Olympic British swimmer Alice Dearing just dropped the biggest lesson every business leader must hear

Alice Dearing has made waves not just in the water, but in the world of sport and business alike. As a Diversity & Inclusion Speaker, she brings authenticity and a powerful voice to conversations about equity, mindset and high performance. From Olympic swims to boardroom talks, she has become a beacon for change.

Her story is one of resilience and radical consistency: the early mornings, the disciplined habits, the perseverance through discomfort.

Whether it’s pushing through self-doubt or finding strength in struggle, she offers lessons that extend far beyond sport.

For leaders and teams, her insights translate into real tools for culture, alignment and growth.

In this exclusive interview with The High Performance Agency, Alice shares how elite athletics can inform leadership, how barriers are broken down, and why true inclusion isn’t an initiative - it’s a mindset shift.

Q1. From your experience as an elite athlete, what mindset shifts can business leaders adopt to sustain high performance?

Alice Dearing: “The qualities of a high-performing athlete, in some aspects, can be a bit scary. I think about the things that I did as an athlete, and now, especially now I’m retired, I look back on it and think, wow, I was really locked in there. But I think they’re so powerful and so important for businesses to be able to translate into their industry and environment.

“For example, quite a lot of times I didn’t want to go morning training. I was waking up as a teenager at 4:30 in the morning to go training and then, as I got older, it thankfully got a little bit later, but it was still 5:30 that I was waking up. That was my life for about 12 years.

“It was the mentality that sometimes I didn’t want to go, but there wasn’t an option in my mind not to go. Of course, if I was ill or something had happened, that was a completely different story.

“But in terms of battling that inner monologue of “I don’t really want to do this, let’s procrastinate, let’s put it off,” I had the mindset of: I know what my goals are, I know that I need to do X, Y and Z to achieve it, let’s go and execute it.

“That’s something that I didn’t really appreciate could take you so far. Sometimes it is just pure hard work, sometimes it’s a mix of hard work and talent.

“People get to different places in different ways, but consistency of turning up to training, giving it your best every time, or just doing what the coach says - even when there was no fibre in my body that wanted to be there - was vital.

“Swimming is one of those sports that I found, whenever you’re swimming fast, it’s easy. It’s easy to turn up to training and, of course, that’s how things work. When business is going well, you want to turn up, you want to do things, you’ve got that energy and drive.

“But at the darkest times, when things aren’t going great, that’s when you really need to persevere, find that consistency, and keep plugging away every day.

“That’s something that swimming and being an athlete has taught me, because it really can create the core of your business or who you are, and then from that, other things can spread out.

“I’ll just add as well, communication was such a key part of me maturing as an athlete. As a teenager, I had a very strong mind and very strong opinions on how I wanted to do things. I’m very stubborn, which is why I was able to get as far as I did, because I didn’t want to quit.

“This stubborn drive and energy within me came out especially as a teenager when I couldn’t really communicate or didn’t know how to speak to people. That led to conflict with coaches, and I realised as I got older that I’d have to work with people to get where I wanted to be. 

“I couldn’t keep fighting with people. If they didn’t see my point of view, how else could I communicate with them? How could I have a conversation where we both understood each other and worked together?

“It was something I had to grow and mature into, but I’m really appreciative of it now. You can’t be an athlete in isolation - there were literally hundreds of people who contributed to my swimming career, whether with technique, mentality, or support. I couldn’t have done it without them.

“I think business is exactly the same, especially for smaller businesses. There are so many different people who support you, and it’s not a lone wolf approach. Learning to effectively communicate and deal with conflict is so important.

“Uncomfortable conversations are challenging, but they put you in a place where you either have that conversation or accept lower performance. As an athlete, there was no way I was putting an uncomfortable conversation over my performance. That just doesn’t compute. Communication is such a key part of who I am and what I became.”

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Q2. When you reflect on your career, what do you see as the strongest parallels between sporting excellence and long-term business success?

Alice Dearing: “I see relentlessness, in the sense of being patient. Sometimes you see businesses pop up and you wonder where they came from, and then you realise they’ve been working hard for 15 years, putting in groundwork, effort, late nights and early mornings. It’s not by chance that they’re now succeeding, and it’s exactly the same for athletes.

“There’s a lot of difficult work that goes into it, and it’s about consistency, trust, and communication with people around you to help build what you want to build. Sometimes it’s understanding that not everyone is along for the ride, which is another uncomfortable but necessary part of growth.

“When I was younger, I was in one of the best training groups in the country, but I wasn’t happy there. I couldn’t see it at the time, and I eventually got kicked out. That was really upsetting because I thought, what else is my value as a swimmer? They don’t believe in me anymore, what am I doing next?

“I decided to move into another training group, one that wasn’t seen as good but was more relaxed, allowing me to spread my wings and take the pressure off. I wasn’t ready to quit yet, and this change made me so much happier and healthier.

“Sometimes it’s okay to take a step back or move into something unconventional. Businesses are the same - every setup is unique, you can’t just copy and paste from others. Founders, CEOs, and staff all have different experiences and mentalities.

“Creating an environment unique to your business is key. The same goes for athletes: who you surround yourself with is crucial. Moving into that different training group made me swim the best I ever had - it even got me to the Olympic Games.

“So sometimes, having a critical eye and making what seems like a difficult decision can put you in a much better, more positive place.”

Q3. In your view, what psychological or mental barriers most often hold people back from fulfilling their true potential?

Alice Dearing: “For me, it was self-belief and self-doubt. I had to find a lot of courage in myself to know that I was good enough to do what I was doing. Truthfully, I don’t think that fully came to me until the end.

“I didn’t want to finish my swimming career with regrets like, “I wish I’d tried harder at this point.” I knew how quickly the years passed, and I didn’t want to lose that time.

“When my self-belief and confidence were highest, I swam my best. For example, when I qualified for the Olympic Games, I felt a sense of calm on the start line.

“I knew I’d done the work, I was fit and healthy, and I just had to execute. It went well, and I qualified. But at the Olympics, it didn’t work out. That’s sport.

“I’ve seen many talented and hardworking athletes held back by self-doubt. Nine times out of 10, people who put in the work but don’t progress simply don’t believe in themselves.

“The same applies to businesses - if you’re not backing yourself, how can your employees, or potential investors, back you?

“Confidence and trusting in your ability to execute are essential, for athletes and businesses alike.”

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Q4. Drawing on your own journey, what has competing at the highest level taught you about genuine resilience?

Alice Dearing: “My story has taught me that anybody can have resilience. I never thought I was a resilient person, but looking back at what I’ve overcome - being kicked out of a squad, losing funding, injuries, falling out of love with the sport - I realise resilience found me.

“If you want something enough, you’ll find a way to push through. Sometimes it won’t work out, but at least if you try, you won’t be left wondering “what if.”

“Support networks are vital, whether in business or sport. They help you when you fall, keep you grounded, and remind you there are other paths in life too.

“Resilience, for me, became part of who I am. I call it stubbornness, but I’m grateful for it because it gave me incredible opportunities in life.”

This exclusive interview with Alice Dearing was conducted by Chris Tompkins of The Motivational Speakers Agency.

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