Opportunities in base-metal catalysis are highlighted in this lecture through the development of iron-based complexes that were originally designed as catalysts for ring-opening polymerization reactions, but were subsequently adapted to become useful catalysts for Suzuki-Miyaura cross coupling reactions. The lecture will outline how redox-switchable ring-opening polymerization catalysts were developed and leveraged for the synthesis of block copolymers, cross-linked polymers, and for surface initiated polymerization reactions. The lecture will then illustrate how the lessons learned from polymerization catalyst development could be leveraged for the development of catalysts used for aryl-alkyl, alkyl-alkyl and enantioselective Suzuki-Miyaura cross coupling reactions.