Stay at the Top

Is it over, or is it just different?
That question hits different when the plan you built your identity around disappears without warning.
Mel Doyle knows that feeling well. After a long career at one of Australia's biggest networks, her contract wound up almost overnight.
What followed was an audit on what she could do, what she couldn't, and what she actually wanted. It was a deliberate decision to stop treating her job title as her identity.
That shift, managed while showing up for her family, her health and her relationships, is a muscle Mel says has only gotten stronger with age. She lives by priorities, not balance.
This episode is about what happens after the plan falls apart and why starting over is a skill you can build, not just something you survive.

In this episode Mel shares

Why reinvention is a skill that can be developed
How she navigated leaving Channel Seven after 25 years
Why it's important to let yourself grieve before moving forward
The mindset that helped her embrace a completely new chapter
How to identify your strengths and recognise your weaknesses
Why preparation creates opportunity
The difference between work-life balance and priorities
Balancing an ambitious career with raising young children
Why being fully present matters more than trying to do everything
How her priorities have evolved through each decade of life
Lessons from interviewing Oprah and preparing for high-pressure moments
Why purpose becomes even more important as we age
The role of gratitude, authenticity and joy in sustaining success
Key Quotes
“Opportunity meets preparation.”
“If you've found what lights your fire, you're incredibly lucky.”

Timestamps
(00:00) Reinvention after Channel Seven
(01:20) Why Mel loves this new chapter
(03:18) Navigating change and uncertainty
(06:28) Reinventing your identity
(09:05) Knowing your strengths and weaknesses
(09:59) Thriving in high-pressure environments
(12:18) Career, family and survival mode
(17:28) Why priorities matter more than balance
(20:03) The importance of a supportive partner
(23:04) Raising children while building a career
(28:36) Sustaining performance over the long term
(32:24) Why Mel doesn't overthink
(33:03) Preparing for Oprah
(37:19) What Oprah taught Mel about purpose
(39:53) Storytelling, leadership and finding your strengths
(42:57) Writing Age Against the Machine
(47:10) What's next for Mel
(50:57) Why purpose and connection matter
(52:43) Mel's three habits for staying at the top

Mel Doyle
🟩 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bronte_campbell/?hl=en
🟩 Book: How to Age Against The Machine: https://ageagainstthemachine.com.au/

📖 PRE-ORDER For the Long Run by Jess Spendlove 👉 https://link.amazon/B0fkPVdbY

Take the High-Performance Profile Quiz https://jessicaspendlove.com/quiz/

Stay At The Top
🟩 Speaker Inquiries jessicaspendlove.com/speaking/
🟩 Follow Jess on IG https://shorturl.at/s7egp
🟩 Follow Jess on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/jessicaspendlove/
📩 Jess@JessicaSpendlove.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you know when to walk away from something that made you?
Since she was 13, Bronte Campbell has dedicated her life to swimming, becoming a champion in the pool. Her unwavering focus has led to three Olympic gold medals, and now, at 32, she is announcing her retirement. Now, Bronte is channelling her energy into entrepreneurship as the founder of activewear brand Earthletica.
In this episode, Bronte Campbell explains how the pool shaped her mind and body, both in and out of the water.
From the daily rebuilding of her focus to win an Olympic gold medal, to becoming a leader in an individual sport and balancing her relationship with her sister as both a rival and a collaborator.
Now, she’s stepping away from it all to build a new identity away from the pool.
What is the cost of enduring when you have little left to gain?

In this episode Bronte shares
How she made one of the biggest decisions of her life to retire from swimming
Why she "tried on" retirement before making it permanent
The sacrifices required to compete at four Olympic Games
Why the strategy that gets you to the top changes over time
The lessons an eight-year shoulder injury taught her about recovery and resilience
How curiosity became one of her greatest performance advantages
Why recovery deserves as much attention as performance
Building trust and psychological safety within high-performing teams
The incredible "Got Your Back" ritual that transformed the Australian Swim Team culture
Why belonging directly influences performance under pressure
The transition from elite athlete to entrepreneur and co-founder of Athletica
The challenges of building a purpose-driven business
The importance of protecting time for strategic thinking
The three habits that continue to help her stay at the top

Key Quotes
“Recovery deserves as much attention as performance.”
“Trust is the difference between a gold and silver medal.”

Timestamps
(00:00) Why Bronte decided to retire
(01:29) How to make irreversible life decisions
(04:11) What it really takes to chase another Olympics
(07:26) Getting to the top vs staying there
(10:43) Injury, recovery and adapting over time
(13:05) The shoulder injury that changed everything
(15:59) From finding the problem to finding the solution
(18:53) Why recovery became non-negotiable
(23:06) Competing against your teammates
(30:17) The "Got Your Back" culture that changed Australian swimming
(39:44) Building Athletica after elite sport
(50:32) Life after retirement and creating a new routine
(55:49) Bronte's three habits for staying at the top

Bronte Campbell
🟩 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bronte_campbell/?hl=en
🟩 Earthletica: https://earthletica.com/

Jess Spendlove
📖 PRE-ORDER For the Long Run by Jess Spendlove 👉https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/n423Ea
Take the High-Performance Profile Quiz https://jessicaspendlove.com/quiz/

Stay At The Top
🟩 Speaker Inquiries jessicaspendlove.com/speaking/
🟩 Follow Jess on IG https://shorturl.at/s7egp
🟩 Follow Jess on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/jessicaspendlove/
📩 Jess@JessicaSpendlove.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if you could shift the energy of the room by raising your consciousness? Kate Kendall is a yogi and breathwork facilitator who helps people live less frantically.
Stillness is the most underutilised tool we have for productivity and fulfilment. It’s often mistaken for weakness or being unproductive, but it is essential for avoiding burnout.
Kate explains how to reclaim presence in the body and mind by reframing recovery as a strategy.

In this episode Kate shares

Why breath is one of the most underutilised performance tools available
The impact of modern life on the way we breathe
Why nose breathing matters and how it influences health and performance
The difference between formal and informal breathwork practices
What nervous system regulation actually means
Simple breathing techniques to become calmer and more focused
Why leaders can shift the energy of a room through their own presence
The relationship between breath, intuition and creativity
How to cultivate more stillness in a fast paced world
Why nature, movement and simple rituals regulate the nervous system
The role of awareness in making better decisions
Why the sacred is often found in the ordinary moments of everyday life

Key Quotes
“Awakening is just a series of softenings.”
“You can lead by simply shifting your energy in the room.”
“Nothing changes if nothing changes.”

Timestamps
(00:00) Why breath is the most underutilised performance tool
(01:36) How modern life changed the way we breathe
(04:13) The history and importance of nose breathing
(07:32) How to become a better nose breather
(10:23) Formal vs informal breathwork practices
(12:45) Breathwork journeys and nervous system healing
(14:40) What nervous system regulation really means
(17:01) Simple breathing techniques for stress and focus
(19:20) A practical breathing exercise
(22:57) How your breath changes the energy of the room
(25:57) Kate's burnout and finding regulation
(35:11) Intuition versus ego
(39:31) Creating more stillness in everyday life
(43:26) Nature, spirituality and reconnecting with yourself
(47:08) Finding your own path to stillness
(49:23) Why longevity starts with today
(53:00) Living your purpose without attachment to outcomes
(55:57) The simplest place to start
(58:18) Kate's podcast and where to find her
(59:28) Kate's three habits for staying at the top

Kate Kendall
🟩 Website: https://activeyogi.com.au/
🟩 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/activeyogi
🟩 Podcast: Where We Soften
🟩 Substack: https://substack.com/@activeyogi

📖 PRE-ORDER For the Long Run by Jess Spendlove 👉https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/n423Ea

Take the High-Performance Profile Quiz
https://jessicaspendlove.com/quiz/
Stay At The Top
🟩 Speaker Inquiries jessicaspendlove.com/speaking/
🟩 Follow Jess on IG https://shorturl.at/s7egp
🟩 Follow Jess on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/jessicaspendlove/
📩 Jess@JessicaSpendlove.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When you’re in reactive mode, your environment dictates how you live your day-to-day: eating when hungry, responding to calls and texts immediately, exercising when your body is screaming for it.
This is extremely cognitively expensive because it’s pulling from the finite pool of your attention and willpower.
Which is why you need to shift from reactive to proactive as soon as possible.
In this episode, I help you get honest with yourself about your reactive behaviour so you can create a gap between stimulus and response.
This isn’t about willpower or requiring a ton of energy, but it will improve your control over your busy life.

In This Episode I share
Why living reactively is costing you energy and performance
The difference between relying on feelings and relying on systems
What a personal operating system actually is
Why high performers need structure, not more motivation
How consistent nutrition creates better energy and focus
The importance of eating proactively rather than reactively
Why a regular bedtime is one of the highest leverage habits you can build
How a go to bed alarm can transform your sleep routine
Creating a simple sleep landing protocol that works in real life
Why movement should be flexible but non-negotiable
The power of domino habits and anchor behaviours
How to adapt your operating system for travel, holidays and busy seasons
Why consistency beats perfection every time

Key Quotes
“If you're relying on how you feel to decide what to eat, when to move or when to sleep, you're already behind.”
“The habits that look simple are often the ones that move the needle the most.”

Timestamps
(00:00) Why most people live reactively
(01:36) What a personal operating system is
(02:27) The problem with relying on feelings
(05:05) Why systems outperform motivation
(08:18) Building proactive nutrition habits
(10:13) The power of a go to bed alarm
(12:25) Creating a sleep landing protocol
(15:08) Why movement needs flexibility
(18:22) Building an operating system that works in real life
(20:40) Domino habits that create momentum
(24:08) Adapting your operating system for different seasons
(28:01) Thinking strategically about recovery and energy

📖 PRE-ORDER For the Long Run by Jess Spendlove 👉https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/n423Ea

Take the High-Performance Profile Quiz
https://jessicaspendlove.com/quiz/

Stay At The Top
🟩 Speaker Inquiries jessicaspendlove.com/speaking/
🟩 Follow Jess on IG https://shorturl.at/s7egp
🟩 Follow Jess on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/jessicaspendlove/
📩 Jess@JessicaSpendlove.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is a right way and a wrong way to finding happiness.
Unfortunately, most of us are only familiar with the wrong way: pursuing happiness.
Paradoxically, our greatest pain comes from trying to pursue happiness. “I’ll be happy when”.
Declan Edwards is a world-renowned Happiness Expert, a leader in positive psychology (the non-toxic kind), who has transformed the lives of high performers all across the world.
Declan walks through the art of finding happiness and meaning that aren’t reliant on external factors like getting that promotion, a nice car, or a house.
If you are someone who feels like your cup is always half full, then this episode is for you

In This Episode Declan Share

Why happiness is a skill that can be learned and practised
The relationship between happiness and success
Why high performers often fall victim to the moving goalposts phenomenon
The science behind the hedonic treadmill and hedonic adaptation
Why happiness needs a PR makeover
The difference between joy, connection, meaning and purpose
Why emotions are not inconveniences to be avoided
Practical ways to build emotional intelligence and self-awareness
How to reconnect with your body and understand what emotions are telling you
The parenting paradox and what it teaches us about happiness
Why connection is one of the strongest predictors of long-term wellbeing
The five foundational skills for cultivating happiness
How journaling can help you identify life's early warning signs
Declan's top habits for staying at the top

Key Quotes
“Success at the cost of happiness is one of the most common forms of failure.”
“Our brains have this funny tendency to always be moving the goalposts for happiness.”
“We get too caught up being human doings and forget to be human beings.”

Timestamps
(00:00) Success versus happiness
(02:31) Is happiness what we should be aiming for?
(05:17) Declan's journey into happiness research
(08:30) Why high performers keep moving the goalposts
(09:19) The hedonic treadmill explained
(12:51) Why happiness needs a PR makeover
(16:37) The role of emotions in a happy life
(19:03) Getting out of your head and back into your body
(19:55) Building emotional literacy and awareness
(23:28) How becoming a parent changed Declan's perspective
(29:58) Internal stability versus external stability
(33:02) The five foundational happiness skills
(37:31) Gratitude, journaling and retraining the brain
(41:05) Life gives us a poke, then a push, then a punch
(42:04) Connection, belonging and the Harvard Study
(46:39) Declan's new book, How to Be Happy
(49:12) Three habits that help Declan stay at the top

Declan Edwards
🟩 More about Declan Edwards: https://www.rorywarnock.com/

Jess Spendlove
📖 PRE-ORDER For the Long Run by Jess Spendlove 👉https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/n423Ea

Take the High-Performance Profile Quiz
https://jessicaspendlove.com/quiz/

Stay At The Top
🟩 Speaker Inquiries jessicaspendlove.com/speaking/
🟩 Follow Jess on IG https://shorturl.at/s7egp
🟩 Follow Jess on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/jessicaspendlove/
📩 Jess@JessicaSpendlove.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.