2026 is not about overhauls.

It is not about extremes.

And it is definitely not about detoxes, six week challenges or all-or-nothing resets.

In this episode of Stay at the Top, I share a different approach. Upgrades.

Small, intelligent, intentional adjustments that compound over time. Sustainable high performance is not built on intensity. It is built on repeatability. And upgrades work because you are not starting from scratch. You are refining what you are already doing.

In this episode, I walk you through four powerful daily upgrades that will strengthen your physiology, stabilise your energy and protect your performance for the long run.

In this episode, I cover

- Why upgrades outperform overhauls

- The difference between adding load and reducing friction

- How standardising your morning stabilises your body clock

- Why wake time matters more than a 5am routine

- How to build a predictable morning anchor

- The overlooked power of plant diversity for gut health

- Why consistency and diversity both matter

- The risk factor of prolonged sitting

- How to use movement pulses across the day

- Why exercise does not cancel out sedentary time

- How to design a sleep environment that works with your biology

- The three elements of a sleep sanctuary: cool, dark and quiet

- Why small upgrades compound into long term resilience

Key Quotes

“Sustainable high performance is not built on intensity. It is built on repeatability.”

“Your morning is the foundation of your day.”

“Overhauls are out. Upgrades are in.”

Timestamps

(00:45) – 2026 Is About Upgrades, Not Overhauls

(02:07) – Why Upgrades Stick (And New Habits Don’t)

(03:15) – Upgrade 1: Standardise Your Morning

(08:52) – Upgrade 2: Plant Diversity

(14:02) – Upgrade 3: Movement Pulses Across the Day

(18:10) – The 60-Minute Rule for Breaking Up Sitting

(19:12) – Upgrade 4: Design Your Sleep Sanctuary

(20:55) – Cool, Dark, Quiet: The Three Sleep Essentials

(25:37) – Managing Noise and Real-World Sleep Challenges

(27:57) – Recap: The Four Daily Upgrades

Take the High-Performance Profile Quiz

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Everything about me can be found here: www.jessicaspendlove.com 

If you’re interested in having me as a speaker you can find out more here: https://jessicaspendlove.com/speaking/

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jess_spendlove_dietitian/?hl=en

You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-spendlove-64173bb8/

Want to contact me directly?

Email [email protected]

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

If I looked at your last seven days, would your energy be consistent… or chaotic?

In this episode of Stay at the Top, I break down one of the most common challenges I see in high performers. Inconsistent energy.

The afternoon crash. The midweek burnout. The feeling of starting the week strong and finishing it completely depleted. Most people assume it is random. That it is age, hormones, or just “life being busy”.

But in reality, chaotic energy is usually predictable. It is your body giving you a signal that something is missing, and most importantly, it is often within your control to change.

In this episode, I share the two biggest drivers of inconsistent energy that I see again and again, and the simple rhythm based strategies that help you stabilise energy without needing a new routine, a full reset, or a complete overhaul.

This is about learning how to create energy, not chase it.

In this episode, I cover

- Why energy is the currency of your wellbeing and performance

- The difference between inputs and outputs

- Why inconsistent energy is rarely random

- The two biggest drivers of chaotic energy

- How living reactively creates a constant game of catch up

- Why inconsistency creates friction and drains cognitive bandwidth

- The importance of rhythm over perfection

- How to stabilise your meal timing without living like a robot

- Why sleep timing matters more than most people realise

- How brain breaks support energy and focus across the day

- The F1 pit stop analogy and why it applies to your calendar

- What to focus on if you want stable energy without relying on willpower

Key Quotes

“Energy is not something you either have or you don’t. It’s something you create.”

“Reactive days turn energy into a constant game of catch up.”

“If you want consistent outputs, you need consistent inputs.”

“If you want better energy, stop relying on willpower.”

Take the High-Performance Profile Quiz

https://jessicaspendlove.com/quiz/

Everything about me can be found here: www.jessicaspendlove.com 

If you’re interested in having me as a speaker you can find out more here: https://jessicaspendlove.com/speaking/

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jess_spendlove_dietitian/?hl=en

You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-spendlove-64173bb8/

Want to contact me directly?

Email [email protected]

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

In this episode of Stay at the Top, I share three reasons why celebrating milestones and small wins is not just a nice idea, but a performance strategy. Especially for high performers who are ambitious, driven, and constantly raising the bar.

I also share a personal milestone that I have not shared anywhere else. Not on Instagram. Not on LinkedIn. Not even on my email list yet. I wanted to share it here first, with you, because this podcast community means a lot to me.

This episode is a reminder that celebrating progress is not indulgent. It reinforces behaviour, builds confidence through evidence, and helps you stop living in a constant cycle of chasing the next thing without ever feeling successful.

In this episode, I cover

- Why high performers often struggle to celebrate milestones

- The moving goalpost problem and how it steals success

- Why celebrating small wins reinforces behaviour you want to repeat

- How celebrating builds confidence through evidence

- The identity shift that comes from keeping your word to yourself

- My personal milestone and special announcement shared here first

- What I have learned about making the ask and not saying no on someone else’s behalf

- Why reps and sets apply to confidence, courage and leadership too

Key Quotes

“When you celebrate the small wins, you send a message that you want to repeat the behaviour.”

“Confidence is built through evidence.”

“If you don’t ask, you don’t get.”

Take the High-Performance Profile Quiz

https://jessicaspendlove.com/quiz/

Everything about me can be found here: www.jessicaspendlove.com 

If you’re interested in having me as a speaker you can find out more here: https://jessicaspendlove.com/speaking/

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jess_spendlove_dietitian/?hl=en

You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-spendlove-64173bb8/

Want to contact me directly?

Email [email protected]

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

Week eight of the Stay at the Top Summer Reset series focuses on one of the most important foundations of health and performance. Sleep.

When energy is low or recovery feels off, sleep is often blamed in isolation. In reality, most sleep issues are shaped by what happens during the day. The cues you give your brain, the rhythm of your habits and how you wind down all matter more than chasing perfect nights.

In this episode, I share simple, high leverage strategies to improve sleep quality by creating consistency and clear signals that the day is done. The goal is not perfection, but familiarity and rhythm so recovery can begin.

In this episode, I cover

- Why sleep issues are often a byproduct of daytime behaviours

- The role of sleep in energy, recovery and long term health

- Why relying on instinct at night usually backfires

- The power of a go to bed alarm as a circuit breaker

- How to break the habit of late nights and endless scrolling

- What a sleep landing protocol is and why it matters

- Examples of simple, repeatable wind down routines

- The importance of consistency over complexity

- How to work backwards from your wake time to set a realistic bedtime

- Common factors that interfere with sleep and how to identify yours

Key Quotes

“Sleep is the bedrock when it comes to energy, performance and recovery.”

“Most sleep problems are created during the day, not at night.”

“Consistency wins because your brain is wired for rhythm.”

Take the High-Performance Profile Quiz

https://jessicaspendlove.com/quiz/

Everything about me can be found here: www.jessicaspendlove.com 

If you’re interested in having me as a speaker you can find out more here: https://jessicaspendlove.com/speaking/

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jess_spendlove_dietitian/?hl=en

You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-spendlove-64173bb8/

Want to contact me directly?

Email [email protected]

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

Week seven of the Stay at the Top Summer Reset series focuses on one word that underpins sustainable health and performance in 2026. Consistency.

Consistency is often misunderstood as rigidity. In reality, it is structured flexibility. It is about creating guard rails around the behaviours that matter, while allowing freedom within them.

In this episode, I unpack why the biggest barrier is not inconsistency, but the swing from doing nothing to trying to do everything. When inputs are predictable, energy and recovery become easier to manage. This episode will help you define what consistency looks like for your current season of life, so it actually holds.

In this episode, I cover

- Why consistency is often confused with rigidity

- The problem with zero to one hundred behaviour change

- What structured flexibility actually looks like

- Why momentum beats white knuckling every time

- How inconsistency in food drives inconsistent energy

- The guard rails that support steadier energy and clearer thinking

- How to think about meal timing, gaps and composition

- Why diversity matters without sacrificing predictability

- How to define consistency for your current season of life

- Your simple reset task for the week

Key Quotes

“Consistency is not rigidity. It is structured flexibility.”

“You cannot expect consistent energy from inconsistent inputs.”

“When the inputs are stable, the output is more predictable.”

Take the High-Performance Profile Quiz

https://jessicaspendlove.com/quiz/

Everything about me can be found here: www.jessicaspendlove.com 

If you’re interested in having me as a speaker you can find out more here: https://jessicaspendlove.com/speaking/

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jess_spendlove_dietitian/?hl=en

You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-spendlove-64173bb8/

Want to contact me directly?

Email [email protected]

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

January is loud.

Everywhere you look there are detoxes, cleanses, gut resets and six or eight week challenges promising a fresh start. Most of them are built on the same idea. Overhaul everything. Be all in. Then start again when life gets in the way.

In week six of the Stay at the Top Summer Reset series, I explain why this approach keeps people stuck in the same cycle and why you do not need to punish your body back into order.

What you actually need is a rhythm you can sustain.

In this episode, I break down why consistency beats extremes every time and how predictable inputs help your brain and body work better. This is not about doing something exciting. It is about doing what works.

This episode gives you a simple reset for the week that focuses on building rhythm, not willpower.

In this episode, I cover

- Why January is so loud with detoxes and challenges

- The problem with overhauls and all or nothing thinking

- Why people do not fail because of motivation, but because of strategy

- What actually works for health and energy

- The power of daily habits over extremes

- How blood glucose stability supports focus and decision making

- Why hydration is about what you retain, not just what you drink

- What your liver really needs to do its job

- Why cleanses cannot override poor habits

- How to reset using rhythm, not restriction

Key Quotes

“You do not need to punish your body back into order.”

“You cannot override poor habits with a three day cleanse.”

“What you need is rhythm, not willpower.”

Take the High-Performance Profile Quiz

https://jessicaspendlove.com/quiz/

Everything about me can be found here: www.jessicaspendlove.com 

If you’re interested in having me as a speaker you can find out more here: https://jessicaspendlove.com/speaking/

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jess_spendlove_dietitian/?hl=en

You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-spendlove-64173bb8/

Want to contact me directly?

Email [email protected]

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

Week five of the Stay at the Top Summer Reset series is about zooming out.

So far, you have looked at your days, your weeks and the foundations that shape how you feel. This episode takes the next step and looks at the bigger picture: your year.

Your yearly rhythm is about understanding when you operate well, when you tend to hit the wall, and when life outside of work asks more of you. It is about seeing the patterns that repeat, even when you are too busy to notice them in the moment.

In this episode, I walk you through how to map your year with intention so you are not always reacting when you are already exhausted. This is not about locking in every detail. It is about visibility. Because when you can see what is coming, you can plan recovery before you are depleted, not after you have run yourself into the ground.

In this episode, I cover

- What a yearly rhythm actually means

- Why zooming out changes how you operate day to day

- How to identify your busiest and quietest periods

- When you typically hit the wall and why

- How life outside of work affects your energy and capacity

- The difference between reactive and proactive recovery

- Why burnout holidays are not a strategy

- How your yearly rhythm fits into your operating system

- A client story that shows how this changes everything

- How I am structuring my own year differently

Key Quotes

“Your yearly rhythm shows you when you operate well and when things tend to fall apart.”

“Being proactive is about getting ahead of the curve.”

“Work and life are not separate. They shape each other.”

“Visibility gives you structure that supports you instead of drains you.”

Take the High-Performance Profile Quiz

https://jessicaspendlove.com/quiz/

Everything about me can be found here: www.jessicaspendlove.com 

If you’re interested in having me as a speaker you can find out more here: https://jessicaspendlove.com/speaking/

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jess_spendlove_dietitian/?hl=en

You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-spendlove-64173bb8/

Want to contact me directly?

Email [email protected]

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

Week four of the Stay at the Top Summer Reset series focuses on one of the most powerful and overlooked performance tools you have. Your diary.

Most high performers do not struggle with motivation. They struggle with structure. When calendars fill up with meetings, deadlines and external demands, the behaviours that support energy and wellbeing are pushed aside.

This episode is a reminder that what you schedule first shapes how you operate. If you want this year to feel different, it starts by putting what you need and want into your diary before everything else.

In this episode, I cover:

- Why motivation is rarely the problem for high performers

- How your diary quietly shapes your energy and behaviour

- The cost of leaving meals, movement and breaks to chance

- Why personal commitments need the same respect as work meetings

- How operating reactively drains energy fast

- The role of systems, boundaries and reminders in sustainable performance

- Why everyone needs an operating system, including me

- How this episode builds on earlier resets in the series

- A simple reset task you can apply immediately

Key Quotes

“Your diary tells the truth about what you value.”

“When you deprioritise the break you need, you are deprioritising yourself.”

“You need systems that support the version of you you are trying to become.”

Take the High-Performance Profile Quiz

https://jessicaspendlove.com/quiz/

Everything about me can be found here: www.jessicaspendlove.com 

If you’re interested in having me as a speaker you can find out more here: https://jessicaspendlove.com/speaking/

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jess_spendlove_dietitian/?hl=en

You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-spendlove-64173bb8/

Want to contact me directly?

Email [email protected]

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

Week three of the Stay at the Top Summer Reset mini series is about simplifying.

This time of year often triggers big plans and long lists of things to change. While it can feel motivating, it usually creates overwhelm before the year has even begun.

In this episode, I introduce the concept of the domino habit. The one habit that, when done consistently, makes everything else feel easier. It is not about doing more. It is about identifying what carries the most weight for you right now.

This episode will help you cut through the noise and focus on what actually moves the needle.

In this episode, I cover:

- Why the new year, new me mindset often backfires

- The difference between reflection and unrealistic goal setting

- What a domino habit actually is

- Why small, repeatable habits outperform big plans

- Examples of common domino habits for energy and focus

- Why your domino habit needs to work wherever you are

- The importance of having a plan B domino habit

- How domino habits evolve across seasons of life

- How to apply this concept beyond health into work, relationships and finances

- Why momentum matters more than motivation

Key Quotes

“The domino habit is the one action that makes everything else feel easier.”

“When that first domino falls, the rest follow more effortlessly.”

“Effortless comes from momentum, not willpower.”

Take the High-Performance Profile Quiz

https://jessicaspendlove.com/quiz/

Everything about me can be found here: www.jessicaspendlove.com 

If you’re interested in having me as a speaker you can find out more here: https://jessicaspendlove.com/speaking/

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jess_spendlove_dietitian/?hl=en

You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-spendlove-64173bb8/

Want to contact me directly?

Email [email protected]

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

Week two of the Stay at the Top Summer Reset series is about lifting your head up and looking forward.

In this episode, I share why holidays and downtime are often overlooked as one of the most powerful opportunities to build new habits. Not because life is perfectly structured, but because there is finally space. Less pressure. More capacity to think, reflect and experiment.

This conversation is especially relevant if the year has felt reactive, fast paced or like you have been running just to keep up. When you are constantly firefighting, meaningful change feels almost impossible. This episode is designed to help you step out of survival mode and into a more proactive way of operating for the season ahead.

Rather than overhauling your life or adding more to your plate, I introduce three simple questions that help you recalibrate and get clear on how you want to show up in 2026.

In this episode, I cover:

- Why holidays can be a powerful runway rather than a pause

- The cost of living in reactive mode for too long

- Why overhauling everything at once rarely works

- The role of identity in sustainable behaviour change

- How to use reflection to get ahead before January begins

- The importance of progress over perfection

- Why capacity and context matter when changing habits

- How to start embedding habits now rather than waiting for the new year

Key Quotes:

“You do not need a new version of yourself. You need to recalibrate.”

“Clarity beats complexity.”

“Reflection is how you move from reactive to intentional.”

“The goal is not perfection. It is alignment.”

Take the High-Performance Profile Quiz

https://jessicaspendlove.com/quiz/

Everything about me can be found here: www.jessicaspendlove.com 

If you’re interested in having me as a speaker you can find out more here: https://jessicaspendlove.com/speaking/

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jess_spendlove_dietitian/?hl=en

You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-spendlove-64173bb8/

Want to contact me directly?

Email [email protected]

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