71 Jordan Dawes: Diversity isn’t a checkbox. It’s a performance multiplier.

What happens when elite sport collides with military service? Jordan Dawes knows this terrain intimately. As both a professional basketball player and Royal Marine, he navigates two demanding worlds that surprisingly share deep commonalities—challenging our assumptions about performance, identity, and resilience.Jordan's basketball journey began quite literally from birth, with family photos showing him being breastfed courtside during his mother's games. His father, a coach who met his mother through the sport, ensured basketball was woven into the fabric of their family life. But Jordan's path wasn't smooth. "In both environments, you're expected to perform regardless of what's happening outside," Jordan explains, drawing fascinating connections between sport and military service. "You might not like someone in your troop or on your team, but when it matters, you have to get past that." This perspective gives Jordan unique insight into high-performance cultures, though he notes one crucial difference: "In basketball, we're primed to perform under perfect conditions; in the corps, you're primed to perform under the worst conditions imaginable."Perhaps most compelling is Jordan's advocacy for diversity within the Royal Marines, drawing from his experiences as a mixed-race serviceman navigating different cultural expectations. "It's about bringing your whole self to work," he explains, making both moral and performance-based arguments for inclusive organisations.Want to discover how elite performers maintain balance, overcome setbacks, and find fulfillment while constantly pushing boundaries? Jordan's journey offers rare insights from someone who lives in two demanding worlds simultaneously. Listen now, then connect with Jordan on Instagram or his performance coaching business Phyz Factory.Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram |