How Great Leaders Reimagine Pressure to Excel in High-Stakes Environments | Dr. Brian Hite - E38

Episode notes

Dusty is joined by Dr. Brian Hite - stunt performer, performance psychologist, and creator of the FACT Framework - for a conversation that reframes what it really means to thrive under pressure. With three decades spent being lit on fire, thrown from vehicles, training elite military units, and coaching high-stakes performers, Brian shares the pivotal realization that changed everything: pressure doesn’t live in the moment - it lives in the mind. Together, he and Dusty explore why failure is often the most valuable teacher, how our assumptions quietly shape our performance, and why the best leaders learn to separate the situation from the story they’re telling themselves about it. Brian introduces his FACT Framework - Focus, Arousal, Confidence, and Tenacity - revealing how these four elements help anyone stay calm, sharp, and fully present whether they’re stepping into a boardroom or a burning stunt rig. Through candid stories of circuitous career paths, hard resets, divorce, grit, and growth, Brian challenges leaders to rethink stress, redefine pressure, and cultivate the inner stability that makes them unshakeable when the stakes truly matter.

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