Podcast Episode

D1 Athlete Built a Startup at 21—The Leadership Framework Behind His Growing Team

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William Attaway

On April 22, 2025

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D1 Athlete Built a Startup at 21—The Leadership Framework Behind His Growing Team with Walker Ferguson

A D1 athlete built a startup while managing the demands of college football—and what he learned about leadership, discipline, and hiring applies to any founder building a team under pressure. In this episode of the Catalytic Leadership™ Podcast, Dr. William Attaway speaks with Walker Ferguson about servant leadership, values-based hiring, and how a clear framework helped scale a mission-driven team without a technical background.

About This Episode:

D1 Athlete Built a Startup at 21—The Leadership Framework Behind His Growing Team with Walker Ferguson

What if you could lead a growing team, scale your startup, and stay grounded in your values—before even graduating college? In this episode of the Catalytic Leadership™ Podcast, I talk with Walker Ferguson, a Division 1 athlete and co-founder of the AI-driven wellness app Ascend, about what it really takes to lead without a title, manage a team without coding skills, and build a culture-first company under pressure.

Walker shares his leadership framework rooted in servant leadership, values-based hiring, time-blocking, and personal discipline—principles that agency owners and startup founders alike can implement to scale their businesses with intention. We explore how losing his lead developer became a turning point, the role faith and mindfulness play in his day-to-day, and how the GREAT team culture framework keeps his mission aligned.

If you’re a digital agency owner looking for systems, structure, and scalable leadership that builds retention—not just revenue—this episode is your blueprint.

Chapter Breakdown:

00:00 – From Football Field to Founder: Meet Walker Ferguson
02:10 – Leadership Lessons from Team Captain to Startup Leader
04:20 – Discovering Mindfulness and the Birth of Ascend
07:15 – Losing Their Developer and Learning to Lead Without Coding
10:30 – Building a Values-Based Team: The GREAT Framework
13:40 – Discipline, Time-Blocking, and Sharpening the Saw
17:15 – What He’d Do Differently and Advice for Founders

Connect with Walker Ferguson

Want to learn more about Walker’s mission and how Ascend is helping people live happier, healthier lives? Connect with him directly at [email protected] and explore the app at ascendapp.ai

Books Mentioned:

Good to Great by Jim Collins
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
The Bible (Proverbs, New Testament)
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
The Psychology of Winning by Denis Waitley
Becoming Supernatural by Dr. Joe Dispenza
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
The Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey
Catalytic Leadership: 12 Keys To Becoming An Intentional Leader Who Makes A Difference by Dr. William Attaway

Want to Be a Guest on the Show?

If you’re a 7- or 8-figure agency owner with a story of growth, systems, or leadership evolution, we want to hear from you. Join past guests from top industry groups like Seven Figure Agency, Hite Committed Mastermind, Prospecting on Demand (POD) and GoHighLevel power users on a platform trusted by high-performing founders worldwide.

👉 Apply to Be a Guest on the Catalytic Leadership™ Podcast

About Dr. William Attaway:

Dr. William Attaway is a seasoned Executive Mindset and Leadership Coach who helps 6-, 7-, and 8-figure digital agency owners scale their businesses with clarity, systems, and confidence. With nearly 30 years of experience, he equips growth-driven entrepreneurs to build high-performing teams, implement scalable systems, and transition from freelancer to CEO.

He hosts the Catalytic Leadership™ Podcast—ranked in the Top 2% of podcasts globally (source: Listen Notes)—with a weekly reach of over 50,000. Each episode features elite agency owners and top digital entrepreneurs sharing what actually works when scaling a service-based business.

From leadership development and visionary thinking to mindset transformation and team optimization, Dr. Attaway empowers agency leaders to build a business that thrives without their constant oversight—and a team that flourishes under intentional, scalable leadership.