What do you think?
Rate this book
Becoming Better: The Groundbreaking Science of Personal Transformation
What if you could unlock a path to realizing true personal transformation—not just doing better, but becoming better?
Many people chase improvement but remain stuck, frustrated by progress that feels incremental at best. That’s because most self-improvement strategies focus on one’s Doing Side—their level of knowledge, skills, and abilities. While valuable, this approach only scratches the surface of what’s possible.
In Becoming Better, Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling author Ryan Gottfredson, PhD, teaches you that transformational growth requires a shift to a deeper dimension known as your Being Side—the quality of your mindsets, emotional depth, and regulatory abilities. It is this unseen foundation that shapes how you experience the world and how the world experiences you. But few understand their Being Side, let alone how to elevate it.
Through this book, you’ll learn how to unlock the power of your Being Side to step into your ideal self. Leveraging groundbreaking scientific research, Gottfredson provides cutting-edge guidance, powerful tools, and practical exercises to help you
• What your Being Side is and why it matters.
• How to assess the current quality of your Being Side.
• Proven strategies to upgrade your Being Side.
This journey is about more than self-improvement—it’s a blueprint for truly elevating your life, your impact, and your being. If you’re ready to become not just a better doer but a better being, this book will show you the way.
Many people chase improvement but remain stuck, frustrated by progress that feels incremental at best. That’s because most self-improvement strategies focus on one’s Doing Side—their level of knowledge, skills, and abilities. While valuable, this approach only scratches the surface of what’s possible.
In Becoming Better, Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling author Ryan Gottfredson, PhD, teaches you that transformational growth requires a shift to a deeper dimension known as your Being Side—the quality of your mindsets, emotional depth, and regulatory abilities. It is this unseen foundation that shapes how you experience the world and how the world experiences you. But few understand their Being Side, let alone how to elevate it.
Through this book, you’ll learn how to unlock the power of your Being Side to step into your ideal self. Leveraging groundbreaking scientific research, Gottfredson provides cutting-edge guidance, powerful tools, and practical exercises to help you
• What your Being Side is and why it matters.
• How to assess the current quality of your Being Side.
• Proven strategies to upgrade your Being Side.
This journey is about more than self-improvement—it’s a blueprint for truly elevating your life, your impact, and your being. If you’re ready to become not just a better doer but a better being, this book will show you the way.
314 pages, Paperback
Published May 2, 2025
11 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Ryan Gottfredson
8 books5 followersRyan Gottfredson, Ph.D. is a cutting-edge leadership development author, researcher, and consultant. He helps organizations vertically develop their leaders primarily through a focus on mindsets. Ryan is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling author of Success Mindsets, The Elevated Leader, and Becoming Better. He is also a leadership professor at the College of Business and Economics at California State University-Fullerton.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 17, 2025
All I can say is WOW! Most developmental books focus on improving skills and behaviors to achieve desired outcomes. While that approach has its place, Becoming Better by Ryan Gottfredson takes a bold and refreshing turn. It dives beneath the surface of performance and productivity to explore the essence of who we are by exploring our internal operating system. This is what Ryan calls the “Being Side.”
This book recognizes the importance of skill improvement (the “Doing Side”), but it argues that true transformation is only possible through internal elevation. External actions may bring temporary results, but lasting change requires upgrading how we think, feel, and regulate ourselves. That’s where resilience is born and allows us to see opportunity in every difficulty.
Ryan builds on the foundation laid in his earlier book, Success Mindsets, which focused on four key cognitive and behavioral mindsets. In Becoming Better he goes deeper by integrating neuroscience, emotional intelligence, and self-regulation to help readers rewire their internal systems for growth.
While this book is highly relevant in the business world, especially for leaders and culture shapers, it’s equally powerful for anyone seeking holistic personal growth. I especially appreciated how Ryan incorporates science-based approaches and presents them in a way that’s both digestible and actionable.
If you’re looking to understand transformational triggers, nervous system regulation, and emotional healing practices, then this book is for you!
I had the privilege of watching Ryan speak and I can tell you that he truly believes in his message. His passion and authenticity are woven throughout the pages of this book. He is a good soul and I believe he will go on to change the world through his personally developed internal operating system. A leader that I work with recently purchased a copy for her mentee because she saw the value. You will recognize the value as well!
This book recognizes the importance of skill improvement (the “Doing Side”), but it argues that true transformation is only possible through internal elevation. External actions may bring temporary results, but lasting change requires upgrading how we think, feel, and regulate ourselves. That’s where resilience is born and allows us to see opportunity in every difficulty.
Ryan builds on the foundation laid in his earlier book, Success Mindsets, which focused on four key cognitive and behavioral mindsets. In Becoming Better he goes deeper by integrating neuroscience, emotional intelligence, and self-regulation to help readers rewire their internal systems for growth.
While this book is highly relevant in the business world, especially for leaders and culture shapers, it’s equally powerful for anyone seeking holistic personal growth. I especially appreciated how Ryan incorporates science-based approaches and presents them in a way that’s both digestible and actionable.
If you’re looking to understand transformational triggers, nervous system regulation, and emotional healing practices, then this book is for you!
I had the privilege of watching Ryan speak and I can tell you that he truly believes in his message. His passion and authenticity are woven throughout the pages of this book. He is a good soul and I believe he will go on to change the world through his personally developed internal operating system. A leader that I work with recently purchased a copy for her mentee because she saw the value. You will recognize the value as well!
July 30, 2025
Becoming Better by Ryan Gottfredson
What if the real transformation doesn’t start with doing more… but with being more?
Becoming Better is not your typical self-help book filled with productivity hacks or motivational fluff. It dives much deeper. This book is a powerful exploration of how we can elevate our inner operating system — our mindset, nervous system, patterns of thinking, and emotional responses.
Instead of focusing only on external behavior change, Ryan Gottfredson invites us into what he calls vertical development — upgrading the way we interpret, feel, and react to life.
🧠 What makes this book stand out:
• It teaches you how your nervous system shapes everything.
To truly become better, you don’t just fix habits — you rewire your perception and emotional wiring.
• It shows why we get stuck.
We’re not broken — we are wired to protect, not evolve. But growth demands stepping outside the comfort zone of control, perfectionism, and emotional safety.
This book feels especially powerful for people who think deeply, feel intensely, or have tried traditional self-help and still felt stuck. If you’ve been doing all the “right things” and still not growing. This book explains why, and shows the path forward.
What if the real transformation doesn’t start with doing more… but with being more?
Becoming Better is not your typical self-help book filled with productivity hacks or motivational fluff. It dives much deeper. This book is a powerful exploration of how we can elevate our inner operating system — our mindset, nervous system, patterns of thinking, and emotional responses.
Instead of focusing only on external behavior change, Ryan Gottfredson invites us into what he calls vertical development — upgrading the way we interpret, feel, and react to life.
🧠 What makes this book stand out:
• It teaches you how your nervous system shapes everything.
To truly become better, you don’t just fix habits — you rewire your perception and emotional wiring.
• It shows why we get stuck.
We’re not broken — we are wired to protect, not evolve. But growth demands stepping outside the comfort zone of control, perfectionism, and emotional safety.
This book feels especially powerful for people who think deeply, feel intensely, or have tried traditional self-help and still felt stuck. If you’ve been doing all the “right things” and still not growing. This book explains why, and shows the path forward.
July 14, 2025
I’ve read all Ryan’s books. Been reading his blog for a while now and am a better person because of it. I’ve seen him grow and improve through his writing. I’ve definitely grown and find myself continuously stretching myself using his insights and those he’s been influenced by to help me on my journey to become better. The structure of the book is right on the money. Even being familiar with his work, I find immense value in reading this and plan on revisiting it and gifting to everyone I know.
July 28, 2025
Real growth starts from within! 💯
Becoming Better is a deep dive into the difference between doing better and truly being better.
It helped me slow down and look inward, especially at how my mindset shapes everything from my emotions to how I lead.
The way it breaks down self-awareness, emotional regulation, and transformational growth is both practical and eye-opening.
If you’re tired of surface-level tips and want real inner work that leads to lasting change, this book delivers.
It’s clear, challenging in the best way, and actually sticks with you after you’ve finished it.
Becoming Better is a deep dive into the difference between doing better and truly being better.
It helped me slow down and look inward, especially at how my mindset shapes everything from my emotions to how I lead.
The way it breaks down self-awareness, emotional regulation, and transformational growth is both practical and eye-opening.
If you’re tired of surface-level tips and want real inner work that leads to lasting change, this book delivers.
It’s clear, challenging in the best way, and actually sticks with you after you’ve finished it.
June 28, 2025
Worst book
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews