The High Performance Podcast

High Performance
  • 4.8 (318)
  • Sports
  • Updated Semiweekly

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.

  1. Why England's Golden Generation Never Won a Trophy: Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole & Peter Crouch

    21h ago

    Why England's Golden Generation Never Won a Trophy: Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole & Peter Crouch

    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 asking Beckham for a signed shirt. And why, for most of them, playing for England never felt free. But this isn't just a post-mortem. It's highlights what culture, leadership, and environment actually do to elite performers — and why getting those things wrong can waste a golden generation of talent. Thanks to our partners on this episode: Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au  Better Help 👉 Join Jake in Saying It Louder with 10% off Betterhelp Therapy. Click here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-betterhelp-au  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 Do Health 👉 Get ahead of your health, don't react to it. Head to https://highpfrmc.com/dohealth-hpp-au to sign up now Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    46 min
  2. What 24 Years of Consistency Actually Looks Like | James Milner

    2d ago ·  Video

    What 24 Years of Consistency Actually Looks Like | James Milner

    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 it slip? Listen to the full episode with James here: https://pod.fo/e/20a01e Thanks to our partners: Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au  Better Help 👉 Join Jake in Saying It Louder with 10% off Betterhelp Therapy. Click here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-betterhelp-au  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 Do Health 👉 Get ahead of your health, don't react to it. Head to https://highpfrmc.com/dohealth-hpp-au to sign up now Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    38 min
  3. Nico Rosberg: The F1 Champion Who Disappeared (E414)

    4d ago ·  Video

    Nico Rosberg: The F1 Champion Who Disappeared (E414)

    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 the psychological warfare of their title fights and the conscious rewiring required to stop yielding in wheel-to-wheel battles. Nico also opens up about his secret mental training regime at a time when psychology was viewed as a weakness. From his foot violently shaking on the accelerator in Abu Dhabi to reframing failure in a locked hotel room, he shares a masterclass on how to train your reaction to fear. This episode offers a raw, gripping look at the psychological cost of winning at all costs and what it truly takes to conquer your inner critic.  Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au  Better Help 👉 Join Jake in Saying It Louder with 10% off Betterhelp Therapy. Click here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-betterhelp-au  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 Do Health 👉 Get ahead of your health, don't react to it. Head to https://highpfrmc.com/dohealth-hpp-au to sign up now Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 37m
  4. How Dame Ellen MacArthur is Fuelling Purpose for Young Cancer Survivors (E413)

    May 29

    How Dame Ellen MacArthur is Fuelling Purpose for Young Cancer Survivors (E413)

    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 Rands, a young survivor who rebuilt his life after a rare cancer diagnosis at just 19. Together, they share a raw, open conversation about why true bravery isn't always something you choose, the reality of life when treatment structures suddenly fall away, and how reclaiming independence on the open sea can give young people their futures back.  It’s a powerful look at resilience, the daily grind of running a purpose-driven charity, and why finding a genuine sense of belonging is often the ultimate medicine. Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au  Postcode Lottery manages lotteries for 20 charities, a minimum of 30% of each ticket price goes to charity. 18 plus, conditions apply, not available in Northern Ireland Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    43 min
  5. What Are You Actually Afraid Of? | The Truth About Fear & Self-Doubt

    May 27 ·  Video

    What Are You Actually Afraid Of? | The Truth About Fear & Self-Doubt

    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 him through 21 years at Manchester United, Jameela Jamil on 15 years of saying yes to everything and no to herself, and Robin Van Persie on the moment he realised he was the one making it heavy. Plus: why imposter syndrome isn't a syndrome, the difference between overthinking and thinking deeply, and what actually happens when you stop fighting a feeling and just name it. Listen to the full conversations: Jameela Jamil https://pod.fo/e/225b9e Scott McTominay https://pod.fo/e/2154f0 Phil Heath https://pod.fo/e/2313e6 Robin Van Persie https://pod.fo/e/18789 Ronda Rousey https://pod.fo/e/23ec96 Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au  Better Help 👉 Join Jake in Saying It Louder with 10% off Betterhelp Therapy. Click here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-betterhelp-au  XTB 👉To find out more and make your money work, use code HPP at: https://highpfrmc.com/XTB-hpp-au   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 Next week on High Performance: Nico Rosberg — Formula 1 World Champion. Hit subscribe so you don't miss it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    36 min
  6. Steve McClaren: Inside England’s Golden Generation & Sir Alex’s Man United (E412)

    May 25 ·  Video

    Steve McClaren: Inside England’s Golden Generation & Sir Alex’s Man United (E412)

    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 breaking down the volatile mix of camp chemistry, player fitness, and sheer luck required to win the 2026 World Cup. The conversation shifts to the blueprint of a modern rebuild, analysing the early signs of structural alignment at Manchester United under INEOS. Drawing from a lifetime of experience, Steve explains why tactics and staff are fundamentally useless unless the entire hierarchy of a football club is pulling in the exact same direction. He also shares what he learned inside Ferguson’s machine, from total trust in his staff to a relentless hunger that reset the standard the morning after the Treble. This is a conversation about pressure, standards and what it really takes to build sustained success at the very top of the game. Steve McClaren has joined Rotherham FC as Head of Football https://www.themillers.co.uk/ Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au  Better Help 👉 Join Jake in Saying It Louder with 10% off Betterhelp Therapy. Click here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-betterhelp-au  XTB 👉To find out more and make your money work, use code HPP at: https://highpfrmc.com/XTB-hpp-au   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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 49m
  7. Inside The Secret Struggles of a Running Superstar | Georgia Hunter Bell (E411)

    May 22

    Inside The Secret Struggles of a Running Superstar | Georgia Hunter Bell (E411)

    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 times after walking away from the sport that had defined her identity for so many years. Georgia also explains how navigating that dark period allowed her to return as "version 2.0," armed with a powerful new perspective on what it truly takes to be an elite athlete as she looks ahead to the LA 2028 Olympic Games. This episode explores the mental battles of elite performance, reflecting on Georgia’s resilience through her darkest chapter and how she rebuilt her identity. In Partnership with Vauxhall. This special episode was made possible by our partner, Vauxhall, the official automotive partner for Team GB through to the 2028 LA Olympics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    45 min
  8. What Happens When Trust Breaks Down?

    May 20

    What Happens When Trust Breaks Down?

    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 lecturer and world expert on trust — on the three stages of how trust collapses.James Timpson on why the most successful culture he ever built ran on just two rules.Stuart Broad on the quiet act of leadership that holds a team together when everything falls apart.And Martin Lewis — widely regarded as the most trusted person in Britain — on why you cannot market trust: you can only earn it. Plus: why Southampton's Spygate is just the catalyst for a much bigger conversation, what the rise of AI means for human credibility, and the difference between performative trust and the real thing. 🔗 Rachel Botsman: https://pod.fo/e/1179ff 🔗 James Timpson: https://pod.fo/e/c4dbd 🔗 Stuart Broad: https://pod.fo/e/2093a6 🔗 Martin Lewis: https://pod.fo/e/22a519 🔗 Damian's habit series — Why Building Trust Beats Being Liked: https://pod.fo/e/323b0d Postcode Lottery 👉 Discover how Postcode Lottery players are Powering Hope Together. Click here to find out more: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-postcode-au  Better Help 👉 Join Jake in Saying It Louder with 10% off Betterhelp Therapy. Click here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-betterhelp-au 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 XTB 👉🏻 To find out more and make your money work, use code HPP at: https://highpfrmc.com/XTB-hpp-au Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    30 min
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4.8
out of 5
318 Ratings

About

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.

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