The High Performance Podcast turns the lived experiences of the planet's high performers into your life lessons. Jake Humphrey (broadcast presenter of 20 years) and Professor Damian Hughes (leading high performance expert), speak to athletes, authors, entertainers and experts about the key to their success. But, Jake and Damian look beyond the guests achievements and encourage guests to share how they developed their mindset, what gives them confidence, how they navigate adversity and much more. Hear from guests as you’ve never heard them before. The High Performance Podcast aims to help listeners navigate their own version of high performance.
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This is a conversation about science, philosophy, the meaning of life, and the unfathomable size of the universe.
Professor Brian Cox is a physicist, known for his astronomy and cosmology series’, including The Universe and Stargazing Live. He has performed on several sell-out arena tours, setting the Guinness World Record for the biggest selling science tour. Before his career in science, at age 18 Brian embarked on a musical career, forming a band with the ex-keyboarder from Thin Lizzy. Brian shares stories of his 5 years as a professional musician; as a keyboard player in the bands Dare and D:Ream. Having achieved in D in Maths A-level, Brian discusses with Jake and Damain how this experience taught him his greatest lesson: the importance of practice.
In this episode, Brian imparts invaluable wisdom on the pursuit of greatness and knowledge, and his belief that “very few people are naturally great”. He shares his secrets on summoning the courage to ask difficult questions and the importance of saying “I don’t know”. They discuss the greatest threat to humanity: human stupidity, and Brian offers insights on creating global cooperation in a world with the power to destroy itself.
Jake, Damian and Brian tackle life's biggest questions, whilst exploring life's more personal subjects: self-doubt, fear and finding confidence.
See Brian on his live tour ‘Horizons’: https://briancoxlive.co.uk/
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In September Jake and Damian chatted to a number of sports guests, but the conversations were far from sport centred. Each guest offered great learnings from their lives, including creating culture, what makes a great leader and how to be more present everyday.
They reflect on the conversation they had with Ryder Cup legends Luke Donald, Sam Torrance and Paul McGinley about their leadership styles and why Paul and Sam didn’t pick Luke to be in their team in 2014. Jake and Damian discuss Will Still’s open and authentic leadership style.
Jake and Damian had an honest and emotional conversation with Steve Hansen, the previous All Blacks' coach, on the hidden cost of high performance. Another vulnerable discussion was had with Paralympian David Smith MBE, who is currently dealing with the effects of a rare and invasive tumour. With David they consider the true importance of life.
The conversations that took place this month were reminders to take a pause and try to stay present.
Listen to the episodes mentioned:
Will Still: https://pod.fo/e/1ea4ea
Steve Hansen: https://pod.fo/e/1ecdda
David Smith MBE: https://pod.fo/e/1ef288
Ryder Cup Roundtable: https://pod.fo/e/1f190f
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This is an open discussion about leadership, creating culture and what makes a winning team.
To mark the 2023 Ryder Cup in Italy, Jake and Damian host a roundtable discussion with current European captain, Luke Donald, and legends, Paul McGinley and Sam Torrance. As Team Europe Ryder Cup captains past and present, they offer a unique perspective on leadership, team culture, and the winning formula that defines this prestigious event. They debate what makes a good Ryder Cup captain and the ways they get the best attributes from their players.
Luke Donald shares his experiences under different captains and how this has now influenced the way he interacts with his players. He shares his key lessons from his first 13 months as captain, including battling imposter syndrome. Paul McGinley and Sam Torrance consider how they change the way they create a sense of comradery in the current digital age, in contrast to team meetings taking place in their captain’s bedroom back in 2004.
Paul and Sam reflect on their choice to not include Luke in their 2014 team. They share what went into this decision and what elements need to come together to create a winning team.
This Ryder Cup roundtable is a deep dive into the art of cultivating an open and communicative team, finding the delicate balance between talent and performing under pressure, and defining the legacy that extends beyond the competition itself. Whether you're a sports enthusiast, a leader, or simply seeking inspiration, this episode offers valuable lessons on what it means to lead, build culture, and win as a team at sport’s highest level.
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A common thread that runs throughout the hundreds of conversations on this podcast is the idea of sacrifice.
In this episode, Jake and Damian explore what the price of high performance really looks like. Although success looks great on the outside, it can come at the cost of collateral damage and difficult decisions. Looking back on their conversation with Dame Kelly Holmes, when she shared the impact sacrificing her mental health to be at the top of her game had.
They reflect on their discussions with Stephen Hendry, Rylan Clarke and Sir Ian McGeegan on the consequences of their drive to success.
Episodes mentioned:
Eddie Jones: https://pod.fo/e/b7048
Dame Kelly Holmes: https://pod.fo/e/1abee
Jonny Wilkinson: https://pod.fo/e/9cca4
Stephen Hendry: https://pod.fo/e/c12f9
Rangan Chatterjee: https://pod.fo/e/115f19
Rylan Clark: https://pod.fo/e/15d984
Sir Ian McGeechan: https://pod.fo/e/da9c4
Richard Dannatt: https://pod.fo/e/c6a61
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Barry Hearn joined the podcast in 2022 to share his 10 life lessons. In this episode, Damian shares with Jake the top 3 lessons he learnt from Barry; the ones he still uses in his everyday life. These 3 lessons include, "it’s better to be lucky than good looking", "life is not changed by sitting on the sofa" and "life is going to end in tears, so you might as well make the most of it".
Jake and Damian reflect on these lessons and the way Barry’s version of high performance can be utilised in our daily lives.
Episodes mentioned:
Barry Hearn: https://pod.fo/e/157c60
Books mentioned:
The Luck Factor by Richard Wiseman: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-luck-factor-the-scientific-study-of-the-lucky-mind-richard-wiseman/11145449?ean=9781511376839
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This week’s episode provides a rare glimpse into the mind of a coaching legend Steve Hansen, revealing the key to success in the world of rugby and beyond.
Steve is a New Zealand rugby union coach and a former player. He famously led the All Blacks to victory during the 2015 Rugby World Cup as their head coach, a role he held from 2012 to 2019. This is a reflective, honest and vulnerable conversation with one of the world’s best coaches. Steve offers insights into his time with the All-Blacks, sharing his experiences coaching the greatest rugby team in history, and the task of redefining the concept of progress while sitting at the top of the world rankings.
Jake, Damian and Steve delve into the strategic mindset he brings to coaching, sharing five thought-provoking questions he constantly asks himself and his team:
What’s our identity and our legacy?
How fast can we learn about what’s going on in the game?
What are the places we’re struggling?
How fast can we adapt when things aren’t going our way?
What is our biggest goal?
They discuss his competitive and pride-driver alter-ego, Stanley, and how he has learnt to control this side of himself, offering valuable insights into the complexities of leadership. By prioritising simplicity, trust, and self-awareness, Steve explores how we can create a blueprint for high performance in any endeavour.
This episode was recorded at the Rugby Premiership Final at Twickenham, there may be some crowd noise in the background.
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To mark the start of the Rugby World Cup, Jake and Damian reflect on the conversations they have had with some of the most influential people in the game. We have been lucky enough to go into the training grounds, stadiums and dressing rooms and to hear the innermost thoughts of the key players past and present.
Hear from Sir Clive Woodward on the power of the individual in a great team. A former teammate of the legendary All Blacks, Dan Carter shares the details of the team meeting in which they decide they were going to be the worlds most dominant team. Jake and Damian consider the honest and open conversation they had with Siya Kolisi, who described what winning the world cup meant for all of South Africsa. As well as the above, we hear from some of the greatest players of the game, including Sam Burgess, Danny Cipriani and Eddie Jones.
Will's story is a testament to the power of authenticity and resilience in the world of football management.
Will Still is a professional football manager and former player, currently managing Ligue 1 club Stade de Reims. Aged 30, he is the youngest manager in Europe's top five leagues, and first became a manager at age 24. Will shares with Jake and Damian how he deals with outside pressure and how his commitment to honesty, vulnerability, and staying true to himself has been his guiding force. After dropping out of university in Belgium, Will moved to the UK to pursue a Football Coaching degree. Despite the culture shock, the move cemented Will’s commitment to a career in football.
They discuss how his style as a manager has developed since he first started, with vulnerability and honesty always being at the forefront of his work. Will discusses what it was like to turn down a job offer from Vincent Kompany and how a quiet self-confidence is crucial to his work. This is a conversation about passion, commitment and authenticity.
Will's journey reminds us that the road to success becomes much easier when we begin embracing our true self.
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August was filled with perspective changing and vulnerable conversations about what high performance really looks like. Jake takes a look back at some of the key insights from our guests over the last month.
Dr Waheed Arian challenged Jake's ever-shifting view of what high performance really means, by sharing the obstacles he overcame when moving from war torn Afghanistan to the UK at age 15 to become a doctor. Jake and Damian discussed how our biggest mistakes can make for our greatest achievements, with comedian Katherine Ryan.
Formula 1 legend Fernando Alonso opened up about the true price of high performance, and Jake learns what Fernando would do differently a second time around. Our final guest of the month, Peter Attia, changed Jake's outlook on life with his idea of the centenarian decathlon.
This episode contains the roadmap to a longer, healthier life.
Dr. Peter Attia is a physician, focused on the applied science of longevity and on a mission to unlock the secrets of extending human life. In this episode, he takes Jake and Damian through the 5 pillars of health, exploring the impact of nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress and supplementation.
These five essential aspects of our lives are the building blocks upon which our overall wellbeing is constructed. By analysing each of these pillars, Peter explains how they can be utilised to transform our lives and overall health and wellbeing.
Peter provides tangible actions that your future self will undoubtedly thank you for. Discover how setting goals for the final decade of your life can become a powerful source of motivation for making positive changes in your life today; “the seeds you sow in your youth, are the same flower that come to harvest later on”. Peter discusses how to improve your emotional wellbeing, including finding honest, fulfilling relationships and being able to properly regulate your emotions.
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