Accelerating Excellence

Flow or Die: Big wave surfer João Macedo on finding peace inside a collapsing skyscraper of water

On todays podcast we have João Macedo. João was one of the first to surf the monstrous waves at Nazaré — a true pioneer in big wave riding. He's faced walls of water the size of eight-storey buildings at spots like Mavericks and Nazaré, with no rope, no safety net, and only seconds to survive if anything goes wrong.  His life is built around timing, feel, and flow — the same principles that drive elite performance in every arena. From Portugal, Australia, California, from spiritual clarity to brutal hold-downs, he's built a life on his intuition, flow, at the edge of survival. This is what it means to live with purpose and trusting the dots will connect. I hope you enjoy.   ----------------------------------------------------------------   Find João Macedo: https://www.instagram.com/officialjoaomacedo/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/joaodemacedo7/ Find James King: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesakingofficial/ https://www.instagram.com/jamesaking_/ https://jamesaking.com/   🔊 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5LJFspGl7b0e5YuxMfPLpx?si=e852f426c16b4f2d   🔊 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-accelerating-excellence-podcast/id1706636304

2 Inches of Road. 206mph. Through a Village. James Hillier on Precision Under Terminal Pressure

Today on Accelerating Excellence, we welcome James Hillier. One of the most precise, fearless road racers alive, with 70 plus starts, multiple podiums, victories and speeds exceeding 206mph on public roads barely wider than a car, James isn't chasing adrenaline — he's mastering control at the terminal edge of chaos. From conquering the TT to tackling the Dakar Rally, this episode dives into his mindset, focus under fire, and what it takes to stay locked in when the margin for error is death. We talk pressure, risk, mental override. This episode will make you question what calm really means. I hope you enjoy. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Find James Hillier: https://professionalmotorcyclerider.com https://www.instagram.com/jameshillier37 https://www.facebook.com/Hillier37 Find James King: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesakingofficial/ https://www.instagram.com/jamesaking_/ https://jamesaking.com/ 🔊 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5LJFspGl7b0e5YuxMfPLpx?si=e852f426c16b4f2d 🔊 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-accelerating-excellence-podcast/id1706636304

$20BN Fundraises Leading With Heart and Hustle: The Rahul Moodgal Story

On today's podcast we have Rahul Moodgal. Rahul is one of the most respected investor relations professionals in finance — an absolute rocket. As a Partner at TCI, he claimed the crown for raising the most amount of capital in the shortest period of time — $20 billion dollars in just three and a half years. He also led the largest country fund launch — $1 billion for India Fund TCI New Horizon — and the largest sector fund launch in history — $1.1 billion for the sector-specific fund, Algebris. Prior to his work in investing, Rahul was an academic, studying across 19 universities in the UK, US, Japan, and Russia. He's a graduate of Keele University, Cambridge University, and the London School of Economics. Beyond finance, Rahul's skills are as diverse as they are impressive — he's a qualified counsellor, bartender, musician, English teacher, interior designer, DJ, and music therapist. Today, he works independently, supporting activist managers around the world and helping grow their businesses. He is also a Partner at Parvis, a $10 billion European public equities fund. He remains deeply committed to philanthropy, involved with numerous charities including Whizz Kids and Mulberry Bush, serves as a Patron of Team GB and the Triangle Playground School, is Chair of the Board at Scientific Adventures for Girls, and actively fundraises for the British Red Cross. He is also the co-founder of Capital Allocators University. In this episode, we discuss Rahul's journey, exceptional leadership, and doing ordinary things extraordinarily well. I hope you enjoy. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Find Rahul: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/rahul-moodgal Find James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesakingofficial/ https://www.instagram.com/jamesaking_/ https://jamesaking.com/ 🔊 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5LJFspGl7b0e5YuxMfPLpx?si=e852f426c16b4f2d 🔊 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-accelerating-excellence-podcast/id1706636304

Gold Standard: Ben Ryan on the game behind the game

On today's podcast we have Ben Ryan.   Ben is the most successful men's rugby sevens coach in history. He's the only coach to have won Continental, World, and Olympic titles, and has been working at the pinnacle of international sport for over two decades and counting. His transformative leadership turned the Fiji Rugby Sevens team into a global powerhouse. Under his guidance, they went on to win back-to-back World Series titles and, most notably, Olympic gold at the 2016 Rio Summer Games - Fiji's first ever Olympic medal.   The story is insane - and no surprise to me, there's a movie to document it soon. As a leader, Ben revolutionised the way the team embraced culture, connection, standards, and mental preparation - ensuring his players thrived both as athletes, and as individuals. His groundbreaking work in Fiji earned him the nation's highest civilian honour: the Companion of the Order of Fiji.    He is currently in his third season as Performance Director at Brentford FC, playing in the Premier League - a club known for doing things differently. They are going from strength to strength, becoming perhaps the most talked about team in world sport, and for whom Ben is a lifelong fan. He was also an impressive athlete himself, a graduate of both Loughborough and Cambridge, a great human being, and a true leader in human performance.   In this episode, we discuss: The Fiji story, from hurricanes, dictators, and enforcing discipline, to the part I found most fascinating: the internal challenges Ben had to overcome to transition from aspiring leader to world-class leader.   I hope you enjoy.   ----------------------------------------------------------------   Find Ben https://www.instagram.com/benryan7s/ https://x.com/benjaminryan    Find James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesakingofficial/ https://www.instagram.com/jamesaking_/ https://jamesaking.com/   🔊 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5LJFspGl7b0e5YuxMfPLpx?si=e852f426c16b4f2d   🔊 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-accelerating-excellence-podcast/id1706636304

From the Trading Floor to the Touchline: Mark Warburton on Football, Finance, and Excellence

On today's podcast we have Mark Warburton.   We explore how Mark went from getting up at 4:32 for 20-odd years, to be at his trading desk for 5:45, then dealing $1.5-2B a day in foreign exchange deals, getting home at 7pm and taking calls through the night from New York, to winning championships at Brentford and Rangers - two phenomenal football clubs. Mark's story is as inspiring as it is unconventional. A former elite trader, he transitioned to coaching and quickly made his mark where he was the dominant catalyst in Brentford's ascent to the pinnacle of English football. Most significantly to me, the mighty Glasgow Rangers. Under his leadership, Rangers returned to the pinnacle of Scotland's topflight. As a coach, mentor, and leader, Mark has a proven ability to build winning teams both on and off the pitch, and take it from me - he is an exceptional human being. I believe his best is yet to come.  In this episode we talk about what excellence in leadership, and coaching teams looks like in both trading and football, we discuss the challenges that come with senior leadership, and how serious you need to take things if you truly want to perform at your best.   I hope you enjoy.   ----------------------------------------------------------------   Find Mark: https://x.com/markwarburton9   Find James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesakingofficial/ https://www.instagram.com/jamesaking_/ https://jamesaking.com/   🔊 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5LJFspGl7b0e5YuxMfPLpx?si=e852f426c16b4f2d   🔊 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-accelerating-excellence-podcast/id1706636304