Performance People

What if the secret to performing under pressure is to stop thinking of it as pressure at all? Ben Crowe is one of the world’s most sought-after mindset and leadership coaches, helping elite athletes, executives and teams redefine success, manage expectation and unlock their potential. In this episode, recorded during the Wimbledon Championships, Ben joins Georgie Ainslie to share the principles be...

What does it really take to become an Ironman World Champion? In this episode of Performance People, Georgie Ainslie sits down with four-time world champion Lucy Charles-Barclay for a conversation about pain, resilience and the relentless pursuit of excellence. Lucy relives the defining race of her career: the 2023 Ironman World Championship in Kona. After years of finishing second, she finally cl...

What does it really take to perform at the highest level, and why do so many high achievers still feel they haven't done enough? In this episode of Performance People, Georgie Ainslie is joined by three-time Olympian, European champion and ROAR Fitness founder Sarah Lindsay for a conversation about the psychology of performance, resilience and confidence. Sarah reflects on the mindset that took he...

Professor Tim Spector, co-founder of ZOE, joins Performance People to explain how gut health can influence mood, energy, cravings, focus and long-term health. In this conversation, Tim explores the gut-brain connection, why brain fog may be linked to what we eat, the problem with ultra-processed foods, the benefits of fermented foods and plant diversity, and why he believes GLP-1 drugs could be on...

In this episode of Performance People, Georgie Ainslie speaks to sleep scientist Dr Sophie Bostock about the science of better sleep, consistent energy and true recovery. Sophie explains why the body is not designed to be “always on”, how stress hormones can leave us feeling tired but wired, and why relaxation is a skill that needs to be practised before we get into bed. The conversation also expl...

FA CEO Mark Bullingham joins Georgie Ainslie on the Performance People podcast for a rare in-depth conversation about running English football, the future of The Football Association, England’s World Cup ambitions, Thomas Tuchel, Sarina Wiegman, the Lionesses, Gareth Southgate’s legacy and the commercial growth of the game. As Chief Executive of The FA, Bullingham describes the organisation as “ei...

Felicity 'Fliss' Barnard, CEO of Ascot Racecourse, joins Georgie Ainslie on the Performance People podcast for a rare behind-the-scenes look at Royal Ascot, the business of horse racing, and the pressure of leading one of Britain’s most iconic sporting institutions. Fliss explains what it really takes to run Royal Ascot, from protecting a 300-year-old brand to managing reputation, revenue, relevan...

For decades, women have been given health, fitness and nutrition advice based largely on research conducted on men. This week on Performance People , Georgie speaks to exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist Dr Stacy Sims, the woman behind the phrase: “Women are not small men.” This is a mythbusting conversation about the gender data gap in health and performance: why women need to lift heav...

Double Olympic champion James Cracknell joins Georgie for a conversation about elite sport, resilience, identity and recovery. James reflects on the defining moment that shaped his Olympic career: missing out on Atlanta 1996 through illness, after years of preparation, and deciding to commit to another four-year cycle despite knowing the same heartbreak could happen again. He takes us inside the p...

Mary Earps joins us for a wide-ranging conversation about life at PSG, leaving her comfort zone, the rise of women’s football, and why she is determined to make goalkeeping cool. The England goalkeeper reflects on the defining moments that changed her career, from being dropped by England in 2019 to winning Euro 2022, the World Cup Golden Glove and BBC Sports Personality of the Year. She also talk...

This episode of Performance People explores the science behind movement, recovery, and why small, consistent changes can completely alter how your body functions. Dr Cuan Wayne Coetzee is a chiropractor and movement expert focused on helping people overcome chronic pain through movement, neuroscience, and behavioural change. His work centres on neural re-education (NRE) using simple, novel movemen...

Emily Frazer is the CEO of Matchroom Multi-Sport, and trying to do with 9 ball pool what her bosses did with darts and snooker. In a candid conversation with Georgie, Emily shares what she has learned from working alongside Barry and Eddie Hearn, how Matchroom’s Netflix series changed perceptions of the business and why character, storytelling and relentless standards matter if you want to build a...

This week on Performance People, Georgie sits down with England cricketer Kate Cross for a conversation about resilience, identity and the moments that shape a sporting life. Recorded in Abu Dhabi at the end of 2025, before the SailGP Grand final, Kate looks back on the defining moment that changed everything: her Test debut in Perth in 2014. It came at the end of a turbulent period in which she h...

Wrexham’s rise has been framed as a Hollywood story. The reality is rather more structured. In this episode, Wrexham director Shaun Harvey breaks down what’s actually driven the transformation, from the earliest conversations during lockdown, through to building a club now pushing towards the Premier League. At the centre of it is the ownership model. Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney didn’t just b...

What does real longevity look like when you’ve lived at the sharp end of performance? In this episode of Performance People, Georgie is joined by Dr Tamsin Lewis, longevity physician, psychiatrist, former GB triathlete and founder of Wellgevity, for a wide-ranging conversation about health, performance and what it really takes to sustain both over time. Tamsin reflects on her journey from elite sp...

What does it take to prepare a Formula 1 world champion to perform at the very highest level? In this episode of Performance People, Georgie Ainslie sits down with elite performance coach and physio Bradley Scanes, whose work in Formula 1 included training and supporting Max Verstappen through the relentless physical, mental and logistical demands of the sport. Bradley explains what an F1 driver’s...

Former Premier League footballer Thomas Hal Robson-Kanu joins Performance People to talk about the injury crisis that nearly ended his career at 17, the natural recovery blend his father created to help him heal, and how that personal turning point became the foundation for his wellness business, The Turmeric Co. In this episode, Thomas reflects on chronic pain, elite sport, recovery, entrepreneur...

Oisin Murphy is one of the most successful jockeys of his generation, a x5 Champion Jockey whose career has been defined by brilliance, pressure, relapse, recovery and an unrelenting pursuit of winning. In this episode of Performance People, Oisin speaks with rare honesty about the reality behind elite success. He reflects on the horse that changed everything for him, Roaring Lion, and explains wh...

Your brain is the most trainable organ in your body. So why aren't you training it? This week on Performance People, we sit down with Dr Tommy Wood, neuroscientist, researcher, and performance scientist who has worked at the highest levels of motorsport, including Formula 1 through HINSTA Performance. If you want to understand how the world's elite athletes keep their edge, this is the episode. Dr...

Dr. Elie Abirached: Nature Over Bio-Hacking Tech Longevity expert Dr. Elie Abirached shares his journey from war-torn 1980s Lebanon to pioneering bio-hacker and Harvard researcher. Despite having access to every cutting-edge device; hyperbaric chambers, infrared saunas, PEMF therapy, he reveals why nature, community, and purpose remain the most powerful longevity tools. In this conversation, Dr. A...

Former England international James Haskell joins Performance People for an unfiltered, honest conversation about elite sport, identity, leadership and life after rugby. Haskell reflects on the defining moments that shaped his career, from an unlikely England call-up that changed everything, to the brutal honesty of international environments where high performance is non-negotiable. He speaks cand...

World number one skeleton slider Matt Weston joins Performance People, in partnership with J.P. Morgan Private Bank, to share the mindset, resilience and ambition behind his rise to the top of one of sport’s most extreme disciplines. In this episode, Matt reflects on the disappointment of the Beijing Winter Games and how that experience became the driving force behind a remarkable period of succes...

On this episode of Performance People, Georgie Ainslie sits down with Pat Sharples, an elite head coach in winter sports, for a rare behind-the-scenes look at how teams are built. Pat reveals what really happens inside a Winter campaign. He explains how he manages 12 very different snow sport disciplines, balancing creativity in freestyle athletes with the intensity of alpine racing, all while kee...

In this episode of Performance People , we’re joined by Emirates GBR champion driver and newly appointed America’s Cup GB1 helm, Dylan Fletcher, to explore the defining moment behind one of British sailing’s most remarkable career arcs. Dylan reflects on the tough reality of being dropped from the SailGP circuit early in his career, describing the moment the “rug was pulled” and how losing control...

How do you turn three people and a dog into a 23,000-strong global business? For David Howden, Founder and Group CEO of Howden, the answer begins not in a boardroom but in childhood adversity. David lost his father aged seven and watched his family lose their home overnight - a moment that forged lifelong resilience and a hunger to build something of his own. That experience would power a career i...