Ali Day is one of the world’s top Ironman athletes - but this isn’t about medals. It’s about the mindset, habits, and grit that push humans past their limits. Ali breaks down the people who shaped him, the mental tools that rewired his approach, and the moments that tested him like never before. Behind the scenes, he reveals the visualisation and hypnosis tools that changed everything—imagining entire races in brutal detail, scripting every move, and rehearsing every scenario in his mind—alongside the recovery strategies, growth lessons, and life insights that stretch far beyond sport. In this episode, Andrew and Ali Day discuss: 2:05 – Childhood heroes that sparked a love of sport 4:25 – The 10-minute breakthrough with a sports psychologist 8:35 – Mastering imagery: mental tools that changed the game 15:20 – Swimming against the Ironman current with support from those who mattered 17:30 – Breaking both wrists and rebuilding stronger than ever 24:15 – Unlearning old habits and redefining performance identity 32:55 – Why Ironman is never an individual sport 35:50 – The unglamorous grind behind the glory 43:30 – Recovery as a science: tracking every metric 47:15 – Life beyond Ironman: business and firefighting ambitions 54:15 – Reflecting on the journey and a 10-year vision 59:10 – Sports psychologist Lisa shares her reflections Follow Ali on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alastairday/?hl=en Find out more about ACTV Strength Co: https://actvstrengthco.com/ Use Code "PQPODCAST10" to get 10% off your Lumo Coffee order:https://lumocoffee.com/ Interested in sharing your story? Email Producer Shannon at
[email protected] 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.
