The High Performance Podcast

Episode: End of Year Review: Our Most Impactful Conversations & Our Biggest Guest Responds!

Release Date: December 22, 2025
Hosts: Jake Humphrey & Damian Hughes
Special contributor: Will (Producer)

Overview

This special end-of-year episode marks the conclusion of six years of The High Performance Podcast. Hosts Jake and Damian, alongside producer Will, reflect on their most impactful and memorable guest conversations of 2025. The trio reviews which episodes resonated with listeners, highlights key lessons learned from top performers across sports, business, entertainment, and wellness, and plays selected audio clips from influential guests. The tone is conversational, introspective, and light-hearted, as the hosts exchange stories, revisit challenges, and set ambitious goals for 2026.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Podcast's Purpose & Growth (02:31)

• Six-Year Milestone: The team expresses pride in six years of authentic, purpose-driven content focused on helping listeners become the best version of themselves.
  • Jake: "We were both passionate about it, weren't we, right from the very beginning?... It's genuinely what drives us."
  • Damian: "Does this leave the world a better place for our children?" (03:22)
• Authenticity: The hosts emphasize their commitment to sincerity over clickbait, noting Gareth Southgate recognized their unchanged sense of purpose over five years.

2. Year in Numbers & Listener Trends (04:38; 05:36)

• New Guests: 73 new guests joined the show in 2025.
• Top YouTube Episode: Surprisingly, the most-viewed episode on YouTube was with Callum Nicholas of Red Bull F1, outperforming bigger star names (06:07).
  • Jake: "It shows you that they're willing to dig a little bit deeper rather than just the headline names..." (06:25)
• Podcast vs. YouTube: Listener preferences for episodes often varied between platforms.

3. Noteworthy and Impactful Conversations

a) Boris Becker – The Power of Honesty (06:43)

• Boris Becker's Prison Story: The exclusivity and candour of this episode stood out for the team and listeners.
  • Damian: "For me, that's still the moment, you know, when he said, 'What did I go to prison for?'" (07:02)
  • Jake: "He didn't want to talk about his upbringing or winning Wimbledon... He wanted to come at us about, what did I go to prison for?" (08:30)
• Lesson Learned: Importance of reading a guest’s needs and state of mind in interviews and learning from past mistakes.

b) Listener Feedback: Most Impactful Conversations (09:32)

• Featured guests included Keely Hodgkinson, Ryan Yates, Professor Steve Peters, Adam Peaty, James Collins, and Roman Kemp.
  • Quote highlighted by listeners: "Just because it's hard, it doesn't mean it's bad for us."

4. The Hosts’ Most Impactful Conversations of the Year

a) Rob O’Neill – Facing Mortality (12:33)

• Clip: Rob describes writing goodbye letters to his daughters before the mission to find Osama Bin Laden.
  • Rob O’Neill (13:26): "No. I thought that was it. And that's the hardest part right there. Getting shot at is really easy... But looking your kids in the eyes and you're both aware that this could be it..."
• Lesson: The ability to be so mentally prepared, calm, and in control—even taking a nap before a potentially fatal mission—was cited as an example of high performance.
  • Jake (15:07): "High performance is the ability to be so at peace with yourself and your life..."

b) Damian’s Picks – Enjoyment in the Pursuit

• Alistair Brownlee:
  • The need to find enjoyment in the journey rather than wait for the gold medal to deliver happiness.
  • Alistair Brownlee (17:59): "Winning the race and standing on the podium was nowhere near the... joy and happiness and satisfaction from that, that all the training deserves..."

c) Honorable Mentions & Memorable Moments

• Daniel Dubois – The simplicity and discipline behind using a flip phone to cut out distractions.
  • Daniel (17:01): "Cut out all the bullshit, innit... It's all distractions."
• Roman Kemp & Noel Fitzpatrick – Deep insights on mental health and responsibility.

5. Most Useful Life Tips from Guests

a) Damian – Sarah Pascoe’s “Unconditional Positive Regard” (20:04)

• Sarah Pascoe described ditching her negative assumptions about audiences in favour of assuming the best intentions.
  • Sarah Pascoe (20:04): "Why don't you just trust that most people are here because they actually, they do want to see you. How delightful is that?"

b) Jake – Stephanie Romachevsky’s Sleep Advice (21:05)

• The critical insight that wake-up time consistency, not just length of sleep or bedtime, is most vital for quality rest.
  • Stephanie Romachevsky (22:48): "If you lie in bed till 9am you're gonna wake up like you're jet lagged through three time zones... Our circadian rhythm is the most important thing."

The Listener’s Top 5 Episodes (29:09)

• Carlos Sainz and Steve Peters were among the most listened to on audio platforms.
• Ian Graham, the Liverpool stats analyst, was highlighted for a ‘surprise hit’ episode.

Honesty and Openness: Notable Guests

a) Callum Wilson – Vulnerability in Football (31:17)

• Wilson’s confession about past trauma, despite his cheerful public image, broke stereotypes of stoic footballers.

b) Heston Blumenthal – Mental Health (33:01)

• Heston (33:01): "I would become a danger to myself, right, and the people that care for me... Then I was seeing this psychiatrist and she said, you’re bipolar."
• Importance of creating safe spaces for guests to open up candidly.

c) Tom Aspinall – The Role of Fear in Sport (36:27)

• Tom Aspinall (36:27): "I'm actually one of the rare UFC fighters... that will sit here and look you in the eyes and talk about fear..."

Most Resonant Episode: The Lasting Impact

• Damian: Professor Jonathan Haidt (39:07)
  • On the dangers of social media for youth and the need for parental vigilance.
  • Jonathan Haidt (40:30): "We have overprotected our children in the real world and we've under protected them online."
• Jake: Triple H (WWE) on Leadership, Authenticity & Work-Life Balance (44:47)
  • Series of inspiring quotes on discipline, balance, and vulnerability as a leader.

Notable Quotes & Soundbites

• Triple H (44:56): "Discipline is doing something that you don't want to do... It's getting up anyway and going and doing it like you love it. Not going through the motions..."
• Triple H: "Work life balance is just managing how you emotionally handle the push and the pull."
• Sarah Pascoe: "Why don't you just trust that most people are here because they actually, they do want to see you. How delightful is that?" (20:04)
• Rob O’Neill: "There's a huge difference between kissing your kid good night and kissing your kid goodbye." (13:31)
• Jonathan Haidt: "We have overprotected our children in the real world and we've under protected them online." (40:30)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment / Highlight | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------------------------------------- |---------------| | Podcast reflection, purpose, authenticity | 02:12–03:51 | | 2025 in numbers: most popular guests & episodes | 04:38–07:02 | | Boris Becker’s prison story & interview reflections | 06:43–08:30 | | Listener feedback on most impactful guests | 09:32–10:18 | | Rob O’Neill’s story: prepping for the Bin Laden mission | 12:33–15:07 | | Daniel Dubois: phone simplicity/philosophy | 16:29–17:14 | | Alistair Brownlee: enjoy the journey, not just the gold | 17:59–18:53 | | Sarah Pascoe: Unconditional positive regard | 20:04–20:51 | | Stephanie Romachevsky: sleep consistency insight | 21:05–22:48 | | Top 5 listened-to episodes (with Will) | 29:09–30:17 | | Callum Wilson: vulnerability in football | 31:17–33:01 | | Heston Blumenthal: mental health and bipolar diagnosis | 33:01–34:31 | | Tom Aspinall: talking about fear in UFC | 36:27–37:58 | | Jonathan Haidt: Sextortion & digital dangers for kids | 39:07–40:38 | | Triple H: Leadership & life philosophy clips | 44:47–47:19 |

Episode Tone and Closing

The episode weaves insight, humour, and gratitude as the hosts reflect on personal lessons and growth, share self-deprecating stories, and recognize their audience’s openness to deeper, non-superficial content. The closing moments are filled with big promises for 2026, playful banter about dream guests, and reminders of their continuing purpose.

Damian: "We'll continue to strive to live up to the sense of purpose of giving people the lived experiences of some of the planet's highest performers that you can use in your own life." (49:51)
Jake: "2026 is going to be the breakout year for high performance. I think we've created the foundations, we've created the framework... 2026 is the year that we light the fuse underneath it and go for it." (50:05)

Memorable Moments

• Jake’s self-deprecating stories (e.g., confusion about sports guests) kept the tone light.
• Daniel Dubois answering his phone mid-interview, using a retro flip phone, and giving Damian a "gentle" punch.
• Will, the unassuming producer, getting featured and praised for his work behind the scenes.

Final Thoughts

This end-of-year review captures the essence of High Performance: meaningful conversations, openness to learning, and the courage of both guests and hosts to reflect with vulnerability. Whether it’s drawing lessons from elite athletes, military heroes, or comedians, each segment offers listeners practical tips, real-life inspiration, and reasons to anticipate an even higher-performing 2026.