#57: From Pressure to Performance: How Great Leaders Find Their Mojo and Flow, with Ben Crowe

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What if the secret to peak performance wasn't about working harder, but about removing the masks we wear and connecting to what truly matters? In this episode of World's Greatest Business Thinkers, host Nick Hague sits down with Ben Crowe, Director at Mojo Crowe, elite performance coach, and author of Where the Light Gets In, to explore what really drives extraordinary performance. Drawing on his work with Nike, Ash Barty, and Richmond Football Club, Ben reveals why vulnerability, psychological safety, and intrinsic motivation can be more powerful than pressure, expectations, and external rewards. He explains how separating identity from outcomes can help leaders stay grounded, why play, purpose, and potential fuel sustainable excellence, and how replacing expectations with clear intentions can transform performance under pressure. Ben also shares the mindset behind Richmond's remarkable transformation and practical techniques for finding calm and focus in high-stakes moments. Ultimately, this conversation challenges conventional ideas about success, showing why the path to peak performance starts not with becoming more, but with recognizing that you are already enough. What You Will Learn: How to Separate Identity from Outcome

The Three Intrinsic Motivations Framework

How to Ban the Word "Expectations" to Eliminate Pressure

Why Vulnerability Is Your Competitive Advantage

The "I Am Enough, But I'm Not Done Yet" Belief System

From Perfectionism to Connection: The Richmond Tigers Case Study

Practical Flow Hacks for High-Pressure Moments

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About the Guest: Ben Crowe is a renowned mindset coach, performance strategist, and bestselling author who has worked with elite athletes, global sports teams, and Fortune 500 organizations. A former Nike leader, Ben draws on decades of experience to help high performers redefine success through purpose, play, and potential. His work with Richmond Football Club and world No. 1 tennis player Ash Barty demonstrates the power of vulnerability and connection in unlocking extraordinary performance. Through Mojo Crowe, Ben brings these principles to leaders and teams worldwide. He is also the best-selling author of 'Where the Light Gets In.'

Quotes: "The best organizations share three qualities: they're purpose-driven, values-based, and they're performance focused."

"Leadership is not about having all the answers; it's about creating an environment to help others realize their potential."

"Connection is one of the last truly great competitive advantages inside organizational culture because your competitors can't see it, so they can't defend against it."

"Do the right thing for the right reason in the right way at the right time with the right people. If the word wrong is in any of those five, it's the quickest way to identify what might be going wrong."

Keywords: Primary Keywords (Core Themes): mindset coaching, performance anxiety, intrinsic motivation, vulnerability in leadership, psychological safety, expectation management, purpose-driven culture, belief systems, flow state, personal identity vs. performance Secondary Keywords (Related Subtopics): authenticity in business, self-compassion, intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation, leadership vulnerability, confidence building, play state vs. fear state, redefining success, imposter syndrome, team connection, organizational culture transformation

Episode Resources: Ben Crowe on LinkedIn

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