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How High Performers Think: Dr. Ruth Gotian on Success, Leadership & Motivation

Release Date: 12/04/2025

How High Performers Think: Dr. Ruth Gotian on Success, Leadership & Motivation

The Grit Factor

Host is the founder of and host of The Grit Factor Podcast, where she helps purpose-driven leaders build grit, resilience, and purpose in their lives and organizations. A former U.S. Army Apache helicopter pilot and one of the first women to fly the Apache in the Army, Shannon brings real-world leadership experience from the military and corporate boardroom to her work as an author, speaker, and leadership educator. She is the author of The Grit Factor: Courage, Resilience, and Leadership in the Most Male-Dominated Organization in the World, which distills lessons from elite leaders across...

Living Your Ikigai: Sam Ushio on Purpose, Presence, and the Power of Daily Alignment

The Grit Factor

The Power of Purpose: Phyllis Wilson's Impact on Military History

The Grit Factor

Host: Shannon Huffman Polson is a former Apache helicopter pilot, speaker, and author of "" She is the founder of , where she helps purpose-driven leaders build grit and resilience. Guest: Phyllis Wilson is a retired U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 with a military career spanning nearly four decades, including deployments to Iraq as a senior intelligence analyst. She is the president of the Military Women's Memorial in Washington, DC, the only national memorial honoring the service of women in all branches and eras of the U.S. military. Description In this episode of , Shannon Huffman...

The Purpose Equation: John Coleman's Blueprint for a Meaningful Life

The Grit Factor

Host: Shannon Huffman Polson is a renowned author and speaker, known for her work on grit and resilience. As the founder of , she empowers individuals to lead with purpose and determination. Guest: John Coleman is the co-CEO of l and a Harvard Business Review author. He is a thought leader in purpose-driven leadership, offering insights into how individuals can find meaning in their personal and professional lives. Summary In this episode, John Coleman discusses the crisis of purpose in modern life, exploring how individuals can find meaning and fulfillment in their...

Sarah McArthur on Frances Hesselbein: Leadership, Mentorship, and Service

The Grit Factor

Guest Bio is an accomplished editor, writer, and leadership thinker. She worked for over two decades alongside renowned executive coach Marshall Goldsmith, serving as managing editor on dozens of leadership books and co-authoring several works. Sarah was also mentored by the late —one of the most influential leadership figures of the 20th century—becoming a close collaborator and friend. Today, Sarah continues to preserve and share Frances’s legacy through writing, editing, and storytelling. Host is a former Apache helicopter pilot, corporate veteran, keynote speaker, and author of ....

Radical Humility: Urs Koenig on Leading with Grit, Heart, and High Standards

The Grit Factor

Guest Bio / Introduction Urs Koenig is a leadership coach, keynote speaker, former NATO peacekeeping commander, and ultra-endurance athlete. With an eclectic background spanning UN peacekeeping missions, military command, competitive cycling, academia, and business coaching, Urs brings a rare blend of lived experience and research-backed insight to leadership. His award-winning book, Radical Humility, challenges the outdated “heroic” leadership model and offers a compelling framework for blending high performance with humanity. Episode Summary In this episode of The Grit...

Uncolonized Power: Healing Mindsets, Embracing Purpose, and Rising Together with Valeria Aloe

The Grit Factor

Professional Summary Valeria Aloe is an award-winning author, speaker, and high-performance business coach who founded the Rising Together movement to help professionals unlearn limiting mindsets and build the clarity, confidence, and behaviors needed to reach their next level. Her signature work combines mindset transformation with applied behavior change to accelerate individual and team performance. Born in Argentina, Valeria was the first in her family to graduate from college. She holds undergraduate degrees in Finance and Business Administration and later pursued graduate studies in the...

Conviction, Capital & Courage: Alexander Friedman on Purposeful Leadership in a High-Stakes World

The Grit Factor

Host: Shannon Huffman Polson Guest: Alexander Friedman, CEO & Co‑founder of Novata; former CFO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; former CIO of UBS; ex‑White House Fellow; board member at Franklin Templeton Episode Summary Join Shannon as she interviews Alexander Friedman, a leader who has navigated high-stakes roles across the highest levels of philanthropy, finance, government, and now tech. In this episode, Alex shares insights into operationalizing purpose, driving change across complex systems, and forging a career of conviction and curiosity. This conversation brings...

The Blueprint for Thriving People and Teams: Belonging, Autonomy, and Purpose

The Grit Factor

What does it look like to lead with grit, purpose, and a fierce sense of responsibility—across the battlefield, boardroom, and home? On this week’s episode of The Grit Factor, I speak with Kiwi phenom Ellen Joan Ford—a former New Zealand Army officer, tech leader, mother, and fierce advocate for Work School Hours. Ellen’s story is one of extraordinary service, from deploying with the U.S. military to evacuating Afghan allies during the fall of Kabul, to now challenging the structural norms that leave working parents (especially mothers) behind. We talk about: • How military...

Jim Weber’s Long-Term Vision: Building a Brand That Lasts

The Grit Factor

What does it look like to lead with purpose and performance — to stay true to your values while building something that lasts? I so enjoyed talking with fellow alum , longtime CEO of , for a conversation about leadership, grit, and building a brand rooted in conviction. Jim took the helm at Brooks when the company was on the verge of bankruptcy — and through a relentless focus on purpose, customer obsession, and culture, he helped lead it to become a billion-dollar brand. He did all of this while navigating a personal cancer diagnosis — a chapter that deepened his...

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Host

Shannon Huffman Polson is the founder of The Grit Institute and host of The Grit Factor Podcast, where she helps purpose-driven leaders build grit, resilience, and purpose in their lives and organizations.

A former U.S. Army Apache helicopter pilot and one of the first women to fly the Apache in the Army, Shannon brings real-world leadership experience from the military and corporate boardroom to her work as an author, speaker, and leadership educator. She is the author of The Grit Factor: Courage, Resilience, and Leadership in the Most Male-Dominated Organization in the World, which distills lessons from elite leaders across industries and the armed forces.

Through The Grit Institute, Shannon combines research, storytelling, and actionable frameworks to help individuals and organizations navigate transitions, overcome challenges, and lead with impact. Her work empowers people to connect with purpose and bring values-based leadership into every facet of life and work.

Whether in the cockpit, the classroom, or the boardroom, Shannon champions a mission to cultivate courage, purpose, and authentic leadership for a better world.

Guest Bio

Dr. Ruth Gotian, Chief Learning Officer and Associate Professor of Education in Anesthesiology at Weill Cornell Medicine, is a globally recognized expert in mentorship and leadership development.

Hailed by Nature, Wall Street Journal, and Columbia University, she was named a top 20 mentor worldwide. Thinkers50 ranked her as the #1 emerging management thinker in 2021, LinkedIn recognized her as a top voice in mentoring in 2023, and she was named a Top 50 Executive Coach in the world in 2024 (Coaches50 list).

A semi-finalist for Forbes 50 Over 50, Dr. Gotian is a prolific contributor to Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Psychology Today, where she shares insights on ‘optimizing success.’

With a focus on the mindset and skill set of peak performers, including Nobel Prize winners, astronauts, Olympic and NBA champions, she’s also an award-winning author of The Success Factor and The Financial Times Guide to Mentoring.

Summary

In this conversation, Shannon Huffman Polson sits down with Dr. Ruth Gotian, a world-renowned expert in leadership, high performance, and success. Together, they explore what truly sets high achievers apart—from astronauts and Olympic athletes to top-performing leaders. Dr. Gotian shares insights from her groundbreaking research on motivation, resilience, and peak performance, revealing practical strategies anyone can apply to excel in their personal and professional life.

They also discuss the mindsets that drive exceptional achievement, the habits that separate elite performers from the rest, and how purpose, curiosity, and continuous learning fuel long-term success. Whether you're a leader, creator, or someone striving to improve, this conversation offers actionable wisdom to help you elevate your performance and live with intention.

Key Takeaways

What Dr. Ruth Gotian has learned from studying the world’s highest performers
The mindsets and daily habits that drive exceptional success
How purpose fuels resilience and long-term motivation
The importance of curiosity and continuous learning
Practical tools you can start using today to elevate your performance
Why high achievers think differently—and how you can too

Resources

Website: https://ruthgotian.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rgotian

Key Takeaways

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