Why High Performers Wish They'd Enjoyed It More

More from The High Performance Podcast

1. 

   23 Sep 2026 · 31 min

   Is Alcohol Permission To Stop Performing in Sport?

   Why is sport still drinking? For decades, alcohol has been part of sporting culture. Team nights out, beers after games and stories of legendary drinking sessions have become part of the mythology of elite sport. But is that culture changing? And if it is, what are we replacing it with? Jake and Damian explore why alcohol has played such a powerful role in sport, from helping teammates bond and break down hierarchy to simply giving people permission to switch off. They discuss the pressure of constant optimisation, why high performance can become exhausting, the darker side of celebrating…

2. 

   E439 · 21 Sep 2026

   Why Diets Always Fail: Harvard Professor Exposes Food Myths | Daniel Lieberman (E439)

   Evolutionary biologist Daniel Lieberman challenges one of our most persistent beliefs about weight loss: that if you can’t stick to a diet, you simply need more discipline. He explains why our bodies evolved to hold onto fat, why willpower can only take us so far, and how diet culture has turned eating into a cycle of guilt and shame. Daniel also shares the story of his own mother, whose obsession with avoiding fat came at a cost later in life, and introduces a simple way to spot bad advice: are you thinking like a fox, embracing nuance, or a hedgehog, convinced one idea explains everything?…

3. 

   18 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 2 min

   Toto Wolff: The Brutal Truth Behind My Success, Self-Doubt & Leadership

   This is a revisit of the conversation we previously had with Toto Wolff, Mercedes’ Team Principal and CEO, and it remains one of the most revealing interviews we’ve ever recorded. Toto opens up about the childhood experiences that shaped him, losing his father at 15, being forced to grow up quickly and the financial hardship his family faced. He also speaks candidly about periods of depression from the age of 18, seeking professional help and the feeling that he was alone with what he was experiencing. He explains why he has always “stared into an abyss”, how self-doubt drives him and why he…

4. 

   E438 · 14 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 7 min

   How I Rebuilt After Losing Three Limbs: Army Veteran Josh Boggi (E438)

   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…

5. 

   E437 · 11 Sep 2026 · 55 min

   The Accidental Cancer Discovery That Saved Anastacia (E437)

   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…

6. 

   9 Sep 2026 · 33 min

   9/11 - 25 Years Later: The Company That Lost 700 People and How They Rebuilt

   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…

7. 

   9 Oct 2026 · 1 hr 3 minNew

   Jess Ennis-Hill: Why I Wanted London 2012 To Feel Scary

   Dame Jess Ennis-Hill is one of Britain’s greatest athletes. A triple world heptathlon champion, European champion and Olympic gold medallist, she reached the absolute peak of her sport. But behind the medals was a very different story.... We revisit this incredible conversation where Jess reveals what it was like to become Britain’s “Golden girl” ahead of London 2012, carrying the weight of huge public expectations and feeling that anything less than gold would be seen as failure. She opens up about the injury that cost her an Olympic opportunity, returning to elite competition after…

8. 

   7 Oct 2026 · 55 min

   The 5 Things High Performers NEVER Say

   We've sat down with hundreds of high performers. These are five sentences we've never heard a single one of them say... "I'll start when I'm ready." "That's just the way I am." "It's not fair." "I've done enough." "I did it on my own." None of them is a character flaw, but each one quietly pulls you away from where you want to be. From the High Performance archive, Keely Hodgkinson explains why she puts her success down to 90% mindset, in a year when almost nobody believed she'd make the Olympic team. Matthew Syed remembers bombing a talk at Goldman Sachs and then going to Toastmasters every…

9. 

   E441 · 5 Oct 2026 · 1 hr 18 min

   Linford Christie: The Real Story Of Olympic Gold, The Doping Ban & Walking Away (E441)

   Linford Christie didn't just race his opponents, he tried to beat them before the gun even fired. The Olympic champion reveals the psychology behind his ruthless approach to the 100m, and the mindset that allowed him to keep pushing when most would have stopped. Linford reflects on the hunger that drove him to the top despite starting his international career later than most, and why winning Olympic gold in Barcelona felt more like relief than celebration. He also opens up about the pressure of constant scrutiny, the emotional armour he built throughout his career, and the personal cost of…

10. 

    2 Oct 2026 · 45 min

    Robin van Persie: The Truth I Had to Admit to Become World-Class

    Robin van Persie captained Arsenal and won the league with Manchester United, but for years he says his hardest opponent was himself. We re-visit our classic episode with Robin where he talks about the letter he wrote to himself that he didn't believe when he read it back, the childhood friends he let go at 24, the Arsenal exit he'd handle differently and the advice to his son that Jake calls the whole podcast in two minutes. Our partners in this episode: AG1 👉 Head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five…

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