11 secrets to success according to 80+ elite performers

“I don’t think about my life in terms of ‘superstar.’ I’m just a workin’ girl. I always say, and it’s the truth, that I am a workhorse that looks like a show horse.” —Dolly Parton, May 2025 When I heard the news of Dolly Parton’s passing, this quote came to mind. A woman known to the entire world when asked to describe herself, described her work. That distinction between show horse and workhorse (or put another way, show dogs and hunting dogs) is what I have spent the last three and a half years asking people about. I host a podcast called No Show Dogs, built on the premise that world-class performance is attainable by all of us if we’re willing to put in the work. Over 111 episodes, I have interviewed coaches, athletes, executives, military leaders, and best-selling authors, and I have closed every conversation with the same question. What have you been willing to do that others haven’t? I collected responses from 81 people across 20 sports, five countries, and four branches of the U.S. and British armed forces. Between them they have won 12 World Series, nine Super Bowls and two Stanley Cups, brought home 16 Olympic medals, 9 of them gold, and competed in seven Paralympics. Thr…