Greg Rutherford is sat in the staffroom of Waterstone's bookstore in his hometown of Milton Keynes.
Conversation includes dealing with disappointment, fitness regimes and the importance of determination. Outside the store, the queue to meet the Bletchley boy made good is reaching none-too-shabby numbers.
Actually, it's growing at quite a pace...
People have warmed to our Olympic gold medalist, and they follow his movements en masse.
Until recently, that involved spending Saturday nights in front of the small screen while Greg shook his stuff (although to be fair it was a whole lot more involved than that) with partner Natalie Lowe on Strictly Come Dancing.
There were tears when they crashed out in Blackpool.
“There's a level of disappointment when anything like that finishes because you want to do well and the competitive side of me wanted to go all the way but equally, I was a realist as well."
"I knew I definitely was nowhere near as good as some of the dancers in there, and I could see I was coming to the end of my shelf life,” he admits.
“I looked at the others and I myself thought them to be better than me. In the world I come from, if you are better than someone, you win.
It was very hard and I was quite upset when we went out, more for Natalie than myself, because the professionals put their absolute life, heart and soul into it, all day every day. It's all encompassing.”
But with the scorecards and routines behind him, he can get back to normal, although for long-jumper Greg, that's probably not too normal either.
Today's book-signing is one of those things that was initially cancelled for Strictly rehearsals here in the city, so this is one thing off the 'to do' list.
Others include the launch of a new online fitness programme, which will be out soon after the Christmas shenanigans are done with.
“It's taking the things that I've learned over the last 12 years of being a professional athlete and condensing them into a formula for everybody who would never normally get access to the sort of knowledge and info that I get on a daily basis,” he explains.
Greg admits he 'enjoys the TV work' he has been exposed to in recent times, and will happily pursue more in the future, but for the moment, he'll be getting back to the day job too.
“I've probably got a couple more years, possibly one more Olympics, if all goes very, very well.
"But to be honest I'm earmarking the next two years to compete and then hopefully move seamlessly into something else, and I do enjoy the TV work. If I can do that, that is exactly where I want to be.”
Greg is a winner. Who can forget that magical Super Saturday at the 2012 Olympics?
Along with Mo Farah and Jess Ennis-Hill their spectacular winning styles united the country, bathing it in good feeling.
But there have been very public knock-backs too. How do you cope with those?
“Perseverance is hugely important, and actually surrounding yourself with the people that remind you that what you do is good and that you can come back from that.
"That has probably been the biggest thing for me. I have always brought people into my life who enrich it more – especially as an adult.
"When things don't go particularly well, it is very easy for people to be doom and gloom with you, but I always have people who will bring me up – from my family to my friends.
"And my level of self belief has always been so incredibly high and that is why in the end I actually succeeded.
"It is a level of determination that often nobody else will believe in at all...I always wanted to prove people wrong.
“No matter what happened, whether it was an illness or sporting injury at the worse times, I always believed there was a chance.
“That's why I stuck with it, to thankfully go on and win an Olympic gold medal,” he realises.
Pick up a copy of the autobiography Unexpected, and you'll learn lots more about that self-belief Greg has.
It's a real easy page-turner, and not 'too sporty' either. It's better than that!
"We've made a sporting autobiography which is incredibly honest,” he thinks.
“I've not particularly missed out any of the harder hitting parts of my life because I think that's very important. For me, what I wanted to get across were some of the things I did, some of which were quite silly and quite naughty at times, that you can make those mistakes but actually still go on to succeed.
"I made a positive choice to change at about 19 or 20 and then again at 24 which was monumental in me becoming who I am to this day.
“But before that, it could have gone either way, and I could have carried on being the complete idiot I was, and then missed the boat entirely.
“I read Andre Agassi's book, and he was so honest that I said if I ever write a book, that's exactly how I would like it to be.”
After his success in 2012, Milton Keynes showed its appreciation by installing the 'Leaping Man' statue.
How many other people have a 26ft tall metal statue in their home town?! Seriously, how does that feel driving past a gigantic version of yourself?
“It's the weirdest thing in the world. It is so strange!” he says with a laugh.
“When I heard a statue was being made, I just assumed something quite small and unassuming somewhere, and then when I saw it, it really did blow my mind!
To have a statue, for however long it lasts, a long time I hope, really is special.
“It's weird, but in the most incredible way, and I am very thankful to Milton Keynes for putting that together for me...”
And judging by the mammoth signing session that awaits him, Milton Keynes is every bit as thankful that Greg has stuck with the town.
Everyone who lines up to meet him before we quietly tip-toe off an hour into the two-and-a-half hour long session has a story or memory to share, or a picture to show.
From wee nippers singing his praises for his Strictly style, to sports fans and former teachers, and the general public who have made a polite claim on 'our Greg.'
And every one of them is greeted with a warm smile and a genuine interest from the man they have come to meet.
He's a celebrity, an award-winning Olympian and clearly, an all-round decent fella.
Although he tells it differently: “I am just a kid from Bletchley and there was nothing particularly special about me.
"I just had this determination to go out there and do well...”
> Unexpected is out now through Simon & Schuster
> Purchase from Waterstone's, intu, Central Milton Keynes
Pics: Greg meeting some of his fans in-store at Friday's event
