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-therange 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.’

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.’

As a seasoned expedition leader, Megan offers a bespoke service where she turns people’s dream adventures into reality. She also gives people the chance to take part in unique experiences such as the expedition she is running to Mongolia in September 2023. This trip to one of the most remote places on Earth will include riding through a 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,' she says. '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

There have been plenty of daredevil women like Megan in the history of climbing and travelling but they are not as well known as their male counterparts. Here are some she mentions in her book Mind of a Survivor:

In the 1760s, Jeanne Baret became the first woman to circumnavigate the globe and did so disguised as a man on a ship in the French navy.

Lady Hester Stanhope was a pioneering archaeologist who in the early 1800s explored the Middle East while carrying a sword and riding a white stallion.

In 1871, Lucy Wallace became the first woman to climb the Matterhorn, apparently living on a diet of Champagne and sponge cake.

‘It’s often assumed that women of today are the first female adventurers but it’s just not true,’ says Megan. ‘While men were writing books about their exploits, women were off having amazing adventures but not really sharing them with the world.’ 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.’

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.’