Glenn Cohen

Against All Odds

Glenn Cohen was born in New York City. At six years old, his father died. Glenn shut down his emotions completely and became “the Ice Man.” His Swedish mother raised two children alone.

After high school, Glenn had a basketball scholarship waiting at Brandeis University. That was the plan. Then came the 1982 Lebanon War.

Glenn moved to Israel and enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). He gave up the scholarship. He gave up the certainty. What he wanted was harder: to become an Air Force pilot.

The attrition rate was 90%. Most people failed. Glenn didn’t.

He graduated from the Israel Air Force Academy and received his wings. For seven years, he flew search-and-rescue helicopters in the Lebanon war zone, saving lives under fire.

Then the Mossad recruited him.

The Mossad Years

Glenn served 25 years in the Mossad, reaching the equivalent rank of Colonel. He became Chief Psychologist, responsible for selecting and training elite operatives.

His job was to prepare people to believe there is no such thing as mission impossible.

He accompanied commanders from Israel’s most elite units in all matters related to resilience and peak performance under extreme conditions. Thousands of hours of mentoring combatants and commanders taught him what separates those who break from those who break through.

From that work, he developed the ELITE method.

When the Call Came

Glenn retired from the Mossad in 2015. He began training CEOs and their teams from leading organizations around the world, teaching them the resilience principles forged in the most extreme environments imaginable.

Then came October 7th, 2023.

Glenn served over five months in emergency reserve duty with the IDF Hostage Negotiation Unit. He was designated as the first mental health professional to meet the released hostages upon their return to Israel.

He wrote the protocol for recovering the returned hostages. He led the team of psychologists who debriefed all 168 hostages.

Service, for Glenn, is not something you retire from.

The ELITE Method

Real resilience is forged when the stakes are high. Glenn’s ELITE framework starts with a simple truth: everything begins with the emotional world.

ELITE stands for Emotional Intelligence (EQ), Learning, Integrity, Toughness, and Execution.

Execution is the final step, not the starting point. Most decisions are made psychologically and emotionally, not rationally.

Leadership is not always inherent. It can be learned. Strong leadership comes from managing your emotional world, not just focusing on execution.

Glenn is humble about where these principles come from. He attributes the “I” in ELITE—Integrity—to his mother, following the 5th commandment.

Glenn teaches executives the same principles that prepare operatives for missions where failure is not an option. Wise ones share what counts.

What Glenn Teaches

Resilience comes down to managing the thickness of your emotional armor. Too thick, you disconnect. Too thin, you become overwhelmed. The goal is balance so you can stay aware, responsive, and in control.

Trauma can lead to growth, not just damage. Around 70% of people encounter traumatic events, but only 10–15% develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Knowing this creates strength.

Belief is the foundation. Belief in oneself, in others, and in something greater drives action, endurance, and recovery.

Small wins restore control. Togetherness and trust unlock resilience. Facing reality without denial prepares you for what comes next.

Glenn brings these lessons from the Mossad to the boardroom, from hostage debriefings to executive teams. His work transforms how leaders think, decide, and perform when everything is on the line.