The Beyond Podcast with Aleksandra King: The Psychology Behind Sustained High Performance

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What actually helps us perform when the pressure is on?

It’s the question at the heart of a conversation I had with Aleksandra King on The Beyond Podcast, covering some of the strategies I relied on throughout my career as an athlete and still use today, including:

• Focusing on what you can control, and learning where to put your energy when pressure, uncertainty or other people’s actions are outside your control.
• Preparing your mind as well as your body, using visualisation and mental rehearsal to prepare for the moments that matter.
• Challenging the beliefs that hold us back, and learning to question whether the stories we tell ourselves are true, helpful, or getting in the way.
• Treating recovery as part of performance, something I had to learn the hard way during my sporting career.
• Building the right team around you, because although kayaking is an individual sport, I could never have become World Champion on my own.

Standing on the podium might look like an individual achievement, but it never was. There was always a team behind it: coaches, physios, training partners and many others whose expertise and support helped me perform at my best.

Sustained high performance is rarely about one person doing everything brilliantly. It’s about understanding what you need to perform at your best, practising it consistently, and having the right people around you when it matters.

If you’d like me to bring these ideas to your organisation or next event, please get in touch.