Performance People

John Amaechi OBE didn’t pick up a basketball until he was 17. Within a few years, he was playing at the highest level of the sport in the NBA.

But John doesn’t see his story as proof of natural talent. Instead, he credits the people and environments that allowed him to discover what he was capable of, and believes far too many people never get that opportunity.

Founder of APS Intelligence, organisational psychologist and ...

Olympic champion Eve Muirhead is coming out of retirement for one more shot at the Games.

Four years after stepping away from curling at the top of the sport, Eve joins Georgie Ainslie to explain why she has returned, what she still wants to achieve and why this comeback will look very different from the first act of her athletic career.

Eve reveals how a call from British Curling opened the door to a mixed doubles campaign and why O...

Dr Will Cole is a functional medicine practitioner, New York Times bestselling author and one of the leading voices in personalised health. His latest book, Heal Your Cells, explores how inflammation, stress, sleep, nutrition and lifestyle can influence the way our bodies function at a cellular level.

In this episode, Will joins Georgie to examine what good health really means, and why being told your results are ‘normal&rsquo...

Sir James Dyson joins Georgie Ainslie at Dyson’s office in Malmesbury to discuss his move into Bath Rugby ownership, the future of professional sport and why he still believes failure is more valuable than success.

A longtime Bath supporter, Dyson explains why he had “not at all” a moment’s hesitation when Bruce Craig offered him the opportunity to invest in the club. He discusses the financial realities of E...

Dr Hazel Wallace joins Georgie to explore why female physiology still isn’t properly accounted for in health, nutrition and performance.

Hazel is a former NHS doctor, nutritionist, personal trainer, bestselling author and founder of The Food Medic. She explains how women have historically been treated as “small men” in medical research, and why that can have serious consequences, from misdiagnosis and adverse drug ...

Richard Whitehead MBE has spent much of his life challenging other people’s expectations of what a disabled person can achieve.

Born with a disability affecting both legs and told growing up that even walking would be a challenge, Richard didn’t begin his running journey until adulthood. In 2004 he entered the New York Marathon despite never having raced before, training at night on the streets of Nottingham with sports ...

What if the best way to improve your sleep is not going to bed earlier, but waking up at the same time every day?

On Performance People this week, Georgie Ainslie speaks to clinical psychologist and sleep specialist Dr Michael Breus, known as The Sleep Doctor, about sleep science, chronotypes and the link between sleep and high performance.

Dr Breus explains how sleep affects recovery, concentration, decision-making, emotional contro...

What separates people who fulfil their potential from those who never quite turn it into action?

Adrian Gore is the founder and CEO of Discovery Group, the business behind Vitality, serving more than 50 million customers worldwide. His new book, The Four Principles: Multiply Your Impact in Life and Leadership, explores the habits and decisions that drive performance in business, sport and everyday life.

Adrian explains his four princ...

What does it take to perform when the margins are measured in hundredths of a second, the pressure is immense and one mistake can end everything?

Recorded live at the J.P. Morgan sponsored Aurora event in Båstad, Sweden, Georgie Ainslie sits down with two of Sweden’s most successful skiers: Olympic alpine champion Sara Hector and cross-country star Ebba Andersson.

Sara reflects on the six-year wait between podium finishes, the ...

TNT lead cycling presenter, Orla Chennaoui joins Georgie Ainslie for a conversation about anxiety, sobriety, cycling and life inside the Tour de France.

As this year’s Tour unfolds, Orla gives a brilliant insider’s view on what makes the race so brutal, beautiful and tactically complex. She explains why Tadej Pogačar is surrounded by riders who could lead other teams, how domestiques sacrifice their own ambitions to pro...

England Netball President Eboni Usoro-Brown joins Georgie Ainslie to reveal the resilience, sacrifice and team culture behind the greatest momentsin English netball history.

At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, England defeated Australia 52–51 to win their first major international netball title. Eboni explains how the Roses recovered from losing a warm-up match by 40 goals, embraced their status as underdogs and entered the final ...

What if the secret to performing under pressure is to stop thinking of it as pressure at all?

Ben Crowe is one of the world’s most sought-after mindset and leadership coaches, helping elite athletes, executives and teams redefine success, manage expectation and unlock their potential.

In this episode, recorded during the Wimbledon Championships, Ben joins Georgie Ainslie to share the principles behind his new book, Where the Li...

What does it really take to become an Ironman World Champion?

In this episode of Performance People, Georgie Ainslie sits down with four-time world champion Lucy Charles-Barclay for a conversation about pain, resilience and the relentless pursuit of excellence.

Lucy relives the defining race of her career: the 2023 Ironman World Championship in Kona. After years of finishing second, she finally claimed the title, but only after teari...

What does it really take to perform at the highest level, and why do so many high achievers still feel they haven't done enough?

In this episode of Performance People, Georgie Ainslie is joined by three-time Olympian, European champion and ROAR Fitness founder Sarah Lindsay for a conversation about the psychology of performance, resilience and confidence.

Sarah reflects on the mindset that took her to three Olympic Games, why she spe...

Professor Tim Spector, co-founder of ZOE, joins Performance People to explain how gut health can influence mood, energy, cravings, focus and long-term health.

In this conversation, Tim explores the gut-brain connection, why brain fog may be linked to what we eat, the problem with ultra-processed foods, the benefits of fermented foods and plant diversity, and why he believes GLP-1 drugs could be one of the most important medical disc...

In this episode of Performance People, Georgie Ainslie speaks to sleep scientist Dr Sophie Bostock about the science of better sleep, consistent energy and true recovery.

Sophie explains why the body is not designed to be “always on”, how stress hormones can leave us feeling tired but wired, and why relaxation is a skill that needs to be practised before we get into bed.

The conversation also explores how sleep differs f...

FA CEO Mark Bullingham joins Georgie Ainslie on the Performance People podcast for a rare in-depth conversation about running English football, the future of The Football Association, England’s World Cup ambitions, Thomas Tuchel, Sarina Wiegman, the Lionesses, Gareth Southgate’s legacy and the commercial growth of the game.

As Chief Executive of The FA, Bullingham describes the organisation as “eight different busi...

Felicity 'Fliss' Barnard, CEO of Ascot Racecourse, joins Georgie Ainslie on the Performance People podcast for a rare behind-the-scenes look at Royal Ascot, the business of horse racing, and the pressure of leading one of Britain’s most iconic sporting institutions.

Fliss explains what it really takes to run Royal Ascot, from protecting a 300-year-old brand to managing reputation, revenue, relevance, horse welfare, jockey welf...

For decades, women have been given health, fitness and nutrition advice based largely on research conducted on men.

This week on Performance People, Georgie speaks to exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist Dr Stacy Sims, the woman behind the phrase: “Women are not small men.”

This is a mythbusting conversation about the gender data gap in health and performance: why women need to lift heavy, why fasted training may...