The High Performance Podcast

Shane Parrish, founder of Farnam Street and decision-making author who once worked in Canadian intelligence, discusses positioning: the small daily choices that set you on easy mode or hard mode. He explores defaults that hijack thinking, why fear of success can stall you, and the Kissinger test for demanding your best work. Practical rules and mindset shifts are highlighted in short, actionable stories.

They debate whether exposing extreme online influencers helps or harms and if media attention unintentionally amplifies dangerous movements. They question labels like "toxic masculinity" and explore how identity can be shaped by language. Parenting, role models and peer groups get scrutinised as keys to raising healthy men. Plus reactions to football culture, LeBron's longevity and a rugby coach's turnaround.

General Sir Richard Shirreff, retired British Army general and former NATO deputy commander, reflects on risking global escalation and the need to war-game hard choices. He discusses how distractions create openings for rivals, the limits of bombing, the role of intuition in big decisions, and whether conscription or citizen service should return to boost national resilience.

Mark Webber, former F1 driver and World Endurance Champion with nine Grand Prix wins, reveals life inside Red Bull. He recalls team politics, sensing bias toward a teammate, and the heat-of-the-moment decisions that followed. He also discusses turning suspicion into fuel, writing a private letter to the boss, and how pressure shaped his racing and life afterward.

Tim Krul, veteran Premier League and international goalkeeper known for penalty heroics and relegation battles, joins to unpack dressing-room psychology. He and the hosts explore what fear looks like on the pitch. They discuss how quick managerial decisions can lose a room, protective player behaviours, and how teams rebuild belief through honest leadership and clear messaging.

Kumar Sangakkara, former Sri Lankan cricket great turned coach and commentator, shares his journey from elite performer to reflective leader. He talks about separating identity from performance. He explores the costs of chasing excellence, the unifying power of cricket in Sri Lanka, and how gratitude and perspective emerged after the 1999 Lahore attack.

Johann Hari, NYT bestselling author and investigator of mental health and attention, explains how tech harvests our focus and what to do about it. He discusses what social media creators privately think, three concrete parental steps to protect kids’ phones, and why systemic political action—likened to banning leaded petrol—is needed to reclaim attention.

A deep dive into the chaos of the 2026 Australian Grand Prix and how sudden rule changes rewrote the playbook. Messages from team insiders reveal leadership under uncertainty, process over short-term results, and culture beating raw performance. Stories cover on-track failures, new tech-driven pressures, and how teams adapt strategy and resilience when everything shifts at once.

David Dein, former Arsenal vice-chairman who helped appoint Arsène Wenger and co-founded the Premier League. He recalls the build-up to the Invincibles, the team rituals that forged unity, and why Wenger shaped Arsenal’s culture. He also discusses the Emirates stadium debt, recruiting key players like Sol Campbell, and the drama around his abrupt exit from the board.

Mo Gawdat rose to become Chief Business Officer of Google X, the moonshot factory tasked with solving the world's biggest problems. He had 16 cars in his garage, a nine-bedroom house, and by every conventional measure, had won. And then, in four hours, a preventable surgical mistake took his 21-year-old son Ali. What happened next changed everything.In this episode, Mo shares the promise he made to Ali, to make him "everywhere and part of everyone", and how that mission became the foundation of his life's real work: making a billion people happy.This is not a conversation about toxic positivity or blind optimism. It's a masterclass in what happiness actually is (and isn't), why it's your duty — not your reward — and the practical tools Mo uses to bounce back from pain in under seven seconds.You'll hear Mo on: the 90-second anger rule that will change how you handle every difficult moment; his three-question flowchart for navigating anything life throws at you; why success doesn't lead to happiness — but happiness almost always leads to success; what his son Ali taught him about fixing the world by fixing yourself first; and why the most high-performance path through life is learning to play.Whether you're chasing the next milestone or questioning whether the chase is even worth it — this one will stay with you.Our partners in this episode: EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal 👉 https://nordvpn.com/highperformance Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guaranteeVisit Seattle 👉 Start planning your perfect summer of football by searching Visit Seattle on social media, or discover more at: https://highpfrmc.com/hpp-visitseattle-au Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.