The High Performance Podcast

Boris Becker burned out at 25. Former British No1 Jo Konta carried her family's sacrifice onto court every match and Irish tennise pr Conor Niland described a tennis player's self-worth as entirely tied to winning and losing — nothing else. Three players, the same problem: identity wrapped around results, the sport becoming something to survive.

This week, in the run-up to Wimbledon, Jake and Damian go back into the archive to hear from all three — then hand over to leading performance coach, Ben Crowe, who has spent 30 years helping the world's best athletes solve exactly that problem.

Ben has worked with athletes Ash Barty and Steph Gilmore coached NBA teams and the Australian Cricket Team, and comes personally recommended by Andre Agassi. You'll hear the full story of Ash Barty's French Open semifinal — 5-0 up and tightening, 3-0 down and laughing — and what shifted in her mind to turn it around. Plus Ben's central idea: the opposite of play is not work. It's fear. And most people, most of the time, are in the fear state without knowing it.

Where the Light Gets In by Ben Crowe is available now.

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Better Help 👉 Join Jake in Saying It Louder with 10% off Betterhelp Therapy. Click here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-betterhelp-au

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Racing Bulls Formula 1 driver Liam Lawson has lived through the highest stakes and the ruthless politics of motorsport.

In this episode, Liam opens up about the reality of his Red Bull exit, revealing how he was blindsided, unfairly judged and left carrying the blame for a radical car setup experiment. He also shares where his self belief comes from, from finishing last in go karting to ignoring the people who said Formula 1 was impossible.

Liam also reveals the unexpected habit that helps him handle the noise of race weekend, taking a guitar to every Grand Prix to switch off and reset. This is a raw and honest conversation about pressure, resilience and protecting who you are in one of the most unforgiving sports in the world.

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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

Better Help 👉 Join Jake in Saying It Louder with 10% off Betterhelp Therapy. Click here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-betterhelp-au

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

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Sir Gareth Southgate is England's most successful manager since 1966. Two finals, four tournaments and by the end, fans were throwing beer at him in the stadium.

Today, as England embark on another World Cup journey, we revisit one of the most candid leadership conversations we've ever recorded. Gareth explains why he knew it was time to leave before the final was even played, what he said to his players before England's penalty shootouts, and how it took him 52 years to silence the voice in his head — the same voice that froze him in 1996.

He also gets into the unglamorous reality of leading a high-profile team: how to protect players from outside noise when you can't protect yourself from it, why he banned himself from speaking first in staff meetings, and what it actually felt like to walk through the door as England manager and realise culture, not tactics, was the problem.

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-ep3-aud and add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply.

Do Health 👉 Get ahead of your health, don't react to it. Head to https://highpfrmc.com/dohealth-hpp-au to sign up now

Better Help 👉 Join Jake in Saying It Louder with 10% off Betterhelp Therapy. Click here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-betterhelp-au

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

The UK has announced a ban on under-16s using social media. Jake and Damian's reaction is immediate: the ban is right, but it cannot do the job alone. In this episode they go back into the archive to hear from the people who saw this coming.

Jonathan Haidt on the phone-based childhood we built without realising what we were dismantling. Johann Hari on the 10,000 engineers paid to undermine your self-control. Alex Greenwood on the body image spiral that started at 15. And the guys talk Liam Lawson, whose episode drops Monday, on what happens when your phone explodes and the world turns on you overnight.

Jake shares the Ofcom data that should stop every parent in their tracks and Damian reads a message from Daisy Greenwell, co-founder of Smartphone Free Childhood, the grassroots movement that helped make today's law happen.

Listen to the full episodes:
Jonathan Haidt https://pod.fo/e/2a4563
Johann Hari https://pod.fo/e/267393
Alex Greenwood https://pod.fo/e/30cbd0

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-ep3-aud and add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply.

Do Health 👉 Get ahead of your health, don't react to it. Head to https://highpfrmc.com/dohealth-hpp-au to sign up now

Better Help 👉 Join Jake in Saying It Louder with 10% off Betterhelp Therapy. Click here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-betterhelp-au

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

David Seaman is one of England's greatest ever goalkeepers, with 75 caps and multiple trophies with Arsenal. In this episode he shares the moments that shaped him, many of which have never been told like this before.

David takes us from being released by Leeds United at 19 to walking out for England at the World Cup, opening up about the fear he felt after the Ronaldinho free kick and the untold story of packing Gazza's bags after he was left out of the 98 squad.

He also shares his three non-negotiables for any winning culture and a definition of high performance that traces all the way back to a nine year old kid in Rotherham being told to go in goal and never wanting to leave.

This is an honest, emotional and powerful conversation about resilience, loyalty and what it really means to love what you do.

As patron of the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK, David Seaman supports bowel cancer research and awareness. The Fund has raised over £31 million for research across the UK.

Support the cause by visiting the Bobby Moore Fund website and joining challenges like Run 66 Miles or 100 Keepy Uppies. https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/get-involved/bobby-moore-fund

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-ep3-aud and add money to your account by 30/09/2026. Fees, promotion terms and T&Cs apply.

Do Health 👉 Get ahead of your health, don't react to it. Head to https://highpfrmc.com/dohealth-hpp-au to sign up now

Better Help 👉 Join Jake in Saying It Louder with 10% off Betterhelp Therapy. Click here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-betterhelp-au

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