What do champion surfers, Olympians, and Hollywood actors have in common? They turn to Nam Baldwin when the pressure is on.
From coaching pro-surfer Mick Fanning to Olympian Jess Fox on her path to gold, Nam shares the tools anyone can use to reset their body and mind, enter flow state on demand, and turn trauma into growth.
This is a rare look behind the curtain of the coach trusted by champions. Whether you’re chasing gold medals, boardroom breakthroughs, or simply more calm in everyday life — this conversation is full of practical wisdom you can apply right now.
In this episode, Andrew and Nam talk about:
00:10 Nam’s origin story - from growing up in South Africa, learning breathwork from a gardener, to teaching elite athletes how to breathe.
06:15 How to face and unpack trauma, and turn life’s hardest moments into meaning.
12:15 Nam’s ability to reset his mind and body instantly — and how you can do it too.
17:55 Why calmness is the foundation of high performance, from freediving to everyday life.
23:15 The secret to entering a flow state — and why playfulness unlocks it.
29:20 Helping
Mick Fanning mentally recover from a shark attack… and win the next year.
34:50 Training actors who couldn’t swim to film underwater scenes.
38:20 Working with Olympian
Jess Fox: “try easier,” stay calm, and win gold.
44:40 Why success should be a by-product of your work — not the end goal.
50:40 Using ChatGPT to design a 90-day journaling challenge during injury recovery.
52:35 Teaching breathwork and resilience to corporate leaders.
55:00 Nam's question for Andrew.
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What is Performance Intelligence?
There's IQ. There's EQ. Introducing PQ. All things human performance with PQ founder, Andrew May, exploring the latest in human performance with an all-star cast of subject matter experts covering physical and psychological wellbeing, performance psychology, sport, business, entertainment, the performing arts, leadership, and science.
Learn valuable lessons that can be applied to optimising performance in your personal and professional life. Performance Intelligence applies to the way we turn up in relationships and the way we turn up at work, it applies to the way we perform in front of 10,000 people and the way we perform in front of one.