The Founders Catalyst

Steve Mellor and Lee Povey
  • 5.0 (10)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Hosts Lee Povey and Steve Mellor are two high-performance coaches with a passion to position founders and business leaders to pursue the best version of themselves. This podcast provides a support system for those operating in the high-stakes world of business ownership and leadership through honest and vulnerable conversations about the areas you deal with most.  

  1. 1D AGO

    Episode 026: Nobody Should Be Fired by Surprise: Feedback That Builds Culture

    About the Hosts: Steve Mellor and Lee Povey are seasoned high-performance coaches with decades of experience leading elite athletes, startup founders, and executive teams. As co-hosts of The Founders Catalyst, they bring the language of elite sport into business—turning messy leadership problems into clear standards, better conversations, and stronger culture. Episode Summary: Steve and Lee open with a candid check-in on energy, routines, and identity—then jump into a founder problem that quietly wrecks teams: feedback (or the lack of it). They break down why most leaders avoid feedback, how a vacuum of clarity creates anxiety and stories (“I’m going to get fired”), and why the corporate world often treats performance like a twice-a-year event instead of a daily practice. From there, the conversation expands into culture: why people thrive in environments they actually want to be in, how boundaries and standards create freedom (not restriction), and why “we’re a family” can become a convenient excuse for low accountability. They close by connecting it all to hiring and firing: when feedback is consistent and standards are clear, letting someone go becomes less emotional, less surprising, and far more humane—because the writing has been on the wall for everyone. Key Takeaways: Most teams don’t have a feedback problem—they have a feedback absence. And people fill that silence with worst-case stories.If you want high performance, treat work like performance, every day. Not just during an annual “performance review.”Start feedback with permission. “Are you open to some feedback?” changes the emotional state and lowers defensiveness.Context makes feedback land. “Here’s what I saw and why it matters” beats “Here’s what you did wrong.”Make it objective where you can. Use the “camera test”: what would a recording show, facts over feelings.Praise isn’t optional, it’s capacity. If you only give corrective feedback, you empty the “cookie jar” and people stop being able to receive anything.Boundaries create freedom. People do better when they know the rules and can be autonomous inside them.Play is a performance tool. Build intentional connection time (especially remote) so meetings are sharper and teams feel human.The Rehire Test: If they took a 3-month sabbatical, would you enthusiastically rehire them? If not, you’re already late.Resources Mentioned: The “camera test” (objective observation)The “cookie jar” model (capacity to receive feedback)Code of conduct / standards-setting with team involvementMarginal gains mindset (1% improvements)“Destination workplace” as an identity + experienceThe “Rehire after sabbatical” test (popularized in high-performance company thinking)If this episode hit home, take 10 minutes today and audit your feedback culture: Are people clear on where they stand?Do they know what success looks like—this week, not just this year?Are you refilling the cookie jar as often as you’re taking from it?Subscribe to The Founders Catalyst for more conversations that turn leadership fog into standards, clarity, and better performance. Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. Stay tuned for more insights and discussions to help you thrive in both your personal and professional life. Join Our LinkedIn Group! Become a part of The Founders Catalyst, a free community for founders, start-up executives, and high achievers. Network, ask questions, and participate in our free monthly Zoom meetings. Connect with like-minded individuals and expand your professional circle. Join here.

    54 min

  2. JAN 30

    Episode 025: Hiring & Firing with Clarity: The Leadership Gap Most Founders Ignore

    About the Hosts: Steve Mellor and Lee Povey are seasoned high-performance coaches with decades of experience leading elite athletes, startup founders, and executive teams. As co-hosts of The Founders Catalyst, they dig into the real challenges of leadership, company culture, and performance, creating space for candid, reflective, and often uncomfortable conversations. Episode Summary: In this episode, Steve and Lee get real about one of the most overlooked and emotionally charged responsibilities of founders and leaders: hiring and firing. Why do so many leaders avoid tough conversations? What makes firing feel so personal, and why shouldn't it be? Drawing from their years as elite coaches and founders themselves, they explore the often blurry boundaries between friendship and leadership, and how avoiding clarity in your hiring and firing practices can quietly sabotage your culture and company performance. This is a conversation about respect, candor, performance standards, and why you should never clean up the house before hiring someone to clean it. Key Takeaways: Why “being liked” sabotages good hiring decisionsThe myth of the company “family”—and why thinking like a team winsWhat most leaders get wrong about performance reviewsHow to set expectations and communicate standards from day oneEmotional traps in the hiring/firing cycleThe case for trial periods, performance metrics, and candid conversationsReal stories from Lee and Steve on letting go of co-founders and culture misfitsHow to know when it’s time to part ways—and do it with integrityWhy most leaders keep poor performers 6–12 months too longResources Mentioned: Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy ModelEO (Entrepreneur Organization) & EOA (Entrepreneur Accelerator)Daniel Kahneman’s hiring bias researchThank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. Stay tuned for more insights and discussions to help you thrive in both your personal and professional life. Join Our LinkedIn Group! Become a part of The Founders Catalyst, a free community for founders, start-up executives, and high achievers. Network, ask questions, and participate in our free monthly Zoom meetings. Connect with like-minded individuals and expand your professional circle. Join here.

    46 min

  3. 09/25/2025

    Episode 024: High-Performance Coaching: Beyond Results and Into Possibilities

    About the Hosts: Steve Mellor and Lee Povey are seasoned high-performance coaches who bring decades of experience from the worlds of elite sport and business leadership. Together, they co-host The Founders Catalyst, where they explore strategies to help leaders, entrepreneurs, and teams unlock their true potential. Their combined wisdom, humor, and honesty create a space where big ideas meet practical insights. Episode Summary: In this episode of The Founders Catalyst, Steve and Lee dive deep into the real meaning of high-performance coaching—what it is, what it isn’t, and how it impacts leaders and organizations. They share personal stories, client success examples, and their own struggles with leadership, self-belief, and accepting praise. Listeners will discover why focusing on behaviors over outcomes, reframing leadership as a privilege rather than a burden, and embracing long-term growth are key to unleashing true potential. This isn’t a sales pitch—it’s an honest conversation about how coaching transforms not just businesses, but human beings. Key Topics & Themes What high-performance coaching really meansWhy focusing on process and behaviors matters more than outcomesThe ripple effect of leadership on teams and organizationsCommon challenges leaders face (communication, feedback, self-belief)The privilege and responsibility of leadershipWhy coaching should be seen as a long-term investmentPersonal stories of growth, resistance, and breakthroughsResources Mentioned Simon Sinek’s Infinite vs. Finite Games Ripple Effect Coaching Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy model Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. Stay tuned for more insights and discussions to help you thrive in both your personal and professional life. Join Our LinkedIn Group! Become a part of The Founders Catalyst, a free community for founders, start-up executives, and high achievers. Network, ask questions, and participate in our free monthly Zoom meetings. Connect with like-minded individuals and expand your professional circle. Join here.

    43 min

  4. 08/07/2025

    Episode 023: Helping Founders Lead with Impact Through the Hard Work of Self-Awareness

    About the Hosts: Lee Povey and Steve Mellor are leadership coaches and hosts of The Founders Catalyst, a podcast dedicated to helping founders, executives, and rising leaders navigate the complexities of personal and professional growth. With decades of combined experience in elite sports, executive coaching, and team development, Lee and Steve offer real-world insights, sharp coaching tools, and thought-provoking conversations for the modern leader. About the Episode: In this episode of The Founders Catalyst, Steve and Lee dive deep into what they believe is the most important leadership skill of all: self-awareness. They unpack why so many leaders think they’re self-aware (but aren’t), what self-awareness actually involves, and how to begin doing the real work. The conversation spans everything from childhood programming and cultural influences to emotional intelligence, dyslexia, burnout, and building sustainable leadership habits. Expect powerful personal insights, practical frameworks, and a few laughs along the way. If you're a founder or leader looking to improve your emotional intelligence, decision-making, and relationships with your team... this one’s for you. Takeaways: Why self-awareness is the foundation of effective leadershipThe emotional work of leadership: noticing vs. reactingHow upbringing, trauma, and culture shape our responsesEmotional intelligence (EQ) vs. intellectual intelligence (IQ)Why most people think they’re self-aware, and are wrongEmotions as data: understanding anger, sadness, fear, joy, interest, and disgustThe importance of "noting" emotions in real timeBuilding sustainable leadership practices: rest, boundaries, and balanceLeading while tired, triggered, or overwhelmed and how to prepare for itFeedback loops, reflection, and what it really means to “do the work”“You don’t become self-aware just by deciding to be. It’s a journey, a practice, one you get wrong, again and again, until slowly, you don’t.” – Steve Mellor “Emotions are data. If we learn to listen, they tell us exactly what’s happening within us, and what we might need to change.” – Lee Povey Links & Resources Mentioned: Daniel Kahneman's research on decision-making and self-assessmentBrené Brown’s research on emotional language (83 emotions)The six core emotions model: Fear, Joy, Anger, Sadness, Interest, DisgustLee Povey’s men’s group (mentioned during emotional awareness segment)The Founders Catalyst LinkedIn Community: Join hereContact the hosts directly for feedback or coaching inquiriesThank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. Stay tuned for more insights and discussions to help you thrive in both your personal and professional life. Join Our LinkedIn Group! Become a part of The Founders Catalyst, a free community for founders, start-up executives, and high achievers. Network, ask questions, and participate in our free monthly Zoom meetings. Connect with like-minded individuals and expand your professional circle. Join here.

    40 min

  5. 06/23/2025

    Episode 022: Reassessing, Refocusing, and Reclaiming Direction Mid-Year

    Lee Povey and Steve Mellor are leadership coaches and hosts of The Founders Catalyst, a podcast dedicated to helping founders, executives, and rising leaders navigate the complexities of personal and professional growth. With decades of combined experience in elite sports, executive coaching, and team development, Lee and Steve offer real-world insights, sharp coaching tools, and thought-provoking conversations for the modern leader. 📝 Episode Summary: As Q2 wraps and the second half of the year begins, many leaders find themselves questioning: Are we still on track? In this timely and thought-provoking episode, Steve and Lee dive into why mid-year is the perfect moment to step back, reassess your goals, and ask the all-important question: Are these goals still relevant? They explore how to shift from reactive busyness to intentional leadership by focusing on what truly matters, your behaviors, your mindset, and how you use your time. You’ll learn how to redefine success, eliminate the fluff, and make strategic adjustments that honor both your vision and your current reality. This isn't about doing more, it's about doing what actually moves the needle. 🔑 Key Takeaways: Why being "busy" doesn't equal being effective, and what to do about itThe difference between goals and commitments, and why commitments drive resultsHow to determine if a goal is still relevant mid-year (and what to change if it’s not)The “optimal vs. perfect” mindset shift that helps you make better decisionsWhy leadership without trust, of yourself and others, leads to stagnationHow to involve your team in goal setting so they actually buy inA practical strategy for organizing your priorities using the “rocks, sand, and water” analogyWhat it means to lead from privilege, not pressure🔗 Links & Resources Mentioned: Traction by Gino Wickman (Rocks metaphor)Simon Sinek & Adam Grant podcast references (on creativity & meeting design)Join the Founder’s Catalyst LinkedIn CommunityLee Povey's Leadership CoachingSteve Mellor's Executive CoachingThank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. Stay tuned for more insights and discussions to help you thrive in both your personal and professional life. Join Our LinkedIn Group! Become a part of The Founders Catalyst, a free community for founders, start-up executives, and high achievers. Network, ask questions, and participate in our free monthly Zoom meetings. Connect with like-minded individuals and expand your professional circle. Join here.

    39 min

  6. 06/09/2025

    Episode 021: Not Everyone Thinks Like You - And That’s the Challenge of Leadership

    Lee Povey and Steve Mellor are leadership coaches and hosts of The Founders Catalyst, a podcast dedicated to helping founders, executives, and rising leaders navigate the complexities of personal and professional growth. With decades of combined experience in elite sports, executive coaching, and team development, Lee and Steve offer real-world insights, sharp coaching tools, and thought-provoking conversations for the modern leader. 📝 Episode Summary: In this insightful and candid conversation, co-hosts Steve Mellor and Lee Povey unpack the hidden struggles of being a high performer in leadership. Drawing on personal stories, from elite sports to startup boardrooms, they reveal how their own perfectionism, drive, and “abnormal” standards shaped both their successes and their blind spots. Together, they explore the emotional disconnect many leaders feel when their vision isn’t shared, their intensity isn’t understood, and their expectations aren’t met. If you've ever felt alone at the top, frustrated that others “just don’t get it,” or caught between your future self and your current reality, this one’s for you. 🔑 Key Takeaways: Why high performers often create a warped sense of “normal” that others can’t relate toThe emotional cost of resilience, from pushing through injury to avoiding supportHow leadership can feel incredibly lonely, even in successful, growing organizationsThe danger of measuring yourself against an idealized future version of youWhy your team doesn’t “get it” yet, and how to help them catch the visionHow to balance big-picture ambition with clear communication and compassionWhat to ask yourself when you feel misunderstood or disconnected as a leader🔗 Resources & Mentions: 💬 Join the Founders Catalyst Community on LinkedIn 🌐 Lee Povey’s Coaching & Leadership Work 🌐 Steve Mellor's Executive Coaching  If you found this episode relatable or valuable, share it with another leader or founder in your circle. Be sure to follow The Founder’s Catalyst on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. And if this hit home for you, leave us a quick review, it means the world and helps us reach more high-performers navigating the same challenges. Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. Stay tuned for more insights and discussions to help you thrive in both your personal and professional life. Join Our LinkedIn Group! Become a part of The Founders Catalyst, a free community for founders, start-up executives, and high achievers. Network, ask questions, and participate in our free monthly Zoom meetings. Connect with like-minded individuals and expand your professional circle. Join here.

    37 min

  7. 05/19/2025

    Episode 020: From Triggered to Trusted - Mastering Emotional Regulation as a Leader

    Lee Povey and Steve Mellor are leadership coaches and hosts of The Founders Catalyst, a podcast dedicated to helping founders, executives, and rising leaders navigate the complexities of personal and professional growth. With decades of combined experience in elite sports, executive coaching, and team development, Lee and Steve offer real-world insights, sharp coaching tools, and thought-provoking conversations for the modern leader. 📝 Episode Summary: In this milestone 20th episode of The Founders Catalyst, hosts Steve Mellor and Lee Povey dive deep into the power and necessity of emotional regulation for leaders. Building on themes from the previous episode about ego, this conversation explores how unregulated emotions can derail communication, relationships, and business outcomes, and how curiosity, awareness, and conscious choice can lead to more effective leadership. Lee and Steve share personal stories, coaching insights, and practical tools that help leaders move from reactivity to responsibility. You’ll learn how our evolutionary psychology wires us to react, and how you can rewire those instinctual responses to lead with clarity, compassion, and confidence. 🔑 Key Takeaways:  Emotional regulation is a leadership superpower, it's not about suppressing emotion, but understanding and channeling it.The fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response is hardwired, but not destiny, you can reprogram your reaction.Understand your triggers: texts like “We need to talk” often prompt fear or assumption, but rarely mean what we expect.Replacing assumption with curiosity is critical for clear communication and relational trust.Leaders must recognize both internal (self-awareness) and external (others’ behavior) influences on emotional responses.Emotional regulation is best practiced in community, not in isolation, vulnerability builds trust.Coaching provides a powerful container for developing this regulation and improving team dynamics. Resources & Mentions: Lee Povey CoachingSteve Mellor – Growth Ready CoachingAbove and Below the Line model – The Conscious Leadership GroupThank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. Stay tuned for more insights and discussions to help you thrive in both your personal and professional life. Join Our LinkedIn Group! Become a part of The Founders Catalyst, a free community for founders, start-up executives, and high achievers. Network, ask questions, and participate in our free monthly Zoom meetings. Connect with like-minded individuals and expand your professional circle. Join here.

    40 min

  8. 05/08/2025

    Episode 019: Ego, Authenticity, and Leadership: Knowing Yourself to Lead Others

    In this deeply personal and thought-provoking episode, Lee and Steve dive into the elusive and complex nature of ego... what it really is, how it forms, and why understanding it is essential for great leadership.  They explore how ego shapes our perception of ourselves and others, its conscious vs. unconscious effects, and the journey from defensiveness to authenticity. With real-life stories, candid admissions, and practical insights, this episode unpacks how ego can either hinder or help leadership depending on how well we understand it. Listeners will walk away with a framework for greater self-awareness, emotional regulation, and authentic leadership, plus a few laughs along the way.  Key Takeaways: The ego isn’t just arrogance, it's your self-identity, both conscious and unconscious.Leadership starts with self-awareness: know, understand, and then own who you are.How “the shadow” (unacknowledged traits) can shape how we lead and relate.The power of curiosity as a tool to diffuse ego and invite growth.Authenticity builds trust, trying too hard often does the opposite.Parallels between elite sports and leadership: the pursuit of self-improvement.Personal anecdotes on how unresolved ego issues can show up in coaching, communication, and conflict.“Leadership is an act of service”, how humility and vulnerability increase your influence.Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. Stay tuned for more insights and discussions to help you thrive in both your personal and professional life. Join Our LinkedIn Group! Become a part of The Founders Catalyst, a free community for founders, start-up executives, and high achievers. Network, ask questions, and participate in our free monthly Zoom meetings. Connect with like-minded individuals and expand your professional circle. Join here.

    40 min
See All (26)

5
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

Hosts Lee Povey and Steve Mellor are two high-performance coaches with a passion to position founders and business leaders to pursue the best version of themselves. This podcast provides a support system for those operating in the high-stakes world of business ownership and leadership through honest and vulnerable conversations about the areas you deal with most.  

Information

  • Creator
    Steve Mellor and Lee Povey
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    26
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Founders Catalyst
  • Show Website
    The Founders Catalyst