The High Performance Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Richard Hammond: Life After Top Gear & Turning Down the BBC (E444) Oct 23, 2026

Show notes

When Jeremy Clarkson was sacked from Top Gear, Richard Hammond was offered something most presenters could only dream of: the chance to take control of the show. He said no. For Richard, Top Gear was never about one person, it was about the three of them, and he wasn’t prepared to step into Clarkson’s place alone.

Richard reflects on 26 years on the road and the personal cost of a life spent constantly somewhere else. After losing his father, his marriage and his home, he found himself confronting a question every broadcaster eventually faces: who are you when the cameras stop rolling?

Now, he’s poured his energy and own money into The Smallest Cog, his classic car restoration business. It may not have made him richer, but it has given him something more important: a life and a business built entirely on his own terms.

Richard Hammond’s Workshop, S6 is available on QUEST from Tuesday 27th October, and also streaming on discovery+

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Why You Can't Stop Comparing Yourself Oct 21, 2026

Show notes

Dina Asher-Smith, Alex Albon, Nick Cox, Richard Osman and Phil Heath help Jake and Damian take on the struggle we hear about from you more than almost any other: comparing your real life to everyone else's highlight reel.

Even the people at the very top aren't immune. Dina explains why she deliberately avoids watching what her rivals do in training. Alex Albon opens up on how measuring himself against Max Verstappen at Red Bull pushed him to force it, and how that unravelled his confidence. Nick Cox, former head of the Manchester United academy, explains why comparison "cripples parents", and Richard Osman reminds us we judge other people's highlights against our own blooper reel. Marcus Wareing and Jameela Jamil also feature.

Jake admits that professionally he compares himself everywhere he looks, and argues that envy can be a useful energy source. Damian isn't so sure, and shares the school-fair penalty shootout that turned him into prime Peter Schmeichel. Along the way they get into why silver medallists tend to be less happy than bronze medallists, why we underestimate how much other people are struggling, and why it's what's on your screen, not how long you look at it, that does the damage.

They finish with practical ways to curate your feed, your inner circle and your environment, because knowing you shouldn't compare yourself doesn't make it any easier to stop.

If comparison is something you wrestle with, tell us what helps you. Your comment might be exactly what someone else needs to hear.

Clips featured (full episodes linked below):

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Christian Horner: Red Bull Betrayal, Geri’s WARNING & Unfinished Business in F1 (E443) Oct 19, 2026

Show notes

Former Red Bull Racing team principal and one of Formula 1’s most recognisable figures, Christian Horner spent 23 years building a life around winning. So when he lost the job he had done for two decades, his first feeling wasn’t anger. It was relief.

Christian opens up about the pressure of leading Red Bull through its most successful era, the emotional armour he built to protect his team, and the toll of always being the person who couldn’t show weakness, from the intensity of Abu Dhabi 2021 to the politics that eventually changed how he felt about the sport he loved.

But when the “Batman suit” finally came off, Christian had to confront a question he’d spent decades avoiding: who are you when the job that defined you disappears? What he found was a life beyond the pit wall, and a reminder that being on this earth isn’t a dress rehearsal.

DRIVE by Christian Horner will be published on 22nd October by Bantam: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1911754785

Christian will be sharing stories from the book on tour across the UK (Nottingham Mon 19th, Bath 20th, London 26th October). To book tickets visit:

https://www.nothird.co.uk/live-shows/christian-horner/

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TOP RATED | Andy Wilman: Top Gear Boss On Show's Meteoric Rise, BBC Exit & Clarkson Sacking (E382) Oct 17, 2026

Show notes

Andy Wilman is the legendary executive producer behind Top Gear and The Grand Tour, the creative force who helped turn a small, ageing motoring show into one of the most-watched programmes on the planet.

In this revealing conversation, Andy sits down with Jake to open up about the chaotic, brilliant, and often bruising journey behind the scenes. From the early days when Top Gear was “held together by accidents,” to the lightning-in-a-bottle chemistry that formed between Clarkson, Hammond and May, Andy explains how a mix of creative instinct, insecurity, and outright stubbornness shaped the show’s rise.

He also discusses the strange alchemy behind iconic ideas like The Stig, the happy mistakes that became formats, and the moments where the team’s success began to run away from them. Andy reflects on the personal cost of building a global juggernaut: the burnout, the pressure of chasing ever-bigger audience numbers, the fear of being “found out,” and the toll it took on his home life and mental health..

This episode goes far beyond cars. It’s a conversation about leadership, the dangers of unchecked momentum, the creative magic that comes from imperfection, and the deeper human truth Andy only recognised with hindsight: that success means nothing if you never stop long enough to enjoy it.

Want the exclusive story on the high-stakes Amazon deal that launched The Grand Tour? Watch Andy on 'The Room Where It Happened' with Jake.

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TOP RATED | Boris Becker: Surviving Prison, My Truth & Rebuilding Life (E371) Oct 17, 2026

Show notes

Boris Becker is one of tennis’s most iconic figures, a prodigy who won Wimbledon at just 17, a champion who reached the sport’s highest peaks, and a man who has faced extraordinary highs and devastating lows both on and off the court.

In this episode, Boris reflects on the mindset that drove him to success so early in life, the pressure of living in the global spotlight, and the personal challenges that tested his resilience. He speaks candidly about the sacrifices behind sporting greatness, the mental and emotional toll of fame, and what it takes to rebuild after public setbacks.

Boris also shares how he’s learned to balance ambition with perspective, why health and discipline remain central to his daily life, and what he now understands about passion, identity, and purpose beyond winning.

This is an intimate, thought-provoking conversation with a sporting legend who has lived at the very edge of triumph and adversity.

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TOP RATED | Gordon Ramsay: The Golden Rule That Made the World's Most Iconic Chef Oct 17, 2026

Show notes

In high performance, we often celebrate success, the awards, the headlines, the restaurants, the fame. But for Gordon Ramsay, the real story lies in the struggle behind the spotlight.

In this episode, Gordon Ramsay explores the true meaning of high performance, and the price of perfection. From growing up in a council house and losing his dream football career to standing beside culinary legends like Marco Pierre White and earning Michelin stars around the world, Gordon opens up about the relentless drive that shaped him.

With raw honesty and trademark fire, he reflects on failure, family, and the hunger that still pushes him forward.

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TOP RATED | Usain Bolt: The Failure That Changed Everything Oct 17, 2026

Show notes

We're revisiting this extraordinary conversation with one of our most-requested conversations - Usain Bolt.

Usain reveals the failures that changed the way he thought about performance, including the Olympics in Athens where he failed to make it out of the first round. He shares the moment his coach told him he simply wasn’t working hard enough, and the painful realisation that followed.

Usain opens up about the power of consistency, learning how to lose, handling pressure, competing with scoliosis, dealing with global fame, and the mindset that helped him win eight Olympic gold medals.

He also explains why he learned to “don’t think limits”, how he stayed calm before the biggest races of his life, and what high performance actually meant to him after dedicating his entire life to it.

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TOP RATED | Nico Rosberg: The F1 Champion Who Disappeared (E414) Oct 17, 2026

Show notes

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.

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TOP RATED | Simon Sinek: ‘Start with why’ when searching for High Performance (E206) Oct 17, 2026

Show notes

Simon Sinek is an author and inspirational speaker. Simon is known for his books ‘Start with Why’ and ‘Find Your Why’, both of which focus on how to find your purpose and help those in your life find it too. Finding your Why, is the idea that “everyone knows what we do, some of us know how we do it, but very few of us can articulate why we do what we do.” Great leaders think, act and communicate in the exact same way, which is completely different from everyone else. They tell people why they do what they do, rather than what they do. In this episode, they delve into how Simon found his why, after becoming unfulfilled in work and life whilst at career high point and how he helps others find their why too.

They also discuss how you cannot be a high performer on your own. He shares language is crucial when giving feedback and how to shape criticism so those in power will respond well to it. This episode is a deep dive into finding your purpose, using your best attributes to their fullest and what makes a great leader.

Listen to Simon help Jake find his ‘Why’ exclusively on the High Performance App.

Download The High Performance App by clicking the link below and using the code: HPAPP https://www.thehighperformancepodcast.com/app-link

Find Simon’s book ‘Start with Why’ here: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/start-with-why-how-great-leaders-inspire-everyone-to-take-action-simon-sinek/239994?ean=9780241958223

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Dr Chris van Tulleken: The Food Industry Wants to Buy My Silence Oct 16, 2026

Show notes

Dr Chris van Tulleken is a doctor, scientist and one of the UK’s leading voices on ultra-processed food. An associate professor at UCL, an NHS doctor, World Health Organisation adviser and author of the bestselling Ultra-Processed People, he has spent years investigating what the food industry is really putting on our plates.

But the truth about what we eat is far more unsettling than most of us realise...

In this eye-opening conversation, we revisit why Chris believes the evidence linking ultra-processed food to physical and mental health problems has reached the same threshold we once reached with tobacco. He reveals how the world’s biggest tobacco companies helped shape the modern diet, how food is engineered and tested to make us eat more and eat faster, and what certain additives may be doing to our gut, our mood and our brains.

He shares what happened when he spent a month eating an 80% ultra-processed diet, why so many people are living in “food swamps”, and the eye-watering sums of money that he has turned down from fast food companies to protect his integrity. Chris also sets out the two changes he believes could transform our food system: clear warning labels on unhealthy food and a government nutrition committee free from industry money.

This is a conversation about agency, justice and taking back control, and a powerful reminder that if you struggle with this food, it’s not your fault.

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