High Performance Coaching Program (Beta, First 10 Students Only) - FAST ACTION BONUS at the bottom!
Why: So You Can Enjoy Both The 'Western' and 'Eastern' Version Of Success: Achievement/External and Contentment/Fulfilment
What: 12 weekly High Performance Coaching sessions with GM Max Illingworth (a certified High Performance Coach since 2019), with an initial 'beta' cohort of up to 10 students. Once there are 10 students signed up, the coaching program closes to new students.
Sessions are at 10am Sunday AEST, which comes to Saturday 5pm Pacific time and 8:00pm Eastern time.
How: Studies from the High Performance Institute have shown that consistent High Performance over the long-term (without sacrificing relationships or personal well-being) is primarily the result of 6 key 'High Performance Habits':
- Clarity
- Energy
- Courage
- Necessity
- Productivity
- Influence
When you are consistently adopting all 6 habits, you start to consistently feel much more:
- Engaged
- Joyous
- Confident
This Is Not For You If:
- You enjoy your comfort zone with Nutella, Netflix and doomscrolling;
- You believe your capacity is fixed and limited by your talent or background;
- You are certain that you can't be both 'successful' and fulfilled;
- Your definition of success is burning all your relationships and personal well-being on the way to the promised land;
- You are unwilling to invest in premium coaching designed to transform your life;
- You unquestioningly believe that you 'either have it or you don't'
- Your idea of a dream life is never having to do anything hard or really challenge yourself.
This Is For You If:
- You're financially well off, but still feel unfulfilled with your life (spoiler: you are not the only one);
- You want a coach who's actually struggled with a lot of heavy s***, not the picture-perfect standard you feel you'll never reach;
- You're also neurodivergent and want to learn from someone who actually gets your unique problems;
- You've tried other people's advice and it hasn't worked, and you want a process where you get to decide how to make it work for you;
- You're a courageous person finally ready to believe in yourself again.
My Story (before High Performance Coaching):
I was officially certified as a Certifiied High Performance Coach in 2019, by the founder of the High Performance Institute, Brendon Burchard. (You can watch his video about High Performance Coaching here).
From the very first years of my life, I was naturally a very curious person. I started reading at 1 year old, learned the times tables at 3 (while jumping on the trampoline!) and had many interests I'd explore - from beating my parents in games like Uno, Mastermind, Mancala and Tabula, to learning about the human body (or whatever else interested me at the time) on an educational CD.
What this doesn't tell you, though, is the many struggles I faced throughout my life.
At 3 years of age, I was diagnosed with ADHD and autism. That's right, I'm neurodivergent, and actually had a lot of learning delays, like not being able to speak until I was 3 years old. It's thanks to the help of various specialists, my Dad's financial support, and most importantly, my Mum's continual training of me. (She still reminds me that it took me a year to learn what 'between' meant, but she never gave up!)
Becoming a Grandmaster was a journey with a lot of challenges for me - my Dad became clinically depressed from when I was 10 years old (and had late-onset manic bipolar for the 5 years before that). My Mum started to lose her vision in my teenage years, to the point of being legally blind today.
Combine that with other challenges like bullying at school, being sexually abused as a child, on and off depression, and the constant fear that I could never fully express my genuine self without negative consequences, and it would be easy to wonder - how did I manage to thrive with everything that I went through?
The thing is, all these difficult experiences helped me become a lot more resilient. And it took a lot of courage for me to go against the crowd and pursue chess full-time, when everyone else in Australia was going to university and preparing for a full-time stable job.
It also took a lot of courage for me to fly to Vietnam (changing my flight back from a Crete training camp at a high cost) to meet a woman, Ngoc, I'd been really hitting it off with online. But it was the best decision of my life - I later found out that, had I not taken the plunge and proposed to her a few months later, her family would have married her off to someone else.
Here's a recent photo of us, by the way:
I may not have 'discovered' High Performance Coaching when I first met my wife, but it was only through:
- CLARITY - that I knew she was the right woman for me;
- ENERGY - having that kind energy and patience that drew her to me;
- COURAGE - to fly to Vietnam and propose to her after only 3 months of being together;
- NECESSITY - that I was committed to being with her and getting married to her;
- PRODUCTIVITY - to improve my skills so that I could consistently support her financially;
- INFLUENCE - to use Google Translate, and be patient/understanding with potential mis-translations, taking as long as needed to ensure I understood her.
...that we were able to get married, and stay married for the last 6-7 years.
I certainly wouldn't have been anywhere near as happy in my life without meeting and marrying her.
My Story (after High Performance Coaching):
If you ask me what the best investments in my life were, I'll tell you two things:
- Getting married to Ngoc (which I just talked about); and
- Becoming a Certified High Performance Coach at a live CHPC event in San Diego, California, in April-May 2019.
In early 2019, I had not been enjoying playing chess for a long time (about 9 months), so I decided to retire from competitive chess, and explore different passions of mine that had been growing over the last couple of years.
The reason I paid the $US 10,000 fee to join the Certified High Performance Coaching event was because I had this sense that it would completely transform my life, and would level up my coaching skills in a way no other program or resource possibly could.
It certainly helped my decision (another very courageous move!) that the process had been backed by extensive testing and scientific research (those who are really interested in the academic/research side can read the full paper here). A satisfaction rating of 9.7/10 across over 100,000 measured High Performance Coaching sessions definitely didn't hurt either!
Now I'd like to share how I - literally - found my voice at this event.
Those of you who have known me from when I was playing chess tournaments may recall that I had a rather 'squeaky' voice, as if my voice hadn't broken properly. (We neurodivergent folks don't always pick up the things that come naturally to neurotypicals!) And not projecting my voice led to a decade of not really being listened to, not feeling respected a lot of the time, and my voice was becoming hoarse on days where I had a lot of chess lessons to deliver.
I still remember the first day of the event, where I was losing my voice on the last coaching roleplay. I couldn't even speak properly to the student I'd (rather too ambitiously) booked in after the first day's event was over!
Concerned that I wouldn't be able to get through the four coaching roleplays planned for Day 2, I had a vague recollection of a painful 2018 memory I'd suppressed - of breathing from the diaphragm. I woke up early and spent well over an hour just practicing diagraphmatic breathing, and focusing on speaking from my diaphragm.
Many people I'd talked to on Day 1 noted the positive change in my voice, and I felt so much more confident, understood and impactful. Without that shift, I wouldn't have had the growth on YouTube I've experienced of late. And I definitely wouldn't be anywhere near as good a coach!
None of the others at this event had problems with their voice - but that shows you that, while the principles of High Performance are the same, the way we make them work for each of us is always going to be unique.
And that's one of the things I absolutely love about this work - being able to guide you through the process, and giving you the system and space to discover your own breakthroughs, and discover the habits right for your situation, that will bring you the presence, happiness and confidence you deserve to enjoy.
This High Performance lifestyle, that I invite you to embrace and live, is not about improving a skill the way private chess coaching does.
It's transforming your life, one new insight and one new habit at a time.
The Power Of High Performance Coaching:
You may be wondering - why is it necessary for me to have a coach for this process? You've shared the habits with me already Max - so why can't I just do my own research and make it work for myself?
That's what I believed as well, after coming back from the CHPC conference - that I had the tools, so I'd just use them myself and get the results I knew deep down that I was capable of all along.
At the same time, every great achiever (that also experiences the contentment and fulfilment that goes alongside the external results - more on that later!) has support systems in place, that make it simple for them to keep doing the things that make them succeed - and enjoy the journey along the way.
Isn't it true that we can all too easily fall back into what's comfortable? How our environment wants us to behave?
After coming back from the CHPC event, there was a lot of friction in my family, as my parents struggled to adapt to the 'new, transformed me' that came back from the event.
It reached a head where both my parents accused me of being bipolar, and sent me off to the psychiatrist to talk about it. (I did the psychiatrist's test and wasn't bipolar, by the way).
But that was incredibly jarring for me, and I went into my deepest depression yet. Because I didn't feel that I could be myself. Or be understood. And I didn't have people in my circle at the time that I felt I could talk about this with, who would understand.
I can still feel the suffering I went through in that time, feeling so alone and without support - and it's that old version of me, who was going through so much unresolved trauma, yet had unrealized potential for so much greater, that I'm determined to help in whatever way I can.
And while it's 'safe' and 'easy' to just focus on private chess coaching, like my family would want, I know that deep down, what's really going to transform your life, and make you a lot happier, focused and authentic in the long term, is going to be taking you through this process - the way only I can.
Virtually every other coach I've seen in this space has focused on how awesome they are, how they're going to absolutely transform your life, and how you'll achieve all your goals.
My Coaching Philosophy:
My philosophy is quite different.
I've been through a lot of very difficult things in my life. That means I actually get it when you're going through hell, and I can sit there empathetically and help you move forward and finally let go of that pain that's held you back for too long.
I'm significantly overweight as I write this, and have had issues ranging from erectile dysfunction to depression and struggling to have a 60-second conversation with my wife that didn't turn into an argument or complaining. Other coaches are afraid that such things make them a bad coach.
After a lot of inner work, I've realized that my human weaknesses make me a better coach, not a worse one - because it shows you that High Performance is an attainable standard, even if you're a bit messed up like me. Because ultimately, you determine what High Performance Living means for you. Not the academic papers..Not the influencers...Not me. You.
It doesn't matter where you're starting from, or how much you might suck with applying some of these things. If you enter this coaching with an open mind, and a commitment to improving your life - including when it's scary - you'll see your life evolve.
Most people choose easy. Staying in the comfort zone. Watching Netflix instead of training videos. Getting addicted to p*rn instead of trying to make a relationship actually work. Eating junk food instead of facing the uncomfortable emotions inside them. Distracting themselves with drinking or gambling instead of speaking their mind with their loved ones. Playing small and focusing on survival, instead of pursuing one's dreams. Doing a job that others tell you to do, instead of listening to your heart.
I did all of these things in the past. When the trauma felt too overwhelming to face. When I believed for nearly 25 years that I couldn't let myself feel those emotions, because I had to hold it all together for my family - because if I collapsed, my whole family would collapse too.
If you keep following this path, you are going to suffer for a very long time - as I did.
Fortunately, there is a better way.
And it starts with making the hard decisions.
Like actually backing yourself for once, and investing in coaching to live a better life.
Fortunately, once you get past that discomfort, and your mind trying to convince you that this is not a good idea (yeah, I have that voice as well, I just don't listen to it anymore), everything gets much easier.
The answers to all your problems are already within you. But you're not going to access them from ruminating on it in your mind.
You need a coach. And you need a proven process, not the generic 'wake up at 5am', 'write your goals' or 'avoid these 43 cognitive biases' advice that misses the bigger picture of thriving in this world that is fighting tooth and nail for your attention every day.
You don't need more advice. Or a better morning routine.
You need a coach. And a proven process for discovering happiness, focus and confidence.
I can give you both.
The Curriculum:
Now that you know what it takes to make this process work, and that you don't have to be a perfect AI-implanted cyborg to be a High Performer, it's time to share with you what we'll be going through in each of these 12 sessions.
Because you deserve to know what you're really signing up for when you invest in a coaching program with your life being the stakes.
So here are the 12 sessions, which we'll do live each week (starting on June 14, 2026) at Sunday 10am Sydney time (which is Saturday 5:00pm Pacific / 8:00pm Eastern. Live sessions recorded):
Session 1 - Focal Points
Purpose: Discover your focus, levels of agency, and habits.
Session 2 - Quick Wins: Clarity
Purpose: Assist you in gaining immediate, behavioural-driven clarity and intentionality.
Session 3 - Quick Wins; Energy
Purpose: Assist you in gaining immediate improvements in the energy you feel and generate each day.
Session 4 - Quick Wins: Courage
Purpose: Assist you in gaining confidence, decisiveness and momentum.
Session 5 - Quick Wins: Productivity
Purpose: Assist you in being immediately more effective and productive each day.
Session 6 - Quick Wins: Influence
Purpose: Assist you in being immediately more influential in your relationships and careers.
Session 7 - Psychology Mastery
Purpose: Assist you in developing a free, consciously-directed, positively engaged mind.
Session 8 - Physiology Mastery
Purpose: Revisit Session #3 on Energy and assist you in gaining even more energy.
Session 9 - Productivity Mastery
Purpose: Assist you in revisiting your productivity levels and cutting out distracting activities.
Session 10 - Persuasion Mastery
Purpose: Assist you in targeting areas you can be more persuasive in.
Session 11 - Purpose Mastery
Purpose: Assist you in living and leading with purpose.
Session 12 - Commitment To High Performance
Purpose: Assist clients in reviewing your progress and making commitment for change.
If it's the first time you have come across this framework, I appreciate that it looks like a lot.
The good news for you is that all 6 of the High Performance Habits incorporated in these 12 'core' High Performance sessions (Clarity, Energy, Necessity, Courage, Productivity, Influence) are all interconnected.
That means that, when you improve one of these habits, you will notice a flow-on improvement of the other High Performance Habits as well.
As the creator of this process, Brendon Burchard, likes to say - trust the process.
It's transformed my life. It's transformed the lives of many 'beta' students that I have taken through this process - from semi-retired women, to aspiring young men, and everyone in between.
That's how I know it can transform your life, too.
By the way, we don't just have the live coaching session. For each of these 12 topics, you'll get a 'High Performance Worksheet' that you can fill out in your own life, to reflect much more deeply on each topic and fully integrate it into your own life. Not just as habits, but as your identity - who you are.
I've filled out these worksheets as a student more times than you can imagine, and I can confidently say that the worksheets alone are easily worth the price of this coaching program, in how they will change your life.
But what's most valuable of all is the direct coaching I give you to help you discover those habits and breakthroughs for yourself. Combine the worksheets and coaching together, and this is a no-brainer investment for your personal development, provided of course that you have the means to invest in premium coaching.
And the price is part of the value, too - the only way you're going to fully incorporate High Performance Living as your way of being is if you have some real skin in the game.
Because you know as well as I do that we humans tend to resist change at first.
The only way you're going to truly transform your life is if the discomfort of change is less than the discomfort of staying the same.
The only way you'll be fully committed to this process is if there's real consequences of not following through on the worksheets and the other commitments you make in this process.
I know you don't want to waste $2000. That would be stupid, right?
So you're going to apply the process, and do whatever you can to bring High Performance Living into your every action.
And that's how I know you're going to get way more value out of it than what you're paying here.
I believe in you. You read this far, which is more than what 98% of the dopamine-addicted homo sapiens could claim they read in one sitting in the last month.
Now it's time to believe in yourself. You got this.
Fast Action Bonuses!
To help you out, I've included a couple of fast action bonuses, to reward the most courageous among you who take the plunge and trust me with making your life much, much better. (Which I don't take for granted!)
The first one is that there's only 5 spots available at the current price of USD $2000.
Once those spots are taken, the program goes up in price to USD $3000.
And once all 10 spots are taken, the program is closed.
We all know that the people who say they'll get to something 'someday' never get around to it.
Don't let 'someday' turn into never.
It's never too late to transform your life, to choose to experience both Western AND Eastern success (achievement AND fulfilment), not just one.
It's never too late to write a new chapter, to generate new options and discover things about yourself that you'd never have known otherwise.
I have one other fast action bonus as well! And you're going to love this one :)
Technically, this 'core' High Performance Coaching Program is a 12-session program.
However, I have included a 'bonus' 13th session on Sunday 7th June, 10:00am AEST (that's Saturday 5pm Pacific time and 8:00pm Eastern time).
That will be a 'Discovery Session', which will help you get engaged and energized, and ignite your commitment for reaching High Performance!
It's not necessary for following the process, but it will help you understand High Performance and the High Performance Habits, so that you can hit the ground running from the very first of the 'core' sessions. And yes, this 'Discovery Session' also includes an overpowered worksheet ;)
I'd love to have you on board as one of my High Performance Coaching student. But remember, you have to join by Sunday morning AEST to join the 'Fast Access Bonus' Discovery Session live!
See you in there.
GM Max Illingworth
Committed to helping a billion people make better decisions in their day-to-day life, through improving others' states and giving people better frameworks and processes for their decisions
