Host Spotlight: Niels Gott | Purpose Fueled Saint Paul
Niels Gott has been in the room at Saint Paul almost every month for two years. On September 11, he hosts for the first time.
He’s a positive psychology practitioner. Before that, twenty-two years in the Army National Guard, retiring as a senior officer.
Here’s Niels, in his own words.
When did you first walk through the door? What brought you here?
I met Chris Lambert (part of the amazing volunteer team at St. Paul) at a different event early in the spring of 2025. We quickly connected over positive psychology; it’s rare that I meet someone who instantly knows Dr. Martin Seligman is, much less build an app that is based on Marty’s model for human flourishing. So when Chris told me about Purpose Fueled, I knew I had to check it out. I went to my first event in April and made some amazing connections that I’m thrilled to still have in my life. That had me hooked, and I’ve been coming back ever since.
What made you say yes to hosting? What was the moment you decided this was worth it?
Honestly, Mick asked and I was ready to say “yes” before I even finished reading the email. But the real reason is this: I’m a positive psychology practitioner, and the whole field boils down to one question: how do we help humans flourish? Now more than ever, that starts with quality human connection. Purpose Fueled is one of the few places I know that delivers it every single month, without fail. When someone hands you a chance to help hold that space, you take it. It’s directionally exactly where I want to be.
What’s something about being a host that surprised you?
I haven’t even hosted yet (September 11 is my first), so ask me again in October! What has surprised me as a regular is how much I look forward to 7:00 AM on a Friday. I’m not a natural morning networker; and yet I’ve never once left that room wishing I’d slept in.
What’s one thing you’d tell someone who has never been to Purpose Fueled?
Come once, come early, and sit at a table with people you don’t know. There’s no pitch and the agenda is simple; just a good conversation and a guest who’s willing to be honest in front of a room. I would be willing to bet money that you will meet at least one person you’ll want to have coffee with. I’ve met so many amazing people that are interested in a genuine conversation and a real human connection.
What’s your favorite part of being a host?
Again, I haven’t gotten to do it just yet, but here’s my take having been in the room nearly monthly for the past couple years. Getting to make sure the guest feels safe enough to tell their truth. My whole job, in coaching and in facilitation, is creating a warm container where people can be real. Hosting is that, in front of fifty or more people, with coffee! The interview is a conversation, not a panel; my favorite part is when it stops feeling like an interview at all.
What do people not see? What happens behind the scenes that most people never know about?
The team has the room set and the coffee ready to serve before most of us are awake. The host’s job is honestly the easy part: show up, connect with the guest, get people’s attention at 7:30, and then get out of the way. The real work happened before any of us walked in.
What do you want every single person who walks through the door to feel?
That they matter, and that they belong here, whether it’s their first Friday or their fifteenth. Belonging and mattering are the two things I care most about in the world; if you leave feeling both, we did our job.
Why is your location the best location ever?
St. Paul has such a wonderfully intimate energy, especially with the music. The vibe at Dual Citizen is always fantastic. The space is filled with natural light so we are often treated to an amazing view of the sunrise, and the tables are smaller and closer together really fostering that intimacy. But the room is only the supporting cast; it’s the people that create the amazing energy. From the fantastic volunteers that are so welcoming, to the participants that are always ready to fully engage with the questions and the topic at hand. Each experience is different, so I always look forward to Purpose Fueled days because I always have a richly rewarding conversation connection with old friends and new.
What’s the title of your next chapter, in life or in business?
“Taking care of the humans.” That’s the whole thing, really. In business it looks like helping executive teams make the connections technology can’t. In life it looks like three kids, ten acres in Stillwater, and a long-held dream of turning that land into a Nordic sanctuary.
What don’t people know about you that they should?
I spent 22 years in the Army National Guard and retired as a senior officer. Most people meet the positive psychology guy and don’t see that coming. The two aren’t as far apart as they sound; I first discovered the field as a company commander when a deck of resilience training materials landed on my desk. That program eventually inspired me to go to Penn and study under the guy who led the team that created it, and, more importantly, founded the entire field and the first Master of Applied Positive Psychology program. Also: I’m training for another marathon, I start most mornings with a cold plunge and a sauna, and I’m a bit of a Nordic nerd.
How do your best friends, kids, or family describe you? Who do they say you are?
My kids would say “dad jokes, all the time.” My wife would probably say I take the work seriously and myself not so much. My friends would say I’m the guy who will happily go down a rabbit hole or on a crazy adventure with you, because that’s usually where the real stuff lives. Whether doing a 200-ish mile Ragnar Relay, a long weekend in the Boundary Waters, or geeking out about the science of well-being, human flourishing is what it’s all about.
Who are the types of people you really love meeting?
Leaders who know the old models aren’t cutting it anymore and are honest enough to say so. Anyone building something on purpose. And people who show up curious; I’ll happily talk with anyone who’s more interested in questions than answers.
If there’s one thing you could help people in this community with, what would it be?
Making the room you lead a place where people get to do their best work. I say this a lot: poor leadership is criminally irresponsible, and terrible leadership doesn’t stay at the office; it comes home with us. If you’re carrying a team, and the pace of everything (AI included) has you wondering how to keep the human part intact, that’s exactly the conversation I want to have. Come find me whenever; no pitch, just coffee.
Niels Gott hosts Purpose Fueled Saint Paul on September 11th.
Conversations like this one happen every month at Purpose Fueled events across the Twin Cities. If you want to be in the room for the next one, reserve your spot here.