The High Performance Podcast

Everyone talks about what it takes to win. Nobody talks about what comes the morning after. In this episode, Jake and Damian go deep into the HPP archive to explore one of the most uncomfortable truths in high performance: why the moment of victory so often leaves elite performers feeling empty, lost, and at a total loss for what comes next.

Featuring conversations with Yaya Touré on the strange emptiness of retirement, Ben Ainslie on the post-Olympic blues that hit 24 hours after winning gold, Ian Thorpe on walking away from a sport that stopped feeling like his own, Héctor Bellerín on why your value should burn like a candle - steady, never spiking - and Billy Monger on finding purpose after having it stripped away entirely.

Jake and Damian also get into the psychology of why we delay our happiness, what self-determination theory tells us about intrinsic motivation, and why the people who handle the end of peak achievement best are the ones who were never only defined by it.

The question isn't really 'what do you do the day after you win?' It's 'who are you when the goal is gone?'

Listen to the full episodes:
Yaya Touré https://pod.fo/e/3f55a1
Ben Ainslie https://pod.fo/e/661e6
Ian Thorpe https://pod.fo/e/d9a3a
Héctor Bellerín https://pod.fo/e/d3369
Billy Monger https://pod.fo/e/a8d2c

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Paul Wight, known to millions as “The Big Show,” is one of the most recognisable figures in sports entertainment history. In this episode, Paul reveals the stark reality of a life lived under a terminal diagnosis, opening up about the decades he spent assuming he wouldn't grow old and the grueling work he is now doing to rebuild a body he never expected to still be using at 53.

He discusses the radical selflessness that defined his thirty-year career, where he viewed himself as the "wall" for others to break through rather than the destination. Paul shares his unique three-step formula for success and explores the hidden psychological weight of consistently prioritising his opponents' glory over his own world-title ambitions.

Paul also reflects on a profound emotional breakthrough that arrived uninvited on a film set, shattering a lifetime of performed toughness.

This is a rare, intimate look at a man finally pursuing a path entirely for himself, trading the wrestling ring for Shakespeare and discovering who he is when he no longer has to make someone else look good.

Paul Wight will be returning to London for All Elite Wrestling’s record breaking show AEW All In: London - taking place over the bank holiday weekend on Sunday 30th August, live from Wembley Stadium. https://www.livenation.co.uk/

Widely regarded as one of professional wrestling’s greatest “big men” of all time, the iconic Paul Wight has done it all in and out of the ring, holding 23 total championships, headlining the world’s biggest shows and appearing in dozens of films and television shows over his 30-year career.

Wight shocked the wrestling world in February 2021 by signing with All Elite Wrestling, and has since served as a coach, mentor, commentator and wrestler in AEW, as well as an on-screen authority figure for AEW’s sister promotion, Ring of Honor. Standing in at 7’0”, Wight is one of the most recognisable figures in wrestling history and has brought decades of knowledge and experience to the blooming AEW roster.

In limited AEW action, Wight has defeated QT Marshall at AEW All Out in 2021, and was a key figure in AEW’s cross-branded Yakuza: Like a Dragon Street Fight in November 2023, where he took a body slam onto a car from Powerhouse Hobbs.

On the silver screen, Wight is known for performances including the legendary Captain Insano in The Waterboy, as well as appearances in Jingle All The Way, episodes of Saturday Night Live, MADtv, Hollywood Squares, The Weakest Link, Psych, Conan and headlined Netflix’s The Big Show Show.

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This special roundtable episode explores the vital role of mental fitness in reaching and sustaining peak performance.

In this special roundtable episode, in partnership with BetterHelp, hosts Jake Humphrey, Spencer Matthews, and Matt Willis reframe therapy as an essential "performance tool." By comparing mental maintenance to physical training, the trio highlights how proactive support is key to navigating the pressures of modern life and sustaining peak performance.

This conversation explores personal breakthroughs, from Jake’s experience with "Pure O" to Matt’s discovery of the power in asking, "How do I feel?" They discuss the value of having a "mental adult" in the room, a confidential professional who allows you to offload internal noise without the fear of burdening friends or family.

Whether you are facing a crisis or simply seeking self-understanding, this episode demonstrates that therapy provides the clarity needed to show up as your best self. It is a raw, unscripted reminder that seeking support is a proactive choice for anyone committed to long-term resilience and growth.

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

Need help?
If you or someone else is in danger, call 999 or go to A&E now
If you need urgent help for your mental health, get help from NHS 111 online or call 111: https://111.nhs.uk/triage/check-your-mental-health-symptoms
Your mental health is as important as your physical health. You will not be wasting anyone's time.

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What separates the athlete who cheats from the one who doesn't? And is the answer as simple as character — or is something else going on entirely?

This week, Damian sits down with sports journalist James Witts, author of Dope, a book that goes deep into the culture surrounding elite sport and the forces that push athletes across the line.

They get into the Enhanced Games arriving in Las Vegas, the staggering gap between how many athletes self-report doping versus how many ever test positive, and why doping in a contact sport like boxing is a fundamentally different moral question to doping on a bike.

Jake and Damian also bring in archive clips from legends Usain Bolt and Michael Johnson — two athletes who faced the question head-on, and answered it differently. Plus: your questions from the comments, what Jake and Damian have been watching and reading this week.

Dope by James Witts is out now.

Listen to full episodes:
Usain Bolt https://pod.fo/e/279623
Michael Johnson https://pod.fo/e/254ca8

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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Heights 👉 Get 20% off your subscription by using Code: HP20 here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp_heights_au3

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

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Bjørn Mannsverk is the former F-16 fighter pilot who swapped combat missions for football kits to lead Bodø/Glimt on a historic rise. Under his guidance, the small Norwegian club achieved the impossible, dismantling giants like Manchester City, Inter Milan, and Atletico Madrid despite a stadium capacity of just 8,200.

In this episode, Bjørn explains how he transformed the team by strictly banning the word "winning" and replacing it with a performance-driven culture built on "awareness training." He breaks down his "Fighter Pilot Method," including high-pressure "friction meetings" and the on-pitch huddle known as "The Ring" that refocused his team after every goal.

Bjørn also explores how treating a dressing room like a combat squadron drove the club’s revenue from €4.2m to €80m and why letting go of ambition is the ultimate key to elite success.

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

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

Heights 👉 Get 20% off your subscription by using Code: HP20 here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp_heights_au3

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.