Lighting up the room this Christmas

Happy Christmas from everyone at the High Performance Podcast!

To mark the occasion, Jake and Damian take a look back at some of the most impactful, inspiring and surprising interviews that have taken place since the start of the podcast.

They listen back to moments from conversations with guests like football manager Will Still on his positive and honest attitude and Rylan Clark on why he started talking kindly to himself. Jake and Damian also discuss the amazing insights from guests like former Lioness Jill Scott, sporting promoter Barry Hearn, rugby player Maro Itoje and Paralympian David Smith.

Thank you for inviting us into your lives this year!

Listen to the episodes mentioned here:

Will Still: https://pod.fo/e/1ea4ea

Rylan Clark: https://pod.fo/e/15d984

Jill Scott: https://pod.fo/e/17147d

Barry Hearn: https://pod.fo/e/157c60

Maro Itoje: https://pod.fo/e/163178

David Smith: https://pod.fo/e/1ef288

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

# High Performance Podcast: A Journey of Inspiration, Energy, and Gratitude

In this special Christmas episode, hosts Jake Humphrey and Damian Lewis revisit some of the most impactful moments from the High Performance Podcast. They discuss the importance of positive energy and the ability to light up a room, as demonstrated by guests like football manager Will Still, TV presenter Rylan Clark, Lioness Jill Scott, sporting promoter Barry Hearn, rugby player Maro Itoje, and Paralympian David Smith.

1. **Will Still's Authenticity and Vulnerability:**
- Will Still's refreshing honesty and vulnerability during his interview stood out to the hosts.
- He embraced his uniqueness and encouraged his players to do the same, creating a supportive environment.

2. **Rylan Clark's Infectious Positivity:**
- Rylan Clark's genuine and upbeat personality brought a positive energy to the studio.
- He showcased his ability to laugh at himself and embrace his quirks, inspiring others to do the same.

3. **Jill Scott's Inspirational Leadership:**
- Jill Scott's passion for inspiring young girls to pursue football was evident in her interview.
- She emphasized the importance of creating a welcoming environment where girls feel empowered to play the sport.

4. **Barry Hearn's Timeless Wisdom:**
- Barry Hearn's advice to "be the best you can be" resonated with the hosts.
- He stressed the importance of doing one's best and not taking oneself too seriously.

5. **Maro Itoje's Positive Outlook:**
- Maro Itoje's ability to find joy and fun in challenging situations was inspiring.
- He shared his experience of being physically outmatched early in his career, but he embraced the challenge with a positive attitude.

6. **David Smith's Gratitude and Presence:**
- David Smith's resilience and gratitude despite his terminal diagnosis left a profound impact on the hosts.
- He emphasized the importance of being present with loved ones and savoring life's moments.

The hosts concluded the episode by reflecting on the importance of enjoying life, making the most of opportunities, and appreciating the small things. They encouraged listeners to strive for high performance by embracing positivity, gratitude, and presence in their lives.

[00:00.000 -> 00:05.680] These days, every new potential hire can feel like a high-stakes wager for your small business.
[00:05.680 -> 00:10.240] You want to be 100% certain that you have access to the best qualified candidates available.
[00:10.240 -> 00:12.960] That's why you have to check out LinkedIn Jobs.
[00:12.960 -> 00:18.480] LinkedIn Jobs helps find the right people for your team, faster and for free.
[00:18.480 -> 00:21.440] Post your job for free at linkedin.com.
[00:21.440 -> 00:22.800] slash hard work.
[00:22.800 -> 00:24.720] That's linkedin.com.
[00:24.720 -> 00:26.720] slash hard work. To post your.com slash hard work to post
[00:26.720 -> 00:33.060] your job for free. Terms and conditions apply. On our podcast we love to
[00:33.060 -> 00:36.500] highlight businesses that are doing things a better way so you can live a
[00:36.500 -> 00:41.220] better life and that's why when I found Mint Mobile I had to share. So Mint
[00:41.220 -> 00:49.520] Mobile ditched retail stores and all those overhead costs and instead sells their phone plans online and passes those savings to you. And for
[00:49.520 -> 00:53.160] a limited time they're passing on even more savings with a new customer offer
[00:53.160 -> 00:58.480] that cuts all Mint Mobile plans to $15 a month when you purchase a three month
[00:58.480 -> 01:08.000] plan. That's unlimited talk, text and data for $15 a month. And by the way, the quality of Mint Mobile's
[01:08.000 -> 01:11.360] wireless service in comparison to providers that we've worked with before
[01:11.360 -> 01:16.880] is incredible. Mint Mobile is here to rescue you with premium wireless plans
[01:16.880 -> 01:21.400] for 15 bucks a month. So say goodbye to your overpriced wireless plans, those
[01:21.400 -> 01:28.000] jaw-dropping monthly bills, those unexpected overages, because all the plans come with unlimited talk and text and high speed data
[01:28.000 -> 01:31.000] delivered on the nation's largest 5G network.
[01:31.000 -> 01:34.000] Use your own phone with any Mint Mobile plan,
[01:34.000 -> 01:37.000] bring your phone number along with all your existing contacts.
[01:37.000 -> 01:41.000] So ditch overpriced wireless with Mint Mobile's limited time deal
[01:41.000 -> 01:48.800] and get premium wireless service for just 15 bucks a month. To get this new customer offer and your new three month unlimited
[01:48.800 -> 01:54.080] wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month go to mintmobile.com.hpp
[01:54.080 -> 02:00.560] that's mintmobile.com.hpp. Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at
[02:00.560 -> 02:05.420] mintmobile.com.hP. Additional taxes, fees and restrictions
[02:05.420 -> 02:09.500] apply. See Mint Mobile for details.
[02:11.040 -> 02:16.200] Hi there, welcome along to the High Performance Podcast as we sit here and
[02:16.200 -> 02:19.760] chat on Christmas Day. Have you had any presents yet Damien? No, not yet. I'm
[02:19.760 -> 02:24.480] eagerly anticipating it. I normally try and use a bit of delayed gratification and
[02:24.480 -> 02:28.840] kick it into the late afternoon before I open anything. So for anyone listening to
[02:28.840 -> 02:32.660] this, we want to wish you the very best of the season's greetings, we hope that
[02:32.660 -> 02:38.000] you're having a lovely day, having the chance just to stop, reflect and just
[02:38.000 -> 02:41.360] spend a bit of time up in your own energy levels and taking care of
[02:41.360 -> 02:46.480] yourself today. Absolutely and whether you're listening to this on Christmas Day,
[02:44.680 -> 02:50.440] Boxing Day, around New Year or at some
[02:46.480 -> 02:53.120] point in early 2024, we just thought
[02:50.440 -> 02:54.440] that we would talk about the importance
[02:53.120 -> 02:57.160] of the energy that people bring to the
[02:54.440 -> 02:58.360] room and this idea of lighting up a
[02:57.160 -> 03:00.400] room when you walk into it. You know,
[02:58.360 -> 03:02.080] Damien has this great line, there are
[03:00.400 -> 03:03.160] some people in life that light the room
[03:02.080 -> 03:04.640] up when they're in it, there are other
[03:03.160 -> 03:07.000] people in your life that the room lights
[03:04.640 -> 03:06.560] up when they've gone.
[03:06.560 -> 03:10.160] And we were just talking about what an amazing year it's been on High Performance, some incredible
[03:10.160 -> 03:12.840] guests from all different walks of life.
[03:12.840 -> 03:17.360] And when we think back over the year, we both agree that our mind immediately doesn't take
[03:17.360 -> 03:19.200] us necessarily to the things that people have said.
[03:19.200 -> 03:21.880] It takes us to how people made us feel.
[03:21.880 -> 03:22.880] Massively.
[03:22.880 -> 03:25.120] I think we've been so privileged to meet
[03:25.120 -> 03:30.000] so many incredible people but it's the ones that really just brought a unique
[03:30.000 -> 03:34.320] energy to it, whether it was just they made us laugh, they made us feel good
[03:34.320 -> 03:38.760] about ourselves or they just made us feel that the world was a better place
[03:38.760 -> 03:42.320] than what we maybe believed before we walked in. There's something really
[03:42.320 -> 03:47.040] special about bringing that kind of energy. Well let's start with a clip then from Will Still. He's
[03:47.040 -> 03:52.040] the current manager of Stade de Rhin in France. He's the youngest manager in one
[03:52.040 -> 03:56.560] of Europe's big five football leagues and I remember listening to the
[03:56.560 -> 04:01.160] conversation, you know, you have to sort of remember the context I've spent the
[04:01.160 -> 04:07.500] last 10 years as a football journalist, you know, hosting football matches, so I'm used to seeing managers give the same old cliched
[04:07.500 -> 04:13.100] answers, where the truth is in the modern era, players and managers try and tell
[04:13.100 -> 04:17.540] the broadcasters of football matches as little as possible. The players have told
[04:17.540 -> 04:20.460] me that when they go back in the dressing room after having spoken to the
[04:20.460 -> 04:25.440] media, their only aim is to not give them any headlines to cause any issues,
[04:25.440 -> 04:29.640] no ammunition, no problems, you know, just say nothing basically. So to have Will still
[04:29.640 -> 04:37.460] sitting across from us, being incredibly vulnerable, totally himself, really like just saying what
[04:37.460 -> 04:41.040] came into his head when it came into his head, I was thinking, like, I'm not used to this,
[04:41.040 -> 04:47.000] this is brilliant, this is how I want us to speak to football managers and sports people and those elite individuals.
[04:47.000 -> 04:48.500] It was totally refreshing.
[04:48.500 -> 04:55.500] Well, when I sometimes see some of the pictures or the YouTube footage of the interviews that we do,
[04:55.500 -> 05:02.000] I think sometimes the pair of us can look incredibly serious and earnest and really engaged with the four-eyed brown,
[05:02.000 -> 05:08.200] yet when I'd look back on the Will Still one and when the camera cut to us, both of us were smiling and I think
[05:08.200 -> 05:14.640] that's a reflection of how infectious Will's vulnerability but how infectious
[05:14.640 -> 05:18.040] the energy that he brought to us was and imagine what that'd be like for the
[05:18.040 -> 05:20.400] young men playing for him at Stade de Rhin.
[05:20.400 -> 05:26.000] Well let's have a listen then to the way that Will talks about himself and the players in his team. Here it is.
[05:28.000 -> 05:38.000] When I took over it's like, right, I'm big, I'm ginger, I talk half decent English, half decent French, I'm from Belgium, working in France.
[05:39.000 -> 05:41.000] And I'm gonna get things wrong. Deal with it.
[05:42.000 -> 05:51.040] Junya Ito, he's Japanese, he pretends he can't speak English but he can, he pretends he doesn't understand French but he does,
[05:51.040 -> 05:58.440] eats rice every, you know, lunchtime for a meal, isn't gonna eat, you know, whatever
[05:58.440 -> 06:06.200] we eat, isn't gonna talk whatever you're talking about, deal with it. Marshall Munizzi from
[06:06.200 -> 06:15.360] Zimbabwe talks about cricket, runs a lot, smiles a lot, eats weird things too, makes
[06:15.360 -> 06:19.800] a lot of noise but he's not the most comfortable in that situation, deal with it. Okay, and
[06:19.800 -> 06:29.800] I just went through every player and said right, all have our own specifics we all have our own weird traits of character we all have almost that thing that makes
[06:29.800 -> 06:35.280] us special just don't hide it you know don't don't try and put it away don't
[06:35.280 -> 06:41.480] try and be someone that I don't want you to be just be whoever you want to be
[06:41.600 -> 06:46.800] Will still there the young manager of Stade de Rhin, who at the time of us recording this
[06:46.800 -> 06:51.580] episode are having another brilliant season under his management. You know sometimes people
[06:51.580 -> 06:54.320] can say things and you think, yeah, you're saying all the right words, but I wonder whether
[06:54.320 -> 06:59.120] actually you really make people feel like that. You know, Will is saying there, this
[06:59.120 -> 07:01.920] is the way I am, this is the way these people are, we're all flawed, we're all doing our
[07:01.920 -> 07:09.840] best, deal with it. Like, I totally can see how that is exactly how he makes his players feel. This isn't someone sort of putting
[07:09.840 -> 07:14.640] on a front or trying to tell us what he wants us to hear, is it? Well, it's just pure naked
[07:14.640 -> 07:21.680] authenticity and if you're comfortable with who you are, nobody can use any of those traits to harm
[07:21.680 -> 07:25.040] you or to make
[07:22.760 -> 07:27.040] fun of you or belittle you because you
[07:25.040 -> 07:29.240] know exactly what your strengths are and
[07:27.040 -> 07:31.880] what your weaknesses are. And I think that
[07:29.240 -> 07:34.160] is summed up by the next guest that
[07:31.880 -> 07:35.640] brought some incredible energy to us, which
[07:34.160 -> 07:38.280] is the next guest which is Ryland
[07:35.640 -> 07:40.720] Clark. Now I'd only ever seen Ryland
[07:38.280 -> 07:42.800] on TV programs and he's often got that
[07:40.720 -> 07:45.040] big beaming smile, he often seems to be
[07:42.800 -> 07:49.760] having great fun wherever he is but you wonder how much of that is confected just for television. And yet when he walks
[07:49.760 -> 07:54.640] into the studio with us, what you see on television is exactly what you meet in real life.
[07:54.640 -> 07:56.800] Jason Vale I really like Rylan. If you're outside the UK,
[07:56.800 -> 08:01.280] he's a TV presenter, he was on, when he made his name actually on X Factor, he then went on Big
[08:01.280 -> 08:09.040] Brother, he hosted Big Brother, he's a radio host here in the UK as well. And you know when we just spoke about allowing people to be authentically
[08:09.040 -> 08:15.840] themselves, in so many ways he's really clever at saying, look at me, look at what I'm really
[08:15.840 -> 08:19.760] like. He kind of owns the narrative around himself. So, you know, he loves to say, I
[08:19.760 -> 08:23.640] started out as a joke and I'm still laughing. I think that's a brilliant line because it's
[08:23.640 -> 08:29.040] like, this is me and I'm totally comfortable being me. And he was also comfortable telling us about a
[08:29.040 -> 08:35.360] friend that lives in his garden, a pheasant called Patrice. Should we? It sounds ridiculous
[08:35.360 -> 08:40.000] even saying it. I went on high performance and spoke about Patrice, the pheasant in my
[08:40.000 -> 08:43.040] garden that I feed. Should we hear him talk about it?
[08:43.040 -> 08:45.760] Yeah, go on. I love this one.
[08:45.760 -> 08:51.000] But I'm particularly struck by the technique that you described of talking
[08:51.000 -> 08:54.920] just kindly to yourself, like you're a toddler and I'm interested, have you
[08:54.920 -> 08:59.600] maintained that in your recovery? I actually have, and especially living alone as well. I
[08:59.600 -> 09:04.240] noticed the other day, like, there's this pheasant that keeps running around my
[09:04.240 -> 09:05.200] garden and I've named it Patrice, clearly I've got a lot of time on my hands, and I noticed the other day, like, there's this pheasant that keeps running around my garden
[09:05.200 -> 09:09.600] and I've named it Patrice, clearly I've got a lot of time on my hands.
[09:09.600 -> 09:15.000] And I got up this morning and I went into my kitchen, I was making a coffee and I looked
[09:15.000 -> 09:20.480] out the window and I saw the pheasant like, by the little water fountain, and out loud,
[09:20.480 -> 09:24.440] not just the voice in my head, out loud I've gone, oh there he is, little fucker.
[09:24.440 -> 09:29.600] But I've said it, rather than think it, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that,
[09:29.600 -> 09:34.880] because I'd say it if someone was there. No one is there, but actually I quite like a little
[09:34.880 -> 09:40.160] chat with myself every now and again. That is just an insight into someone who's really comfy
[09:40.160 -> 09:45.400] in their own skin, brilliant sense of humor, like again it was just fun
[09:45.400 -> 09:49.440] wasn't it when Rylan was in the building? Yeah definitely he literally was
[09:49.440 -> 09:54.000] somebody that lit up the room, as was our next guest that we want to share, the
[09:54.000 -> 09:59.440] brilliant, the ever-vessant Jill Scott, the England Lionesses Euro winner and
[09:59.440 -> 10:05.280] the Queen of the Jungle from the last season of I'm a Celebrity, get me out of here. Now we titled
[10:05.280 -> 10:11.840] her episode, Inspire Before You Expire, because her whole mantra was what fits with this Christmas
[10:11.840 -> 10:18.040] season which is giving energy to people, groups and anybody lucky enough to be in a company
[10:18.040 -> 10:21.880] and we would count ourselves amongst that group.
[10:21.880 -> 10:27.120] Here she is. You've won the Euros, you've done on home soil,
[10:27.120 -> 10:28.320] you've played your part.
[10:28.800 -> 10:29.600] What goes through your mind?
[10:29.600 -> 10:31.600] I've still got goosebumps now when you say that.
[10:31.600 -> 10:32.600] I have, what are you telling me?
[10:32.600 -> 10:33.200] Literally.
[10:33.200 -> 10:33.800] Erm...
[10:34.400 -> 10:35.400] Oh, you know what?
[10:35.400 -> 10:37.000] I ran straight over to Kira,
[10:37.000 -> 10:39.200] who'd been playing obviously centre midfield,
[10:39.400 -> 10:41.000] and I think I just give her the biggest hug.
[10:41.000 -> 10:43.200] I thought she was absolutely fantastic throughout the tournament,
[10:43.200 -> 10:44.400] and I think I just said,
[10:44.400 -> 10:49.920] I just love you, thank you so much and I was like yeah I can't even put them
[10:49.920 -> 10:54.640] feelings into words I really can't I was like just won the Euros and I stayed out on that pitch for
[10:54.640 -> 11:00.160] about two hours after I was like I just don't want to leave this moment but yeah you just you don't
[11:00.160 -> 11:09.640] want to give cliche answers but it's like everything that you've ever wanted just happened. But you know what the biggest thing now is I don't reflect on that moment as much.
[11:09.640 -> 11:11.640] Like as I say, I haven't watched the game back
[11:11.840 -> 11:17.360] but I'm just so happy that now we have a bit of fight and talk as young girls and
[11:17.840 -> 11:20.440] like women that, oh girls can't play football.
[11:20.440 -> 11:22.800] Well, actually we're one of you Rose.
[11:22.800 -> 11:28.880] And I think them young girls can just step into the school field and they can play with the boys and there'll be girls
[11:28.880 -> 11:33.400] playing as well and there's just no questions asked. I get so many dads coming up to us
[11:33.400 -> 11:37.000] and some of them will go, can I get a picture for my daughter? And the mate will go, he
[11:37.000 -> 11:40.720] hasn't got a daughter. But there's so many that come up to us and they're like, you know
[11:40.720 -> 11:43.920] what my daughter plays now and they're like, I'm going to kill you because I've got to
[11:43.920 -> 11:45.160] stand on the side of the pitch now
[11:45.160 -> 11:50.560] So I've got my son on the morning and then my daughter on the afternoon and honestly, it just makes us like so happy
[11:52.680 -> 11:54.680] You know, I am I remember
[11:55.240 -> 11:57.240] When they won the Euros, you know, Jill
[11:57.440 -> 11:59.640] Jill was saying she thought it was weird that they were being
[11:59.960 -> 12:05.040] Totally like at one with the crowd before they won it and that Ser Serena Viegman, who's also been on High Performance,
[12:05.040 -> 12:06.440] was the person that said, hold on,
[12:06.440 -> 12:08.160] connect to the crowd first,
[12:08.160 -> 12:09.320] and then they'll come on the journey with you.
[12:09.320 -> 12:11.320] And I think that you could feel that when she was with us.
[12:11.320 -> 12:13.200] And actually, all of these guests
[12:13.200 -> 12:15.120] are real masters of connection.
[12:15.120 -> 12:18.640] And it's probably a real good reminder for both of us
[12:18.640 -> 12:21.840] that you gotta connect with people
[12:21.840 -> 12:23.440] for them to come with you on these things.
[12:23.440 -> 12:27.600] Like, you know, every time I see Will Stills' results,
[12:27.600 -> 12:30.480] every time I see Ryland on the telly, every time I see Jill do something,
[12:30.480 -> 12:34.720] I'm happy for them because I'm like, I met you and you were really nice,
[12:34.720 -> 12:36.480] therefore I'm backing you, I'm in your corner.
[12:36.480 -> 12:39.040] I think it's a good reminder that it really matters, this stuff.
[12:39.040 -> 12:43.600] Yeah, so Jill recounted to us how Serena Vigman had told them that,
[12:43.600 -> 12:49.320] go and applaud the fans before the game, not after after it because that way you get them invested in you
[12:49.320 -> 12:53.800] and when you really need their help and their support they're willing to give it
[12:53.800 -> 12:57.200] to you because you've already built that relationship and I think that's really
[12:57.200 -> 13:01.160] powerful for for all of us to remember in any walk of life there's that old
[13:01.160 -> 13:06.960] saying that make friends before you need them so don't ask for people's help when you're in trouble, if you've already
[13:06.960 -> 13:10.880] invested the time in those relationships, they'll give it to you without you
[13:10.880 -> 13:14.120] needing to request it. Well let's move on then to another clip, I really want to
[13:14.120 -> 13:19.240] share this with you, this is Barry Hearn, the legendary boxing promoter, giving us
[13:19.240 -> 13:26.000] a bit of life advice. Final question for the people that have listened to this conversation and it's
[13:26.000 -> 13:31.160] been absolutely full of amazing gems and life lessons and wisdom. What would you
[13:31.160 -> 13:35.080] want to leave people with? People from all walks of life and all ages and all
[13:35.080 -> 13:38.380] backgrounds and all levels of success listen to this podcast and it isn't a
[13:38.380 -> 13:43.520] podcast about success, it's a podcast about happiness and self-worth. I think you do
[13:43.520 -> 13:49.320] have a different attitude and I'm sure young people won't relate to some of the things I say as much as the older
[13:49.320 -> 13:53.360] people because what I'm talking about is what your granddad might tell you or
[13:53.360 -> 13:58.320] your great aunt, uncle or your dad told you when you was younger. The biggest
[13:58.320 -> 14:03.040] lesson of all is just comes back to be the best you can be. That's all you can
[14:03.040 -> 14:06.280] do. You can't do anything else. So there's no pressure because you can't be better than you can
[14:06.280 -> 14:11.200] be and try and do it with a smile on your face and don't take yourself too
[14:11.200 -> 14:16.000] seriously because I'm not.
[14:16.000 -> 14:21.120] I think that's a great message from Barry, just do your best. We don't hear it often
[14:21.120 -> 14:24.160] enough, do your best. No one else can ask for more of you than that.
[14:24.160 -> 14:29.360] Yeah well it was echoed in the interview we did just a few months ago with Shane
[14:29.360 -> 14:34.480] Parish, the Canadian founder of Farnham Street, the brilliant blog, where he
[14:34.480 -> 14:37.680] spoke about when people come to him and ask him for his help, his first question
[14:37.680 -> 14:39.280] is, is this your best work?
[14:39.800 -> 14:43.680] Cause if it is, I'm willing to go the extra mile and help you improve it.
[14:43.680 -> 14:47.720] But if you're just bringing your average work and hoping that I do the heavy lifting
[14:47.720 -> 14:51.720] for you that's not an investment I'm willing to make so when any of us can
[14:51.720 -> 14:55.480] honestly hand on heart say this is my best this is the best that I'm capable
[14:55.480 -> 14:59.920] of in this moment with the resources I've got most people then will help you
[14:59.920 -> 15:03.880] to see if your best can become even better. And a man who gave his best in
[15:03.880 -> 15:06.600] the autumn of 2023 was Maro Etoje,
[15:06.600 -> 15:10.600] part of the England team that made it through to the semifinals of the Rugby World Cup,
[15:10.600 -> 15:15.600] lost by a single point to the eventual winners, South Africa.
[15:15.600 -> 15:18.400] The reason why we decided, Damien, wasn't it, to play this clip
[15:18.400 -> 15:23.200] is that our approach to things in life actually really determines our experience of it.
[15:23.200 -> 15:25.160] So this is Maro basically talking about getting smashed up in rugby, life actually really determines our
[15:22.320 -> 15:28.040] experience of it. So this is Maro basically
[15:25.160 -> 15:30.080] talking about getting smashed up in in
[15:28.040 -> 15:32.480] rugby, but he does it with this
[15:30.080 -> 15:34.360] effervescent smile, laughter and
[15:32.480 -> 15:36.600] positivity. And before we share the clip
[15:34.360 -> 15:39.240] let's just give listeners here a bit of
[15:36.600 -> 15:40.600] context that he's easily the most
[15:39.240 -> 15:42.120] fashionable guest that we've ever had
[15:40.600 -> 15:43.720] on. How good did he look when he turned
[15:42.120 -> 15:45.840] up? But also you know when someone is
[15:43.720 -> 15:47.080] like, they just have that aura, that energy, like he walked in
[15:47.080 -> 15:50.640] slowly, he was dressed really cool, he had that briefcase, do you remember that
[15:50.640 -> 15:53.840] really cool briefcase? And he sort of puts it down and shakes everyone's hands.
[15:53.840 -> 15:57.920] There's no like, there's no rushed forced movement. I see this with Rio
[15:57.920 -> 16:02.040] Ferdinand as well. He brings presence to the room by doing things at his own pace.
[16:02.040 -> 16:04.720] Almost like, alright this might be an urgent room, there might be a lot going
[16:04.720 -> 16:07.040] on, but I'm gonna move at my own pace here.
[16:07.040 -> 16:11.560] Yeah, so when Morrow came in, yeah, he had that sense of calm, didn't he? That calm authority
[16:11.560 -> 16:17.720] and then, you know, he was, he thought deeply about some of the questions that we were gonna
[16:17.720 -> 16:21.740] pose to him. So you remember, he was the one that gave us the distinction between high
[16:21.740 -> 16:27.080] performance and world-class performance. World-class is going to be an objective set of measures,
[16:27.080 -> 16:33.080] high performance is subjective. So he was an incredibly charismatic guy who brought
[16:33.080 -> 16:37.720] huge energy into the room. So let's listen to him talk about his early days
[16:37.720 -> 16:46.000] when he was just an apprentice at Saracens and he came up against an immovable force.
[16:56.000 -> 17:06.640] This one was a bit in regards to like, again, the physical differential between where I was and where I needed to be. So it was my first game for Saracens, it was a pre-season game. I think I was playing at Blindside Flanker for the game, anyway we were playing
[17:06.640 -> 17:12.640] the rugby team in Rotherham and Rotherham are known for having gnarly forwards, big
[17:12.640 -> 17:20.760] strong physical team, mainly a set-piece sort of team and as it happens in rugby there was
[17:20.760 -> 17:27.080] a little scuffle that was happening and then I came in to protect
[17:27.080 -> 17:38.280] my players. I pushed one guy, then he looked at me, then pushed me back. I just felt the
[17:38.280 -> 17:45.760] push in my chest, I was like, woah, this is the same teenager that I'm used to pushing.
[17:45.760 -> 17:46.840] These are men.
[17:46.840 -> 17:48.720] I felt the weight in his arms.
[17:48.720 -> 17:52.160] Luckily, one of my teammates came to back me up.
[17:52.160 -> 17:53.800] Otherwise, I would have been in a bit of trouble.
[17:53.800 -> 17:59.840] So that was another example of me realizing that I need to get back in the gym.
[18:01.600 -> 18:07.500] Maro Otoje there, the England rugby player. It's a brilliant clip because it's like he
[18:07.500 -> 18:10.620] could easily go, oh, I was really hard those early days, you know, I used to get smashed
[18:10.620 -> 18:15.700] and battered up. But why not remember those days as great fun? Like how great to have
[18:15.700 -> 18:20.340] someone going, that was hard, but I loved it. He was literally laughing while talking
[18:20.340 -> 18:21.940] about getting smashed about.
[18:21.940 -> 18:27.120] Yeah, like, I'm a classic for that one, that I'll often, my brain
[18:27.120 -> 18:31.600] is drawn to the negative when you think of an experience, you think about the struggle you might
[18:31.600 -> 18:37.440] have had or the difficulty and Marrow was a great reminder of actually pick out the things that were
[18:37.440 -> 18:42.880] fun, that were enjoyable and that made it a pleasure during that time of your life as well.
[18:42.880 -> 18:49.960] Right. And that leads us to our final clip that we'd like to share because if anyone came on the podcast
[18:49.960 -> 18:54.440] this year and brought incredible energy it was the brilliant David Smith, the
[18:54.440 -> 18:59.600] Paralympian athlete. And part of the reason that the energy was so profound
[18:59.600 -> 19:04.120] for us was that David came and told us about the terminal diagnosis that he'd
[19:04.120 -> 19:07.120] recently received just before he sat down with us.
[19:07.120 -> 19:10.240] And he wasn't dwelling on the negative.
[19:10.240 -> 19:11.960] He was dwelling on all the things
[19:11.960 -> 19:13.920] that he had to be grateful in life.
[19:13.920 -> 19:16.680] And I think listening to this particular clip
[19:16.680 -> 19:19.160] at this time of year is a great reminder
[19:19.160 -> 19:21.040] of appreciating the small things,
[19:21.040 -> 19:23.520] because one day they'll be the big things.
[19:25.040 -> 19:30.160] So it's a little bit of education but I've watched friends, loved ones
[19:30.160 -> 19:35.360] fall apart. I had an army friend on the phone two weeks ago and he
[19:35.360 -> 19:37.960] couldn't even speak to me, he was in tears, he broke down on the phone. I said
[19:37.960 -> 19:43.200] hey it's happening to me not you. But I realized that everyone's different and I
[19:43.200 -> 19:45.760] think for me it's brought everyone so much closer and I think that everyone's different. I think for me, it's brought everyone so much closer.
[19:45.760 -> 19:51.320] And I think that it's given me such a great appreciation of time that when I'm with you,
[19:51.320 -> 19:52.320] I'm with you.
[19:52.320 -> 19:55.360] So when I'm with you, I'm not on a phone.
[19:55.360 -> 20:01.480] And this is, I think, what my loved ones have taken from this, is that when we're together,
[20:01.480 -> 20:04.160] I'm with you, I'm listening to you, I'm hearing you.
[20:04.160 -> 20:05.640] I'm not just sitting listening
[20:05.640 -> 20:08.720] to reply or looking at my phone and doing a thousand things.
[20:08.720 -> 20:12.040] And I think if you leave with anything today, leave with that.
[20:12.040 -> 20:15.280] We're addicted in the dopamine rush to our devices.
[20:15.280 -> 20:19.960] When you're with your friends and loved ones, really be with them.
[20:19.960 -> 20:21.080] Put this stuff away.
[20:21.080 -> 20:25.520] And I think that's probably, if I can leave anything with my family, that's
[20:25.520 -> 20:27.400] been the biggest lesson from all of this.
[20:27.400 -> 20:32.480] So it's been hard for them and I think it always will be because my tumour is never,
[20:32.480 -> 20:38.640] well I say never going to go away, it's something I live with for every living breath I take
[20:38.640 -> 20:42.840] so it's something I have to navigate with my loved ones.
[20:42.840 -> 20:47.440] Well, is there a more important clip to finish on than that?
[20:47.440 -> 20:48.440] I don't believe so.
[20:48.440 -> 20:53.040] And I think if we could all aim to be a bit more present in 2024, it won't be a bad thing.
[20:53.040 -> 20:57.360] And that's a really good reminder that, you know, sometimes we can all get caught up and
[20:57.360 -> 21:01.540] twisted up with thinking that high performance is these huge, big leaps in certain directions
[21:01.540 -> 21:11.440] and we should castigate ourselves if we don't get there. But it actually isn't. All too often, high performance is simply enjoying life,
[21:11.440 -> 21:16.640] making the most of what we've got and realizing that we only get a few thousand weeks on this
[21:16.640 -> 21:21.200] earth. So if we can fill it with the kind of laughter that Marrow brought to us, the vibes
[21:21.200 -> 21:29.080] that Jill Scott brought, the honesty that Will Steele brought along, the randomness of Ryland or the sense of perspective that David
[21:29.080 -> 21:31.400] brings us, then we're heading in the right direction.
[21:31.400 -> 21:35.840] Yeah and if anyone is kind enough to invite us into your life on Christmas
[21:35.840 -> 21:40.880] Day or at this particular period, I hope that this is giving you just a bit of
[21:40.880 -> 21:49.080] brief pause to reflect, to be grateful and to really appreciate and savor the opportunities that life has for all of us.
[21:49.280 -> 21:50.360] Damien, happy Christmas.
[21:50.480 -> 21:51.360] Happy Christmas, Jake.
[21:51.360 -> 21:51.920] All the best.
[22:00.640 -> 22:04.520] These days, every new potential hire can feel like a high stakes
[22:04.520 -> 22:06.440] wager for your small business.
[22:06.440 -> 22:11.120] You want to be 100% certain that you have access to the best qualified candidates available.
[22:11.120 -> 22:13.720] That's why you have to check out LinkedIn Jobs.
[22:13.720 -> 22:19.400] LinkedIn Jobs helps find the right people for your team, faster and for free.
[22:19.400 -> 22:22.280] Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com.
[22:22.280 -> 22:26.960] That's LinkedIn.com. To post your job for free. Termin.com hardwork. That's linkedin.com hardwork.
[22:26.960 -> 22:30.080] To post your job for free, terms and conditions apply.
[22:30.080 -> 22:32.280] Get ahead of postage rate increases this year
[22:32.280 -> 22:33.480] with stamps.com.
[22:33.480 -> 22:35.400] It's like your own personal post office.
[22:35.400 -> 22:38.240] Sign up with promo code program for a four week trial
[22:38.240 -> 22:40.700] plus free postage and a free digital scale.
[22:40.700 -> 22:42.520] No long-term commitments or contracts.
[22:42.520 -> 22:44.840] That's stamps.com code program.
[22:41.920 -> 22:44.160] No long-term commitments or contracts. That's stamps.com code program.
[22:44.160 -> 22:49.160] Acast powers the world's best podcasts.
[22:49.160 -> 22:51.600] Here's a show that we recommend.
[22:51.600 -> 22:55.400] Hey everybody, I'm Jen.
[22:55.400 -> 22:56.240] I'm Jess.
[22:56.240 -> 22:57.560] And we're Fat Mascara,
[22:57.560 -> 23:00.120] the only beauty podcast you need in your life.
[23:00.120 -> 23:02.840] We're beauty editors by day and podcasters by night.
[23:02.840 -> 23:06.080] And we've got all the industry gossip for you, like insider
[23:06.080 -> 23:08.640] product reviews and advice you're not going to find online.
[23:08.640 -> 23:10.920] And the best part is interviews with the most sought after
[23:10.920 -> 23:14.440] experts in the beauty biz. Charlotte Tilbury, Jen Atkin,
[23:14.520 -> 23:17.780] and makeup artist Sir John. That's just a taste of what
[23:17.780 -> 23:20.580] you're going to get on the Fat Mascara podcast. So come hang
[23:20.580 -> 23:23.400] with us. New episodes drop every Tuesday and Thursday.
[23:21.400 -> 23:23.360] So come hang with us. New episodes drop every Tuesday and Thursday.
[23:26.240 -> 23:29.960] Acast helps creators launch, grow, and monetize
[23:29.960 -> 23:31.880] their podcasts everywhere.
[23:31.880 -> 23:33.640] Acast.com.