Sir Ben Ainslie On His Wellbeing Habits And Dealing With Pressure

Sir Ben Ainslie needs no introduction. He is the most successful sailor in Olympic history, having won medals at five consecutive Games from 1996, including four golds between 2000 and 2012. Now CEO of the Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team, he leads one of the fastest and most forward-thinking racing teams in the world. 

Off the water, he has turned his attention to performance and recovery, launching ainslie + ainslie, a high-performance supplements brand he co-founded with his wife Georgie, a seasoned broadcaster who now hosts the podcast Performance People. The result is a range created to support focus, resilience and physical recovery, so naturally, it’s used to power Team GB’s SailGP athletes.

We spoke to Sir Ben about racing, leadership and what it takes to stay sharp in an adrenaline-fuelled sport.

SailGP is fast, technical, and fiercely competitive – what makes it stand out from everything else in sailing right now? 

Having twelve of these F50s sailing on a really tight stadium racecourse is groundbreaking for the sport. It’s bringing a level of entertainment that sailing hasn’t seen before. 

As CEO of the Emirates GBR team, how has your role evolved?

I’ve gone from Driver to CEO of the Emirates GBR SailGP Team, so from leading the team on the water to off of it – helping to ensure the team is successful on the racecourse but also in a commercial world. 

What have you learned about managing pressure, both your own and your team’s, in this kind of environment?

Preparation and communication are key. They were when I was sailing, and they are just as relevant now. 

Sustainability is a core part of SailGP. What role do you think sport can play in driving meaningful environmental change?

Sport has a real opportunity to set the bar high and send the message out to younger generations in terms of what can be with technology and collaboration. We are proud of our role in that and Emirates GBR is currently top of SailGP’s Impact League, which tracks the positive environmental and social actions teams make.

You’ve launched your own supplements brand, ainslie + ainslie, what gap were you seeing in the wellness or performance space that you wanted to address?

Our tagline is designed for athletes, made for everyone and that’s our story too. We created NIGHT + DAY POWDER out of a need that we had both as an athlete (myself) and an everyday busy person (Georgie) and there is an opportunity for sure to democratise elite level thinking within sport so more people with highly demanding lives can benefit from what elite sport knows. 

Do you think elite-level knowledge around recovery and nutrition is starting to filter down into everyday routines?

Yes, for sure. There are more and more everyday athletes loving the likes of Hyrox, triathlons, cycling clubs that really have a grasp of what they need to perform better. Athletes have long understood what rest and recovery can do to improve performance and what consistent routine can do too. That’s really our mission at ainslie + ainslie, to get the message out there that you don’t need to be an elite level athlete to benefit from that kind of thinking. 

Are there any small wellness habits, like a specific supplement and a combination of breathwork, cold water, etc that really anchor your day?

Ever since we developed NIGHT + DAY POWDER they have been staples of my day. Before we made these two supplements my regime included taking a lot of different pills and tablets and I’m happy to scale all that back with just two powders at the start and end of the day, it’s far simpler and much more convenient. 

What’s on the horizon for SailGP and the Emirates GBR team, what are you most excited to build or push forward?

The growth of SailGP has been rapid in the five seasons to date. We’re excited about the opportunities on and off the water for both our team and the league. Big name investors and stars are coming onboard which speaks to the strength of where the championship is right now. 

Finally, what’s the next step for ainslie + ainslie, and how do you want it to stand out in a crowded space?

It is a crowded space for sure, but we are just focusing on what we are doing. Supplying athletes and elite sports teams at one end and helping spinners of plates at the other too. We have only just got started but with the recent launch of DAY POWDER we now have our 24/7 supplement system available for all.