The High Performance Podcast

Ben Towers is co-founder of Happl, a platform with a mission to connect employees and tackle ill-mental health. Ben started his first company at the age of 11, after finishing school for the day he would spend the evening working to improve his business. In this episode Ben shares an insight to his mindset at such a young age and how parents can encourage and affirm their children’s goals. His par...

Alex Scott MBE is a sports presenter, pundit and former professional football player. She played for Arsenal and made 140 appearances for the England women’s national football team. In this episode, Alex reveals how she has dealt with fear from her childhood and through her career - witnessing abuse and being vilified through social media - and how her mindset has enabled her to reach a place of f...

This the second episode in our CEO Series, in which we will be deep diving into what it takes to be a CEO. Greg Jackson is the founder and CEO of Octopus Energy Group, which currently has over 3.1 million UK customers. Octopus are on a mission to bring cheaper, greener power to all. In this episode Greg shares not only what it means to be a successful leader and team player, but how to live a more...

Kenton Cool is an English mountaineer, a performance coach and co-founder of In Cool Company . He has climbed Everest a record 16 times and, among many other accomplishments, he kicked off the 2012 Olympics’ when he fulfilled an 88-year old pledge to take a gold medal from the 1924 Olympic Games to the top of Everest.  In this episode Kenton, Jake and Damian discuss how Kenton deals with ‘the...

This episode is the start of our CEO Series, in which we will be deep diving into what it takes to be a CEO. Amanda Blanc is a Welsh businesswoman and the current CEO of Aviva, stepping into the role in July 2020. Amanda grew up in Rhondda valley in Wales, both her grandparents were miners. In this episode she shares how her childhood in Rhondda instilled in her the importance of community, freedo...

Mo Gawdat is an Egyptian author and entrepreneur. Previously he held the position of Chief Business Officer for Google X , he is now host of the popular podcast Slow Mo. Mo is known for creating the happiness equation. Mo has co-founded more than 20 businesses, and continues to mentor ten start-ups at one time. In this episode Mo discusses how the death of his beloved son Ali, began his search for...

Our chat with the irrepressible, inspirational and incisive Jo Malone (ep45) was one of the most moving interviews which we have been lucky to do on High Performance.  Jo is a household name and one of the world’s most successful businesswomen. There aren’t many people who haven’t had a product of hers in their home at some point.  Her quiet wisdom, including such golden nuggets that tou...

Jost Capito is a German Motorsport manager and current CEO and Team Principal of Williams Racing Formula One Team. He joined Williams during Covid, in this episode he shares the difficulties that came with joining then and how he cultivates a family feel in a large company, where many employees work remotely.  Jost has an open door policy and chooses not to use an office, he discusses with Ja...

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),...

In this week’s Bitesize, we’re returning to episode 28 with Sir Clive Woodward. The head coach who led England’s rugby players to World Cup glory in Australia in 2003.  Clive discusses the similarities between sport and business, how he approaches running a small business, why personal relationships are so crucial and much more.  Jake takes us through an in depth look at Clive’s answers,...

This week on The High Performance Podcast, we speak to Sunil Patel, the Co-founder and CEO of Whisper, an award winning production company to Sunil created with High Performance host Jake Humphrey.  In this episode Sunil openly shares with us the highs and lows of being obsessed with your work and how this can impact your private life. He also goes into depth on how teamwork is at the heart o...

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...

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...

James Patterson is one of the world’s most successful authors, having sold over four hundred million books.  In this episode James takes us through the challenges of his career and the ‘Eureka moment’ that made him quit marketing and become a full time writer. Having co-authored books with Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton, James explores how to best build relationships, earn trust and the import...

In this week's bitesize lesson from the archive we jump back to episode 69 with the founder and CEO of leading fitness brand Gymshark, Ben Francis. We asked Ben to define the values which he enshrines within his business. His answer was compelling, illuminating and inspiring. For the full episode with Ben Francis - listen or watch: https://www.thehighperformancepodcast.com/podcast/benfrancis - - -...

Nick Cox is the Head of Academy at Manchester United. He has previously been an Academy Manager at Sheffield United FC. In this episode, Nick shares with us the key to high performance - people and relationships. For Nick, high performance is about finding those small windows of alignment where you are in flow, and then when you are not in that state your time should be spent rebuilding to return...

Singer-songwriter Kelly Jones, frontman of the Stereophonics, opened up with us about his relationship with the press after his childhood friend and former band member Stuart Cable sadly passed. The key lesson: Make the time to understand the full picture. It is not always as it seems. Listen or watch the full episode with Kelly, episode 31: https://www.thehighperformancepodcast.com/podcast/kelly-...

It has been 2 years since Jake and Damian first sat down with Frank Lampard. In this new episode the three of them return to their previous discussion to see what has changed, what has stayed the same and the steps he’s been taking to change his life… Frank is the current manager of Premier League club Everton and former Chelsea manager and their record goal scorer. In this episode Frank reflects...

Trigger Warning: Themes of trauma, sexual assault and suicide.  Gemma Morgan began her career serving as an officer in the British Army and is now a speaker, writer and leadership coach. In this exclusive extract from this month's High Performance Circle keynote, Gemma exposes the life-changing impact that culture can have on our performance and wellbeing. Her message is hard-hitting and uncompro...

Owen O’Kane is a psychotherapist, former NHS Mental Health Lead and author of the best-selling book, How To Be Your Own Therapist. Owen grew up in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, he struggled to accept his sexuality as a gay man - once even trying to be 'healed' of his homosexuality during a visit to Lourdes. He has had a varied career, from training to be a priest, to working in palliative...

We were joined on episode 99 by Vicky Pattison, author and TV star and the reaction was incredible. The podcast was about challenging pre-conceptions and embracing a growth mindset. She shared, with real honesty and candidness, the perils of not investing time to work on developing your self esteem; the importance of managing your inner circle; and the benefits of numbering your days. We recommend...

Alan Stein Jr. is a performance coach, speaker and author with a passion for helping others change behaviours. Alan spent 15+ years working with the highest performing basketball players on the planet including NBA superstars Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Kobe Bryant. Alan has a masterful ability to translate what he’s learnt from these high performers and provide real value for others with simpl...

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...

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...

Little siblings statistically have a significantly greater chance of becoming elite athletes…. This week we have an exclusive extract from an incredible keynote speech from our members club The High Performance Circle with sports journalist and author Tim Wigmore. Tim unveils his research and explores why being a little sibling helps so much - younger siblings are challenged more, helping them dev...