Better Under Pressure

Alice Dyson - “Expect To Navigate A Yes”

Working out the things that don’t count so much in your day or your week can be tricky. It’s very easy to fall into the trap that everything is a priority. In Alice Dyson’s case – as CEO and founder of the dynamic entertainment and production company, Framewood Media, it’s particularly tough.

 

Welcome to The Better Under Pressure podcast, I’m Sara Milne Rowe and in this episode I’m talking with Alice Dyson.

 

A pioneering female leader in the music industry, Alice is a champion of innovation in media, storytelling, and entertainment. Previously the Director of the British Phone-agraphic Industry, she’s been involved in everything from releasing films with Helena Bonham Carter to recording the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in St Paul’s Cathedral. She is also deeply passionate about sport, health and science - all of which has led to her creating Geo-genomix—a pioneering initiative to help people achieve better health outcomes through personalised insights. Today she shares, amongst other things:

 

💪 How - despite a chronic autoimmune condition - she’s learnt to channel pressure into opportunity;

💪 What she means by ‘Navigating the Nos’

💪 What helps in her pursuit of making it into the England over-45 masters hockey squad.

 

Let’s find out how she manages her energy to be… Better Under Pressure.

Claire Danson - The pressure of "What's Next?” - Turning Life's Corners into New Directions

This episode of BUP is special: In the summer of 2019 Claire Danson, European Triathlon Champion collided with a tractor while she was out training, her future instantly transformed from professional triathlete to life in a wheelchair.  As performance coaches, at Coaching Impact we work with many athletes and leaders in the sector, but my conversation with Claire goes down as one of the most inspiring I’ve had on this podcast. Claire’s story of resilience and reinvention as a para-athlete offers profound insights into our relationship with pressure. Do listen, Claire is deeply inspiring and is full of practical tips to apply whatever pressure you might be under. 

Richard Medcalf - Choose how your Past ignites your Present

How was Richard’s relationship with business pressure shaped by his relationship with his mentally and physically disabled sister. 

What can we learn from that kind of family tie?

Richard Medcalf found himself on a relatively smooth academic path through school and university before becoming the youngest ever partner at a top strategy firm. After over a decade in an elite strategic team at tech giant Cisco, he took the strategic decision to found Xquadrant and set himself the mission of helping the world’s top CEOs and entrepreneurs become world-changing forces for good. Over 25 years of strategic knowhow have made him excellently placed to write his book, “Making TIME for Strategy” and I’m delighted that today he is Making TIME for us. 

In our conversation we discuss what his life with his sister taught him, how much he values bringing humour into business and thankfully he won’t be sharing his Freddie mercury impression!

#56 - Rosie Wild - Get Excited by Things You’ll Probably Fail At

Today’s episode is a fascinating conversation with a remarkable woman: Major Rosie Wild. Rosie is a British Army Officer and Professional Athlete who, following major injuries and a knee operation, went on to win the Sword of Honour at Sandhurst—the first woman to do so since men and women were integrated into the same platoons.

In 2020, Rosie became the first woman in history to pass the Pre-Parachute Selection Course (P Company), qualifying to serve in the airborne forces at 16 Air Assault Brigade, where she deployed on numerous operations, including the evacuation of personnel from Kabul.

Rosie is an accomplished and competitive triathlete. After she came 15th in the London Marathon and 2nd at Ironman Copenhagen, the British Army began supporting her in training and racing as a Professional Triathlete. In September 2024, Rosie competed in the Ironman World Championships, where, out of a field of almost 1,400, she placed 30th.

In our conversation, Rosie shares:

- Why she isn’t lit up by goals
- How she uses complacency
- And why winning has become all about being willing to lose.

#55 - Dr Mindy Lane - Walking Into the Unknown

Today I’m talking to Dr. Mindy Lane, a sub-specialist surgeon in the United States with 25 years of experience. Her understanding of how to thrive under high-stakes pressure in the operating room has enabled Mindy to also become an accomplished EK-WESS-TREE-UN.

In the OR, she was able to lead her team with steady hands and a clear mind to save lives. In the dressage arena, she harnessed the pressure—and her horse, Fjurie—to achieve the highest levels in national competitions. As Mindy says, the principles of calm, control, and precision apply in both hospital and horse riding.

She now specialises in bridging the gap between industry and medicine. Her goal is to make a significant impact on global health through innovative solutions.

Whether it’s in the operating theatre, the arena, or the boardroom, Mindy believes that being "better under pressure" isn’t just a skill—it’s a way of life.

In our conversation, Mindy shares:

- When a winning strategy doesn’t work anymore

- How a data-driven scientist deals with gut instinct

- And what happened when she saw in her daughter a side of herself she didn’t like

#54 - John Amaechi - What’s core to Sustainable High Performance?

Today I’m talking to Professor John Amaechi CBE, an organisational psychologist and founder of APS Intelligence, where he is the Leadership Transformation expert. 

His book, The Promises of Giants, was a New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller, in which he draws on his early life in Stockport, his rise to becoming the one of the first Britons to play professional basketball in the NBA and his career since – working with organisations to build authentic and ethical cultures.

John is Professor of Leadership at the University of Exeter Business School, a non-exec director of a FTSE 250 company, and in 2023, received the Sport Industry’s Integrity & Impact Award. Oh, and he’s also passionate about Star Wars.

He was hugely influenced by his mother, and he lives his life inspired by her words, that “the most unlikely of people, in the most improbable of circumstances, can become extraordinary.” 

In our conversation, John shares…

- What he means by sustainable high-performance…

- Why he is deliberately hard to get hold of and what, as a former elite sportsman,

- And he hates about going to the gym.