This week on Performance People, Georgie sits down with England cricketer Kate Cross for a conversation about resilience, identity and the moments that shape a sporting life.
Recorded in Abu Dhabi at the end of 2025, before the SailGP Grand final, Kate looks back on the defining moment that changed everything: her Test debut in Perth in 2014. It came at the end of a turbulent period in which she had been dropped from the England academy, was struggling with her mental health at university and had begun to question whether cricket had a future for her at all. What followed was a brilliant summer, an England call-up and a debut Ashes victory at the WACA that helped launch both her international career and a new era for the women’s game.
She reflects on the pressure of elite sport, the importance of rediscovering joy in performance, and why taking pressure off yourself can sometimes be the thing that allows you to perform at your best. Kate also speaks candidly about the professionalisation of women’s cricket, the visibility and investment that have transformed the game, and the barriers that still remain.
There is also a powerful discussion about sexism in cricket, the outdated attitudes that once blocked girls from playing, and why equal opportunity, access and resource matter just as much as pay. As one of the senior voices in the dressing room, Kate explains why helping change the environment for the next generation now matters deeply to her.
She also opens up about losing her England contract despite one of the most successful domestic seasons of her career and the emotional whiplash of professional sport when success and disappointment can sit side by side.
00:00 “Dinosaurs” who never wanted women to play cricket
00:33 Kate Cross on her surreal SailGP experience
03:02 The defining moment that changed everything
04:38 Why letting go of the dream helped
05:55 University pressure, doubt and depression
08:14 The call that brought England back into reach
09:48 Proving she belonged on the biggest stage
11:04 First ball nerves at the WACA
12:20 Why the Ashes in Australia are brutal
12:58 Kate Cross on Bazball
14:21 Can Test cricket still hold attention?
15:42 How professionalism changed women’s cricket
17:56 The barriers still holding the women’s game back
20:28 Leadership, influence and changing the culture
21:18 Losing her England contract
22:52 Golf, sailing and what retirement might look like
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The Performance People podcast, in partnership with J.P. Morgan Private Bank, talks to high-performers in the world of sport and beyond, to bring defining moments, hard-earned insights and expert advice to everyday performance. New episodes every Tuesday.
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The views and opinions expressed on Performance People are those of the guests and hosts, and do not necessarily represent the views of ainslie + ainslie, J.P. Morgan Private Bank, or any affiliated organisations.
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