Performance People

Michael Easter is a journalist and author whose two books ‘The Comfort Crisis’ and ‘Scarcity Brain’ reveal the ways in which the modern world has become incompatible with the way our animal brains are wired.

In fact, we’re living pretty much the opposite lives to those of our ancestors. We have an excess of food which makes us crave other fixes, we sit down all day indoors and have had to invent the concept of exercise.

His own journey to quitting alcohol made him realise that the greatest benefits in life come after short-term discomfort, and a trip to the Arctic made him appreciate the power of spending time outdoors, from lowering stress to increasing empathy levels.

He also explains that boredom is good for us, why joining the 2% of people who take the stairs instead of the elevator can make the difference and puts forward a persuasive argument on why we should all plan an annual challenge with a 50% chance of failure.

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On Performance People this week, Georgie is joined by presenter and journalist, Sarah-Jane Mee, host of, The UK Tonight, on Sky News. From Sky Sports News junior to prime-time Sky News anchor, Sarah-Jane, known as SJ to friends and colleagues, has enjoyed a stellar career in broadcasting.

On this episode, SJ gives a searingly honest account of the light and shade which has informed her newsroom experience, reliving the story which moved her to tears on air, explaining why she now rations her exposure to harrowing news stories and revealing how she recovered from a career threatening medical condition.

She also tells us about the chaos behind the scenes when Sir Rod Stewart rang in to a live phone-in show, what Noel Gallagher said when he fan-bombed her and Georgie and SJ share some tales from their flat-share days.

This four way conversation was recorded on 2nd March 2023.

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England rugby stalwart Lewis Moody was known for his all-action approach which left everything on the pitch. You don’t get the nickname 'mad dog’ for nothing.

Yet it was off the pitch that Lewis Moody had to overcome his biggest challenges, most notably having to deal with ulcerative colitis as a young player in an environment where sharing your vulnerabilities wasn't exactly encouraged.

Lewis credits these obstacles as opportunities to overcome difficult things and his incredible career is testament to that approach, as he went on to play in two world cup finals, coming off the bench in 2003 to win the line-out that set up Jonny Wilkinson’s winning drop-goal.

He also discusses how a ‘pay it forward’ approach helped him with the difficult transition into retirement and also led to his current role as a performance coach, where he now applies his own experiences and observations in sports culture into other areas of performance.

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What can you learn about performance in about 10 minutes from the best in sport, entertainment, business and politics?

Performance Hacks gives you two great performance tips you can apply to everyday life from each of our Performance People podcast guests.

In this episode, boxing promoter, Eddie Hearn reveals why short term goals are critical to success and Matchroom President, Barry Hearn explains the benefits of staying on the merry-go-round.

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What can you learn about performance in about 10 minutes from the best in sport, entertainment, business and politics?

Performance Hacks gives you two great performance tips you can apply to everyday life from each of our Performance People podcast guests.

In this episode, Sir Mo Farah, Britain’s greatest male long distance athlete, explains why you should do it for yourself and his wife, Tania, has a tip for taking the pressure off.

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