The High Performance

“Paralysis taught me how to live”

This emotional conversation is an honest and vulnerable discussion about life, death and understanding our purpose.

In 2010, David Smith was given a life changing diagnosis: a rare, cancerous tumour was found in his neck. A focused athlete, previously competing in karate, running and bobsled, David aimed to put all of his energy into competing in the 2012 Paralympic games as a rower; “I didn’t have time for a tumour”. But, after having surgery on the tumour, David suffered a stroke. This was the start of a new life for David.

After multiple surgeries and a number of complications, David is now fully paralysed on his left side. Despite winning gold for Rowing with Team GB at the 2012 Paralympics, what really stands out is David’s appreciation for every moment, his resilience, and his deep understanding of what it means to really live. In the face of battling cancer and living with paralysis, David's unwavering commitment to his purpose and daily philosophy shines through. He shares the importance of embracing vulnerability and the preciousness of time.

A total of 6 major life-threatening spinal surgeries in 13 years, 6 weeks of radiotherapy and learning to walk after each operation meant his sporting career became more about staying alive than winning medals. David shares his profound wisdom with Jake and Damian, exploring how he is attempting to come to terms with death and how he finds strength in vulnerability.

We’re left with the core of David’s message: “I’m not scared of dying, I’m scared of not living.”

This was recorded in front of a live audience at Happy Place Festival, there may be some background noise.

Follow David's journey here: https://www.instagram.com/davidsmithmbe/?hl=en

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Ashley Cain is a former professional footballer and TV personality. In 2020, his 8 week old daughter Azaylia Cain was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia. During Azaylia’s battle with cancer, Ashley and Azaylia’s mum, Safiyya, raised over £1 million in 24 hours for her health care. After her death in April 2021, at just 8 months old, Ashley and Safiyya set up ‘The Azaylia Foundation’, which supports families and provides memorable experiences for children fighting cancer.

In this episode, Ashley shares with Jake and Damian everything the life and loss of Azaylia has taught him. They discuss how the struggle can make us appreciate the small moments, staying present and connected to those in our life. Ashley shares how “even though my heart is broken into a million pieces, that’s a million pieces of love I can share with others in this world”.

You can find Ashley’s book ‘Strong: Life, loss and eternal love for my daughter’ here: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/strong-ashley-cain/7408996?ean=9781788709408

Click here for more information on The Azaylia Foundation: https://theazayliafoundation.com/

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https://thehighperformanceapp.com

Access code: HPAPP

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Ryan Mason is currently a first team football coach at Tottenham Hotspur FC and was the youngest person ever to manage a Premier League football match at 29. Ryan played football professionally until a life changing skull injury, which he suffered during a match and led to 48 staples in his skull. In this episode they discuss the injury and the struggles that took place in the following months. He shares how he fought through the anger and resentment that followed. 

Nine months after his injury, Ryan was told he would never play football again. This sudden life change led him to find a passion for coaching. He shares with Jake and Damian his coaching methods, how he builds trust within the team, how he builds emotional connections to give players strength and how crucial positive energy is. 

In this episode they discuss obsession, finding the positives and emphasising freedom within football. 

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Last tickets remaining for our live theatre tour! Link: https://www.thehighperformancepodcast.com/live2023.

Books Out Now:

• The High Performance Daily Journal - 365 Ways To Become Your Best! smarturl.it/HPJournal
• High Performance: Lessons From the Best on Becoming Your Best https://amzn.to/3WcJnBs

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Today is #WorldMentalHealthDay and so we are releasing a special episode where Jake, Damian and our guest, Danny Gray, get vulnerable about their mental health. It is so important to have open and honest conversations with those around us about mental health. 

Danny Gray, is founder of the mental health social media platform JAAQ and the pioneering men's makeup brand War Paint For Men. JAAQ offers reliable information on mental health issues from experts and credible sources. War Paint and JAAQ were both founded due to Danny’s experiences with body dysmorphia, which began in his teenage years. In this episode they dive deep into Danny’s struggles with mental health, how they have shaped his career, relationships and the person he is today.

JAAQ (Just Ask A Question) is the new mental health social media platform launching on November 24th, designed to give you the right information from the right people in a way that has never been done before. For more information please go to: www.jaaq.org

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You will get:

• Weekly Monday Motivation Newsletter with Book Recommendations, Discount Codes, and more!
• Exclusive early video access
• Keynote speeches that keep you learning
• And much more!

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Ellie Simmonds OBE is a former Paralympian swimmer. She won two gold medals for Great Britain at the age of 13 at the 2008 Paralympics; has many world and European titles and was awarded an MBE at the age of 14. In this episode, Ellie discusses what it was like to deal with immense pressure at a young age and how crucial a good team is. 

She was born with Achondroplasia (a form of Dwarfism), and discusses with Jake and Damian why it is so important to talk about disabilities in an open and upfront way. And Ellie shares the simple way she stays happy and appreciates the small moments…

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Thanks to WHOOP for sponsoring this episode - the new WHOOP 4.0 is a wearable Fitness and Health Coach that helps you to Sleep Better, Train Smarter and Recover Faster - ultimately helping you to be the best possible version of yourself - get your first month free on us - join.whoop.com/en-uk/HPP

Pre-order the new High Performance Daily Journal - 365 ways to become your best! smarturl.it/HPJournal

Want even more from High Performance? We have launched our brand new premium podcast service 'High Performance Plus' for people who want to support the podcast, listen to ad-free episodes and have access to exclusive bonus content so we can get you even closer to a life of high performance. Sign up on Apple Podcasts apple.co/highperformance or Supercast https://highperformanceplus.supercast.com/

Remember you can join the free HIGH PERFORMANCE CIRCLE! Just go to https://www.thehighperformancepodcast.com/thecircle

You will get:

* Weekly Monday Motivation Newsletter with Book Recommendations, Discount Codes, and more!

* Exclusive early video access

* Keynote speeches that keep you learning

* And much more!

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

We had the immense good fortune to spend an afternoon in the company of Kevin Sinfield for episode 42, a leader who provided so many golden nuggets of information. In the hard sport of rugby, we chatted about the importance of soft stuff: the ability to show our emotions, let people know we care and the power of friendship.

In this key takeaway, Kevin talks about the moment as a young boy, he realised in order to succeed he needed to get the best out of the people around it and the value it carried for the rest of his life.

For the full episode with Kevin - listen or watch: https://www.thehighperformancepodcast.com/podcast/kevin-sinfield

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Pre-order the new High Performance Daily Journal - 365 ways to become your best! smarturl.it/HPJournal

Want even more from High Performance? We have launched our brand new premium podcast service 'High Performance Plus' for people who want to support the podcast, listen to ad-free episodes and have access to exclusive bonus content so we can get you even closer to a life of high performance. Sign up on Apple Podcasts apple.co/highperformance or Supercast https://highperformanceplus.supercast.com/

Watch all our episodes on YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/c/HighPerformancePodcast/videos

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

A special bonus episode for you this week with former racing driver and now Chief Executive Officer of McLaren Racing, Zak Brown. 

He shares his story from wannabe racer to McLaren boss, and highlights the importance of the attention to detail, surrounding yourself with mentors, and making tough decisions! With McLaren hitting the news this week with team changes, he also reflects on whether he could have done anything different.

We chat about Zak’s role as a leader, his motivations, and self-awareness. This conversation offers great takeaways to people looking to find their own way in business.

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Pre-order the new High Performance Daily Journal - 365 ways to become your best! smarturl.it/HPJournal

Want even more from High Performance? We have launched our brand new premium podcast service 'High Performance Plus' for people who want to support the podcast, listen to ad-free episodes and have access to exclusive bonus content so we can get you even closer to a life of high performance. Sign up on Apple Podcasts apple.co/highperformance or Supercast https://highperformanceplus.supercast.com/

Remember you can join the free HIGH PERFORMANCE CIRCLE! Just go to https://www.thehighperformancepodcast.com/thecircle

You will get:

• Weekly Monday Motivation Newsletter with Book Recommendations, Discount Codes, and more!
• Exclusive early video access
• Keynote speeches that keep you learning
• And much more!

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

This week's bitesize comes from the incredible Chrissie Wellington, a former British professional triathlete and four-time Ironman Triathlon World Champion. She held all three world and championship records relating to ironman triathlon races and remains the world record holder for Ironman distance (8hrs,18 mins).

Chrissie's story is utterly incredible. Her name - and most importantly, her lessons - should be well known. In this clip Chrissie talks to Jake and Damian about the power of perspective. Watch or listen the full episode here: https://www.thehighperformancepodcast.com/podcast/chrissiewellington

It's easy to join the HIGH PERFORMANCE CIRCLE! Just go to https://www.thehighperformancepodcast.com/thecircle

You will get

• Weekly Monday Motivation Newsletter with Book Recommendations, Discount Codes, and more!
• Exclusive early video access
• Keynote speeches that keep you learning more!
• And much more!

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

Marcus Wareing is a Michelin-starred chef, ‘Masterchef: The Professionals’ judge and restaurant owner. Marcus is one of the most respected and acclaimed chefs in the world.

During this conversation, Marcus cites his father as the definition of high performance. Marcus’ admiration of his fathers hard work and determination inspired him to keep pursuing being a chef. He also shares with us where his mindset of focus stems from, how the pandemic transformed him and the real story behind his fallout with Gordan Ramsey, and what he learnt from it.

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Watch all our episodes on YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/c/HighPerformancePodcast/videos

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

Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/highperformancepodcast

And join our new Telegram for behind-the-scenes access and exclusive competitions: https://t.me/highperformance_circle

This month’s HIGH PERFORMANCE CIRCLE newsletter is out! Released at the start of each month, the newsletter will include: a note from Jake, a Boost (short 10 minute piece of video content), Keynote (longer video content) and a ‘Thought from The Professor’ (inspiration from Damian!). We introduced The Circle as a way to provide more educational, free content to our listeners. The podcast can only allow conversations with a limited number of guests and we know that there are so many more voices out there with inspirational content which will support you in reaching your own version of high performance; from nutritionists and adventurers to Olympians and business people.

Just go to https://www.thehighperformancepodcast.com/thecircle

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He was the guest that changed everything for us, and now we go again! Listen to this exclusive preview of our special collaboration with the podcast 'I AM...with Jonny Wilkinson'. Jake and Damian tease the full episode, which is released on Thursday 7th July!

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Watch all our episodes on YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/c/HighPerformancePodcast/videos

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

Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/highperformancepodcast

Join our new Telegram: https://t.me/highperformance_circle

And join our new Telegram for behind-the-scenes access and exclusive competitions: https://t.me/highperformance_circle

This month’s HIGH PERFORMANCE CIRCLE newsletter is out! Released at the start of each month, the newsletter will include: a note from Jake, a Boost (short 10 minute piece of video content), Keynote (longer video content) and a ‘Thought from The Professor’ (inspiration from Damian!)Just go to https://www.thehighperformancepodcast.com/thecircle

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