Top 4 of 2025: No. 1 Surf Lifesaving Athlete on Visualisation & Mindset Training | Ali Day

Dec 31, 2025

Ali Day, a top Ironman athlete, shares insights on the mental tools that elevate performance. He discusses the power of visualization, scripting races in detail, and how crucial recovery strategies are. The journey from injury to resilience highlights the importance of support and unlearning old identities. Ali emphasizes that success relies on treating performance like a job. His reflections on life beyond sport and the lessons learned resonate deeply, offering a holistic view of athleticism that stretches beyond medals.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

B Side: Cancer And Rebuilding

Andrew May shared a cancer diagnosis and marriage breakdown as his 'B side' life lessons.
These setbacks forced an iOS upgrade in mindset and priorities.

INSIGHT

Negativity Bias Distorts Daily View

Humans disproportionately focus on the one negative among many positives due to evolutionary bias.
That negativity bias distorts our perception of daily success.

ADVICE

Pair Stress With Strategic Recovery

Use strategic recovery alongside stress instead of avoiding stress entirely.
Balance high-demand work with planned recovery to make stress

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

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.

4:45 Role models, belonging, and realising heroes are human
7:05 Curiosity, early psychology work, and the 10-minute shift
11:20 Mental skills, imagery, and gaining an edge early
18:15 Going against the grain and leaning on the right support
20:20 Rock bottom, injury, and rebuilding stronger
27:00 Unlearning old identities and upgrading information
35:55 Why Ironman is a team sport — when to follow, when to lead
39:00 The unseen work and treating performance like a job
46:45 Recovery as a priority and tracking the data
50:15 Life beyond Ironman and approaching a new career like a race
57:10 The next decade, and reflecting on the journey
1:02:15 Psychologist Lisa’s 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 support@performanceintelligence.com 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.