Grit vs Grip: The Body Signs You’ve Crossed the Line | Burnout, Rest & Nervous System ft. Pauline Nguyen

Grit turns self-destructive when you can’t put it down. Pauline Nguyen on grit vs grip, body signs of leadership burnout, and rest that restores performance.

Pauline ran Red Lantern, the most awarded Vietnamese restaurant in the world, for 25 years. She also worked 80 to 100 hour weeks until stress made her hair fall out. Her way out was not to try less. It was to learn the difference between grit, a fire you choose, and grip, a fear that has you and never switches off.

Pauline escaped Vietnam by boat at three years old. Today she coaches CEOs and founders on conscious leadership and nervous system regulation, and is the author of The Way of the Spiritual Entrepreneur. In 2026 she was named Global Transformational Leader of the Year.

In this episode:

Grit vs grip: why one has an off switch and the other does not

Three body signs your drive has turned self-destructive: jaw, breath and sleep

Why companies promote the leader who never stops, and what it costs the team

Why rest is a weapon, and the seven types of rest most leaders skip

How to build nervous system regulation from micro moments, with no extra hour

What to strip out of grit (martyrdom) and what to keep (the fire)

This one is for the high performer who cannot stop, and the HR leader watching their best people run on fumes.

Key moments:08:46 Grit has an off switch, grip does not18:32 Three body signs that grit has turned to grip28:28 Rest is a weapon, not a spa day30:52 The seven types of rest41:28 What to strip out of grit