505. The 3 Questions You Need to Ask to Break Barriers in Business with Kat Cole

How long has your team known what you should do before you finally did it?

As part of the “Road to the Summit,” a special series ramping up to the 2026 Game Changers Summit this November 11-12, we’re revisiting some of the most powerful conversations ever featured at our events. In this encore episode of The Game Changing Attorney Podcast, we’re throwing it back to the 2024 Game Changers Summit, where Kat Cole, CEO of AG1 and former president of Cinnabon, took the stage to share what she has learned about driving innovation.

Starting as a Hooters hostess at 17 and going on to run some of the best-known brands in the world, Kat’s story is a lesson in acting on what is already in front of you. Her advice is simple: ask your team what to change, then act on what they say.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

Why your success can hide the changes that matter most

How to ask your team three questions that show what to stop, start, and change

What it takes to move a hesitant team from fear to action

Someone on your team has probably already spotted the fix you haven’t gotten to yet.

(00:00:00) Introduction (00:03:23) From Hooters hostess to CEO (00:04:48) Why she took over AG1 (00:09:18) Cinnabon amid a recession (00:11:53) Staying close to the action (00:12:33) The three questions to ask (00:16:02) Level up while winning (00:20:17) Franchisees threaten to sue (00:22:47) The fear of trading down (00:26:11) From fear to action (00:29:31) Back the productive rebels (00:31:46) The cost of moving too fast (00:32:31) A childhood in Jacksonville (00:35:41) What took you so long? (00:37:50) The Hot Shot Rule (00:41:15) Your past is not your anchor

----

Links & Resources:

Kat Cole

AG1

Hooters

Focus Brands

Baked by Melissa

Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara

Behavioral economics

Great Recession

----

Learn what sustainable growth can look like for your firm at crispcoach.com.

----

Do you love this podcast and want to see more game changing content? Subscribe to our YouTube channel.

----

Past guests on The Game Changing Attorney Podcast include David Goggins, John Morgan, Alex Hormozi, Randi McGinn, Kim Scott, Chris Voss, Kevin O’Leary, Laura Wasser, John Maxwell, Mark Lanier, Robert Greene, and many more.

----

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like:

417. The Secret to Building a Brand People Love with Steve Carse

412. Why Doing Hard Things Is the Ultimate Advantage

388. From Hooters Hostess to $600M CEO: Leading With Grit, Humility, and Urgency with Kat Cole