The High Performance Podcast

What do you actually feel when you win? Jake and Damian explore one of the strangest patterns they've noticed across more than 400 High Performance conversations: so many people reach the top of their mountain, only to wish they'd enjoyed the climb a little more.

Damian unpacks the hedonic treadmill and arrival fallacy, and asks what we're actually optimising our lives for when every achievement simply moves the goalposts. Because if the next win is always more important than the one you've just achieved, when do you ever get to enjoy where you are?

Along the way you'll hear Rio Ferdinand on winning the Champions League and immediately asking who Manchester United were signing next; Jonny Wilkinson on discovering that years of suffering had only created stronger habits of suffering; Stephen Hendry on being back at the practice table the morning after winning; Jill Scott on putting the process ahead of the result; Dan Carter on the one word he wrote in his notebook before a World Cup final: "enjoy"; Ryan Yates on his laid-back cousin who has no desire to achieve more; and Ali Abdaal on the question we should all ask ourselves: would you fast-forward through your life?

Winning matters. But so does being there for it.

AG1 👉Head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs

Vitality 👉 We've partnered with Vitality because our philosophies align perfectly: healthy habits build high performance and can lead to a healthier, longer life. Find out more about health and life insurance with Vitality: https://highpfrmc.com/vitality-hpp-au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former British Army paratrooper Josh Boggi’s life changed in 47 minutes when he stepped on an IED in Afghanistan, losing both legs and his right arm. But surviving was only the beginning of learning who he was going to become.

Josh opens up about the five-minute conversation with a fellow triple amputee that gave him a new roadmap for life, and how sport helped rebuild his confidence, identity, and sense of purpose. He also reflects on surviving a second near-fatal accident years later, an experience he describes as mentally harder than Afghanistan.

From competing at the Invictus Games to now helping others navigate life-changing injuries, Josh shares how he found purpose in becoming for others what that fellow amputee once was for him.

This is a conversation about identity, purpose, and the choices we make when life takes us somewhere we never expected to be.

The Invictus Games Foundation is a global charity using the power of sport and community to support the recovery of wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans, creating year-round opportunities that help people rebuild confidence, connection and purpose.

In July 2027, the Invictus Games return to the UK for the first time since 2014, with Birmingham welcoming competitors, families and friends from around the world for a week of adaptive sport, recovery and connection. Tickets go on sale this October: https://www.invictusgamesfoundation.org/

AG1 👉 Head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs

XTB 👉 To find out more and make your money work, use code HPP at: https://highpfrmc.com/XTB_HPP_AU 

Vitality 👉 We've partnered with Vitality because our philosophies align perfectly: healthy habits build high performance and can lead to a healthier, longer life. Find out more about health and life insurance with Vitality: https://highpfrmc.com/vitality-hpp-au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Global music icon Anastacia has faced breast cancer twice, first diagnosed at just 34 at the height of her career and again ten years later. In this special episode, created in partnership with Postcode Lottery, she joins Jake to share how those experiences shaped her outlook on life.

Anastacia opens up about taking back control, the optimism that has carried her through difficult moments, and why early detection remains so important to her. The conversation also highlights the work of Breast Cancer Now and the difference funding raised by Postcode Lottery players helps make.

Anastacia kicks off her UK and European tour on 15th September, including a show at London’s OVO Arena Wembley on Saturday 26th September. Tickets available from Anastacia.com/live.

Postcode Lottery manages lotteries for 20 charities. A minimum of 30% of each ticket price goes to charity. 18+, conditions apply. Not available in Northern Ireland

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On the morning of 11 September 2001, Sean Windeatt was a 28-year-old in Cantor Fitzgerald's London finance department, fifteen minutes into his usual morning call with a colleague in New York, when the line went dead. That colleague was inside the North Tower. By the end of the day the firm had lost 658 people alongside 61 Euro Brokers employees— around two thirds of its New York workforce, and more than any other company in the tragedy that morning. The next day Sean was called downstairs, offered a job he'd turned down two years earlier, and handed a blank piece of paper. He asked what the job was. "Who knows?"

Twenty-five years on, Sean is co-CEO of BGC Group, and he joins Jake to tell the story from the inside. Why the company chose not to sell when selling was the easy way out. Why pledging 25% of profits to the families only meant anything if there was a business left to earn it, and how a firm rebuilt itself working around the clock, while competitors offered office space and airlines flew its staff across the Atlantic at cost.

It's also a conversation about a false choice Jake puts to him directly: that you can either be ruthless and successful, or kind and unsuccessful. Sean's answer — and a Charity Day that has now raised over $235 million — suggests otherwise. Along the way: what it's actually like to wake up on 11 September every year, why Prince William refused to leave the trading floor, and the two things Sean was told a great CEO does.

If you want information on the BGC Charity Day: https://www.bgcg.com/charity-day/

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England Rugby World Cup winner Lawrence Dallaglio built his career on an extraordinary ability to create belief under pressure. But behind that drive was a deeply personal source of motivation: the loss of his sister Francesca when he was just 16.

Lawrence opens up about turning grief into fuel, finding the family he needed through rugby, and why the mental and emotional side of performance is so often underestimated. He also reveals how great leaders build belief before the biggest moments and find what truly motivates the people around them.

This conversation is a candid exploration of loss, belonging, and the emotions that can shape our drive to succeed.

The 2026 Pho3nix Sport with Purpose Charity Gala takes place at The Peninsula London on 20 November, raising funds to create healthier, happier futures for children through sport.

Attend the Gala, support the auction or donate at https://pho3nixcharitygala.com

AG1 👉Head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs

Vitality 👉 We've partnered with Vitality because our philosophies align perfectly: healthy habits build high performance and can lead to a healthier, longer life. Find out more about health and life insurance with Vitality: https://highpfrmc.com/vitality-hpp-au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sir Steve Hansen won 93 of 107 Tests as All Blacks head coach — the most successful run in the history of professional rugby.

We re-visit our chat with Steve where he takes it apart: why "culture" is the most overused word on the planet, why he hates rules, why nobody would admit the All Blacks were World Cup chokers, and the two times he got it badly wrong and had to apologise to a whole squad. Plus the question about walking away that he couldn't finish answering.

AG1 👉 head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance and get a free Morning Person Hat to help start your AG1 daily habit - plus a free D3 and K2, and five travel packs

Vitality 👉 We've partnered with Vitality because our philosophies align perfectly: healthy habits build high performance and can lead to a healthier, longer life. Find out more about health and life insurance with Vitality: https://highpfrmc.com/vitality-hpp-au 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why does a weekly to-do list feel so overwhelming on a Sunday night? Jake and Damian argue it's not because of your workload, it's because your capacity . Sleep, energy, confidence, clarity, control: when any of these drop, the same list of tasks stops looking like separate, manageable jobs and starts looking like one overwhelming message — everything, now.

In this episode, Jake and Damian hear from:

By the end, Jake and Damian give you a ten-minute reset for the next time life all feels like too much because the goal was never to shame yourself into trying harder. It's to rebalance the equation.

Thanks to our partners:

AG1 👉 head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance and get a free Morning Person Hat to help start your AG1 daily habit - plus a free D3 and K2, and five travel packs

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dina Asher-Smith has just made history as the most decorated athlete in European Championships history. An MBE, multiple major titles and four Olympic Games within reach, but at 30, one of Britain's greatest ever sprinters is still asking how much better she can become.

In this episode, Dina opens up about the realities behind those 10 seconds on the track, from how her menstrual cycle affected her performance to competing through grief. She also reflects on leaving her coach of 20 years, rebuilding her career, and why bronze can sometimes mean more than gold.

With the 2027 World Championships and LA 2028 ahead, Dina reveals how her relationship with success has changed, and why the opportunity to keep competing at the highest level now feels less like pressure and more like a privilege.

AG1 👉 head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance and get a free Morning Person Hat to help start your AG1 daily habit - plus a free D3 and K2, and five travel packs

Vitality 👉 We've partnered with Vitality because our philosophies align perfectly: healthy habits build high performance and can lead to a healthier, longer life. Find out more about health and life insurance with Vitality: https://highpfrmc.com/vitality-hpp-au 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We revisit our conversation with Fernando Alonso - two-time Formula 1 World Champion, 437 Grand Prix starts, 32 wins - recorded in a rare moment where the visor comes off completely. Jake and Damian get behind the "robot" Alonso becomes the second his helmet goes on, and into the boy who started racing a homemade go-kart at three years old, in a family with no money, no expectations, and no competitive gene to explain where his came from.

Fernando is disarmingly honest about the cost of that competitiveness: the two championships with Ferrari he came agonisingly close to and still can't fully explain losing; the two titles he did win, in 2005 and 2006, that he now barely remembers because he was already thinking about the next race before the champagne had dried; and the moment, at 13 years old, a mechanic pulled him aside after his best result yet and told him, "second is the first loser." It's a line that shaped the next three decades of his career.

Moments that will stay with you:

He's unflinching about what elite performance actually costs: that you can spend twenty years being told to fear enjoying it, that humility has to be actively protected once fame tries to take it from you, and that self-confidence isn't the absence of doubt it's simply deciding, in advance, what you're capable of, and then closing the visor.

AG1 👉 head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance and get a free Morning Person Hat to help start your AG1 daily habit - plus a free D3 and K2, and five travel packs

Go Henry 👉 Grow their skills and their money at gohenry.com/highperformancewith £5 FREE to get started!

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What do you do when every option is on the table and you still end up with the same idea you always have? Jake and Damian tackle one of the quiet traps of creative work, and land somewhere counterintuitive: freedom doesn't make ideas bolder. Constraints do.

Damian unpacks David Epstein's Inside the Box and the psychology behind why unlimited time, unlimited method and unlimited scope send the brain straight to its safest, most familiar answer and the three tools for building a better box: the Fake Deadline, the One Rule, and the Small Box.

Along the way you'll hear Shane Parrish on the Henry Kissinger question that outed a staffer's "best work" as anything but; René Meulensteen on the Federer clips he used to teach Man Utd players to stay one point wide; Sarina Wiegman on the training session she deliberately ran with a terrible referee, just to see what her players would do with it; and Lewis Morgan on what he'd actually do with a spare £1,000 and a Facebook Marketplace login.

The idea doesn't need better conditions. It needs a smaller box.

Listen to the full episodes:

Sarina Wiegman: https://shows.acast.com/the-high-performance-podcast/episodes/sarina-wiegman-the-leadership-secrets-powering-england-lione

Lewis Morgan: https://shows.acast.com/3d30295e-f7fb-5af1-b618-30a8763cc75a/625c41bcfa71dd0012e7f614

René Meulensteen: https://shows.acast.com/3d30295e-f7fb-5af1-b618-30a8763cc75a/67e02799511f1304b0d74225

AG1 👉 head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance and get a free Morning Person Hat to help start your AG1 daily habit - plus a free D3 and K2, and five travel packs

Go Henry 👉 Grow their skills and their money at gohenry.com/highperformancewith £5 FREE to get started!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ballon d'Or winner Michael Owen became one of the world's best footballers by developing an extraordinary ability to turn doubt, mistakes, and setbacks into self-belief. He joins Jake and Damian to reveal how that mindset was built, and why it eventually became one of his greatest challenges.

Michael reflects on the injuries that took away the explosive pace that defined him, and the painful eight-year gap between the player he believed he was and what his body could still deliver. He also opens up about retiring at 33, losing his sense of purpose, the strain it placed on his marriage, and how he eventually found a new competitive outlet beyond football.

This is an honest exploration of self-belief, identity, and what happens when the mindset that drives success becomes difficult to switch off.

Meet the Owens, a six-part docuseries in the UK and Ireland, is available on Prime Video from the 28th August.

AG1 👉 head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance and get a free Morning Person Hat to help start your AG1 daily habit - plus a free D3 and K2, and five travel packs

Go Henry 👉 Grow their skills and their money at gohenry.com/highperformancewith £5 FREE to get started!

Vitality 👉 We've partnered with Vitality because our philosophies align perfectly: healthy habits build high performance and can lead to a healthier, longer life. Find out more about health and life insurance with Vitality: https://highpfrmc.com/vitality-hpp-au 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We re-visit one of the most emotional and gripping conversations we have ever recorded. Eight Olympic medals, five of them gold, and the first Briton ever to win the Tour de France. For one summer in 2012, Sir Bradley Wiggins was the most famous man in Britain — sideburns, gold medal, sat on a throne at Hampton Court. He couldn't bring himself to put the medal on.

Bradley takes us right back to the beginning: a council estate in Kilburn, a father who left when he was eighteen months old and came back only once his son was successful, and a coach who sexually abused him between the ages of thirteen and sixteen — something he didn't say out loud for thirty years. Then he traces, with total honesty, how that damage became the fuel that made him great, and how the same fuel nearly destroyed him when the racing stopped.

Moments that will stay with you:

He's unflinching on what drove him: that greatness often grows out of a dark place, and that isn't something to romanticise. That you don't rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your habits. That fulfilment carries you further than happiness ever will. And his hardest-won lesson — not everyone who helps you is your friend, and not everyone who hurts you is your enemy. The answer isn't to forget the past. It's to change your relationship with it.

Contains discussion of the sexual abuse of children and of addiction. Please listen with care.

Revolut Business 👉 High-performing businesses need powerful financial tools. Get a £200 welcome bonus with Revolut Business when you sign up at https://revolutbusiness.onelink.me/jLOt/hp-ep9-aud and add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply. 

AG1 👉 head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance and get a free Morning Person Hat to help start your AG1 daily habit - plus a free D3 and K2, and five travel packs

Go Henry 👉 Grow their skills and their money at gohenry.com/highperformance with £5 FREE to get started!

Eight Sleep 👉If you want to discover deeper sleep. Use code HPP to get £360 off your Pod 5 Ultra here: https://highpfrmc.com/eightsleep_au

Vitality 👉 We've partnered with Vitality because our philosophies align perfectly: healthy habits build high performance and can lead to a healthier, longer life. Find out more about health and life insurance with Vitality: https://highpfrmc.com/vitality-hpp-au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do you do when the people around you don't believe you can do it? Jake and Damian tackle one of the things listeners struggle with most — being doubted — and land somewhere they didn't expect: the doubt that really holds you back is usually your own.

Damian unpacks Albert Bandura's self-efficacy theory and why the two ways to build belief are evidence and self-talk, Alison Brooks' research on reframing nerves as readiness rather than fear, and self-determination theory — why being doubted by others can become the most durable fuel there is.

Along the way you'll hear Rugby League legend Jamie Peacock on the day he stayed on the bus and rode past his trial at Bradford Bulls, and the mantra he repeated the second time to get off; Karl Lokko on where he found the confidence to walk into rooms that weren't built for him and Mel Robbins on the morning in her bathroom that changed how she talks to herself.

Plus, Jake and Damian are joined by High Performance listener Claire, who spent 31 years in policing, to hear what all this means from the other side of the microphone.

The belief doesn't have to come first. The action does — and the evidence follows.

Vitality 👉 We've partnered with Vitality because our philosophies align perfectly: healthy habits build high performance and can lead to a healthier, longer life. Find out more about health and life insurance with Vitality: https://highpfrmc.com/vitality-hpp-au 

Listen to the full episodes:

Jamie Peacock:

Mel Robbins:

Karl Locco:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guenther Steiner is one of Formula 1’s most recognisable team bosses, building Haas from nothing and becoming known for his straight-talking approach to leadership. He joins us to reflect on ambition, pressure, and knowing when it’s time to walk away, as well as discuss his new position as CEO of MotoGP team Red Bull KTM Tech3.

Guenther opens up about his final years at Haas, admitting he stayed around two years too long, and how he knew the belief was gone when he could no longer see a path to a podium. He also reveals the moment he discovered he’d been sacked, and why it brought an unexpected sense of relief.

He shares the thinking that built Haas and how he’s applying the same principles to his new chapter in MotoGP with Tech3. This is a candid conversation about ambition, identity, and knowing when to let go.

Learn more about Red Bull KTM Tech3: https://motogp.tech3racing.fr/index.php

Revolut Business 👉 High-performing businesses need powerful financial tools. Get a £200 welcome bonus with Revolut Business when you sign up at https://revolutbusiness.onelink.me/jLOt/hp-ep9-aud and add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply. 

AG1 👉 head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance and get a free Morning Person Hat to help start your AG1 daily habit - plus a free D3 and K2, and five travel packs

Go Henry 👉 Grow their skills and their money at gohenry.com/highperformance with £5 FREE to get started!

Eight Sleep 👉If you want to discover deeper sleep. Use code HPP to get £360 off your Pod 5 Ultra here: https://highpfrmc.com/eightsleep_au

Vitality 👉 We've partnered with Vitality because our philosophies align perfectly: healthy habits build high performance and can lead to a healthier, longer life. Find out more about health and life insurance with Vitality: https://highpfrmc.com/vitality-hpp-au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're revisiting this conversation with James Blunt because it's among the most disarming things we've recorded about belief, ridicule, and where confidence actually comes from.

James made his first album on nothing but belief. He'd burnt his bridges with every record label in Britain and was playing to about twenty people on the twentieth floor of a Ramada hotel — and he was still completely certain the whole world was going to hear it. Understanding the real odds, he says, would have taken the wind out of his sails entirely.

James tells Jake and Damian why you keep your powder dry until you're genuinely equipped, because you only get one shot with the people who matter. Why he never answers criticism on the day it lands — the sting always comes out overnight. Why the only opinions worth weighing come from the people who'll take the mickey out of you to your face. And the three things he carried out of commanding soldiers in Kosovo and into running the same band for twenty years: a good team, real respect for that team, and the conviction to make the call.

Then there's what it cost him... the orchestrated press campaign that turned James into a national punchline and how he dealt with it. Being held back in a dressing room so that Damon Albarn didn't have to stand near him. The hug from Keith Flint he never forgot. And the night in Carrie Fisher's bathroom that produced Goodbye My Lover in a single, unrepeatable take.

AG1 👉 head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance and get a free Morning Person Hat to help start your AG1 daily habit - plus a free D3 and K2, and five travel packs

Go Henry 👉 Grow their skills and their money at gohenry.com/highperformance with £5 FREE to get started!

Vitality 👉 We've partnered with Vitality because our philosophies align perfectly: healthy habits build high performance and can lead to a healthier, longer life. Find out more about health and life insurance with Vitality: https://highpfrmc.com/vitality-hpp-au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jake and Damian tackle the question underneath almost every High Performance conversation: what do the best actually do differently, day to day?

Not the big moments. The small, repeatable ones. Because across hundreds of conversations on this show, the pattern is rarely talent or luck. It's that high performers have built a handful of habits they hold onto when nobody is watching, and they keep doing them long after most of us would have forgotten about them.

In this episode, Jake and Damian hear from:

If there's a habit you keep meaning to start, pick one of these five and begin there.

Thanks to our partners:

Revolut Business 👉 High-performing businesses need powerful financial tools. Get a £200 welcome bonus with Revolut Business when you sign up at https://revolutbusiness.onelink.me/jLOt/hp-ep9-aud and add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply. 

AG1 👉 head todrinkag1.com/highperformance and get a free Morning Person Hat to help start your AG1 daily habit - plus a free D3 and K2, and five travel packs

Go Henry 👉 Grow their skills and their money at gohenry.com/highperformance with £5 FREE to get started!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Premier League icon Ashley Young joins us for a masterclass in longevity, self-belief, and turning rejection into an unstoppable competitive edge.

At 15, Watford told Ashley he was too small for a scholarship, a disappointment that became the operational system for his entire 20-year career. He explains why every manager's doubt or dropped selection became fuel to prove them wrong, from Antonio Conte's brutal pre-season at Inter Milan to winning Serie A at 35 and feeling fitter at 37 than at 27.

He also breaks down what it means to know your value in high-stakes environments, his return to the England squad for a World Cup semi-final, walking away from Manchester United on his own terms, and playing over 750 games at the highest level.

This is an essential conversation about resilience, self-worth, and proving that nobody gets to define your limits except you.

Revolut Business 👉 High-performing businesses need powerful financial tools. Get a £200 welcome bonus with Revolut Business when you sign up at https://revolutbusiness.onelink.me/jLOt/hp-ep9-aud and add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply. 

AG1 👉 head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance and get a free Morning Person Hat to help start your AG1 daily habit - plus a free D3 and K2, and five travel packs

Go Henry 👉 Grow their skills and their money at gohenry.com/highperformance with £5 FREE to get started!

Vitality 👉 We've partnered with Vitality because our philosophies align perfectly: healthy habits build high performance and can lead to a healthier, longer life. Find out more about health and life insurance with Vitality: https://highpfrmc.com/vitality-hpp-au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eddie Howe has stepped away from Newcastle United after nearly five years in charge — his own decision, following what he called "a period of personal reflection." He leaves having delivered the club's first major trophy in 70 years and two Champions League campaigns.

So we're going back to the conversation we had with him in 2022, right as that chapter began. Eddie had just taken the Newcastle job — but before it, he'd left Bournemouth after relegation, and described the exit almost exactly as he'd describe this one: "I think it was time... I just knew." He told us it felt like grief. That the pressure he carried was never external — it was entirely his own. And he told us about the cost no one sees: missing his mum in her final months because he was too busy managing a football club.

Heard now, it plays like he told us how this would end.

AG1 👉 Head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs

Revolut Business 👉 High-performing businesses need powerful financial tools. Get a £200 welcome bonus with Revolut Business when you sign up at https://revolutbusiness.onelink.me/jLOt/hp-ep9-aud and add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply.

Go Henry 👉 Grow their skills and their money at gohenry.com/highperformance with £5 FREE to get started!

Vitality 👉 We've partnered with Vitality because our philosophies align perfectly: healthy habits build high performance and can lead to a healthier, longer life. Find out more about health and life insurance with Vitality: https://highpfrmc.com/vitality-hpp-au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Following the heartbreaking death of Nims Purja... Jake and Damian reflect on one of the most inspiring conversations in High Performance history.

Before 14 Peaks made him a global icon, Nims joined High Performance to share the mindset that took him from a childhood of poverty in Nepal, to the Gurkhas, the British Special Forces, and ultimately to rewriting mountaineering history.

In this special tribute episode, Jake and Damian revisit the lessons that left a lasting impact on them:

Nims' energy, humility and optimism changed the way we think about life and performance. This episode celebrates the remarkable legacy he leaves behind and the lessons that will continue to inspire millions

Listen to our full episode with Nims: https://pod.fo/e/ac5aa

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Sunderland captain Luke O'Nien has built his career on resilience, determination, and an unwavering belief that hard work can outlast natural talent.. He joins Jake and Damian to reflect on the setbacks that shaped him, from being overlooked early in his career to leading his club back to the Premier League.

Luke explains why he no longer relies on confidence to perform, how embracing discomfort became his greatest strength, and the simple mindset shifts that help him stay present under pressure. He also shares the habits and systems that have enabled him to keep improving throughout his career.

This is an insight into why great performance is built on systems, not feelings, and why resilience is forged long before the biggest moments.

Away from the pitch, Luke runs Elite XI, a mental performance programme for professional footballers. Head over to www.elitexiapply.com to find out more. 

AG1 👉 Head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs

Revolut Business 👉 High-performing businesses need powerful financial tools. Get a £200 welcome bonus with Revolut Business when you sign up at https://revolutbusiness.onelink.me/jLOt/hp-ep9-aud and add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply.

Go Henry 👉 Grow their skills and their money at gohenry.com/highperformance with £5 FREE to get started!

Vitality 👉 We've partnered with Vitality because our philosophies align perfectly: healthy habits build high performance and can lead to a healthier, longer life. Find out more about health and life insurance with Vitality: https://highpfrmc.com/vitality-hpp-au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For more than 30 years, Adrian Gore has been challenging conventional thinking about health, leadership, and human behaviour. As the founder of Discovery and CEO of Vitality, he's built a global business by asking a simple question: what if we designed systems that helped people become the best version of themselves?

Adrian joins Jake to share the leadership principles behind that philosophy, revealing why optimism is a discipline, why ambitious goals matter, and how embracing discomfort creates meaningful change.

This is a thoughtful conversation about leadership, behaviour, and unlocking long-term performance.

Vitality 👉 We've partnered with Vitality because our philosophies align perfectly: healthy habits build high performance and can lead to a healthier, longer life. Find out more about health and life insurance with Vitality: https://highpfrmc.com/vitality-hpp-au

Get your copy of 'The Four Principles' by Adrian Gore here: https://highpfrmc.com/Vitality_Book

Adrian Gore LinkedIn: https://za.linkedin.com/in/adrian-gore

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Como 1907 has become one of Europe's fastest-rising football clubs, transformed by bold leadership and long-term thinking. In partnership with Revolut Business, Chief Business Officer Ryan Shelton joins Jake to reveal how the club has redefined what's possible on and off the pitch.

Ryan shares how Cesc Fàbregas has helped shape a high-performance culture, why the club embraces unconventional thinking, and how partnering with Revolut is helping the organisation move faster and think differently.

This is an insight into the leadership, innovation and ambition behind one of football's most remarkable transformations.

Revolut Business 👉 High-performing businesses need powerful financial tools. Get a £200 welcome bonus with Revolut Business when you sign up athttps://revolutbusiness.onelink.me/jLOt/ryansheltonand add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply. 

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Rafaela Pimenta is one of football's most influential agents, representing some of the biggest names in the game, including Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Gilberto Mora. She joins Damian to reveal what it really takes to protect, develop, and lead elite athletes at the very highest level.

Rafaela explains why players should be treated as people; not assets, how elite players have built an environment that allows them to perform at their best, and why the modern game is placing unprecedented demands on footballers. She also shares why setting boundaries, championing player welfare, and investing in women's football are essential to the future of the sport.

This is a masterclass in modern leadership, high performance, and the ultimate responsibility of putting people before profit.

Revolut Business 👉 High-performing businesses need powerful financial tools. Get a £200 welcome bonus with Revolut Business when you sign up at https://revolutbusiness.onelink.me/jLOt/hp-ep9-audand add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply.

AG1 👉 Head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformanceto save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs

Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au 

Eight Sleep 👉 If you want to discover deeper sleep. Use code HPP to get £360 off your Pod 5 Ultra here: https://highpfrmc.com/eightsleep_au

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This episode is brought to you in partnership with Aviva.

The former UK Minister for Prisons and CEO of the Timpson Group, Lord Timpson (James Timpson) believes there's a direct link between happy colleagues and business success. He joins Jake and Damian to explain why putting trust before control has shaped both his people and his company.

Lord Timpson shares the leadership philosophy behind his "upside-down management" approach, why hiring people with criminal convictions has become one of his greatest strengths, and how kindness, trust, and long-term thinking have driven lasting success.

An inspiring conversation about leadership, second chances, and building a culture where people can thrive.

Together we believe that great leadership, high-performing teams and a culture where people can thrive are key to long-term success. That's why we're proud to support conversations that share practical insights and inspiring perspectives on people, performance and leadership.

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Mattia Binotto has spent almost three decades at the heart of Formula One, helping shape Ferrari before taking on his biggest challenge yet as CEO and Team Principal of the Audi Revolut F1 Team.

In partnership with Revolut Business, Mattia joins Jake ahead of Silverstone, to share what it really takes to build a winning team. He explains how you create a winning culture from the ground up, why great leadership starts with trust, and the lessons he learned from working alongside icons like Michael Schumacher and Jean Todt.

Mattia also shares how partnering with Revolut helps the team move faster globally, and why he believes young talent and long-term thinking are the foundations of sustained success. This is a conversation about leadership, culture, and building an organisation that's designed to win.

Revolut Business High-performing businesses need powerful financial tools. Get a £200 welcome bonus with Revolut Business when you sign up atrevolutbusiness.onelink.me/jLOt/mattiabinottoytand add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply.

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Ian Machado Garry is one of the UFC's brightest stars, and on 15th August he'll face Islam Makhachev for the UFC Welterweight World Title. Ahead of the biggest fight of his career, Ian joins us to reflect on the journey from window cleaner to fighting for UFC gold, and the unwavering belief that has driven him every step of the way.

He shares the letter his mum wrote after he dropped out of college to chase his dream, the extraordinary moment his entire team walked out before his Cage Warriors world title fight, and why those setbacks only strengthened his belief that he was destined to become world champion.

It's a story of conviction, resilience, and trusting your own path, even when nobody else believes in it.

Revolut Business 👉 High-performing businesses need powerful financial tools. Get a £200 welcome bonus with Revolut Business when you sign up at https://revolutbusiness.onelink.me/jLOt/hp-ep8-aud and add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply. 

Go Henry 👉 Grow their skills and their money at gohenry.com/highperformance with £5 FREE to get started!

Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au 

AG1 👉Head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs

Do Health 👉 Get ahead of your health, don't react to it. Head to https://highpfrmc.com/dohealth-hpp-au to sign up now

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What does it take to build a championship mindset and sustain it for a lifetime? In this special episode, recorded live at Gleneagles in partnership with IFS, Jake Humphrey sits down with golfing legend Gary Player for a remarkable conversation to explore the habits, mindset and discipline behind lasting success.

From overcoming childhood adversity to becoming one of golf's most decorated champions, Gary shares the mindset that carried him through pressure, setbacks and success. He shares his thoughts on Rory McIlroy's career Grand Slam, the importance of physical and mental fitness, and why he believes adversity is life's greatest teacher.

At 90 years old, Gary remains as energetic, curious and driven as ever - offering timeless wisdom on what it truly means to perform at the highest level.

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What does it take to build a Formula One team from the ground up? In this special episode with Revolut Business, Jake Humphrey speaks to three-time Le Mans winner and Audi Revolut F1 Racing Director Allan McNish about building a winning culture from the ground up.

He explains how partnering with Revolut helps the team embrace innovation, move quickly and make bold decisions in one of the world's most competitive sports. Allan also shares the lessons he's learned leading one of Formula One's newest teams, the mindset behind challenging established teams and the leadership principles that drive high performance.

He reflects on overcoming a career-threatening illness, the split-second decision-making behind his infamous 2011 Le Mans crash and why he believes Audi Revolut F1 Team can one day become world champions. This is a conversation about leadership, resilience and preparation when it counts most.

Revolut Business High-performing businesses need powerful financial tools. Get a £200 welcome bonus with Revolut Business when you sign up athttps://revolutbusiness.onelink.me/jLOt/allanmcnishytand add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply.

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Over 15 seasons, Cadillac F1 driver Sergio 'Checo' Pérez has established himself as one of the most experienced drivers on the grid, earning 6 Grand Prix victories and finishing 2nd in the 2023 World Championship.

Sergio walked into Red Bull Racing in 2021 knowing the team was built around Max Verstappen, and was told early on that they operated with a clear number one driver structure. He spent four years in one of the most demanding seats in Formula 1, navigating a final period he describes as increasingly difficult.

In this episode, Sergio exposes the politics of the paddock to share the raw truth of his Formula 1 career. He opens up about the brutal reality of the Red Bull garage, the betrayal of losing his seat days before his historic victory at Sakhir, and how a lonely childhood living in a German truck-stop motel built his unbreakable mindset.

Sergio also reflects on his next chapter with Cadillac, the lessons he’s taken from his time in F1, and the importance of learning to enjoy the journey while you’re in it.

This is a powerful conversation about resilience, self-belief, and performing under relentless pressure.

More on Cadillac F1 here: https://www.cadillacf1team.com/

More on Sergio here: https://checoperez.com/

Revolut Business 👉 High-performing businesses need powerful financial tools. Get a £200 welcome bonus with Revolut Business when you sign up at https://revolutbusiness.onelink.me/jLOt/hp-ep7-aud and add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply.

AG1 👉Head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs

Do Health 👉 Get ahead of your health, don't react to it. Head to https://highpfrmc.com/dohealth-hpp-au to sign up now

Go Henry 👉 Grow their skills and their money at gohenry.com/highperformance with £5 FREE to get started.

Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au

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In this special episode, Jake Humphrey visits Future Youth Zone in Dagenham, part of the OnSide network, where he sits down with Professor Green for one of his most personal conversations yet.

Reflecting on his difficult childhood, Professor Green reveals how youth clubs gave him a sense of belonging when he needed it most and why spaces like this can change the course of a young person's life.

Jake also speaks to Jamie Masraff, Chief Executive of OnSide, about the life-changing work being done to support over 60,000 young people every year, and why funding raised by Postcode Lottery players is so vital in helping create more Youth Zones, giving young people access to trusted adults, opportunities and safe places to belong.

Jake also meets Lily and Olivia, two inspiring young members whose stories bring that impact to life, and youth worker Stephanie, who explains why simply being heard can change a young person's future. Together, their conversations highlight why youth clubs are more than just places to spend time - they're places where young people can find confidence, connection and the chance to thrive.

Onside Youth Zones Charity Registered Number 1125893. Postcode Lottery manages lotteries for 20 charities. A minimum of 30% of each ticket price goes to charity. 18+, conditions apply. Not available in Northern Ireland

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Jake and Damian tackle the question nobody prepares you for: how do you actually know when it's time to walk away?

Whether it's a job, a career, a relationship, or a version of yourself you've been fighting to hold onto, leaving is one of the hardest decisions any of us will ever make. But across nearly 450 conversations on High Performance, one thing keeps coming up: the people who walk away well aren't the ones who had no choice. They're the ones who knew exactly what they were walking towards.

In this episode, Jake and Damian hear from:

If there's something in your life you're not sure whether to stay with or let go of, this one's for you.

Listen to full episodes:

Phil Jones https://pod.fo/e/26c0f1

Joe Hart https://pod.fo/e/24b0f2

Eddie Howe https://pod.fo/e/14d4d9

Michail Antonio https://pod.fo/e/23c4d8

Stuart Broad https://pod.fo/e/2093a6

Revolut Business 👉 High-performing businesses need powerful financial tools. Get a £200 welcome bonus with Revolut Business when you sign up at https://revolutbusiness.onelink.me/jLOt/hp-ep6-aud and add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply.

Eight Sleep 👉If you want to discover deeper sleep. Use code HPP to get £360 off your Pod 5 Ultra here: https://highpfrmc.com/eightsleep_au

AG1 👉Head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs

Do Health 👉 Get ahead of your health, don't react to it. Head to https://highpfrmc.com/dohealth-hpp-auto sign up now

Go Henry 👉 Grow their skills and their money at gohenry.com/highperformance with £5 FREE to get started!

Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au

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Nick Fry bought an underperforming Formula 1 team for £1 and went on to win the World Championship. But before the historic 2009 fairy tale with Brawn GP, Nick and his wife had to face the ultimate risk: agreeing that if they lost everything, they would be perfectly content living on tinned tuna for the rest of their lives.

In this episode, the former CEO of Brawn and Mercedes strips away the glamour of the paddock to share a masterclass in high-stakes leadership, belief, and crisis management. He reveals how financial pressure became a performance driver and how solving one problem at a time laid the foundation for Mercedes’ dominance.

Nick also shares his thoughts on collective performance over individual ego, why hard work beats talent, and the key decisions that shaped Brawn’s rise to the top of Formula 1.

This is a must-listen for anyone facing insurmountable odds, closing with a simple message from a man who lived it: “If you're gonna do it, just go for it. Don’t mess around.”

Revolut Business 👉 High-performing businesses need powerful financial tools. Get a £200 welcome bonus with Revolut Business when you sign up at https://revolutbusiness.onelink.me/jLOt/hp-ep6-aud and add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply.

Eight Sleep 👉If you want to discover deeper sleep. Use code HPP to get £360 off your Pod 5 Ultra here: https://highpfrmc.com/eightsleep_au

AG1 👉Head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs

Do Health 👉 Get ahead of your health, don't react to it. Head to https://highpfrmc.com/dohealth-hpp-auto sign up now

Go Henry 👉 Grow their skills and their money at gohenry.com/highperformance with £5 FREE to get started!

Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au

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Ben Stokes has just announced his retirement from international cricket. And the person who can best explain what that decision truly costs — and what Stokes has meant as a captain and a human being — is Stuart Broad.

Stuart retired in 2023 on his own terms: last ball, The Oval, England versus Australia. In this conversation, he tells the full story of the night he walked down the hotel corridor and knocked on Stokesy's door to tell him it was over. What happened in that room, and how he felt when he woke up the next morning, is something every leader will recognise.

But this conversation goes much deeper than retirement. Stuart opens up about the T20 World Cup in Durban — the day six sixes were hit off one over, and how the humiliation changed everything. He explains the mental frameworks he quietly built over the following 16 years: warrior mode, assassin mode, the daily note-making practice that started as a cricket habit and became a life habit. And he makes a case that the game is not 80% mental — it's closer to 90.

A brilliant episode on performance, legacy, and knowing when to walk away.

Thanks to our partners:

Revolut Business 👉 High-performing businesses need powerful financial tools. Get a £200 welcome bonus with Revolut Business when you sign up at https://revolutbusiness.onelink.me/jLOt/hp-ep5-aud and add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply. 

AG1 👉Head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs

Do Health 👉 Get ahead of your health, don't react to it. Head to https://highpfrmc.com/dohealth-hpp-auto sign up now

Better Help 👉 Join Jake in Saying It Louder with 10% off Betterhelp Therapy. Click here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-betterhelp-au 

Go Henry 👉 Grow their skills and their money at gohenry.com/highperformance with £5 FREE to get started!

Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au

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Jake and Damian go deep on one of the most universal struggles in high performance: why so many of us find it almost impossible to say no, and what it's actually costing us when we can't.

Drawing on conversations with promoter Barry Hearn, who walked away from a £30 million deal because he didn't like the people behind it, comedian Katherine Ryan, who voluntarily gave up a career-defining TV slot so other women could have their chance, and leading psychologist Gabor Maté, who traces the roots of people-pleasing all the way back to childhood, Jake and Damian explore why saying yes to everyone else might mean saying no to yourself.

They cover the science of sociotropy, the difference between "I can't" and "I don't", and why the guilt you feel when you say no is usually a sign you've got your values exactly right.

Plus, the audience response to Liam Lawson's recent episode has been extraordinary. Jake and Damian reflect on why it's struck such a nerve.

Listen to the full episodes featured:

Barry Hearn https://pod.fo/e/157c60

Katherine Ryan https://pod.fo/e/1df492

Gabor Maté https://pod.fo/e/273d65

Revolut Business 👉 High-performing businesses need powerful financial tools. Get a £200 welcome bonus with Revolut Business when you sign up at https://revolutbusiness.onelink.me/jLOt/hp-ep5-aud and add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply. 

AG1 👉Head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs

Do Health 👉 Get ahead of your health, don't react to it. Head to https://highpfrmc.com/dohealth-hpp-auto sign up now

Better Help 👉 Join Jake in Saying It Louder with 10% off Betterhelp Therapy. Click here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-betterhelp-au 

Go Henry 👉 Grow their skills and their money at gohenry.com/highperformance with £5 FREE to get started!

Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au

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Professor Geir Jordet flips everything you think you know about high-stakes performance on its head, revealing that a penalty shootout is won or lost long before the foot ever hits the ball.

In this episode, the world’s leading football psychologist breaks down the meticulous psychological warfare of the 2022 World Cup Final and explains how England transformed from the world’s worst shootout team into the absolute best through structural changes like the "buddy system." 

He exposes the hidden mechanics of pressure, from Harry Kane’s unpredictable dual technique and Erling Haaland’s surprising admission of fear, to why overthinking for twelve seconds cost Marcus Rashford at the Euros. Jordet also debunks major football myths, unpacking the subtle manipulation tactics used by players like Emiliano Martínez and explaining why trying to fake a smile under immense pressure will backfire. 

This episode offers a sophisticated masterclass in process-over-outcome thinking, delivering powerful lessons on anxiety, team-wide psychological safety, and how to master your mind when the eyes of the world are on you.

Revolut Business 👉 High-performing businesses need powerful financial tools. Get a £200 welcome bonus with Revolut Business when you sign up at https://revolutbusiness.onelink.me/jLOt/hp-ep5-aud and add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply. 

AG1 👉Head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs

Do Health 👉 Get ahead of your health, don't react to it. Head to https://highpfrmc.com/dohealth-hpp-auto sign up now

Better Help 👉 Join Jake in Saying It Louder with 10% off Betterhelp Therapy. Click here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-betterhelp-au 

Go Henry 👉 Grow their skills and their money at gohenry.com/highperformance with £5 FREE to get started!

Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au

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Russ Cook, better known as the Hardest Geezer, became famous for running the length of Africa. 352 days. 10,000 miles. The first person ever to do it. But before all of that, he was a teenager scrubbing a Waitrose toilet at 4am, opening a cupboard to find a single tin of new potatoes, and hiding a gambling debt from his girlfriend.

In this conversation, Jake goes back to before Africa - to the years of directionlessness, the arrogance that masked insecurity, the run home from a nightclub in Brighton, and the chance encounter with a cyclist in Kenya that changed everything.

They also get into the question that sits beneath all of it: is Russ running towards something great, or away from something painful? And now he's a new father - how does that shift what he's willing to risk?

Plus: why he won't take the Leeds Ironman lightly despite barely managing three lengths of a pool.

This episode is brought to you by Bulldog Skincare. Shop their grooming range, from face wash to bamboo razors, at Boots👉 https://highpfrmc.com/HPP_Bulldog_brandedep

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Boris Becker burned out at 25. Former British No1 Jo Konta carried her family's sacrifice onto court every match and Irish tennise pr Conor Niland described a tennis player's self-worth as entirely tied to winning and losing — nothing else. Three players, the same problem: identity wrapped around results, the sport becoming something to survive.

This week, in the run-up to Wimbledon, Jake and Damian go back into the archive to hear from all three — then hand over to leading performance coach, Ben Crowe, who has spent 30 years helping the world's best athletes solve exactly that problem.

Ben has worked with athletes Ash Barty and Steph Gilmore coached NBA teams and the Australian Cricket Team, and comes personally recommended by Andre Agassi. You'll hear the full story of Ash Barty's French Open semifinal — 5-0 up and tightening, 3-0 down and laughing — and what shifted in her mind to turn it around. Plus Ben's central idea: the opposite of play is not work. It's fear. And most people, most of the time, are in the fear state without knowing it.

Where the Light Gets In by Ben Crowe is available now.

Revolut Business 👉 High-performing businesses need powerful financial tools. Get a £200 welcome bonus with Revolut Business when you sign up at https://revolutbusiness.onelink.me/jLOt/hp-ep4-aud and add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply.

AG1 👉Head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs

Better Help 👉 Join Jake in Saying It Louder with 10% off Betterhelp Therapy. Click here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-betterhelp-au

Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au

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Racing Bulls Formula 1 driver Liam Lawson has lived through the highest stakes and the ruthless politics of motorsport.

In this episode, Liam opens up about the reality of his Red Bull exit, revealing how he was blindsided, unfairly judged and left carrying the blame for a radical car setup experiment. He also shares where his self belief comes from, from finishing last in go karting to ignoring the people who said Formula 1 was impossible.

Liam also reveals the unexpected habit that helps him handle the noise of race weekend, taking a guitar to every Grand Prix to switch off and reset. This is a raw and honest conversation about pressure, resilience and protecting who you are in one of the most unforgiving sports in the world.

Official website of Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula One Team involved in the most exciting car championship in the world. Discover what's new: https://www.visacashapprb.com/int-en/team

Revolut Business 👉 High-performing businesses need powerful financial tools. Get a £200 welcome bonus with Revolut Business when you sign up at https://revolutbusiness.onelink.me/jLOt/hp-ep4-aud and add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply.

AG1 👉Head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs

Better Help 👉 Join Jake in Saying It Louder with 10% off Betterhelp Therapy. Click here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-betterhelp-au

Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au

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Sir Gareth Southgate is England's most successful manager since 1966. Two finals, four tournaments and by the end, fans were throwing beer at him in the stadium.

Today, as England embark on another World Cup journey, we revisit one of the most candid leadership conversations we've ever recorded. Gareth explains why he knew it was time to leave before the final was even played, what he said to his players before England's penalty shootouts, and how it took him 52 years to silence the voice in his head — the same voice that froze him in 1996.

He also gets into the unglamorous reality of leading a high-profile team: how to protect players from outside noise when you can't protect yourself from it, why he banned himself from speaking first in staff meetings, and what it actually felt like to walk through the door as England manager and realise culture, not tactics, was the problem.

Thanks to our partners:

Revolut Business 👉 High-performing businesses need powerful financial tools. Get a £200 welcome bonus with Revolut Business when you sign up at https://revolutbusiness.onelink.me/jLOt/hp-ep3-aud and add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply.

Do Health 👉 Get ahead of your health, don't react to it. Head to https://highpfrmc.com/dohealth-hpp-au to sign up now 

Better Help 👉 Join Jake in Saying It Louder with 10% off Betterhelp Therapy. Click here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-betterhelp-au 

Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au 

AG1 👉Head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs

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The UK has announced a ban on under-16s using social media. Jake and Damian's reaction is immediate: the ban is right, but it cannot do the job alone. In this episode they go back into the archive to hear from the people who saw this coming.

Jonathan Haidt on the phone-based childhood we built without realising what we were dismantling. Johann Hari on the 10,000 engineers paid to undermine your self-control. Alex Greenwood on the body image spiral that started at 15. And the guys talk Liam Lawson, whose episode drops Monday, on what happens when your phone explodes and the world turns on you overnight.

Jake shares the Ofcom data that should stop every parent in their tracks and Damian reads a message from Daisy Greenwell, co-founder of Smartphone Free Childhood, the grassroots movement that helped make today's law happen.

Listen to the full episodes:

Jonathan Haidt https://pod.fo/e/2a4563

Johann Hari https://pod.fo/e/267393

Alex Greenwood https://pod.fo/e/30cbd0

Thanks to our partners:

Revolut Business 👉 High-performing businesses need powerful financial tools. Get a £200 welcome bonus with Revolut Business when you sign up at https://revolutbusiness.onelink.me/jLOt/hp-ep3-aud and add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply.

Do Health 👉 Get ahead of your health, don't react to it. Head to https://highpfrmc.com/dohealth-hpp-au to sign up now 

Better Help 👉 Join Jake in Saying It Louder with 10% off Betterhelp Therapy. Click here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-betterhelp-au 

Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au 

AG1 👉Head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Seaman is one of England's greatest ever goalkeepers, with 75 caps and multiple trophies with Arsenal. In this episode he shares the moments that shaped him, many of which have never been told like this before.

David takes us from being released by Leeds United at 19 to walking out for England at the World Cup, opening up about the fear he felt after the Ronaldinho free kick and the untold story of packing Gazza's bags after he was left out of the 98 squad.

He also shares his three non-negotiables for any winning culture and a definition of high performance that traces all the way back to a nine year old kid in Rotherham being told to go in goal and never wanting to leave.

This is an honest, emotional and powerful conversation about resilience, loyalty and what it really means to love what you do.

As patron of the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK, David Seaman supports bowel cancer research and awareness. The Fund has raised over £31 million for research across the UK.

Support the cause by visiting the Bobby Moore Fund website and joining challenges like Run 66 Miles or 100 Keepy Uppies. https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/get-involved/bobby-moore-fund

Revolut Business 👉 High-performing businesses need powerful financial tools. Get a £200 welcome bonus with Revolut Business when you sign up at https://revolutbusiness.onelink.me/jLOt/hp-ep3-aud and add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply.

Do Health 👉 Get ahead of your health, don't react to it. Head to https://highpfrmc.com/dohealth-hpp-au to sign up now 

Better Help 👉 Join Jake in Saying It Louder with 10% off Betterhelp Therapy. Click here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-betterhelp-au 

Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au 

AG1 👉Head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs

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Joe Hart was England's number one for over a decade, won two Premier Leagues at Manchester City, and was one of the most recognisable goalkeepers of his generation. Then Pep Guardiola arrived - and everything changed.

In this conversation with Jake and Damian, Joe speaks with remarkable honesty about the mental block that nearly ended his City career before it peaked, the moment he felt genuinely unbeatable and how quickly that unravelled, and what it was really like inside England's tournament camps when the pressure was at its highest. He also gives his most direct assessment of why England kept falling short at major tournaments - and it's not the answer most people expect.

Then comes the harder chapter. The loans, the exits, the moment he genuinely thought professional football was done with him. And finally Celtic, Ange Postecoglou, and an ending so good he admits it scared him.

Two sides to Joe Hart: the warrior who needed to be the last line of defence, and the kid from Shrewsbury who never stopped being amazed he got to play.

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Jake and Damian take stock and draw on five years of conversations with some of the world's highest performers. This episode strips everything back to four questions — the ones that, according to existential psychologist Tatiana Schnell, sit at the foundation of a meaningful life.

Does your life add up? Do you feel you matter? Do you have a sense of purpose? And do you truly belong to something bigger than yourself?

With clips from Dr Pippa Grange on vulnerability and team culture, rapper Aitch on the person who inspires him most, England Rugby League head coach Shaun Wane on finding purpose through adversity, and Dr Rangan Chatterjee on the hidden epidemic of loneliness, Jake and Damian don't just examine the questions — they answer them honestly.

Jake opens up about growing up without a clear sense of purpose, the quiet loneliness of chasing success across jobs, and the moment he realised he had no one to call. Damian reflects on what it means for your life to genuinely cohere.

Listen to the full episodes of guests featured:

Dr Pippa Grange https://pod.fo/e/10bc10

Aitch https://pod.fo/e/27ae56

Shaun Wane https://pod.fo/e/259c4

Dr Rangan Chatterjee https://pod.fo/e/115f19

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Do Health 👉 Get ahead of your health, don't react to it. Head to https://highpfrmc.com/dohealth-hpp-au to sign up now

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Andy Wilman is back for round two, bringing his signature blunt honesty as the creative force behind Top Gear, The Grand Tour and Clarkson's Farm. Few people in television have built more iconic shows or stayed more allergic to nonsense while doing it.

In this episode, Andy dives straight into the chaos of creation, explaining why building something from scratch forges an unbreakable bond that makes walking away almost impossible. He shares his philosophy on embracing the happy accidents of television and why great content must always start with purpose rather than chasing clicks.

Andy also opens up about his personal approach to mental health, arguing that therapy should be treated as routine maintenance rather than crisis management. He tackles authenticity and current affairs too, breaking down how Jeremy Clarkson earned the genuine trust of the farming community and why precision was desperately needed in the recent inheritance tax debate.

This is a conversation about the creative process, the power of unfiltered honesty and the hidden structures behind some of the biggest shows in the world.

The paperback version of Andy's book: 'Mr Wilman's Motoring Adventure' is available to purchase now: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mr-Wilmans-Motoring-Adventure-Clarkson/dp/0241788951?ref_=d6k_applink_bb_dls_failed

Clarkson's Farm 5 is available to watch on Prime Video now.

Revolut Business 👉 High-performing businesses need powerful financial tools. Get a £200 welcome bonus with Revolut Business when you sign up at https://revolutbusiness.onelink.me/jLOt/hp-ep2-audand add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply.

Better Help 👉 Join Jake in Saying It Louder with 10% off Betterhelp Therapy. Click here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-betterhelp-au 

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AG1 👉Head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs

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Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole, and Peter Crouch between them have won Champions League titles, Premier League medals, over 200 England caps. And yet not one of them ever lifted a major trophy for their country.

In this roundtable, three men who were inside the 'Golden Generation' dressing room finally say what went wrong. The media that made players scared to perform. The manager who wouldn't listen. The moment the England coach was asking Beckham for a signed shirt. And why, for most of them, playing for England never felt free.

But this isn't just a post-mortem. It's highlights what culture, leadership, and environment actually do to elite performers — and why getting those things wrong can waste a golden generation of talent.

Thanks to our partners on this episode:

Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au 

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James Milner retired this week as the Premier League's all-time appearance record holder. 658 games. 24 years. Never once dropped his standards.

This week Jake and Damian sit down to ask the question that nobody else is asking — not what he achieved, but how someone holds their standards every single day for that long. What does it cost? What does it give you? And what can the rest of us learn from a man who never once let it slip?

Listen to the full episode with James here: https://pod.fo/e/20a01e

Thanks to our partners:

Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au 

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AG1 👉Head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs

Do Health 👉 Get ahead of your health, don't react to it. Head to https://highpfrmc.com/dohealth-hpp-au to sign up now

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Nico Rosberg spent 31 years building his identity around a single goal to become Formula 1 World Champion. In this episode Nico reveals the stark reality of achieving his ultimate dream, explaining why his 2016 triumph brought relief rather than euphoria and why he walked away from a £100m+ fortune at his absolute peak.

He strips back the curtain on his legendary, fierce rivalry with childhood friend Lewis Hamilton, describing the psychological warfare of their title fights and the conscious rewiring required to stop yielding in wheel-to-wheel battles.

Nico also opens up about his secret mental training regime at a time when psychology was viewed as a weakness. From his foot violently shaking on the accelerator in Abu Dhabi to reframing failure in a locked hotel room, he shares a masterclass on how to train your reaction to fear.

This episode offers a raw, gripping look at the psychological cost of winning at all costs and what it truly takes to conquer your inner critic. 

Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au 

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What happens when the medical system tells you you’re clear, but the hardest part of your recovery is actually just beginning? In this special roundtable episode, brought to you in partnership with Postcode Lottery, we explore the unseen side of living through and beyond cancer.

Joining Jake in the studio are legendary solo sailor Dame Ellen MacArthur, Frank Fletcher (CEO of the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust), and Josh Rands, a young survivor who rebuilt his life after a rare cancer diagnosis at just 19. Together, they share a raw, open conversation about why true bravery isn't always something you choose, the reality of life when treatment structures suddenly fall away, and how reclaiming independence on the open sea can give young people their futures back. 

It’s a powerful look at resilience, the daily grind of running a purpose-driven charity, and why finding a genuine sense of belonging is often the ultimate medicine.

Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au 

Postcode Lottery manages lotteries for 20 charities, a minimum of 30% of each ticket price goes to charity. 18 plus, conditions apply, not available in Northern Ireland

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Fear doesn't disappear when you become successful. It just changes shape.

In this episode, Jake and Damian go into the archive to ask a question most of us avoid: what are you actually afraid of — and what's it costing you?

They're joined by clips from some of High Performance's most memorable conversations: Phil Heath on navigating darkness to find your highest level, Scott McTominay on the self-doubt that never left him through 21 years at Manchester United, Jameela Jamil on 15 years of saying yes to everything and no to herself, and Robin Van Persie on the moment he realised he was the one making it heavy.

Plus: why imposter syndrome isn't a syndrome, the difference between overthinking and thinking deeply, and what actually happens when you stop fighting a feeling and just name it.

Listen to the full conversations:

Jameela Jamil https://pod.fo/e/225b9e

Scott McTominay https://pod.fo/e/2154f0

Phil Heath https://pod.fo/e/2313e6

Robin Van Persie https://pod.fo/e/18789

Ronda Rousey https://pod.fo/e/23ec96

Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au 

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Next week on High Performance: Nico Rosberg — Formula 1 World Champion. Hit subscribe so you don't miss it.

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Steve McClaren has lived the full arc of elite football, from the immense pressure of managing England to lifting trophies in Europe and standing alongside Sir Alex Ferguson during Manchester United’s historic Treble campaign.

In this episode, Steve takes us inside the uniquely brutal world of the England job and World Cup expectation, describing the psychological weight of carrying 70 million people on your shoulders and breaking down the volatile mix of camp chemistry, player fitness, and sheer luck required to win the 2026 World Cup.

The conversation shifts to the blueprint of a modern rebuild, analysing the early signs of structural alignment at Manchester United under INEOS. Drawing from a lifetime of experience, Steve explains why tactics and staff are fundamentally useless unless the entire hierarchy of a football club is pulling in the exact same direction.

He also shares what he learned inside Ferguson’s machine, from total trust in his staff to a relentless hunger that reset the standard the morning after the Treble. This is a conversation about pressure, standards and what it really takes to build sustained success at the very top of the game.

Steve McClaren has joined Rotherham FC as Head of Football https://www.themillers.co.uk/

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We packed up the studio in the Vauxhall Combo electric van and travelled to the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre for a deeply reflective conversation with Team GB athlete Georgia Hunter-Bell.

Away from the heat of competition, Georgia opens up for the first time about a chapter of her life she has never publicly revealed before. She shares her experience going through dark timesafter walking away from the sport that had defined her identity for so many years.

Georgia also explains how navigating that dark period allowed her to return as "version 2.0," armed with a powerful new perspective on what it truly takes to be an elite athlete as she looks ahead to the LA 2028 Olympic Games.

This episode explores the mental battles of elite performance, reflecting on Georgia’s resilience through her darkest chapter and how she rebuilt her identity.

In Partnership with Vauxhall. This special episode was made possible by our partner, Vauxhall, the official automotive partner for Team GB through to the 2028 LA Olympics.

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Trust is the single most important currency in sport, business, and life - and in the age of AI, it's becoming scarcer by the day. This week Jake Humphrey is joined by producer Will to dig into why.

Drawing on some of the most powerful conversations in the High Performance archive, they explore what trust really is, how it breaks down, and whether it can ever truly be rebuilt.

Featuring:

Plus: why Southampton's Spygate is just the catalyst for a much bigger conversation, what the rise of AI means for human credibility, and the difference between performative trust and the real thing.

🔗 Rachel Botsman: https://pod.fo/e/1179ff

🔗 James Timpson: https://pod.fo/e/c4dbd

🔗 Stuart Broad: https://pod.fo/e/2093a6

🔗 Martin Lewis: https://pod.fo/e/22a519

🔗 Damian's habit series — Why Building Trust Beats Being Liked: https://pod.fo/e/323b0d

Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au 

Better Help 👉 Join Jake in Saying It Louder with 10% off Betterhelp Therapy. Click here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-betterhelp-au

AG1 👉Head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs

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Justin Cochrane is one of elite football’s most respected coaches and a vital part of the England Men's backroom team. Justin’s leadership focuses on reading a squad’s emotional temperature and providing players the freedom to be themselves.

In this episode, Justin shares the moving story of losing his wife Leeanne to cancer and how her selfless approach to her final days redefined his perspective. He discusses the "medicine" of football, explaining how returning to coaching weeks after her death provided the stability needed to carry immense grief while operating at the highest level.

Justin also speaks to Jake and Damian about how personal trauma made him a better leader by shortening the gap between disappointment and recovery. From raising his three sons alone to preparing for a World Cup, Justin offers a masterclass in resilience, guided by Leeanne’s final gift: the reminder to always have "someone to love, something to do, and something to look forward to."

Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au 

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AG1 👉Head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs

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Go Henry 👉 Grow their skills and their money at gohenry.com/highperformance with £5 FREE to get started!

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Ronda Rousey is back in the spotlight on Netflix this weekend — and it felt like the perfect moment to revisit this conversation we had with her in Hollywood - one of the most funny and honest conversations we've ever had on this show.

Sitting down with Jake and Damian in Hollywood, Ronda reveals the secret she hid from everyone: that she fought the final chapter of her UFC career already concussed, shutting herself in dark locker rooms between rounds to hide the damage. She talks about losing her dad at eight years old, the coaches who dislocated her jaw, the 14-second armbar she invented on the spot that's still the fastest title submission in UFC history, and the moment after her defeat to Holly Holm where she genuinely thought dying would be preferable.

Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au 

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AG1 👉 head to drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs.

XTB 👉 To find out more and make your money work, use code HPP at: https://highpfrmc.com/XTB-hpp-au

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Everyone talks about what it takes to win. Nobody talks about what comes the morning after. In this episode, Jake and Damian go deep into the HPP archive to explore one of the most uncomfortable truths in high performance: why the moment of victory so often leaves elite performers feeling empty, lost, and at a total loss for what comes next.

Featuring conversations with Yaya Touré on the strange emptiness of retirement, Ben Ainslie on the post-Olympic blues that hit 24 hours after winning gold, Ian Thorpe on walking away from a sport that stopped feeling like his own, Héctor Bellerín on why your value should burn like a candle - steady, never spiking - and Billy Monger on finding purpose after having it stripped away entirely.

Jake and Damian also get into the psychology of why we delay our happiness, what self-determination theory tells us about intrinsic motivation, and why the people who handle the end of peak achievement best are the ones who were never only defined by it.

The question isn't really 'what do you do the day after you win?' It's 'who are you when the goal is gone?'

Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au 

Better Help 👉 Join Jake in Saying It Louder with 10% off Betterhelp Therapy. Click here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-betterhelp-au 

AG1 👉 head to drinkag1.com/highperformanceto save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs.

XTB 👉 To find out more and make your money work, use code HPP at: https://highpfrmc.com/XTB-hpp-au

Listen to the full episodes:

Yaya Touré https://pod.fo/e/3f55a1

Ben Ainslie https://pod.fo/e/661e6

Ian Thorpe https://pod.fo/e/d9a3a

Héctor Bellerín https://pod.fo/e/d3369

Billy Monger https://pod.fo/e/a8d2c

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Paul Wight, known to millions as “The Big Show,” is one of the most recognisable figures in sports entertainment history. In this episode, Paul reveals the stark reality of a life lived under a terminal diagnosis, opening up about the decades he spent assuming he wouldn't grow old and the grueling work he is now doing to rebuild a body he never expected to still be using at 53.

He discusses the radical selflessness that defined his thirty-year career, where he viewed himself as the "wall" for others to break through rather than the destination. Paul shares his unique three-step formula for success and explores the hidden psychological weight of consistently prioritising his opponents' glory over his own world-title ambitions.

Paul also reflects on a profound emotional breakthrough that arrived uninvited on a film set, shattering a lifetime of performed toughness.

This is a rare, intimate look at a man finally pursuing a path entirely for himself, trading the wrestling ring for Shakespeare and discovering who he is when he no longer has to make someone else look good.

Paul Wight will be returning to London for All Elite Wrestling’s record breaking show AEW All In: London - taking place over the bank holiday weekend on Sunday 30th August, live from Wembley Stadium. https://www.livenation.co.uk/

Widely regarded as one of professional wrestling’s greatest “big men” of all time, the iconic Paul Wight has done it all in and out of the ring, holding 23 total championships, headlining the world’s biggest shows and appearing in dozens of films and television shows over his 30-year career.

Wight shocked the wrestling world in February 2021 by signing with All Elite Wrestling, and has since served as a coach, mentor, commentator and wrestler in AEW, as well as an on-screen authority figure for AEW’s sister promotion, Ring of Honor. Standing in at 7’0”, Wight is one of the most recognisable figures in wrestling history and has brought decades of knowledge and experience to the blooming AEW roster.

In limited AEW action, Wight has defeated QT Marshall at AEW All Out in 2021, and was a key figure in AEW’s cross-branded Yakuza: Like a Dragon Street Fight in November 2023, where he took a body slam onto a car from Powerhouse Hobbs.

On the silver screen, Wight is known for performances including the legendary Captain Insano in The Waterboy, as well as appearances in Jingle All The Way, episodes of Saturday Night Live, MADtv, Hollywood Squares, The Weakest Link, Psych, Conan and headlined Netflix’s The Big Show Show.

Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au 

Better Help 👉 Join Jake in Saying It Louder with 10% off Betterhelp Therapy. Click here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-betterhelp-au 

AG1 👉 head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs.

XTB 👉🏻 To find out more and make your money work, use code HPP at: https://highpfrmc.com/XTB-hpp-au

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This special roundtable episode explores the vital role of mental fitness in reaching and sustaining peak performance. 

In this special roundtable episode, in partnership with BetterHelp, hosts Jake Humphrey, Spencer Matthews, and Matt Willis reframe therapy as an essential "performance tool." By comparing mental maintenance to physical training, the trio highlights how proactive support is key to navigating the pressures of modern life and sustaining peak performance.

This conversation explores personal breakthroughs, from Jake’s experience with "Pure O" to Matt’s discovery of the power in asking, "How do I feel?" They discuss the value of having a "mental adult" in the room, a confidential professional who allows you to offload internal noise without the fear of burdening friends or family.

Whether you are facing a crisis or simply seeking self-understanding, this episode demonstrates that therapy provides the clarity needed to show up as your best self. It is a raw, unscripted reminder that seeking support is a proactive choice for anyone committed to long-term resilience and growth.

Better Help 👉 Join Jake in Saying It Louder with 10% off Betterhelp Therapy. Click here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-betterhelp-au

Need help?

If you or someone else is in danger, call 999 or go to A&E now

If you need urgent help for your mental health, get help from NHS 111 online or call 111: https://111.nhs.uk/triage/check-your-mental-health-symptoms

Your mental health is as important as your physical health. You will not be wasting anyone's time.

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What separates the athlete who cheats from the one who doesn't? And is the answer as simple as character — or is something else going on entirely?

This week, Damian sits down with sports journalist James Witts, author of Dope, a book that goes deep into the culture surrounding elite sport and the forces that push athletes across the line.

They get into the Enhanced Games arriving in Las Vegas, the staggering gap between how many athletes self-report doping versus how many ever test positive, and why doping in a contact sport like boxing is a fundamentally different moral question to doping on a bike.

Jake and Damian also bring in archive clips from legends Usain Bolt and Michael Johnson — two athletes who faced the question head-on, and answered it differently. Plus: your questions from the comments, what Jake and Damian have been watching and reading this week.

Dope by James Witts is out now.

Listen to full episodes:

Usain Bolt https://pod.fo/e/279623

Michael Johnson https://pod.fo/e/254ca8

Better Help 👉 Join Jake in Saying It Louder with 10% off Betterhelp Therapy. Click here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-betterhelp-au 

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Go Henry 👉 Grow their skills and their money at gohenry.com/highperformancewith £5 FREE to get started!

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Bjørn Mannsverk is the former F-16 fighter pilot who swapped combat missions for football kits to lead Bodø/Glimt on a historic rise. Under his guidance, the small Norwegian club achieved the impossible, dismantling giants like Manchester City, Inter Milan, and Atletico Madrid despite a stadium capacity of just 8,200.

In this episode, Bjørn explains how he transformed the team by strictly banning the word "winning" and replacing it with a performance-driven culture built on "awareness training." He breaks down his "Fighter Pilot Method," including high-pressure "friction meetings" and the on-pitch huddle known as "The Ring" that refocused his team after every goal. 

Bjørn also explores how treating a dressing room like a combat squadron drove the club’s revenue from €4.2m to €80m and why letting go of ambition is the ultimate key to elite success.

Better Help 👉 Join Jake in Saying It Louder with 10% off Betterhelp Therapy. Click here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-betterhelp-au 

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Go Henry 👉 Grow their skills and their money at gohenry.com/highperformancewith £5 FREE to get started!

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This week we're revisiting one of the most beloved episodes in High Performance history — our conversation with Mel Marshall, former head coach to Adam Peaty and one of the most compelling thinkers on leadership, coaching and human development we've ever had on the show.

Mel went to Athens in 2004 as the world's fastest swimmer in her event. She came home without a medal. From that moment, she built an entirely new philosophy — and went on to coach Adam Peaty to multiple Olympic gold medals from a club pool in Derby with dodgy lane ropes and no gym.

In this episode, Mel talks about why people always come before performance. How she builds commitment culture. The art of giving feedback that actually changes behaviour. And the question she plans to ask Adam at the end of his career that has nothing to do with medals.

One of the most complete conversations we've had on this show — and one that will stay with you long after it's finished.

Heights 👉 Get 20% off your subscription by using Code: HP20 here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp_heights_au3 

Go Henry 👉 Grow their skills and their money at gohenry.com/highperformance with £5 FREE to get started!

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Pressure isn't coming... it's already here. This week Jake and Damian go deep into the High Performance archives to ask: what do the very best actually do when it arrives?

Featuring Chrissie Wellington on racing imperfect races perfectly, Tom Aspinall on why admitting fear beats denying it, Dan Carter on the All Blacks' hardest lesson, James Milner on what Klopp did after losing two finals, and Yaya Touré on the video Pep showed Barcelona the night before the 2009 Champions League final.

Listen to the full episodes:

Chrissie Wellington https://pod.fo/e/103df1

Tom Aspinall https://pod.fo/e/2d3d2e

Dan Carter https://pod.fo/e/f5fc4

James Milner https://pod.fo/e/20a01e

Yaya Touré https://pod.fo/e/3f55a1

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Oscar Piastri is a name synonymous with composure, but beneath the calm exterior lies a driver with a quietly radical approach to the pinnacle of motorsport. Recorded at the heart of the McLaren Technology Centre, this episode takes us inside the clinical, high-performance world of the young Australian as he navigates his rise through the F1 ranks.

In this episode, Oscar reveals the psychological framework behind his success, explaining why he measures performance by control rather than results. He discusses the "honest brutality" of his mental training and the exact moment his mindset shifted from hoping for wins to knowing they were inevitable.

Beyond the data, Oscar also opens up about the complex social architecture of the paddock. He reflects on the unsentimental line between respect and friendship, and the fragile internal dynamic with Lando Norris that very nearly turned poisonous.

This episode offers an unfiltered look at F1’s future, from "refreshing" FIA collaborations to Oscar’s blunt, five-word verdict on the 2026 cars. It is a deep dive into the mind of a driver who isn’t just racing in F1, he’s deconstructing it.

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Stephen Hendry won seven world snooker titles in nine years. He didn't just reach the top of snooker, he made the top his permanent address for almost a decade. But this conversation goes far beyond the trophies.

We're revisiting this incredible chat with Stephen where he tells Jake and Damian what it actually felt like to be that dominant, why he deliberately kept himself cold and aloof from every rival, and what the relentless pursuit of winning ultimately cost him. And why if given the choice, he'd do it again.

This is an unflinching portrait of what total dedication looks like from the inside — and one of the most honest conversations we've ever had on High Performance.

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Jake and Damian discuss a BIG announcement this week... High Performance has a new show, and it's all about Formula One.

Hosted by Jake Humphrey alongside former Aston Martin & Alpine Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer and ex-Ferrari & Williams Race Engineer Rob Smedley, High Performance Racing breaks down F1's biggest stories through the eyes of people who actually lived it.

Jake explains why the audience demanded it, and why no other F1 podcast is made quite like this one — front row seat to the paddock, from team analysis and technical breakdowns to the unfiltered conversations of the pit wall.

You'll also hear a clip from Episode 1 — covering the cancelled races, the Mercedes era question, Kimi Antonelli's talent, and whether F1 2026 has broken its own sport. Plus...can Lewis Hamilton ever become an eight-time world champion? That conversation is waiting for you in the full episode!

Subscibe & Listen on Spotify: https://bit.ly/42lcqYN

Subscibe & Listen on Apple: https://bit.ly/3Qz9ogX

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highperformance.racing/

Watch on YouTube: https://bit.ly/48NuT3T

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At 105 years old, WWII Mosquito pilot Flt Lt Colin Bell, DFC, remains a masterclass in mental discipline and strategic focus. Having survived 50 high-stakes missions over Germany in one of the war's fastest and most dangerous aircraft, Colin breaks down the vital distinction between eliminating fear and controlling it, a survival mindset that translates directly from the cockpit to the highest-pressure environments of the modern world.

In this episode, he delivers a sobering warning on the dangers of national and personal complacency, drawing sharp, uncomfortable parallels between the political climate of the 1930s and the world we live in today. Colin also shares the "Mosquito mindset" for living a full and meaningful life: a philosophy rooted in decisive action, ruthless preparation, and the unwavering emotional discipline required to navigate a crisis without losing one's sense of self.

This conversation serves as a rare blueprint for building the courage and clarity needed to navigate an increasingly uncertain world.

Flt Lt Colin Bell's book Bloody Dangerous: Fifty missions over Germany: The last first-hand account from WW2, is out now: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bloody-Dangerous-missions-Germany-first-hand/dp/0349148996

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Gary Lineker needs no introduction. Golden Boot winner at the 1986 World Cup. Sixty-eight goals for England and one of only four players in history never to receive a yellow card. And for thirty years, the most recognisable face in British football broadcasting. And through almost all of it, a quiet persistent voice telling him he didn't quite belong — that sooner or later, someone was going to find him out.

What's fascinating about this conversation is how honest Gary is about that feeling, and how completely he refuses to pretend it wasn't there. He talks about the terrifying manager who pinned him against a dressing room wall after he'd scored two goals in a half, and the life lesson that was buried somewhere inside that moment. He opens up about what it was really like at Barcelona — playing at the absolute peak of his powers and still running back to the halfway line thinking he'd just got lucky again. He tells the story of his dad, who said "I love you" for the first and only time as he lay dying, and what that did to Gary standing alone in a hospital lift. And he shares the lesson from Des Lynam that quietly shaped the way he approached thirty years of live television.

You'll hear Gary talk on why luck matters more than most people admit. On what it means to go two marriages deep and still consider yourself blessed. On kindness as a non-negotiable. And on why his greatest asset was never his right foot... it was his mind.

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High Performance just passed 400 episodes. To mark it, producer Will puts Jake in the hot seat — not for a highlights reel, but to go deep on the conversations that actually changed him.

Which guest challenged him most personally? Which episode stayed with him? What happened in the room with Jonny Wilkinson that nobody heard? Why did Dame Stephanie Shirley's words make him rethink the entire purpose of the show? And what was the episode that left him completely broken down on camera?

Jake also reveals the show that High Performance almost was instead — and why that origin story still shapes every interview he walks into.

Episodes mentioned in this conversation:

If you're new to High Performance, this is the best place to start. If you've been here since the beginning, this one's for you.

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Peter Kenyon is a global sports powerbroker and Williams F1 Board Advisor, famed for transforming Premier League giants and securing major partnerships with global brands.

In this episode, Peter joins Damian to discuss the leadership principles that shaped his success and how his "Holy Trinity Framework", balancing the roles of owner, CEO, and manager, was key to building sustainable winning cultures at two of football’s biggest clubs.

He dives into his philosophy on culture, explaining how he made tough calls like rejecting Ronaldinho for his lifestyle and selling David Beckham despite his commercial value. He also reveals how he prioritised structure over short-term success, even when it meant making bold moves like replacing Claudio Ranieri at Chelsea.

This episode is an insightful look at how maintaining a strong structure, ruthless execution, and cultural standards is essential for lasting achievement, both on and off the field.

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Find out more about Williams F1: https://www.williamsf1.com/

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Jean Todt is one of the most influential figures in motorsport, with a career that spans decades of unparalleled success, from leading Ferrari to dominance in Formula 1 to his work with the United Nations on road safety.

In this episode, Jean discusses his "life in chapters" philosophy and how his F1 success fueled a mission to tackle the "silent pandemic" of road deaths. He shares moving insights into his bond with Michael Schumacher, the importance of protecting those you lead, and why integrity matters more than trophies. 

With powerful stories of overcoming adversity and maintaining integrity, this episode offers a rare glimpse into the leadership that shaped one of the most successful eras in Formula 1 history.

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In 2024, Jake and Damian met the remarkable Olympian David Smith MBE at Fearne Cotton's Happy Place Festival and held an audience of 300 people spellbound. David had a terminal cancer diagnosis — and a message about how to live that neither of them has forgotten since.

This week, they share a voice note David recorded from his hospital bed after becoming a full quadriplegic with recent news he has just months left to live, where he speaks about dancing with life, finding beauty in stillness, and why the journey — not the destination — is everything.

Jake and Damian reflect on David's three guiding values of compassion, curiosity and courage and why so many of us wait for the worst news of our lives before we start truly living.

If you've never heard the full episode with David Smith, it's Episode 215— and this conversation is the perfect place to start.

Please donate to Ed Jackson’s Go fund me for David Smithhere .It is raising money to help fund the treatment, care, equipment, rehabilitation and wider support Dave needs, while also helping to ease some of the pressure on him and his family.

Find David on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidsmithmbe/

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Yaya Touré is one of football’s most dominant midfielders, a key figure in transforming Manchester City into a title-winning force. In this episode, Yaya shares the unseen moments behind that success, from arriving at a club with a losing mentality to helping build a culture driven by focus, respect, dedication, and passion.

He opens up about the turning point that changed everything, a heated halftime confrontation that sparked a shift in standards and turned City into “a machine.” Drawing on his time at Barcelona under Pep Guardiola, Yaya explains why winning teams are built on brotherhood, purpose, and an obsession with excellence, not just talent.

Yaya also reflects on the managers who shaped him and the identity that defined his career: “I’m a winner.” This is a powerful insight into what it really takes to build a championship mentality and sustain success at the highest level.

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Martin Lewis will tell you himself - he's not an entrepreneur, not a celebrity, not a website owner. He's a campaigning journalist. One who happened to build MoneySavingExpert into the most powerful consumer platform in the country, recover billions of pounds for ordinary people, and become the most trusted voice in Britain in the process.

We're revisiting one of the most powerful conversations we've ever had on High Performance and we think it's more relevant now than when we first recorded it.

This conversation is about what drives a person to dedicate their life to fighting for strangers. Where that fire comes from. What it costs to carry the weight of millions of people's trust. And what Martin Lewis has had to go through to get here.

You'll hear Martin on why trust cannot be marketed, only earned. On the moment that shifted his entire philosophy from beating the system to protecting the people the system exploits. And on why success, however hard won, is never the whole story.

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Mo Salah is leaving Liverpool as a legend. Trent Alexander-Arnold left to boos and a painted-over mural. What made the difference — and what does it tell us about legacy, loyalty, and how we all choose to move on?

Jake and Damian dig into the psychology of the exit: why the ultimatum game explains fan reaction, how Salah's struggles at Chelsea made him a better player at Liverpool, and what Roy Hodgson returning to management at 78 says about purpose and passion.

Plus: Georgia Hunter Bell's remarkable comeback from telesales to World Indoor champion, Kimi Antonelli's back-to-back Formula One wins and what one victory does to the mind, and Josh Kerr's pursuit of the world mile record. Damian's High Performer of the Week will stop you in your tracks.

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Brené Brown is a world-renowned researcher and author, known for her work on vulnerability, courage, and what makes truly effective leaders. She has spent decades studying human behaviour, uncovering how fear, connection, and self-awareness shape performance at the highest level.

In this episode, Brené sits down with Jake and Damian to explore the difference between safe and unsafe leadership, and how fear quietly drives decisions at work and at home. She explains why the best leaders don’t avoid vulnerability, but use it to build trust, clarity, and stronger teams.

They cover why your greatest strength might secretly be your armour, the formula every elite performer needs to understand (performance = potential minus interference), why organisational leaders are the only high-performers in the world where coaching isn't expected, and what England's penalty curse and Liverpool's current struggles really tell us about the psychology of winning.

Plus — a special surprise message from Steven Gerrard leaves Brené lost for words!

Subscribe to Brené’s podcast ‘The Curiosity Shop’ on YouTube or your favorite app for new episodes every Thursday.

Brené’s latest book ‘Strong Ground’ is available now: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Strong-Ground-Leadership-Tenacity-Vermilion/dp/178504320X

Links referenced in podcast: The lethality of loneliness: John Cacioppo TED TALK

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Shane Parrish is the founder of Farnam Street and one of the world's most respected voices on decision-making and clear thinking.

In this episode we re-visit with Shane, he introduces the concept of positioning — the small daily choices that put you on easy mode or hard mode before a single big decision is made. He breaks down the four defaults that hijack your thinking (emotion, ego, social pressure, and inertia), explains why fear of success holds people back just as much as fear of failure, and shares the Kissinger test that reveals whether you're truly doing your best work.

If you're tired of making life harder than it needs to be, this one's for you.

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Louis Theroux's Manosphere documentary has got everyone talking - but Jake and Damian think we might be asking the wrong questions. Is shining a light on extreme influencers actually making them more attractive? And is the phrase 'toxic masculinity' doing more harm than good to the young men it's supposed to help?

Jake shares research from the Centre for Male Psychology suggesting the term may be damaging to boys, while Damian breaks down why labels drive identity, and why that can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. 

Also this week...

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When global instability dominates the headlines, it can be hard to know what to think...or how to lead. This week, Jake and Damian sit down with General Sir Richard Shirreff, former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, to cut through the noise.

With 37 years commanding British soldiers, Richard has led through some of the most complex and high-stakes environments imaginable - from the streets of Basra to the corridors of NATO headquarters. And his lessons aren't just for generals.

In this episode, he breaks down the war-gaming mindset that every great leader needs, explains why the best decisions are built on intuition as much as information, and shares Field Marshal Slim's three components of morale — a framework as relevant in business as it is on the battlefield.

Richard also makes the case for thinking the unthinkable - conscription, and challenges the narrative that younger generations lack resilience, and ends with a genuinely optimistic vision for what great leadership could unlock.

This is a conversation about courage, preparation, and the kind of bold decision-making the world needs more of right now.

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Mark Webber came from a small town in rural Australia with no money, no connections, and a body the wrong size for a Formula One car. He made it to the very top anyway, achieving nine Grand Prix wins, 42 podiums and World Endurance Champion - becoming one of the most respected drivers of his generation.

We re-visit this conversation with Mark, where he opens up about the years at Red Bull when he believed his own team was favouring Sebastian Vettel at every turn. Engines allegedly turned down when he was catching his teammate. A new front wing arriving at the track and going to the other car. A World Championship slipping away in the final race of the season. It got so bad that Mark did something almost unheard of in Formula One — he wrote a private letter directly to the man who owned the entire operation.

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What happens inside a dressing room when a team loses faith in itself? Jake and Damian go beyond the results and the headlines to examine the psychology of collective belief failure — using Tottenham's historic 12-game winless run as the defining case study.

Joined by goalkeeper Tim Krul, who has experienced relegation with both Newcastle and Luton, they explore what fear actually looks like on a pitch, why managers can lose a dressing room in 10 minutes, and what the Kinski substitution really said about Tudor's state of mind.

Damian draws on his work with West Brom during a similar crisis to explain why the answer is almost never about fitness or tactics — and Jake reveals what Norwich City's sporting director said to Philippe Clement that convinced a Premier League-level manager to take on a Championship relegation battle.

Plus: why Kimi Antonelli could be this season's Formula One world champion, lessons from the Gordon Ramsay Netflix documentary on the cost of relentless high performance, and what Paul McCartney's decade after The Beatles teaches us about identity and reinvention.

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Kumar Sangakkara is one of cricket's greatest legends, known for his unparalleled skill, leadership, and transformative philosophy. In this episode, Kumar joins Jake and Damian to share the key moments and philosophies that shaped his career both on and off the field, offering a profound perspective on performance, identity, and resilience.

Kumar explains how this philosophy shaped his approach to coaching and his own career, emphasising that separating who you are from what you do allows for greater perspective, freedom, and calm. He also discusses the dark side of excellence, revealing the personal sacrifices athletes make and how maintaining balance and relationships outside of performance is crucial for staying human.

He shares the powerful lessons he learned during the 2009 Lahore attack, where he witnessed violence firsthand but emerged with a newfound perspective on gratitude. Kumar also reflects on his country’s unity through cricket, especially during the controversial Murali incident, and how that moment played a key role in shaping Sri Lanka’s identity. 

This episode offers a rare and deeply personal look at what it truly means to be a world-class performer while remaining grounded in your humanity, showing how gratitude, balance, and perspective can guide us through even the toughest challenges.

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Johann Hari has spent years doing what most of us don't have time to do — travelling the world, interviewing the world's leading neuroscientists, psychiatrists, and Silicon Valley insiders to find out why depression, anxiety, and loneliness are rising every single year. What he found will change how you see your phone, your mind, and your daily life.

Today we re-visit this impactful conversation with Johann, but it's not all doom and gloom! Johann is one of the most solution-focused thinkers we've had on the show, and he leaves you with concrete, practical steps you can take today.

You'll hear Johann on: what the people who built Instagram and TikTok privately think about what they've created; the three things every parent should do right now about their child's phone use; and the leaded petrol analogy that explains exactly how we fix the attention crisis.

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Jake and Damian go inside the 2026 Australian Grand Prix — not with lap times and race analysis, but with something rarer: direct messages from the people who were actually there.

Jake shares a WhatsApp from Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu on leading through complete uncertainty. A message from Fernando Alonso's number one mechanic on why culture beats performance when nothing is certain. And a voice note from former Williams team principal Claire Williams on what COVID taught her about navigating the unknown.

With cars failing on the grid, drivers feeling mixed emotions in the cockpit, and an entirely new era of Formula One rewriting the rulebook overnight, Jake and Damian use the chaos of Australia to ask a question that matters well beyond the paddock: how do you lead, perform and stay steady when everything changes at once?

Listen to our full episodes with guests mentioned in this episode:

Adrian Newey: https://pod.fo/e/267f99

Ayao Komatsu: https://pod.fo/e/37b872

Ollie Bearman: https://pod.fo/e/39acad

Claire Williams: https://pod.fo/e/2b956b

George Russell: https://pod.fo/e/1527c9

Fernando Alonso: https://pod.fo/e/1e5849

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David Dein is one of the most influential figures in modern football, the visionary former vice-chairman of Arsenal F.C. who helped reshape the English game. In this episode, David sits down with Jake to reveal the decisions, relationships, and moments that defined one of football’s most transformative eras.

He tells the inside story of discovering Arsène Wenger, a seven-year belief that would eventually change Arsenal forever. From quiet dinners and long conversations to fighting a sceptical board, David explains how that partnership built a culture capable of producing legendary teams, a squad bonded not just by talent, but by rituals and belief.

David also shares the human side of football leadership: convincing Sol Campbell to make one of the bravest transfers in Premier League history, the painful loss of Ashley Cole, and the emotional shock of being suddenly dismissed from the club after 24 years of service.

This episode explores the leadership, belief, and defining moments that helped shape one of football’s most successful eras.

To find out more information about the Twinning Project, visit: https://www.twinningproject.org

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Mo Gawdat rose to become Chief Business Officer of Google X, the moonshot factory tasked with solving the world's biggest problems. He had 16 cars in his garage, a nine-bedroom house, and by every conventional measure, had won. And then, in four hours, a preventable surgical mistake took his 21-year-old son Ali. What happened next changed everything.

In this episode, Mo shares the promise he made to Ali, to make him "everywhere and part of everyone", and how that mission became the foundation of his life's real work: making a billion people happy.

This is not a conversation about toxic positivity or blind optimism. It's a masterclass in what happiness actually is (and isn't), why it's your duty — not your reward — and the practical tools Mo uses to bounce back from pain in under seven seconds.

You'll hear Mo on: the 90-second anger rule that will change how you handle every difficult moment; his three-question flowchart for navigating anything life throws at you; why success doesn't lead to happiness — but happiness almost always leads to success; what his son Ali taught him about fixing the world by fixing yourself first; and why the most high-performance path through life is learning to play.

Whether you're chasing the next milestone or questioning whether the chase is even worth it — this one will stay with you.

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Alex Iwobi is one of the Premier League's most creative midfielders, known for his flair, expressiveness and ability to unlock defences. After coming through the Arsenal academy under Arsène Wenger, he has gone on to represent Everton, Fulham and Nigeria at the highest level, becoming one of football's most distinctive personalities both on and off the pitch.

In this episode, Alex sits down with Jake and Damian for a candid and revealing conversation about his journey from nearly being released at 16 to becoming an established Premier League player. He opens up about the loneliness of leaving Arsenal, the moment the club sent his medical documents to Everton while he was on holiday without asking him, and how Frank Lampard's trust quite literally resurrected his career.

Alex also shares rare insight into the aura of Arsène Wenger and Carlo Ancelotti — the only two managers he's ever seen silence a room just by walking in — and what that taught him about elite leadership. He discusses how being given the freedom to be himself, both on the pitch and through his music, has unlocked the best version of his performance.

This episode offers a fascinating look at the mindset, identity and trust required to perform at the highest level in professional football.

Alex's new EP More to Life is out on April 9th.

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Ollie Bearman is one of Formula 1’s most exciting young talents, known for his fierce drive, impressive performances, and rising star power within the sport. As a member of Haas F1 Team, Ollie is carving out a path to greatness in F1, where every race brings new challenges and opportunities to prove himself.

In this episode, Ollie sits down with Jake and Damian for a raw and honest conversation about his journey from F2 to F1. He opens up about the pressure of racing at the highest level, the self-doubt he faced early in his F1 career, and the breakthrough moment that changed everything for him, realising that mental preparation and structure were just as important as raw speed.

Ollie also shares the importance of learning from seasoned drivers like Fernando Alonso, acknowledging his rival’s experience and commitment to the sport. He discusses how their competition has pushed him to grow and become a more self-aware and focused driver.

This episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at the mindset and emotional challenges required to compete in Formula 1.

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We revisit our chat with Olympic legend Michael Johnson, a man who has more medals, world records, and gold standards than almost anyone who has ever laced up a pair of spikes. But this conversation isn't really about the glory, it's about everything that happened in the shadows of it.

Jake sits down with one of the greatest athletes in history to uncover the mindset that drove him to become the only man to win gold in the 200m and 400m at the same Olympic Games. What emerges is a masterclass in evidence-based belief, brutal self-honesty, and the relentless pursuit of sustained excellence.

Michael opens up about the food poisoning that robbed him of his greatest chance at Olympic glory in Barcelona, and the quiet, ruthless logic he used to pull himself back from the brink. He talks about the teammate who admitted to doping and the medal Michael willingly handed back. And he reveals the stroke that paralysed his left side almost entirely, and the remarkable clarity he found in the hospital bed when everyone around him was asking why.

Along the way, you'll hear the truth behind his famous upright running style, how he mentally rehearsed a race up to ten times in the twenty minutes before the gun fired, and why the most important question he ever asked himself was simply - why me?

This is one of the most candid, no-nonsense conversations in High Performance history!

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What does a Formula One World Champion packing up a garage have in common with an Olympic swimmer crying into his goggles at the end of a training session? More than you might think.

In this exclusive preview, Jake and Damian read two of their favourite chapters from the Micro Habits audiobook, distilling some of the most powerful lessons from six years and 400+ conversations with the world's highest performers.

First, Lando Norris reveals the mindset shift that separates people who merely have a job from those who have found a calling, and the surprisingly simple reframe that can unlock it for anyone, whatever they do for a living.

Then, Adam Peaty opens up about the breakdown that almost ended his Olympic dream, the ancient Greek myth that helped him find his way back, and the brutally honest advice Michael Phelps gave him in a 20-minute conversation that changed everything.

These aren't dramatic, headline-grabbing moments. They're quiet, private, and almost invisible — and they're exactly the kind of micro habits that make everything else possible.

Micro-Habits: Tiny Changes That Supercharge High Performance is available now.

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Sleep expert Stephanie Romiszewski has always taken an unconventional approach to rest, and in this episode, she reveals why overthinking sleep is the real culprit behind poor rest. Stephanie explains why obsessing over sleep only makes it worse, and how we can fix our sleep problems by addressing our daytime habits instead of focusing on the night itself.

She dives into the dangers of sleep trackers, sharing how even false data can increase anxiety and disrupt your performance. Stephanie also introduces her game-changing advice on the importance of a consistent morning routine, wake-up times, light exposure, and movement, and why these factors are far more influential than any bedtime ritual.

She also shares her AWAKE acronym, a practical guide to improving sleep by embracing variation, avoiding the chase for perfect rest, and keeping a strong, balanced day.

This episode offers a refreshing, honest perspective on sleep, revealing how our mindset and routines during the day play a bigger role in getting quality rest and maintaining peak performance.

Stephanie's new book 'Think Less, Sleep More' is out now and published by Atlantic Books, RRP £14.99

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We're revisiting one of the most profound conversations we've ever had on High Performance - a discussion that fundamentally changed the way we think about performance on this show.

Jonny Wilkinson is one of rugby's greatest ever players. The drop goal that won England the 2003 Rugby World Cup is etched into sporting history. But behind the perfection, the trophies, and the records, Jonny was fighting a battle most people never saw.

In this deeply philosophical and remarkably honest conversation, Jonny reveals the mental health struggles that plagued his career - the games where he could barely leave his hotel room, the 14 consecutive injuries that forced him to look inward, and the obsession with perfection that began at just four years old when he became consumed by a fear of death.

Jake and Damian explore what true high performance really means. Not outcomes, not stats, not being the best in the world - but absolute presence. Living fully in every moment, whether that's a World Cup final or doing the washing up. Jonny explains why self-belief is actually fragility in disguise, why the "super version" of you already exists, and why the only thing stopping you from being extraordinary is what you're holding onto, not what you're missing.

This isn't a conversation about rugby. It's a conversation about identity, choice, mortality, and what it means to truly live rather than just exist. Jonny challenges every assumption about success, performance, and self-worth - and offers a radically different way of seeing the world.

If you've ever felt the weight of pressure, the fear of failure, or the exhaustion of trying to be perfect, this episode will change how you see yourself.

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Paul Gascoigne is one of the most gifted footballers Britain has ever produced. But behind the goals, the tears, and the headlines, who is the real man beneath the Gazza legend?

In this raw and deeply moving conversation, Jake and Damian sit down with Paul in his home in Bournemouth for one of the most honest interviews he has ever given. From growing up in Gateshead and witnessing a childhood tragedy that would shape him forever, to becoming the most famous man in Britain overnight, Paul opens up about the price of fame, the battle with addiction, and why humour has always been both his greatest gift and his greatest shield.

They talk about the moments that defined him - Italia 90, Euro 96, the tears, the goals, the missed chances - and the managers and teammates who believed in him when others had written him off. But more than football, this is a conversation about a man still standing. Still finding joy in the small things and the people around him who genuinely care.

As Paul himself says, people know Paul. But very few people know Gazza, including himself.

This conversation was recorded at Paul's house in 2024.

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Rob Smedley is one of Formula 1’s most respected engineers, known for his work with drivers like Felipe Massa and his time at Ferrari. In this episode, Rob sits down with Jake to share what it really takes to perform at the highest level, from the intense pressure of F1 to the human connections that make success possible.

Rob reflects on his first meeting with Felipe Massa, explaining how belief, structure, and brutal honesty helped Felipe find his first podium. He shares why driver and engineer relationships thrive on trust and transparency, and how tough conversations, done right, can transform performance.

He also opens up about the emotional side of F1, from the heartbreak of Felipe’s 2009 Hungary crash to personal losses that gave him perspective on life and sport. These moments show the human cost of high performance and why managing emotion is as important as managing the car.

Beyond the track, Rob talks about giving back through the FAT Karting League, making motorsport more accessible for thousands of young drivers. This episode is a rare look at leadership, resilience, and the balance between pressure and care at the very top of sport.

Find out more about FAT Karting League: https://fat-international.shop/en-ng/pages/karting-league 

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Forty years ago, in Sarajevo, 24 million people watched Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean achieve the impossible, Olympic Gold that redefined their sport forever. But while the world remembers those four minutes of 'Bolero,' the true story of high performance started a decade earlier in a cold, dank rink in Nottingham.

In this episode, Jayne and Chris take us inside the bubble of an elite partnership that has survived and thrived for over 50 years. 

In this episode, we explore:

* The Creative Engineering of 'Bolero': How they pushed the boundaries of the rules by starting on their knees for 18 seconds to fit an 18-minute masterpiece into a four-minute limit .

* The Discipline of the "Smallest Team": Insights into their 6-hour training days and their rule of never missing a session, even when sick or injured, to prove to their minds that they could perform under any adversity .

* The Mechanics of Partnership: How they established clear roles, Chris as the "bossy" visionary and Jayne as the grounding force who made the visions possible, and why "talking with their eyes" became their ultimate competitive advantage.

This is a masterclass in mutual respect, meticulous preparation, and the courage to be different when the stakes are at their highest. Whether you’re part of a business duo or looking to master your own craft, Jayne and Chris’s journey offers timeless lessons on what it takes to stay at the top for half a century.

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Matt Peet is one of the most decorated coaches in British sport. In just three years as Wigan Warriors head coach, he's won seven major trophies including back-to-back Super League titles, the World Club Challenge, and a historic clean sweep in 2024 - all before turning 42. And he never played professional rugby league.

Rising from coaching 12-year-olds on muddy fields to leading Britain's most successful club, Matt has built a dynasty through an uncompromising philosophy: culture comes first, trophies follow. At Wigan, that means aligning vision, attitude, and behaviour, and building a team where learning, honesty, and care matter as much as winning.

In this episode, Matt sits down with Damian to reveal how that culture is lived every day. He shares why his most important question is always "What did we learn?" - even after victories - and how creating psychological safety allows players to challenge coaches, coaches to apologise, and everyone to grow. 

Matt also opens up about ownership, vulnerability, and connection. From taking full responsibility for every error on the field, to sharing his own struggles with the group - he explains how shared responsibility and mateship show up when pressure is highest.

This is a masterclass in leadership beyond tactics. From a philosophy graduate who never made it as a player to the coach Sir Kevin Sinfield says he'd have "loved to play for”.

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Mauricio Pochettino and Jesús Pérez, two of the most respected figures in modern football management, join Jake and Damian for a rare and insightful conversation on leadership, pressure, and human performance at the highest level of the game.

Drawing on their experience managing elite teams and global superstars, they explore what it really takes to lead in high-pressure environments, where trust, emotion, and human connection matter as much as tactics and data. They discuss why understanding players goes beyond the numbers and how to balance data-driven decisions with human intuition.

The pair share stories from their long-standing partnership, including developing players like Harry Kane and Cole Palmer and managing Messi, Neymar, and Mbappé at PSG, three alphas within one dressing room.

This episode is a masterclass in leadership, human connection, and the real work behind sustained success in elite football.

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Legendary Take That songwriter Gary Barlow joins us to share the most honest account of failure, shame, and rebuilding we've ever recorded on High Performance.

The recent Netflix documentary charted Take That's journey - the split, Robbie's solo success, the comeback. But what it couldn't capture was Gary's seven-year internal collapse. The songwriter and leader everyone expected would conquer solo stardom was drowning while Robbie soared.

After a catastrophic American launch performance, Gary walked alone through the rain with nobody from his label. What followed was seven years where he couldn't sing, couldn't play piano, couldn't even listen to music. Seven years of sitting in his studio pretending to work while doing nothing. Seven years of deliberate weight gain as armor and public shaming.

Key moments include:

* Trust Your Gut Over External Authority: How ignoring his instincts for industry pressure led to catastrophic consequences he never recovered from

* The Fragility of Creative Confidence: Why someone who doubts themselves cannot create wholeheartedly - and how one moment can dismantle years of evidence

* Understanding Shame vs Accepting It: Why he deliberately gained weight as armor and what it teaches us about controlling the uncontrollable

* Small Steps Over Grand Gestures: His first run while overweight and smoking - giggling at how far he had to go but knowing he was finally "on the road"

* Creating Psychological Safety: How Take That's reunion principle of "let's lose all the dickheads" transformed their worst years into their best

This is a conversation about the fragility of creative confidence, how one moment of not trusting your gut can derail everything, and how the way back isn't through therapy or grand gestures - it's putting trainers on, lifting the piano lid, and just turning up.

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Daniel Negreanu, one of poker's all-time greats reveals the psychology of high-stakes decision making.

Daniel has been playing professional poker for 30 years and has earned over $50 million at the tables. A Hall of Famer and seven-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, he's widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the game's history. Known for his engaging table presence and ability to read opponents, Daniel has remained at poker's elite level across multiple generations of players.

In this conversation at his Lake Las Vegas home, Daniel breaks down the art of making decisions under pressure, the importance of self-awareness when your edge is slipping, and why humility trumps ego at the highest levels. He explains how he uses conversation to disarm opponents, why he'd rather be a "laughing hyena" than an intimidating presence like Phil Ivey or Tiger Woods, and the physical and mental preparation required to survive seven gruelling weeks at the World Series of Poker.

Daniel also reflects on his worst year on record in 2023, the advice he'd give his teenage self, and why quality now matters more than quantity. Whether you're interested in poker or just the mindset required to stay at the top of your game for three decades, this episode is packed with insights on adaptability, goal-setting, and trusting yourself when everything else fails.

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Rick Shiels is one of the most influential figures in modern golf media, and a creator who helped redefine what high performance looks like in the digital age. From a small YouTube channel to hundreds of millions of views, Rick has built a career by questioning the traditional pathways to success and proving that creators can perform at the very highest level.

In this episode, Rick sits down with Jake and Damian to explore authenticity, ambition, and the reality behind online growth. He explains why his breakthrough came when he stopped trying to be polished and professional, and instead showed the bad shots, kept first takes, and asked questions he genuinely wanted answered. From testing illegal golf equipment to facing tour pros like Tommy Fleetwood with a 10-shot head start, Rick reveals the simple idea behind his most successful formats.

Rick also opens up about the mental health cost of social media, why stepping away from comments transformed his mood and family life, and how collaboration, even with potential rivals, helped him grow. 

This episode is a thoughtful, modern conversation about creativity, balance, and performance in a world where anyone with a phone can become a broadcaster.

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Oscar-winning actor and author Matthew McConaughey joins us to share his deeply philosophical approach to life, work, and the pursuit of satisfaction.

We return to our chat with Matthew where he challenges the idea that we should be 'chasing yet,' arguing instead that life is a verb - a continuous process rather than a final destination where we suddenly 'arrive'. He discusses his process of elimination for finding one's true self, explaining why removing things that don't feed your soul is the fastest way to discover what does.

Key takeaways include:

This is a conversation about discipline, self-awareness, and commitment. About checking in with yourself daily. About writing the headline first, then living the story toward it. About understanding that high performance isn't one big ta-da moment - it's the tiny decisions we make every single day.

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