Emma Pooley: Finding Joy in Sport, Fueling with Real Food & Embracing the Climb

Simon Ward, The High Performance Human Podcast

This week, I’m joined by triple Olympian, world champion cyclist, PhD engineer—and now author—Emma Pooley. From humble beginnings as a cross-country runner to Olympic silver in the time trial, Emma shares her fascinating athletic journey, why she hated cycling at first, and how she learned to love descending.

They explore:

• Why joy—not just performance—should drive training
• Emma’s candid experience with eating disorders in elite sport
• The benefits of real food over engineered nutrition
• Her new book Oat to Joy—a mix of simple recipes and powerful personal stories
• Bike fit for smaller athletes (and why crank length matters!)
• Training smarter with age, embracing strength work and quality sleep
• And why she prefers butter before jam on a scone!

Whether you're an elite athlete or a weekend warrior, Emma’s insights on food, fitness, mindset, and longevity will leave you inspired and smiling.

Notable Quotes:

“The more I ate, the faster I was.”
“True courage is tackling the things you're scared of, not pretending the fear doesn’t exist.”
“You’re not always going to be an athlete, but you’re always going to be a human.”

Links & Resources:

Oat to Joy - You can also buy Emma’s book in the UK via the Alpkit stores

Find Emma on the following channels:

Website: (forever home for Oat To Joy): https://www.emmapooley.net/oat-to-joy/

Instagram: Oat To Joy instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oat_to_joy_recipes/?hl=en

Emma Pooley - https://www.instagram.com/pooleyemma/?hl=en

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/pooleyemma.bsky.social

If you are NOT in the UK then you can also get hold of Emma’s book’s here: USA, EU, Switzerland

Emma’s book recommendation:

Myths of Sport Performance by Dr Amy Whitehead and Jenny Coe. Fascinating insights by experts. Busts some myths and makes advanced theory interesting and relatable.

These are links to some other cool stuff that Emma recommends, because sport can make a difference even in the big things:

• Gaza Sunbirds: https://gazasunbirds.org/
• Asylum for Afghan cyclists in mortal danger and needing rescue: https://shannongalpin.substack.com/p/an-open-letter-to-global-cyclists
• The Green Runners (I chose to end my sponsorship with a running brand to join them): https://thegreenrunners.com/

Some FREE Downloads for you

Click here for the Race Day Execution Checklist

Click here to get your copy of 7 steps to swimming faster Infographic

To get a free copy of my personal daily mobility routine, please click HERE

To download your FREE infographic ‘6 key daily health metrics’, please click HERE

Ready to Take Action?

If you want to build a stronger, healthier, more resilient version of yourself, there are two ways to get started:

1-1 Coaching with Simon Ward – Get a personalised programme designed for your lifestyle and goals. Book a call today
Join the SWAT Inner Circle – Our exclusive training community focused on real-world strength, health, and performance

You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and join our SWAT High Performance Human tribe here.

Call to Action:

If this episode inspired or helped you, please:

• Leave us a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review
• Subscribe to the High Performance Human Podcast on your favourite platform
• Share this episode with a friend who's racing soon!

Looking for more content?

Check out my Instagram and YouTube!

Instagram

YouTube

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter

To contact Beth regarding Life Coaching, please visit her website at BethanyWardLifeCoaching.uk.

For any questions please email [email protected].