Blown up by a landmine. Kidnapped at gunpoint. Left to die.
Most people will never face a life-or-death moment. Chris Moon has faced several… and what he learned will change how you think about your own challenges.
In this extraordinary episode of The Resilience Project, host Wes Linden sits down with Chris Moon MBE, a man whose life has tested the limits of human endurance in ways most of us can barely comprehend.
While working in a war zone, Chris triggered a landmine that tore through his arm and leg. Alone, bleeding out, and facing almost certain death, he made a decision that would define the rest of his life… to keep moving.
But that was just one chapter.
Chris also shares the terrifying story of being kidnapped and held hostage by armed militants, where survival came down to mindset, composure, and the ability to stay mentally strong under extreme pressure.
Listeners will gain powerful insights into:
• How to stay calm and focused in life-or-death situations
• The mindset required to overcome unimaginable adversity
• Why resilience is built long before the moment you need it
• Taking responsibility for your response, no matter the circumstances
• Turning trauma into purpose, growth, and impact
What makes Chris’s story so compelling isn’t just what he’s been through, it’s how he interprets it. There’s no self-pity. No drama. Just a relentless focus on what can be controlled, and a refusal to be defined by what’s happened to him.
From surviving extreme trauma to becoming an ultra-endurance athlete, speaker, and leader, Chris demonstrates that resilience isn’t about avoiding hardship… it’s about how you respond when it arrives.
If you think you’re facing something tough right now… this conversation will reset your standards.
Join us for one of the most powerful and perspective-shifting episodes of The Resilience Project.
🔗 Useful Links
Chris Moon's website: https://www.chrismoon.co.uk
Follow Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismoonspeaker
Follow Wes on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weslinden
Follow Wes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/weslinden
Never miss an episode: https://www.weslinden.com/podcast
00:00 Opening
01:01 Introduction
02:30 The day everything changed
03:33 “I’ve just stepped on a landmine…”
05:35 Choosing positivity in a life-or-death moment
08:27 Surviving hours with catastrophic injuries
11:11 Why humour mattered in that moment
14:08 The long wait for rescue
16:35 A 14-hour fight to stay alive
17:24 The decision: I’m not going to die
18:25 Defying medical expectations
20:06 Losing a limb… but not his identity
24:54 Setting an “impossible” goal
25:26 How to chase goals that feel out of reach
26:22 Why one marathon wasn’t enough
27:19 257km in 7 days
29:17 40 days’ journey… done in 14
30:04 What really drives him
30:28 Kidnapped by the Khmer Rouge
32:53 Staying calm under threat of death
34:15 Leadership in extreme situations
35:08 How that changed his perspective
35:55 Gratitude as a survival tool
37:10 Mental strategies for endurance
37:31 Helpful vs unhelpful thinking
38:21 Reframing adversity
39:54 Managing stress and fear
40:40 Optimism vs realism
41:02 Decision making under pressure
42:57 Leadership and resilience
45:05 Forgiveness… or something else?
46:09 What still challenges him today
46:35 Social media and modern pressure
47:09 Advice for when you feel stuck
49:28 His greatest achievement
49:42 Family and what really matters
52:38 Life today and what’s next
55:36 Final thoughts on resilience
56:18 Closing
56:38 Outro