What does it take to perform under extraordinary pressure while protecting your reputation and mental health? How do you remain authentic when the world is watching, and what can business leaders learn from the discipline, resilience and teamwork of elite athletes?

In this episode of Just Curious..., Nicky Regazzoni and George Blizzard welcome three-time Olympian and European sprint champion Adam Gemili to explore the realities of professional sport, the pressures of public scrutiny and the importance of finding your own voice.

Adam reflects on his remarkable journey, including the devastating experience of missing a medal at the Rio Olympics by just three thousandths of a second. He shares how he learnt to handle media attention, social media criticism and the emotional demands of competing at the highest level.

Adam talks about his determination to challenge sporting authorities over athletes' commercial rights, his commitment to authentic brand partnerships and the lessons businesses can learn from elite sporting environments. And he explains why he wants to help the next generation of athletes succeed both on and off the track.

What does it take to turn childhood adversity into strength, purpose and lasting social impact? How can sport, mentoring and the intervention of just one trusted adult change the trajectory of a young person’s life? And what responsibility do individuals, businesses and communities have to ensure children leaving the care system are given the opportunity not simply to survive, but to thrive?

In the second part of our deeply personal conversation with Olympic legend Fatima Whitbread MBE, she tells Nicky Regazzoni and George Blizzard about how sport became her escape from the care system, gave her confidence and discipline, and ultimately led her to the family that transformed her life. She recalls discovering javelin, meeting her future adoptive mother Margaret Whitbread and the extraordinary moment when Auntie Ray gave her “permission” to leave the care system behind.

Fatima explains how those experiences shaped the resilience and determination that later took her to the pinnacle of international athletics, and how she now channels those qualities into supporting others. Through the Fatima’s UK Campaign, she is working to create practical pathways for young people in care through sport, arts and technology, collaboration with businesses and public bodies, mentoring and employment opportunities.

What happens when a childhood defined by abandonment, institutional care and trauma becomes the foundation for extraordinary resilience? How can one caring adult change the direction of a child’s life? And what needs to change to ensure that young people leaving care are given the support, stability and opportunities they need to thrive?

In this very special episode of Just Curious, Nicky Regazzoni and George Blizzard talk to sporting icon Fatima Whitbread MBE about the experiences that shaped her long before she became a world champion and Olympic medallist. Fatima describes being abandoned as a baby, spending her first 14 years in the care system and growing up without the emotional security most children take for granted.

She explains how the kindness of one care worker, Auntie Ray, gave her a sense of belonging and purpose, encouraging her to look after younger children and helping shape the empathy and determination that remain central to her life today. Fatima also discusses how sport became an escape: a place where she could experience freedom, build confidence and begin to imagine a future beyond the label of being a child in care.

The conversation also explores Fatima’s work with Fatima’s UK Campaign and her message is clear: improving outcomes for children in care requires collaboration, action and accountability across society.

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