E75 - Olympics Special #3: Adam Peaty

Podcast: The High Performance

Published Date:

Wed, 28 Jul 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Duration:

1:09:30

Explicit:

False

Guests:

MP3 Audio:

Please note that the summary is generated based on the transcript and may not capture all the nuances or details discussed in the podcast episode.

Notes

Adam Peaty is the first British swimmer to retain their Olympic title after winning Team GB's first gold medal of Tokyo 2020 with victory in the men's 100m breaststroke.


Adam now has the 16 quickest times in history over the 100m breaststroke and is the only swimmer ever to dip under 57 seconds with his 2019 world record. 


With eight world titles, 16 European titles, Adam is one of GB’s greatest Olympian’s of all time. 


*****

Thank you to Lotus Cars for being our very special parter for this Olympics series. Lotus has created the new cutting edge Olympic bike to be raced by Team GB at the Tokyo Olympics – 25 years after the Lotus 108 helped Chris Boardman win a gold medal. It is an incredible design you really have to see for yourself! Check it out at lotuscars.com 


Get you hands on signed copies of our new book, High Performance: Lessons from the best on becoming your best, right here: https://bit.ly/3xQwAsL The brand new cover of the book is here too! We love it. 


We have a brand new newsletter out for our members club THE HIGH PERFORMANCE CIRCLE! This month we have exclusive content including: 

Winning when it’s impossible - Cath Bishop

Mindset in Conflict zones - Hamish de Breton-Gordon

Self-belief is Like a Muscle - Ben Saunders

Go to www.thehighperformancepodcast.com to sign up for FREE!



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Summary

# Adam Peaty: The Art of High Performance and Mindset Mastery in Swimming

## Introduction:

- Adam Peaty, Britain's most dominant swimmer, shares his insights on high performance and mindset mastery.
- He emphasizes the importance of being in a flow state, treating competitions as normal events, and finding techniques to achieve this state.

## Achieving a Flow State:

- Peaty describes the flow state as a moment of peak performance where everything comes naturally.
- He highlights the significance of muscle memory and trusting the training process to achieve this state.
- Visualization and music play a crucial role in helping him enter the flow state.

## Dealing with Pressure and Anxiety:

- Peaty acknowledges the pressure and anxiety that come with competing at the highest level.
- He shares a technique involving headphones and audio from past races to simulate the competition environment and reduce anxiety.
- The focus is on technique and the race itself, rather than external factors.

## Maintaining Longevity in High-Performance Sports:

- Peaty emphasizes the need to come out of the flow state to maintain longevity as an athlete.
- He explains that staying in this state can lead to a breakdown in communication and trust within the team.
- Finding balance and engaging in activities outside of swimming helps him transition out of the flow state.

## Dealing with the Post-Olympic Lull:

- Peaty discusses the post-Olympic lull, where athletes experience a sense of emptiness after achieving their goal.
- He suggests redirecting focus to other aspects of life, such as moving, commercial ventures, and spending time with family and friends.
- Acknowledging and understanding the feelings associated with the lull is essential for recovery.

## Preparing for the Olympics:

- Peaty avoids counting down the days to the Olympics to prevent anxiety and focuses on making each day count.
- He emphasizes the importance of living in the present and accepting that external factors are beyond his control.
- This mindset allows him to concentrate on his performance and trust his training.

## Advice for Managing Anxiety:

- Peaty shares advice from an ex-SAS soldier, suggesting that if a problem cannot be solved, it should be accepted and moved on from.
- He stresses the need for honesty with oneself and avoiding hiding feelings that may cause anxiety.
- Confidence in one's abilities and past achievements can help mitigate anxiety.

## Overcoming Social Media Comparisons:

- Peaty acknowledges the negative impact of social media comparisons and the need to focus on personal goals and achievements.
- He emphasizes the importance of being free and authentic, rather than constantly comparing oneself to others.
- Embracing individuality and focusing on personal growth are key to overcoming the influence of social media.

## Conclusion:

- Adam Peaty's insights provide valuable lessons on achieving high performance, managing anxiety, and maintaining a balanced mindset in competitive sports.
- His emphasis on living in the present, trusting the training process, and finding techniques to enter the flow state are essential for athletes seeking peak performance.

# Podcast Episode Summary:

## Adam Peaty: The Art of Swimming, Mindset, and Achieving Greatness

1. **Introduction:**
- Adam Peaty is a British swimmer, the first to retain his Olympic title after winning Team GB's first gold medal of Tokyo 2020 with victory in the men's 100m breaststroke.
- He holds the 16 quickest times in history over the 100m breaststroke and is the only swimmer ever to dip under 57 seconds with his 2019 world record.
- Peaty has won eight world titles, 16 European titles, and is one of GB's greatest Olympians of all time.

2. **Social Media and Comparison:**
- Peaty acknowledges the negative impact of social media on athletes and the younger generation.
- He emphasizes the importance of gratitude and humility in combating jealousy and comparison with others.
- Peaty limits his social media usage to 15 minutes a day to avoid陷入负面思维的漩涡。
- He highlights the need for athletes to be confident in themselves and their abilities, rather than comparing themselves to others.

3. **The Catalyst for Success:**
- Peaty credits a fellow swimmer, Craig Benson, as the catalyst for his drive and motivation to succeed.
- He describes how Benson's speed and talent inspired him to work harder and improve his own performance.
- Peaty's relentless pursuit of improvement led him to break world records and achieve Olympic gold.

4. **Finding the Right Motivation:**
- Peaty's motivation has evolved over time, from a desire to be the best to a focus on creating history and achieving personal goals.
- He emphasizes the importance of setting clear and achievable goals, rather than being motivated solely by external factors.
- Peaty recognizes the need to balance hard work and recovery to maintain peak performance.

5. **Communication and Trust:**
- Peaty acknowledges the challenges of communicating effectively with his coach, Mel Marshall, due to the complexities of the sport and the athlete's mental state.
- He emphasizes the importance of open and honest communication to ensure the best possible performance.
- Peaty respects Marshall's expertise and trusts her judgment, even when it involves making difficult decisions.

6. **Balance and Flow State:**
- Peaty stresses the importance of achieving balance between intense training and relaxation.
- He describes his ability to switch off from swimming and engage in other activities to maintain a healthy mental state.
- Peaty emphasizes the importance of finding the "flow state" during competition, where he feels completely in control and focused.

7. **Becoming a Parent and Its Impact:**
- Peaty discusses how becoming a father has changed his perspective on life and his approach to swimming.
- He recognizes the sacrifices made by his partner and family to support his athletic career.
- Peaty emphasizes the importance of taking responsibility for his actions and being a positive role model for his son.

8. **Lessons for the Younger Generation:**
- Peaty advises younger athletes to focus on their own lane and avoid getting caught up in the rat race.
- He encourages them to take responsibility for their actions and to strive for continuous improvement.
- Peaty believes that small, consistent efforts can lead to significant achievements over time.

9. **Responsibility and Accountability:**
- Peaty emphasizes the importance of taking responsibility for one's actions and performance.
- He believes that accountability is crucial for growth and improvement.
- Peaty recognizes the influence he has on others and strives to be a positive role model.

10. **Overcoming Self-Doubt and Taking Risks:**
- Peaty encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to overcome self-doubt and take calculated risks.
- He believes that it is better to try and fail than to never try at all.
- Peaty emphasizes the importance of breaking down large goals into smaller, more manageable steps.

11. **Conclusion:**
- Adam Peaty's journey as an Olympic champion is a testament to his hard work, dedication, and unwavering belief in his abilities.
- He serves as an inspiration to athletes and aspiring entrepreneurs alike, demonstrating the power of perseverance, resilience, and the pursuit of excellence.

# Podcast Episode Summary: Adam Peaty, British Swimmer and Olympic Gold Medalist

**Introduction**

* Adam Peaty is a British swimmer and the first British swimmer to retain their Olympic title.
* He has won eight world titles, 16 European titles, and holds the world record in the men's 100m breaststroke.

**Interview Highlights**

* **On failure:** Peaty believes failure is healthy and necessary for growth. He says, "I think it's very healthy to fail. I don't think anyone who is successful hasn't failed, because you understand and it resets the boundaries of risk as well."
* **On resilience:** Peaty credits his resilience to his parents and his upbringing in a working-class family. He says, "I think coming up through that and being the youngest child, you've got to be resilient, especially when you've got two older brothers and a sister."
* **On the importance of equality in sport:** Peaty is passionate about equality in sport, particularly in swimming, which he says is predominantly white. He says, "If we can access those communities, I think it's not necessarily about being the best swimmer or involving people in sport, but it's also about being safe in the water and how many people can, you know, swim in the country."
* **On doping:** Peaty is outspoken against doping in sports. He says, "I think doping is, it's not as just simple as someone wants to be faster. I think sometimes there is a lot of backstory to it and why people do it."
* **On the role of a coach:** Peaty believes a great coach is charismatic, adaptable, and honest. He says, "I think a great coach is someone who continually learns, continually tries new things and can have fun with it."
* **On the key to living a high-performance life:** Peaty says the key to living a high-performance life is to "keep it simple." He says, "The greatest coaches always understand that they'll keep it simple and that's what Mel does brilliantly."

**Conclusion**

Adam Peaty is an inspiring athlete and role model. He is a champion in the pool and an advocate for equality and fair play in sports.

**High-Performance Lessons from Adam Peaty: Mindset, Self-Belief, and Olympic Success**

In this captivating podcast episode, Adam Peaty, the British Olympic swimmer who holds the world record in the 100-meter breaststroke, shares his insights on high performance, mindset, and the journey to Olympic success. The conversation delves into the mental and physical aspects of achieving peak performance, offering valuable lessons for athletes, coaches, and anyone seeking to excel in their endeavors.

**Key Themes and Insights:**

1. **Mindset and Self-Belief:** Adam emphasizes the significance of a strong mindset and unwavering self-belief in achieving success. He believes in visualizing success, setting ambitious goals, and maintaining a positive outlook even in the face of challenges.

2. **Consistency and Commitment:** Adam highlights the importance of consistent hard work and unwavering commitment to training and preparation. He emphasizes the value of discipline, attention to detail, and the willingness to push boundaries in pursuit of excellence.

3. **Embracing Failure and Learning:** Adam acknowledges the role of failure and setbacks in the path to success. He encourages individuals to embrace failures as learning opportunities, to analyze mistakes, and to use them as fuel for growth and improvement.

4. **Importance of Support System:** Adam recognizes the crucial role of a supportive team, including coaches, family, and friends, in fostering a conducive environment for high performance. He emphasizes the value of surrounding oneself with positive and like-minded individuals who believe in one's potential.

5. **Balancing Physical and Mental Health:** Adam stresses the importance of maintaining a balance between physical training and mental well-being. He advocates for prioritizing sleep, nutrition, and mental health practices such as mindfulness and meditation to optimize performance and overall well-being.

6. **Adaptability and Flexibility:** Adam acknowledges the ever-changing nature of competition and the need for adaptability and flexibility in training and preparation. He emphasizes the importance of being open to new ideas, adjusting strategies, and embracing challenges as opportunities for growth.

7. **Legacy and Impact:** Adam reflects on the legacy he wants to leave behind, not only in terms of his swimming achievements but also in inspiring others to pursue their passions and achieve their full potential. He believes in using his platform to make a positive impact on society and to promote the values of hard work, dedication, and perseverance.

The podcast concludes with a call to action for listeners to share their biggest takeaways from the episode on social media, emphasizing the value of sharing insights and experiences to collectively learn and grow.

Raw Transcript with Timestamps

[00:00.000 -> 00:05.200] Hi there, welcome along to the latest episode of the High Performance Podcast.
[00:05.200 -> 00:11.480] I just want to start by saying congratulations Tom Daley who has been a guest on the podcast.
[00:11.480 -> 00:15.600] You can find his episode, his brilliant episode in series one.
[00:15.600 -> 00:17.640] Oh, Olympic champion.
[00:17.640 -> 00:19.920] I watched that happen live with my wife.
[00:19.920 -> 00:23.200] We were up early in the morning and what I loved it.
[00:23.200 -> 00:29.160] There was a few things that really stood out to me from Tom winning gold. The first one was his coach Jane Figueredo
[00:29.720 -> 00:35.080] Giving him advice words of wisdom tips and basically coaching him
[00:36.000 -> 00:41.200] Before his penultimate dive and I just love the fact that they're at the absolute pinnacle of the diving world
[00:41.200 -> 00:47.720] They're diving in the Olympic final. They've only got a couple of dives left, yet still she's finding the time to stitch the
[00:47.720 -> 00:49.660] information into him, which was brilliant.
[00:49.660 -> 00:54.400] And then the other thing that stood out for me was when we spoke about it on the podcast
[00:54.400 -> 00:58.880] episode with Tom, the presence of mind when he's standing on the board in an Olympic final
[00:58.880 -> 01:04.320] to deliver under the conditions like that, the incredible pressure and massive congratulations
[01:04.320 -> 01:06.040] as well to the Chinese pair.
[01:06.040 -> 01:07.480] Obviously they dived last
[01:07.480 -> 01:09.140] and can you imagine what that's like
[01:09.140 -> 01:12.440] knowing that it's a big chance to win gold
[01:12.440 -> 01:13.920] and they did a brilliant dive as well.
[01:13.920 -> 01:14.880] It wasn't quite enough,
[01:14.880 -> 01:16.880] but to know the journey Tom's been on
[01:16.880 -> 01:19.320] and we discussed the journey in great detail
[01:19.320 -> 01:22.860] on his podcast episode and then to see him win gold.
[01:22.860 -> 01:24.500] I'm happy to sit here and tell you
[01:24.500 -> 01:25.600] that my wife and I both
[01:25.600 -> 01:30.880] had tears in our eyes. In fact we had tears streaming down our cheeks but there you go. So Tom
[01:30.880 -> 01:35.200] thank you for being on the podcast and huge congratulations to you. I also want to say big
[01:35.200 -> 01:39.360] thanks as well because the reaction to the interview that we put out in the previous
[01:39.360 -> 01:43.680] episode with Mel Marshall, the swimming coach, was incredible. Here's a really quick message
[01:43.680 -> 01:46.240] from Mark and he says, hi Jake and Damian.
[01:46.240 -> 01:48.640] Along with my family, I've listened to every episode
[01:48.640 -> 01:49.480] of your podcast.
[01:49.480 -> 01:52.160] I keep thinking if I was to be stranded on a desert island,
[01:52.160 -> 01:54.520] who would I want to spend 30 days with?
[01:54.520 -> 01:57.000] And where could I go and listen to the wisdom of my guests
[01:57.000 -> 01:58.900] and learn and implement that wisdom
[01:58.900 -> 02:00.920] so when I return to civilization,
[02:00.920 -> 02:02.920] I would hope to be a better person.
[02:02.920 -> 02:04.520] Today, I listened to Mel Marshall.
[02:04.520 -> 02:08.000] Wow, what an amazing individual individual full of wisdom energy and positivity
[02:08.000 -> 02:12.800] I talked about the beach ball effect and Mel has the ability to holistically look at all options
[02:13.240 -> 02:17.180] To get the best out of her conversations truly an amazing
[02:17.760 -> 02:20.680] Inspirational leader. Thank you. Thank you. And again, thank you
[02:21.200 -> 02:25.080] And when I was watching Jane coach Tom in between the dives
[02:25.080 -> 02:27.920] and when I saw that Adam Peaty had won gold
[02:27.920 -> 02:29.640] and of course Mel Marshall coaches him,
[02:29.640 -> 02:31.440] it just reminded me when we spoke with Mel
[02:31.440 -> 02:35.040] about 10% of elite coaches are female.
[02:35.040 -> 02:36.360] That needs to change.
[02:36.360 -> 02:39.360] So in the last episode of the High Performance Podcast,
[02:39.360 -> 02:41.760] we spoke to the swimming coach, Mel Marshall.
[02:41.760 -> 02:43.080] We've done the coach.
[02:43.080 -> 02:44.640] I think it's time to do the athlete
[02:44.640 -> 02:46.480] because in this episode, we've done the coach. I think it's time to do the athlete because in this episode,
[02:46.480 -> 02:49.240] we have another incredible conversation.
[02:49.240 -> 02:52.960] This time with Adam Peaty.
[02:52.960 -> 02:54.360] Here's what you can expect.
[02:56.560 -> 02:59.760] If someone swims extremely fast before the Olympics,
[02:59.760 -> 03:01.760] that would create anxiety for everyone
[03:01.760 -> 03:02.600] because it'd be like,
[03:02.600 -> 03:04.320] oh, what are they gonna do at Olympics?
[03:04.320 -> 03:05.880] What's gonna happen there? But for me, it would be like, oh, what are they gonna do at Olympics? What's gonna happen there?
[03:05.880 -> 03:08.800] But for me, it would be like, oh, doesn't mean anything.
[03:08.800 -> 03:10.720] It's what happens on the day.
[03:10.720 -> 03:14.800] And I know on the day I'm the best performer in the world.
[03:14.800 -> 03:16.240] I would rather sit on that chair,
[03:16.240 -> 03:20.580] knowing that I tried to do something than nothing at all.
[03:20.580 -> 03:22.840] I think if you sit on that chair
[03:22.840 -> 03:26.080] and try to visualize yourself in the future and
[03:26.080 -> 03:30.680] you knew that you could have done more, I think that you'll take that to the grave.
[03:30.680 -> 03:35.760] I think Olympics is one of the why it's so powerful for me because it makes everyone
[03:35.760 -> 03:42.820] back home proud to be British and also hopefully gives them a better day.
[03:42.820 -> 03:45.520] Before we go any further and before we get into this episode with Adam,
[03:45.520 -> 03:48.500] as you know by now, Lotus are not just the founding partners
[03:48.500 -> 03:50.240] of the High Performance Podcast,
[03:50.240 -> 03:53.320] but they gladly and willingly put their hands
[03:53.320 -> 03:56.440] in their pockets to help fund this Olympic series,
[03:56.440 -> 03:57.920] these Olympic specials.
[03:57.920 -> 03:59.880] The conversations have been really interesting so far.
[03:59.880 -> 04:01.720] We've got loads more still to come.
[04:01.720 -> 04:03.560] And I just love the fact that Lotus are thinking
[04:03.560 -> 04:04.720] outside the box at the moment,
[04:04.720 -> 04:06.520] and they're doing it across the board. I
[04:06.520 -> 04:09.480] spoke in the last episode about how they're supporting a charity I'm a
[04:09.480 -> 04:13.760] trustee of which is the Community Sport Foundation. I was at Goodwood recently
[04:13.760 -> 04:16.920] when they launched the Lotus Amira and one of the brilliant things about that
[04:16.920 -> 04:19.560] day I said to them you know how are the how are the orders looking are people
[04:19.560 -> 04:23.600] ordering this beautiful new car and on the first couple of days at the Goodwood
[04:23.600 -> 04:28.360] Festival of Speed they basically had pre-orders that kind of wiped out the whole of next
[04:28.360 -> 04:32.240] year for them so it's just brilliant news for Lotus man people want the new
[04:32.240 -> 04:37.080] Amira people want to support and be part of the Lotus story and if you'd like to
[04:37.080 -> 04:41.120] do the same all you have to do is find at Lotus cars across social media or
[04:41.120 -> 04:44.240] head to Lotus cars.com but please always remember when you're listening to this
[04:44.240 -> 04:45.660] conversation without Lotus it wouldn't be happening. So in a moment we're going across social media or head to Lotuscars.com, but please always remember, when you're listening to this conversation,
[04:45.660 -> 04:47.700] without Lotus, it wouldn't be happening.
[04:47.700 -> 04:50.980] So in a moment, we're gonna hear from Adam Peaty.
[04:50.980 -> 04:53.180] I just wanna talk very briefly about another athlete,
[04:53.180 -> 04:55.560] though, at the Olympics, Jade Jones.
[04:56.500 -> 04:59.460] Jade came into this as the defending Olympic champion
[04:59.460 -> 05:02.380] in the taekwondo, and I just wanna call out the fact
[05:02.380 -> 05:03.900] that when she lost in the first round,
[05:03.900 -> 05:09.440] which was a massive shock, she did an interview afterwards with the BBC where she talked about being scared
[05:09.440 -> 05:13.300] And I think it's really important that top athletes are happy to say
[05:13.300 -> 05:17.440] You know what fear was the problem today, and she explained that she's always scared
[05:17.440 -> 05:23.140] But normally her family there to be alongside her and they weren't and I think it's important when people call it out
[05:23.140 -> 05:25.420] And it reminded me of a guy called Shane Parrish
[05:25.620 -> 05:32.200] You can find him on Instagram. He's always full of wisdom and I remember an update. He put up a few years ago saying
[05:33.100 -> 05:38.500] Only when we accept fear will we have freedom and I think that's the point
[05:39.020 -> 05:41.020] Is that you know Jade?
[05:41.160 -> 05:44.220] Probably will admit that she allowed the fear to overtake her
[05:44.740 -> 05:45.080] she allowed herself to to overtake her.
[05:45.080 -> 05:46.600] She allowed herself to be scared
[05:46.600 -> 05:49.800] at the very moment where she needed absolute freedom.
[05:49.800 -> 05:54.800] And only when we accept fear will we have freedom.
[05:55.960 -> 05:57.320] Work on it yourself.
[05:57.320 -> 05:59.280] As I've said before, my wife suffers with anxiety
[05:59.280 -> 06:01.680] and I often say to her, fear,
[06:01.680 -> 06:10.160] false evidence appearing real, F-E-A-R, fear. And Harriet will often think about something
[06:10.880 -> 06:15.600] that's ahead, write a story in her head which is a negative story and then worry about that
[06:15.600 -> 06:23.200] story coming true and the key is to rewrite the story. Fear, false evidence appearing real.
[06:23.200 -> 06:25.880] Anyway, let's get on with it. So Adam Peaty I
[06:25.880 -> 06:29.400] love this conversation just to sort of paint a picture for you. We did this one
[06:29.400 -> 06:32.920] over Zoom because Adam had to stay in isolation because he was about to appear
[06:32.920 -> 06:37.360] in competition and he was just there he was chilled out in his front room at
[06:37.360 -> 06:42.160] home he had some builders walking around outside he had his young child upstairs
[06:42.160 -> 06:46.800] with his other half it was a lovely, relaxed and honest conversation.
[06:46.800 -> 06:48.760] Obviously, we recorded this before he flew out
[06:48.760 -> 06:51.400] to the Olympics, and since he's gone out there,
[06:51.400 -> 06:53.800] he has become the first British swimmer
[06:53.800 -> 06:56.140] to defend his Olympic crown.
[06:57.260 -> 06:58.980] I've seen lots of interviews with Adam
[06:58.980 -> 07:01.000] since he won his gold medal.
[07:01.000 -> 07:03.200] I've seen lots of comments, but you know what?
[07:03.200 -> 07:06.880] What you're about to hear for the next hour I honestly believe is the power of the
[07:06.880 -> 07:11.960] podcast because nowhere on any Olympic channel, no TV channel, no radio station,
[07:11.960 -> 07:15.180] no one is able to get this deep with Adam because no one has an hour to sit
[07:15.180 -> 07:19.560] and talk to him and this is where these long-form deep involved conversations
[07:19.560 -> 07:23.000] are going to change your mindset, are going to change your life, are going to give you
[07:23.000 -> 07:27.000] something to equip you for the rest of your life.
[07:27.000 -> 07:31.940] So here we go, a really interesting conversation with a man who's just confirmed himself as
[07:31.940 -> 07:35.520] the greatest swimmer Britain has ever produced.
[07:35.520 -> 07:41.240] And so much of it, so much of it is about mindset and a mindset that you can adopt.
[07:41.240 -> 07:45.880] So here we go then, the latest episode of the High Performance Podcast is
[07:45.880 -> 07:50.600] with double Olympic champion Adam Peaty.
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[09:57.920 -> 10:06.000] fees and restrictions apply see mint mobile for details.
[10:12.360 -> 10:12.720] Joining us today is someone who I think we can argue has been Britain's most dominant sports person over the past six years.
[10:15.440 -> 10:16.080] Male World Swimmer of the Year in 2015 and 2018.
[10:23.160 -> 10:23.200] Male European swimmer for the last six consecutive years from 2014 to 2019. He's an MBE,
[10:25.500 -> 10:29.280] he's the greatest sprint breaststroker in history, he smashes records, he collects medals for fun,
[10:29.280 -> 10:31.880] but most importantly of all, last September,
[10:31.880 -> 10:32.860] he became a dad.
[10:32.860 -> 10:35.300] So how do you live a high performance life
[10:35.300 -> 10:38.020] as a global athlete and also juggle being a parent
[10:38.020 -> 10:38.920] at the same time?
[10:38.920 -> 10:40.780] It's an absolute pleasure to welcome
[10:40.780 -> 10:43.640] to the High Performance Podcast, Adam Peaty.
[10:43.640 -> 10:45.320] Adam, thanks very much for joining us.
[10:45.320 -> 10:46.480] Hi, thanks for having me.
[10:46.480 -> 10:49.000] We always start with the same question.
[10:49.000 -> 10:52.440] In your mind, what is high performance?
[10:52.440 -> 10:54.160] I think high performance for me
[10:54.160 -> 10:57.440] is being in my kind of flow state,
[10:57.440 -> 10:58.960] letting the performance come to me
[10:58.960 -> 11:01.160] instead of going out to get a performance,
[11:01.160 -> 11:02.680] something that comes naturally.
[11:02.680 -> 11:06.040] I think obviously you've got a huge,
[11:06.040 -> 11:07.960] huge opportunity for preparation
[11:07.960 -> 11:12.240] and obviously the training, the nutrition, the psychology,
[11:12.240 -> 11:14.040] all of these thousands and thousands of variables
[11:14.040 -> 11:16.240] which make a high performance athlete.
[11:16.240 -> 11:19.440] But when it really comes down to the day, it's, for me,
[11:19.440 -> 11:21.720] it's almost like that moment was meant to be,
[11:21.720 -> 11:25.040] like it was fate, and the flow state is just full confidence
[11:25.040 -> 11:27.320] in what I'm doing and full confidence
[11:27.320 -> 11:28.600] knowing that you can't be beaten.
[11:28.600 -> 11:31.880] So I think there's not really a simple answer,
[11:31.880 -> 11:34.360] unfortunately, but I think it is just being
[11:34.360 -> 11:35.780] the athlete I was always meant to be.
[11:35.780 -> 11:36.680] That's really interesting.
[11:36.680 -> 11:39.000] And I love the fact you say treating it
[11:39.000 -> 11:41.280] like it's almost like something quite normal,
[11:41.280 -> 11:44.320] but of course, standing on a block in an Olympic games,
[11:44.320 -> 11:46.440] for example, with thousands of people cheering up against
[11:46.440 -> 11:50.520] the best in the world is a million miles away from being something that's normal.
[11:50.520 -> 11:55.840] So what tricks and tips and techniques do you run through personally to make it
[11:55.840 -> 11:57.680] feel normal when you're standing on the blocks?
[11:57.680 -> 12:00.560] Because that is the only moment that really matters for you, isn't it?
[12:00.760 -> 12:01.600] I mean, yeah.
[12:01.640 -> 12:05.720] I mean, when in 2014, I struggled with obviously the crowds,
[12:05.720 -> 12:08.760] the kind of, I found the arena quite intimidating.
[12:08.760 -> 12:11.440] So I knew that the training was taking care of itself.
[12:11.440 -> 12:12.720] I could work hard on anyone else.
[12:12.720 -> 12:15.560] I could outwork most people, if not anyone.
[12:15.560 -> 12:16.400] And I loved it.
[12:16.400 -> 12:20.120] I loved the kind of the pain and the gain, as you say.
[12:20.120 -> 12:22.360] But I knew my arena skills were down.
[12:22.360 -> 12:31.440] So I was like, okay, how do I improve my arena skills? And one tactic we used, especially in the 2016 Olympics was, we basically before a big stand up,
[12:31.440 -> 12:36.640] which is, you know, 100 meter breaststroke in training. So basically, like for like replication
[12:36.640 -> 12:42.560] of what we're doing in the race, we put headphones in before we did it. And I was visualizing the
[12:42.560 -> 12:48.640] race, I was visualizing what I was doing. But in headphones it was like I was in the call room so there was almost like a white noise beforehand and it'd be
[12:48.640 -> 12:54.640] like lane eight, my guy, lane one, other guy, lane two, other guy, lane four and then it comes down to
[12:54.640 -> 12:59.360] lane four, I had a PT, Great Britain and all this audio is real, it was taken from the 2015 World
[12:59.360 -> 13:05.880] Championships and that helped me massively because one of the biggest things was like, oh, what's the crowd going to be like?
[13:05.880 -> 13:08.520] What's going to happen into 2016 in Rio
[13:08.520 -> 13:10.520] when I'm lane four and I'm out in PT?
[13:10.520 -> 13:12.760] How do I expect, what am I going to feel
[13:12.760 -> 13:15.120] trying to predict these things that are going to happen?
[13:15.120 -> 13:17.240] And that was one thing which hugely,
[13:17.240 -> 13:20.280] had a huge impact on me because by the time I got there,
[13:20.280 -> 13:21.400] I didn't have to worry about that.
[13:21.400 -> 13:25.000] All I had to worry about was my technique and the race.
[13:25.000 -> 13:27.320] And really all of that was taking care of itself anyway,
[13:27.320 -> 13:29.400] because of muscle memory.
[13:29.400 -> 13:31.800] And, you know, as I said, I was in my flow state,
[13:31.800 -> 13:32.960] I was enjoying it.
[13:32.960 -> 13:35.880] I wasn't worried about what's the crowd gonna do
[13:35.880 -> 13:37.360] or how are they gonna respond.
[13:37.360 -> 13:39.560] I was fully able to concentrate
[13:39.560 -> 13:41.160] on what I was doing in the moment.
[13:41.160 -> 13:42.640] So could you describe then, Adam,
[13:42.640 -> 13:49.560] for us some of the techniques that you use to find that flow state? I think a lot of athletes use music. I think for
[13:49.560 -> 13:55.040] me music has been a huge huge influence on my career. You know I'd be lying if I
[13:55.040 -> 13:59.920] said I had no impact because I really think that for me I'm a sole athlete. I
[13:59.920 -> 14:04.680] need myself and I need my own headspace and I need I can't manipulate it when I
[14:04.680 -> 14:05.880] want it but it just happens to align at, and I need, I can't manipulate it when I want it,
[14:05.880 -> 14:08.920] but it just happens to align at the right moment.
[14:08.920 -> 14:10.520] So I can't just listen to a song and go,
[14:10.520 -> 14:11.840] right, let's see, I'm in my flow state,
[14:11.840 -> 14:13.600] I'm gonna take on the world.
[14:13.600 -> 14:14.920] It has to be a purpose,
[14:14.920 -> 14:17.800] and it has to be 100% genuine and authentic.
[14:17.800 -> 14:19.880] So I can't go out to a race and go,
[14:19.880 -> 14:20.920] I need to do this for this,
[14:20.920 -> 14:21.960] or I need to do that for that,
[14:21.960 -> 14:24.640] or et cetera, et cetera, external motivations,
[14:24.640 -> 14:26.780] extrinsic motivation, sorry.
[14:26.780 -> 14:28.460] But for me, it has to come from within.
[14:28.460 -> 14:32.060] So, is it that I could take a defeat?
[14:32.060 -> 14:33.020] Is that gonna motivate me?
[14:33.020 -> 14:34.580] Is that gonna put me in my flow state?
[14:34.580 -> 14:36.460] And that's what happened at European Championships
[14:36.460 -> 14:37.560] on the 15th year.
[14:37.560 -> 14:39.280] I knew the guys were close to me.
[14:39.280 -> 14:41.780] And on the semifinal, I knew that I had to be
[14:41.780 -> 14:44.900] something extraordinary into the next 24 hours.
[14:44.900 -> 14:48.960] And that the whole 24 hours, I was just in that state of my preparation was spot-on,
[14:48.960 -> 14:53.200] my food was spot-on, every single thought process around the 50 meters which is
[14:53.200 -> 14:58.440] only 26 seconds, 25 seconds was spot-on. So I arrived there and I was already in
[14:58.440 -> 15:03.200] that flow state but music can bring me up and bring me down like as everyone
[15:03.200 -> 15:05.240] knows, it's why sad songs exist.
[15:05.240 -> 15:07.120] People, you know, want to relax, I guess,
[15:07.120 -> 15:09.460] and just feel that different type of energy.
[15:09.460 -> 15:12.040] Also, you know, for me, heavy rock, for example,
[15:12.040 -> 15:14.060] or, you know, heavy grime or heavy hip hop,
[15:14.060 -> 15:15.720] especially going into the cool room,
[15:15.720 -> 15:18.700] it just gets me into that headspace that I need to be in.
[15:18.700 -> 15:21.520] But I think flow state in swimming is especially,
[15:21.520 -> 15:23.640] it's more about the communication with the water
[15:23.640 -> 15:25.960] and the understanding of where you're sending the water
[15:25.960 -> 15:28.040] than fighting the water.
[15:28.040 -> 15:31.360] My brushstroke or my technique might look very aggressive,
[15:31.360 -> 15:35.560] but when it's the fastest, it's the most calm and composed.
[15:35.560 -> 15:39.960] So it's a very complicated thing.
[15:39.960 -> 15:41.200] People just think I dive in,
[15:41.200 -> 15:43.840] but it takes years and years of visualization,
[15:43.840 -> 15:48.040] years and years of practice to even get half a second off your time.
[15:48.040 -> 15:51.320] So it's a ridiculous job at the end of the day, isn't it?
[15:51.320 -> 15:52.840] Hey, you do it all right, though.
[15:52.840 -> 15:54.160] You're pretty good at it.
[15:54.160 -> 15:57.120] So what about then things that take you out of your flow state?
[15:57.120 -> 16:00.880] Because I think that's also really interesting for people to hear you talk about, because
[16:00.880 -> 16:05.680] I think that we all make the mistake of looking at you with your amazing
[16:05.680 -> 16:11.520] body and your brilliant technique and your stunning success and we go the geezer's bulletproof but
[16:11.520 -> 16:16.000] that can't be the case. Oh no no everything that goes up must come down and that is true I think
[16:16.560 -> 16:21.840] good athletes can do it once, great athletes can do it multitude of times but the best athletes in
[16:21.840 -> 16:27.120] the world who are you know very few and far between can do it for a very, very long time.
[16:27.120 -> 16:28.320] You know, looking like Federer,
[16:28.320 -> 16:30.200] you know, people like that who stay at the top
[16:30.200 -> 16:32.600] of their game for so, so long.
[16:32.600 -> 16:35.880] So I believe that for longevity in an athlete,
[16:35.880 -> 16:37.800] again, you do need to come out of that flow state.
[16:37.800 -> 16:39.600] It's unhealthy to stay in that flow state
[16:39.600 -> 16:42.640] because for me, my communication breaks down,
[16:42.640 -> 16:45.580] my trust in the team breaks down, everything breaks down.
[16:45.580 -> 16:49.000] For example, in 2016 I was in that kind of flow state,
[16:49.000 -> 16:51.320] I was ready to attack as I call it
[16:51.320 -> 16:54.300] for that Olympic gold in 2016 for about four weeks.
[16:54.300 -> 16:56.720] I was on edge for four weeks pretty much.
[16:56.720 -> 16:59.960] But when I tried to communicate with my mom and dad
[16:59.960 -> 17:03.180] after that, I almost felt like they were almost aliens
[17:03.180 -> 17:05.760] because that was a different person.
[17:05.760 -> 17:07.820] So coming out of that flow state was,
[17:07.820 -> 17:09.420] it's hard because you come home
[17:09.420 -> 17:11.440] and everything's expected to be normal
[17:11.440 -> 17:13.400] when we know, obviously you've been to the Olympics,
[17:13.400 -> 17:16.400] which isn't normal for a human brain to understand,
[17:16.400 -> 17:18.180] I don't think, but you come home
[17:18.180 -> 17:20.540] and everyone expects you to live this life
[17:20.540 -> 17:22.460] that you've been living,
[17:22.460 -> 17:24.680] but that whole goal of why you've been living that life
[17:24.680 -> 17:25.600] has gone.
[17:25.600 -> 17:27.520] So what keeps my nutrition intact?
[17:27.520 -> 17:29.140] What keeps all this other stuff intact?
[17:29.140 -> 17:30.440] Why am I not going down to the pub?
[17:30.440 -> 17:32.060] Et cetera, et cetera, my social life.
[17:32.060 -> 17:34.520] Everything revolves around the Olympic gold
[17:34.520 -> 17:37.420] and the process to that and winning.
[17:37.420 -> 17:39.040] If you take yourself out of that, it's very hard.
[17:39.040 -> 17:42.160] It's very hard to be normal out of that flow state.
[17:42.160 -> 17:43.160] As soon as you come out of that,
[17:43.160 -> 17:46.040] it takes a few days to adjust back into that.
[17:46.040 -> 17:47.920] But I think coming back to the original question,
[17:47.920 -> 17:50.960] if you can almost manipulate a way back into that,
[17:50.960 -> 17:54.400] whether that's friends, family, music, gaming,
[17:54.400 -> 17:55.800] anything that relaxes you,
[17:55.800 -> 17:59.820] I think you can almost manipulate yourself back into that.
[17:59.820 -> 18:01.920] But it does take time, of course it does.
[18:01.920 -> 18:05.720] So can I ask you then, Adam, about that post-Olympic lull
[18:05.720 -> 18:07.720] that I've heard a lot of athletes describe
[18:07.720 -> 18:10.080] there's almost that sense of purpose
[18:10.080 -> 18:12.800] gets taken away from them and people can feel
[18:12.800 -> 18:16.080] almost like flat or that life isn't as colorful
[18:16.080 -> 18:19.640] as it was when you're preparing to go to a Games.
[18:19.640 -> 18:23.280] How did you deal with that post-2016?
[18:23.280 -> 18:25.900] I think I naturally had a come down
[18:25.900 -> 18:27.460] because it was obviously the greatest event on earth,
[18:27.460 -> 18:29.840] the greatest race on earth for myself,
[18:29.840 -> 18:31.740] and it felt like everything was achieved.
[18:31.740 -> 18:35.160] But I used that time to kind of keep my mind busy
[18:35.160 -> 18:37.160] with other things like moving out of my home
[18:37.160 -> 18:39.460] that I lived in all my life.
[18:39.460 -> 18:42.200] And obviously commercially I had other things going on.
[18:42.200 -> 18:45.600] So I tried to redirect the focus as much as I can,
[18:45.600 -> 18:48.520] but I wasn't as wise as I am now with my feelings.
[18:48.520 -> 18:49.920] If I felt down back then, I'd be like,
[18:49.920 -> 18:51.640] oh, I was just having a bad day.
[18:51.640 -> 18:53.880] But now if I'm like having a bad day consecutively,
[18:53.880 -> 18:55.520] I'm like, okay, this is what's up,
[18:55.520 -> 18:57.640] or this is out of placement, or that.
[18:57.640 -> 19:00.000] I can understand myself a little bit better.
[19:00.000 -> 19:03.640] But I think, honestly, like, I try not to overthink it.
[19:03.640 -> 19:06.160] I think anyone's gonna have a come down off that.
[19:06.160 -> 19:07.280] In terms of your body as well,
[19:07.280 -> 19:11.120] like the glycogen levels or the performance related stuff
[19:11.120 -> 19:12.600] to that, if you know, massage.
[19:12.600 -> 19:14.240] And the simplest way I can put it
[19:14.240 -> 19:16.280] is that you have a whole team around you
[19:16.280 -> 19:19.760] for years and years and years to get this one performance.
[19:19.760 -> 19:22.440] And then you go home and that team is still there,
[19:22.440 -> 19:24.720] but it's not there at the same time.
[19:24.720 -> 19:27.400] You can still call upon them, but everyone's gone.
[19:27.400 -> 19:28.600] Everyone's gone home.
[19:28.600 -> 19:29.480] It's all over.
[19:29.480 -> 19:30.960] This cycle starts again.
[19:30.960 -> 19:32.940] And that's a natural process of the Olympics.
[19:32.940 -> 19:36.080] Every four years, there's a massive call in the team.
[19:36.080 -> 19:38.400] There's a massive recruitment into the next athletes
[19:38.400 -> 19:39.740] or the next superstars.
[19:39.740 -> 19:42.040] So I think it's really hard one to answer
[19:42.040 -> 19:43.520] because it was five years ago now.
[19:43.520 -> 19:45.680] I can't really recall what that was like,
[19:45.680 -> 19:50.400] but my nearest experience to it would be 2019 after that.
[19:50.400 -> 19:53.120] There's almost a huge amount of relief
[19:53.120 -> 19:55.480] that everything has paid off.
[19:55.480 -> 19:58.320] Because at the end of the day, sometimes sport is a gamble.
[19:58.320 -> 19:59.800] You might be the best athlete in the world
[19:59.800 -> 20:01.640] and it might just pay off on that one day.
[20:01.640 -> 20:07.040] Because unfortunately, the Olympics isn't who is best 365 for four years
[20:07.040 -> 20:11.840] it's who's best on the day on that morning and hopefully you've trained hard enough and you've
[20:11.840 -> 20:16.480] pushed yourself hard enough that even on your worst day you could still win. And on the flip
[20:16.480 -> 20:23.360] side we're talking to you now late May you're gearing up to go into an Olympic Games. How,
[20:23.360 -> 20:25.760] like do you know how many days it is until you're in the pool?
[20:25.760 -> 20:30.400] Do you, are you counting them down? Are you kind of preparing yourself psychologically already?
[20:30.400 -> 20:33.760] Or is that something that happens maybe when you get on the plane to Tokyo? How does it work?
[20:33.760 -> 20:38.000] That's something that happens, yeah, about two weeks out, you're counting down the days.
[20:38.000 -> 20:43.200] I hate counting down days because it's like, it almost creates anxiety. Because if you're
[20:43.200 -> 20:45.420] counting yourself to something,
[20:45.420 -> 20:47.500] it's like, oh, I'm one day closer, I'm one day closer,
[20:47.500 -> 20:48.380] I need to do this right,
[20:48.380 -> 20:50.540] or as the time gets narrower and narrower,
[20:50.540 -> 20:52.380] you're like, oh, I can't make any mistakes,
[20:52.380 -> 20:53.880] it's too close.
[20:53.880 -> 20:54.720] So what I-
[20:54.720 -> 20:56.500] Can't you count it down though, in a positive?
[20:56.500 -> 20:58.020] Of course, yeah, and this,
[20:58.020 -> 20:59.740] what I'm about to say is that
[20:59.740 -> 21:02.020] I've started to live my life in the present now.
[21:02.020 -> 21:03.860] So instead of counting down the days,
[21:03.860 -> 21:07.080] I just, as cliche as it sounds, I make the days count.
[21:07.080 -> 21:08.600] So I don't go out there and go,
[21:08.600 -> 21:12.640] oh, I've got 79 days or 64 days left to perform.
[21:12.640 -> 21:15.720] I've got one opportunity today to get the best out of today.
[21:15.720 -> 21:16.600] And that's the balance.
[21:16.600 -> 21:19.960] And I know, I think it comes from a Buddhist way of thinking
[21:19.960 -> 21:21.440] that you don't get lost in the past.
[21:21.440 -> 21:23.400] There's no point trying to think of the past.
[21:23.400 -> 21:25.000] There's no point trying to think of the future. There's no point trying to think of the future.
[21:25.000 -> 21:26.720] Yes, you can prepare as well as you can
[21:26.720 -> 21:29.140] and do exactly what you do every single day,
[21:29.140 -> 21:31.960] but there's no more important moment and time
[21:31.960 -> 21:34.560] as of right now, and how you spend that
[21:34.560 -> 21:36.700] and how you spend your energy credits
[21:36.700 -> 21:38.880] will determine how you feel tomorrow anyway.
[21:38.880 -> 21:41.180] So, you know, there is a different way
[21:41.180 -> 21:43.600] of thinking around that, and I think living in the present
[21:43.600 -> 21:45.440] is a way more positive way to live
[21:45.440 -> 21:46.760] because you don't have an anxiety
[21:46.760 -> 21:49.360] of what could potentially happen or potentially not happen.
[21:49.360 -> 21:50.360] Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[21:50.360 -> 21:53.720] See, that's quite a profound realization
[21:53.720 -> 21:55.960] that it seems you've come to, Adam.
[21:55.960 -> 21:58.360] And what advice then would you give
[21:58.360 -> 22:01.280] to people listening to this that maybe do have anxiety
[22:01.280 -> 22:06.660] or having to deal with worries in their own lives then about how you came
[22:06.660 -> 22:10.260] to that realisation and any tips you'd share with them?
[22:10.260 -> 22:18.620] Well I learnt through an ex SAS soldier and he said that through his whole career in the
[22:18.620 -> 22:23.660] SAS, what helped him was that if they had a problem and they knew it was a problem,
[22:23.660 -> 22:25.260] but if they couldn't do anything about it,
[22:25.260 -> 22:27.100] stop worrying about it.
[22:27.100 -> 22:28.840] And if there's nothing you can do about it,
[22:28.840 -> 22:30.500] then why are we worrying anyway?
[22:30.500 -> 22:33.120] So accept it and push on.
[22:33.120 -> 22:34.440] I know it's very hard to,
[22:34.440 -> 22:36.240] it sounds a lot more simple than it is
[22:36.240 -> 22:38.320] because sometimes I've got a problem in my head
[22:38.320 -> 22:39.580] and I can't get around it,
[22:39.580 -> 22:43.040] but trying to put your brain into that mindset of the,
[22:43.040 -> 22:43.880] if you can't help it,
[22:43.880 -> 22:46.040] then why do we worry about this kind of thing?
[22:46.040 -> 22:50.720] And I think it's being completely honest with yourself and trying not to hide those feelings
[22:50.720 -> 22:52.600] that may create anxiety.
[22:52.600 -> 22:57.880] So for me, for example, if someone swims extremely fast before the Olympics, that would create
[22:57.880 -> 23:02.120] anxiety for everyone because it was like, oh, what are they going to do at the Olympics?
[23:02.120 -> 23:03.120] What's going to happen there?
[23:03.120 -> 23:06.240] But for me, it would be like, oh, it doesn't mean anything.
[23:06.460 -> 23:07.920] It's what happens on the day.
[23:08.400 -> 23:11.520] And I know on the day I'm the best performer in the world.
[23:11.760 -> 23:15.400] And I've got, you know, six or seven years of, you know, championships
[23:15.480 -> 23:17.120] and world records to prove that.
[23:17.200 -> 23:20.520] So it's not like I'm just going out there and chatting, you know,
[23:20.520 -> 23:21.960] that I haven't done any of this.
[23:21.960 -> 23:23.520] It's having that confidence.
[23:23.520 -> 23:26.680] But I think anxiety is, everyone has it.
[23:26.680 -> 23:28.540] I think it's, I mean, you'll know more
[23:28.540 -> 23:30.120] about the psychology behind it,
[23:30.120 -> 23:31.720] but, and why it happens.
[23:31.720 -> 23:34.800] But in a simple terms as an athlete is,
[23:34.800 -> 23:36.680] if there's nothing I can do about it,
[23:36.680 -> 23:38.640] then, you know, expel it.
[23:38.640 -> 23:40.880] Because there's no place for that energy
[23:40.880 -> 23:43.320] to take away from my own energy.
[23:43.320 -> 23:45.300] It's almost like a demon on my shoulder.
[23:46.900 -> 23:49.400] I think what's really interesting there, Adam, is that there's kind of two things that leap out at me.
[23:49.400 -> 23:52.700] We had a conversation with Jonny Wilkinson on the High Performance podcast
[23:52.700 -> 23:55.800] and he is absolutely aligned with your way of thinking,
[23:55.800 -> 23:58.500] to be totally in the flow, to be in the present,
[23:58.500 -> 24:00.400] not in the past or the future.
[24:01.100 -> 24:02.800] Yet, we're all walking around
[24:02.800 -> 24:06.120] and whether we're envisaging something brilliant on the horizon or whether we're
[24:06.120 -> 24:08.320] fearing something awful on the horizon, you know, I've got a
[24:08.320 -> 24:10.080] friend who has a real anxiety about being ill.
[24:10.080 -> 24:13.280] So whenever they hear someone else's illness story, they go,
[24:13.280 -> 24:15.960] well, it's happened to them now, now it's going to happen to me.
[24:16.600 -> 24:20.440] These are always just stories that we're making up in our
[24:20.440 -> 24:23.560] head. And I also love it when you talk about other athletes
[24:23.560 -> 24:28.740] competing and performing and getting a great time. Well, everyone lives now on Instagram comparing their lives to
[24:28.740 -> 24:33.240] other people's lives. It's almost like someone else's happiness takes away from our happiness.
[24:33.240 -> 24:37.780] Someone else's quick time doesn't take away from your quick time. That has literally no
[24:37.780 -> 24:40.900] impact on how you will perform, does it?
[24:40.900 -> 24:45.400] Exactly. And I think if you can live with that, I think one of the most
[24:45.400 -> 24:50.700] valuable things that I've learned in the past year is me and Mel always say that freedom
[24:50.700 -> 24:56.000] is the best feeling and just being you, being free, not caring what's going on outside or
[24:56.000 -> 25:01.320] social media. You know, social media is getting worse, man. It's like horrendous. Anything
[25:01.320 -> 25:06.560] you see, you're like, oh, why haven't I got that? Or why can't I do that? And it's like, oh, no, I can't do that
[25:06.560 -> 25:08.520] because I'm doing this, I'm trying to be the best
[25:08.520 -> 25:13.160] at what I do, but it initially creates a feeling of jealousy
[25:13.160 -> 25:14.480] and I'm like, why do I feel that?
[25:14.480 -> 25:15.720] And have you experienced that?
[25:15.720 -> 25:16.560] Of course, yeah, of course.
[25:16.560 -> 25:17.760] Even with all the things you've done, really?
[25:17.760 -> 25:19.480] You literally see people on Instagram,
[25:19.480 -> 25:22.000] I'm like, oh, how have you done that?
[25:22.000 -> 25:23.040] Why can't I have that?
[25:23.040 -> 25:24.520] And that's, initially, that's just jealousy,
[25:24.520 -> 25:26.000] that's just the initial thought.
[25:26.000 -> 25:27.860] And then you come to fault and you're like,
[25:27.860 -> 25:29.060] hold on a minute, you never know
[25:29.060 -> 25:30.100] what they might be going through
[25:30.100 -> 25:32.380] or what they've gone through to get to that point.
[25:32.380 -> 25:36.060] But also, most importantly, it might not even be real.
[25:36.060 -> 25:38.980] So unfortunately, social media has created that
[25:38.980 -> 25:41.340] and I feel for the next generation of people
[25:41.340 -> 25:43.940] and athletes who come up through that system
[25:43.940 -> 25:46.260] of their lives living around social media
[25:46.260 -> 25:47.860] because it's so dangerous.
[25:47.860 -> 25:50.300] And I hardly go on any of it now.
[25:50.300 -> 25:53.340] I just go on, upload, see how my friends are doing,
[25:53.340 -> 25:54.640] log off, probably 10 minutes.
[25:54.640 -> 25:58.480] I have a time of 15 minutes a day for all the social media.
[25:58.480 -> 26:00.320] Because at any more time than that,
[26:00.320 -> 26:03.580] then my brain starts to go into this state of just fog,
[26:03.580 -> 26:05.000] like literally a zombie.
[26:05.000 -> 26:07.160] And obviously it creates these negative thoughts
[26:07.160 -> 26:08.360] that don't need to exist
[26:08.360 -> 26:10.880] because if you really took it away
[26:10.880 -> 26:12.360] and actually thought about your life,
[26:12.360 -> 26:14.560] I'm like, and you walked outside and breathed in,
[26:14.560 -> 26:17.240] you'd be like, you know, we live such a good life
[26:17.240 -> 26:19.040] and we live, or personally I do,
[26:19.040 -> 26:20.740] but I'm very grateful.
[26:20.740 -> 26:22.160] And I think if you have gratitude
[26:22.160 -> 26:27.980] and humility at the same time, then you're free, free I think and I think that's the most important thing an
[26:27.980 -> 26:31.820] athlete can have when they're behind the blocks in an Olympic final if you're
[26:31.820 -> 26:36.580] fully confident in yourself and who you are and not having to compare yourself to
[26:36.580 -> 26:39.660] other people, yeah you're a weapon.
[26:39.660 -> 26:42.020] So can I ask you about that topic of
[26:42.020 -> 26:47.520] comparison then Adam because reading your story I'm always struck by that Felly gallaf gofyn i chi am y topig o gymharu yna Adam, oherwydd rydw i'n ddysgu eich stori, rydw i'n bob amser yn cael fy nghyflawn o'r profiad
[26:47.520 -> 26:55.840] rydych chi'n cael yn 2012 pan wnaethon chi weld un o'ch cwmni clwb yn y semifinal o'r Olympiad, ac rydw i wedi clywed eich bod chi'n ei ddysgu fel'r catalyst
[26:55.840 -> 27:07.200] i chi gysylltu, beth ydw i'n ei wneud gyda fy bywyd? Ie, felly roedd yn y tîm, y tîm oedol Ewropeaidd, mae'n Sgotish Craig Benson yn y his name, and he was really, really fast as a junior.
[27:07.200 -> 27:08.760] I was like, how am I gonna catch this kid?
[27:08.760 -> 27:11.680] And I saw him at 2012, I was like,
[27:11.680 -> 27:13.280] you know, I want that so bad,
[27:13.280 -> 27:16.840] like, literally like something was just burning inside of me
[27:16.840 -> 27:18.840] and I couldn't put it to rest.
[27:18.840 -> 27:22.480] It's like this extremely positive slash negative
[27:22.480 -> 27:26.300] high energy source of just hunger.
[27:26.300 -> 27:27.900] So I went back to the drawing board,
[27:27.900 -> 27:29.640] okay, we need to do this, we need to do this,
[27:29.640 -> 27:33.260] and it took about two years to get anywhere with that.
[27:33.260 -> 27:36.220] 2013, the year after, I missed the team by 0.06,
[27:36.220 -> 27:39.920] which is literally like a millimeter, a few millimeters.
[27:39.920 -> 27:41.280] But again, that was good for me,
[27:41.280 -> 27:43.760] because I was too inexperienced,
[27:43.760 -> 27:46.680] I was too young to make the team, a senior team then.
[27:46.680 -> 27:50.480] Then 2014 came along and I just, I took on the world.
[27:50.480 -> 27:54.000] I won the Commonwealth's, then I won Europeans,
[27:54.000 -> 27:55.800] four European golds back then.
[27:55.800 -> 27:57.780] And then I got my first world record.
[27:57.780 -> 27:59.520] And then the first world record came after that
[27:59.520 -> 28:02.320] a year later in 2015 in the 100 meters.
[28:02.320 -> 28:04.600] But a catalyst is important because I think
[28:04.600 -> 28:06.640] without that hunger and without that drive,
[28:06.640 -> 28:09.080] I would be nowhere near where I am today.
[28:09.080 -> 28:12.000] I used that anger and I used that and channeled it
[28:12.000 -> 28:14.000] into what I do every single day.
[28:14.000 -> 28:15.040] And I didn't let up.
[28:15.040 -> 28:18.320] You know, if Mel said, you got 2100s,
[28:18.320 -> 28:20.200] and I got to 2100s, and I'd be like, right,
[28:20.200 -> 28:21.200] give me five more.
[28:21.200 -> 28:23.000] Because I knew the rest of the world
[28:23.000 -> 28:24.920] were only doing 10 100s.
[28:24.920 -> 28:27.040] And going 20 was double, but I knew also that no one was gonna me five more. Because I knew the rest of the world were only doing 10 100s. And going 20 was double,
[28:27.040 -> 28:29.940] but I knew also that no one was gonna ask for more.
[28:29.940 -> 28:31.760] So it's asking for more,
[28:31.760 -> 28:33.520] and knowing that pain is only,
[28:33.520 -> 28:35.240] really, it sounds very cliche,
[28:35.240 -> 28:36.820] Instagram's ruined all these sayings,
[28:36.820 -> 28:40.860] but pain is temporary, and it will subside.
[28:40.860 -> 28:43.240] And the more pain you can put yourself through,
[28:43.240 -> 28:44.600] and the more suffering you can put yourself,
[28:44.600 -> 28:47.720] the more muscle you can tear, and the further you can put yourself through and the more suffering you can put yourself the more muscle you can tear and the further you can take
[28:47.720 -> 28:51.240] your heart and your mind the more prepared you will be when you need it
[28:51.240 -> 28:56.440] and for example 2015 at the World Championships Cameron Van Der Beek went
[28:56.440 -> 29:00.200] out like a shot like so so fast but I thought I was in the lead because I was
[29:00.200 -> 29:03.720] on the other side of the lane. I was like oh this is okay I've gone out on a good time.
[29:03.720 -> 29:05.640] I turned I looked at his and I just looked at his feet go as his feet and I was like the other side of the lane. I was like, oh, this is okay, I've gone out on a good time. I turned, I looked at his,
[29:05.640 -> 29:07.200] and I just looked at his feet go,
[29:07.200 -> 29:08.780] I was at his feet, and I was like, oh God,
[29:08.780 -> 29:10.640] I've got some work to put in here.
[29:10.640 -> 29:12.760] But somehow I won that race, because,
[29:12.760 -> 29:15.280] I say somehow, it's because of all the work
[29:15.280 -> 29:17.920] and all those times I chose to do more
[29:17.920 -> 29:20.720] that have paid off in all those races.
[29:20.720 -> 29:23.840] So I know, you know, in all these races that I go to,
[29:23.840 -> 29:25.420] if someone is level with me,
[29:25.420 -> 29:27.540] if it's head on head and it comes down to it,
[29:27.540 -> 29:30.080] I know I've worked 10 times harder and I can have them.
[29:30.080 -> 29:33.000] And that's the confidence that you can't get overnight.
[29:33.000 -> 29:37.220] That's confidence that is built over 13 to 15 years.
[29:37.220 -> 29:38.980] And do you always need something, Adam,
[29:38.980 -> 29:41.580] that is lighting that fire inside you?
[29:41.580 -> 29:44.820] So is there something at the moment that is your focus
[29:44.820 -> 29:48.640] or is your thing that you need to beat to stay where you are?
[29:49.760 -> 29:53.320] I think the fire, you know, it does change.
[29:53.320 -> 29:55.200] I think when you're younger, you can take more risk
[29:55.200 -> 29:56.840] and you can do a lot more.
[29:56.840 -> 29:59.080] And that's just a natural, that's, you know, growing up
[29:59.080 -> 30:02.360] and how your brain changes around risk management
[30:02.360 -> 30:03.680] and consequence.
[30:03.680 -> 30:05.640] So I think as I've got older,
[30:05.640 -> 30:09.960] that my main motivation now is to obviously win the Olympics
[30:09.960 -> 30:10.980] and be the first British woman
[30:10.980 -> 30:13.680] to ever defend an Olympic title.
[30:13.680 -> 30:15.860] But I also want to create history,
[30:15.860 -> 30:18.880] which is doing a world record in an Olympic final,
[30:18.880 -> 30:20.800] and then going on holiday after that.
[30:20.800 -> 30:24.720] So I think I know I've got two months left
[30:27.560 -> 30:29.160] for the Olympic run. And then, you know, I can take, you know,
[30:29.160 -> 30:31.800] quite a bit of time out of the sport to reflect,
[30:31.800 -> 30:36.080] you know, recover, refill my soul, refill the energy.
[30:36.080 -> 30:39.160] So my motivation is really being the athlete
[30:39.160 -> 30:41.920] and being in the moment and just enjoying it.
[30:41.920 -> 30:44.120] I want to enjoy the Olympics.
[30:44.120 -> 30:47.080] I want to, you know, take everything in and look back and go,
[30:47.080 -> 30:48.600] that was my best shot.
[30:48.600 -> 30:50.840] So it's very different from the motivation
[30:50.840 -> 30:52.440] which I started out in 2014.
[30:52.440 -> 30:55.040] I was like, right, I just wanna be the best.
[30:55.040 -> 30:56.000] I don't care what it costs.
[30:56.000 -> 30:57.680] I don't care how I'm gonna do it.
[30:57.680 -> 30:58.500] I'm gonna get it.
[30:58.500 -> 30:59.360] It's very different.
[30:59.360 -> 31:01.040] Now it's more calm and calculated.
[31:01.040 -> 31:02.820] Where do I put my energy credits?
[31:02.820 -> 31:03.660] Do I need to do this?
[31:03.660 -> 31:04.720] Do I need to do that?
[31:04.720 -> 31:08.320] Do I need to ask for more today? I don't know because I've got a hard set tomorrow.
[31:08.880 -> 31:13.280] So it's really communicating, communicating is one of our biggest skills now and one of the
[31:13.280 -> 31:17.760] you know hardest skills to conquer because communication is yeah it's very very hard in
[31:17.760 -> 31:23.200] sport because you don't want to appear sometimes if I ask for more or ask for less it's like you
[31:23.200 -> 31:25.600] know what's Mel going to think, is she she gonna think I'm in the right head space
[31:25.600 -> 31:27.120] to go even more?
[31:27.120 -> 31:29.160] If I tell her I've got a niggle in my shoulder,
[31:29.160 -> 31:31.200] is she gonna stop me from doing my set?
[31:31.200 -> 31:34.480] So it's stuff like this and how you utilize the team
[31:34.480 -> 31:37.120] around you to get the best performance when you need it.
[31:37.120 -> 31:38.360] That is interesting,
[31:38.360 -> 31:40.600] because I would have assumed that you've worked with Mel
[31:40.600 -> 31:44.400] for what, seven, eight years or something?
[31:44.400 -> 31:48.160] Oh, like 10, no 13, 12 or 13 years.
[31:48.160 -> 31:52.000] Right, so how is it not just, but it's still not just
[31:52.000 -> 31:55.280] complete honesty all the time, you still sometimes have to think,
[31:55.280 -> 31:57.520] is that really the message I want to put across?
[31:57.520 -> 32:03.120] I think so, I think me and Mel now are a very 50-50 divide in what we approach,
[32:03.120 -> 32:06.160] or she likes to make me think that anyway. But I think
[32:07.440 -> 32:12.560] it's still, as an athlete, there's still my own battles in my head and how I choose to fight them.
[32:13.280 -> 32:19.200] So, for example, if I do have, let's say, a minor injury or I push too hard in the gym,
[32:20.000 -> 32:24.720] I would probably wait a few days to see if that was going to persist. But if I know in my head
[32:24.720 -> 32:27.240] that it can be rectified very easily,
[32:27.240 -> 32:29.760] and no one's going to affect my training,
[32:29.760 -> 32:31.760] I'll try and do it instantly.
[32:31.760 -> 32:33.680] But if I know it could be something more, for some reason,
[32:33.680 -> 32:35.560] my head just goes, no, just keep quiet.
[32:35.560 -> 32:37.960] And I have to override that voice in my head
[32:37.960 -> 32:42.760] to be a more mature athlete who would actually go out there and say,
[32:42.760 -> 32:49.200] oh, there's something wrong with me, I need to put my hand up. Because I've always seen that as getting out or a weakness in my head,
[32:49.200 -> 32:51.360] whereas now I know it's longevity.
[32:51.360 -> 32:55.440] And so I've still got those constant battles of communication in my head,
[32:55.440 -> 32:58.720] what not to say, what to say, when to say it, how do I say it,
[32:58.720 -> 33:03.200] and how I come across. So it's a full-time job, isn't it?
[33:03.200 -> 33:06.120] Yeah, so basically, as your career progresses
[33:06.120 -> 33:07.720] and you get more experience,
[33:07.720 -> 33:10.920] I think what you're saying is that all of those
[33:10.920 -> 33:14.600] sometimes completely disabling complexities
[33:14.600 -> 33:17.720] and questions and fears that we have as young people,
[33:17.720 -> 33:19.200] and in your case, a young athlete,
[33:19.200 -> 33:21.520] like when you get to your age and your experience
[33:21.520 -> 33:23.680] and your success, they're all still there.
[33:23.680 -> 33:25.000] Like they haven't gone anywhere.
[33:25.000 -> 33:27.280] You've just learned how to cope with them.
[33:27.280 -> 33:29.640] I think that's an important lesson for people to understand,
[33:29.640 -> 33:32.560] because I think we assume they go and they don't.
[33:32.560 -> 33:33.640] Yeah, yeah.
[33:33.640 -> 33:37.200] And I think as a mature athlete now, I've been going, what,
[33:37.200 -> 33:39.480] seven years for championships, I've been going, what,
[33:39.480 -> 33:43.160] I mean, I've lost count how long I've been going and swimming.
[33:43.160 -> 33:45.720] You learn so much,
[33:45.720 -> 33:48.360] but I don't think it's necessarily what you've learned,
[33:48.360 -> 33:50.480] it's what you're willing to learn.
[33:50.480 -> 33:52.280] And the best athletes, I think,
[33:52.280 -> 33:54.920] always are willing to learn and do something different.
[33:54.920 -> 33:56.800] So what worked two years ago
[33:56.800 -> 33:58.760] will not work potentially now,
[33:58.760 -> 33:59.880] or what worked five years ago
[33:59.880 -> 34:01.440] will probably definitely not work now
[34:01.440 -> 34:02.680] because I've got a child,
[34:02.680 -> 34:05.160] I've got a house, I've got a house, I've got a mortgage,
[34:05.160 -> 34:07.400] I've got all these other things to think about.
[34:08.480 -> 34:11.560] So I think we're just continually evolving
[34:11.560 -> 34:12.960] and continually learning.
[34:12.960 -> 34:15.160] And I think if you get stuck in that cycle
[34:15.160 -> 34:16.500] of doing what you've always done,
[34:16.500 -> 34:19.540] that's when you start progressing and you start regressing.
[34:19.540 -> 34:22.880] And no, I think that obviously that comes back
[34:22.880 -> 34:24.920] to the growth mindset, doesn't it?
[34:24.920 -> 34:25.000] But then on that growth mindset, then Adam, that we've spoken to Mel, your coach, Ac rwy'n credu bod hynny'n dod yn ôl i'r syniad o fywyd, nid yw?
[34:25.000 -> 34:29.440] Ond ar y syniad o fywyd yna Adam, rydyn ni wedi sôn am Mel, eich cymorth,
[34:29.440 -> 34:33.520] rydyn ni wedi sôn am ei profiad fel athletaidd yn 2004,
[34:33.520 -> 34:35.680] a oedd ganddyn nhw pan oedd yn mynd i'r Games Athens.
[34:35.680 -> 34:40.200] Ac roedd ei ddysgu mawr y gafodd ei ddod allan o'r trauma o'r Games
[34:40.200 -> 34:42.080] o ran ymdrech,
[34:42.080 -> 34:45.560] ac yn ôl i chi, mae gennych chi ddiddorol am eich cyfnod a'r ffordd rydyn ni'n eu rhoi drwy'r ymgyrchu honno. was about balance. And yet listening to you, there's a real intensity about your purpose
[34:45.560 -> 34:48.400] and the way that you put yourself through this training.
[34:48.400 -> 34:51.240] So how do you achieve that balance
[34:51.240 -> 34:53.960] and learn from Mel's experiences?
[34:53.960 -> 34:57.480] I think I know when to switch on and know when to switch off.
[34:57.480 -> 34:59.200] I'm very good at being chilled,
[34:59.200 -> 35:01.880] like too good at being chilled.
[35:01.880 -> 35:06.400] But I think that's just part and parcel of who I am. I've always
[35:06.400 -> 35:12.200] found it very easy to turn off from what I do. And I think overthinking for a lot of
[35:12.200 -> 35:17.600] people, overthinking a scenario for no reason, costs them so much energy. So I think where
[35:17.600 -> 35:22.600] I've been good is I've always been able to exit the pool, turn on some music, I mean
[35:22.600 -> 35:27.920] not even think about swimming, not even think about racing. And it's the exact same at the Olympics. I'll debrief at the
[35:27.920 -> 35:33.440] pool after my first in my heats, debrief after the semis and enjoy the final. But other than
[35:33.440 -> 35:37.760] that, it's all about obviously the preparation and the process to how I get that performance.
[35:37.760 -> 35:44.200] But I can turn on, you know, I can turn on the Mac or I can turn on the iPad and watch,
[35:44.200 -> 35:45.880] you know, in betweeners or something like that, you know,
[35:45.880 -> 35:48.080] in between a semi-final and a final
[35:48.080 -> 35:50.560] and just completely take myself away from that.
[35:50.560 -> 35:52.160] And as you said, I completely agree.
[35:52.160 -> 35:54.080] I think it is all about balance, isn't it?
[35:54.080 -> 35:56.400] I think if you're gonna achieve something
[35:56.400 -> 35:59.280] that no one can even get near or something that,
[35:59.280 -> 36:01.500] you know, is the best in the world in that moment,
[36:01.500 -> 36:03.340] there's gotta be something that is gonna give you
[36:03.340 -> 36:06.140] that complete chilled approach and composure.
[36:06.140 -> 36:07.400] And that's what me and Mal are always saying.
[36:07.400 -> 36:10.180] We know when the stroke is tired,
[36:10.180 -> 36:12.420] we know when it's not where it's meant to be,
[36:12.420 -> 36:14.740] but the hardest thing is knowing
[36:14.740 -> 36:16.300] when it's not tense and tense.
[36:16.300 -> 36:19.540] And it's like, for me, if I'm not chilled,
[36:19.540 -> 36:21.140] and she knows that if I'm not chilled,
[36:21.140 -> 36:22.940] my stroke becomes tense and that costs you
[36:22.940 -> 36:27.040] two times as much energy to get down to the first 50 than it does you know normally
[36:27.040 -> 36:31.000] when I'm at my best again it comes back to the flow state and having that
[36:31.000 -> 36:35.240] balance. And how has becoming a parent changed your mindset? Probably
[36:35.240 -> 36:39.400] understanding how important the people are around me. It hasn't really changed
[36:39.400 -> 36:43.880] much in terms of my performance mindset but it's changed me as a person which
[36:43.880 -> 36:46.900] does directly affect who I am as a performer.
[36:46.900 -> 36:51.700] It's really hard to say because I rely so much on Avery,
[36:51.700 -> 36:56.260] my partner, and my family and my friends to take that role.
[36:56.260 -> 36:59.900] So I said to Avery that, you know, when we were pregnant,
[36:59.900 -> 37:02.540] that this running, this final run into the games now,
[37:02.540 -> 37:03.860] I've got to be selfish.
[37:03.860 -> 37:06.400] I've got to be, because I know there's going to be people
[37:06.400 -> 37:08.440] out there who have got no responsibilities
[37:08.440 -> 37:10.640] and they're just training every single day.
[37:12.560 -> 37:14.720] But for me, that is also a bonus,
[37:14.720 -> 37:17.880] because when I'm on the block, I'm going to be like,
[37:17.880 -> 37:20.300] you have no idea what it's took to get here.
[37:20.300 -> 37:24.420] And you have no idea how much sacrifice I've made
[37:24.420 -> 37:26.240] away from my family and away from all this.
[37:26.240 -> 37:29.080] So there's so much more powerful force
[37:29.080 -> 37:30.800] that come into those final moments.
[37:30.800 -> 37:33.440] And for Europeans, it's exactly the same,
[37:33.440 -> 37:35.320] even though it wasn't in my final form,
[37:35.320 -> 37:38.080] and Europeans had a bit of that,
[37:38.080 -> 37:41.520] just, you know what, I'm gonna hunt you down, that's it.
[37:41.520 -> 37:43.920] Because I have sacrificed so much,
[37:43.920 -> 37:45.680] and my family has sacrificed so much.
[37:45.680 -> 37:47.740] So, you know, Avery, for example,
[37:47.740 -> 37:50.660] she's looks after George all the time,
[37:50.660 -> 37:52.360] 24 around the clock.
[37:52.360 -> 37:53.720] She's a great mom.
[37:53.720 -> 37:56.560] And I said to her, as I said, no, just that, you know,
[37:56.560 -> 37:58.640] this final run into the games,
[37:58.640 -> 37:59.760] it's just gotta be about me.
[37:59.760 -> 38:02.400] It's gotta be my flow and try and get that balance
[38:02.400 -> 38:04.680] as well as I can between my family life
[38:04.680 -> 38:07.200] and my performance life. But performance has to come first right now
[38:07.200 -> 38:11.600] and it's a very hard decision to make because you know kids are you know they're
[38:11.600 -> 38:14.600] yours aren't they? It's crazy what you feel for them.
[38:14.600 -> 38:19.320] Given the rich experiences like the real rich tapestry of life that you've lived
[38:19.320 -> 38:23.440] Adam I'm intrigued as to what kind of lessons are you going to pass on to
[38:23.440 -> 38:28.160] George when he's a bit older to understand it? Like what's the one lesson you've learned from your
[38:28.160 -> 38:33.640] life in swimming that you'd say you need to know this? Don't take up swimming. I
[38:33.640 -> 38:39.040] think what I've learned in the last, probably the last year or so, I've learned
[38:39.040 -> 38:42.160] so much in the last year because of Covid, it's just given me so much time to be
[38:42.160 -> 38:45.520] flustered, just think about myself in my own head.
[38:45.520 -> 38:47.360] Has it been a useful period then?
[38:47.360 -> 38:53.280] Very useful, very useful to reflect. I used to think about negative things or things that people have done or
[38:53.280 -> 38:58.480] this is annoying me, I've seen this on the news or they've annoyed me. Then I'd look back at it and I'd go
[38:58.480 -> 39:06.400] why have I got annoyed at that? Anything they do or anything that is out of your control, you can't change it anyway. So why are you getting annoyed at it?
[39:06.400 -> 39:08.920] And it comes back to the news for me.
[39:08.920 -> 39:11.560] I don't really have anything connected to my TV life
[39:11.560 -> 39:14.840] because I refuse to look at anything that's negative now.
[39:14.840 -> 39:16.080] Now I turn on the news, it's like,
[39:16.080 -> 39:19.040] oh, X amount of people over there have died
[39:19.040 -> 39:21.280] or that's died or this person or that person.
[39:21.280 -> 39:24.400] I'm like, it's continually ever evolving for me,
[39:24.400 -> 39:26.380] just negative news.
[39:26.380 -> 39:28.520] So, and that used to affect my mood,
[39:28.520 -> 39:31.000] because I'm like, whatever I do here, it's not helping
[39:31.000 -> 39:34.140] or I can't, I feel useless, do you know what I mean?
[39:34.140 -> 39:35.680] So without going down the rabbit hole,
[39:35.680 -> 39:39.460] I think people get wound up in their own thoughts
[39:39.460 -> 39:41.460] about other people a lot,
[39:41.460 -> 39:43.800] when they know they can't do anything about it.
[39:43.800 -> 39:46.060] And we get angry at stuff we can't change
[39:46.060 -> 39:50.540] and we get frustrated at things which we can't solve.
[39:50.540 -> 39:54.140] So I think one piece of advice for him would be
[39:54.140 -> 39:55.900] just stay in your own lane, man.
[39:55.900 -> 39:57.660] Don't get caught up in the rat race.
[39:57.660 -> 39:59.360] It's the perfect answer, actually.
[39:59.360 -> 40:01.100] Even if you feel you went down a rabbit hole with it,
[40:01.100 -> 40:03.140] it makes perfect sense to us because we talk a lot
[40:03.140 -> 40:06.360] on this podcast about 100% responsibility.
[40:06.360 -> 40:07.640] And that is taking responsibility,
[40:07.640 -> 40:10.800] so in your state, taking responsibility
[40:10.800 -> 40:11.840] for you as an athlete,
[40:11.840 -> 40:14.640] but also taking responsibility for your partner
[40:14.640 -> 40:17.240] and your child and being a great athlete for Mel,
[40:17.240 -> 40:19.720] but also taking responsibility for how she deals with you
[40:19.720 -> 40:21.760] because you're responsible for making sure
[40:21.760 -> 40:23.600] she communicates in the right way.
[40:23.600 -> 40:26.880] When we become obsessed with other people and what's happening in their world and we start
[40:26.880 -> 40:31.440] blaming them for how we're going to react, it's almost like we're giving up that responsibility,
[40:31.440 -> 40:37.680] we're not brave enough to take it on. So let's talk about 100% responsibility. Is it something
[40:37.680 -> 40:42.400] that you understand? Does that make sense to you? Yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely. I think being an
[40:42.400 -> 40:50.040] athlete, you understand that more than most people because if I look at a performance, good, yeah, definitely. I think being an athlete, you understand that more than most people. Because if I look at a performance, good or bad, it starts with me, the fingers
[40:50.040 -> 40:56.360] point inwards, because I am the product, I deliver the goods. Yes, the team have an input,
[40:56.360 -> 41:00.120] but say, if I had a bad swim, I wouldn't go, oh, you didn't do my nutrition right, I've
[41:00.120 -> 41:03.480] lost so much weight, or you didn't give me the right sets, you didn't do that, because
[41:03.480 -> 41:08.440] that's my responsibility in the preparation to the games or in the preparation of that
[41:08.440 -> 41:12.640] to make sure that is good and have the communication saying, oh, we're working as hard as we can
[41:12.640 -> 41:14.320] to get the performance.
[41:14.320 -> 41:26.320] So I think responsibility for me is also accountability, knowing when and if I have done no enough and if I haven't
[41:26.320 -> 41:31.480] having the honesty and not nastiness just a complete honesty and saying you
[41:31.480 -> 41:36.160] need to work harder or you need to do this but I think responsibility going
[41:36.160 -> 41:40.560] back to the original question I think I like to be in control of what I can be
[41:40.560 -> 41:46.280] in control of yes definitely of course I think a lot of people do. It's just a natural thought,
[41:46.280 -> 41:48.640] but I also know when to let go now.
[41:48.640 -> 41:51.520] Because again, I turn on social media,
[41:51.520 -> 41:53.480] I turn on the news, I turn on anything,
[41:53.480 -> 41:56.160] and there's so much hate and negative stuff in the world.
[41:56.160 -> 41:58.640] And I read a quote, actually, and it was,
[41:58.640 -> 42:01.240] if you try and change the world, it seems impossible.
[42:01.240 -> 42:03.000] If you try and change your country,
[42:03.000 -> 42:05.480] again, just as much as possible. But if you try and change your country, again, just as much as possible,
[42:05.480 -> 42:08.240] but if you try and change your corner of your world
[42:08.240 -> 42:11.060] to your family, your friends, that is possible,
[42:11.060 -> 42:13.320] and how you act every single day,
[42:13.320 -> 42:15.120] and that might be a catalyst for them
[42:15.120 -> 42:16.240] to go out there and go,
[42:16.240 -> 42:18.200] I wanna change my corner of the world,
[42:18.200 -> 42:20.120] and eventually you might understand
[42:20.120 -> 42:22.160] that you could have changed the world in the first place.
[42:22.160 -> 42:26.360] So I think responsibility, you know, is very important
[42:26.360 -> 42:29.800] because especially now that my dad, how I'm perceived
[42:30.120 -> 42:33.000] or, you know, how he looks at me and what I do and what I say
[42:33.000 -> 42:37.560] and how I act is going to directly influence, you know, what he does.
[42:37.640 -> 42:41.200] Because if you look at kids, unfortunately, unfortunately,
[42:41.240 -> 42:42.960] they follow their parents.
[42:46.300 -> 42:48.560] As a person with a very deep voice,
[42:48.560 -> 42:51.560] I'm hired all the time for advertising campaigns.
[42:51.560 -> 42:53.800] But a deep voice doesn't sell B2B,
[42:53.800 -> 42:55.480] and advertising on the wrong platform
[42:55.480 -> 42:57.240] doesn't sell B2B either.
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[43:11.280 -> 43:16.560] then medium wigs, also small wigs who are on the path to becoming big wigs. Okay, that's enough
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[43:22.080 -> 43:27.440] So, does that mean you should use ads on LinkedIn instead of hiring me, the man with the deepest
[43:27.440 -> 43:28.440] voice in the world?
[43:28.440 -> 43:29.440] Yes.
[43:29.440 -> 43:30.440] Yes, it does.
[43:30.440 -> 43:35.560] Get started today and see why LinkedIn is the place to be, to be.
[43:35.560 -> 43:38.400] We'll even give you a $100 credit on your next campaign.
[43:38.400 -> 43:42.040] Go to LinkedIn.com slash results to claim your credit.
[43:42.040 -> 43:44.400] That's LinkedIn.com slash results.
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[45:55.360 -> 45:59.360] Gallaf gofyn i chi, yna, o ran rhywbeth rydych chi'n meddwl y bydd gennych
[45:59.360 -> 46:06.160] ddysgu ddifrif iawn i roi i rai o'n clywgwyr, Adam, y bydd pobl sy'n clywed hyn a bydd yn dweud
[46:06.160 -> 46:11.200] yn aml i Jake a fi fod gan eu gynlluniau i sefydlu busnes neu i ddod o gyd
[46:11.200 -> 46:17.200] ac ymdrechu am ambysiwn neu ddwyrion y maen nhw, ond efallai nad oes gennym y cyfnodau
[46:17.200 -> 46:21.360] neu'r cyfle i wneud hynny ac maen nhw'n teimlo ychydig o ffurfio arno.
[46:21.360 -> 46:50.560] Ac rwy'n credu y byddwch chi ar y cyfnod hwn o sefydlu recordau byd a bod yn o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r fath o'r f necessarily having the evidence to know whether you can achieve it. Because I'd rather live my life with the attempt of trying to do something than never do anything
[46:50.560 -> 46:56.960] at all. So I always think of my life of sitting on a porch when I'm 70 years old with a beer in my
[46:56.960 -> 47:03.200] hand on my rocker chair and going, you know, I've had a great life. I've took all the risks I needed
[47:03.200 -> 47:07.460] to take, calculated risks, but I was always willing to try.
[47:07.460 -> 47:09.220] I'd rather sit on that chair,
[47:09.220 -> 47:10.900] no matter how much money you've got in the bank
[47:10.900 -> 47:13.180] or how much influence or power,
[47:13.180 -> 47:15.100] all those other things that you've got,
[47:15.100 -> 47:16.540] I would rather sit on that chair
[47:16.540 -> 47:19.940] knowing that I've tried to do something
[47:19.940 -> 47:20.880] than nothing at all.
[47:20.880 -> 47:23.160] I think if you sit on that chair
[47:23.160 -> 47:27.160] and try to visualize yourself in the future
[47:27.160 -> 47:30.040] and you knew that you could have done more,
[47:30.040 -> 47:31.880] I think that you'll take that to the grave
[47:31.880 -> 47:33.240] and go, oh, what if?
[47:33.240 -> 47:36.060] And it'll start to eat away inside of you.
[47:36.060 -> 47:38.000] So if you can conquer that demon earlier on,
[47:38.000 -> 47:40.040] especially younger entrepreneurs,
[47:40.040 -> 47:43.440] I think obviously there's a lot of risk calculated things
[47:43.440 -> 47:45.000] and you might not have the resources, as you say, with money, but I do believe there there's a lot of risk calculated things and you might not have the resources,
[47:45.000 -> 47:45.820] as you say, with money,
[47:45.820 -> 47:48.240] but I do believe there's always a way.
[47:48.240 -> 47:51.280] And that's trying not to come from a privileged view
[47:51.280 -> 47:54.720] of being a white male with a little bit of money
[47:54.720 -> 47:55.920] as an athlete now.
[47:55.920 -> 47:57.880] It's trying to understand that,
[47:57.880 -> 47:59.720] people want to put a bet on me in 2012
[47:59.720 -> 48:00.760] to win the next Olympics.
[48:00.760 -> 48:02.520] No way, no way.
[48:02.520 -> 48:05.080] But I got that free grit, determination,
[48:05.080 -> 48:08.400] and again, responsibility, accountability, communication,
[48:08.400 -> 48:11.640] all these other variables which I've learned along the way
[48:11.640 -> 48:14.180] to become an Olympic champion four years later.
[48:14.180 -> 48:16.240] So if you're saying to yourself that,
[48:16.240 -> 48:18.220] oh, I've got four years or five years
[48:18.220 -> 48:19.880] and I wanna build a business,
[48:19.880 -> 48:22.920] I'm like, every day is 24 hours.
[48:22.920 -> 48:25.520] How many days are in that next four years or five years?
[48:25.520 -> 48:27.560] You're gonna have a lot of bad moments
[48:27.560 -> 48:28.720] and a lot of down moments,
[48:28.720 -> 48:31.680] but you're also gonna have your share of little successes
[48:31.680 -> 48:33.920] and little things to check off.
[48:33.920 -> 48:35.160] Oh, I made my first 1,000 pounds,
[48:35.160 -> 48:37.040] I made my first 10,000 pounds,
[48:37.040 -> 48:39.760] I made my first 100 grand or first million.
[48:39.760 -> 48:43.280] So, and or, you know, I've influenced this employee,
[48:43.280 -> 48:46.040] they're just gonna go for it today, or et cetera, et cetera.
[48:46.040 -> 48:49.000] So I think if you can start to think like that
[48:49.000 -> 48:52.760] instead of thinking of the overwhelming byproduct
[48:52.760 -> 48:57.720] or the overwhelming goal of having this big business
[48:57.720 -> 48:59.680] or it has to be this,
[48:59.680 -> 49:01.760] and you start to break it down backwards,
[49:01.760 -> 49:03.400] I think it becomes a lot more achievable.
[49:03.400 -> 49:06.160] So again, 2016, Olympic gold,
[49:06.160 -> 49:10.640] world record in the heats, world record in the final. If I looked at that in 2012 and go,
[49:10.640 -> 49:15.360] there's no way I can do that, that's impossible. But I looked at it in small goals and checked
[49:15.360 -> 49:21.040] every single goal off all the way up to that goal. So I'd say, for these people who are,
[49:21.040 -> 49:26.320] you know, willing to, or want to do it, if that thought's there and that drive is there,
[49:26.320 -> 49:27.440] of course you're gonna have drive,
[49:27.440 -> 49:28.760] you can't just stop halfway.
[49:28.760 -> 49:31.760] But if that thought is there, then what have you got to lose?
[49:31.760 -> 49:33.340] I don't think you've got anything to lose.
[49:33.340 -> 49:35.800] You've only got your own pride and your own future self
[49:35.800 -> 49:39.120] being angry at yourself for not trying at least.
[49:39.120 -> 49:42.240] But failure is almost a certainty along the way.
[49:42.240 -> 49:44.400] How's your relationship with failure?
[49:44.400 -> 49:45.160] Good, yeah, I have a good relationship with failure. I think it's healthy. How's your relationship with failure? Good.
[49:45.160 -> 49:46.280] I have a good relationship with failure.
[49:46.280 -> 49:47.120] I think it's healthy.
[49:47.120 -> 49:49.080] I think it's very healthy to fail.
[49:49.080 -> 49:53.800] I don't think anyone who is successful hasn't failed,
[49:53.800 -> 49:55.320] you know, because you understand
[49:55.320 -> 49:58.120] and it resets the boundaries of risk as well.
[49:58.120 -> 50:00.240] It's healthy to have failure because it goes,
[50:00.240 -> 50:03.040] if you continually push and push, push and push and push,
[50:03.040 -> 50:05.520] there's going to be a part where you make a big mistake,
[50:05.520 -> 50:07.200] but failure along the way goes,
[50:07.200 -> 50:08.680] oh, I've learned from that actually,
[50:08.680 -> 50:10.920] I don't need to push on from that.
[50:10.920 -> 50:13.520] So I think 2018 in Commonwealths,
[50:13.520 -> 50:15.800] I lost my 50 meter race,
[50:15.800 -> 50:17.500] I didn't do too good on the 100 meter,
[50:17.500 -> 50:19.640] I know why, there was this and this,
[50:19.640 -> 50:20.700] there's so many other variables,
[50:20.700 -> 50:23.640] but that failure was probably one of the biggest
[50:23.640 -> 50:26.080] and best things that could have helped me,
[50:26.080 -> 50:28.720] you know, break the world record again.
[50:28.720 -> 50:30.360] And I've done it again, it just,
[50:30.360 -> 50:32.200] it created a catalyst for hunger,
[50:32.200 -> 50:33.760] because I hated being beaten.
[50:33.760 -> 50:36.360] So failure is good, it keeps you humble,
[50:36.360 -> 50:40.960] it keeps you grounded and it almost, you know,
[50:40.960 -> 50:43.360] everyone needs it, everyone definitely needs it.
[50:43.360 -> 50:46.960] So what's been the best failure on a personal level
[50:46.960 -> 50:48.720] that you've experienced, Adam?
[50:48.720 -> 50:50.040] My junior years, probably.
[50:50.040 -> 50:52.400] I think in one of my junior years,
[50:52.400 -> 50:54.600] I basically got to European Junior Championships
[50:54.600 -> 50:56.340] I held every single year.
[50:56.340 -> 50:58.180] The best of Europe.
[50:58.180 -> 50:59.800] And me as a British guy,
[50:59.800 -> 51:01.120] I was up against these massive,
[51:01.120 -> 51:03.160] massive Eastern European guys.
[51:03.160 -> 51:05.960] And I was like, this is gonna be quite difficult.
[51:05.960 -> 51:07.440] But I went in there with, you know,
[51:07.440 -> 51:08.760] the British lion on my chest.
[51:08.760 -> 51:09.880] I was just like, right,
[51:09.880 -> 51:12.480] I'm just gonna show the world what I've got.
[51:12.480 -> 51:13.680] And I came away with nothing.
[51:13.680 -> 51:16.200] I came away with like a seven, four, eight place.
[51:16.200 -> 51:18.640] And in one of the races, I was like,
[51:18.640 -> 51:20.160] I wanna, you know, wanna smash this
[51:20.160 -> 51:21.520] cause I've had such a bad week.
[51:21.520 -> 51:22.600] And I'm really good at the 50.
[51:22.600 -> 51:23.520] I'm really good at sprinting.
[51:23.520 -> 51:27.480] So I'll take that confidence in, try and get into the semi and there's
[51:27.480 -> 51:33.200] only two Brits that can qualify per heat for the semi-final and before, when I got down
[51:33.200 -> 51:37.800] onto the blocks, you tense your glutes and you rock back and my suit ripped down the
[51:37.800 -> 51:43.440] middle so pretty much down, yeah, down my bum and I was like right, this is exactly
[51:43.440 -> 51:48.240] what I don't need right now. The story goes on and the team manager came down,
[51:48.240 -> 51:50.240] waving some kind of budgie smugglers,
[51:50.240 -> 51:52.440] throwed them down and got changed in my towel.
[51:52.440 -> 51:54.040] Then I raced, I did a PB,
[51:54.040 -> 51:55.240] cause I wasn't even thinking about that.
[51:55.240 -> 51:57.320] I was at so much adrenaline from this event.
[51:57.320 -> 52:00.380] And I just, you know, went out there and raced.
[52:00.380 -> 52:02.880] But after that race, I cried because I was like,
[52:02.880 -> 52:05.000] that was my one opportunity to show the world what I've got.
[52:05.000 -> 52:11.000] And then ever since then I've always thought of that moment and go, I'm never ever letting that happen to me again.
[52:11.000 -> 52:17.000] So in terms of performance, but also redundancy, making sure you have backups, making sure everything's, you know,
[52:17.000 -> 52:31.280] you've got all the kit you need and you've got spares. Because the suit's still ripped today and you still have to have spares and whatever. And for example, in Rio, we were stationed in Badajoz, so it's about seven hours drive,
[52:31.280 -> 52:34.160] but an hour flight from Rio where we were competing.
[52:34.160 -> 52:37.600] And we had to put all our bags in the reception area.
[52:37.600 -> 52:40.800] And I took mine down like a keen bean, took it down first, left it there.
[52:40.800 -> 52:43.680] I was like, oh, I'll wake up to it in the village tomorrow.
[52:43.680 -> 52:48.000] Got to the village, everyone had their bags, and I was like, oh, I thought someone was taking a
[52:48.000 -> 52:51.680] prank or, you know, it was coming up later. I had all my equipment in for the Olympics,
[52:51.680 -> 52:58.160] all my nutrition, all my suits, everything, all my party clothes were after. And I got in there,
[52:58.160 -> 53:01.680] and they were missing, and I called the team manager, goes, oh, she'll check downstairs,
[53:01.680 -> 53:05.800] whatever. And then she was like, oh, they've been stolen in Ballot.
[53:05.800 -> 53:10.560] So I was like, okay, right, let's go, let's crack on.
[53:10.560 -> 53:12.840] Because I always thought that that was my,
[53:12.840 -> 53:15.160] I did think at the time that was my last hurdle.
[53:15.160 -> 53:19.360] And if I reacted to that instead of respond to that scenario,
[53:19.360 -> 53:20.920] which was a horrendous scenario,
[53:20.920 -> 53:21.960] because I had no gear,
[53:21.960 -> 53:24.800] that I didn't deserve to be an Olympic champion.
[53:24.800 -> 53:28.560] So I responded very, very positively, because there's nothing I can do about it. And that
[53:28.560 -> 53:34.160] was a failure because I should have just checked and took them down a little bit later so they
[53:34.160 -> 53:38.440] couldn't have gone missing. So I mean, you learn, you live and learn. And fortunately
[53:38.440 -> 53:42.640] for swimming, all you need is a pair of trunks and a hat and a goggle and you're away, aren't
[53:42.640 -> 53:45.680] you? But it's just that kind of failure,
[53:45.680 -> 53:48.000] it does hit you hard, but it's how you respond
[53:48.000 -> 53:49.120] and try not to react.
[53:49.120 -> 53:52.080] That story though, also leads into something else
[53:52.080 -> 53:54.360] that's very important for people listening to this podcast,
[53:54.360 -> 53:57.080] which is resilience, not getting knocked off your course
[53:57.080 -> 54:00.320] by something that in that instance was out of your control.
[54:00.320 -> 54:04.040] Who helped you and where did your resilience come from?
[54:04.040 -> 54:10.980] I think my resilience was taught to me from my parents and obviously the trials and tribulations
[54:10.980 -> 54:12.460] of a young teenager.
[54:12.460 -> 54:19.300] I come from a working class family, so very normal, just didn't have much money, didn't
[54:19.300 -> 54:23.220] really have much when we were younger, even though we had quite a bit, we had more than
[54:23.220 -> 54:26.120] the average family, I guess, in terms of family feel.
[54:26.120 -> 54:30.400] But I think coming up through that and being the youngest child, you've got to be
[54:30.400 -> 54:33.200] resilient, especially when you've got two older brothers and a sister.
[54:33.640 -> 54:36.400] I think that naturally creates competitiveness because you're trying to prove
[54:36.400 -> 54:39.080] yourself to your older siblings.
[54:39.800 -> 54:46.120] But the resilience is that if I saw my dad work as hard as he did, and that is in my
[54:46.120 -> 54:51.280] blood, having that fight in you to do one more, always asking yourself, can I go one
[54:51.280 -> 54:54.960] more, do win one more, and having that pride.
[54:54.960 -> 54:59.840] For me, I took immense pride that, you know, I am who I am, and I'm British.
[54:59.840 -> 55:03.800] And that's why I'd always grow four foot at the Olympic Games, because I know I've got
[55:03.800 -> 55:10.320] those rings and I know I've got a GB flag on me and I think that resilience has just been tried and tried and tried over the
[55:10.320 -> 55:16.800] years for me and every single time I've always chosen to get up and I think if you can rely on
[55:16.800 -> 55:22.080] that and have that rhythm in life when you do get knocked down and always get back up there's no
[55:22.080 -> 55:26.000] option for anything else. Even now when I'm 26 years old and I'm against 18 year olds I'll always ac yn ystod 18 oed, byddwn i'n gweithio nhw'n fwyaf. Ac maent yn rhaid iddyn nhw fod yn fwy o'r ffres, yn fwy o'r ffres,
[55:26.000 -> 55:28.000] oherwydd roedd y gydolion mewn i'n ddweud,
[55:28.000 -> 55:30.000] dwi ddim yn gwneud hynny.
[55:30.000 -> 55:32.000] Dwi ddim yn gwneud hynny.
[55:32.000 -> 55:34.000] Dwi ddim yn gwneud hynny.
[55:34.000 -> 55:36.000] Dwi ddim yn gwneud hynny.
[55:36.000 -> 55:38.000] Felly sut rydych chi'n ymwneud â rhai o'r
[55:38.000 -> 55:40.000] ychydig o'r gweithio'n succesau sy'n mynd i'ch
[55:40.000 -> 55:42.000] ffordd, oherwydd y pethau,
[55:42.000 -> 55:44.000] y pethau,
[55:44.000 -> 55:45.600] y pethau,idiaethau o gyfansoddiad sy'n mynd i'ch ffordd,
[55:45.600 -> 55:51.840] oherwydd y pethau, y cyfraniad, y cyflog, y cariau ffantisiol,
[55:51.840 -> 55:53.680] sut rydych chi'n eu cymryd yn ystod y llwg,
[55:53.680 -> 55:58.160] pan ydych chi'n cael eich cyfansoddiad o'ch cyfansoddiad?
[55:58.160 -> 56:07.180] Rwy'n credu, i mi, yw'n ymgyrchu'ch hunain gyda phobl sy'n eich cymryd eich hunain. for me is surrounding yourself with people who keep you, you, it's very simple, it's a very simple saying,
[56:07.180 -> 56:10.160] but I've got my team around me that I see every day,
[56:10.160 -> 56:12.440] I've got my best friends who I see every other day
[56:12.440 -> 56:16.460] or every week, I've got my family back home and here,
[56:16.460 -> 56:19.300] and they're all people who keep me,
[56:19.300 -> 56:22.200] me, which is, I'm quite, it sounds not very humble
[56:22.200 -> 56:24.960] to say it, but I'm quite a humble person,
[56:24.960 -> 56:26.720] I don't really flash.
[56:26.720 -> 56:30.400] I don't really do anything out of the extraordinary.
[56:30.400 -> 56:32.240] So I'm obsessed with the performance now.
[56:32.240 -> 56:34.480] And yes, you have great commercial deals.
[56:34.480 -> 56:36.520] You make quite a bit of money if you're successful
[56:36.520 -> 56:37.680] at the Olympics and stuff like that.
[56:37.680 -> 56:40.880] But it's money is money, isn't it?
[56:40.880 -> 56:42.440] Like if you took it away,
[56:42.440 -> 56:44.520] would you still do what you do right now?
[56:44.520 -> 56:47.960] And if the answer is yes, I think,
[56:47.960 -> 56:49.360] then it doesn't change anything.
[56:49.360 -> 56:51.720] I think you can get trapped in the cycle
[56:51.720 -> 56:55.600] of wanting to earn more and wanting to be more
[56:55.600 -> 56:58.040] and wanting to be famous and et cetera,
[56:58.040 -> 56:59.880] but that's just not me.
[56:59.880 -> 57:01.720] For some reason, I think if you can treat it
[57:01.720 -> 57:05.920] almost like a game, in a sense for for me it's all a game. I just
[57:05.920 -> 57:11.200] want to swim as fast as I can, you know, hopefully look after my family as much as I can and you know
[57:11.200 -> 57:17.120] do what I do and have the rewards to be able to do what I want after swimming. I think that's all
[57:17.120 -> 57:22.720] I want really. I'm not really too fussed about anything else. I'm not, I don't want fame,
[57:22.720 -> 57:26.160] I don't seek fame, I don't go out there asking for it.
[57:26.160 -> 57:27.800] So that's just who I am.
[57:27.800 -> 57:29.080] I can't really speak for anyone,
[57:29.080 -> 57:31.020] any of our athlete who may want that,
[57:31.020 -> 57:33.040] but I think that's also why I've been so successful
[57:33.040 -> 57:34.680] in swimming because that's who I am.
[57:34.680 -> 57:37.840] I don't really look at a gold medal in terms of money.
[57:37.840 -> 57:40.960] I look at a gold medal in terms of pride and inspiration
[57:40.960 -> 57:44.400] for this generation and next generation of athletes.
[57:44.400 -> 57:46.040] I think Olympics is one of the,
[57:46.040 -> 57:47.240] why it's so powerful for me
[57:47.240 -> 57:51.720] because it makes everyone back home proud to be British
[57:51.720 -> 57:55.640] and also hopefully gives them a better day
[57:55.640 -> 57:58.160] and go, I wanna push harder today.
[57:58.160 -> 57:59.640] Because that's what sport is.
[57:59.640 -> 58:02.840] It's entertainment, but it's also inspiration for people
[58:02.840 -> 58:04.320] back home who are watching it
[58:04.320 -> 58:05.760] or in the stadium watching it,
[58:05.760 -> 58:08.660] witness those moments to go, hold on a minute,
[58:08.660 -> 58:11.840] that should be impossible, but it's possible now.
[58:11.840 -> 58:13.960] So you're looking at the normal person,
[58:13.960 -> 58:15.280] or not even normal person,
[58:15.280 -> 58:17.400] but you're looking at a business owner and go,
[58:17.400 -> 58:20.240] that should have been impossible, but no,
[58:20.240 -> 58:21.940] I believe now I can do it.
[58:21.940 -> 58:24.800] So that's why sport is one of the most powerful things ever
[58:24.800 -> 58:26.280] because it teaches people to push further
[58:26.280 -> 58:28.080] and have that risk.
[58:28.080 -> 58:30.160] And sticking with the theme of inspiration,
[58:30.160 -> 58:31.680] and I want you to take this question
[58:31.680 -> 58:32.520] in the way it's intended.
[58:32.520 -> 58:34.520] I'm not looking for some headline here
[58:34.520 -> 58:35.880] about Adam Peaty doesn't care
[58:35.880 -> 58:38.100] about winning the Olympics, right?
[58:38.100 -> 58:39.580] But has it almost become about more
[58:39.580 -> 58:40.860] than just medals then for you?
[58:40.860 -> 58:41.960] Because I know, you know,
[58:41.960 -> 58:44.960] your girlfriend is from Nigerian descent
[58:44.960 -> 58:45.360] and you'd spoken, I've seen many times about the importance of equality in sport. medals then for you? Because I know, you know, your girlfriend is from Nigerian descent and
[58:45.360 -> 58:49.360] you've spoken, I've seen many times about the importance of equality in sport. I know that
[58:49.360 -> 58:53.360] after the Olympics you want to make your way around the country, inspiring the next generation
[58:53.360 -> 58:57.840] of young athletes. Of course, the inspiration comes from winning the medals, but is it actually
[58:57.840 -> 59:03.680] about more than that? I think the medal itself in terms of the material doesn't mean much to me
[59:03.680 -> 59:06.000] at all. I think it means yes the
[59:06.000 -> 59:10.480] Olympic one's different because they're so rare but only because I know how much of an impact
[59:10.480 -> 59:17.040] that can have on other people. But the material has never never really interested me at all,
[59:17.040 -> 59:21.280] like the medal itself that I think that now I think George is playing with him and putting
[59:21.280 -> 59:25.680] him in his mouth and stuff like that but I think it's more about the race for me,
[59:25.680 -> 59:28.560] the scrap, the moment, or the actual event
[59:28.560 -> 59:30.000] that takes place, the part of history
[59:30.000 -> 59:32.240] that no one can take away, no one.
[59:32.240 -> 59:33.480] That's what it's about for me,
[59:33.480 -> 59:35.840] and pushing the boundaries of the human body,
[59:35.840 -> 59:38.920] I think, and pushing what people thought was impossible.
[59:38.920 -> 59:42.880] And I think if I can do that and continue to do that,
[59:42.880 -> 59:46.320] then my job is done, and I'm not too fussed, but I think on a can do that and continue to do that, then my job is done and I'm not too fussed.
[59:46.320 -> 59:49.960] But I think on a more powerful level,
[59:49.960 -> 59:52.600] it's that kid who stays up to watch me.
[59:52.600 -> 59:53.720] That's why I do it.
[59:53.720 -> 59:56.800] So for example, Tokyo, the Olympics
[59:56.800 -> 59:58.920] will be in the morning finals.
[59:58.920 -> 01:00:02.840] So I think here it might be midnight or early morning
[01:00:02.840 -> 01:00:04.680] or late night, whatever it's gonna be.
[01:00:04.680 -> 01:00:06.680] But it's gonna be kids who stay up purposely
[01:00:06.680 -> 01:00:07.960] to watch me swim.
[01:00:07.960 -> 01:00:09.080] And that is the most powerful thing.
[01:00:09.080 -> 01:00:11.000] You can't get anything more powerful
[01:00:11.000 -> 01:00:14.520] than a seven-year-old or a 10-year-old or a 14-year-old
[01:00:14.520 -> 01:00:17.520] who just wants to be the next great superstar
[01:00:17.520 -> 01:00:20.360] because that's exactly me, who I was in 2012.
[01:00:20.360 -> 01:00:23.520] And that's, you know, it just clicks in my head
[01:00:23.520 -> 01:00:26.520] that that's what it's for, not for a shiny gold medal,
[01:00:26.520 -> 01:00:30.400] which at the end of the day is just a lob of metal, you know.
[01:00:30.400 -> 01:00:32.200] And the importance of equality?
[01:00:32.200 -> 01:00:33.360] Oh, hugely important.
[01:00:33.360 -> 01:00:36.780] And swimming is predominantly white, it's a white sport.
[01:00:36.780 -> 01:00:40.080] So if we can access those communities,
[01:00:40.080 -> 01:00:43.520] and for example, you know, George or Aerie,
[01:00:43.520 -> 01:00:46.000] you know, getting young kids involved from a young age,
[01:00:46.000 -> 01:00:49.800] I think it's not necessarily about being the best swimmer
[01:00:49.800 -> 01:00:51.720] or involving people in sport,
[01:00:51.720 -> 01:00:54.280] but it's also about being safe in the water
[01:00:54.280 -> 01:00:57.160] and how many people can, you know, swim in the country.
[01:00:57.160 -> 01:01:01.440] And so I think equality, you know, sex, race,
[01:01:01.440 -> 01:01:03.800] you know, sexuality is always important for me
[01:01:03.800 -> 01:01:07.880] because you know what, it's just about being a decent person
[01:01:07.880 -> 01:01:09.440] and understanding that,
[01:01:09.440 -> 01:01:11.120] which I think a lot of people struggle with
[01:01:11.120 -> 01:01:12.560] and it comes down to the question,
[01:01:12.560 -> 01:01:13.880] why do you even care, man?
[01:01:13.880 -> 01:01:15.240] Why do you even care?
[01:01:15.240 -> 01:01:18.160] And I have a friend and he's flying a flag
[01:01:18.160 -> 01:01:20.880] for gay pride in swimming and he gets a lot of hate.
[01:01:20.880 -> 01:01:22.560] I'm like, why?
[01:01:22.560 -> 01:01:24.920] People on Twitter, it's like tweeting him,
[01:01:24.920 -> 01:01:25.600] oh, why are you doing that? Or sending him nasty messages. I'm like, why? People on Twitter, it's like tweeting him, like, oh, why are you doing that?
[01:01:25.600 -> 01:01:27.520] Or sending him nasty messages.
[01:01:27.520 -> 01:01:30.000] I'm like, your life must be really pathetic
[01:01:30.000 -> 01:01:33.240] if you take your time and effort and energy
[01:01:33.240 -> 01:01:34.840] to message someone that you don't even know
[01:01:34.840 -> 01:01:37.760] and probably will never see in your life.
[01:01:37.760 -> 01:01:38.960] And that's what I'm talking about,
[01:01:38.960 -> 01:01:42.000] where I'm like, how people can even do that
[01:01:42.000 -> 01:01:44.920] when it's really just about being a decent person
[01:01:44.920 -> 01:01:47.480] and understanding that everyone has a battle, sut y gall pobl wneud hynny, pan yw'n ymwneud â bod yn ddifrifol. Ac yn deall bod pawb yn gael bêl,
[01:01:47.480 -> 01:01:50.640] nid unig gyda'u hunain, ond hefyd ar y pethau eraill.
[01:01:50.640 -> 01:01:52.000] Felly rwy'n credu yw deall hynny,
[01:01:52.000 -> 01:01:55.960] ac rwy'n ceisio deall hynny'n fwy na'r ffordd y gallwch.
[01:01:55.960 -> 01:01:59.200] Rwy'n hoffi'r ddifrifol hwnnw fel cyfrifiad, Adam.
[01:01:59.200 -> 01:02:03.520] Ac rwy'n eisiau i ni ddod i'r tôn o rhai pethau
[01:02:03.520 -> 01:02:07.780] sy'n ymwneud â'r holl ddifrifwrnodol o ran ymdopio yn eich sport,
[01:02:07.780 -> 01:02:13.780] oherwydd rwy'n hoffi'r syniad y byddwch chi'n edrych ar ysgrifennu'r blant ifanc ymlaen i'r dynes nesaf.
[01:02:13.780 -> 01:02:27.200] Felly sut y gallwch chi ymdrechu'n ddiweddar i'r ffaith bod rhai o'r a lot, you know, when I see people cheat,
[01:02:27.240 -> 01:02:31.640] whether it's mechanical or, you know, physical doping or technical
[01:02:31.640 -> 01:02:35.240] doping, there's obviously so many types of doping, but it all falls
[01:02:35.240 -> 01:02:39.400] under cheat. And so I always ask myself, like, why would someone
[01:02:39.400 -> 01:02:43.000] cheat? But then again, I'm coming from a very privileged background
[01:02:43.080 -> 01:02:45.960] that I've been given a gift, I've been given a talent,
[01:02:45.960 -> 01:02:48.300] I've been given a family and a roof over my head
[01:02:48.300 -> 01:02:50.360] and there's always food on the table.
[01:02:50.360 -> 01:02:53.480] So if you can take yourself away from that and go,
[01:02:53.480 -> 01:02:56.360] okay, I'm a different person, I haven't got much money,
[01:02:56.360 -> 01:02:57.700] I haven't got a roof over my head,
[01:02:57.700 -> 01:03:02.120] and I'm from a country which have a systematic doping regime
[01:03:02.120 -> 01:03:04.960] or someone comes along and gives you money to perform,
[01:03:04.960 -> 01:03:05.320] but you have
[01:03:05.320 -> 01:03:09.320] to take this for example. You can understand why people would do
[01:03:09.320 -> 01:03:13.080] that because if you can earn 10 grand at a meet, 10 grand in some parts of the
[01:03:13.080 -> 01:03:17.320] world can change your life. Unfortunately we live in Britain so
[01:03:17.320 -> 01:03:22.920] there's not much you can do with that I guess but I think it's really obviously
[01:03:22.920 -> 01:03:27.840] money and power isn't it? It's the instinct of the human to push further
[01:03:27.840 -> 01:03:30.400] and further and further and gain more
[01:03:30.400 -> 01:03:32.800] and just keep your grass green.
[01:03:32.800 -> 01:03:35.840] So I think doping is, it's not as just simple
[01:03:35.840 -> 01:03:37.000] as someone wants to be faster.
[01:03:37.000 -> 01:03:40.280] I think sometimes there is a lot of backstory to it
[01:03:40.280 -> 01:03:41.520] and why people do it.
[01:03:41.520 -> 01:03:44.280] And unfortunately, there is people who do it
[01:03:44.280 -> 01:03:45.560] just to get faster.
[01:03:45.560 -> 01:03:49.360] And there's no excuse for any of them.
[01:03:49.360 -> 01:03:51.440] But I think to really conquer doping,
[01:03:51.440 -> 01:03:53.920] you need to look at where it's coming from,
[01:03:53.920 -> 01:03:55.080] why people are doing it,
[01:03:55.080 -> 01:03:56.320] instead of just pointing the finger and going,
[01:03:56.320 -> 01:03:58.440] oh, you're a cheater, a cheat, you're a treat,
[01:03:58.440 -> 01:04:00.120] because that doesn't really solve it.
[01:04:00.120 -> 01:04:01.080] It doesn't solve it.
[01:04:01.080 -> 01:04:03.720] It's just a reason why people do it.
[01:04:03.720 -> 01:04:06.560] So I think if I ever came up against a doper
[01:04:06.560 -> 01:04:08.200] who I knew was a doper,
[01:04:09.280 -> 01:04:11.080] there's people who walk on poolside,
[01:04:11.080 -> 01:04:13.080] I don't shake their hand, don't smile,
[01:04:13.080 -> 01:04:15.760] don't do anything because I know that they're a cheat.
[01:04:15.760 -> 01:04:16.760] This is the thing with doping.
[01:04:16.760 -> 01:04:18.840] Once you can just have a bad supplement,
[01:04:18.840 -> 01:04:21.080] you can have something that isn't batch tested
[01:04:21.080 -> 01:04:22.960] or you haven't been as rigorous as you should
[01:04:22.960 -> 01:04:24.800] in your preparation and you've took
[01:04:24.800 -> 01:04:26.500] and there's a trace amount of something,
[01:04:26.500 -> 01:04:28.200] you can just get very unlucky.
[01:04:28.200 -> 01:04:31.000] But if you've done it twice or three times,
[01:04:31.000 -> 01:04:33.200] I'm sorry, why are you in the sport?
[01:04:33.200 -> 01:04:36.480] So I think the governing bodies need more of a backbone
[01:04:36.480 -> 01:04:38.200] and a bit more purity, as you said,
[01:04:38.200 -> 01:04:39.920] and a bit more honesty and go,
[01:04:39.920 -> 01:04:41.680] why are they still in the sport?
[01:04:41.680 -> 01:04:43.520] And which leads me on to another one
[01:04:43.520 -> 01:04:45.680] that sport is political.
[01:04:45.680 -> 01:04:48.680] It's politica, it's a very political thing now.
[01:04:48.680 -> 01:04:50.160] If you look at the Olympics,
[01:04:50.160 -> 01:04:53.520] you can't say the Olympics without politics, unfortunately.
[01:04:54.680 -> 01:04:57.080] Listen, Adam, we can't sit and have a conversation
[01:04:57.080 -> 01:04:58.960] about your career and the amazing journey.
[01:04:58.960 -> 01:05:00.520] And thank you so much for being so brilliant
[01:05:00.520 -> 01:05:02.160] and sharing so much with us
[01:05:02.160 -> 01:05:04.600] without talking about Mel, your coach.
[01:05:04.600 -> 01:05:06.900] We've spoken with her on the podcast
[01:05:06.900 -> 01:05:09.400] about what she brings to the table in her mind.
[01:05:09.400 -> 01:05:12.260] I would love people to hear you talk about
[01:05:12.260 -> 01:05:14.500] what you believe a good coach gives to somebody
[01:05:14.500 -> 01:05:16.700] because there are millions of coaches,
[01:05:16.700 -> 01:05:18.460] not swimming coaches or even sports coaches
[01:05:18.460 -> 01:05:19.380] that listen to this.
[01:05:19.380 -> 01:05:20.780] And I know they'd love to hear from you
[01:05:20.780 -> 01:05:23.260] about what you believe makes a coach
[01:05:23.260 -> 01:05:25.040] that gets the best out of the person
[01:05:25.040 -> 01:05:26.520] who they're working with.
[01:05:26.520 -> 01:05:30.300] I think a great coach is,
[01:05:30.300 -> 01:05:32.560] it's a relationship that you have with your athlete
[01:05:32.560 -> 01:05:35.000] or your client or your customer.
[01:05:35.000 -> 01:05:38.840] I think a great coach is charismatic.
[01:05:38.840 -> 01:05:42.320] I think charisma is so, so important.
[01:05:42.320 -> 01:05:45.120] Adaptability, like are they adaptable?
[01:05:45.120 -> 01:05:46.720] How are they under pressure?
[01:05:46.720 -> 01:05:49.920] And again, there's hundreds and hundreds of things,
[01:05:49.920 -> 01:05:53.720] but I think one of the most important ones is honesty
[01:05:53.720 -> 01:05:56.040] and communication with the honesty
[01:05:56.040 -> 01:05:58.960] and just be willing to try something different.
[01:05:58.960 -> 01:06:01.200] I think a coach who has been doing the same style
[01:06:01.200 -> 01:06:03.320] for 10 years or 20 years,
[01:06:03.320 -> 01:06:05.240] because it's old school and it works,
[01:06:06.520 -> 01:06:11.520] won't necessarily get my respect because that just works.
[01:06:11.660 -> 01:06:13.900] A great coach for me is someone who continually learns,
[01:06:13.900 -> 01:06:18.000] continually tries new things and can have fun with it.
[01:06:18.000 -> 01:06:20.760] We always talk about performance so seriously
[01:06:20.760 -> 01:06:22.880] because we talk about medals, we talk about money,
[01:06:22.880 -> 01:06:28.120] we talk about Olympics and how much that can have on the thingy and what does that equal for the millions of
[01:06:28.120 -> 01:06:31.680] people and the funding back home. There's so many things in which are tied to it
[01:06:31.680 -> 01:06:35.680] yet we need to keep the fun in there and that's what Mel does brilliantly.
[01:06:35.680 -> 01:06:41.160] Because if we lose the fun and we lose the feel to the youth of the sport and
[01:06:41.160 -> 01:06:45.000] we lose the real reason to why we do it,
[01:06:45.760 -> 01:06:50.360] there's nothing to it, we've lost the sport.
[01:06:50.360 -> 01:06:52.400] And that's why you see some of the greatest athletes
[01:06:52.400 -> 01:06:53.920] in the world probably fall off,
[01:06:53.920 -> 01:06:57.800] because they've lost why that kid picked up the racket,
[01:06:57.800 -> 01:07:00.640] they've lost why that kid picked up the goggles.
[01:07:00.640 -> 01:07:03.320] So never ever lose that person inside of you
[01:07:03.320 -> 01:07:05.160] and never ever lose that person and go,
[01:07:05.160 -> 01:07:07.440] right, I just want to be better than yesterday.
[01:07:07.440 -> 01:07:08.320] That is it.
[01:07:08.320 -> 01:07:10.560] Simple, keep it simple.
[01:07:10.560 -> 01:07:13.600] And the greatest coaches always understand
[01:07:13.600 -> 01:07:14.560] that they'll keep it simple
[01:07:14.560 -> 01:07:15.920] and that's what Mel does brilliantly.
[01:07:15.920 -> 01:07:16.760] Very good.
[01:07:16.760 -> 01:07:18.780] Right, we have reached the end of our interview
[01:07:18.780 -> 01:07:20.640] where we run our quickfire questions.
[01:07:20.640 -> 01:07:21.880] And the first one is,
[01:07:21.880 -> 01:07:27.000] three non-negotiables that the people around you have to buy into.
[01:07:27.000 -> 01:07:31.880] Okay, I guess, yeah, fun, trust, honesty.
[01:07:31.880 -> 01:07:34.080] What advice would you give to a teenage Adam
[01:07:34.080 -> 01:07:35.680] just starting out?
[01:07:35.680 -> 01:07:36.800] Get a better haircut.
[01:07:38.160 -> 01:07:39.960] What is your greatest strength
[01:07:39.960 -> 01:07:42.120] and what is your greatest weakness?
[01:07:42.120 -> 01:07:43.600] My greatest strength is anger
[01:07:43.600 -> 01:07:45.720] and my greatest weakness is anger. My greatest weakness is anger.
[01:07:45.720 -> 01:07:47.440] One book recommendation?
[01:07:47.440 -> 01:07:48.560] Any Stephen Hawking book,
[01:07:48.560 -> 01:07:50.900] because it makes you think differently about the universe.
[01:07:50.900 -> 01:07:54.560] And finally, your one golden rule
[01:07:54.560 -> 01:07:56.580] to living a high-performance life?
[01:07:57.660 -> 01:08:00.920] I think I've already said it, keep it simple.
[01:08:00.920 -> 01:08:02.400] Very good.
[01:08:02.400 -> 01:08:04.040] Man, thank you so much for coming on this
[01:08:04.040 -> 01:08:05.700] and sharing so much with us, Adam,
[01:08:05.700 -> 01:08:08.700] especially when you're in this period just before the Olympics.
[01:08:08.700 -> 01:08:14.300] You know what really stands out to me is that I think that we look at people like you and we go,
[01:08:14.300 -> 01:08:18.800] oh yeah, I'm sure he's a dad and a son and a friend and a brother and whatever else,
[01:08:18.800 -> 01:08:23.200] but then he's also an athlete. And I think the way you've spoken on this podcast is a really good reminder for everyone,
[01:08:23.200 -> 01:08:25.000] particularly ahead of this Olympic summer,
[01:08:25.000 -> 01:08:27.720] that you can't be the athlete
[01:08:27.720 -> 01:08:30.620] without all the other things around you impacting that.
[01:08:30.620 -> 01:08:32.160] You know, you're sort of one person really,
[01:08:32.160 -> 01:08:33.620] and you have to be,
[01:08:33.620 -> 01:08:35.240] it's a good reminder for everyone in all their lives.
[01:08:35.240 -> 01:08:36.320] You have to be totally aligned
[01:08:36.320 -> 01:08:38.000] in all the different areas of your life
[01:08:38.000 -> 01:08:39.640] to really hit high performance.
[01:08:39.640 -> 01:08:41.000] Well, I've got it tattooed here.
[01:08:41.000 -> 01:08:43.120] Equilibrium under the Olympic rings.
[01:08:43.120 -> 01:08:44.360] You need balance.
[01:08:44.360 -> 01:08:45.640] Without balance, that's it.
[01:08:48.280 -> 01:08:49.220] Damien.
[01:08:49.220 -> 01:08:50.160] Jake.
[01:08:50.160 -> 01:08:53.040] I'm not sure I've ever had a conversation like that
[01:08:53.040 -> 01:08:56.440] with someone who's still competing at the highest level.
[01:08:56.440 -> 01:08:59.040] It was just so rare to have somebody that, like you say,
[01:08:59.040 -> 01:09:01.800] is out there at the hard edge of competition,
[01:09:01.800 -> 01:09:04.360] but then prepared to just come and open up
[01:09:04.360 -> 01:09:08.320] and be so open and vulnerable and authentic. And it's a great reminder, isn't it, ymlaen, ond yna'n barod i ddod a'i ddewis a bod yn ddewis ac yn anhygoel ac yn athentig.
[01:09:08.320 -> 01:09:13.440] Ac mae'n golygu da, nid oes yna, bod yna ddewis a chyfathrebu gwirioneddol i'r bobl
[01:09:13.440 -> 01:09:18.560] rydyn ni'n ei weld ar y bwyd mwyaf, gwyneb medalau Olympiaidd a chynhyrchu trofeydd y rhan fwyaf
[01:09:18.560 -> 01:09:21.760] o'r byd yn y sport, ac hefyd pobl sy'n gynhyrchu busnes.
[01:09:21.760 -> 01:09:27.120] Rwy'n credu bod y cyfrifiadau hyn yn golygu da, nad oes gennym nhw'n anodd, ac nid oes gennym nhw'n gyffrous mewn busnes, ac rwy'n credu bod y cyfarfodydd hyn yn argyfwng da nad oes gennym nhw'n anodd ac nad oes gennym nhw'n hawdd.
[01:09:27.120 -> 01:09:31.120] Ie, dyna ffordd da i'w ddysgrifio. Rwy'n hoffi'r ffaith bod, rwy'n credu, mae
[01:09:31.120 -> 01:09:34.240] tri ffyrdd i'r ddysg. Rwy'n credu y bydd y pryd ffyrdd y gadewch i'w ddod o hyd
[01:09:34.240 -> 01:09:37.840] yw'r lle rydych chi'n meddwl ei fod yn wirioneddol iawn, ac yna dewch i chi ddod i'r ffyrdd
[01:09:37.840 -> 01:09:41.280] cymhleth, ac yna pan ydych chi'n deall y cymhleth, y gallwch chi'i ddysgrifio
[01:09:41.280 -> 01:09:46.000] mewn termau wirioneddol iawn, ac rwy'n credu bod Adam yn deimlo'n fawr iawn
[01:09:46.000 -> 01:09:49.000] bod yn y pen draw ymwneud â'r pwll,
[01:09:49.000 -> 01:09:52.000] y gwybod, mae'n ei ddysgu fel mwynhau i'r llwybr o'r pwll,
[01:09:52.000 -> 01:09:55.000] ond mewn gwirionedd, yr hyn y mae wedi'i ddewis ac ymddiried gyda ni
[01:09:55.000 -> 01:09:57.000] ynghylch y cyflawniad o ddiet,
[01:09:57.000 -> 01:10:00.000] a'r psychologaeth, a'r cymhyrchu,
[01:10:00.000 -> 01:10:02.000] a'r cyfryngau cymdeithasol a'r ffwrdd,
[01:10:02.000 -> 01:10:04.000] rwy'n credu yr hyn sydd gennym ni yno oedd so mwy o ddewisau
[01:10:04.000 -> 01:10:06.000] y gallwn ni i gyd eu cymryd ac ymddiriedol a'r brifysgol. Rwy'n credu bod yr hyn sydd gennym ni yno oedd mwy o ddrysiau y gallwn ni gynhyrchu ac ymdrechu
[01:10:06.000 -> 01:10:07.520] i'n bywydau ein hunain.
[01:10:07.520 -> 01:10:10.240] Ac rwy'n credu ei fod yn y dechrau
[01:10:10.240 -> 01:10:13.400] o'r ffordd o ddewis dynol a'r dynol
[01:10:13.400 -> 01:10:15.800] pan fydd yn mynd i'r ffilm mwyaf.
[01:10:15.800 -> 01:10:18.000] Ie, rwy'n deall hynny'n fawr iawn hefyd.
[01:10:18.000 -> 01:10:19.600] Rwy'n credu ei fod yn fyfyrwyr
[01:10:19.600 -> 01:10:20.960] sydd wedi bod fel comet,
[01:10:20.960 -> 01:10:23.080] y ffordd y mae'n edrych ar ei gyrfa
[01:10:23.080 -> 01:10:28.000] mae'n edrych fel bod wedi bod yn fath ar gyfer Glorio'n unigol.
[01:10:28.000 -> 01:10:32.000] Ond rwy'n credu bod yna ddwyloch o agored,
[01:10:32.000 -> 01:10:36.000] a chymorth a dysgu sydd wedi'i paratoi i ddysgu
[01:10:36.000 -> 01:10:39.000] a mynd ac ymdrech i'w ymdrechu, yn enwedig y peth hon,
[01:10:39.000 -> 01:10:41.000] a dweud y byddwn yn siarad amdano fel Johnny Wilkinson.
[01:10:41.000 -> 01:10:43.000] Byddwn yn byw bob dydd fel y bydd yn dod,
[01:10:43.000 -> 01:10:47.960] yn hytrach na'n gweithio'n bw ymwneud â'r ymdrechion.
[01:10:47.960 -> 01:10:52.000] A gwybodwch, mae pobl yn clywed at y pod hon, ac maen nhw'n dweud, oh ia, rwy'n clywed
[01:10:52.000 -> 01:10:57.080] ati oherwydd rwy'n wir i fynd i'r sport, neu rwy'n wir i ddod i'r gwaith gwych, neu rwy'n
[01:10:57.080 -> 01:11:02.320] ddysgwr, ac rwy'n eisiau i fy nghyflawni gwneud yn dda iawn. Rwy'n credu bod hynny'n
[01:11:02.320 -> 01:11:06.000] adnodd iawn a'n ymddangos cyfnodol, byddwch chi ddim yn gallu cael y peth y byddwch chi'n
[01:11:06.000 -> 01:11:11.840] ymdrechu arno heb sicrhau bod pethau eraill yn ymgyrchu ar y pwynt, fel y mae'n gallu ei ddefnyddio, rwy'n credu.
[01:11:12.480 -> 01:11:16.400] Iawn, yn ddefnyddiol, rwy'n credu bod y moment y byddwch chi'n mynd i weithio, mae'n un o'r moment y byddwch chi'n
[01:11:16.400 -> 01:11:22.640] gwblhau'r holl ymarfer, ac rydych chi'n credu yn y moment y byddwch chi'n ymwneud â'r holl beth
[01:11:22.640 -> 01:11:48.400] rydych chi wedi'i wneud cyn i'w gael i'w ddarparu'n fwyaf y gallwch chi'n y moment y byddwch chi'n ymwneud â'r holl bethau y byddwch chi wedi'u gwneud cyn i'w gynhyrchu'n fwyaf y gallwch chi'n ymwneud â'r hyn y byddwch chi'n ymwneud â'r hyn y byddwch chi'n ymwneud â'r hyn y byddwch chi'n ymwneud â'r hyn y byddwch chi'n ymwneud â'r hyn y byddwch chi'n ymwneud â'r hyn y byddwch chi'n ymwneud â'r hyn y byddwch chi'n ymwneud â'r hyn y byddwch chi'n ymwneud â'r hyn y byddwch chi'n ymwneud â'r hyn y byddwch chi'n ymwneud â'r hyn y byddwch chi'n ymwneud â'r hyn y byddwch chi'n ymwneud â'r hyn y byddwch chi'n ymwneud â'r hyn y byddwch chi'n ymwneud â'r hyn y byddwch chi'n ymwneud â'r hyn y byddwch chi'n ymwneud â'r hyn y byddwch chi'n ymwneud â'r hyn y byddwch chi'n ymwneud â'r hyn y byddwch chi'n ymwneud â'r hyn y byddwch chi'n ymwneud â'r hyn y byddwch chi' Well how about that? I mean what a guy, what a mindset. A real pleasure to speak to Adam
[01:11:48.400 -> 01:11:54.440] and it's so great to then see both him and Mel doing exactly what that process and that
[01:11:54.440 -> 01:12:01.000] mindset and that self-belief and that sacrifice and that commitment and that consistency and
[01:12:01.000 -> 01:12:05.880] that all-in attitude has given them as he defended his Olympic crown just a few days ago
[01:12:05.880 -> 01:12:08.600] out in the Tokyo Olympics.
[01:12:08.600 -> 01:12:10.200] I also want to say a big thanks to you as well
[01:12:10.200 -> 01:12:12.040] because I asked you after the last episode
[01:12:12.040 -> 01:12:15.960] to send me your thoughts on Kate Richardson Walsh's episode
[01:12:15.960 -> 01:12:17.800] as part of our Olympic mini-series.
[01:12:17.800 -> 01:12:20.200] And I got some amazing responses and reactions
[01:12:20.200 -> 01:12:23.000] and I actually passed most of them on to Kate as well.
[01:12:23.000 -> 01:12:24.320] What I'd really like from today,
[01:12:24.320 -> 01:12:25.780] because I want to share this on my Instagram
[01:12:25.780 -> 01:12:31.440] I'd really love you to either DM me or to put on your Instagram even better actually because then other people see it
[01:12:32.160 -> 01:12:37.440] The one biggest lesson you've learned from the high-performance podcast. Have you got the time? I would love that
[01:12:37.440 -> 01:12:42.400] I think it helps to spread the message. It gets other people involved and watching what we're doing
[01:12:42.920 -> 01:12:45.900] And I think it's really important to share,
[01:12:45.900 -> 01:12:46.200] you know,
[01:12:46.200 -> 01:12:49.000] I just think sharing your thoughts and your reaction to
[01:12:49.000 -> 01:12:52.300] these things is really vital for other people because as
[01:12:52.300 -> 01:12:53.300] much as it can be useful,
[01:12:53.300 -> 01:12:56.200] sometimes it can be confusing and with there are people
[01:12:56.200 -> 01:12:58.600] sitting there thinking what's the big learning from this
[01:12:58.600 -> 01:13:01.500] episode for you to share your thoughts would really help
[01:13:01.500 -> 01:13:01.900] them.
[01:13:02.000 -> 01:13:03.700] So if you've got the time and the inclination,
[01:13:03.700 -> 01:13:04.300] I'd love it.
[01:13:04.300 -> 01:13:06.220] If you could just either ping me a message
[01:13:06.220 -> 01:13:09.840] or pop on your Instagram the single biggest learning
[01:13:09.840 -> 01:13:11.840] that you've taken from the episodes
[01:13:11.840 -> 01:13:14.240] of the High Performance Podcast that you've listened to.
[01:13:14.240 -> 01:13:16.340] I know it's hard to narrow it down to one,
[01:13:17.240 -> 01:13:20.320] but see what you think and see what you come up with.
[01:13:20.320 -> 01:13:21.760] I can't wait to hear from you.
[01:13:21.760 -> 01:13:23.520] As always, huge thanks to Damien
[01:13:23.520 -> 01:13:26.740] for being brilliant in these interviews. I'm sure you'll agree with that and just a quick
[01:13:26.740 -> 01:13:30.800] reminder that Damien and myself have a book out and if you click the link in
[01:13:30.800 -> 01:13:34.960] the description to this podcast then you will be able to get a signed copy of our
[01:13:34.960 -> 01:13:39.040] book as soon as it is launched on the 9th of December. It's called High
[01:13:39.040 -> 01:13:44.040] Performance Lessons from the Best on Becoming Your Best and it is packed not
[01:13:44.040 -> 01:13:48.200] just with the things we've learned in the podcast but how we've interpreted them, other research,
[01:13:48.200 -> 01:13:52.920] personal stories and anecdotes. We're really proud of this book. I think you're
[01:13:52.920 -> 01:13:55.840] going to love it and if you want to just click the link in the description to
[01:13:55.840 -> 01:13:59.920] this podcast to pre-order your copy right now. As always big thanks to our
[01:13:59.920 -> 01:14:04.760] guest Adam Peaty, thanks to Damien, thanks to Hannah and Will and Finn Ryan from
[01:14:04.760 -> 01:14:05.140] Rethink
[01:14:05.140 -> 01:14:09.220] Audio for their hard work on this episode, but most of all, thank you to you. Thanks
[01:14:09.220 -> 01:14:13.500] for the tens of thousands of downloads this week, thanks for talking about the podcast,
[01:14:13.500 -> 01:14:17.340] thanks for sharing your thoughts with the podcast, thanks for basically making it what
[01:14:17.340 -> 01:14:22.100] it is. We wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't for you and if it wasn't for Lotus Cars. So
[01:14:22.100 -> 01:14:26.600] thanks to them, thanks to you. Have a brilliant day and thanks for tuning in
[01:14:26.600 -> 01:14:28.240] to this high performance podcast,
[01:14:28.240 -> 01:14:31.300] Olympic special in association with Lotus.
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