Dr. Brian Hite is a modern-day Renaissance man, seamlessly integrating Eastern and Western philosophies to empower individuals and organizations to overcome mental barriers and achieve peak performance. His diverse expertise as a Hollywood stuntman, performance psychologist, and author makes him a sought-after authority in unlocking human potential. Explore his latest book, "Begin Again: Utilize the Wisdom of Eastern and Western Ideologies to Achieve Your Full Potential," and learn more about his work here.
Brian Hite, Ph.D., Sport/ Performance Psychologist
Can you introduce yourself and share a bit about your journey from stunt work to becoming a speaker, coach, and author?
I’m originally from Nashville, TN, and although I left right after high school, I eventually found my way back about 11 years ago. My journey’s been anything but straightforward. I started college at Rutgers University in New Jersey, but I dropped out with just one semester to go. Why? I got hooked on stunt work. I was working in a stunt show at Six Flags in NJ, and I fell in love with the thrill of it. I realized pretty quickly that my future wasn’t in a classroom—it was on set. So, I packed up and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a stuntman.
For over a decade, I did stunts in live shows, film, and TV, and it was a blast. I loved the people, the job, the lifestyle—everything about it. But as much as I loved the physical challenge, I realized there was something missing. I missed the intellectual side of things. So, about four or five years into my stunt career, I decided to finish my Bachelor's degree in psychology. That’s when I stumbled upon sport psychology, and I was hooked. The idea of applying psychology to performance, especially in high-pressure situations, was fascinating to me.
I ended up completing a Master’s in Sport/Performance Psychology and, because I wasn’t done learning, I went on to get a Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology. I never really planned to use these degrees professionally—I just loved the material. But life has a funny way of surprising you.
After getting married and gaining a stepdaughter, I needed more stability than stunt work could offer, so I took a job with the U.S. Army as a sport/performance psychology consultant. This role allowed me to apply everything I’d learned in school to helping soldiers improve their performance, whether they were shooting, running medical drills, or working on their physical fitness. It was an incredible experience, but after a few years, life changed again. I got divorced and moved back to L.A. to dive back into stunts.
Fast forward a few more years—I remarried, had a daughter, and faced the same dilemma again: stability vs. the unpredictable life of a stuntman. So, I took another job with the Army, this time at Fort Campbell, right outside of Nashville, where I continued my work with soldiers, this time focusing primarily on resilience, rather than performance, training. And, I became a faculty member of the College of Doctoral Studies at Grand Canyon University (GCU).
About two years ago, however, I realized that I’d gotten all I could from my work with the Army. So, I decided to go back to stunts for a third time and start my own sport/performance psychology business. Although I’ve enjoyed working with clients one-on-one, I’ve found that what I really love is speaking in front of groups. There’s something about challenging people’s assumptions, giving them new ways to think about things, and watching those lightbulb moments that’s incredibly satisfying. Whether it’s questioning the concept of “potential” or rethinking the idea that “pressure is inevitable”, I love helping people see things differently.
I’ve also discovered a passion for writing. I’ve published one book so far, Begin Again: Utilize the Wisdom of Eastern and Western Ideologies to Achieve Your Full Potential, contributed a chapter to another, The Change, Vol. 21, and am currently working on my next book, A Stuntman's Guide to Motivation. On top of that, I’m in the process of creating several performance-related curricula that I believe will help people in a variety of professions.
So, here I am, back in Nashville with my fiancée, her two boys, and my daughter, living a very full life. I’m still doing stunts and enjoy working with my students at GCU, but my focus has shifted away from traditional sport/performance psychology and toward speaking, writing, and creating content that helps others unlock their creativity and think outside the box. And I couldn’t be happier. Every day, I get to wake up and choose which of the myriad areas to pursue, and that freedom is something I treasure.
Can you share how your early experiences and career milestones have influenced your approach to coaching and speaking.
My early experiences…well, all of my experiences…have influenced my approach to coaching and speaking in ways that definitely differentiate me from many other coaches and speakers out there doing great work.
Many coaches and speakers approach their topics either academically or experientially…I combine both. The years I’ve spent in academia have provided me with a thorough understanding of the theories and empirical science related to the subject matter I focus on. However, I’ve also lived that subject matter in ways most people haven’t. All of this gives me the ability to present stories and material that are interesting and relatable, but also grounded in solid research.
Early in my time “on the podium”, that balance wasn’t present at all. The classes I taught for the Army, for example, were very academic and focused on teaching specific content. I mixed in some stories to illustrate the points, but the classes were…classes. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing; it was what the Army wanted. But, it felt…not quite right for me.
Conversely, when I first started coaching, I focused almost exclusively on clients’ unique experiences and circumstances and much less on academic content. Of course, if a client brought up confidence or motivation problems, for example, I leaned on the literature from those areas to provide guidance. But, I didn’t “teach” the material. My primary goal was – and still is when I coach – to help the client view their situation differently, to help them adjust their perceptions in such a way as to come up with solutions they hadn’t considered before.
Speaking, though, has provided a balance that I love. When I speak, I carefully consider the population and context and then craft a talk that will 1) provide useful information and 2) supply immediately actionable, applicable strategies helpful that very day. However, I also ask questions and present material in ways that challenge people to think differently than they ever have before, to see the world and consider situations through new lenses. And, I do all of that using entertaining, poignant, relatable stories.
What motivated you to transition from stunt work to focusing on speaking and coaching?
For a few reasons, I don’t consider myself as having “transitioned” from stunt work to speaking and coaching. One of those reasons is philosophical, another is psychological, and the last is practical.
First, from a philosophical perspective, life is just one constant, never-ending present moment. It’s a constant flow of experience defined by “the present” happening over and over again. Each moment arises as it does, sometimes in ways we expect, but often in ways we don’t. I try to stay open to all opportunities and possibilities Life presents. I try to leave as many doors open as I can…and stunts is one of those doors. I never know when or if I’ll get a call to work on a movie or TV show. But, if the present moment offers up that opportunity, I like to decide in that moment what’s best for me. I don’t like to construct parameters that limit my options.
Second, from a psychological perspective, I will always identify as a stuntman. It’s one of those things that, once you’ve been accepted into the “club”, you’re in for life. The stunt community is a tight-knit Brother/Sisterhood that extends beyond retirement. So, after 30 years and with over 100 shows under my belt, I will always be part of the stunt community. Moreover, stunts is a huge part of who I am. It has shaped and molded me into the person I am today. Finally, my best friends in the world are stunt people. We understand each other and connect in ways I’ve not been able to achieve with very many people outside the stunt industry. For example, when I tell my stunt friends about diving off of a vehicle to tackle someone or getting hit by a car, their faces light up, and we bond over how much fun it was. However, when I tell people outside the stunt industry the same stories, they think I’m either lying or out of my mind. So, I’m pretty sure I’d be miserable if I ever “transitioned” out of stunts completely.
Finally, from a practical perspective, I still get called to work on shows, and the money I make from those shows and the residuals those shows yield, is still an important part of my income. Not to mention, my family has medical, dental, and eye insurance because I make enough each year to qualify for the benefits offered by SAG-AFTRA (the union that covers American performers in film and television). Lastly, but importantly, I get a lot of material for my talks from stunts. Every show is different, and each is its own story.
So, “transitioning” from stunt work to speaking/coaching is not how I look at it. I look at it simply in terms of how much of my time is spent doing each. Sometimes stunt work takes up more time than speaking/coaching, and sometimes it’s the other way around. However, all are part of the milieu that makes me, me.
How do you incorporate your psychology background into your speaking and coaching practices?
I think I answered this already in the 2nd question I addressed above.
What key messages do you aim to deliver in your keynote speeches?
I don’t think of my talks as messages I’m delivering as much as explorations I lead. A message is a “thing”. It’s something that just “is”. So, if my goal were to deliver a message, my hope would be that every person leaving the talk would answer a question like, “What did you take away from that talk?” in, ideally, identical ways.
My talks, however, are not about “things”, but about processes. Whereas talks delivering messages are nouns, my talks are verbs. They engage people’s minds in active ways. Although people often walk away with information they didn’t have before, the takeaway is less about substance and more about action, about process, about engaging with and thinking about the physical, psychological, emotional, and social worlds in new and varied ways.
My talks embody the idea that benefits lie not in the destination, but the journey.
Can you share some insights from your book "Begin Again" that resonate most with your audience?
My book, Begin Again, is a compilation of 183 short essays, and I’d say there are three primary insights readers have communicated to me.
First, the mind is a powerful thing. We often don’t appreciate the fact that our minds are 100% responsible for how we understand the world around us. No event is objectively good or bad, as Shakespeare sagely pointed out in Hamlet (“Nothing is either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”)…and ancient philosophers like Epictetus pointed out 1500 or so years before that (“It is not things that trouble us, but our judgment about things.”).
Instead, we assign meaning to everything that happens based on our past experience and current context (e.g., mood, emotion, people around us). Proof of this lies in the fact that even the “goodness/badness” of events in our lives can change over time. For example, when I got divorced (both times), I was devastated and considered the divorce to be a catastrophic moment in my life. However, now…as I lovingly look over at my fiancé while I write this (and she looks suspiciously back at me)…I consider those divorces to be two of the best things to ever happen to me. So, the insight is, “We are in charge of whether whatever enters our awareness is good or bad, happy or sad.”
Second, we have to accept what is before any consistent move in a better direction can happen. I don’t mean “accept what is” like “resign yourself to your current circumstances”. Accepting is not the same as “settling” or “giving up”. When I say “accept what is”, I mean honestly and sincerely acknowledging the truth of this particular moment. I mean recognizing situations as they truly are without glossing over, exaggerating, or ignoring any aspects of what’s going on. It’s only when we come to see clearly through these honest realizations that we are capable of figuring out what, if anything, we’d like to change.
Finally, it is not only possible to Begin Again, but it’s impossible NOT to Begin Again. Every moment, like it or not, we begin again. The past is the past, it is a memory, a thought…no more and no less. We can’t change the past, no matter how much we fixate on it. As I mentioned earlier, we can change how we view it, what it means to us, but we can’t change what has actually happened. But, no matter what has happened, we always, begin again in what is happening.
We can begin again unconsciously, in a dream state, fixated on memories. Or, we can begin again consciously, intentionally, deliberately focused on this present moment. Either way, every moment is new – which clearly makes Robert Frost wrong (“Nature’s first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold…nothing gold can stay”). Every moment is gold; it is the green that is the illusion our minds create.
What are some common challenges your clients face, and how do you help them overcome these obstacles?
Well, there are the general challenges and then the specific challenges unique to every client. Some of the general challenges I see across all of the industries from which my clients have come (military, athletics, real estate/entrepreneur, first responder, entertainment) are confidence, motivation, performance anxiety, burnout, and holistic balance. And, these aren’t isolated issues. They usually show up together.
For example, someone who lacks confidence is typically not motivated. Why? Because why would they be motivated to do something they don’t believe they’re capable of doing successfully? None of us like to fail, so when our confidence is low, motivation is low, too. Also, when our confidence and motivation are low, but we know we have to do something anyway, we tend to feel very anxious about it. And, when this has been going on for a while, burnout is inevitable and holistic well-being (physical, mental, emotional, social) is impossible.
So, there’s a lot of overlap with the general challenges.
There are fewer commonalities among the specific challenges, because everybody got to where they are via different paths. How your confidence became low is likely different from how my confidence became low. How long I’ve been dealing with issues and what strategies I’ve tried when dealing with these issues may be very different from your own experience.
That to me is the interesting part of coaching – the part where the scientific theory meets real life. I enjoy joining people on their unique journeys and providing whatever support I can along the way.
How do you balance the various aspects of your career, from speaking to writing and developing new curricula?
How do I balance the various aspects of my career? That’s a fun question. Let’s broaden it out to, “How do I balance the various aspects of my life?” The answer, like Chinese Acrobats I’ve seen on stage a few times (or acrobats of any nationality, I guess) balance plates on sticks. The plates will balance on the sticks as long as you keep them spinning. Once sufficient movement stops, however, the plates come crashing down.
So, I try to make sure all of my “plates” stay spinning. I do my best to devote at least a little bit of time to each of my endeavors every day. I fail more times than I succeed, because there are simply so many. But, then the next day dawns, and I Begin Again. I do a thorough analysis of the situation as it exists that morning, accept things as they are, and move forward with all of the energy and effort I can muster in the direction that seems right. More practically, I have categorized lists on my Notes app, sticky notes, reminders set on my phone, and diligently placed calendar entries in an effort to track which aspects of my work need and get attention. The system’s not perfect…but I’m rarely forced to clean up porcelain.
Whether I should spin all of the plates I do is a question I’ve been asked quite a bit. I’ve heard arguments in favor of dropping some of the things I do, so I can give the other things more attention. And, to that I respond with an emphatic… “No”.
I love all of the things I do. I love writing and coaching, I love speaking, creating curricula, and helping my GCU students. And, I love doing stunts. I also love playing with my kids, spending time with my fiancé, riding my motorcycles, and supporting my kids in their cornucopia of activities. And, because I love all of those things, I will continue to pursue all of them until such time as I don’t love them anymore.
I may have a change of heart one day. I may decide that I’ve been looking at opportunity costs all wrong. But, for now, I plan to continue on the way I’ve been going…consistently and wholeheartedly pursuing each interest, both professional and personal.
It’s possible that that path has hindered or prolonged my path to success…but I don’t care. I like the variety and the excitement and, at the moment, wouldn’t change a thing.
How do you plan to expand your speaking and coaching business in the coming years?
How do I plan to expand my business? I have no idea. I believe in taking care of the fundamental things and letting go of much of the rest. So, I will continue to read, write, speak, generate leads, market, and above all…think. And, all of that will go on within the context of openness to opportunity.
I am a HUGE believer in the fact that opportunities are not scarce, they are just sometimes well-camouflaged. Opportunities are everywhere, every day, and it’s up to us to recognize them and pursue them.
So, I don’t know how or even if my business will expand. In fact, I’m totally open to another completely unrelated opportunity to arise, one that will pull me in an entirely different direction from the one in which I am currently headed. Who knows?
Life’s unpredictable…and that’s most of the fun!
