The High Performance Podcast
High Performance
Recent Episodes
We all feel out of our depth, but the real secret is learning to stay calm anyway.
In this episode, Jake and Damian explore a universal human experience, the moments when we feel completely out of our depth, and reveal why calmness, clarity, and growth often begin right there. Drawing on powerful lessons from guests like Tom Aspinall, Petr Čech, Alex Greenwood, Nick Cox, and Alex Honnold, they uncover the mindset shifts that help us stay steady when everything feels uncertain.
They discuss the importance of naming your fears instead of suppressing them, accepting what you can’t control, and breaking big challenges into small, manageable steps. Through stories of athletes and leaders who chose discomfort, built resilience through “micro-dosed” challenge, and repeatedly stepped into the unknown, Jake and Damian show that fear isn’t a sign you’re failing, it’s a sign you’re expanding.
This episode is a reminder that the secret to feeling calm isn’t eliminating fear, but learning to move with it: acknowledge it, act despite it, and trust that confidence grows through action, not certainty.
Listen to the episodes mentioned:
Tom Aspinall: https://pod.fo/e/2d3d2e
Petr Čech: https://pod.fo/e/21c565
Alex Greenwood: https://pod.fo/e/30cbd0
Nick Cox: https://pod.fo/e/138399
Alex Honnold: https://pod.fo/e/25ce8e
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Win a behind-the-scenes experience at a High Performance record day! Pre-order our brand new book Micro-Habits and use code MICROHABITS26 for 25% off before the launch on 1st January to be in with a chance of winning: https://hppod.co/HPComp
Denise Lewis knows what it feels like to stand on the biggest stage in the world with everything on the line. But what makes her story remarkable isn’t just the gold medal, it’s the simple habit that helped her win it: the power of a reset.
At the Sydney Olympics, after a shaky high jump that threatened her entire heptathlon, Denise didn’t spiral or cling to the mistake. She walked back to her room, reached for a different pair of shoes, slicked her hair back, and told herself: “You’re not Denise anymore, you’re Astrid.” With that small ritual, she shifted her identity, her energy, and her belief. It wasn’t superstition, it was psychology. Long before researchers named it “enclothed cognition,” Denise was living it: what you put on the outside can transform what you feel on the inside.
In this episode, we explore how Denise turned seven events into seven fresh starts, and how the same principle can help all of us recover faster, perform under pressure and move forward after setbacks. Together, we dig into:
Why symbols and rituals help us reset after mistakes
How acceptance clears the mind and restores decision-making
The alter-ego effect and why borrowing strength works
What resilience really looks like in the moments no one sees
How transitions, at work, at home, or in sport, shape our identity
If you’ve ever struggled to let go of a bad moment, wished for a clean slate, or needed a way to step into the next chapter with confidence, Denise’s story has something powerful to teach.
Listen to the full episode with Denise Lewis: https://pod.fo/e/2c05ac
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We welcome back world-leading gut health expert Tim Spector to unpack the simple, science-backed shifts that can dramatically transform your wellbeing. Tim explains why the gut sits at the centre of immunity, energy, mood, and long-term health, and why modern diets have quietly broken the delicate ecosystem our bodies rely on.
He reveals the overlooked power of fermented foods, the ancient “food alchemy” our ancestors relied on, and why these gut-friendly ferments often outperform common fibre hacks. From busting myths about salt, fats, probiotics, and coffee to explaining the rapid benefits of gut rest and time-restricted eating, Tim offers practical, inclusive steps anyone can take, starting today.
This is a hopeful, transformative conversation that reframes nutrition not as restriction, but as adding diversity, culture, and life back into your food, giving you the single most effective fix to repair your gut and reshape your health.
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Barry Hearn joins Jake and Damian for a no-nonsense masterclass in ambition, resilience, and the mindset that turned a kid from a council estate into one of the most influential figures in global sport. The legendary Matchroom founder opens up about the work ethic shaped by his formidable mother, the chip on his shoulder that fuelled his rise, and the Christmas Eve moment in 1988 when he stood on the brink of bankruptcy, before one audacious deal changed everything.
Across the conversation, Barry lays out his 10 Rules for Life: why “everything is a competition,” how sheer graft can make you look like a genius, why honesty is a superpower, and what it means to be “unbeatable” even when life dents you. He reflects on building empires in snooker, darts, and boxing, the importance of thinking poorly to stay sharp, and the role fire, fun, and relentless optimism have played in his seven decades of success.
This is Barry Hearn in full force, funny, fierce, and fiercely honest, offering the timeless laws of success from a man who refuses to be beaten.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Win a behind-the-scenes experience at a High Performance record day! Pre-order our brand new book Micro-Habits and use code MICROHABITS26 for 25% off before the launch on 1st January to be in with a chance of winning: https://hppod.co/HPComp
What if one word could unlock potential, or shut it down completely?
When Rene Meulensteen coached Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United, he didn't start with tactics. He started with language. The words he chose made the difference between a player who could score goals and one obsessed with scoring them.
In this episode, Damian explores the essential habit that separates good coaching from greatness: mind your language. Discover why Rene never said "change", only "add." Learn how Sir Alex Ferguson's flip chart philosophy shaped United's dominance. And find out how a Roger Federer moment transformed their Champions League campaign.
Featuring insights from psychology (the famous Loftus & Palmer study on how words reshape memory), plus behind-the-scenes stories from United's golden era, this episode reveals how elite performers use language to frame reality, lower threat, and spark possibility.
Together we explore:
- Why "change" triggers defensiveness, and what word opens people up instead
- How Ronaldo transformed into a goal-scoring machine
- Ferguson's "if that doesn't work, we gamble" mentality
- The myth of the hairdryer treatment, and what really happened at halftime
René reminds us that high performance isn’t just built on drills and repetitions, it’s built on the words that shape how people feel, learn, and grow.
If you’ve ever wanted to give better feedback, build trust faster, or help someone reach a level they didn’t know they had in them, this conversation with René is worth your time.
Listen to the full episode with René Meulensteen: https://pod.fo/e/2bd0c6
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