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High Performance

Welcome to High Performance. Through fascinating conversations with remarkable guests, Jake Humphrey and Damian Hughes uncover the secrets behind High Performance and explore how we can all become the best version of ourselves.

We focus on uncovering the learnings from top performers in every field, from sport to entertainment, business, health and wellness.​ No matter where our guests have excelled, they all have first-hand experiences and lessons to share.

On High Performance we find out what non-negotiable behaviours they employed to get them to the top and keep them there.

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

The High Performance Podcast

Ballon d'Or winner Michael Owen became one of the world's best footballers by developing an extraordinary ability to turn doubt, mistakes, and setbacks into self-belief. He joins Jake and Damian to reveal how that mindset was built, and why it eventually became one of his greatest challenges.

Michael reflects on the injuries that took away the explosive pace that defined him, and the painful eight-year gap between the player he believed he was and what his body could still deliver. He also opens up about retiring at 33, losing his sense of purpose, the strain it placed on his marriage, and how he eventually found a new competitive outlet beyond football.

This is an honest exploration of self-belief, identity, and what happens when the mindset that drives success becomes difficult to switch off.

Meet the Owens, a six-part docuseries in the UK and Ireland, is available on Prime Video from the 28th August.

AG1 👉 head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance and get a free Morning Person Hat to help start your AG1 daily habit - plus a free D3 and K2, and five travel packs

Go Henry 👉 Grow their skills and their money at gohenry.com/highperformance with £5 FREE to get started!

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

Michael Owen: Ballon d'Or at 22, Retired at 33 - The Mentality That Nearly Broke Him

We re-visit one of the most emotional and gripping conversations we have ever recorded. Eight Olympic medals, five of them gold, and the first Briton ever to win the Tour de France. For one summer in 2012, Sir Bradley Wiggins was the most famous man in Britain — sideburns, gold medal, sat on a throne at Hampton Court. He couldn't bring himself to put the medal on.

Bradley takes us right back to the beginning: a council estate in Kilburn, a father who left when he was eighteen months old and came back only once his son was successful, and a coach who sexually abused him between the ages of thirteen and sixteen — something he didn't say out loud for thirty years. Then he traces, with total honesty, how that damage became the fuel that made him great, and how the same fuel nearly destroyed him when the racing stopped.

Moments that will stay with you:

 • Why Bradley laid his Olympic gold medal on the sofa rather than put it round his neck
 • Smashing his trophies off the mantelpiece, and throwing out his knighthood
 • His father's line, a week after they finally met: 
"Don't forget, you'll never be as good as your old man was" • Realising the voice screaming at him up every climb of the Tour was his stepfather's
 • Lance Armstrong offering to pay for his treatment, and what Bradley said back
 • The hotel room his son had to come and find him in

He's unflinching on what drove him: that greatness often grows out of a dark place, and that isn't something to romanticise. That you don't rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your habits. That fulfilment carries you further than happiness ever will. And his hardest-won lesson — not everyone who helps you is your friend, and not everyone who hurts you is your enemy. The answer isn't to forget the past. It's to change your relationship with it.

Contains discussion of the sexual abuse of children and of addiction. Please listen with care.

Revolut Business 👉 High-performing businesses need powerful financial tools. Get a £200 welcome bonus with Revolut Business when you sign up at https://revolutbusiness.onelink.me/jLOt/hp-ep9-aud and add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply. 

AG1 👉 head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance and get a free Morning Person Hat to help start your AG1 daily habit - plus a free D3 and K2, and five travel packs

Go Henry 👉 Grow their skills and their money at gohenry.com/highperformance with £5 FREE to get started!

Eight Sleep 👉If you want to discover deeper sleep. Use code HPP to get £360 off your Pod 5 Ultra here: https://highpfrmc.com/eightsleep_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.

Bradley Wiggins: The Trauma Behind My Greatest Successes & Finding New Purpose

What do you do when the people around you don't believe you can do it? Jake and Damian tackle one of the things listeners struggle with most — being doubted — and land somewhere they didn't expect: the doubt that really holds you back is usually your own.

Damian unpacks Albert Bandura's self-efficacy theory and why the two ways to build belief are evidence and self-talk, Alison Brooks' research on reframing nerves as readiness rather than fear, and self-determination theory — why being doubted by others can become the most durable fuel there is.

Along the way you'll hear Rugby League legend Jamie Peacock on the day he stayed on the bus and rode past his trial at Bradford Bulls, and the mantra he repeated the second time to get off; Karl Lokko on where he found the confidence to walk into rooms that weren't built for him and Mel Robbins on the morning in her bathroom that changed how she talks to herself.

Plus, Jake and Damian are joined by High Performance listener Claire, who spent 31 years in policing, to hear what all this means from the other side of the microphone.

The belief doesn't have to come first. The action does — and the evidence follows.

Listen to the full episodes: 

Jamie Peacock: 

Mel Robbins: 

Karl Locco: 

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

How to Deal With People Who Don’t Believe in You

Guenther Steiner is one of Formula 1’s most recognisable team bosses, building Haas from nothing and becoming known for his straight-talking approach to leadership. He joins us to reflect on ambition, pressure, and knowing when it’s time to walk away, as well as discuss his new position as CEO of MotoGP team Red Bull KTM Tech3.

Guenther opens up about his final years at Haas, admitting he stayed around two years too long, and how he knew the belief was gone when he could no longer see a path to a podium. He also reveals the moment he discovered he’d been sacked, and why it brought an unexpected sense of relief.

He shares the thinking that built Haas and how he’s applying the same principles to his new chapter in MotoGP with Tech3. This is a candid conversation about ambition, identity, and knowing when to let go.

Learn more about Red Bull KTM Tech3: https://motogp.tech3racing.fr/index.php

Revolut Business 👉 High-performing businesses need powerful financial tools. Get a £200 welcome bonus with Revolut Business when you sign up at https://revolutbusiness.onelink.me/jLOt/hp-ep9-aud and add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply. 

AG1 👉 head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance and get a free Morning Person Hat to help start your AG1 daily habit - plus a free D3 and K2, and five travel packs

Go Henry 👉 Grow their skills and their money at gohenry.com/highperformance with £5 FREE to get started!

Eight Sleep 👉If you want to discover deeper sleep. Use code HPP to get £360 off your Pod 5 Ultra here: https://highpfrmc.com/eightsleep_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.

Getting Fired Was a RELIEF: Guenther Steiner on the Truth About His Haas Exit (E433)

We're revisiting this conversation with James Blunt because it's among the most disarming things we've recorded about belief, ridicule, and where confidence actually comes from.

James made his first album on nothing but belief. He'd burnt his bridges with every record label in Britain and was playing to about twenty people on the twentieth floor of a Ramada hotel — and he was still completely certain the whole world was going to hear it. Understanding the real odds, he says, would have taken the wind out of his sails entirely.

James tells Jake and Damian why you keep your powder dry until you're genuinely equipped, because you only get one shot with the people who matter. Why he never answers criticism on the day it lands — the sting always comes out overnight. Why the only opinions worth weighing come from the people who'll take the mickey out of you to your face. And the three things he carried out of commanding soldiers in Kosovo and into running the same band for twenty years: a good team, real respect for that team, and the conviction to make the call.

Then there's what it cost him... the orchestrated press campaign that turned James into a national punchline and how he dealt with it. Being held back in a dressing room so that Damon Albarn didn't have to stand near him. The hug from Keith Flint he never forgot. And the night in Carrie Fisher's bathroom that produced Goodbye My Lover in a single, unrepeatable take.

AG1 👉 head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance and get a free Morning Person Hat to help start your AG1 daily habit - plus a free D3 and K2, and five travel packs

Go Henry 👉 Grow their skills and their money at gohenry.com/highperformance with £5 FREE to get started!

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.

James Blunt: Criticism, Confidence & What Success Took From Me

Jake and Damian tackle the question underneath almost every High Performance conversation: what do the best actually do differently, day to day?

Not the big moments. The small, repeatable ones. Because across hundreds of conversations on this show, the pattern is rarely talent or luck. It's that high performers have built a handful of habits they hold onto when nobody is watching, and they keep doing them long after most of us would have forgotten about them.

In this episode, Jake and Damian hear from:

 • Jamie Peacock on why a life of hard decisions becomes an easier life, and the moment on a training pitch in Australia when Damian was on the receiving end of one.
 • James Clear on why grit is really about fit, and the question to ask before you commit to any new habit.
 • Emily Maitlis on the five minutes of golden time she takes before every interview, including the one at Buckingham Palace.
 • Mel Robbins on why she still needs the five second rule to get out of bed, thirteen years after inventing it.
 • Dan Carter on earning your weekend, and why drifting through the week is the opposite of high performance.

If there's a habit you keep meaning to start, pick one of these five and begin there.

Thanks to our partners: 

Revolut Business 👉 High-performing businesses need powerful financial tools. Get a £200 welcome bonus with Revolut Business when you sign up at https://revolutbusiness.onelink.me/jLOt/hp-ep9-aud and add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply. 

AG1 👉 head to drinkag1.com/highperformance and get a free Morning Person Hat to help start your AG1 daily habit - plus a free D3 and K2, and five travel packs

Go Henry 👉 Grow their skills and their money at gohenry.com/highperformance with £5 FREE to get started!

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.

The 5 Habits Behind Every High Performer We've Met

Premier League icon Ashley Young joins us for a masterclass in longevity, self-belief, and turning rejection into an unstoppable competitive edge.

At 15, Watford told Ashley he was too small for a scholarship, a disappointment that became the operational system for his entire 20-year career. He explains why every manager's doubt or dropped selection became fuel to prove them wrong, from Antonio Conte's brutal pre-season at Inter Milan to winning Serie A at 35 and feeling fitter at 37 than at 27.

He also breaks down what it means to know your value in high-stakes environments, his return to the England squad for a World Cup semi-final, walking away from Manchester United on his own terms, and playing over 750 games at the highest level.

This is an essential conversation about resilience, self-worth, and proving that nobody gets to define your limits except you.

Revolut Business 👉 High-performing businesses need powerful financial tools. Get a £200 welcome bonus with Revolut Business when you sign up at https://revolutbusiness.onelink.me/jLOt/hp-ep9-aud and add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply. 

AG1 👉 head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance and get a free Morning Person Hat to help start your AG1 daily habit - plus a free D3 and K2, and five travel packs

Go Henry 👉 Grow their skills and their money at gohenry.com/highperformance with £5 FREE to get started!

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.

Playing Until 40 Comes at a COST: Ashley Young on the Brutal Reality of Football (432)

Eddie Howe has stepped away from Newcastle United after nearly five years in charge — his own decision, following what he called "a period of personal reflection." He leaves having delivered the club's first major trophy in 70 years and two Champions League campaigns.

So we're going back to the conversation we had with him in 2022, right as that chapter began. Eddie had just taken the Newcastle job — but before it, he'd left Bournemouth after relegation, and described the exit almost exactly as he'd describe this one: "I think it was time... I just knew." He told us it felt like grief. That the pressure he carried was never external — it was entirely his own. And he told us about the cost no one sees: missing his mum in her final months because he was too busy managing a football club.

Heard now, it plays like he told us how this would end.

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

Revolut Business 👉 High-performing businesses need powerful financial tools. Get a £200 welcome bonus with Revolut Business when you sign up at https://revolutbusiness.onelink.me/jLOt/hp-ep9-aud and add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply.

Go Henry 👉 Grow their skills and their money at gohenry.com/highperformance with £5 FREE to get started!

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.

Eddie Howe: How His Newcastle Exit Echoes Leaving Bournemouth

Following the heartbreaking death of Nims Purja... Jake and Damian reflect on one of the most inspiring conversations in High Performance history.

Before 14 Peaks made him a global icon, Nims joined High Performance to share the mindset that took him from a childhood of poverty in Nepal, to the Gurkhas, the British Special Forces, and ultimately to rewriting mountaineering history.

In this special tribute episode, Jake and Damian revisit the lessons that left a lasting impact on them:

 • Why hope is the greatest source of strength.
 • How to reframe adversity into opportunity.
 • The importance of living for something bigger than yourself.
 • Why excuses never create extraordinary lives.
 • The mindset behind proving that "nothing is impossible."

Nims' energy, humility and optimism changed the way we think about life and performance. This episode celebrates the remarkable legacy he leaves behind and the lessons that will continue to inspire millions

Listen to our full episode with Nims: https://pod.fo/e/ac5aa

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

Remembering Nims Purja: The Lessons We'll Never Forget

Sunderland captain Luke O'Nien has built his career on resilience, determination, and an unwavering belief that hard work can outlast natural talent.. He joins Jake and Damian to reflect on the setbacks that shaped him, from being overlooked early in his career to leading his club back to the Premier League.

Luke explains why he no longer relies on confidence to perform, how embracing discomfort became his greatest strength, and the simple mindset shifts that help him stay present under pressure. He also shares the habits and systems that have enabled him to keep improving throughout his career.

This is an insight into why great performance is built on systems, not feelings, and why resilience is forged long before the biggest moments.

Away from the pitch, Luke runs Elite XI, a mental performance programme for professional footballers. Head over to www.elitexiapply.com to find out more. 

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

Revolut Business 👉 High-performing businesses need powerful financial tools. Get a £200 welcome bonus with Revolut Business when you sign up at https://revolutbusiness.onelink.me/jLOt/hp-ep9-aud and add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply.

Go Henry 👉 Grow their skills and their money at gohenry.com/highperformance with £5 FREE to get started!

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.

90% of Footballers Are Just Surviving: Sunderland’s Luke O’Nien Gets Brutally Honest (E431)

Rafaela Pimenta is one of football's most influential agents, representing some of the biggest names in the game, including Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Gilberto Mora. She joins Damian to reveal what it really takes to protect, develop, and lead elite athletes at the very highest level.

Rafaela explains why players should be treated as people; not assets, how elite players have built an environment that allows them to perform at their best, and why the modern game is placing unprecedented demands on footballers. She also shares why setting boundaries, championing player welfare, and investing in women's football are essential to the future of the sport.

This is a masterclass in modern leadership, high performance, and the ultimate responsibility of putting people before profit.

Revolut Business 👉 High-performing businesses need powerful financial tools. Get a £200 welcome bonus with Revolut Business when you sign up at https://revolutbusiness.onelink.me/jLOt/hp-ep9-aud and add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply.

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

Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au 

Eight Sleep 👉 If you want to discover deeper sleep. Use code HPP to get £360 off your Pod 5 Ultra here: https://highpfrmc.com/eightsleep_au

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

Rafaela Pimenta: The Super Agent Negotiating Deals for Haaland, Foden & Mora (E428)

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