Performance People Georgie + Ben Ainslie

As crazy as it sounds, middle-distance runner Jake Wightman doesn’t really enjoy the act of going for a run. Sounds like a bit of a problem when you’re an elite athlete with his sights set on an Olympic gold this summer. As a talented and sporty kid he was spotted for his potential and realised he needed to grab the opportunity - and the responsibility - that comes with it. Fortunately what he does love though is racing and the 2022 1500m World Champion offers a fascinating insight into what it’s like to be in the mix of a crowded final, where mind games, tactics and decision-making become the crucial difference between glory and despair. He also tells us what it’s like to have your Dad commentate on your big races, the importance of feeling his friends’ support and how the thrill of winning keeps him motivated as he prepares for the biggest summer of his life.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Journalist and author Bryony Gordon’s books, including her latest ‘Mad Woman’, are dark, funny, no holds barred accounts, of what it’s like to live with addiction and mental illness while, at the same time, putting on the mask of being a high-functioning and successful human being. 
Now a mental health campaigner, she sees her honesty about her struggles as an essential part of staying well, and a way to connect with others. As she learned in therapy, ‘shame dies when you expose it to the light’ and she explains that understanding how all mental illnesses lie to you has been an important step in her journey.
From her experiences with OCD as a child to drinks and drugs addiction as an adult, she looks back at what she’s learnt and offers her take on what can help people live more positively again. She also offers her take on why our obsession with phones is making us sad, how being a parent has changed how she sees her own problems and the regular habits she’s introduced to help her feel better from day to day.

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

Big wave surfing is a sport like no other. Clearly you need incredible technique and athleticism just to be in the conversation. But beyond that it’s the mental side of taking on a monster wave, each one unique in how it forms and breaks, that puts it in a category all its own. British surfer Laura Crane takes us inside this otherworldly pursuit, from the moments of calm as she waits for her chance, to the instant game face required to enter the fray and take on a wave as big as an office block. What’s remarkable about such skill and bravery is how Laura has had to battle self-doubt and imposter syndrome along the way but she credits the challenges she’s faced - including bulimia and sepsis - with equipping her with the edge she needed to find her calling and become the first British woman to ride the 60 foot waves of Nazaré in Portugal. She also discusses how her earlier experiences as a young female surfer have made her passionate about the example she sets for the next generation and explains how all of us could benefit from getting to know and understand our fears instead of battling against them.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

GB Triathlete Beth Potter didn’t even own a bike eight years ago. Now she is a gold medal favourite for the women’s triathlon in Paris this summer. The story of why she decided to trust her instincts and quit track athletics for a completely new sport is a lesson in trusting your instincts, staying patient and taking advice from people who really know. There was no immediate success to validate her decision either. She realised that learning to handle doubts and instead focus on the daily discipline of turning up each morning to do your work is the most reliable way for any of us to get results. She also explains how improving her self-talk has helped her turn good finishes into wins, how sleep banking has helped her handle pre-race insomnia, and she gives us a preview of the route she’ll be taking on in the Olympics this summer.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s the most basic function we all take for granted but learning to harness our breathing can help us manage stress, release tension and even allow us to switch our mindsets when we need to.  
Stuart Sandeman was grieving the death of his girlfriend when he booked a breath class as a Mother’s Day gift. What happened in the next hour changed the course of his life and he now works as a breath coach to high-performers in different fields. The author of Breathe In, Breathe Out tells Georgie of the different benefits that come from regular practice, how he works with clients to improve performance and why, despite breathing all our lives, most of us just aren’t doing it right. He also takes us through a simple breathing exercise that can reset our mind and body and prepare us for the day ahead. By prioritising our breathing, he says, we can boost our mood, output and resilience. Given how many of us are living lives in which stress is the norm, he also explains why breathing might be the most simple antidote.

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

How do you approach a goal as big as becoming the fast man on planet Earth? Team GB sprinter Zharnel Hughes made incredible strides in 2023, blitzing a new British record of 9.83 seconds, and now has his sights on the Olympics in Paris this summer. He goes through some of the techniques and habits that have helped him on his journey - including why journalling has become a major part of his routine, how he handles the heart-pumping tension of a big race, plus when and how he uses visualisation to help his goals materialise - often in remarkable detail. What’s surprising is how many of these takeaways are relevant to any of us looking to hit the next level in our own field. He also shares what he learned from training with sprint king Usain Bolt, why NBA legend Kobe Bryant inspired him to be humble on the track and how ‘the spirit left his body’ when he was disqualified from the last Olympic 100m final in Tokyo.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.