Since 2020, 'The High Performance Podcast,' hosted by television presenter, Jake Humphrey, and organizational psychologist, Professor Damian Hughes, has become an established feature of the UK media landscape - Attracting over 85 million views on YouTube, leading to sold-out theatre tours, corporate consulting and best-selling books. For all the world, this popular show appears to be a shining beacon of moral authority and human empathy, promoting mental resilience.
The list of celebrities who have appeared on this show, and (to a greater or lesser extent) bared their souls to the world, is as long as it is impressive. However, behind this polished presentation an ugly reality lies hidden. For, in return for substantial payments, the hosts have been exploiting the prestige of their celebrity guests to promote the Big Lie entitled, 'AG1.'
Back in September, I posted a common-sense (linguistically accurate) analysis of the Big 'AG1' Lie, concluding that it is a racket. I further stated that 'AG1' is not the front for an 'Amway' copycat blame-the-victim 'Multi-Level Marketing commercial' cult, but there are many parallels, not least the cover of effectively-valueless, exorbitantly-priced products, along with pseudo-scientific hocus-pocus and a reality-inverting dictionary. However, the shocking information upon which my published analysis and conclusions were based, has been publicly available for years. Indeed, all that Jake Humphrey and Damian Hughes, or their legal advisers, had to do before they entered into any arrangement with the bosses of 'AG1,' was Google-search Christopher Mark Ashenden, the man behind the company and who still owns a significant share of it.
https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/11/06/billion-dollar-firm-founder-stacks-the-deck-with-leaked-recording/
Ashenden has a documented history of financial misconduct and criminal convictions in his native New Zealand, but for which he has never been fully held to account. In summary, before he ran off to the USA, he was caught running an insidious real estate scam preying on vulnerable individuals. To prevent, and/or, divert investigation and insulate himself from liability, Ashenden already operated behind a confusing front of private, limited liability commercial companies. Once you understand the detail of what Ashenden did in New Zealand (linked above), and how he managed to dodge punishment, no one in his/her right mind would want to have any dealings with him, or any corporate structure connected to him. He is clearly a callous conman whose latest unoriginal con has been hidden in plain sight and associated with A-List celebrities, allowing it to keep expanding and extracting hundreds of millions of $ from countless individuals.
When you look beyond the fictional 'AG1' commercial cover story, the factual formula for this particular type of racket is incredibly simple:
- Register a private limited liability commercial company and give it a made-up (preferably catchy) technical-sounding name.
- Take a mixture of cheaply procured (preferably inert), common raw materials.
- Process, package and market these materials at an exorbitant (preferably 100x) mark-up under your made-up technical-sounding proprietary brand name.
- Cloak this updated snake oil with mind-numbing, pseudo-scientific hocus-pocus, and pay confident and physically attractive 'influencers' (preferably some with authentic academic qualifications) to broadcast the enticing comic-book narrative that 'this is an exclusive, high-value, highly-researched wellness/nutritional product offering a range of great mental and physical benefits to those smart enough to buy it, and keep consuming it every single day.'
- Trap the resulting buyers' credit cards in a hidden auto-billing loop.
- Add a rigged 'Unlimited Referral Rewards' scheme, so that a significant % of unwitting buyers will also become an unwitting unpaid salesforce trapped in the auto-billing loop, preying on their own friends and relatives in the false expectation of a future (non-existent) financial reward.
- Use some of your ill-gotten gains to buy the cover of trusted (preferably A-list) celebrities and major sports, and don't forget to be seen supporting charities (preferably those that feed starving children), all to make it appear that your product must be effective, and that your successful and philanthropic 'wellness / nutrition brand' cannot possibly be the front for an updated snake oil selling scam and unlawful, financial extraction mechanism.
Sadly, during every twice-weekly episode of 'The High Performance Podcast,' the hosts recite a scripted personal testimonial, peddling Ashenden's exorbitantly-priced green power labelled 'AG1' as, an essential luxury commodity for high-achieving individuals. Viewers are even directed to a Webpage offering an enticing 'AG1 introductory offer.'
An insidious element of this operation concerns the audio archives of 'The High Performance Podcast,' which have been retroactively exploited. An AI examination of these reveals that the Big 'AG1' Lie has infected a significant number (if not all) of the podcast's 444+ legacy episodes, including interviews with: Jameela Jamil, Gordon Ramsay, Matthew McConaughey, Sir Jonny Wilkinson, Robin van Persie, Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard and Tyson Fury. Using a technology known as Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI) via the network provider, Acast, the podcast’s digital infrastructure can automatically remove any adverts from the past. Today, when a listener downloads an old audio interview, this system has been inserting a more recently recorded 'AG1' promotion. These conversations were recorded years before the bosses of 'AG1' bought association with Jake Humphrey and Damian Hughes.
However, here are some of the most recent video interviews infected with the Big 'AG1' Lie:
1. Lawrence Dallaglio My Life Fell Apart After 50: Lawrence Dallaglio Gets Brutally Honest (E436) The 'AG1' narrative hits the screen between [22:15 – 23:45] Right after Dallaglio finishes explaining his deep childhood grief and navigating the brutal physical and mental pressures of professional rugby, the conversation abruptly breaks directly to the enticing script.
2. Sir Kevin Sinfield Sir Kevin Sinfield: The Day He Said Goodbye to Rob Burrow (E440) The Big 'AG1' Lie arrives between [27:40 – 29:10] This is the emotional climax of the interview, where Sir Kevin Sinfield discusses the devastating final hours before his close friend Rob Burrow tragically died. The podcast breaks into this intense moment to insert the pre-recorded 'AG1' promotion.
3. Richard Hammond Richard Hammond EXCLUSIVE: Life After Top Gear & Turning Down the BBC (E444) The 'AG1' narrative appears between [24:50 – 26:20] Richard Hammond finishes his reflections on surviving severe brain trauma, losing his childhood home and struggling with professional identity confusion. The interview suddenly cuts away to Jake Humphrey presenting the green powder as a tool for daily cognitive protection and maintaining focus.
In this devious way, the Big 'AG1' Lie has been hidden behind a bedazzling wall of celebrity association designed to silence critics and shut down the average consumer's critical faculties. Whether they are aware of it or not (and the majority of them would appear to be in the latter category), various high-profile figures have, in fact, allowed their credibility to be exploited by the bosses of the 'AG1' racket, enabling Ashenden's insidious, snake oil selling, mass-deception and financial extraction mechanism to continue functioning and expanding:
- Hugh Jackman, Lewis Hamilton, Gwyneth Paltrow: These A-list celebrities have taken equity positions in 'AG1,' and/or signed 'Global Ambassador' contracts, and/or broadcast the Big 'AG1' Lie, effectively offering their prestige to shield the scam from complaint and rigorous media/regulatory scrutiny.
- Richard Hammond, Jimmy Carr [20:36 -- 21:46] , Gordon Ramsay, Jameela Jamil, Matthew McConaughey, Richard Osman, Russell Kane: Celebrities whose frank admissions on video or audio versions of 'The High Performance Podcast,' regarding anxiety, trauma, work ethic and personal destiny, have been placed next to scripted promotions of the Big 'AG1' Lie, making it appear that it cannot possibly be a Lie.
- Sir Kevin Sinfield, Lawrence Dallaglio, Sir Jonny Wilkinson, Usain Bolt, Robin van Persie, Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard, Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, Keely Hodgkinson, Gareth Southgate, Christian Horner: Sporting legends who, by association, are being exploited to lure viewers into the belief that regular consumption of 'AG1's' green powder is the secret behind mental and physical high performance.
Further examination of recent videos reveals David Coulthard Exclusive [25:10 – 26:40]
Carlos Sainz F1 Reveal [21:40 – 23:10]
As to what these podcasters risk legally, the reality of modern consumer regulation is both laughable and depressing. Under the current UK legal framework, individual 'influencers' and podcast hosts are almost 100% insulated from personal criminal or civil liability. Since they operate through limited liability production networks like 'High Performance Ltd' and 'Whisper Group,' their personal wealth and private bank accounts are protected from asset seizure.
Under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations, any direct regulatory enforcement by the 'Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)' or class-action lawsuits regarding hidden, unlawful billing loops can only target the corporate sponsor, not the paid actors reading a script, no matter how misleading or fraudulent.
The only possible immediate threat in the UK would be from the 'Advertising Standards Authority (ASA),' but would be a slap on the wrist.
Furthermore, while co-opted celebrities technically possess viable grounds to sue these podcasters for breach of contract, if they recognized that their image rights have been misused to imply that they were endorsing 'AG1,' the likelyhood of that happening is remote. Filing a High Court lawsuit produces what is known as the 'Streisand Effect,' dragging the celebrity’s name into the media alongside embarrasing words like, 'scam' and 'fraud.' Celebrities usually prefer their lawyers to send discreet 'Cease-and-Desist' letters.
Personally, I don't know what to make of Jake Humphrey and Damian Hughes. I have only recently been made aware of their operation and have never tried to contact either them. For in my experience, the reaction of 'useful idiots' is entirely predictable. Of course, they will be bound by contracts, whilst sadly, it's human nature for us to try to justify our previous behaviour no matter how foolish this might have been. After all, no one wants to admit they have been duped, or that they have been used to dupe others.
Yet, this pair of podcasters have been looking into cameras and pretending moral and intellectual authority. However, by pocketing hundreds of thousands of £ to promote an absurd, reality-inverting scam instigated by a convicted conman, whether they understand what they have done or not, Jake Humphrey and Damian Hughes have demonstrated that right now, they possess neither. I sincerely hope that they will have the courage to face up to the unvarnished truth.
Ultimately, money is the determining factor here. Since Jake Humphrey and Damian Hughes have been marketing themselves as trustworthy experts in organizational psychology and leadership accountability, if they were ever to admit that they were so blinded by offers of cash and celebrity associations, that they were tricked into promoting a snake oil selling scam, they would risk become a laughingstock and their business would suffer as a result.
David Brear (copyright 2026)
