A picture paints a thousand words, right?
Look closely at the photo.
That’s me on the left.
Second place.
And if you zoom in you’ll probably notice something else.
I don’t look very happy about it.
The photo was taken at the 2013 British Indoor Rowing Championships in Cardiff.
Masters category. 30–34 age group.
The race was essentially a showdown between two of us.
Me. And the man who won it.
Andy Jones.
A Welsh lad.
Huge home support.
The arena was deafening.
Genuinely intimidating.
If you’ve ever raced indoors, you’ll know how intense it gets.
It’s not a quiet sporting event.
It’s noise. Pressure. Expectation.
And that night before the race, I didn’t handle it well.
Five weeks earlier I had raced at the Royal Navy Championships.
I had pulled a personal best (2k)
I was in the form of my life.
6.07… if you’re asking.
To win in Cardiff, I knew I would probably have to do it again.
Another PB.
Another all-out performance.
Another step up.
Instead, the pressure got to me.
The night before the race I suffered an anxiety attack in my hotel room.
Fever. Sweats. Shaking. Flu-like symptoms.
It was the first time I had experienced something like that.
And it was entirely self-inflicted.
Expectation.
Pressure.
The belief that I had to perform.
I still raced.
I still finished second.
But mentally I was already beaten before the race even started.
And that’s the real lesson.
For those working under pressure constantly…
Those running businesses. Leading teams. Carrying responsibility.
Listen carefully.
Because the same pattern happens in business every day.
Sleep becomes compromised.
Nutrition becomes inconsistent.
Adrenal glands are being hammered.
Cortisol levels pushed higher and higher.
Caffeine becomes fuel.
Body budgets are constantly being depleted.
Relationships at home begin to stretch.
And yet the expectation to perform never changes.
Let me tell you something clearly.
You are at risk.
Risk of underperformance.
Risk of poor decisions.
Risk of pushing beyond limits you don’t even realise you’ve crossed.
Risk of damaging your health in ways that take years to repair.
Burnout.
In sport, the consequence was simple.
Second place on the podium.
In leadership and business, the consequences are often far greater.
Because other people depend on your decisions.
Your clarity.
Your judgement.
Your resilience.
“High performance in the workplace starts with health.”
Not strategy.
Not productivity hacks.
Not motivational quotes.
Health.
And you.
Your standards.
Your leadership.
Your ability not just to cope…
But to thrive under pressure.
Ironically, the behaviours I struggled to manage in sport would follow me into life and work.
Pushing.
Ignoring warning signs.
Cracking on.
Eventually that mindset caught up with me.
And it led to something far more serious than finishing second.
Two years as a patient in a military rehabilitation unit.
Broken.
That’s why this conversation matters.
Because high performers rarely fail suddenly.
They erode gradually.
Pressure.
Fatigue.
Stress.
Responsibility.
All accumulating quietly until something gives.
So the question is simple.
How hard will you keep pushing?
Chat soon, Ollie
#SportingLessons #BusinessLessons #BurnoutPrevention #HighPerformance #HolisticHealth
