The High Performance Podcast

Peter Kenyon is a global sports powerbroker and Williams F1 Board Advisor, famed for transforming Premier League giants and securing major partnerships with global brands.

In this episode, Peter joins Damian to discuss the leadership principles that shaped his success and how his "Holy Trinity Framework", balancing the roles of owner, CEO, and manager, was key to building sustainable winning cultures at two of football’s biggest clubs.

He dives into his philosophy on culture, explaining how he made tough calls like rejecting Ronaldinho for his lifestyle and selling David Beckham despite his commercial value. He also reveals how he prioritised structure over short-term success, even when it meant making bold moves like replacing Claudio Ranieri at Chelsea.

This episode is an insightful look at how maintaining a strong structure, ruthless execution, and cultural standards is essential for lasting achievement, both on and off the field.

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Find out more about Williams F1: https://www.williamsf1.com/

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Jean Todt is one of the most influential figures in motorsport, with a career that spans decades of unparalleled success, from leading Ferrari to dominance in Formula 1 to his work with the United Nations on road safety.

In this episode, Jean discusses his "life in chapters" philosophy and how his F1 success fueled a mission to tackle the "silent pandemic" of road deaths. He shares moving insights into his bond with Michael Schumacher, the importance of protecting those you lead, and why integrity matters more than trophies. 

With powerful stories of overcoming adversity and maintaining integrity, this episode offers a rare glimpse into the leadership that shaped one of the most successful eras in Formula 1 history.

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In 2024, Jake and Damian met the remarkable Olympian David Smith MBE at Fearne Cotton's Happy Place Festival and held an audience of 300 people spellbound. David had a terminal cancer diagnosis — and a message about how to live that neither of them has forgotten since.

This week, they share a voice note David recorded from his hospital bed after becoming a full quadriplegic with recent news he has just months left to live, where he speaks about dancing with life, finding beauty in stillness, and why the journey — not the destination — is everything.

Jake and Damian reflect on David's three guiding values of compassion, curiosity and courage and why so many of us wait for the worst news of our lives before we start truly living.

If you've never heard the full episode with David Smith, it's Episode 215 — and this conversation is the perfect place to start.

Please donate to Ed Jackson’s Go fund me for David Smith here .It is raising money to help fund the treatment, care, equipment, rehabilitation and wider support Dave needs, while also helping to ease some of the pressure on him and his family.

Find David on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidsmithmbe/

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Yaya Touré is one of football’s most dominant midfielders, a key figure in transforming Manchester City into a title-winning force. In this episode, Yaya shares the unseen moments behind that success, from arriving at a club with a losing mentality to helping build a culture driven by focus, respect, dedication, and passion.

He opens up about the turning point that changed everything, a heated halftime confrontation that sparked a shift in standards and turned City into “a machine.” Drawing on his time at Barcelona under Pep Guardiola, Yaya explains why winning teams are built on brotherhood, purpose, and an obsession with excellence, not just talent.

Yaya also reflects on the managers who shaped him and the identity that defined his career: “I’m a winner.” This is a powerful insight into what it really takes to build a championship mentality and sustain success at the highest level.

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Randox 👉 Book a test today and save 20% on all health checks with the code HP20 at : https://highpfrmc.com/HPP_Randoxhealth_au 

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Visit CLIF at www.eu.clifbar.com or www.instagram.com/clifeurope to learn more and shop your favourite flavours on www.amazon.co.uk/clif

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Martin Lewis will tell you himself - he's not an entrepreneur, not a celebrity, not a website owner. He's a campaigning journalist. One who happened to build MoneySavingExpert into the most powerful consumer platform in the country, recover billions of pounds for ordinary people, and become the most trusted voice in Britain in the process.

We're revisiting one of the most powerful conversations we've ever had on High Performance and we think it's more relevant now than when we first recorded it.

This conversation is about what drives a person to dedicate their life to fighting for strangers. Where that fire comes from. What it costs to carry the weight of millions of people's trust. And what Martin Lewis has had to go through to get here.

You'll hear Martin on why trust cannot be marketed, only earned. On the moment that shifted his entire philosophy from beating the system to protecting the people the system exploits. And on why success, however hard won, is never the whole story.

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Mo Salah is leaving Liverpool as a legend. Trent Alexander-Arnold left to boos and a painted-over mural. What made the difference — and what does it tell us about legacy, loyalty, and how we all choose to move on?

Jake and Damian dig into the psychology of the exit: why the ultimatum game explains fan reaction, how Salah's struggles at Chelsea made him a better player at Liverpool, and what Roy Hodgson returning to management at 78 says about purpose and passion.

Plus: Georgia Hunter Bell's remarkable comeback from telesales to World Indoor champion, Kimi Antonelli's back-to-back Formula One wins and what one victory does to the mind, and Josh Kerr's pursuit of the world mile record. Damian's High Performer of the Week will stop you in your tracks.

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Brené Brown is a world-renowned researcher and author, known for her work on vulnerability, courage, and what makes truly effective leaders. She has spent decades studying human behaviour, uncovering how fear, connection, and self-awareness shape performance at the highest level.

In this episode, Brené sits down with Jake and Damian to explore the difference between safe and unsafe leadership, and how fear quietly drives decisions at work and at home. She explains why the best leaders don’t avoid vulnerability, but use it to build trust, clarity, and stronger teams.

They cover why your greatest strength might secretly be your armour, the formula every elite performer needs to understand (performance = potential minus interference), why organisational leaders are the only high-performers in the world where coaching isn't expected, and what England's penalty curse and Liverpool's current struggles really tell us about the psychology of winning.

Plus — a special surprise message from Steven Gerrard leaves Brené lost for words!

Subscribe to Brené’s podcast ‘The Curiosity Shop’ on YouTube or your favorite app for new episodes every Thursday.

Brené’s latest book ‘Strong Ground’ is available now: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Strong-Ground-Leadership-Tenacity-Vermilion/dp/178504320X

Links referenced in podcast: The lethality of loneliness: John Cacioppo TED TALK

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Visit Seattle 👉 Start planning your perfect summer of football by searching Visit Seattle on social media, or discover more at: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-visitseattle-au

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Shane Parrish is the founder of Farnam Street and one of the world's most respected voices on decision-making and clear thinking.

In this episode we re-visit with Shane, he introduces the concept of positioning — the small daily choices that put you on easy mode or hard mode before a single big decision is made. He breaks down the four defaults that hijack your thinking (emotion, ego, social pressure, and inertia), explains why fear of success holds people back just as much as fear of failure, and shares the Kissinger test that reveals whether you're truly doing your best work.

If you're tired of making life harder than it needs to be, this one's for you.

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Louis Theroux's Manosphere documentary has got everyone talking - but Jake and Damian think we might be asking the wrong questions. Is shining a light on extreme influencers actually making them more attractive? And is the phrase 'toxic masculinity' doing more harm than good to the young men it's supposed to help?

Jake shares research from the Centre for Male Psychology suggesting the term may be damaging to boys, while Damian breaks down why labels drive identity, and why that can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. 

Also this week...

• The treatment of Liam Rosenior 
• Head coach Johann van Graan's transformation of Bath Rugby
• LeBron James broke the NBA all-time games played record 
• And Norwich is officially the best place to live in the UK (Jake has thoughts)

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Visit Seattle 👉 Start planning your perfect summer of football by searching Visit Seattle on social media, or discover more at: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-visitseattle-au

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When global instability dominates the headlines, it can be hard to know what to think...or how to lead. This week, Jake and Damian sit down with General Sir Richard Shirreff, former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, to cut through the noise.

With 37 years commanding British soldiers, Richard has led through some of the most complex and high-stakes environments imaginable - from the streets of Basra to the corridors of NATO headquarters. And his lessons aren't just for generals.

In this episode, he breaks down the war-gaming mindset that every great leader needs, explains why the best decisions are built on intuition as much as information, and shares Field Marshal Slim's three components of morale — a framework as relevant in business as it is on the battlefield.

Richard also makes the case for thinking the unthinkable - conscription, and challenges the narrative that younger generations lack resilience, and ends with a genuinely optimistic vision for what great leadership could unlock.

This is a conversation about courage, preparation, and the kind of bold decision-making the world needs more of right now.

Our partners on this episode:

Heights 👉 Get 20% off your subscription by using Code: HP20 here: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp_heights_au3 

Visit Seattle 👉 Start planning your perfect summer of football by searching Visit Seattle on social media, or discover more at: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-visitseattle-au

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