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 fortnight for three years. Joe Hart talks about England's Euro 2016 exit to Iceland without blaming a soul. Alun Wyn Jones explains why complacency was his biggest fear, and Laura Kenny shows why her story was never a solo effort, starting with setting fire to a jacket potato in Belgium at 18.

Along the way, Damian brings in the research on "if-then" plans that help you follow through, the labels we let others stick on us, why growth mindset might matter less than we've been told, and the difference between harmonious and obsessive passion. Jake questions whether never having "done enough" is healthy at all, and explains why the people who made your life hardest helped shape you too.

Full episodes links for the guests featured:

• Keely Hodgkinson https://pod.fo/e/252844
• Matthew Syed https://pod.fo/e/164cec
• Joe Hart https://pod.fo/e/24b0f2
• Alun Wyn Jones https://pod.fo/e/2b6885
• Laura Kenny https://pod.fo/e/249586

XTB 👉 To find out more and make your money work, use code HPP at: https://highpfrmc.com/XTB_HPP_AU

Vitality 👉 We've partnered with Vitality because our philosophies align perfectly: healthy habits build high performance and can lead to a healthier, longer life. Find out more about health and life insurance with Vitality: https://highpfrmc.com/vitality-hpp-au

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

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 travel packs

XTB 👉 To find out more and make your money work, use code HPP at: https://highpfrmc.com/XTB_HPP_AU

Vitality 👉 We've partnered with Vitality because our philosophies align perfectly: healthy habits build high performance and can lead to a healthier, longer life. Find out more about health and life insurance with Vitality: https://highpfrmc.com/vitality-hpp-au

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

Most of us are waiting for someone to tell us we're ready. This week, Jake and Damian argue that moment never comes, and that the people we admire most simply stopped waiting.

You'll hear from George Russell on the email to Toto Wolff that started his Mercedes journey, Robin Sharma on why it pays to be "a bit of a pirate", Alain de Botton on why the world is built by humans, not gods, and Adam Grant on the feedback that nearly made him quit public speaking. Francis Ngannou, Shane Parrish and Tom Kerridge unpack what it really means to take full ownership of your life, and Holly Tucker explains why there's never a perfect time to start.

Along the way, Damian brings in the research on self-efficacy, why we underestimate how willing people are to help us, and why amateurs wait for inspiration while professionals just get on with it. Then Dame Amanda Blanc complicates everything: sometimes, all it takes is someone else believing in you first.

Listen to the full episodes:

George Russell https://pod.fo/e/1527c9

Robin Sharma https://pod.fo/e/23512b

Alain de Botton https://pod.fo/e/1f5db0

Adam Grant https://pod.fo/e/1546d4

Francis Ngannou https://pod.fo/e/21a419

Shane Parrish https://pod.fo/e/1ff000

Tom Kerridge https://pod.fo/e/22356e

Holly Tucker https://pod.fo/e/1943f

Dame Amanda Blanc https://pod.fo/e/1419c7

Thanks to our partners:

AG1 👉 Head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs

XTB 👉 To find out more and make your money work, use code HPP at: https://highpfrmc.com/XTB_HPP_AU

Vitality 👉 We've partnered with Vitality because our philosophies align perfectly: healthy habits build high performance and can lead to a healthier, longer life. Find out more about health and life insurance with Vitality: https://highpfrmc.com/vitality-hpp-au

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

Donate 👉 Sir Kevin Sinfield's 7 in 7: The Grand Finale https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/7-in-7-the-grand-finale

England Rugby coach and MND campaigner Kevin Sinfield has spent years running into pain, not away from it. In memory of his friend Rob Burrow, he has pushed his body to its limits, finding in the suffering a way to carry some of the emotional weight of the families he meets.

In this episode, Kevin shares the lessons Rob taught him without saying a word: what matters, what doesn't, and how to live with more courage and compassion. He also reveals what high performance really means to him, getting the best from people while caring for them.

This is a conversation about purpose, resilience and the power of showing up for others. Because for Kevin, it has never been about the miles. It's just running for a mate.

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 travel packs

XTB 👉 To find out more and make your money work, use code HPP at: https://highpfrmc.com/XTB_HPP_AU

Vitality 👉 We've partnered with Vitality because our philosophies align perfectly: healthy habits build high performance and can lead to a healthier, longer life. Find out more about health and life insurance with Vitality: https://highpfrmc.com/vitality-hpp-au

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

We're revisiting this extraordinary conversation with one of our most-requested conversations - Usain Bolt.

Usain reveals the failures that changed the way he thought about performance, including the Olympics in Athens where he failed to make it out of the first round. He shares the moment his coach told him he simply wasn’t working hard enough, and the painful realisation that followed.

Usain opens up about the power of consistency, learning how to lose, handling pressure, competing with scoliosis, dealing with global fame, and the mindset that helped him win eight Olympic gold medals.

He also explains why he learned to “don’t think limits”, how he stayed calm before the biggest races of his life, and what high performance actually meant to him after dedicating his entire life to it.

Daniel's latest book Fed Up is out now https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/59539/daniel-lieberman

AG1 👉 Head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs

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

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 destructive drinking stories, and what modern teams can do to create connection without relying on alcohol.

They also explore what elite sport can learn from women's sport, the importance of shared experiences, and why sometimes the thing we need most is simply permission to stop performing.

A conversation about alcohol, sport, connection, pressure and the importance of knowing when to switch off.

If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol, visit Drinkaware for advice and support.

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

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?

His message is simple: there is no perfect diet. There are only trade-offs, and understanding them might change the way you think about food, health and your own body.

Daniel's latest book Fed Up is out now https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/59539/daniel-lieberman

AG1 👉 Head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs

XTB 👉 To find out more and make your money work, use code HPP at: https://highpfrmc.com/XTB_HPP_AU

Vitality 👉 We've partnered with Vitality because our philosophies align perfectly: healthy habits build high performance and can lead to a healthier, longer life. Find out more about health and life insurance with Vitality: https://highpfrmc.com/vitality-hpp-au

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