About

Rebecca “Becky” Calder, Ph.D., is the creator of the HERO Mindset, a leadership researcher, keynote speaker, retired U.S. Naval Officer, former F/A-18 combat pilot, and TOPGUN graduate.

Through the HERO Mindset, Becky brings the science of Psychological Capital to life. HERO represents Hope, Efficacy, Resilience, and Optimism—four measurable and developable inner capacities that influence how people pursue goals, respond to adversity, perform under pressure, and envision the future.

Becky’s vision is a world where more people have the psychological capital to navigate pressure, prevent burnout, unlock their potential, and make extraordinary performance sustainable. We can’t eliminate pressure, but we can build the psychological resources to save lives, change lives, strengthen organizations, and help people flourish.

Becky’s understanding of extraordinary performance was shaped over more than 25 years of service in the U.S. Navy. She flew combat missions in support of Operations Enduring Freedom, Southern Watch, and Iraqi Freedom. In 2004, she became the first female pilot to graduate from the U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School, commonly known as TOPGUN. During her aviation career, she accrued more than 2,500 flight hours and completed 421 carrier-arrested landings.

A former basketball player at the United States Naval Academy, Becky also became the first woman to have her jersey, number 32, retired by the Academy.

After retiring from the Navy in 2023, Becky earned her Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from Regent University in 2025. Her doctoral research examined the relationship between Psychological Capital and burnout in high-stress occupations.

Today, she combines combat-tested military experience, evidence-based research, compelling storytelling, and practical tools to help people recognize and build the inner capacities required to make extraordinary performance sustainable.

Becky Calder blazes a trail for female fighter pilots as featured in Parade Magazine

See Becky featured in The Phillipian

Becky received the Martin Williams Souders Memorial Award at the NEPSAC Spring Summit in 2022 

Listen to Becky on "The Takeaway" with Melissa Harris-Perry from WNYC Studios

Becky was featured in a Regent University alumni spotlight

Listen to Becky on "At-Homish"with Wil Johnson