Off Grid

Alex Ledger is the Managing Director of Off SkySchool, a paramotoring instructor, and an adventure air sports specialist.   In this conversation, we talk about: How to pursue an adventurous life Starting a paramotoring business at age 20 with no experience  Mental techniques to overcome fear Stories of the adventurous spirits that live in Chamonix in France How to keep the dream alive after 20 yea...

Nick Murray is a professional safari guide and co-founder of Bushlife Safaris, based in Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National Park. He has built his life around the bush, guiding in one of Africa’s wildest landscapes. In this conversation, we talk about: Living with Sir David Attenborough in the bush Nick’s specialism in the painted wolves  The dark world of organised crime and poaching wildlife The real...

Josh Dickson is a clinical psychologist, trauma and positive psychology therapist and founder of Resurface, a science-backed approach using surf therapy and EMDR to help people heal. In this conversation, we talk about: How flow states can create therapeutic change in the body and mind Josh’s experience of childhood abandonment trauma at boarding school How EMDR and Blue Health can significantly h...

Archie Whitfield ran all 20 Premier League stadiums in 25 days in memory of his Dad, fundraising for a The Brain Charity. He’s also run to all the stadiums in the Scotland league, the Portuguese league, and even around the whole of Lake Como in Italy.  In this conversation, we talk about: Processing grief through mission and movement over sitting and talking How to find enjoyment in doing hard thi...

Andy McMenemy is an extreme endurance athlete, clinical hypnotherapist and psychotherapist, and mindset coach. He’s completed the Marathon des Sables, a 24-hour endurance race in the Namibian desert, and ran 66 ultra marathons in 66 consecutive days across 66 UK cities. In this conversation, we talk about: - Being rejected from joining the military at a young age - Questioning what mental health a...

In this solo episode I share 3 adventures I’ve done that ordinary people can go and repeat. No epic kit lists or extreme skills required, just solid routes, a bit of planning, and the confidence to start. I take you through going solo in the Brecon Beacons, trekking Mallorca’s GR221 and Gran Canaria’s GR131. I share what each trail is actually like, how to trek them and the lessons I learned along...

Adam Burns, walked 1,966 km from Argentina to Brazil with three mates and a golf trolley for the 2014 Brazil Football World Cup, cycled Sydney to Melbourne dressed as a jockey for the Melbourne Cup, and during the 2018 Football World Cup watched a match with a fan from every nation, all in London. He is the Founder of sports advertising agency FANION Studio. In this conversation, we talk about:  A...

From business advisor to expedition leader and leadership speaker, Jo Bradshaw has summited Everest and completed the Seven Summits, reaching the highest peak on every continent. In this conversation we talk about: - How to reinvent your life when you feel stuck - The overlooked story of the first woman on Everest - Surviving the 2015 Nepal earthquake - Nepalese culture and lessons the West misses...

Kim Slade is the founder of Unlost Co. He quit a stable social media job, booked a one way flight to a remote island in the South China Sea, and set out to never get a normal job again. In this conversation we talk about: How to create agency in your life What is really takes to quit having security for the unknown  The balance between the need for money and having a dream What to do when you feel...

Ian Finch is an adventure photographer, Founder of Walk Wild, and a former Royal Marine Commando. In this conversation, we talk about: Why humans seek adventure and what it gives us How Royal Marine training changes your mindset  Lessons in culture from remote tribes Discovering personal spirituality in wild places What nature teaches when you truly pay attention You can find Walk Wild here: https...

Jack Pitcher holds the British record for running across Australia - 2,684 miles from Perth to Bondi in 61 days. A former roofer from Bracknell who was not even a runner, Jack is now a motivational speaker who shares how he built an underdog mindset, ran on grit not hype, and what the road taught him about purpose, pain and men’s mental health. In this conversation, we talk about: Why not having a...

When Henry was 25 years old, he cycled from London to Sydney over 2 years. He is the founder of We Are Explorers and Outside Kids, on a mission to put real adventure back into children’s lives and rewild how families spend time together. In this conversation we talk about: Quarter-life crisis and choosing the long road How he ended up in an Iraqi prison Australia vs UK culture  Raising outdoor-lov...

This week's episode is a bit of a different one. It's the first time I've ever had a guest come back onto the podcast, and it is my dear friend, Lord Cuthbert. In this conversation, we talk about: - The adventures we want to do this year. - Shaking hands at the bottom of Ben Nevis with a promise for the future. - Overcoming fear. - Growing up in the same village as the adventurer Ranulph Fiennes....

This episode is on video. First take, 1 take. Bosh. This is my first episode where I talk to the camera on my own - quite an unusual experience. I thought I’d kick off the New Year by reflecting on this podcast and my plans for the future. I talk about 5 lessons that I have learned from my guests and 5 lessons I have learned in building the podcast. In this conversation, I talk about: - Being in t...

George Bullard is a record breaking explorer. When he was 19 years old, he and his teammate Alex Hibbert set the world record for the longest unsupported polar ski expedition, covering 1,374 miles in 113 days. He has also kayaked from Greenland to Scotland with his teammate Ollie Hicks, covering 1,200 miles in 66 days. In this conversation, we talk about: - Kayaking along the Thames to George's jo...

This week, I’m joined by Chaz Powell. Chaz is an adventurer, bushcrafter, ranger and expedition leader, best known for ‘The Wildest Journey’ of walking Africa’s wildest rivers from source to sea. In this conversation, we talk about: - Feeling trapped as a child and ending up in a young offenders institution - Taking out a loan at 24 and flying to Bangkok with no real plan - The value of travel, un...

Alex Staniforth is an ultra-endurance runner and the fastest person to run every mountain in England and Wales. He is also the founder of the charity Mind Over Mountains. In this conversation, we talk about: Alex's childhood of being bullied, having epilepsy and a stammer. Being hit by the Nepal earthquake in 2015 at age 19. Whether we are driven by ambition or dragged by insecurity. The quiet...

Tristan Gooley, otherwise known as the Natural Navigator, writes all about outdoor clues and signs. The BBC has coined him the Sherlock Holmes of nature. He is also the best selling author of multiple books worldwide on natural navigation and the only living person to fly solo and sail single handed across the Atlantic. In this conversation, we talk about: - What a crow can tell us about where we...

Mark Beaumont is the fastest person to cycle around the world, which he did in 78 days, 14 hours and 40 minutes. He has cycled around the world twice, cycled the length of Africa, rowed oceans and cycled down the highest active volcano in the world. In this conversation, we talk about: - The importance of being alone. - What it means to suffer well. - Agency and how to lead our own lives. - The ne...

Holly Budge is the Founder of Female Ranger Week and NGO, How Many Elephants, where she supports female rangers globally and the anti-poaching of elephants. She is the first woman to skydive Everest and an Everest Summiter.  In this conversation, we talk about: - Growing up around entrepreneurs and adventure. - What makes a female ranger so effective at their job. - Holly’s experience of the front...

My mate Lord Cuthbert and I sit on a hill and recall our adventures together. What a laugh. In this conversation, we talk about: - Finding ourselves lost in the military danger zone of Dartmoor at night. - Getting defeated by a wet, muddy and midge infested Scotland. - Receiving unwanted romantic attention by a strange man in a quiet Scottish pub. - How Cuthbert managed to find himself ice-picking...

Efrem Brynin is the CEO and Founder of Strongmen, the UK men's bereavement charity. He participated in the TV show 'SAS: Who Dares Wins' in 2016 where he shared that his son, James, was killed in his second tour of Afghanistan. In this conversation, we talk about: - How dangerous and real the SAS tv show actually is for a recruit. - How to do the thing you say you are going to do. - Be...

The Brooner is in an elite military unit called the Mountain Leaders in the Royal Marines. He is the host of 'Brooners Mountain Madness' podcast and lives off grid in a van in Scotland. In this conversation, we talk about: Nearly quit ML selection in Norway ML vs SAS selection Avalanche warning stopped everything Map disintegrated in the Cairngorms Challenging the romanticising of risk Jus...

Megan Hine is a survival consultant who has worked with Bear Grylls and Mr Beast. She also holds a degree in psychology to translate high-risk fieldcraft into clear decisions under pressure. In this conversation, we talk about: ​Working 15 years alongside Bear Grylls ​Megan’s transition to YouTube and working with MrBeast ​Megan’s adventurous childhood and how running away became a career. ​The sc...

Jan Bakker is an expedition leader, co-author of Trekking in Tajikistan, and pioneer of the Pamir Trail, a long-distance trekking route that connects remote mountain communities. In this conversation, we talk about: How a boy from flat Netherlands fell in love with mountains First mountain at 16 in Mallorca Why Tajikistan captured his imagination Designing 1300 km Pamir Trail in Tajikistan How to...