The Founders Catalyst · 2026-01-30 · 46 min
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.
Episode 028: Ego vs Impact: Stop Doing What Looks Good50 / 100Episode 027: Consistency Comes From Authenticity (Not Control)Episode 026: Nobody Should Be Fired by Surprise: Feedback That Builds CultureEpisode 024: High-Performance Coaching: Beyond Results and Into PossibilitiesEpisode 023: Helping Founders Lead with Impact Through the Hard Work of Self-Awareness