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

• When Karen describes crying and then getting angry after truly understanding her Kolbe results, realizing she hadn’t been able to be her authentic self for much of her life.
• A young employee, on the verge of quitting and estranged from his parents, reconnects with his family and changes his life path after a Kolbe training session.
• Karen shares how Kolbe transformed her marriage and family dynamics, reducing friction and improving communication with her husband and adult children.

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

• When Isaacs explained how “shared ideals” almost always produce the opposite of what people hope for.
• When he said trust isn’t a prerequisite for change — it’s the result of people witnessing each other truly listen.
• The private-equity story where a massively failing company turned the corner in three hours once people finally said the things they hadn’t felt safe to say.
• The 40-40-20 Rule: Only 20% of “questions” people ask are real questions.
• The revelation that people don’t think first and act later — actions emerge from the flow of conversation and relationship.

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 

• Chris sold his first real business—a video production company he started at 14 years old.
• He once had a mom furious at him because his camera operator’s battery died during her daughter’s performance—sparking his obsession with processes that never fail twice.
• Trainual started as a side tool for his consulting clients, and four years later, he ditched consulting entirely to go all-in.
• He uses his assistant as a filter for his flood of ideas so his team doesn’t accidentally take brainstorms as a marching orders.
• Chris predicts that in the near future, businesses will manage not just employees but also AI agents and humanoid robots—and Trainual will be the playbook that tells them all what “good” looks like.

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

• The construction company that lost $30+ million because one family member was "too scary to discipline"
• Kathy Kolbe's two-week exit announcement that nobody saw coming
• Why Sara tried to cheat on her own Kolbe assessment (and got caught)
• The breakfast conversation that saved a 50-year family legacy

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

• 82% of leaders feel their biggest stress is people.
• Building an intentional culture is crucial for success.
• Genuine care and concern does not mean avoiding tough conversations.
• A weak link on your team affects the culture.
• Open, honest, and vulnerable leadership is key to team success.
• Kolbe helps identify root issues in teams and improve dynamics.
• A leadership team is only as good as their middle management.
• The dream team is made up of diverse strengths and perspectives.

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

• Understanding your Kolbe results can provide self-acceptance.
• Effective delegation requires time and trust-building.
• Identifying $25 vs. $500 tasks is crucial for productivity.
• A good assistant can change your life and business.
• Starting a business requires a sense of urgency and focus.
• Kolbe can improve personal relationships and communication.
• Investing time in hiring pays off in the long run.
• Self-awareness enhances leadership effectiveness.

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

• The business mission is about solving real challenges.
• Understanding the audience is crucial for effective communication.
• 'Do More, More Naturally' emphasizes sustainable productivity.
• Alignment with personal strengths is key to avoiding burnout.
• Success involves responsibility for results, not just freedom.
• The Three C's framework is essential for productivity.
• Energy management is more important than time management.
• Collaboration enhances productivity and results.
• Mutual respect in teams leads to better outcomes.
• Personal commitment to strengths leads to greater fulfillment. Your conative strengths are with you 24/7.
• One size does not fit all with advice.
• Parents should understand their kid might not be like them.
• We need to challenge ourselves to make sure that we are helping the child discover their strengths.

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

***
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.