Megan Hine: Survival State of Mind
Meet Megan Hine, a world expert in all aspects of remote wilderness expeditions and a consultant on some of the biggest adventure shows on TV – she’s even kept Bear Grylls safe on set.
You could say survival expert Megan Hine has seen and done it all. She’s been chased through the jungle by armed opium-farm guards, abseiled past bears, and used tampons
to light fires while in the wild. Never one to shy away from perilous conditions, Megan has coped with everything from sweltering deserts and humid jungles to precarious mountains and rapid rivers.
Cadet Power
She credits her passion for adventure and the great outdoors to her time as a cadet at Malvern College – first as an RAF cadet and then a Royal Marine cadet.
‘There was a test to see if girls would be suitable to join the Royal Marines and I was chosen to be part of the research. Consequently, I was lucky enough to take part in loads of adventurous training.’
Megan’s parents were academics and it was assumed she would study and possibly join the armed forces, but being a cadet opened her eyes to a whole new world.
‘I took advantage of all the opportunities that arose, from winter climbing in Scotland to white-water kayaking. It really made me fall in love with exploring my limits, nature and wild places.’
Freedom Beyond Boundaries
Through leading expeditions and bushcraft courses (as well as being a survival expert on TV shows such as 人类与野生动物 和 Running Wild with Bear Grylls), Megan has explored far reaches of the globe in pursuit of adventure. The desire to find out what’s round the next corner has always been with her, even when she was at school.
‘It started as a way of escaping the pressures that were put on me as a child. I found freedom in the outdoors as there were no boundaries.
‘I was good at sport and participated in all kinds of events, but I always struggled with the concept that I was on a pitch with imaginary boundaries when behind them lay the horizon. I really couldn’t understand why I was confined when what I really wanted to be doing was exploring the world.’
Building Resilience
Surviving in the wild takes a great deal of resilience and Megan has overcome situations with horrendous weather, lack of food and encounters with predators. She puts her ability to cope in these conditions down to the practical and physical skills she has acquired over the years, along with her mindset. She first learnt the benefit of having a resilient state of mind as a cadet and believes no amount of top-of-the range kit will help in a survival situation if you don’t have the right mindset.
‘In the Cadets there’s an opportunity to build resilience, which is your ability to bounce back from hardship. The best way to do this is to expose yourself to lots of different challenges and then overcome those challenges by stepping out of your comfort zone.
‘Resilience is built by participating in lots of adventurous activities, socialising with different people and taking part in sporting competitions.
‘Also, being a cadet teaches you to work in a team. So much of modern-day life is about competition instead of teamwork but, if you look at our ancestral roots, connecting with others is a fundamental part of being human.’
Leadership Challenges
Megan’s leadership skills have sharpened with each fresh challenge she has undertaken.
‘Gaining experience is one of the keys to being a good leader, which is why I think the Cadets provides such brilliant opportunities to learn how to lead. You are constantly pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, taking on leadership tasks and working as a team. Only through experience will you learn to trust yourself and gain the confidence to make mistakes.’
She suggests that emotions such as shame, guilt and embarrassment can often arise when people first step into a leadership role – whether that’s leading fellow cadets, making decisions in a work setting or taking people into a survival situation.
‘Those kind of emotions often come to the fore when you step up and put yourself in a vulnerable position. However, if you get used to those feelings when you are young it will help you conquer them as you go through life.’
Clarity of Purpose
As a seasoned expedition leader, Megan offers a bespoke service where she turns peoples dream adventures into reality. She also gives people the chance to take part in unique experiences such as the expedition where she ran to Mongolia in September 2023. This trip was t one of the most remote places on earth and included riding through breathtaking landscape on horseback, camping under the stars and attending a Golden Eagle Festival.
Megan notices that people often come back from such expeditions with a clearer idea of who they are and what they want from life.
‘Often there’s a reason why people sign up for a trip like that,’ 她说。. ‘They might have gone through something traumatic like a breakup or they may be trying to find the next step in their career. While out in nature and pushing themselves, they also get a chance to hang out with other people and be a part of something very special. Such trips and forays into the wilds can be life changing.’
Nature Therapy
Although Megan thinks she was born with an “adventure gene”, she doesn’t believe you have to be an explorer or a survival expert to enjoy the power of nature.
‘You certainly don’t have to go running miles across mountains to enjoy the therapeutic effects that come from being outdoors. You get fantastic benefits from just taking the dog for a walk or being with friends in the park.’