Hayley McQueen is a sports broadcaster, a leading anchor on Sky Sports News, and the co-host of the Not Just Football podcast with Kelly Cates and Christine Lampard. She is also the daughter of the Manchester United and Scotland defender, Gordon McQueen, who died in 2023 from vascular dementia and pneumonia. Hayley explains her family’s battle to discover if Gordon’s death was linked to his profession, the decision to donate his brain for medical research, the struggle to find closure after his death and her wish to change football training practices in order to protect the next generation.

If today’s episode has touched something in you, and you’re finding it hard to cope, please don’t struggle alone. You can speak to someone 24/7 at Samaritans on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org. For grief-specific support, organisations like Cruse Bereavement Support are here to help at cruse.org.uk.

headforchange.org.uk is a UK-based charity dedicated to supporting former football and rugby players affected by sports-related brain injuries, including conditions like chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and early-onset dementia. The organisation offers care, advocacy, and education to athletes and their families. It also champions independent research to enhance brain health in sports and promotes safer practices for future generations.

The ainslie + ainslie Performance People podcast talks to high-performers in the world of sport and beyond, to bring defining moments, hard-earned insights and expert advice to everyday performance. New episodes every Tuesday.

We love performance, which is why we’ve launched ainslie + ainslie – the first supplement brand to be developed inside elite sport. Now available for everyone. Find out more at www.ainslieainslie.com

ainslie + ainslie NIGHT POWDER. Winner - best sleep supplement, 2025 GQ Sleep Awards.

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Setbacks are an inevitable part of life, so what tools are most effective in getting us back on our feet and, perhaps, even stronger than we were before?

Annalie Howling is a performance coach who works with leaders in business, elite sport and the Armed Forces, and who has personal experience in recovering from life’s challenges. She explains how a back to basics approach can help, the role of radical self-belief, why helping others can transform your own problems and the importance of finding a renewed purpose in life.

In this episode, we have an honest and important conversation about mental health. If you or someone you know is struggling, you are not alone—support is available; you can contact the Samaritans at: https://www.samaritans.org/

Annalie Howling’s new book ‘Unapologetic: Shackle Your Shame, Reclaim Your Power’ is out now.

We love performance, which is why we’ve launched ainslie + ainslie – the first supplement brand to be developed inside elite sport. Now available for everyone. Find out more at www.ainslieainslie.com

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Georgie welcomes her former Sky Sports screen husband, and now Soccer Saturday host, Simon Thomas, into the Performance People studio. Simon opens up about his journey through sports broadcasting, revealing the truth behind his big break on Blue Peter, explaining the personal challenges of overcoming anxiety and the pressures of live television, how the sudden death of his wife, Gemma, left him utterly broken and he shares the shaping forces that helped him rebuild his life again. He discusses how he handles pressure through preparation, the inside stories on what really happens in live TV, describes what it’s like to follow Jeff Stelling into one of live football’s most demanding jobs and he gives Georgie a dressing down for misidentifying the Blue Peter ship.

In this episode, we have an honest and important conversation about mental health, including experiences with suicidal thoughts. If you or someone you know is struggling, you are not alone—support is available. If you are struggling with either, you can contact the Samaritans at:

https://www.samaritans.org/

Simon is President of Blood Cancer UK. Since losing his wife, Gemma, suddenly to acute myeloid leukaemia in November 2017 he has been raising awareness of blood cancer symptoms ever since.

For more information or to donate, go to:

https://bloodcancer.org.uk/

We love performance, which is why we’ve launched ainslie + ainslie – the first supplement brand to be developed inside elite sport. Now available for everyone. Find out more at www.ainslieainslie.com

The ainslie + ainslie Performance People podcast talks to high-performers in the world of sport and beyond, to bring defining moments, hard-earned insights and expert advice to everyday performance. New episodes every Tuesday.

Hit subscribe today for the latest.

🎧 Spotify/Apple Music

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Northampton Saints, England and now Lions-elect fly-half, Fin Smith, is one of rugby’s hottest emerging stars. In this wide-ranging chat about his career and ethos, he explains why his biggest low at Worcester taught him to take nothing for granted, why winning gives you extra drive, why the Six Nations surprised him, how he’s learning about leadership and what it’s like having a certain Jonny Wilkinson as a coach and mentor. Fin also imagines what it would be like to put his own Lions jersey next to that of his Grandad.

We love performance, which is why we’ve launched ainslie + ainslie – the first supplement brand to be developed inside elite sport. Now available for everyone. Find out more at www.ainslieainslie.com

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

What are the daily and weekly habits that build a life of high performance? Top performance coach to elite sport, military and business professionals, Chris Tombs, breaks down the habits, routines and mindset shifts that drive high performance in any field.

From optimising sleep to integrating movement, Chris shares the daily principles that anyone can use to raise their game. Discover why consistency beats intensity, how to eat for energy and how to apply lessons from elite sport to everyday life.

We love performance, which is why we’ve launched ainslie + ainslie – the first supplement brand to be developed inside elite sport. Now available for everyone. Find out more at www.ainslieainslie.com

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

Georgie reunites with her old Sky Sports News co-anchor David Jones, who now hosts Sky Sports' flagship football coverage on Super Sunday and Monday Night Football alongside pundits including Gary Neville, Roy Keane, Jamie Carragher and Jamie Redknapp.

David discusses his big break at Sky, the pressure and buzz of live TV, why he prefers asking questions to answering them and how presenting live football with a panel of pundits can feel like hosting a dinner party. 

We love performance, which is why we’ve launched ainslie + ainslie – the first supplement brand to be developed inside elite sport. Now available for everyone. Find out more at www.ainslieainslie.com

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

What are the daily and weekly habits that build a life of high performance? Top performance coach to elite sport, military and business professionals, Chris Tombs, breaks down the habits, routines and mindset shifts that drive high performance in any field.

From optimising sleep to integrating movement, Chris shares the daily principles that anyone can use to raise their game. Discover why consistency beats intensity, how to eat for energy and how to apply lessons from elite sport to everyday life.

We love performance, which is why we’ve launched ainslie + ainslie – the first supplement brand to be developed inside elite sport. Now available for everyone. Find out more at www.ainslieainslie.com

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

What can we learn from how athletes approach sleep to improve how we feel and perform every day? Dr Peter Tierney is a performance coach and sports scientist who has worked with Leinster rugby, Chelsea FC, Lulu Lemon and The FA. 

Working with elite athletes, he has seen the power of optimising sleep to maximise performance. In this episode, he describes his SLEEP checklist for improving your sleep environment, why regularity matters, the role of nutrition, why sleep trackers are like Google Maps and what we can learn from how athletes approach recovery.

We love performance, which is why we’ve also launched ainslie + ainslie – the first supplement brand to be developed inside elite sport. Now available for everyone. Find out more at www.ainslieainslie.com

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

Rugby world cup winner Mike Tindall takes us inside that famous 2003 final, when England beat Australia with a Jonny Wilkinson drop-goal in extra time.

Mike looks back at what made that team so special; the characters, camaraderie and leadership that made the difference and how he’s never been in an environment like it since.

Now a podcast host himself on ‘The Good, The Bad and The Rugby’, he also shares his views on the British and Irish Lions tour, the rise of superstar women’s rugby player Ilona Maher, the physical toll of playing at the top and what the future might hold for the professional game.

We love performance, which is why we’ve also launched ainslie + ainslie – the first supplement brand to be developed inside elite sport. Now available for everyone. Find out more at www.ainslieainslie.com

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

One of Britain’s most successful downhill skiers, Chemmy Alcott, shares her journey to four Winter Olympics and five top-10 World Cup finishes, including becoming the first Brit to win a World Cup downhill run in 2008 in Solden. In this episode of Performance People, she takes us inside the mental battles and brutal injuries that make up the life of a downhill racer, where euphoric success and crushing failure are only a ski edge apart.

Learn what it takes to push through adversity, build mental resilience, confront perfectionism and understand imposter syndrome - all against the unforgiving backdrop of competitive skiing.

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