Episode 230 of The Adventure Podcast features survival instructor, bushcraft expert, and TV adventurer, Naomi Allsworth. Naomi started as a sportswear fashion designer in London, before pivoting to bushcraft and working alongside Bear Grylls as a survival expert. She talks to Matt about finding her place in the bushcraft world, but also the criticism she has and still receives from some. She also reveals what it was like being cast on survival show, 'Alone', with just three weeks' notice, and how authentic survival TV shows really are. Naomi also opens up about her crippling postpartum depression, and that pushing herself back into wild, uncomfortable places was the only thing that pulled her out. Together they dig into the double standards facing adventurous parents, and they both get candid about the guilt, privilege, and precarious balancing act of a career built on being away. They also touch on Naomi's upcoming unsupported expedition, and representation vs community skepticism. It's an honest, no frills conversation around what it costs to build a career that lives online and away from home, but also what that can give you.

For extra insights from the worlds of adventure, exploration and the natural world, you can find The Adventure Podcast+ community on Substack. You can also follow along and join in on Instagram @‌theadventurepodcast.

Chapter Breakdown

00:00-02:31: Naomi on identity, growing up in rural Wales, and finding herself through fashion design in London.

02:31-05:53: Swerving her degree toward mountaineering clothing, and testing kit in the Sahara and on Everest.

05:53-13:42: Naomi's postpartum depression, the fear of leaving her son, and how bushcraft became her lifeline.

13:42-24:01: Matt and Naomi compare notes on parental guilt, presence, and the different judgement mums and dads face for going away.

24:01- 26:34: Why having the right partner makes an adventurous career possible.

26:34-34:00: Naomi's whirlwind three-week casting, hostility from a fellow contestant, and finishing third.

34:00-39:48: How authentic survival TV actually is, and the tension between bushcraft purism and entertainment.

39:48-48:00: Wanting to represent women in the outdoors while keeping the respect of a skeptical community.

48:00-58:36: Why paid TV work funds real expeditions.

58:36-1:03:36: The impossible task of pleasing everyone online, and how criticism still stings even after years in the spotlight.

1:03:36-1:05:34: What scares Naomi and what gives her hope.

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-adventure-podcast.

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Episode 229 of The Adventure Podcast features founder and CEO of Trash Free Trails, mountain biker, and spaniel-owner, Dom Ferris. In this episode, Dom traces his path from a feral, nature-soaked childhood in Mid Wales, through teenage mountain bike racing and a wilder stretch of partying that cost him his sense of self. He goes on to found Trash Free Trails after a breakdown at Surfers Against Sewage taught him the hard way what happens when purpose tips into relentlessness. He and Matt open up about their own mental health struggles and the danger of tying your worth to constant output. The conversation also digs into the real philosophy behind Trash Free Trails; why litter isn't really about litter, the "activism arms race," the risk of accidental greenwashing, and the hard science linking single-use pollution to disconnection from nature. It's a raw, funny, occasionally tearful look at burnout, boundaries, and what it actually means to do good work without losing yourself in it.

For extra insights from the worlds of adventure, exploration and the natural world, you can find The Adventure Podcast+ community on Substack. You can also follow along and join in on Instagram @‌theadventurepodcast.

Chapter Breakdown

00:00-02:27: Dom on post-big-week exhaustion and the guilt of not resting after doing good work.

02:27-06:52: A feral, nature-connected childhood and the early seeds of caring about litter.

06:52-11:57: Teenage mountain bike success derailed by partying, family breakdown, and drinking.

11:57-21:10: Matt and Dom open up about mental health, feeling pointless, and past breakdowns.

21:10-32:38: Why tying self-worth to contribution can be dangerous - and Dom's current struggles.

32:38-47:07: Dom's career path, burnout leading a team, and the leap into founding Trash Free Trails.

47:07-58:12: The pressure for bigger, better campaigns, and Dom's discomfort with it.

58:12-1:10:23: The science behind single-use pollution, disconnection from nature, and greenwashing risks.

1:10:23-1:20:15: Dom's philosophy and using your own sphere of influence for good.

1:20:15-1:23:00: What scares Dom, what gives him hope, and a fittingly emotional close.

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-adventure-podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dispatches are our shorter form episodes, usually around a single question, subject or story. In this episode, Niall McCann recites an incident from a couple of years ago when he, alongside a group of rangers, tracked buffalo poachers for over an hour through incredibly complex terrain.

For extra insights from the worlds of adventure, exploration and the natural world, you can find The Adventure Podcast+ community on Substack. You can also follow along and join in on Instagram @‌theadventurepodcast.

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-adventure-podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.