BITESIZE #3| Marcelino Sambé: Be true to yourself

It's Friday! So here is another short bitesize episode, looking at stand-out moments from the podcast with more context, more discussion and more analysis from our hosts Jake and Damian. Today it's with principal dancer of the Royal Ballet - Marcelino Sambé, and why you have to be true to yourself. Thanks to our sponsors Lotus Cars. Remember, you can get extended episodes of the podcast on our YouTube channel bit.ly/HPPYouTube and follow us on Instagram @highperformance.

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In this captivating episode, the High-Performance Podcast, hosted by Jake Humphrey and Professor Damian Hughes, delves into the significance of authenticity and self-discovery through the lens of Principal Dancer with the Royal Ballet, Marcelino Sambé.

Marcelino's journey to becoming a successful ballet dancer is marked by remarkable resilience and self-acceptance. He emphasizes the importance of experimenting and exploring different aspects of oneself to truly understand one's identity and aspirations. This process of self-discovery, which began for him at the age of 16, has been ongoing throughout his life, allowing him to continuously evolve and grow as an artist and an individual.

The discussion highlights the challenges faced by Marcelino, who defied societal expectations by pursuing a career in ballet despite coming from a disadvantaged background. His bravery in embracing his true self, including his sexuality, serves as an inspiration for others to do the same.

The episode emphasizes the importance of authenticity in a world that often lacks it. Social media, in particular, can create a false sense of reality, leading people to portray an idealized version of themselves rather than their true selves. This can hinder personal growth and prevent individuals from fully embracing their unique qualities.

Marcelino's story highlights the significance of seeking validation from those who truly matter, rather than relying on the opinions of those who may not fully understand or appreciate one's journey. Surrounding oneself with supportive individuals who share similar values and aspirations can provide a strong foundation for personal growth and authenticity.

The episode also acknowledges that the journey towards self-discovery is an ongoing process. Even successful individuals like Marcelino continue to learn and evolve throughout their lives. This message serves as a reminder that personal growth is a lifelong pursuit and that it is never too late to embark on a journey of self-discovery.

Overall, this episode offers valuable insights into the importance of authenticity, self-acceptance, and continuous self-discovery. Marcelino Sambé's story serves as an inspiring example of how embracing one's true self can lead to personal fulfillment and success.

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[02:37.360 -> 02:42.160] for details hi there welcome along to a short sharp helpful hit of inspiration
[02:42.160 -> 02:49.460] from the high-performance podcast in partnership with Lotus Cars. Professor Damien Hughes, as ever, is alongside me, and we're just going
[02:49.460 -> 02:54.180] to use just the next few minutes to try and equip you with some golden nuggets of advice
[02:54.180 -> 02:59.900] from our High Performance Podcast guests to help you live a more high performance life.
[02:59.900 -> 03:05.720] On today's show, Principal Dancer with the Royal Ballet, the incredible Marcelino Sambé, talking
[03:05.720 -> 03:11.520] about being true to yourself.
[03:11.520 -> 03:15.860] I don't know. You know what? Even when I came to England at age 16, that was when I came
[03:15.860 -> 03:20.600] from Portugal. I never really announced it. I never really announced that I'm this or
[03:20.600 -> 03:24.560] that. I just, I experimented all sorts of way. I had a lot of fun and I just kind of
[03:24.560 -> 03:25.240] like made sure that I was fulfilling any need that I need and to really understand why I'm this or that, I just, I experimented all sorts of way. I had a lot of fun and I just kind of like
[03:25.240 -> 03:28.280] made sure that I was fulfilling any need that I need
[03:28.280 -> 03:29.840] and to really understand who I am to grow.
[03:29.840 -> 03:32.760] So it was a very like molding process.
[03:32.760 -> 03:35.680] And even today, I'm still finding out things about myself
[03:35.680 -> 03:38.760] that I know will unlock things that I don't know.
[03:38.760 -> 03:40.040] Even during this quarantine,
[03:40.040 -> 03:42.800] I've had like an incredible wake up call
[03:42.800 -> 03:46.020] of how I want to really like, you know, be perceived in the future
[03:46.020 -> 03:49.220] and what am I going to give to the career that I'm doing?
[03:49.220 -> 03:53.500] And, you know, so it's a complete slow burner almost,
[03:53.500 -> 03:54.940] but you know, but it has been part of me
[03:54.940 -> 03:56.060] since probably I was 16.
[03:56.060 -> 03:59.340] I think that's when maturity really kicks in, I guess.
[03:59.340 -> 04:01.820] What was great about talking to Marcelino, Damian,
[04:01.820 -> 04:04.580] was that the things that define him
[04:04.580 -> 04:08.160] are also the things that he has to be really brave about,
[04:08.160 -> 04:11.440] because people do not normally make it
[04:11.440 -> 04:13.720] to be a principal dancer at the Royal Ballet
[04:13.720 -> 04:16.520] or have a successful career in ballet
[04:16.520 -> 04:18.520] when they come from a slum in Portugal
[04:18.520 -> 04:20.160] and they lost their father at a young age
[04:20.160 -> 04:22.120] and they lived in care.
[04:22.120 -> 04:23.840] He spoke to us about being gay
[04:23.840 -> 04:25.920] and that typically that's not what
[04:25.920 -> 04:33.040] you'd expect from the very male role in a ballet. He's such a brave guy and I think it's important
[04:33.040 -> 04:37.280] that we can only be ourselves. Who else can we be if not ourselves? Exactly, if you think of the
[04:37.280 -> 04:46.720] quality that most people demand of our political leaders or people that we admire, it's that arweinyddiaeth neu bobl rydyn ni'n ymdrechu, mae'r awthentigrwydd, y cyfroedd a'r
[04:46.720 -> 04:53.760] ymdrech o ddewis rydyn ni. Rwy'n aml yn ysgrifennu yn Jay, yw, yw yw chi'n ymwneud â'r test Gandhi?
[04:53.760 -> 04:58.320] Roedd Mahatma Gandhi yma a dweud y bydd y harmonia cyflog yn dod pan fydd ein gwerthoedd, ein meddwl
[04:58.320 -> 05:02.800] a'n weithgareddau yn unig. Ac rwy'n credu pan fyddwn ni'n awthentig ac yn ddiogel gyda'n
[05:02.800 -> 05:05.280] unig, mae hynny'n gallu i ni ddweud,
[05:05.280 -> 05:11.440] i feddwl a chyflawni mewn mannau cyflawni, bod pobl yn gwybod beth maen nhw'n cael pan ydyn nhw'n ymddangos gyda'n ni.
[05:11.440 -> 05:17.360] Ac mae ddau pethau sy'n mynd i'n ffyrdd i mi. Yr un gyntaf yw nad oes wedi bod yn fwy anodd i chi.
[05:17.360 -> 05:22.720] Byddwn i'n siarad am hynny yn ystod. Ond yr un arall yw bod hynny'n golygu nad oes wedi bod yn bwysig iawn
[05:22.720 -> 05:26.120] i chi, oherwydd mae yna ddifrif o ddiogel, rwy'n credu, yn y byd ddiogel. Felly, is that that means it's never been more important to be yourself because there's such a lack of authenticity,
[05:26.120 -> 05:27.160] I think, in the modern world.
[05:27.160 -> 05:29.520] So in terms of the first one,
[05:29.520 -> 05:31.840] whether it's me or you or anyone else
[05:31.840 -> 05:33.460] that puts themself out there,
[05:33.460 -> 05:36.280] social media is gonna let you know what they think of it
[05:36.280 -> 05:37.640] for good or for bad.
[05:37.640 -> 05:39.520] And I know that part of your way of dealing with it
[05:39.520 -> 05:41.400] is just not to engage pretty much,
[05:41.400 -> 05:43.260] whereas I'm quite different.
[05:43.260 -> 05:44.840] I want to know what people are saying.
[05:44.840 -> 05:46.920] I want to know what is going on.
[05:47.840 -> 05:51.440] But I've done it to a point where sometimes I'm on the TV
[05:51.440 -> 05:53.760] and I'm hosting a football match and I'm actually thinking,
[05:53.760 -> 05:56.040] oh, what are people gonna think of that question
[05:56.040 -> 05:57.220] that I've just asked?
[05:57.220 -> 05:59.840] Like, that is not a healthy place to get to.
[05:59.840 -> 06:02.180] And then it starts to impact your behaviour.
[06:02.180 -> 06:04.440] Now, if we're all doing that,
[06:04.440 -> 06:05.520] and if it's never been harder to
[06:05.520 -> 06:10.000] be ourselves because we're all being judged, we all basically stop being ourselves. That's why we
[06:10.000 -> 06:14.720] all put the same filters on our Instagram photos and we all do the same poses and we all share
[06:14.720 -> 06:18.400] the same images of us on holiday or hanging out with our dog or eating a nice meal.
[06:19.040 -> 06:25.240] There's no truth anymore you know. If I go for a nice meal with my family and it all goes, it's all a
[06:25.240 -> 06:29.520] mess and the kids misbehave and I fall off my chair and the food's cold and whatever,
[06:29.520 -> 06:32.600] I can still put up a great photo at the end of the meal with a big smile on my face and
[06:32.600 -> 06:36.240] everyone looks at it and thinks, Coy, he lives the perfect life. Look at that, another lovely
[06:36.240 -> 06:38.840] meal for him. We need to stop pretending.
[06:38.840 -> 06:44.560] Yeah, very much. I think, but I think validation for us has to come from the people that really
[06:44.560 -> 06:45.760] count and we need to be really clear as to whose opinion when they offer it, are you ond rwy'n credu bod angen i ni ddod o'r bobl sy'n wir yn cyflawni, rwy'n credu y mae angen iddo fod yn
[06:45.760 -> 06:50.160] glir iawn o ran pa ffynonell sydd yn ei ofyn, y byddwch chi'n mynd i'w seilio ac yn gadael
[06:50.160 -> 06:53.840] ati, felly os yw rhywun yn dweud i chi eich bod chi'n dda, ond nid ydyn nhw'n gwybod
[06:53.840 -> 06:58.080] llawer amdanoch chi, dyna ddim yn eich helpu o ran, mae'n rhoi sylw yn ymdrechion ffynonell
[06:58.080 -> 07:02.080] o'ch werth, mae rhywun yn eich cyfrifol amdanoch chi a ddim yn gwybod amdanoch chi, yn yr un ffordd,
[07:02.080 -> 07:08.960] nid yw eu ffynonellu'n bwysig o'r hynny oherwydd nad ydyn nhw'n deall ymryd, a ddim yn gwybod eich bod chi. Yn yr un ffordd, nid yw eu mynediaeth yn bwysig ond yn ogystal â'u gweithgareddau neu'r ymdrechion. Felly rwy'n credu bod ffordd pwysig
[07:08.960 -> 07:14.080] o fod yn ddiogelwch yw ymgyrchu pobl sy'n rhannu eich mhriadau, rhannu eich byd, rhannu eich
[07:14.080 -> 07:25.560] ambysiyniadau, ac maen nhw'n cymryd eich byd o lawer i roi cymorth honno a'r ddewis ar gyfer dda a'r ddewis. Dwi ddim eisiau ddod o'r ffordd i ddod o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r ffordd o'r f I don't want to betray any confidences here, Damien, but you are in your 40s and so am I.
[07:26.480 -> 07:27.920] I know you sound like you're 25.
[07:27.920 -> 07:28.760] I know.
[07:31.040 -> 07:33.520] I kind of, I look at Marcelino and I think
[07:33.520 -> 07:37.080] you're in your early 20s and you know yourself
[07:37.080 -> 07:40.040] and you are proud enough of yourself
[07:40.040 -> 07:41.680] to have complete authenticity.
[07:41.680 -> 07:44.320] I'm 42 and I feel I've only just about got there.
[07:44.320 -> 07:45.920] You know, I really know myself now,
[07:45.920 -> 07:48.040] but I definitely didn't when I was his age.
[07:48.040 -> 07:50.720] And that is something to be applauded.
[07:50.720 -> 07:53.160] And the earlier we can find out who we are,
[07:53.160 -> 07:54.560] I think the better it is for us.
[07:54.560 -> 07:55.680] Yeah, very much.
[07:55.680 -> 07:58.240] I love your story, Jake, around where,
[07:58.240 -> 08:00.760] when you, to go back to when you were presenting once
[08:00.760 -> 08:03.200] and you'd asked the question
[08:03.200 -> 08:10.000] and you were getting a lot of flack on social media and you got that lovely text message a chafodd eich gofyn y cwestiwn a'ch bod chi'n cael llawer o fflac ar y cymdeithasol a chafodd eich gosod y gwyliad o'r rhain sy'n dod allan o'r holl y brifysgol,
[08:10.000 -> 08:16.000] dim ond oherwydd oedd e'n bwysig, oedd e'n rhywun sy'n wirioneddol yn gynhyrchu yr hyn rydych chi'n ceisio ei wneud a'i deall.
[08:16.000 -> 08:25.500] Mae'n wir, rydw i'n dweud i bobl y nofio, os ydynt yn meddwl, oedd Sue Barker, sydd yn ddifrifol yn fy mhobl, who obviously was a legendary sports presenter in my time, when I first started out at the BBC.
[08:25.500 -> 08:28.200] And I think that's been a big learning curve for me.
[08:28.200 -> 08:31.200] And I think it's important we say to people that are listening
[08:31.200 -> 08:32.900] to these, because we're having these great conversations
[08:32.900 -> 08:35.500] with these great leaders and these high performers.
[08:35.500 -> 08:36.800] They are all learning.
[08:36.800 -> 08:38.800] And also you and I are still learning.
[08:38.800 -> 08:41.200] So I don't want people to listen to the high-performance
[08:41.200 -> 08:44.000] podcast and think all the people on that have got it made
[08:44.000 -> 08:48.240] and I haven't. Like we are all a work in progress here.
[08:48.240 -> 08:50.300] I'll tell you, Jake, my wife actually quotes back
[08:50.300 -> 08:54.120] some of the stuff I say on this when I'm falling short of it
[08:54.120 -> 08:57.920] which I find incredibly frustrated and humbling.
[08:57.920 -> 08:59.400] Love it.
[08:59.400 -> 09:00.420] I enjoyed that as always.
[09:00.420 -> 09:03.160] Damon, it's lovely to sit and chat and so great as well
[09:03.160 -> 09:10.560] to hear the guests that have joined us over the past 12 or so months. Thanks, man, on the High Performance Podcast and Marcelino Sambe.
[09:11.520 -> 09:15.760] I think it's interesting because if you don't know the name, I think sometimes less people
[09:15.760 -> 09:21.600] will listen to an episode, but I would encourage you to trust us. You might know the Robin Van
[09:21.600 -> 09:25.440] Persies and the Stephen Gerrards and the Sir Clive Woodwards
[09:30.160 -> 09:35.120] but trust us when we bring a name to the table that you don't necessarily know and Marcelino is absolutely one of those. I promise you every single person listening to this right now can
[09:35.120 -> 09:39.840] learn something from Marcelino so please feel free to go and find his full episode on the High
[09:39.840 -> 09:44.400] Performance Podcast. Also feel free to go and find us on YouTube as well just type in High
[09:44.400 -> 09:48.800] Performance Podcast onto YouTube, you can can subscribe hit the notification bell and
[09:48.800 -> 09:52.960] keep up to date with the very latest from the podcast thanks to Damian thanks
[09:52.960 -> 09:56.360] to Will thanks to Hannah and everyone involved in the pod but most of all
[09:56.360 -> 10:01.800] thanks to you for allowing us to discuss a high performance lifestyle with you
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