Essential Habits is a new weekly series from High Performance. Hosted by Damian Hughes, each episode breaks down powerful habits from world-class performers and thinkers - so you can apply them in your own life.

Here’s Damian’s take on the first episode, featuring Jo Malone:

"Sometimes life moves so fast we forget we even can stop. That’s something Jo reminded me of in this episode, the quiet power of pausing and taking stock before charging ahead.

Jo’s story is a masterclass in resilience and reinvention. With around 6,000 thoughts flying through our minds each day, many of them negative, it’s not just about thinking less, but choosing what’s worth holding on to. Together, we explore how stopping to organise our thoughts and truly understand our story can turn moments of crisis into turning points.

I also unpack a fascinating piece of neuroscience, a study with a less-than-glamorous title, but a powerful message, showing how our brains naturally prioritise rewarding memories. If you’ve ever wanted to hold on to what matters and let the rest slip away… this one’s for you."

Here is a list of studies referenced in the episode:

The Persistence and Transience of Memory. Authors: Blake A. Richards & Paul W. Frankland
Ebbinghaus's Forgetting Curve. Author: Hermann Ebbinghaus
Discovery of 'Thought Worms’. Researchers: Queen’s University, Canada
Eyewitness Misidentification and Wrongful Convictions. Organisation: Innocence Project
Post-learning Hippocampal Dynamics Promote Preferential Retention of Rewarding Events. Authors: Matthias J. Gruber, Maureen Ritchey, Shao-Fang Wang, Manoj K. Doss, Charan Ranganath
Why We Forget and How to Remember Better. Authors: Andrew E. Budson & Elizabeth A. Kensinger

Why Madison’s Crisis Response Team Is Working