If you have ever watched a popular TV show Billionsyou know the character Dr. Wendy Rhoades. He is a brilliant in-house performance psychologist helping ultra-wealthy hedge fund managers and founders unlock extreme performance, manage crises and break their mental blocks.
But Wendy Rhodes is more than just a fictional character. The The Wall Street Journal recently compared the fictional Wendy to a real person: Dr. Julie Gurner.
Dr. Gurner is one of the most sought after executive coaches in the country. With a background in adult psychopathology and forensics—including a stint in a Supermax prison—he now spends his days in the trenches with CEOs, billionaire founders and elite operators. It provides psychological support to the top 0.01% to the next level.
In a recent interview, Dr. Gurner shared the specific traits, mindsets, and peak performance psychology strategies that set highly successful people apart from others. Here’s how you can apply them to your own life.
1. The trait that defines the top 0.01%: Courage
In a successful look, one feature stands out above the rest: Boldness.
Courage is refusing to follow the “imaginary rules” that govern most people’s lives. Society teaches us certain limits: you can’t apply for a job if you don’t have exactly five years of experience, a small startup can’t pitch a big bank, or you don’t belong in certain rooms because of your background.
According to Dr. Gurner, the top 0.01% operate with almost complete ignorance of these artificial limits.
“They don’t follow the rules that everyone follows, which are actually very artificial,” Gurner explains. “It’s the courage to go for bigger things … really how they skip the steps that everyone else is taking. We’re all on a bumpy road and they find this little dirt road to achieve results that are eight years away from us.”
How to use it: accept the disposition of “What if it’s true?” instead of “What if it’s wrong?” We chronically overestimate the real risk of failure. In fact, most failures are temporary and quickly forgotten by the public. Take the side road. Pull an uncomfortably large shot.
2. Repetition Reflex: Stop trying to fix your weaknesses
There is a misconception (halo effect) that high performers are exceptional at everything. In fact, they’re usually great at one or two things, but they lean relentlessly on those strengths.
Dr. Gurner points to Elon Musk as a public example. Musk is the company’s visionary builder and assembler of resources, but he relies on operators like SpaceX’s Gwynn Shotwell to manage day-to-day operations, NASA contracts and internal governance.
“If you start something above average and put effort into it, the separation between you and everyone else is going to be dramatic,” says Gurner. “If you spend all your time focusing on things that are below average, you’re probably going to make them average. That’s where you’re not going to get escape velocity.”
How to use it: Identify your unique strengths. Cut them in half. Stop judging yourself for the things you’re bad at and delegate, outsource, or partner with someone who is successful in those areas (the “spreadsheet guy”).
3. Stop suppressing negative emotions: use them as fuel
The modern world of health is now obsessed with stoicism—the idea that you must keep yourself perfect, suppress extreme emotions, and not affect the world.
Dr. Gurner pushes back against it, arguing that suppressing strong emotions is a huge waste of energy.
“If you have anger or resentment, why do you suppress it?” he asked. “You’re killing a source of energy that you could be channeling into something absolutely wonderful. There are so many wonderful companies and careers based on anger, rage, and ‘I’ll show you’ energy.”
Humans are designed to experience a full range of emotions. If you’ve been bullied, you can let that anger consume you, or you can use it to work 80-hour weeks, build an empire, and make your life amazing.
How to use it: Don’t let negative emotions turn you into a toxic person to those around you, but use the inner fire of a past slight or past failure to fuel your daily actions.
4. Be weird, not humble
“Be humble” is often terrible advice if you want to reach the highest levels of success.
Modesty is often confused with modesty or self-deprecation. If you constantly devalue your contribution, the people who desperately need your special skills will never find you. Knowing what you’re good at and being proud to share it with the world doesn’t make you arrogant—it makes you useful.
Also, don’t smooth your edges to fit the corporate mold.
“Everybody’s chasing conformity, and that’s the wrong way,” says Gurner. “If you try to fit in and get angry that your results aren’t different, it’s for a reason. We remember people for their uniqueness.”
How to use it: Loudly own what you’re good at. Lean on your quirky hobbies and unique personality traits. The friction of your “weirdness” is what makes you memorable and separates you from the conformist pack.
5. Reframe obstacles as challenges
Ultimately, Dr. Gurner says, his main job as a psychologist is simply to help high achievers get out of their own way. We all know what the best decisions in life are, but we come up with excuses and obstacles to avoid doing the hard work.
The simplest, most comprehensive tool to fix this is recycling.
“How you approach anything is how you react to it,” explains Gurner. “When you see an obstacle or a problem, make it a problem. “How can I effectively think about this that is true?” We’ve become so tunnel-minded that we don’t see other ways of thinking about the same problem that motivate us to solve it.
Conclusion: Do not ignore the haunting agitation
Many people are walking around with “surprising excitement” – whispering that they can do more, live bigger, and fulfill dreams they’ve long since abandoned.
Don’t let that whisper turn into a scream of regret later in life.
The difference between those who achieve great success and those who don’t is simply a willingness to make sacrifices. Map out the life you want, figure out how much it will cost (financially and in terms of effort) and muster the courage to achieve it.
Check out this great interview with Dr. Julie Gurner
