“You can only control the 3 yards in front of you.”
This week on High Performance, we sit down with one of the most recognisable figures in global entertainment and professional wrestling: Paul Wight
Known to millions as The Big Show, Paul is a 7-foot giant, world champion, actor and larger-than-life performer whose career has spanned decades at the very top of the business.
But what stood out for me most in our conversation wasn’t the size of the man - it was the depth of his self-awareness.
Paul shares how, from a young age, he was forced to adapt to being physically different. How he learned that if he couldn’t blend in, he had to understand his unique strengths and use them wisely. Not as a weapon against people but as a force for good.
There’s wisdom in this conversation that goes far beyond the wrestling ring.
It’s really about identity, responsibility and reinvention as well as discovering that your greatest difference can become your greatest strength.
Listen now on High Performance.
"Block out the noise."
It was fabulous fun to meet @dynamite_daniel_dubois on @highperformance and discuss his Spartan training regime which has taken him to world champion levels.
One of the best, most spontaneous moments in our chat came when his flip phone pinged.
It makes me smile to recall this moment.
“We don’t focus on winning. We focus on becoming the team that wins.”
That’s the philosophy of Bjørn Mannsverk - a former fighter pilot who doesn’t even like football and yet has helped shape one of the most fascinating high-performance cultures in sport.
On this week’s High Performance, Bjørn shares how his unconventional thinking has influenced the rise of Bodø/Glimt -a team that has taken on and beaten some of Europe’s giants: Manchester City, Atlético Madrid, Inter Milan, Roma and more.
But step inside their dressing room and you won’t hear talk of winning or losing. Instead, everything is anchored in: Process. Performance. Development.
There’s no obsession with outcomes - only a relentless commitment to how they play.
And perhaps most strikingly, leadership isn’t worn by one person but it’s shared between a rising cast of players step into responsibility, assume captaincy in moments, and drive standards from within. In their world, leadership becomes a behaviour, not a title.
One of the most powerful ideas they’ve created is something called “The Ring.”
In key moments during a game - after a mistake, a goal conceded, or when emotions spike - the players come together in a tight circle where they reset, recalibrate and refocus. They don't wait for a coach but take ownership.
It’s a simple act - but a profound one because in high performance environments, it’s not about avoiding pressure but having a process to deal with it.
This conversation is a masterclass in culture, clarity and collective responsibility - from a man who proves that sometimes the best ideas come from outside the game.
Listen now on High Performance. Link is in the stories.
“If you let emotion take over, you don’t act. And if you don’t act, people don’t come home.”
At 105 years old, Colin Bell has lived a life most of us can barely comprehend. He is one of the last surviving World War Two fighter pilots with over 60 bombing raids to his name and a brutal statistic hanging over every mission: 1 in 4 never returned.
When we sat down with Colin on High Performance, you might expect stories of fear. What you hear instead was the opposite.
He talks about:
Removing emotion in the moment - not because he didn’t feel it, but because in high-stakes environments, action matters more than reaction.
Humour as survival - the ability to laugh, even in the darkest moments, wasn’t trivial. It was essential. It gave perspective when perspective was hardest to find.
A century of lessons - not about war, but about life, resilience and what really matters when everything is stripped back.
What struck me most wasn’t just what he experienced but how he chose to interpret it.
Sometimes, the biggest lessons about the future,come from those who have seen the very worst of the past.
This is one of the most perspective-shifting conversations we’ve ever had on High Performance.
Damian Hughes shares a vital lesson on accepting praise: Self-deprecation is often just a mask for discomfort.
But here’s the problem: When you downplay your work, you make the other person feel foolish for liking it.
The 4-word fix: “Thank you. That’s kind.”
That’s it. No jokes. No “I don’t deserve this.” No making it awkward for everyone else.
Do you find it hard to just say thank you? #brilliantminds #lessonslearnedinlife #quietlybrilliant #empowerment
“It’s not about talking. It’s about showing the standard every single day.”
When Yaya Touré shares his wisdom, it's always worth pulling up your chair and listening intently because he’s spent his career acquiring it at the sharp end of elite competition.
At FC Barcelona, he first saw what standards really looked like. Pep Guardiola didn’t motivate his players through speeches but did it through channelling raw emotion.
Before the 2009 Champions League final, Touré recounts the short film - not about tactics, but about meaning - which connected every player to play as one.
When he arrived at Manchester City, he knew a team talk wouldn't change anything. He provoked an explosion of frustration between teammates. It became a catalyst for change. From now on, standards weren’t discussed,they were demonstrated.
This incredible story is a reminder that winning cultures don't happen in meetings but what we show in the moments that count.
I hope you'll enjoy listening as much as I did.
“Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up when you can’t control the outcome.”
This week on High Performance, we were joined by the mighty, magnificent and highly memorable Brené Brown who came to discuss the role of courage in our own journey to high performance.
The author of 'Daring Greatly' explained how when we face moments of pressure, we instinctively armour up. We protect ourselves - using perfectionism, control or the pretence of having it all together - yet there's a paradox we have to understand:
The more we armour up, the less effective we actually become.
This simple, powerful reminder lies at the heart of any person, team or culture that has dared to dream big: You can’t achieve these dreams without trust and you can’t build trust without vulnerability. You can’t access vulnerability if you’re constantly armoured up.
If you want to know how to do this, join us now, wherever you get your podcasts from.
“We not me.”
It sounds simple but when you spend any time around high performers, you realise it’s everything. The people who sustain success, who build something that lasts, who leave a mark don’t do it alone. They understand that performance isn’t an individual pursuit but a shared responsibility.
That idea sits at the heart of the new High Performance book, Gameplan: a book for young people growing up in a world that feels more complex, more pressured and more uncertain than ever. A world of constant comparison, noise, and expectation. A world where it’s easy to be told what to think but far harder to learn how to think.
This isn’t a book of instructions but it's a book packed with tools, drawn from over 400 conversations Jake and I have had on the High Performance Podcast, with athletes, leaders, psychologists, thinkers and people who have lived it, not just talked about it.
Inside, you’ll find the habits, mindsets and small decisions that shape confidence, resilience, relationships and purpose but more than anything, it’s built on a belief: That high performance isn’t about getting ahead of others. It’s about bringing others with you.
Only when we help others succeed do we become part of a true high performance community.
The book is available now, where you get your reading material from.
“The loudest voices aren’t always the wisest.”
This week on @highperformance , @jakehumphrey and I found ourselves discussing Chelsea head coach, Liam Rosenior.
We didn't discuss his tactics, his leadership or his results but the reaction to him, which has included growing amounts of vitriol, ridicule and a rush to reduce a human being to a punchline.
We shared what we’d heard from people who actually know him - about his character, his work ethic, his values. We explored the context he’s been thrown into and we looked at the people around him, including the intriguing appointment of rugby league icon Willie Isa, someone who understands high standards, resilience and what it takes to build culture.
What came back was fascinating.
Not much debate or curiosity but plenty of anger. Messages telling us how “shit” he is; accusations of being “woke” for even asking the question and the suggestion that our (non-existent) endorsement was the final nail in his coffin.
It was a reminder of something important:
In a world that rewards the noisiest, empathy can look like weakness. Seeking understanding can be mistaken for bias and trying to ask better questions can make you a target.
High performance - whether in sport, business or life - has always been built on context, curiosity and the willingness to see the human before the headline.
Because empathy, understanding and decency aren’t “soft” traits but rather, they’re the foundations of any winning culture.
Game Plan hits the shelves TODAY! 🎉 We're so proud of this book, and cannot wait to share it with you all. From beating self-doubt and anxiety to building self-confidence and a positive mindset, @jakehumphrey and @liquidthinker have filled this book with tools, stories and strategies that can enable young people to thrive. 💚
Jake’s been saying it for years... but now Norwich has officially been named the best place to live in the UK and he’s pretty smug about it 😏😂
You can listen to the full conversation with @jakehumphrey & @liquidthinker right now wherever you get your podcasts! 🎙️
Comment “LINK” and we’ll DM you the episode! 🔗
“I just think the criticism is totally over the top!” 😡🔵
Jake & Damian believe that the treatment of Chelsea Head Coach Liam Rosenior is “disgraceful”
Our latest weekly recap from the world of sport is available to listen to now wherever you get your podcasts! 🎙️
Comment “LINK” and we’ll DM you the episode! 📲
