We’ve Misunderstood What Drives Performance in High-Stakes Environments.
Brian Hite helps leaders and high-performing individuals eliminate pressure, reduce stress, prevent burnout, sustain motivation, and perform at their best when it matters most.
Brian Hite, Ph.D.Trusted across the military, education, first responder & performance worlds
A Fundamentally Different Way of Understanding What Drives Performance When It Matters Most
Most people believe pressure, stress, motivation, burnout, and resilience are created by the situations they encounter. Brian challenges that assumption.
The meaning we make from events, the stories we tell ourselves about the people and situations we encounter, and the way we interpret what happens to us often shape our experience far more than the events themselves.
That perspective has informed Brian’s work for more than 30 years and serves as the foundation for his keynotes, workshops, and leadership programs.
Audiences leave with practical tools, evidence-based insights, and a new way of understanding what drives performance when the stakes are high.
Why Event Planners Hire Brian
- Hollywood Stuntman
- Performance Psychologist
- U.S. Army Consultant
- 130+ Film & Television Credits
- Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology
- Practical, Evidence-Based Frameworks
- Stories Audiences Remember
A rare combination of real high-stakes experience and performance science.
Brian Hite, Ph.D. has spent more than 30 years working in environments where performance and decision-making carry real consequences. As a Hollywood stuntman, he has appeared in more than 130 films and television episodes, including Stranger Things, Superman, The Iron Claw, Scarpetta, The Righteous Gemstones, Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Hawaii Five-0, and 9-1-1: Nashville. His career has involved fire, falls, fights, and car hits, the kind of work where preparation, focus, and composure are not optional.
At the same time, Brian built a second career studying the psychology of human performance. He earned a Master’s degree in Sport Psychology and a Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology before spending more than eleven years consulting with U.S. Army leaders around the world on the mental factors that influence performance, decision-making, resilience, and leadership.
Today, Brian brings those worlds together. He is the founder of Brian Hite Global, cohost of the Poking Holes in Blinders podcast, Senior Dissertation Chair at Grand Canyon University, and author of Begin Again.
Through speaking, training, and consulting, Brian helps audiences rethink pressure, stress, motivation, burnout, and performance itself.
Read Full BioHigh-Stakes Performance. Real Stories. Practical Tools.
Brian’s presentations are not abstract lectures about mindset. They are grounded in real high-stakes experience, performance psychology, and practical application, drawn from decades as a Hollywood stuntman, years working with U.S. Army leaders, and ongoing work with executives, educators, first responders, performers, and athletes. The result is a presentation that challenges assumptions, holds attention, and gives people tools they can actually use.
Watch the Speaker ReelThree talks that challenge how audiences think about pressure, motivation, and uncertainty.
01Dispel the Illusion of Pressure
What if everything we thought about pressure was wrong?
Most people believe pressure comes from the situation. It doesn’t. Pressure is created when attention drifts away from the task at hand and becomes fixated on imagined consequences.
In this keynote, Brian challenges one of the most accepted ideas in performance and leadership: that people need to learn to perform under pressure. Instead, audiences learn what pressure really is, where it comes from, and how to eliminate it. Drawing on his experience as a Hollywood stuntman, psychologist, and consultant to U.S. Army leaders, Brian equips audiences with practical tools to perform with clarity and composure when it matters most.
Audiences leave with Brian’s FACTs™ Performance Framework, a practical model for improving performance when the stakes are high.
Bring this talk to your event
02Motivation is Created, Not Found
Why drive changes, and what actually sustains performance and well-being in high-stakes environments.
Motivation is often treated as something leaders need to create, increase, or manage. When motivation drops, the explanation usually points to the individual, the environment, or a lack of discipline. Those explanations fall short.
In this keynote, Brian examines why the same person, in the same role, under the same conditions, can demonstrate very different levels of motivation over time. Drawing on his own experience building a stunt career, later struggling to generate the same drive, and spending more than eleven years working with U.S. Army leaders, Brian helps audiences understand how motivation actually works, and how leaders can create conditions that sustain engagement, performance, and well-being.
Bring this talk to your event
03Always on the Path
Embracing life’s uncertainty.
Life is not a straight line or a puzzle with one right solution. It is a path created one step at a time.
In this keynote, Brian challenges the myth of the ‘right path’ and helps audiences rethink uncertainty, failure, resilience, and growth. Through vivid storytelling and actionable insights, he explores how each choice, setback, and unexpected turn can shape a more meaningful path forward.
Audiences leave with a practical way to let go of perfection, redefine failure, navigate uncertainty, and approach challenges with greater confidence, curiosity, and resilience.
Bring this talk to your eventSpeaking to leaders, educators, first responders, and high performers nationwide.
Trusted by Leaders, Educators, First Responders, and High Performers
Dr. Hite is a skilled teacher, educator, and trainer. He has a unique ability to command a room, tell a powerful story, and translate what you need to walk away with to do, live, and be better.
Brian has a rare ability to make complex ideas about stress, pressure, and performance easy to understand without oversimplifying them. What makes his communication especially powerful is the way he uses stories and real experiences to bring the information to life. The stories do not distract from the message, they deepen it and make it memorable.
I knew I wanted Brian to speak at the annual Glen and Judy Newton First Responder Banquet. Brian has a passion for serving others, and I was impressed by the way he connected with the first responders in attendance through authentic stories, practical insights, and real-world experience. It is a pleasure to recommend Brian for speaking engagements and events.
I always thought pressure was just part of the job, but Brian changed my perspective completely. The tools he shared for staying calm and focused are things I have already started using.
Working with Brian Hite was eye-opening. His ability to challenge our thinking and guide us toward creative solutions made a lasting impact. He is not just a speaker or coach, he is a catalyst for real change.
Brian’s ability to connect with our stunt students is unparalleled. He delivers practical, relatable insights with clarity and impact, helping them navigate the challenges of their unique paths. His talks have become an invaluable part of our program.
Bring Brian to your stage.
Available nationwide for keynotes, leadership sessions, conferences, and first responder events. Reach out and let’s talk about what your audience needs.
- Brian@BrianHiteGlobal.com
- 818-430-4182
- Nashville, Tennessee · Available Nationwide
