Meet Simon Mundie
Performance Under Pressure: Simon Mundie on Champion Thinking for Legal Ops
When The Exchange welcomed Simon Mundie on 8 April 2025, our community gained access to insights from someone who has spent years uncovering the mental frameworks behind peak performance across diverse fields—from elite sports to high-stakes business environments.
As a bestselling author, respected broadcaster, and host of acclaimed podcasts "Don't Tell Me The Score" and "A New Way of Being," Simon brings a wealth of knowledge on how principles from high-performance environments can transform how we approach challenges in legal operations.
From BBC to Bestseller
With over 15 years at the BBC—presenting for Radio 1, Radio 4's Today programme, and reporting for BBC Sport at Wimbledon—Simon has mastered the art of extracting valuable insights through thoughtful conversation. This skill led him to create the critically acclaimed podcast "Don't Tell Me The Score," which explores how lessons from sport can be applied to life and business.
Simon has distilled the wisdom from hundreds of interviews with world-class thinkers and performers into his bestselling Bloomsbury book, "Champion Thinking." His ability to identify patterns across disciplines makes him a uniquely valuable voice for legal operations professionals seeking fresh perspectives.
Why Simon's Approach Resonates with Legal Ops
Simon's work focuses on several themes that directly parallel challenges in legal operations:
Finding Flow in Complex Environments: Simon explores how professionals can achieve optimal performance states even in high-pressure situations—a daily reality for many legal teams.
Avoiding Burnout While Maintaining Excellence: His research offers practical strategies for sustainable high performance, crucial in an industry often characterised by demanding workloads.
Cultivating Resilience Through Change: Simon's insights on adapting to new challenges align perfectly with the rapidly evolving landscape of legal operations.
Practical Performance Psychology: Rather than abstract theory, Simon focuses on actionable techniques that can be implemented immediately.
Beyond Theory: Real-World Application
What makes Simon's approach particularly valuable is its proven effectiveness across sectors. His insights have been sought by the UK Government, NHS leadership teams, Pfizer, leading financial institutions, and even the UK's climate change negotiation team—organisations that, like legal departments, deal with high-stakes decision-making and complex stakeholder environments.
A Personal Journey of Discovery
Simon's perspective is shaped not only by his professional work but also by his personal exploration. After a transformative experience in 2015, he recognised that the quest for peak performance shares much in common with the search for clarity and purpose. His approach integrates timeless philosophical principles with cutting-edge performance psychology—offering a holistic framework for excellence that goes beyond traditional metrics.
Join the Conversation
At our Exchange session, Simon Mundie guided us through a powerful conversation from his podcast A New Way of Being, featuring Dr Russ Harris, the leading voice on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
The message? We can’t lead or perform at our best by pushing discomfort away—but we can learn to meet it with acceptance, self-compassion, and practical tools that build inner resilience.
Dr Harris shares techniques for handling tough emotions in real time—tools that support better decisions, better collaboration, and better wellbeing.
Our marketing and design partner, Hilde (from Sidebar Design), wrote a wonderful essay based on Simon’s session. You can read it here.
The Exchange podclub is designed for legal operations professionals who want to improve the delivery of legal services through innovation, connection, and idea-sharing. Each monthly session features thought-provoking content selected by our guest speaker, followed by facilitated discussion and networking.
