Talent gets you through the door. It does not keep you in the room, and it has almost nothing to do with what you become.

Kieren Jack is proof. The last pick in the AFL rookie draft, too small and too slow on paper, he outworked every reason he should not have made it. Kieren played 256 games for the Sydney Swans, co-captained the club, won the 2012 premiership and earned a place in its Hall of Fame. Then he did the harder thing. He walked away at the top and started again, building a whole new career in business where his name meant nothing.

What carries across is the useful part. How do you keep performing when you are running on empty? What actually holds a team together when pressure hits? Why do the people who get knocked down and underestimated often end up the most dangerous?

Recorded live, in a room that was never meant to be a podcast. No script, no second takes. You've got a seat that wasn't on sale.

Whatever you are trying to build, you'll leave this one thinking differently about how you get there.

0:00 Pick 138, a famous surname, and why talent only opens the door
1:50 How the Swans built a dynasty on character, not talent
5:10 Missing the draft, choosing his own sport, and finding his identity
9:20 The 2012 flag, and what that team had that he's never seen again
17:40 Take the baton: the motto that outlived the players who made it
19:15 A season as co-captain, played on empty, in a dressing gown
22:05 When a private family conflict went public before his 200th game
28:10 Twins, no sleep, and what sport does and doesn't teach you about parenting
33:45 Why he studied an MBA mid-career, and why leaving the game made him better
37:00 A $120m deal in four months, and what footy gave him no MBA could
41:05 Joining the West Coast rebuild and flipping the member thank-you
44:55 Premiership to wooden spoon: what went wrong and what a rebuild takes
48:25 Q&A: carrying elite habits into everyday life when structure disappears
49:55 Q&A: what good culture really looks like, and who actually builds it
53:20 Q&A: leading young, learning empathy, and what he'd do differently at 20

You can find Kieren at his LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kieren-jack-b09b2396/
Or at his Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kjack_15/?hl=en

Use Code "PQPODCAST10" to get 10% off your Lumo Coffee order:https://lumocoffee.com/

Interested in sharing your story? Email Producer Shannon at support@performanceintelligence.com today with your story and contact details.

Learn more about Andrew and Performance Intelligence: https://performanceintelligence.com/
Find out more about Andrew's Keynotes : https://performanceintelligence.com/keynotes/

Follow Andrew May: https://www.instagram.com/andrewmay/

Watch the Performance Intelligence Podcast on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@performanceintelligencepodcast

If you enjoy the podcast, we would really appreciate you leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Play. It takes less than 60 seconds and really helps us build our audience and continue to provide high quality guests.

Ever lost your composure right when you needed it most? In a high-pressure moment, when everyone's watching and one wrong move costs you, most people freeze. This reporter learned to do the opposite.

Seasoned news reporter, Ali Piotrowski breaks down the one skill that kept her sharp through war zones, Middle East conflict, and the chaos outside Trump's indictments: calm. Not the kind you're born with. The kind you train.

She explains why composure became her edge, and why it can be yours too.

If you work in a fast-moving, high-pressure environment, this one's worth a few minutes of your time.

You can find Ali at her LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisonpiotrowski/
Or at her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alipiotrowski/

Use Code "PQPODCAST10" to get 10% off your Lumo Coffee order:https://lumocoffee.com/

Interested in sharing your story? Email Producer Shannon at support@performanceintelligence.com today with your story and contact details.

Learn more about Andrew and Performance Intelligence: https://performanceintelligence.com/
Find out more about Andrew's Keynotes : https://performanceintelligence.com/keynotes/

Follow Andrew May: https://www.instagram.com/andrewmay/

Watch the Performance Intelligence Podcast on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@performanceintelligencepodcast

If you enjoy the podcast, we would really appreciate you leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Play. It takes less than 60 seconds and really helps us build our audience and continue to provide high quality guests.

The kind of person who's been helping others perform better for 40 years doesn't usually admit they're struggling. Craig Harper did.

His dad is in the hospital. The drive is five hours return. The calls from clients still come. And somewhere in the middle of all of it, one of Australia's most recognised performance coaches said something he'd never said publicly before.

That he's lonely.

This conversation is for anyone who gives more than they get. Who holds it together at work and unravels at home. Who knows exactly what to tell others and struggles to apply it to themselves.

Craig doesn't have a tidy answer here. But he does have hard-won perspective on where your energy actually goes, who you let close enough to tell the truth to, and what it takes to keep showing up when life gets genuinely heavy.

Honest, uncomfortable, and worth your time.

0:00 — Who motivates the motivator? Craig Harper on why this is the question helpers never get asked.

1:30 — "I'm feeling pretty shit, to be honest, mate." How this conversation started.

2:07 — Craig says publicly for the first time: "Sometimes I feel really lonely."

5:34 — Mum and dad at 87. What's actually been going on behind the curtain.

10:28 — Energy out, not in. How Craig thinks about his performance threshold when life gets heavy.

12:10 — When doing a podcast feels like calm instead of work. Craig explains the difference.

16:45 — Who do you belong to? Craig on connection, loneliness, and what actually fills the cup.

17:09 — Vin from school. Why Craig's best mate is the one who tells him he's full of it.

18:49 — The inner circle test: if the 4–5 people around you are 80% the same in five years, you'll probably be okay.

23:35 — The friend who shouldn't have survived. Craig's story about the person who inspired him more than anyone he's coached.

28:17 — Something Craig says here is going to land differently for anyone who's always been the strong one.

30:09 — Why willpower doesn't work. What Craig uses instead when the drive back from his parents feels heavy.

33:50 — "Am I acting in love?" The one question Craig asks himself to pull himself back.

37:05 — One size fits one. Why the advice that works for everyone else might be the wrong advice for you.

40:26 — Who actually inspires Craig Harper? His answer is not who you'd expect.

43:07 — Two body signals that tell Craig he's running on empty before he consciously knows it.

47:19 — The send-off. Andrew to Craig, and why it matters.

You can find Craig at his website:https://craigharper.net/
Follw him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/craiganthonyharper/
Listen to The You Project:https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-you-project/id1342430567

Use Code "PQPODCAST10" to get 10% off your Lumo Coffee order:https://lumocoffee.com/

Interested in sharing your story? Email Producer Shannon at support@performanceintelligence.com today with your story and contact details.

Learn more about Andrew and Performance Intelligence: https://performanceintelligence.com/
Find out more about Andrew's Keynotes : https://performanceintelligence.com/keynotes/

Follow Andrew May: https://www.instagram.com/andrewmay/

Watch the Performance Intelligence Podcast on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@performanceintelligencepodcast

If you enjoy the podcast, we would really appreciate you leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Play. It takes less than 60 seconds and really helps us build our audience and continue to provide high quality guests.