Oxygen Conservation is a high-performance environment. Many people think they want to work in that kind of space, but few truly understand what it takes. The demands, the pressure, the relentless drive to reinvent not just what you do, but who you are—just to keep your place in the team. This isn’t just about working hard; it’s about recalibrating your entire mindset to exist in a space where expectations don’t plateau—they escalate.
Knowing Who Will Make It
Several years ago, after appearing on the brilliant Extrology podcast with the wonderful Lee Cooper, I was introduced to an incredible founder who had built two businesses from inception to valuations in the hundreds of millions. He was exceptionally kind and loved the concept of Oxygen Conservation. Quietly, calmly, and confidently, he told me he was sure we would be one of the world’s first unicorn conservation companies. His only question was whether I knew that half the people in the room with me at that moment wouldn’t be there when we got there. Simply put, they wouldn’t be able to perform at the highest level.
He was a little surprised when I said I did. Specific people immediately came to mind—good performers who had contributed enormously to the early days of the business but who I knew wouldn’t be able to sustain the intensity required at the highest level. It wasn’t a question of talent; it was a question of sustainability, resilience, and adaptability. Some environments are too demanding for long-term participation, and recognising that isn’t failure—it’s reality for all of us, including me. I was privileged to play international sport for two years. By the third year, my body and my willingness to endure the sacrifices and pain required hadn’t improved as fast as the next generation was coming through, and I knew that, too – my time had come.
Growth Means Change
As we mature as a business, we’re having to say goodbye to some of the people who starred in the earlier chapters of our story but can’t—or aren’t willing to—continue making the sacrifices required to perform at this level. The people who built the foundation won’t always be the same ones that thatch the roof. It’s the natural evolution of a high-performance team. Imagine an incredible team that rapidly works through the football leagues, like Brighton, for example. How many of the players in the lower division are realistically ever likely to star in the Premiership or in European competitions?
This isn’t offered with criticism or judgment. Instead, it’s a sincere thank you to those who made the commitments required for the period that worked for them and their families. But this isn’t an environment that is for everyone, and it’s certainly not for everyone forever. If you aren’t growing, pushing, recalibrating, you’ll find yourself watching from the sidelines as the game speeds past you – I remember, I’ve done it.
The Athlete’s Parallel
The average career of a professional athlete is around four years (in the NFL, anyway). Why? Because the physical and mental demands are so immense. It is no different here. Sustained excellence is brutal. The world’s best athletes aren’t the ones who simply have talent; they are the ones who develop the work and adaptation capacity to reinvent themselves season after season, finding new ways to stay on top and new methods to push the boundaries of what they thought was possible. It’s no different in this organisation.
If you want a glimpse into the realities of sustaining excellence, listen to James Vowles on the High Performance Podcast (listen here). His journey from data analyst to Formula 1 team principal is a masterclass in reinvention, resilience, and the sacrifices required to stay at the top. Just like in elite sport, the ability to adapt, push boundaries, and embrace discomfort is what separates those who survive from those who thrive.
We’ve written before about why you really don’t want to be part of this team (and you can see that article linked here), yet still, thousands of you want to be part of this adventure – that’s not hyperbole, we had more than 5,000 applications for roles at Oxygen Conservation last year alone. Thank you! But it’s only fair to share the reality of what it takes to work in a truly high-performance environment. If you want to stay at the top, you’ll need to push beyond what you thought was your breaking point; you will break. And then you’ll have to decide if you’re willing to go faster and further.
The Balance of Challenge and Support
But just like a professional sports team, we don’t leave our high performers to fend for themselves. We provide coaching, mentorship, and the flexibility needed to keep pushing boundaries without constantly burning out. High performance isn’t about running on empty—it’s about knowing when to push and when to recover, how to evolve, and how to sustain excellence over time. At Oxygen Conservation, we invest in our people through tailored development programs, access to industry-leading expertise, and a culture that embraces both challenge and support. We understand that success isn’t just about the sprint—it’s about having the endurance for the marathon. By ensuring our team has the resources, training, and resilience to keep growing, we build an environment where the best can continue to be their best.
The Reality of High Performance
This company isn’t for everyone, and it’s not for everyone forever. Most people aren’t prepared to make the sacrifices required to perform at this level. Some who are willing to make them won’t sustain it in the long term and that’s ok. The tools, techniques, ways of working, and people that got you here won’t necessarily keep you here—you must constantly reinvest in yourself to find marginal gains. Even the best performers rarely maintain peak performance for long—it’s incredibly difficult and demands commitment, resilience, sacrifice, compromise, and selfishness (and I understand most people won’t like that word, but to any athlete or elite performer, it makes perfect sense).
The bar is always rising. The standard is the standard, but it will be higher tomorrow. The pressure is immense. You will be surrounded by the best of the best. More will be demanded of you than ever before—not just by your team but by yourself. You will find the opportunity, the challenge, the freedom, and the support addictive—and that in itself isn’t easy.
Some days will be exhilarating. Others will be so demanding that it can feel crushing. There will be moments when you feel unstoppable and moments when you wonder if you can keep going or if you deserve to be here. That’s the nature of working at this level. It’s not just a job—it’s an endurance test.
The Opportunity is Too Big for Us to Play Small
Oxygen Conservation was never meant to be an easy place to work—it can’t be. The consequences of failure are too great, and the opportunity to make a positive environmental and social impact is too significant.
Too many people have worked too hard to create the opportunities for impact that we have now. Too many people have invested everything in making this business a reality – and if you’re reading this, thank you. We must take that opportunity. We owe it to them. We owe it to ourselves.
The Standard is the Standard
This company isn’t for everyone, and it’s not for everyone forever. You don’t have to do the work—but someone else will. And when they do, they’ll bring the hunger, the energy, and the drive that keeps this place electric. Talent might open the door, but it won’t hold it open for you.
If you want a comfortable ride, there are plenty of other places that will gladly offer you one.
If you want to be challenged, stretched, exhausted, and elated all in the same day, then step forward. The world’s first unicorn conservation company isn’t going to build itself.
Do you want to know if you have what it takes?
Apply for one of our available roles!