The High Performance Podcast

Boris Becker burned out at 25. Former British No1 Jo Konta carried her family's sacrifice onto court every match and Irish tennise pr Conor Niland described a tennis player's self-worth as entirely tied to winning and losing — nothing else. Three players, the same problem: identity wrapped around results, the sport becoming something to survive.

This week, in the run-up to Wimbledon, Jake and Damian go back into the archiv...

Racing Bulls Formula 1 driver Liam Lawson has lived through the highest stakes and the ruthless politics of motorsport.

In this episode, Liam opens up about the reality of his Red Bull exit, revealing how he was blindsided, unfairly judged and left carrying the blame for a radical car setup experiment. He also shares where his self belief comes from, from finishing last in go karting to ignoring the people who said Formula 1 was...

Sir Gareth Southgate is England's most successful manager since 1966. Two finals, four tournaments and by the end, fans were throwing beer at him in the stadium.

Today, as England embark on another World Cup journey, we revisit one of the most candid leadership conversations we've ever recorded. Gareth explains why he knew it was time to leave before the final was even played, what he said to his players before England's penalty...

The UK has announced a ban on under-16s using social media. Jake and Damian's reaction is immediate: the ban is right, but it cannot do the job alone. In this episode they go back into the archive to hear from the people who saw this coming.

Jonathan Haidt on the phone-based childhood we built without realising what we were dismantling. Johann Hari on the 10,000 engineers paid to undermine your self-control. Alex Greenwood on th...

David Seaman is one of England's greatest ever goalkeepers, with 75 caps and multiple trophies with Arsenal. In this episode he shares the moments that shaped him, many of which have never been told like this before.

David takes us from being released by Leeds United at 19 to walking out for England at the World Cup, opening up about the fear he felt after the Ronaldinho free kick and the untold story of packing Gazza's bags aft...

Joe Hart was England's number one for over a decade, won two Premier Leagues at Manchester City, and was one of the most recognisable goalkeepers of his generation. Then Pep Guardiola arrived - and everything changed.

In this conversation with Jake and Damian, Joe speaks with remarkable honesty about the mental block that nearly ended his City career before it peaked, the moment he felt genuinely unbeatable and how quickly that ...

Jake and Damian take stock and draw on five years of conversations with some of the world's highest performers. This episode strips everything back to four questions — the ones that, according to existential psychologist Tatiana Schnell, sit at the foundation of a meaningful life.

Does your life add up? Do you feel you matter? Do you have a sense of purpose? And do you truly belong to something bigger than yourself?

Wit...

Andy Wilman is back for round two, bringing his signature blunt honesty as the creative force behind Top Gear, The Grand Tour and Clarkson's Farm. Few people in television have built more iconic shows or stayed more allergic to nonsense while doing it.

In this episode, Andy dives straight into the chaos of creation, explaining why building something from scratch forges an unbreakable bond that makes walking away almost impossibl...

Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole, and Peter Crouch between them have won Champions League titles, Premier League medals, over 200 England caps. And yet not one of them ever lifted a major trophy for their country.

In this roundtable, three men who were inside the 'Golden Generation' dressing room finally say what went wrong. The media that made players scared to perform. The manager who wouldn't listen. The moment the England coach was a...

James Milner retired this week as the Premier League's all-time appearance record holder. 658 games. 24 years. Never once dropped his standards.

This week Jake and Damian sit down to ask the question that nobody else is asking — not what he achieved, but how someone holds their standards every single day for that long. What does it cost? What does it give you? And what can the rest of us learn from a man who never once let...

Nico Rosberg spent 31 years building his identity around a single goal to become Formula 1 World Champion. In this episode Nico reveals the stark reality of achieving his ultimate dream, explaining why his 2016 triumph brought relief rather than euphoria and why he walked away from a £100m+ fortune at his absolute peak.

He strips back the curtain on his legendary, fierce rivalry with childhood friend Lewis Hamilton, describing t...

What happens when the medical system tells you you’re clear, but the hardest part of your recovery is actually just beginning? In this special roundtable episode, brought to you in partnership with Postcode Lottery, we explore the unseen side of living through and beyond cancer.

Joining Jake in the studio are legendary solo sailor Dame Ellen MacArthur, Frank Fletcher (CEO of the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust), and Josh Rand...

Fear doesn't disappear when you become successful. It just changes shape.

In this episode, Jake and Damian go into the archive to ask a question most of us avoid: what are you actually afraid of — and what's it costing you?

They're joined by clips from some of High Performance's most memorable conversations: Phil Heath on navigating darkness to find your highest level, Scott McTominay on the self-doubt that never left h...

Steve McClaren has lived the full arc of elite football, from the immense pressure of managing England to lifting trophies in Europe and standing alongside Sir Alex Ferguson during Manchester United’s historic Treble campaign.

In this episode, Steve takes us inside the uniquely brutal world of the England job and World Cup expectation, describing the psychological weight of carrying 70 million people on your shoulders and ...

We packed up the studio in the Vauxhall Combo electric van and travelled to the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre for a deeply reflective conversation with Team GB athlete Georgia Hunter-Bell.

Away from the heat of competition, Georgia opens up for the first time about a chapter of her life she has never publicly revealed before. She shares her experience going through dark timesafter walking away from the sport that ha...

Trust is the single most important currency in sport, business, and life - and in the age of AI, it's becoming scarcer by the day. This week Jake Humphrey is joined by producer Will to dig into why.

Drawing on some of the most powerful conversations in the High Performance archive, they explore what trust really is, how it breaks down, and whether it can ever truly be rebuilt.

Featuring:

• Rachel Botsman — Oxford lectu...

Justin Cochrane is one of elite football’s most respected coaches and a vital part of the England Men's backroom team. Justin’s leadership focuses on reading a squad’s emotional temperature and providing players the freedom to be themselves.

In this episode, Justin shares the moving story of losing his wife Leeanne to cancer and how her selfless approach to her final days redefined his perspective. He discusses...

Ronda Rousey is back in the spotlight on Netflix this weekend — and it felt like the perfect moment to revisit this conversation we had with her in Hollywood - one of the most funny and honest conversations we've ever had on this show.

Sitting down with Jake and Damian in Hollywood, Ronda reveals the secret she hid from everyone: that she fought the final chapter of her UFC career already concussed, shutting herself in dar...

Everyone talks about what it takes to win. Nobody talks about what comes the morning after. In this episode, Jake and Damian go deep into the HPP archive to explore one of the most uncomfortable truths in high performance: why the moment of victory so often leaves elite performers feeling empty, lost, and at a total loss for what comes next.

Featuring conversations with Yaya Touré on the strange emptiness of retirement, Ben Ains...