Alessandro Benetton knows what it means to challenge an established order. When the Benetton family entered Formula 1 from the world of fashion, the paddock laughed. But rather than trying to fit in, they rewrote the rules, and went on to win world championships. Alessandro joins us to reflect on the decisions that changed everything, from recognising Michael Schumacher’s extraordinary talent befo

Dame Jess Ennis-Hill is one of Britain’s greatest athletes. A triple world heptathlon champion, European champion and Olympic gold medallist, she reached the absolute peak of her sport. But behind the medals was a very different story.... We revisit this incredible conversation where Jess reveals what it was like to become Britain’s “Golden girl” ahead of London 2012, carrying the weight of huge p

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 sh

Linford Christie didn't just race his opponents, he tried to beat them before the gun even fired. The Olympic champion reveals the psychology behind his ruthless approach to the 100m, and the mindset that allowed him to keep pushing when most would have stopped. Linford reflects on the hunger that drove him to the top despite starting his international career later than most, and why winning Olymp

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

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 Gra

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.

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 ope

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 br

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

This is a revisit of the conversation we previously had with Toto Wolff, Mercedes’ Team Principal and CEO, and it remains one of the most revealing interviews we’ve ever recorded. Toto opens up about the childhood experiences that shaped him, losing his father at 15, being forced to grow up quickly and the financial hardship his family faced. He also speaks candidly about periods of depression fro

What do you actually feel when you win? Jake and Damian explore one of the strangest patterns they've noticed across more than 400 High Performance conversations: so many people reach the top of their mountain, only to wish they'd enjoyed the climb a little more. Damian unpacks the hedonic treadmill and arrival fallacy, and asks what we're actually optimising our lives for when every achievement s

Former British Army paratrooper Josh Boggi’s life changed in 47 minutes when he stepped on an IED in Afghanistan, losing both legs and his right arm. But surviving was only the beginning of learning who he was going to become. Josh opens up about the five-minute conversation with a fellow triple amputee that gave him a new roadmap for life, and how sport helped rebuild his confidence, identity, an

Global music icon Anastacia has faced breast cancer twice, first diagnosed at just 34 at the height of her career and again ten years later. In this special episode, created in partnership with Postcode Lottery, she joins Jake to share how those experiences shaped her outlook on life. Anastacia opens up about taking back control, the optimism that has carried her through difficult moments, and why

On the morning of 11 September 2001, Sean Windeatt was a 28-year-old in Cantor Fitzgerald's London finance department, fifteen minutes into his usual morning call with a colleague in New York, when the line went dead. That colleague was inside the North Tower. By the end of the day the firm had lost 658 people alongside 61 Euro Brokers employees— around two thirds of its New York workforce, and mo

England Rugby World Cup winner Lawrence Dallaglio built his career on an extraordinary ability to create belief under pressure. But behind that drive was a deeply personal source of motivation: the loss of his sister Francesca when he was just 16. Lawrence opens up about turning grief into fuel, finding the family he needed through rugby, and why the mental and emotional side of performance is so

Sir Steve Hansen won 93 of 107 Tests as All Blacks head coach — the most successful run in the history of professional rugby. We re-visit our chat with Steve where he takes it apart: why "culture" is the most overused word on the planet, why he hates rules, why nobody would admit the All Blacks were World Cup chokers, and the two times he got it badly wrong and had to apologise to a whole squad. P

Why does a weekly to-do list feel so overwhelming on a Sunday night? Jake and Damian argue it's not because of your workload, it's because your capacity . Sleep, energy, confidence, clarity, control: when any of these drop, the same list of tasks stops looking like separate, manageable jobs and starts looking like one overwhelming message — everything, now. In this episode, Jake and Damian hear fr

Dina Asher-Smith has just made history as the most decorated athlete in European Championships history. An MBE, multiple major titles and four Olympic Games within reach, but at 30, one of Britain's greatest ever sprinters is still asking how much better she can become. In this episode, Dina opens up about the realities behind those 10 seconds on the track, from how her menstrual cycle affected he

We revisit our conversation with Fernando Alonso - two-time Formula 1 World Champion, 437 Grand Prix starts, 32 wins - recorded in a rare moment where the visor comes off completely. Jake and Damian get behind the "robot" Alonso becomes the second his helmet goes on, and into the boy who started racing a homemade go-kart at three years old, in a family with no money, no expectations, and no compet