Jay Shetty PodcastHow the World's TOP Fencer Stays Unshakable Under Pressure (Use This Habit!)
At a glance
WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT
Miles Chamley-Watson on resilience, identity, and elite performance habits
- Miles describes how moving from London to New York, lacking a consistent father figure, and getting into trouble made fencing a lifesaving outlet and a substitute for ADHD medication through focus and structure.
- He credits mentors and coaches for identifying his potential early, instilling the principle that learning to lose is prerequisite to winning, and shaping the emotional resilience required for elite sport.
- Miles recounts racism and bias in fencing—being picked last, receiving questionable penalties, and facing racial gestures—then explains how he converted that pain into competitive fuel and a mission to change the sport.
- He details fencing as “physical chess,” outlining the athletic demands (explosiveness, reaction, timing, VO2 recovery) and the training split between high-intensity conditioning, sparring, and one-on-one tactical lessons.
- Miles shares pressure-management habits—especially limiting opponent analysis until competition day—plus personal growth through reconnecting with his estranged father and enduring a family medical crisis while still qualifying for the Olympics.
IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING
5 ideasFind a ‘constructive obsession’ that channels attention and emotion.
Miles says fencing became his “Adderall,” improving both behavior and academics; the bigger lesson is to help people (especially kids) find an activity that creates focus, competence, and confidence.
Mentors accelerate belief before you can fully see your own potential.
Teachers pushed him toward citizenship and Olympic possibility, and his coach became a daily support system; he portrays mentorship as the bridge between raw talent and sustained trajectory.
Treat losses as training data, not identity damage.
His tattoo—“learn to lose before you learn to win”—and Kobe’s “short memory” advice both point to rapid emotional processing: feel it briefly, extract the lesson, then return to practice.
A distinctive pressure habit: reduce pre-match rumination by delaying opponent focus.
Miles avoids talking about fencing, skips venue visits, and sometimes doesn’t check opponents until the morning (or strip) because prior over-analysis ruined sleep and performance; his approach prioritizes rest and adaptability over control.
Turn exclusion into mission, not bitterness.
He describes biased calls and being isolated as one of few Black fencers, then reframes it as a ‘positive chip’—winning to remove doubt and building systems (like the league) so future athletes feel safer and represented.
WORDS WORTH SAVING
5 quotesFencing literally saved my life.
— Miles Chamley-Watson
You must learn how to lose before you can learn how to win.
— Miles Chamley-Watson
The best athletes have the shortest memory. You win, you forget about it. You lose, you forget about it. When you're done your career, you can celebrate all you want.
— Miles Chamley-Watson
I never look at life as anything negative, whether it's, you know, being racially profiled or losing. I always have a positive outlook on everything because it's never a loss. It's always a lesson.
— Miles Chamley-Watson
Winning's great, but changing a sport is bigger than any Olympic gold medal I could ever win.
— Miles Chamley-Watson
High quality AI-generated summary created from speaker-labeled transcript.
