What happens when effort gives way to presence?

In this episode of the GRACEWorks Podcast, Paul Crick is joined by Jayne Storey, performance practice specialist, author, and founder of Chi Performance, for a deep, reflective conversation on grace, embodiment, and the limits of striving.

Drawing on nearly four decades of Zen meditation, Tai Chi, martial arts, and applied performance practice, Jayne explores why many high performers struggle precisely because they are trying too hard — and how the body, when trusted, knows how to move us back into coherence, flow, and quiet confidence. This is a conversation about performance not as force, but as alignment; not as control, but as receptivity.

Key Themes Explored

• Why trying harder often undermines performance
• The difference between striving and sincere aspiration
• What the body knows before the mind does
• Grounding, hara/dantien, and embodied awareness
• Grace as something received, not achieved
• Why silence and inner quietude are essential to creativity and leadership
• The limits of mindset-only approaches to performance
• Awe, wonder, and the deeper layers of “flow”
• What sports, music, and leadership reveal about human potential

About Jayne Storey

Jayne Storey is a UK-based performance practice specialist whose work integrates Eastern contemplative disciplines with modern performance demands. She has worked with golfers, swimmers, tennis players, musicians, and business leaders to help them access more natural, embodied states of excellence.

She is the author of:

• The Athlete’s Ascent
• Breathe Golf
• Connected Golf

Further Links

• Jayne Storey (Speaker & Author): 🔗 https://jaynestorey.com
• Chi Performance (Coaching & Practice): 🔗 https://chipractice.com
• Jayne Storey on LinkedIn: 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-storey-6a0b3519/

GRACEWorks is a podcast for leaders, high achievers, and thoughtful humans who sense that success alone is no longer enough.

Hosted by Paul Crick, each episode explores what it means to lead, live, and work with GRACE especially when we find ourselves under pressure of some sort or another.

Through honest conversations, lived experience, and reflective inquiry, GRACEWorks invites you to move beyond relentless striving toward clarity, presence, and alignment.

If this episode resonated, you’re warmly invited to explore more conversations, reflections, and practices at GRACEWorks and to share this episode with someone who might need it.

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