High performance doesn't mean going full throttle all the time. But as six-time world champion and leadership coach Anna Hemmings knows, real success comes from knowing when to push — and when to pause. In this post, she shares lessons from elite sport that apply just as powerfully to work and life.
The Power of the Pause
We often think of high performance as a relentless pursuit. Constant motion, intensity, and drive. But the truth I’ve learned, both as a world champion athlete and now as a leadership coach, is this: Sustained performance is not built on effort alone. It’s built on rhythm.
Rhythm between exertion and recovery.
Between doing and thinking.
Between striving and stepping back.
This isn’t about doing less. It’s about doing with intention and knowing when to push forward and when to pause.
Before every major championship, we entered a taper phase. After months of intense training, we deliberately reduced the workload — fewer sessions, more rest, less volume. It felt counterintuitive. Surely, if a race was coming up, we should be training harder?
But that pause was strategic. It was when my body assimilated the months of work. When recovery met readiness. When my mind sharpened and my energy returned.
We don’t always give ourselves that same permission in our working lives.
Instead, we push through. Even when our focus is scattered and creativity has dried up. We equate slowing down with falling behind. We’ve even been taught that pushing through fatigue is something to celebrate, that it symbolises toughness. But in reality, pausing with purpose is what allows us to perform at our best.
When you don’t pause through your working day, everything suffers from your ability to focus, to your emotional resilience and your decision making.
We are not machines that can operate continuously without rest, so how are you building in time for recovery, reflection, and recalibration — or are you only stopping when exhaustion forces your hand?
Clarity In The Storm
When we don’t pause, we carry noise with us, right into the moments that matter most.
I remember sitting on the start line of a World Championship final. The weight of expectation. The noise of the crowd. The years of preparation. But in that pressure, I found clarity. Not because I ignored the pressure, but because I’d trained for it.
Clarity under pressure doesn’t just appear. It’s a result of preparation, focus, and mindset.
I couldn’t control my competitors, the wind conditions, or the stakes. But I could control my breathing. My self-talk. My focus on each stroke.
The same applies to high-pressure moments in business. From boardroom decisions to investor pitches to organisational change. Clarity doesn’t come from wishing the pressure away.
It comes from thorough preparation, choosing what to focus on and letting go of what you can’t control.
Reigniting motivation
It’s not uncommon for athletes to feel flat after a big competition win, and that’s because external success doesn’t guarantee internal motivation. Imagine being on an Olympic training cycle - four years is a long time to sustain motivation. Reconnecting with our why is what really gives us that motivational lift. Asking the question ‘what’s still meaningful about this for me?’
Reconnecting with our why is what really gives us that motivational lift. Asking the question ‘what’s still meaningful about this for me?’.
That question helped me move beyond the achievement, and reconnect with what lit me up: the joy of progress, the sense of achievement when reaching those smaller goals, the challenge of competition and the purpose behind the process.
This is something I now explore with coaching clients who feel burnt out or directionless. Often, the issue isn’t working too hard — it’s working without meaning and not understanding their internal motivational drivers. The goalposts have shifted, but the mindset hasn’t caught up.
If your motivation feels low, don’t just push harder. Step back and ask:
- What matters to me now — not five years ago?
- What kind of challenge energises me today?
- Where can I find purpose in this phase of my journey?
Reset. Refocus. Reignite.
High performance isn’t linear. It’s cyclical. It requires moments of pause, moments of pressure, and moments of renewed purpose. Whether you’re preparing for a big moment, coming out of a demanding season, or searching for your next spark, know that these transitions are part of the process. Because resilience is as much about how you recover as how you endure.
And your mindset — the way you choose to meet each phase, will always determine your success. Take a moment this week to ask yourself:
- Where do I need to pause and reset?
- Where do I need to narrow my focus?
- Where can I reconnect with what really drives me?
And if you’d like support in navigating these phases, whether for yourself or your team — I’d be happy to explore that with you. To learn more, explore my PepTalk profile.
Book Anna To Speak On These Topics:
- Resilience Under Pressure: Strategies From a World Champion. Discover how to bounce back from adversity with practical tools used by elite athletes and business leaders. It’s not about avoiding setbacks, but learning to rise stronger each time.
- Sustainable High Performance. How to perform at your best without burning out. Anna shares proven techniques for energy management, motivation, and staying focused under pressure.
- The Mindset of a Champion. What separates winners from the rest? Anna unpacks the mental habits that fuel consistent performance, from goal setting and self-belief to handling failure and maintaining momentum.
- Leading With Resilience. Learn how to foster a culture of perseverance and confidence. This session equips managers and leaders with tools to lead teams through change, challenge, and uncertainty.
💡 Ready to build a resilient, high-performing team with Anna? Email us at anna.hemmings@getapeptalk.com or send us a message via chat. You can also call us on +44 20 3835 2929 (UK) or +1 737 888 5112 (US). It’s always a good time to get a PepTalk!
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