be life-changing to discover your strengths. And we are on a mission to help others do that.”
00:00 Introduction: Embracing Individual Strengths
00:49 Welcome to Powered by Instinct
01:16 The Concept of Doing More Naturally
02:00 Balancing Productivity and Natural Strengths
04:32 The Importance of Collaboration
10:46 Energy Management vs. Time Management
19:38 Understanding and Leveraging Individual Strengths
24:33 Good Advice Gone Bad
24:53 The Importance of Clarity and Commitment
25:06 Knowing When to Let Go
25:10 Personal Anecdotes on Finishing Projects
28:17 The Value of Improvisation
31:38 Parenting and Individual Strengths
39:12 The Mission to Discover Strengths
42:53 Conclusion and Call to Action
***
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.
Everyone has natural ways in which they take action. These are measured in four areas — Fact Finder, Follow Thru, Quick Start, and Implementor — called Kolbe Action Modes®.
In this fourth and final episode of our Kolbe Action Mode series, Kolbe experts Stephanie Clergé, Eric Herrera, and Nicole Loucks break down the Implementor Action Mode and discuss the different strengths within it: envisioning, restoring, and demonstrating.
Our Kolbe experts will take you through what it means to have these different Implementor strengths as they address common misconceptions, break down how to work with people across the Implementor spectrum, and explain how you can maximize your Implementor strength for more productivity, better communication, and improved collaboration.
It’s time to implement your instincts as you learn more about that yellow line in your Kolbe result!
Hosts:
💡 Names: Stephanie Clergé (8363), Eric Herrera (5392), and Nicole Loucks (5824)
💡What they do:
Stephanie is Kolbe’s VP of People and Product Development.
Eric is Kolbe’s VP of Growth and Strategic Alliances.
Nicole is Kolbe’s Director of Training, as well as VP of Education and Youth Programs.
💡Company: Kolbe Corp
💡 Where to find them: Kolbe.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanieclerge/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericherrera5392/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-loucks-64279058/
Takeaways
The Kolbe Action Mode Implementor measures how individuals naturally take action when striving, focusing on how they handle space and tangibles.
Individuals with strengths in the Implementor Action Mode exhibit varying levels of envisioning, restoring and demonstrating, impacting their approach to handling space and tangibles.
Effective coaching and communication strategies are essential for supporting individuals with different strengths in the Implementor Action Mode, both in professional and educational settings. Embrace and leverage your natural strengths rather than conforming to arbitrary expectations.
Understanding the interdependence of different strengths is crucial for problem-solving and achieving optimal outcomes.
Key Quotes
“Individuals with a 7-10 in Implementor really solve problems by being hands on. They show, they don't tell. They're going to use quality materials and tools to build or create something tangible. So when they're solving problems, they're really going to look for those physical or tangible solutions and create them.”
“We were actually having a conversation before we started the podcast, and one of our colleagues said he used to work with someone, they called him the walking email because he would get up, walk down to your office and go have a conversation. That was how he used that energy to get out and interact.”
“When my wife says, ‘Hey, Eric, can you fix X?’, I find all kinds of excuses to put it off. I can do it and I can muddle my way through it, but it's frustrating the entire time. I would rather kind of see the vision of this is what is, this is how amazing it's going to be when it's done.”
Chapters
02:54
The Three Strengths of the Implementor Action Mode
06:00
Coaching Strategies for Demonstrators
11:59
Envisioners: Abstract Problem Solving
19:12
Restorers: Balancing Abstract and Concrete
24:48
Navigating Strengths in Diverse Environments
31:04
Debunking Misconceptions About Implementors
***
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.
Everyone has natural ways in which they take action. These are measured in four areas — Fact Finder, Follow Thru, Quick Start, and Implementor — called Kolbe Action Modes®.
In this third episode of our Kolbe Action Mode series, Kolbe experts Stephanie Clergé, Eric Herrera, and Nicole Loucks break down the Quick Start Action Mode and discuss the different strengths within it, such as stabilizing, modifying and innovating.
Whether you naturally initiate change and improvise solutions (like Eric), participate in experiments and adjust deadlines (like Stephanie), or minimize risk factors and protect the status quo (like Nicole), you’ll get to hear amazing coaching tips from an expert who shares your strengths in the Quick Start Action Mode!
The hosts address common misconceptions, break down how to work with people across the Quick Start spectrum, and explain how you can maximize your Quick Start strength for more productivity, better communication, and improved collaboration.
Get your week off to a Quick Start by learning about your strengths in the oh-so-important green Action Mode!
Hosts:
💡 Names: Stephanie Clergé (8363), Eric Herrera (5392), and Nicole Loucks (5824)
💡What they do:
Stephanie is Kolbe’s VP of People and Product Development.
Eric is Kolbe’s VP of Sales.
Nicole is Kolbe’s Director of Training, as well as VP of Education and Youth Programs.
💡Company: Kolbe Corp
💡 Where to find them: Kolbe.com
Takeaways
The Kolbe Action Mode Quick Start measures how individuals naturally take action when striving, focusing on how they deal with risk and uncertainty.
Effective coaching and communication strategies are essential for supporting individuals with different strengths in the Quick Start Action Mode, both in professional and educational settings. Embrace and leverage your natural strengths rather than conforming to arbitrary expectations.
Recognize and utilize the diverse strengths of team members for effective collaboration.
Understanding the interdependence of different strengths is crucial for problem-solving and achieving optimal outcomes.
Key Quotes
“If I could coach someone with the 7-10 in Quick Start, I’d tell them to condense all your timeframes with everything you do. You'll get the best work from yourself out of that.”
“How you communicate changes is just as important as the change itself sometimes.”
“As a 6 in Quick Start, I also have ideas. It's just that my ideas sometimes come from different places, and I need a starting point. So, it's great if there's a theme or you give me your idea, and then I can kind of get those ideas flowing pretty well.”
“We see a lot of owners who are the only 7-10 in QS and the whole rest of the team is like a 1,2 or 3. And then they end up driving their entire team crazy because they're constantly firing off ideas. And so it's great to be self-aware and understand your strengths, and also realize you need people in all three of the zones.”
Chapters
00:00
Introduction to the Quick Start Action Mode
07:37
Understanding the Strengths within Quick Start
12:18
Coaching and Communicating with Quick Start Strengths
16:23
Collaborating with Different Quick Start Strengths
25:58
Misconceptions and Biases about Quick Start
31:21
The Importance of Considering All Four Strengths
***
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.
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