The High Performance Podcast

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 Heights 👉 Get 20% off your subscription by using Code: HP20 here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp_heights_au3 Visit Seattle 👉 Start planning your perfect summer of football by searching Visit Seattle on social media, or discover more at: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-visitseattle-au Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.Our partners: Heights 👉 Get 20% off your subscription by using Code: HP20 here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp_heights_au2 Visit Seattle 👉 Start planning your perfect summer of football by searching Visit Seattle on social media, or discover more at: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-visitseattle-auSimba 👉 Jake believes better performance starts with better sleep. Discover Simba, start your 200-night trial today now:https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-simba-au Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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”.Our partners: Heights 👉 Get 20% off your subscription by using Code: HP20 here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp_heights_au2 Visit Seattle 👉 Start planning your perfect summer of football by searching Visit Seattle on social media, or discover more at: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-visitseattle-auSimba 👉 Jake believes better performance starts with better sleep. Discover Simba, start your 200-night trial today now:https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-simba-au Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.Our partners:Heights 👉 Get 20% off your subscription by using Code: HP20 here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp_heights_au2 Visit Seattle 👉 Start planning your perfect summer of football by searching Visit Seattle on social media, or discover more at: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-visitseattle-auSimba 👉 Jake believes better performance starts with better sleep. Discover Simba, start your 200-night trial today now:https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-simba-au Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 bestThis 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.Our partners on this episode:Simba 👉 Jake believes better performance starts with better sleep. Discover Simba, start your 200-night trial today now: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-simba-au  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.