Ryan Gottfredson — organizational psychologist, leadership researcher, and bestselling author — joins Dr. Dan for a deeply personal and intellectually rich conversation about what it actually takes to become better. Drawing on his own healing journey, decades of research, and real client stories, Ryan unpacks the difference between doing more and being more — and why the leaders (and parents) who grow the most are the ones willing to go inward first.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
The difference between horizontal and vertical development
Why 60% of leaders have a fixed mindset
How childhood emotional neglect shapes adult leadership patterns
The three levels of vertical development strategies
Why stagnation is a signal that transformation is near
How healing your inner world unlocks leadership outcomes
LEARN MORE
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December 11, 2025
Dr. Ryan Gottfredson
Becoming Better: How Vertical Development Transforms Leadership, Purpose, and Personal Growth
"Becoming better as a person, as a leader, as a parent, as a spouse ultimately rides on my ability to heal my mind, my body, and my heart."
TIMESTAMPS
00:07:18 – Origin story
00:08:30 – Emotional neglect, healing, and writing for his mother
00:18:04 – Horizontal vs. vertical development
00:23:00 – The three conditions for vertical growth
00:26:01 – Cheryl's story
00:35:49 – Fixed vs. growth mindset
00:41:05 – The fifth gear analogy
00:47:56 – Stagnation and metacognition
SHOW NOTES
Dr. Dan sits down with leadership researcher, author, and mindset expert Dr. Ryan Gottfredson to explore what it truly means to become better—better leaders, parents, partners, and human beings. Drawing from his groundbreaking work on vertical development, Ryan reveals why most of us are overdeveloped in “doing” and underdeveloped in “being,” and how this imbalance limits our growth, purpose, and connection in every part of life.
During this powerful and deeply human conversation with Dr. Dan, Ryan shares personal stories of emotional neglect, independence, healing, and the courageous work of rewriting one’s internal operating system. Dr. Ryan and Dr. Dan dive into the profound relationship between self-awareness, compassion, resilience, and authentic leadership and why healing isn’t a soft concept, but a neurological upgrade that changes how we respond to stress, relationships, and opportunity.
LINKS & RESOURCES
Ryan Gottfredson
Website — ryangottfredson.com
Free Mindset Assessment — available at ryangottfredson.com
Stagnation Assessments — available at ryangottfredson.com
Ryan's Books
Becoming Better: The Groundbreaking Science of Personal Transformation
The Elevated Leader: Leveling Up Your Leadership Through Vertical Development
Success Mindsets: The Key to Unlocking Greater Success in Your Life, Work, and Leadership
Books Referenced
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey — mentioned as foundational reading from Ryan's high school sports psychology class
The Five Minute Journal — journaling practice Ryan used to begin his own vertical development
GUEST BIO
Ryan Gottfredson, PhD, is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author, leadership researcher, and professor at Cal State University Fullerton. He is the author of Success Mindsets, The Elevated Leader, and Becoming Better, and specializes in helping leaders and organizations vertically develop — upgrading their inner operating systems rather than just adding skills.
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