ainslie + ainslie Performance People

Sky News Sports presenter Jacquie Beltrao joins Georgie for a deeply personal conversation about resilience, identity, and what sport has taught her about life. From a humble upbringing to the Olympic stage, Jacquie shares how her dream of competing in rhythmic gymnastics at the 1984 Los Angeles Games became a reality — despite the heartbreak of losing her mum just weeks before.

She reflects on the emotional chaos of that time, the ...

If any sport knows how to navigate the negative effects of international travel it’s Formula 1, whose teams are frequently flying their staff across time zones and need them to be firing on all cylinders as soon as they arrive.

With over 25 years of experience working with elite athletes from Olympians to Formula 1 drivers, performance coach Pete McKnight reveals what we can learn from their approach.

He explains how travel a...

Sporting history may be full of great comeback stories, but the 2013 America’s Cup will forever take some beating.

Oracle Team USA were 8-1 down against a dominant Emirates Team New Zealand team who needed only one more win to lift the Auld Mug and put the Americans out of their misery. In a last-gasp move to change things up, Ben Ainslie was brought in by CEO Russell Coutts to join skipper Jimmy Spithill on board. Incredibly, t...

In this episode, sleep evangelist and scientist Dr Sophie Bostock shares her mission to help people unlock the life-changing benefits of better sleep. Founder of TheSleepScientist.com, Sophie works with high performers in sport, business and leadership to improve recovery, reduce burnout, and enhance productivity by optimising their sleep routines. This conversation centres around her research-backed approach to “sleeping yourself ...

Alfie Hewett joins the podcast a year after the defining moment of his career: winning his first Wimbledon singles title in 2024. After years of coming heartbreakingly close—including back-to-back final losses in 2022 and 2023—Alfie reveals how that elusive victory became an obsession. He explains the intense personal and professional journey to overcome self-doubt, external expectations, and the emotional pressure of chasing the c...

In this episode, Georgie welcomes James Vowles, Team Principal of Williams Racing and a seasoned Formula One strategist with decades of experience at the highest level of motorsport. From his early days on the pit wall to leading one of the most iconic teams in F1 history, James shares the pivotal moments that shaped his career and leadership style.

James reflects the moments that shaped his early career, including receiving rejecti...

In this exclusive episode recorded in the clubhouse at Wimbledon, Georgie sits down with Debbie Jevans, the first female chair of the All England Club, to explore what it really takes to deliver one of the world’s most iconic sporting events. Debbie reveals how far in advance the team plans for the Championships and the importance of testing every element before day one. From 50,000 flowers to rain-proof scheduling, it's a mastercl...

Ed Chamberlin is the face of horse racing on ITV, the man who shepherded Gary Neville into TV and also a cancer survivor. On this week's podcast, Georgie catches up with her old Sky Sports News co-presenter, Ed, to talk about:

* Why his first attempts at presenting all tanked

* The death threats he faced at Sky Sports

* Gary Neville's relentless work ethic and how it changed his own approach

* How he would never have walked away from t...

British tennis star Katie Boulter is heading into Wimbledon with serious momentum — a chance for a 'three-peat' win in Nottingham and a showdown with Emma Raducanu for top Brit billing.

In this week’s episode, Katie lets Georgie in on the behind-the-scenes realities of preparing for the biggest tournament of the year, what she’s learned from her power-couple fiancé, Alex de Minaur, and how the tragic news of a double cancer diagnosi...

Jamie Chadwick is one of motor racing’s most decorated female drivers, having won races and titles everywhere she’s gone. Jamie discusses her incredible experiences over the last decade, the pros and cons of being a woman in modern-day motorsport, what she’s learned from her recent time in Indy NXT, when she thinks a female driver will break into Formula One, how she’s preparing for the legendary Le Mans 24 hours and why she’s more...

Hayley McQueen is a sports broadcaster, a leading anchor on Sky Sports News, and the co-host of the Not Just Football podcast with Kelly Cates and Christine Lampard. She is also the daughter of the Manchester United and Scotland defender, Gordon McQueen, who died in 2023 from vascular dementia and pneumonia. Hayley explains her family’s battle to discover if Gordon’s death was linked to his profession, the decision to donate his br...

Setbacks are an inevitable part of life, so what tools are most effective in getting us back on our feet and, perhaps, even stronger than we were before?

Annalie Howling is a performance coach who works with leaders in business, elite sport and the Armed Forces, and who has personal experience in recovering from life’s challenges. She explains how a back to basics approach can help, the role of radical self-belief, why helping o...

Georgie welcomes her former Sky Sports screen husband, and now Soccer Saturday host, Simon Thomas, into the Performance People studio. Simon opens up about his journey through sports broadcasting, revealing the truth behind his big break on Blue Peter, explaining the personal challenges of overcoming anxiety and the pressures of live television, how the sudden death of his wife, Gemma, left him utterly broken and he shares the shap...

Northampton Saints, England and now Lions-elect fly-half, Fin Smith, is one of rugby’s hottest emerging stars. In this wide-ranging chat about his career and ethos, he explains why his biggest low at Worcester taught him to take nothing for granted, why winning gives you extra drive, why the Six Nations surprised him, how he’s learning about leadership and what it’s like having a certain Jonny Wilkinson as a coach and mentor. Fin a...

What are the daily and weekly habits that build a life of high performance? Top performance coach to elite sport, military and business professionals, Chris Tombs, breaks down the habits, routines and mindset shifts that drive high performance in any field.

From optimising sleep to integrating movement, Chris shares the daily principles that anyone can use to raise their game. Discover why consistency beats intensity, how to eat...

Georgie reunites with her old Sky Sports News co-anchor David Jones, who now hosts Sky Sports' flagship football coverage on Super Sunday and Monday Night Football alongside pundits including Gary Neville, Roy Keane, Jamie Carragher and Jamie Redknapp.

David discusses his big break at Sky, the pressure and buzz of live TV, why he prefers asking questions to answering them and how presenting live football with a panel of pundits ...

What can we learn from how athletes approach sleep to improve how we feel and perform every day? Dr Peter Tierney is a performance coach and sports scientist who has worked with Leinster rugby, Chelsea FC, Lulu Lemon and The FA. 

Working with elite athletes, he has seen the power of optimising sleep to maximise performance. In this episode, he describes his SLEEP checklist for improving your sleep environment, why regularit...

Rugby world cup winner Mike Tindall takes us inside that famous 2003 final, when England beat Australia with a Jonny Wilkinson drop-goal in extra time.

Mike looks back at what made that team so special; the characters, camaraderie and leadership that made the difference and how he’s never been in an environment like it since.

Now a podcast host himself on ‘The Good, The Bad and The Rugby’, he also shares his views on the Brit...

One of Britain’s most successful downhill skiers, Chemmy Alcott, shares her journey to four Winter Olympics and five top-10 World Cup finishes, including becoming the first Brit to win a World Cup downhill run in 2008 in Solden. In this episode of Performance People, she takes us inside the mental battles and brutal injuries that make up the life of a downhill racer, where euphoric success and crushing failure are only a ski edge a...