The High Performance Podcast

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.

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

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

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.

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.

This week we're revisiting one of the most beloved episodes in High Performance history — our conversation with Mel Marshall, former head coach to Adam Peaty and one of the most compelling thinkers on leadership, coaching and human development we've ever had on the show.

Mel went to Athens in 2004 as the world's fastest swimmer in her event. She came home without a medal. From that moment, she built an entirely new philosophy — and went on to coach Adam Peaty to multiple Olympic gold medals from a club pool in Derby with dodgy lane ropes and no gym.

In this episode, Mel talks about why people always come before performance. How she builds commitment culture. The art of giving feedback that actually changes behaviour. And the question she plans to ask Adam at the end of his career that has nothing to do with medals.

One of the most complete conversations we've had on this show — and one that will stay with you long after it's finished.

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!

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.

Pressure isn't coming... it's already here. This week Jake and Damian go deep into the High Performance archives to ask: what do the very best actually do when it arrives?

Featuring Chrissie Wellington on racing imperfect races perfectly, Tom Aspinall on why admitting fear beats denying it, Dan Carter on the All Blacks' hardest lesson, James Milner on what Klopp did after losing two finals, and Yaya Touré on the video Pep showed Barcelona the night before the 2009 Champions League final.

Listen to the full episodes:

Chrissie Wellington https://pod.fo/e/103df1
Tom Aspinall https://pod.fo/e/2d3d2e
Dan Carter https://pod.fo/e/f5fc4
James Milner https://pod.fo/e/20a01e
Yaya Touré https://pod.fo/e/3f55a1

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